GUILT FREE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES.

Hello! So this is my first post in nearly a year and I have to apologise for my lack of recipes.  Settling into my first year of uni was more mental than I could have ever imagined and posting my bakes took a back seat!  Now that I am home for the Summer, I plan to get back to more regular updates and continue this once I have moved into my new house ready for the start of second year.

This recipe is the first in my easy, cheap bakes series, which is ideal for students or anyone who is tight of time or money. If you're like me and have a craving that only chocolate can satisfy, then this recipe will be perfect for you.

Chocolate Truffles.  Rich, indulgent, completely delicious.

But surely not wallet or waistline friendly?!

Inspired by Deliciously Ella, these chocolate truffles are a much healthier version of the original indulgent sweet, made with a secret ingredient; dates.

To make 10 truffles you need:

12 dates (you can sub in roughly 180g raisins for an even cheaper option, the truffles just won't come out as smooth)

2 tbsp (preferrably) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tbsp ground almonds

2 tbsp olive oil/coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla essence

Extra cocoa/ dessicated coconut for dusting

Method:

Simply deseed the dates (if necessary), chuck them into a food processor with the other ingredients and blend until smooth.

If the mixture is too sloppy, add some more ground almonds, and if it's too stiff add a little more oil.

Roll a ping pong ball sized amount of mixture between your palms into a rough sphere shape, then

roll in the cocoa, coconut or other desired topping (crushed nuts such as hazelnuts also work really nicely).

Pop them in the fridge until you're ready to eat them!

Easy, healthy, yet indulgent, what could be better?

Happy baking,

LOVELY LEMON CURD.

After last week's cake extravaganza for my sister, I've taken a break from the kitchen for a few days, purely for the sake of my family's waistbands!  As a little something to keep you going, i've written up one of my simplest staple recipes - homemade lemon curd.

Now its good when you buy it from the shops, but homemade its even sweeter and even lemony-er (yes, I've just invented a word!)

You will need:

4 unwaxed lemons, zest and juice

200g/7oz caster sugar

100g/3.5oz butter/margerine, cubed

3 eggs + 1 egg yolk

Method:

Put the lemon zest and juice, the sugar and the butter into a large bowl. 

Put over a pan of gently simmering water, but don't let the bowl touch the water!

Stir the mixture until all of the butter has melted.
Lightly whisk the eggs and egg yolk and stir them into the lemon mixture. 

Whisk all of the ingredients until combined, then leave to cook for 10-13 minutes, stirring every so often, until the mixture is creamy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Leave to cool, stirring occasionally, then use, or place in the fridge.

So easy, yet so tasty!

Happy baking,

WELCOME HOME OLIVIA.

My big sister has been in Guyana (South America) for the past 4 weeks arrived home today! While in Guyana she helped to develop Girl Guiding, and I'm very proud of her for travelling away and doing something for such a good cause!  So far, she's introduced me to some Guayanese music (not to my taste!) and some Guyanese rum (much more to my taste!)

As a surprise welcome home present, I decided to try my hand at fondant icing and make her a celebration cake.  In true Hardacre style, I went all out with a two tier, iced cake, complete with fondant figurines.

It may not be the prettiest cake ever, but with it being my first fondant iced cake I was pretty happy with the result!

The cake itself was a simple victoria sponge cake with jam in between the layers.

You will need (for 2x 8" cakes and 2x 6" cakes):

8 medium eggs

1lb (453.6g) flour

1lb (453.6g) caster sugar

1lb (453.6g) margerine or soft butter

Raspberry (or whatever you like) jam

Fondant icing

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a (very!) large bowl.

Pour the mixture into the greased cake tins, I did one of each size, cooked it and then did the next two.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden and springy.

Leave each layer to cool.

Put one of the 8" cakes onto a cake tray and cover in jam.  Place the second 8" cake on top, and again, cover (lightly) in jam.

Repeat with the 6" cakes.

For the icing, roll out your desired colour of icing, on a table/surface dusted liberally with icing sugar, until it is quite thin.

Using the rolling pin, carefully lay it over the cake and smooth down.

