A Classic Victoria Sponge (LEON Baking and Puddings recipe): Friday Challenge!

I had a bit of a disaster when I set my self ‘Bread’ as my friday challenge subject a few months ago. I learnt how to make a pretty decent bread roll but when it came to adding my own flavours and trying to be abit creative I came up short and realised that it would take a bit more practise. With that in mind I decided to try the whole baking thing again but this time with cakes!

I like cake but I’m definitely more of a savoury person so I thought this would be a challenge for me, but I can honestly say that after eating this victoria sponge I am starting to think maybe I like cake much much more than I realised…

I decided to start with a Victoria Sponge because it is the staple cake recipe which has stood the test of time. It doesn’t have too many flavour additions so I can learn how to bake a standard sponge without being distracted by extras and well it is quintessentially British as it was named after Queen Victoria so it seems apt for these Olympic times! Also since I met Scott he has been asking me to bake him his favourite Victoria Sponge and all this time I have promised one day I will, and now 5 years later I finally have! Even if I did tie it in with some blog cooking, to be fair that’s even better for him as I’m now going to make 3 or 4 more cakes for the month.

The recipe is from my current favourite cookbook range ‘LEON Baking and puddings’ (The book I also made gooey chocolate cakes from). The recipe was really simple to follow and although it took a little bit of work, such as alternating adding the eggs with the flour and beating each time, I can honestly say that this was really quite easy to make! You can buy this book and others from the LEON range here. The recipe for this cake is in the Baking and Puddings book.

A big wedge of Viccy Sponge

I was so impressed with the height of this cake and also how light and fluffy the cake was inside, I’m guessing this was from the amount of times I had to beat the cake mix before baking it in the oven. I didn’t have any vanilla essence so I added some maple syrup to the mix, I was scared this would ruin it but it just added the sweetness that the vanilla would have.
I was alarmed at the amount of sugar and butter went into this cake (330g of each!!) but I guess it is meant to be a treat..to be shared…

The inside of my Victoria Sponge

What I have learnt about cakes:
From my first attempt at baking a cake I feel like this is going to be quite acheivable, it was quite simple and I think as long as you follow the instructions pretty closely then you can’t go too wrong. I left my cake in the oven for 30 minutes whereas the recipe called for 40 minutes however mine is a fan oven and I know from cooking other things that it usually takes a little less than the recommended cooking time. I also remember from watching “The Great British Bake Off” that you shouldn’t open and close the door often as you will cool the oven down and your cake might sink so I only opened my oven twice, once to check and the second time to take it out.
I would like to see what would happen when you mix fruits or nuts into the cake mix before baking, would it be too soggy? Would it tip the fluffy cake off balance? If anyone has any suggestions please let me know

White Chocolate and Raspberry Mousse Cups

As many of you will know from reading this month’s Friday Challenge posts I have found this quite difficult because I don’t have a sweet tooth and also I NEVER cook puddings! I feel really proud of this recipe so even though it may need a little tweaking, I think it makes a pretty impressive pudding or sweet canape!

I had the idea of making a white chocolate and raspberry mousse after making the dark chocolate mousse topped with raspberries (which you can see here)! I liked the flavours together but I thought the dark chocolate was very rich and I’d prefer a lighter mousse if I was going to make it.
I then thought of making the chocolate cups for the outside after making the marbled chocolate bars and realising that chocolate can be just as impressive if used for decoration as it is for its flavour! I couldn’t decide what kind of cup to make so I did three different ones (I made two of each type) -

A dark chocolate cup -

A White Chocolate Cup -

And a marbled chocolate cup -

The first time I made these cups I placed six square sillicon muffin cases upside down on a tray and drizzled the chocolate over the top, spreading it out thinly with the back of a spoon, then set them in the fridge. Well once they had set I realised I couldn’t get them off the tray because the chocolate had literally glued them to the tray once hardened. By the time I’d got them off the tray they were smashed to pieces. So… I ate the pieces… and tried again but this time I spooned the chocolate on to the inside of the muffin case and then again using the back of a spoon I made sure the layer of chocolate up the side was quite thick and even, I then placed these into the fridge quickly to set. (I put each one in the fridge as soon as I had coated the inside of the muffin case) I had thought the chocolate would simply run back down the sides however it didn’t and when I gently peeled away the cases I was left with these chocolate cups!

The white chocolate was more runny and I found it harder to work with but my favourite is the marbled cup! To create the marbled effect I took the white chocolate first and drizzled it in a zig zag into the muffin case, I then filled the gaps with dark chocolate and using the back of a tea spoon I spread it out so that the case was evenly coated. To be honest I had thought this would look terrible but I am pleased with the result!

The Mousse is balanced nicely between sweetness and sharpness of the fruit. I loosely based the recipe on the dark chocolate mousse however I omitted the yoghurt and replaced it with fresh raspberry puree. It is very foamy and light however after leaving it in the fridge over night this did firm up considerably!

