Last weekend was my nieces 7th birthday so we headed down to the cotswolds to help out with her ‘Teddy Bears’ picnic party. Lots of bunting, jelly and ice cream, mini sweet treats and of course a cake made by a doting Aunt! We danced and played games and while tucking into a mini mars bar (a sweet treat I haven’t had for years!) it brought back memories of being a child and my Mum melting mars bars and pouring the sauce over vanilla ice cream. The caramel and nougat ingredients of the mars bar gives the sauce a toffee chocolate flavour, really delicious and very naughty!

I’ve been wanting to make some yummy banana cakes for a while and I think that this mars bar sauce topping is perfect. This banana cake recipe makes a really lovely light sponge and the sauce is a sticky delight which makes these cakes a truly scrumptious treat.

‘BANANA AND MARS BAR CAKES’ (banana and vanilla bean cakes, mars bar sauce)

Makes 12 cakes

Banana cake recipe
250g softened butter or margarine
250g golden caster sugar
5 eggs
250g self raising flour
5 ripe bananas
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mars bar sauce recipe
4 mars bars (58g bars)
4 tablespoons single cream

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celsius (160 for fan ovens).
2. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with 12 muffin size cases.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each edition.
5. Sift in the flour and baking powder, mix until thoroughly combined.
6. Add the vanilla extract.
7. In another bowl mash the banana with a fork.
8. Add the bananas to the vanilla sponge mix and combine thoroughly.
9. Evenly distribute the mixture between the 12 muffin cases.
10. Place in the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 30 mins until golden brown.
11. Whilst the cakes are cooling, cut the mars bars into chunks and place in a small pan (a non-stick pan would be best).
12. On a very low heat, melt the mars bars and stir in the cream.
13. When the cakes are cool, pour the hot mars bar sauce over each one and add a few chocolate sprinkles.

‘BANANA AND MARS BAR CAKES’

Makes 9 mini loaves

Tropical fruit fancy recipe
100g butter
150g golden caster sugar
2 eggs
175g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
75g candied peel
75g glace cherries
2 passion fruits
150g drained pineapple pulp
50g desiccated coconut

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celsius (160 for a fan oven).
2. Line 9 mini loaf tins.
3. Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each.
5. Sift in the flour and baking powder.
6. Add the coconut and vanilla extract.
7. Chop the glace cherries into quarters.
8. Place the cherries and candied peel into a sieve and rinse with cold water. (removing the syrup coating will prevent the fruit from sinking).
9. Remove the pulp from the passion fruits and strain the pineapple.

10. Add the candied fruit, pineapple and passion fruit pulp. Mix thoroughly.

11. Spoon the mixture into the mini loaf tins and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown.

12. Remove from the oven, turn each cake onto a cooling rack and remove the greaseproof paper.

13. When the mini loaves are cool, dust with icing sugar.

‘TROPICAL FRUIT FANCY’

Slightly ordinary to the eye these little cakes hide a flavour sensation. My neighbour remarked ‘It’s like biting into a piece of Summer’. Perfect little sophisticated tea time treats.

‘ZESTY LEMON AND ROSE-WATER CUPCAKES’
(zesty lemon cupcakes, lemon syrup drizzle, rose-water glace icing, crystalized rose petals)

makes 12

Zesty lemon cupcakes recipe
50g plain flour
175g self raising flour
175g golden caster sugar
175g butter, softened
4 eggs
90ml water
Zest of 1 lemon
Half teaspoon of vanilla extract

Lemon syrup
Juice of 1 lemon
5 teaspoons of caster sugar

Rose-water glace icing
150g icing sugar
Rose-water

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (160 for a fan oven)
2. Line a 12 tin muffin tin with 12 muffin cases
3. Sift the flours into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and butter
4. break the eggs into another bowl, add the water and vanilla extract. Beat mixture together
5. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mix, add the lemon zest and beat on a fast speed.
6. Divide the mixture between the 12 tins and bake in the oven for approx 30 mins or until golden brown and bouncy to the touch.
7. Whilst the cakes are baking make the lemon syrup. Juice the lemon into a small pan and add the sugar. Turn onto a low heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved.

8. When the cakes are baked, remove from the oven and place on a wire rack.
9. When the cakes are still warm, pour a teaspoon of the lemon syrup over each cake. Allow to cool

10. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add drops of the rose-water gradually until the icing becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. You don’t want it too runny, so if it’s looking like you’ve added a little too much rose-water, add a little more sifted icing sugar to thicken.
11. When the cakes are cool, spoon a teaspoonful of the glace icing on the top of the cupcake and smooth over.

