How To: Rocky Road Bunny Pops (Easter Special)

Hi Nibblers!

      Can you believe it? Easter is already here! How quickly has the year gone by? It feels like only yesterday that I was putting up the Christmas tree and opening gifts. I was perusing my instagram feed as I usually do in the morning and found an array of amazing Easter desserts. Cute bunny cupcakes, cake pops and Easter eggs galore - I love it all. I wanted to make something simple so I could focus on the artsy bit of the recipe. It definitely took a good chunk of my afternoon but the end result is too adorable to handle so it's all worth it.

How To: Rocky Road Bunny Pops (Easter Special)

What you'll need:
Makes roughly 24 bunny pops
 - 8 paper plates
- Sticky tape
- Scissors
- Paddle Pop sticks
- 200g roast hazelnut milk chocolate block
- 200g almond chocolate block
- 200g dark chocolate block
- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
- 250g marshmallows (quartered)
- An extra 20 marshmallows (roughly 100g)
- 150g Jubes (halved)
- 600g white chocolate buttons
- A handful of chocolate buttons for bunny's eyes
- One pink marshmallow cut into small pieces for bunny's nose (24 pieces)
- Black icing writing pen
Optional:
To help with drying process / display, pierce 1cm cuts into a styrofoam board to place bunny pops into to dry. If you can only find styrofoam balls, use masking tape to tape balls side by side to make a rectangular board for bunny pops to sit in

How To:
1. Roll paper plates into a cylinder with a diameter of roughly 3cm then tape together
2. Cut cylinders into three equal rolls then tape one end to close the cylinder roll then set aside until needed
3. Mix quartered marshmallows, jubes, and coconut into a bowl then set aside
4. In the microwave or over a double boiler, melt hazelnut, almond and dark chocolate blocks together until smooth and creamy
5. Add melted chocolate over the sweets bowl and mix until well combined
6. Divide evenly in between each cylinder then pop into fridge to set for at least 3 hours (Pop paddle pop sticks into the middle of each chocholate cylinder approximately an hour through setting process)
7. In the microwave or over a double boiler, melt white chocolate until smooth then remove from heat
8. Remove paper from chocolate moulds then dip one half of a marshmallow into white chocolate then stick marshmallow to the top left of the cylinder chocolate pieces
9. Repeat step 8 and place halved marshmallows to the top right
10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 until all chocolate cylinders have bunny ears then place into the fridge to set for ten minutes
11. Dip all bunny heads into white chocolate one at a time until well coated then quickly pop two chocolate buttons to act as the bunny's eyes and a small marshmallow piece directly underneath and in the centre for bunny's nose then set aside to set in fridge for 10 minutes
12. Once dry, draw whiskers and mouth onto bunny's face then enjoy!

Ready to set!

All set :)

           I love the way these pops turned out. Deliciously chocolate centres and super cute for any occasion. These were a great hit at work so definitely give this one a go. Hope you're all having a lovely day and enjoy the rest of the Easter weekend.

NOM NOM!

Nibble Away,
         
           Jo

How To: Mango Cake with Caramel Latte Frosting

Happy Easter Nibblers!

       I have an excess of mangoes at home at the moment. I knew I wanted to make a mango cake but, could not decide on which type of sponge or frosting. I was in a tickle for days. But then, I was out looking at the easter eggs range and those Caramello eggs just caught my eyes. So I decided to put the two together and make a cake out of it. I loved how moist this cake was and the sweetness that the mango brought to the cake. Add the caramel latte frosting and it is a match made in heaven.

How To: Mango Cake with Caramel Latte Frosting
What you'll need:
Makes 3 layer 20cm cake
The Cake:
- 2 medium mango
- 200g unsalted butter softened
- 200g sugar
- 310g self raising flour
- 250mL of milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 eggs 
Caramel Latte Frosting
- 300g softened butter
- 5 tsp. instant coffee mixed with 1Tbs. warm water
- 100g icing sugar (sifted)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 Tbs. milk
- 3 drops of green food colouring
- Caramello eggs to decorate
Caramel Sauce
- 50g of sugar
- 40g unsalted butter 
- 1/4 cup thickened cream