Repeat this with the smaller cakes, then place them on top of the bigger cakes.

Now its totally up to you on how you decorate! I found a good website on how to make fondant figurines that takes you step by step: http://caketrails-nz.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/simple-fondant-figure-tutorial.html

 Its actually a very easy cake to make as a celebration cake as you can personalise and decorate it however you like! 

Happy baking,

QUEEN OF HEARTS JAM TARTS.

I meant to post this recipe a while ago, but I got carried away with a lot of other things, so here it is!

One of my favourite books in the world is Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - I love the fantasy and the adventure, Alice dreaming up a whole other world in her head, something that appeals to me too!  It was these stories, and one character in particular, the Queen of Hearts that inspired me to bake these jam tarts, appropriately topped with heart shaped lids.

What you need:

85g unsalted butter/margerine

170g self-raising flour

Raspberry jam

Method:

Rub together the butter and flour until it looks like breadcrumb mix.

Stir in roughly a tablespoon of water and press to form a dough.

Put into the fridge for 30 minutes.

After 30 mins, roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Use a crinkle edged pastry cutter and cut out about 10 circles.

Put the cases into a fairy cake tin, add roughly one teaspoon of jam to each.

Use the leftover pastry and cut out 10 small heart shaped lids.  Place them over the jam cases.

Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry goes golden brown.

These are super tasty, perfect for a picnic or just a tea time treat.

Happy baking,

SIMPLE ICED CUPCAKES

Soo I'm a totally proud little sister this week, as yesterday my big sister Olivia graduated from university with an honours degree in Arabic! 

As a lovely little (well little in age, not in height!) sister, I decided to bake her something of her choice.  One of her favourite things in the world is glacé icing, and she asked me to bake her some simple vanilla cupcakes, covered in icing.

These simple cakes are just vanilla sponge mix covered with glacé icing, and literally couldn't be easier or quicker, making them perfect for a birthday party or an unexpected coffee guest!  I think with all the fancy cakes available now, it's easy to forget just how good a simple sponge cake is. 

Having been baking sponge cakes my whole life, I don't use a recipe anymore, for each egg I simply use 2oz (sorry, I work in oz! Thats roughly 56.7g) of everything else.

First of all, get your ingredients:

3 eggs

6oz (170g) flour (sifted)

6oz (170g) caster sugar

6oz (170g) butter or margerine 

Splash of milk

Icing sugar

Water

This makes roughly 18 fairy cakes. (If you want more cake, increase the quantities!)

Next:

Line a fairy cake tray with fairy cake cases (medium size ones).

To make the cake mix, (I use Mary Berry's all in one method) add the flour, sugar, butter, milk and eggs into a bowl and mix until smooth.

Spoon into the lined cake tin, filling to roughly 3/4 up the side of the case.

Put into the oven at 190C/fan 170C/gas 5, for roughly 20 minutes or until pale gold and springy to the touch.

 Put onto a wire rack to cool. 

To make the icing, simply mix the icing sugar with a little water until you have the desired amount and consistency.

Dollop onto the cakes and allow to run. 

 It's also compulsory to eat the leftover icing with a spoon, which is definitely my favourite bit!

Happy baking, 

THE BEST BLONDIES IN THE WORLD EVER.

Having not baked in a while, I wanted to come back with a bang, so decided to do one of my favourite recipes. The best in the world ever may be a bold statement, but I really think these Blondies deserve that title.  Totally gooey and totally moreish, this is one of my families favourite recipes!

You will need:

115g melted butter

230g dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tspns vanilla extract

1/2 tspn almond extract (optional)

1/8 tspn salt

140g plain flour

190g (roughly) white chocolate (I used Milkybar Buttons, but you can use anything)

Method:

Melt the butter (can be done in the microwave, but keep a close eye on it!)

 In a medium bowl, stir melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in egg, vanilla, almond extract (optional) and the salt.

Add flour and stir until incorporated then mix in the white chocolate.

Pour into a lined baking dish (I used an 8" square tray)

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees F (177C), until a toothpick or skewer comes out relatively clean (you still want them a little gooey!)

Leave to cool, then cut into squares.

