HoneyB is taking birthday presents into her own creative hands. This is what she brought, or should I say delivered, to the latest birthday party. A 9″ chocolate pizza decorated with the obligatory Smarties then marshmallows which work really well with creamy milk chocolate.
Imagine the shock of the giddy birthday gang when she arrived with a pizza box?! I will have to stock up on more fun decorative ingredients so HoneyB can go wilder.
Do we really need a whole day dedicated to saying ‘I Love You’ to the person you love? Well, if it gives us an excuse to make-and-do cards, eat chocolate and treats then bring it on!
Again, HoneyB is showing that she is more than just a cake mixer and decorater. Today she helped temper some chocolate with so much patience that it filled me with pride.
Her passion lies in decorating though, carefully sampling the colourful gems to see if they will fit into her taste and colour scheme. This 7″ wide chocolate heart is destined for her Dad and she knows she will get a decent chunk.
It is always advisable to have a practice run of a course before giving the real thing. And this is where HoneyB is proving that she is not just a pretty bowl licker. She proved to be my star student on a recent dry run of my Kids Chocolate Classes advising me on coating and bowl sizes for truffle making.
HoneyB was delighted with the brightly coloured sprinkles which she found easier to use than the icing sugar, sweetened cocoa or plain cocoa powder. The Cake Gallery in Ennis have a great variety of sprinkles. We used Shimmering Sugar too (bright pink!) unsuccessfully but I bet it will look da-biz on white icing.
Using this Chocolate Biscuit Truffle recipe, she produced a decent box of truffles and a decent mess. Both outcomes acceptable in my book.
Well Done HoneyB!
Halloween is just around the corner. It is a holiday that I have never really looked forward to – me, being a’scared of my shadow. But never let it be said that I do not try to embrace the season. So this year, HoneyB plans to be one of those pesky trick or treat kids; she is working on her Winnie the Witch look and I think might need a trip to Guineys of Limerick to stock up on colorful material! And we’ll be cooking lots of gross looking bakes thanks to Nessa’s Family Kitchen.
A huge selection of ghoulish lollipops have been dispatched to Melt Chocolate Cafe and more will be distributed via broom-broom in the coming weeks. Then back to the cauldron to make halloween truffles (don’t ask!) and more for the Castleconnell Craft Fair which happens in the Castle Oaks Hotel 30-31 Oct.
Ah a weekend for me! Well, when I say me, I mean us. A weekend where the three of us can spend the whole day together without Mom having to rush out the door to markets (and in the background there is always ‘I know you have to go but I wish you could stay’ cry).
Sundays tend to be very informal in our house, not a roast beef in sight, but elevenses are always noteworthy. These Berry Buttermilk Muffins from Good Food: 101 Cakes and Bakes are filling though not as luxurious as these friands from Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. Since HoneyB was helping, she deemed it very necessary to keep the fruit well away from her muffin mix opting for chocolate instead.
Berry Buttermilk Muffins
~ 12 muffins
400g plain flour
175g caster sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
284ml buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
85g butter, melted
200g fresh/frozen berries
1. Preheat to 200C (180C fan). Prepare 12 hole muffin tray by lining with paper cases.
2. Add all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and combine using a whisk.
3. Combine all the wet ingredients except the fruit and mix into the dry ingredients. Do not overmix.
4. Gently stir in the fruit and generously spoon into the muffin tin.
5. Bake for 25mins until nicely browned on top.
So, what is the perfect Chocolate Fridge Cake? Well, it is your favourite chocolate, combined with your favourite biscuits and your favourite fruit/nut assortment.
So, what is my perfect Chocolate Fridge Cake? Well, it’s a combination of his favourite biscuits, HoneyB’s favourite chocolate and a healthy handful of raisins. This recipe is as versatile as they come so change it to suit you or the intended recipient.
And I needn’t tell you how much fun it is to smash the biscuits. Fun for all the family!
