Pomegranate, Pistachio & Dark Chocolate Scones

INGREDIENTS

SCONE
• 275g plain flour
• 50g granulated sugar
• 1tsp baking powder
• 85g salted butter, cold and cubed
• 100g dark chocolate chips
• 100g pomegranate seeds
• 50g chopped pistachios
• 150ml soured cream
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp milk

FILLING
• 150g mascarpone
• 100g full fat cream cheese
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

1. Heat oven (fan) to 215 degrees and line a baking tray.
2. Using a food processor or fingertips pulse together flour, sugar, baking powder and butter until you have small crumbs.
3. Decant into a large bowl and stir through chocolate chips and pomegranate seeds. Make a well in the centre.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture, using a fork gently stir, try not to over mix. Bring to a dough ball.
5. Flour your work surface and shape into around 1 inch thick, cut into 8 wedges, separate and put them on your baking tray.
6. Brush with milk and bake for 10-12 mins until golden brown. Once cooked, cool on a wire rack.
7. Whilst cooling, make the filling. Whisk mascarpone, Philadelphia, icing sugar and vanilla extract together in one bowl.
8. Cut the cooled scones in half and spread a generous layer of filling, place the scones back together.

ENJOY! If you opt for Pomegranate, Pistachio & Dark Chocolate Scones, please do share a picture!

Strawberry & Chocolate Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS

CHEESECAKE
• 308g Oreos
• 75g unsalted butter, melted
• 500g mascarpone
• 340g full fat cream cheese
• 300ml double cream
• 200g white chocolate
• 4 tbsp strawberry jam

GANACHE
• Red food colouring
• 50ml double cream
• 150g white chocolate

FOR DECORATION
• 8 strawberries
• 100ml whipped cream
• 75g dark chocolate
• 25g white chocolate

METHOD

1. Crush the Oreos with a hand blender until completely ground. Add melted butter and combine with a spoon
2. Grease and line the base of a 20cm round, deep, loose bottomed cake tin. Add the biscuit mixture to the cake tin and pat it flat with the back of a spoon. Leave to set in the fridge for about 30 mins.
3. Melt the chocolate in a heat proof glass bowl over a small pan of hot water on a low heat. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and just before it is fully melted add the preserve and stir through.
4. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 mins until barely warm but still a liquid consistency.
5. Meanwhile whisk the cream cheese and mascarpone together. Add double cream and keep whisking until the mixture is fully holding its own shape. Finally add the melted chocolate and strawberry jam and whisk until combined.
6. Spoon the mixture over the cooled and set biscuit base, then smooth the top. Return to the fridge to cool whilst you prepare the ganache
7. To make the ganache put the food colouring, double cream and white chocolate into a microwavable bowl and heat at 15 second intervals stirring well after each one, until you have a smooth, glossy, pourable mixture.
8. Remove the cheesecake from the fridge, pour over the ganache and return to the fridge.
9. For the decoration, melt both chocolates in separate bowls in the microwave on 30 second intervals, when fully melted, dip the strawberries in the dark chocolate and pop on to a lined baking tray. Using a spoon drizzle, the white chocolate in lines. Once these are set enough to handle put on to the cheesecake leaving a little room between each one.
10. Beat the whipping cream until soft peaks are formed then either pipe or spoon between each strawberry.
.

ENJOY! If you opt for Strawberry & Chocolate Cheesecake, please do share a picture!

Dreamy Oreo Cake

Do you or your family love Oreo cookies as much as my two boys do? If the answer is yes, this is the bake for you. A triple layer stack of Oreo goodness, it’s utterly delicious and a fabulous cake for sharing with family and friends.

INGREDIENTS

Chocolate Cake
350g unsalted butter
350g light brown sugar
300g self raising flour
50g cocoa powder
50g melted dark chocolate
6 large eggs

Oreo Butter Icing
300g icing sugar
300g unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
154g Oreos, lightly crushed (I just break up with my hands)
50ml double cream

Chocolate Cream
50g milk chocolate, melted
50g dark chocolate, melted
100g icing sugar
250ml double cream
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

To decorate – 4 Oreos cut in half

METHOD

1. Preheat your oven to 175 degrees fan and grease three 6 inch cake tins with either butter, or my personal recommendation (which never fails me), PME release a cake spray

2. Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy

3. Beat in the eggs, until fully combined

4. Add the flour, cocoa powder and melted dark chocolate, then beat again until completely smooth

5. Divide the mixture between the three greased cake tins and make sure they are level.

6. Bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean

7. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Whilst the cake cools, make the icing. Beat the butter in a stand mixer or electric hand mixer until pale and fluffy, add the icing sugar, vanilla essence and double cream and beat again until smooth

9. Add in the crushed Oreos and beat again.

10. Next make the chocolate cream, add all the ingredients in to a bowl and using either a stand or electric hand mixer beat until stiff peaks are formed.

11. To assemble, spread a third of your Oreo butter cream on to the bottom cake layer, spread across evenly. Add another layer on and repeat. Do the same again for the top layer.

12. Either then pipe or spread the chocolate cream over the Oreo buttercream on the very top layer only. Then arrange the Oreo cookie halves into the chocolate cream around the top of the cake.

Tip – for even layers, using a bread knife level off each cake before spreading on the Oreo buttercream.

ENJOY! If you opt for Dreamy Oreo Cake, please do share a picture!