12. I chose a few little crystallized rose petals as my decoration, bought from ‘Rococo Chocolates’ on the Kings Road .

‘ZESTY LEMON AND ROSE-WATER CUPCAKES’

Happy Baking X

Makes approx 20

Truffle recipe
5 oz chocolate cake crumb
1oz butter
1 oz cocoa
2 oz icing sugar
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier
zest of half an orange

Directions
1. Crumble the cake into a bowl to remove any lumps
2. Sift in the cocoa powder and icing sugar
3. Melt the butter and pour over the cake crumb mix

4. Mix lightly then add the liquor and zest of an orange and mix all together

5. Place some greaseproof paper onto a board or tray
6. Roll into balls and place on the greaseproof paper
7. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes. If you want any truffles coated in
vermicelli, this is done before the truffles are placed in the fridge.
8. Roll the balls in a bowl full of vermicelli and then place on the
greaseproof paper with the uncoated truffles
9. When the truffles are in the fridge, melt some dark chocolate in a bowl
and mix some cocoa powder and drinking chocolate together in another bowl.
10. Remove the truffles from the fridge, dip in chocolate and then roll in
the cocoa powder.
11. You can decorate the truffles as you wish, some with vermicelli, some
with chocolate, some with chocolate and cocoa powder. I chose to then add a
little dusting of edible gold lustre to finish off the chocolates.

CHOCOLATE CAKE TRUFFLES

‘CHOCOLATE FRAMBOISE‘ (Rich chocolate truffle cake, double cream dark chocolate ganache, fresh raspberry compote with creme de frambois).

Chocolate truffle cake recipe
250g dark chocolate
250g butter
150ml water
325g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
550g golden caster sugar
4 large eggs
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla
125ml sour cream

Fresh raspberry compote
200g fresh raspberries
1 dsp caster sugar
5 tbsp raspberry liqueur

Dark chocolate ganache
200g dark chocolate
225ml double cream

For decoration
200g fresh raspberries

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius (150 for a fan oven)
2. Line the base and sides of a 9inch round cake tin (I chose a heart shape for this recipe)
3. Place the chocolate, water and butter in a large saucepan over a low heat, stirring the mixture occasionally. When the chocolate and butter have melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature
4. Sift the flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar
5. In another bowl mix the eggs, oil, vanilla and sour cream
6. Add the egg mix to the flour mix and fold together. Then add the cooled chocolate mixture to the egg and flour mix. Mix until well combined
7. Pour the mixture into the cake tin
8. Bake for approx 1 hr 15 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Once baked, remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the tin then turn out onto a metal rack
9. Whilst the cake is cooling make the jam filling and chocolate ganache
10. Place the raspberries in a pan with the sugar and 3 tablespoons of liqueur. Place on a low heat on the hob. Mix and simmer for 10 minutes. When the jam has cooled add the remaining 2 tablespoons of liqueur

11. To make the chocolate ganache, break the chocolate into chunks and put in a heatproof bowl. Place the cream in a pan and bring to the boil. Pour over the chocolate chunks

12.Leave for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth. Set aside until firm enough to spread over the cake

13. When the cake is cool, cut the dome off the top and turn upside down so you have a flat surface

14. Cut the cake in half and fill with half of your raspberry jam, sandwich the cake half’s together

15. Coat the whole cake with a very thin layer of the chocolate ganache and place in the fridge for 5 minutes. This is called the ‘crumb coat’ and will stop any crumbs from mixing into the final ganache covering
16. Remove the cake from the fridge and smooth over the remaining ganache

17. Decorate the cake with fresh raspberries and serve with the remaining raspberry jam and a little creme fresh or cream if desired.

‘CHOCOLATE FRAMBOISE’

So, here is the recipe for my ‘COFFEE VALENCIA’
(coffee cake, chocolate orange butter cream, dark chocolate espresso drizzle)

Coffee cake recipe
350g butter, softened
350g golden caster sugar
7 eggs
400g self raising flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
120ml strong espresso, cooled

Butter-cream filling
125g butter, softened
250g icing Sugar
85g dark chocolate
Zest of 1 orange
2 drops of orange extract

Espresso drizzle
3 tablespoons of espresso
50g melted dark chocolate
Cocoa or drinking chocolate

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius (150 for a fan oven)
2. Line the base of 2 x 7 inch round cake tins and grease the sides
3. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
4. Add eggs one at a time, on a slow speed
5. Sift in the flour and mix on a medium speed
6. Add the vanilla and coffee
7. Split the mix between the 2 tins
8. Bake for approx 50 mins, until a cake tester comes out clean. Once baked, remove from the oven and let the cakes stand for 5 mins in the tin on a wire rack, then turn out and leave to cool.
9. For the butter-cream, melt the chocolate carefully in a microwave or in a bowl over simmering water and allow to cool to room temperature.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
10. Add the orange zest and extract
11. Mix in the chocolate

12. Cut the domed top off one of the cakes and then cut both cakes in half

13. Fill each layer with some butter-cream and sandwich together

14. For the espresso drizzle, melt the chocolate carefully in a microwave or in a bowl over simmering water
15. Add the coffee and stir in well

16. Dust the top of the cake with drinking chocolate. I prefer this to cocoa for this recipe as it helps to encourage the frappuccino flavour

17. Drizzle over the espresso and chocolate mix using a spoon or a filled piping bag

and there you have it! - COFFEE VALENCIA

What a beautiful day it was today. The sun shined all day. I’ve just returned from a lovely picnic in the park with a group of friends and this recipe went down a treat with everyone…If you like this cake recipe I’ll be posting more very soon. Happy baking. Maisie x