Perfect Valentine's Day Cakes

I was so indecisive this year about what to bake for my hubbie for Valentine's Day, and picking up some gimmick 'valentine' cake moulds in my local Lidl supermarket didn't help me with my choices. So I decided to just make two cakes. Valentine's falls on a Friday this year so we will worry about the diet on Monday.

I used the same basic cake recipe for both cakes, the recipe is adapted from an earlier blog from my Donna Hay adapted recipe http://serenasmediumrare.blogspot.ie/2013/04/quick-apple-blueberry-almond-cake.html

The first cake is a pink and white chocolate rose shaped cake, using a flower cake mould; and the second is my Triple Chocolate Heart cake. I think you will agree the heart cake totally stole the show. Here's how I made both cakes; they are surprisingly easy to make, and it was made start to finish during baby's morning nap!

Pink White Chocolate Chip Rose Cake

Ingredients

Cake Mix

• 225g self raising flour
• 165g caster sugar
• 125ml milk
• 125g soft butter
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 3 drops of red food colouring
• 100g of white chocolate chips
• icing sugar to dust

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees and grease the cake mould with some butter.
2. In a food mixer, add all the dry cake mix ingredients and mix on low for a couple of seconds.
3. Melt the butter in the microwave for a minute. Add the butter to a jug with the milk, eggs, vanilla, and food colouring.
4. With the food mixer on slow, pour in the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, do not over mix.
5. Scrape it into the cake mould and level it out evenly
6. Bake in the oven for 45 mins.
7. Check that the cake is fully baked with a skewer before removing from the oven (Insert skewer to centre of cake if it comes out clean it's done, if not bake for a further 5 mins and try again)
8. Leave to cool on a wire rack in the mould until completely cooled.
9. Invert the mould onto a plate to dislodge it from the mould and dust with icing sugar.

Triple Chocolate Love Heart Cake

Ingredients

Cake Mix

• 220g self raising flour
• 165g caster sugar
• 125ml milk
• 125g soft butter
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 25g of cocoa powder
• 100g of dark chocolate chips
• 1 can of Dr Otker Chocolate flavoured cupcake buttercream
• 50g of raspberries
• Icing sugar to dust

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees and grease the cake mould with some butter.
2. In a food mixer, add all the dry cake mix ingredients and mix on low for a couple of seconds.
3. Melt the butter in the microwave for a minute. Add the butter to a jug with the milk, eggs, vanilla.
4. With the food mixer on slow, pour in the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, do not over mix.
5. Scrape it into the cake mould and level it out evenly
6. Bake in the oven for 45 mins.
7. Check that the cake is fully baked with a skewer before removing from the oven (Insert skewer to centre of cake if it comes out clean it's done, if not bake for a further 5 mins and try again)
8. Leave to cool on a wire rack in the mould until completely cooled.
9. Invert the mould onto a plate to dislodge it from the mould.
10. Frost the cake with the ready made chocolate buttercream, decorating however you like. I scattered the raspberries in a heart shape in the centre for the extra 'cheezy' factor.
11. Dust with icing sugar.

Rachel's Chocolate Mousse Cake

I ADORE this recipe from Rachel Allens's Easy Meals book. She says in the book that you have to make it to believe it and I 100% agree. For a cake that simple to make, it really has the WOW factor for a dinner party. There are hardly any ingredients and its made start to finish in 30 minutes. What more could you ask for. 

This cake has the added appeal of being gluten free. I'm often asked to cater for girls who need a gluten free diet at my Fancy Pants Tea Parties, and I'm totally confident that this cake delivers that little something special. You don't have to follow a gluten free diet to enjoy this cake, it vanishes in what seems like seconds. 

This is not my recipe, but its so delicious and impressive and most importantly, easy; I just had to share it with you!!! I highly recommend Rachel Allen's Easy Meals book, fantastic recipes for everyday life, with some great recipes that have a little pizzazz! The only thing I did differently is topped the cocoa powder with a little icing sugar and pimped it up with some pomegranate seeds, to make it really girlie.