Our Chocolate Fridge Cake
200g gingernut biscuits (digestives, rich tea, hob nobs …. )
100g butter
3 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp cocoa powder
50g raisins (nuts, ginger, cranberries, cherries, citrus peel, marshmallows … )
100g milk chocolate (dark, white or a combination …)
1. Line a 7″ round cake tin with clingfilm, letting it drape over the edges. This will help to remove the cake from the tin later.
2. Melt the butter and syrup in the microwave.
3. Put the biscuits in a freezer bag and, using a rolling pin, bash into large crumbs.
4. Put the biscuit crumbs, raisins, cocoa in a bowl. Pour over the butter-syrup mixture and stir until well combined.
5. Empty into the cake tin and press down firmly with the back of a wooden spoon or your fingers. Place in the fridge.
6. Melt the chocolate with a small knob of butter in the microwave, medium heat for 30 second intervals.
7. Spread the melted chocolate over the biscuit base and return the tin to the fridge for around an hour.
It’s Birthday time in my house. Himself and myself celebrate our birthdays on the same day. It’s very handy and no one gets forgotten. HoneyB is old enough to be put in charge of party proceedings and has risen to the challenge. We are having two parties; one for Daddy and another one on Saturday for moi. Nice one!
For Himself, a huge poster, After Eight Buns (from Wholesome Cook), decorated in monster faces just cause Daddy is a boy; green icing cause that’s his favourite color; mint flavour cause she loves mint in any format.
The buns are moist and feel like a grown-up version of the usual fairy cakes. Not that I don’t love fairy cakes but these are a nice change.
I first came across Jam Drops in one of Rachel Allen’s books (not Bake – I have that one!) that I’d borrowed from the library. And foolish me, I returned the book without memorising the recipe. Anyhow, the Delicious Magazine’s recipe seemed very similar expect for the use of custard powder.
This recipe is a true child friendly recipe where they can ‘do stuff’ from beginning to end. HoneyB helped with weighing and mixing but got into her stride at rolling balls of dough and using her fingers to make the jammy indents.
We’ve made these biscuits with strawberry and raspberry jams, lemon curd, nutella and hidden chocolate. Now we just make lemon curd and hidden chocolate drops, the latter being HoneyB’s favourite. Why? It’s fun to make secret caves for hiding buttons and then eating them to find the chocolate treasure 
I’ve been meaning to make Cake Pops ever since I came across Bubble and Sweet. We Should Cocoa challenge this month is to make a chocolatey creation with leftovers.
I knew this was my chance; all I had to do was distract Himself long enough to take 150g of Christmas cake. In fairness, 150g is really only 2 slices and he was not going to polish off the whole cake … there was bound to be leftovers 
Bubble and Sweet has a brilliant photo step-by-step guide on how to make these cake pops. And for more inspiration, visit the marvellous Bakerella. Be warned, kids will love love love making these!
Cake Pops
~ makes 7
1. Blitz the cake in a food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Add the cream cheese and blitz again until the mixture comes together.
3. Form into 7 round lollipop tops.
4. Pop the stick into the base of the lollipop to make a hole, then remove. Place in the fridge to chill.
5. Dip the end of the lollipop stick into the melted chocolate and then pop into the pre-made hole in the base of the lollipop. Allow to set.
6. Now dip the lollipop into the melted chocolate and decorate as you see fit. Stand the lollipops in the florist’s oasis until set.
HoneyB has a penchant for Smarties. Maybe it’s the bright colors, maybe it’s the candy shell, maybe it’s because she knows I am not keen on her eating them! Whatever the reason, she asked Santa for some and Santa obliged rather generously with two tubes, one regular, one with all pink Smarties.
With such a Smarties glut in the house, she decided to make cupcakes and decorate them. Any baking is OK by me so we made Chocolate Peanut Butter cupcakes ala Rachel Allen’s Home Cooking.
These cupcakes are moist, dense chocolatey bordering on heavy. But I suppose what do you expect with butter and peanut butter. I prefer the plain old vanilla cupcake, small, light, fluffy suitable with tea, not for tea!!
One of the many things I love about Christmas is tins. Great when full of chocolates, great for storage later on.