Here's your printable recipe:

For such a delicious recipe, its so simple to do! So try it out and impress everyone with your baking skills, just don't tell them how easy it is!

Happy baking,

PERFECT PANCAKES.

So, my first post in about a month, and it's a very exciting one! Today I finished my A-Levels, and have officially finished school forever, summer starts here!  I would say I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my time, but let's be honest, baking and Netflix will take up a large part of it!

To celebrate, I made my super awesome American pancake recipe, quick, easy, yet super tasty!

You will need:

135g plain/wholemeal flour (or a mixture of the two, plain is more fluffy, but that's the only difference!)

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 tbsp caster sugar

130ml milk (I use skimmed, but any will be fine)

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp melted butter

Method:

Melt the butter and place to one side to cool slightly

In a jug, measure out the milk and add the egg, once cooled, add the butter and mix with a fork

Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix vigorously with a fork, any lumps will disappear once all the liquid's mixed in.

To cook, heat a small knob of butter in a pan over a lowish heat and place a blob of mixture in the middle Wait until you can see small bubbles forming on top, then flip.

Serve with anything! I use golden syrup, but maple, fruit and/or chocolate work too!

These pancakes are perfect for breakfast or a quick snack, or like me, you could just eat them all the time!

Happy baking,

FAILPROOF FLAPJACK.

Sorry I haven't posted much recently, been pretty busy!  So today, after 14 years, I finally left school! I am so grateful for all the experiences I've had and the people I've met along the way, couldn't really ask for much more.  Scary thinking that I now have to go out into the real world, and fend for myself at university! Now all there is left is to take my final exams, then sit back and enjoy the summer!

These flapjack were the perfect thing to make in limited time, only taking about 20 minutes from start to finish and containing only 4 ingredients they're a staple bake in my house.

Ingredients:

225g (8oz) butter

225g (8oz) demerara sugar

75g (3oz) golden syrup

275g (10oz) porridge oats

 

Method:

Start by melting the butter, sugar and syrup in a small saucepan.

Once fully combined, add the oats and stir to coat.

Pour the mixture into a greaseproof paper lined tin, round, square, any tin you have, it doesn't really matter.

Bake for roughly 20 minutes, or until they start to colour around the edges.

Just to finish off, here's a bit of a throwback to when I started primary school, I like to think I've changed a lot since then!

So, for me its the end of an era, but the start of something I hope will be just as good.

Happy baking,

COFFEE TIME CUPCAKES.

Coffee cake may actually be my favourite cake in the world, and I don't even regret saying that (sorry chocolate cake!)  They almost feel healthy to eat. These easy fairy cakes taste incredible and are perfect for morning coffee! (..or afternoon coffee.. or evening coffee.. or just all the time..)

They are super moist, and full of flavour without being overpowering (for people who say they can't eat coffee cake because they don't like coffee, these have more of a warming hint of latte rather than full blown espresso!) and they only take about 30 minutes from start to finish.

They use normal cupcake ingredients, with an added tablespoon of coffee:

Cupcakes

4oz (100g) butter
4oz (100g) caster sugar
4oz (100g) self raising flour
2 medium eggs 

 1 tablespoon cold, strong black coffee
1 tsp vanilla extract

Coffee Buttercream

5oz (125g) unsalted butter
10oz (250g) icing sugar
1-2 tablespoons cold, strong black coffee (depending on how strong you like it)

Next, mix up all your ingredients:

In a large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, flour and eggs, until all combined.

Add the coffee and stir well.

Place the mixture into a cupcake tray lined with paper cases, fill them about 3/4 to the top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until slightly brown and springy to the touch.

While the cakes are cooling on a wire rack, make the coffee buttercream, mix the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy, then add 1-2 tablespoons of coffee, depending on how strong you like it, or what texture you want the cream.

Once the cakes are cool, slice a circle out of them and slice it in half, put a teaspoon of cream into the middle then put the halved tops in like fairy wings.

If you fancy more of a mocha cupcake, add in a small tablespoon of cocoa powder dissolved in water into the cake mix! Here's the printout.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Happy baking,