Ingredients

• 300 g dark chocolate, broken into pieces, or dark chocolate drops
• 150 g butter
• 5 eggs
• 50 g caster sugar
• cocoa powder, for dusting
• 20cm (8in) diameter spring-form/loose bottomed cake tin

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Line the base of the cake tin with a disc of baking parchment and grease the sides with butter.
2. Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt, then remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Place the eggs and sugar in a separate bowl and, using a hand-held electric beater or electric mixer, whisk for 7–10 minutes or until the mixture forms a light, pale mousse.
4. Fold the chocolate mixture into the eggs until fully combined, then pour into the prepared tin and bake for 20–22 minutes or until the cake is almost set. Allow to cool down completely in the tin before removing, then dust with cocoa powder and cut into slices to serve.

Spicy Asian Beef Salad

The month of January is all about detox detox detox!! Gone are the mince pies, the selection boxes and the over indulging on Irish Cream Liqueur. Now tis the season to be healthy! Healthy for me doesn't have to mean boring. This Thai inspired beef salad is an exciting combination of fresh flavours, that is so tasty and satisfying you forget that its healthy.

The salad dressing is from Saba restaurant's cookbook. If you are ever in Dublin and in search of a great Thai/Vietnamese Restaurant, then you got to check Saba out. Everything on the menu is delicious. The recipe calls for 4 birds eye chilies in addition to everything else. I've left these out as I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to chilies, but feel free to add them. I'm content with my chili flakes.

Serves 2

Ingredients

Beef

• 1 steak, fillet or sirloin
• 2 tbsp of mirin
• 1 tbsp of palm sugar or brown sugar
• 2 tbsp of rice wine vinegar
• 2 spring onions, roughly chopped

Salad

• 1 stack of rice noodles
• 1 carrot
• 50g of chopped roasted peanuts
• 2 spring onions
• 2 tbsp of chopped coriander

Salad Dressing

• 2 shallots, peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp of chili flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp of coriander stalks
• 3 tbsp of fish sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of chili sauce

To serve

• 1 tsp of chopped peanuts
• 1 tsp of freshly chopped coriander
• 1 lime cut into wedges

Method

1. Firstly, you must marinate the steak. Combine all the steak ingredients in non metallic bowl and place the steak in the bowl. Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour.
2. Pour Boiling water over the noodles and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Then drain and rinse in cold water and drain again.
3. To make the salad dressing, simply add all ingredients into a mini food blender and blend until liquidised.
4. Heat a frying pan on high, get it really hot then add the steak. Cook for 3 minutes each side and then set aside to rest for at least 10 minutes.
5. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and cook on high heat until its thickened and reduced.
6. In a large bowl, combine the noodles with the rest of the salad ingredients. Pour over all the salad dressing and mix really well so that everything is coated.
7. Divide the salad into 2 bowls.
8. Cut the steak against the grain into strips as thinly as you can. Divide the steak pieces on top of each noodle bowl. 
9. Pour over the thickened reduced marinade.
10. Scatter with some more crushed peanuts, sliced spring onion and freshly chopped coriander. Serve with lime wedges.

Homemade Irish Liqueur Cream

I got this recipe from the BBC Website and I must say its absolutely awesome! I love Baileys, but this homemade version of Irish Cream Liqueur wins hands down and all my family and neighbours who received a bottle from me this Christmas agreed.  I brought the bottle to neigbours when visiting instead, and I also added to my homemade gift hampers for my mother and mother in law.

But this is not just a drink for Christmas, its way too tasty to reserve it for just once a year. It's a fabulous treat at the end of a meal at a dinner party, or even drop a sneaky bit into a coffee. Bliss!!!

 Here's the recipe, which I tweaked a little to my own taste, unable to source coffee syrup I used a cold strong espresso shot from my coffee machine and I added more chocolate sauce.

Ingredients

• 250ml/9fl oz single cream

• 1x 397g/14oz tin condensed milk

• 350ml/12fl oz Irish whiskey

• 1 tsp Camp coffee essence/or an espresso shot cooled if you cannot source the Camp.

• 5 tsp chocolate sauce

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp almond extract

Method

1. Sterilise the bottles for the liqueur: wash in very hot water or on the hot cycle of a dishwasher. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3. 
2. Place the bottles on a baking tray and dry in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
3.  Leave to cool.
4. Pour all the ingredients into a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds. 
5. Add extra Camp or chocolate to taste.
6. Pour into sterilised bottles and store in the fridge. (The liqueur will keep for up to two months.) Shake well before using.

Chinese Style Roast Chicken

New year, new roast chicken version!! Anyone who knows me, know that I'm obsessed with Roast Chicken and I roast a large (free range) chicken every single Sunday. Not only does it cover Sunday supper, but it provides for lunch and dinner the following day also.

