What to do with the left over Krispy Kreme's

So what to do when your eyes are bigger than your belly? Well it rarely happens to me but if it does happen just wait for your appetite to kick back in and the make these bad boys!

Mmmmm Greasy

The home made heart attack variety

DISCLAIMER: If you eat this you will take 10 years off of your life!!

Cup Cake Frenzy

So, the Cup Cake craze, who hasn't had one or made one right? What woman, seeking a way out of the mundane 9 to 5 office routine hasn't perused an empty shop wondering what if? Well you may still have to work the 9 to 5 but try these awesomearificus recipe's on the weekend when you can be whatever you want, maybe dress up as wonderwoman when you make em!

All American Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients

 300g plain chocolate (about 55% cocoa solids)

100g bar milk chocolate
100g light muscovado sugar
85g butter , at room temperature
100g peanut butter , crunchy is best
1 medium egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
100g self-raising flour
100g large salted roasted peanuts
 
The Messy Part
 
1.Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C.Gather together and weigh all the ingredients.

2.Chop 200g/7oz of the plain chocolate into rough, irregular chunks. Chop the milk chocolate in the same way, but keep separate.

3.Break the remaining plain chocolate into a large heatproof mixing bowl. Melt in the microwave on medium for about 11⁄2 minutes (or over a pan of simmering water).


4.Stir the chocolate until melted, then tip in the sugar, butter, peanut butter, egg and vanilla and beat with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Stir in the flour, all the milk chocolate chunks, the nuts (no need to chop) and half the plain chocolate chunks. The mixture will feel quite soft, and drop easily from the spoon if you shake it.


5.Drop big spoonfuls in 12 piles on to 2 or 3 baking sheets, leaving room for them to spread (you may need to bake in batches). Stick the remaining chunks into the cookies (2-3 pieces in each).


6.Bake for 10-12 minutes until they are tinged very slightly darker around the edges. The smell will let you know they are ready. They will be soft in the middle, but will crisp up as they cool. (Cook for longer and you'll have crisper cookies.) Let them cool and firm up for a few minutes on the baking sheet (they'll break if you move them while still hot), then lift off with a wide spatula on to a cooling rack. They will keep crisp in an airtight tin for 3-4 days.

Chocolate Brownie Cake

Ingredients

100g butter

175g caster sugar
75g brown or muscovado sugar
125g chocolate (plain or milk)
1 tbsp golden syrup
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract /essence
100g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
 
The messy part
 
1.Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Grease and line a 20cm cake tin.



2.Place the butter, caster sugar, brown sugar, chocolate and golden syrup in the pan and melt gently on a low heat until it is smooth and lump-free.


3.Remove the pan from the heat.


4.Break the eggs into the bowl and whisk with the fork until light and frothy. 5 Add the eggs, vanilla extract or essence, flour, baking powder and cocoa powder to the chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly.


5.Put the mixture into the greased and lined cake tin and place on the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 25-30 mins.


6.Remove and allow to cool for 20-30 mins before cutting into wedges and serving.

 Now let's see how the pro's do it at Hummingbird Bakery






















Black bottom cupcakes

The black bottom cupcake looks innocent but packs a punch! It's a dark chocolate sponge with a dollop of cheesecake baked into it. Makes twelve.
1 quantity cream cheese frosting (optional, see following recipe)

for the chocolate sponge base

190g plain flour
120g caster sugar
40g cocoa powder, plus extra to decorate
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
40ml sunflower oil
1½ tsp white vinegar
½ tsp vanilla extract




for the cheesecake filling:

140g cream cheese
60g caster sugar
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
100g milk chocolate chips
a 12-hole cupcake tray, lined with paper cases


Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas 3. For the chocolate sponge base, put the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl and mix with a handheld electric whisk on slow speed until all the dry ingredients are well incorporated.


Put the oil, vinegar, vanilla extract and 125ml water in a jug and whisk to combine. While the electric whisk is running in the flour bowl, slowly add the contents of the jug, increasing the speed of the blender as the mixture thickens. Continue to beat until all the ingredients are incorporated. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full. Set aside.


For the cheesecake filling, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, egg, vanilla extract and salt in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until smooth and fluffy.
Stir in the chocolate chips by hand until evenly dispersed. Don't overmix, otherwise the cream cheese will start to split.


Scoop about 1 tbs of the cheesecake filling on top of the cupcake mixture in the cases and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cupcakes are firm to the touch and they have an even golden colour on the cheesecake filling. Don't overcook, as the cheesecake will become dry and crumbly. Leave to cool slightly before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the cream cheese frosting on top and decorate with a light sprinkling of cocoa .