Here is my recipe, this serves 6

For the cups:

60g White Chocolate
60g Dark Chocolate
Or 120g of just one type of chocolate depending on what type of cup you want to make! I used chocolate chips because they are very quick to melt.

Get 6 sillicon muffin cases (I imagine this will work with paper ones too but I didn’t try it). Melt the white and dark chocolate in seperate bowls by either placing the bowl into a pan over boiling water, without the bowl touching the water, and stir untill melted…or as I do, stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then for another 30 seconds and it will be perfect.

Spoon about 1 or 2 tablespoons of chocolate into the case and then using the back of a metal tea spoon start to spread the chocolate around the inside of the case. Spread the melted chocolate up the sides of the case creating an even layer. It is hard to explain but when you begin to do it you will see that it works! Once you have done each case put it straight into the fridge and begin the next case. You can drizzle abit of each coloured chocolate to create the marbled effect.
Leave them to set for an hour and then once you can see the chocolate has hardened gently peel back the muffin case untill it is completely removed, then place the chocolate cup back into the fridge.

For the Mousse:

85g White Chocolate chips
2 Egg Whites
1 tablespoon Sugar
125g Raspberries and a few extra for decorations

Begin by melting the white chocolate in a bowl and then put to one side.

Place the egg whites in a big bowl and whisk them with an electric whisk untill you have soft peaks, add the sugar and whisk untill the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are beautiful and glossy!

Puree the raspberries in a blender and then stir most of them into the white chocolate, but reserve some of the pureed raspberries to pour on top of the mousse when it is in the cups. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate and raspberry mixture using a metal spoon untill combined and then fold the rest of the eggs in. Try not to mix it too hard as you don’t want to loose the air in the mousse.

Take the chocolate cups out of the fridge and spoon the mousse into the cups, top with some raspberry puree and a few raspberries then place them straight back into the fridge for 1 or 2 hours (or over night).

I think the key to this recipe is to work quickly with the chocolate when making the cups and get them into the fridge as soon as you’ve made a layer within the cases. Also be very gentle when removing the cases and try to not press too hard on the base of the cup! Most of all have fun, experiment and enjoy!!

Chocolate Mousse with Raspberries (Ultimate Makeover BBC Goodfood recipe): Friday Challenge!

I feel like this year is going really quickly, I can’t believe it’s already April let alone already being Easter! I’ve been married 6 months this weekend (yay) which feels like it’s flown by,  speaking of weddings I pre scheduled this Friday challenge post because I am at Scott’s cousins wedding today in the midlands. Congratulations Gemma and Nathan I hope today is truelly perfect for you!

I spent last weekend shopping for a new outfit for their wedding and as usual came home feeling stressed and over heated after battling the hundreds of other people that decided to go into town as well. I’m not a great shopper anyway as I get bored and tired easily but when your also trying to dodge screaming kids, pushchairs, slow walkers and huddles of teens it can be quite an assault course! Anyway I got a lovely outfit and also found a beautiful pashmina (scarf) reduced from £20 to £3!! When I got home I needed a treat and then remembered I’d put this weeks Friday Challenge in the fridge to set! I think maybe I will enjoy this month’s Friday Challenge after all….

I chose to make a chocolate mousse as my first recipe for April’s Friday Challenge because I had never made one before, and it looked quite simple! I chose Angela Nilsen’s recipe from the BBC Goodfood website because she had made a low fat version which suited me just fine! You can see the recipe and comments from other people who have made this recipe here.

The first thing to say about this chocolate recipe is that it really was easy to make! Also, I feel really silly admitting this, but I was amazed at what happened to an egg white after being whisked. I’ve seen people whisk egg whites to make a meringue on cookery shows on tv before but for some reason it just didn’t register in my mind that that’s how a  mousse is so airy. I have to admit I think my mousse looks a little flat because I got really bored of whisking the egg white! Also when I added the sugar I think I may have not whisked it enough because it’s still a little grainy…I was afraid of over working the egg but next time I’ll work a bit harder! It was still quite fluffy though.

I liked the addition of coffee, it helped give it a richness but it also made the mousse a bit too strong with the flavour of the dark chocolate as well. I think I’ll leave it out next time.

The raspberries were a nice touch though and I’d recommend using those when serving the mousse as it was a nice sweetness.

What have I learnt about Chocolate?

Well I learnt that chocolate and raspberries are nice together…although I kind of already guessed this! I learnt that egg whites are amazing and when whisked they become light and fluffy! I also learnt that by watching a lot of cooking on tv I knew what “whisk untill you have soft peaks” and “Fold the mixture” meant so that’s a bonus!

This was definitely a good starter recipe for me and I feel great that it was a simple healthy recipe too I already feel like I have learnt heaps more about the pudding world just from making a mousse no more shop bought mousse for us now!

ps do you like my pudding glasses? I bought them from a charity shop a while back (50p each!) and I love them. They’re so retro they look like they’re out of the 70′s!