Over Christmas I saw Gordon Ramsey do a 5 spice duck, and it inspired me to try a different take on my roast chicken. The result was a very flavorful bird and I added a glaze at the end, which gave it a wonderful bronzed glow and deliciously sticky skin!

Ingredients

• 1 large free range chicken
• 1 thumb size piece of ginger
• 1 red chili, kept whole
• 1 satsuma, pricked with a fork
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 lemongrass bulb, bruised
• 3 tbsp of Chinese 5 spice
• 2 tbsp of honey
• 2 tbsp of soy sauce

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.
2. Stuff the chicken cavity with the chilli, ginger, garlic, satsuma and lemongrass.
3. Rub the chicken generously with the 5 spice.
4. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
5. Roast in the oven for 1 hour.
6. After 1 hour, turn the chicken upside down and roast for a further 30 minutes.
7. Turn the chicken back over and roast for another 10 minutes.
8. Whisk the honey and soy sauce together.
9. Turn the oven up to 200 degrees.
10. Pour over the honey and soy glaze and return to the oven, glazing the chicken every 5 minutes for 20 minutes.
11. Take out of the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
12. Serve with steamed greens and brown rice for a healthy roast chicken dinner.

Pretty Meringue Decorations

Being a huge foodie, I hang edible treats on my Christmas tree every year and this year I decided to make some meringue circles. I must admit however that they only lasted the day and every single one of them was eaten before lights out. Nevertheless they are great fun to make with little ones and they look so pretty. You can make them whatever colour you like by adding your preferred food colouring to the finished meringue mixture, I chose pink as I'm super girly.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 220g caster sugar
• Red food colouring
• Pretty ribbon for hanging

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 140 degrees
2. Separate the eggs and put the egg whites in a food mixer with the whisk attachment
   
3. Whisk the eggs for 5 minutes, on medium speed.
4. Add the sugar little by little, increase the speed of the whisk and continue to whisk for 8-10 minutes, until you have stiff peaks.
5. Whisking slowly, add the colouring until you have reached the desired  colour.
6. Put the meringue into a piping bag.
7. Pipe out thick circles onto baking trays lined with baking paper.
8. Place the trays in the oven and bake for 25 minutes
9. Cool on a wire rack.
10. Using a ribbon hang the meringues on your Christmas tree. Keep them away from the fairy lights if you can as the heat can melt the meringues.

Easy Peasy Mince Pies

I don't have a lot of time these days for baking and blogging, but these mince pies are all about the short cuts and are a doddle to make, so easy I just had to share the recipe. I'm a self proclaimed lover of store bought pastry, it makes everything so quick and easy.

 These pies are made using store bought pastry, but good quality pastry. The mince pie filling is also straight from a jar, but I'm using a luxury brand. Basically I'm all about the shortcuts once the very best store bought items are used. There then is nothing stopping you pimping up store bought ingredients. For example here I jazz up the mince filling with some clementine zest and chopped apple.

So on first glance of the pies you think 'oh I don't have the time to make those'; but read on and see how easy it is to make your own.

Makes 9 mince pies

Ingredients

• 1 ready rolled premium quality shortcrust pastry
• 1 jar of luxury mincemeat
• 1/2 an apple, diced
• Zest of 1 clementine 
• 1 tbsp of milk
• Butter, for greasing muffin tray
• Icing sugar, for dusting

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, and grease a muffin tin with butter
2. Empty the mincemeat into a bowl and add the zest and the chopped apple and stir to combine.
3. Roll out the pastry and using a round pastry cutter, cut out as many circles as you can. 
4. With the scraps, re-roll and cut out some star shapes for the top of the pies.
5. Place the pastry circles in the muffin holes and add the mincemeat filling. Do not be tempted to overfill them as they will burst and overflow when baked.
6. Top each pie with the cut out pastry stars. Brush the stars with a little milk.
7. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until they are bubbling and golden brown.
8. Cool in the tin on a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing from the rack and allowing to cool completely.
9. Dust liberally with icing sugar and hey presto.

If you are visiting over the festive season, these are the prefect gift to bring your friends and family. Everyone loves homemade gift, especially ones that look like you were slaving in the kitchen for hours making. They need never know how easy and quick they were.

In a make ahead tip, you can freeze the pies in the muffin tray unbaked (covered with cling). Then just defrost overnight in the fridge before baking them.