Pour la recette en Français cliquez ici

 Ingredients:
250g flour
70g cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
100g butter
160gdark muscovado sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250-300ml buttermilk
For the buttercream:
140g butter
280g icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp of milk
food coloring

Method of preparation:
Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt until well combined.
In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy using an electric hand whisk  (about 3min).

Add the egg and mix well.

Add the vanilla extract and 250ml of buttermilk and beat until well combined.
Slowly, add half the dry ingredients and  mix together then add the remaining mixture. if mixture is too dry add the remaining buttermilk.
Cook the Whoopie pies in a whoopie pie maker or place a tbsp of the  mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment  and bake in a preheated oven 10 180 deg  for about  10min.

For the buttercream: in a bowl beat the butter until creamy and smooth, add half the icing sugar and beat until smooth.

Stir in vanilla and remaining of the icing sugar and  beat until smooth and creamy.

If the mixture is too stiff add a tbsp of mil until the desired texture is reached.

Spread a generous amount of the buttercream filling onto the flat side of one cake and then sandwich another cake on top.

Today I share with you a British speciality, mince or mincemeat pies. These are small pies stuffed with mincemeat. Originally, this mixture contained meat hence the name, but these days the mincemeat is a kind of jam that contains dried fruit (raisins, apricots), candied peel, candied cherries,  Zest of citrus, apple, almonds and spices. I made my mincemeat myself but you can buy it ready made in jars. These pies are delicious and are eaten at the end of the meal, cold or warm, sprinkled with icing sugar and accompanied with custard or double cream.

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    Ingredients:


For Mincemeat


225g grated apples

110g shredded suet

500 g mixture of dry fruits

100g mixed candied fruit

 50g almonds, coarsely chopped

 200g dark brown sugar

Grated zest and juice of 2 oranges

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  
2 teaspoons ground mixed spice
 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 / 2 teaspoon nutmeg

Crème Brûlée Tart

Caramelised sugar makes a decorative topping and contrasting texture to the creamy, melt in the mouth filling in these tarts. For another crème brûlée dessert view my delicious white chocolate crème  brûlée (Recipe here). These tarts are excellent and make a very nice dessert.

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Ingredient:

 Shortcrust pastry

4 eggs yolks

50g caster sugar

400ml double cream

1 tsp vanilla essence

Demerara sugar for sprinkling

Methode:

Line a tart tin with the shortcrust pastry

Bake in the oven for 15min, remove the foil and cook for a further 10min.

Make the filling: place the egg yolks and caster sugar in a bowl and beat until thick and pale.

Heat the cream and vanilla essence in a saucepan until just below boiling point, then pour it onto the egg mixture, whisking constantly.

Return the mixture to a clean saucepan and bring to just below boiling point, stirring, until thick. do not boil.

Pour the mixture into the tart case. leave to chill for hours.

Sprinkle the tarts with demerara sugar  and caramelised using a blow torch or under a grill.

Latticed Peaches

Hi

Today I share with you this elegant low fat desert, yes it certainly doesn't look low in fat, but it really is…lol

xxx

Ingredients:

For the pastry

115g plain flour

3tbsp butter

3tbsp fat free natural yogurt

2tbsp orange juice

For the filling

3 ripe peaches

3tbsp ground almonds

2tbsp fat free natural yogurt

rind of 1 orange

1/4 tsp almond essence

For the sauce

1 ripe peach

3 tbsp orange juice

Method:

Sift the flour into a bowl, rub in the butter evenly.

Stir in the yogurt and orange juice to bind the mixture into a firm dough.

Roll out half of the pastry thinly and use a biscuit cutter to stamp out rounds slightly larger than the circumference of the peaches.

Place on a baking sheet.

Skin the peaches and remove the stones.

Mix together the almonds, yogurt, orange rind and almond essence.

Spoon the mixture into the hollows of each peach half and place, cut side down, on to the pastry rounds.

Roll out the remaining pastry thinly and cut into strips or using a lattice cutter.

Arrange the top over the peaches to form a lattice, brushing with milk to secure firmly.

Chill in the fridge for 30min.

Bake in a preheated oven GM6/ 200C for 15-20min or until golden brown.

For the sauce puree the peach in a food processor with the orange juice until smooth.

Serve the the peaches hot with the peach sauce.