Cream cheese frosting


Makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes.


300g icing sugar, sifted
50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g cream cheese, cold

Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy- for at least 5 minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.


Frosted brownie

Makes about 12 portions.

5 eggs

500g caster sugar

120g plain flour

100g cocoa powder


250g unsalted butter, melted


30g shelled walnuts, chopped


30g dark chocolate, roughly chopped




for the frosting

200g icing sugar, sifted
75g unsalted butter, at room temperature
30g cocoa powder, sifted

150g cream cheese, cold

a 33cm x 23cm x 5cm baking tray, lined with greaseproof paper.

Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas 3.

Put the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with a handheld electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the flour and cocoa powder and beat until all the ingredients are well mixed. Pour in the melted butter and mix through. Stir the walnuts and chocolate in by hand until evenly dispersed.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until the top is firm but the centre is still soft. Leave to cool completely.

For the frosting, beat together the icing sugar, butter and cocoa powder in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed

Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy - at least 5 minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny. When the brownie is cold, spread the frosting over the top.

• The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook by Tarek Malouf is published by Ryland Peters & Small

Whats new on the Bristol sweet scene

Ok, ok so I am a little late in welcoming the wonderfully moreish Krispy Kreme to Bristol, but I will do so anyway!

For those who have been under a rock Krispy Kreme is the U.S chain that makes light and fluffy, usually glazed doughnuts. These indisputable lovelies come in a vast range of lip smacking, sugar rushing treats.

The Good

The good folk at Krispy Kreme have a large range of staple doughnuts, such as Original Glazed, Glazed Raspberry Filled, Glazed Kreme Filled and Chocolate Iced Custard Filled but also offer seasonal specialities such as Strawberries and Kreme, Mince Pie and Lemon Meringue.

The first Bristol store opened July 2010 at Avonmeads, Brislington, Bristol (by Showcase Cinema) after keeping us waiting for two years (when the recession hit the store was put on hold, much to my waist line and hearts relief!). A second store is to open at the end of the month, August 2010 in Cabot Circus, again after keeping hungry Bristolians salivating since Cabot was opened in 2008!

So us Bristolians are spoilt for doughnutty choice! As a frequent visitor to the Avonmeads store (twice daily since the opening! ) I recommend you skip the drive thru and go in to get the goods as you will be able to see the amazing 'hot light store theatre' where all the doughnuts are made before your eyes, kids especially, love this!

The Bad

The Bristol store has been wildly busy and the drive thru takes anywhere from 5 mins to an hour if its really stacked and you will usually que for 10 to 45mins in store as well. apart from the wait the only real complaint is the service, in their attempt to be super American pushy, the staff force deals and boxes on you rather than what you actually came in for, so if you want 5 doughnuts they will advise you that a 12 box is best as you get the whole taste of Krispy Kreme for either £9.45  for the most popular 12 or £9.95 for your choice of 12 (you can also buy 12 original Glazed for £7.95). They do have a point as at either £1.20  for a Original Glazed or £1.45 for any of the filled doughnuts it is much cheaper to buy a box of 12 than go down the individual route, that is unless you only want one obviously!!

The Ugly

Ok so this is the second part of the service complaint and after standing in Krispy Kreme for over 3 hours in total, waiting on those little lovelies,  I feel that I have a right, no a duty to complain, it is my English right of passage!

When waiting patiently the staff insist on coming half way up the queue and asking you what you want, now clearly this is them trying to be efficient but in actual fact it just confuses newcomers who don't really know whats on offer or what they want, and why should they? They can't see the menu or the doughnuts and have no idea what the offers are so how are they supposed to reel off a big order, or any order for that matter if they don't know what they're ordering!?

Because of this there suddenly becomes two ques, those who get the process and those who are lost! Those who get it reel off orders then stand in a messy group trying to pay for whichever doughnuts may be there's, this is a nightmare as once the doughnuts are boxed they are placed on the busy counter and people have to keep their eye on theirs, much like an Argos version of the card game Pairs! It is all very stressful, even for a hardened doughnut shopper, so I really feel for the newcomers who buy all kinds of crap because they get flustered, "umm I'll have, umm, two plain ones, umm and whatever you recommend" is often heard as people panic.

Anyway, mini rant over because basically these are awesome (no that is not a frivolous use of the word!) they are worth the stress and the wait and once you get used to it, it's fine and they are even worth the money.

My verdict: Exercise your right to be English and queue, queue like you have never done before!

Welcome to the Cake Consortium!

This Blog is going to be cake tastic! I hope to bring you news, reviews, ideas and much much more from the world of sweet. By this I mean anything that is delectable and delicious and more often than not conered in chocolate!!