How To:
For Caramel Component

Mango slices

Tin lined with mango

1. Heat sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly
2. Mix until the sugar melts into a brown- amber liquid and then immediately add butter then stir
3. Stir until butter is completely melted (Takes 2-4 minutes)
4. Pour thickened cream into the caramel, stirring continuously
5. Leave to boil for a minute
6. Remove from heat and sieve the caramel through a sift to ensure a smooth consistency
7. Set aside until needed

For Cake Component
1. Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celcius / 320 degrees Farenheit
2. Peel mango and slice into 0.5cm slices, should get about 10 slices each mango
3. Grease three 20cm circular cake tins and line two cake tins with mango slices, making sure theres no spaces then set aside
4. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy
5. Add egg in one at a time
6. Combine vanilla extract 
7. Add flour and milk alternatively until well combined
8. Divide cake batter into the three greased cake tins

Baked Mango Sponges

9. Pop into the oven and bake for 25- 30 minutes until cooked then leave to cool
Caramel Latte Frosting
1. Beat butter until yellow butter turns to a pale, white colour (Takes approx. 10 minutes)
2. Add vanilla extract and milk and beat until well combined
3. Add icing sugar and coffee mixture and 5 Tbs. of the caramel sauce and mix for at least 5 minutes until well combined
When all components are ready, it's assemble time!
1. Place one mango sponge on a cake board
2. Add about 1/2 cup of the caramel latte frosting on top the the mango layer and spread an even layer on top of the mango
3. Add the other mango sponge directly on top of the first layer and add same amount of frosting to second layer
4. Add last sponge on top 
5. Using  a large round tip and piping bag, pipe along each layer to fill the gaps and make the edges of the cake more uniform
6. Add green food colouring to remaining frosting and using a large closed star tip, pipe around the top layer of the cake to act as the grass
7. Decorate with Caramello eggs and serve!

Cake layers

         I hope you're all having a lovely Easter break with family and friends. Be sure to leave me a comment if you do give this one a go!

Nibble Away,
   
                  Jo

How To: Easter Eggs with Chocolate Fruit Filling

Hi Nibblers!

        Easter is just around the corner and easter eggs are flocking supermarket shelves like there's no tomorrow. That chocolate rush paired with the whiff of freshly baked hot cross buns is what gets me going through those stressful grocery trips. My stomach is grumbling just thinking about it.
        In light of rediscovering my love for grocery shopping, I decided to combine my love for chocolate eggs and hot cross buns. This recipe entails an egg with chocolate fruit filling inside. Perfect Easter hand-made gift and one to share with your loved ones.

How To: Easter Eggs with Chocolate Fruit Filling

What you'll need:
Makes approx. 4 medium sized eggs or 20 small eggs
- 50g room temperature butter
- 2 eggs
- 250mL of milk
- 180g of self-raising flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 100g sugar
- 50g cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp. vanilla essence
- 400g of dark chocolate (melted)
- 1 Tbs. apricot jam
- 1 1/2 cups of mixed dried fruits finely chopped
- Plastic egg moulds (I bought mine at the Arts & Craft shop)

How To:

Medium Egg moulds 

Chocolate fruit filling
1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius or 320 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Grease cake tin (I used a 20cm circular tin)
3. Beat melted butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
4. Add eggs to mixture and beat until well combined
5. Slowly add milk, vanilla, baking powder, cocoa powder and flour to mixture and beat until well combined
6. Pop into the oven for 35-45 minutes until cooked (use the skewer trick)
7. Set aside and leave to cool until needed
8. Roughly crumb cooled cake into a bowl
9. Add chopped fruits and apricot jam to crumbed cake and mix until cake sticks together like a dough then set aside until assembling time
For egg shell

Chopped fruit for filling

1. Melt chocolate until smooth and runny (either a double boiler or microwave, whichever you prefer)
2. Using a pastry brush or clean brush, brush a layer of melted chocolate into egg moulds
3. Place in freezer for five minutes until set
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until egg shells have 4 layers of chocolate then leave in freezer until needed (make sure to keep the leftover chocolate so you can seal your egg halves together)
Assembling Eggs
1. Un-mould eggs from mould on some greaseproof paper as to minimise damage of the shells (Be patient, the eggs will come out as they begin to come to room temperature)
2. Scoop in a Tbs. for small egg shells or approx. 5 Tbs for medium sized eggs or until filled
3. Using the leftover melted chocolate brush along the egg shell halves
4. Combine two halves together to make one full egg
5. Place in the fridge for 5 minutes to set and then consume!
       Note: If you do have any melted chocolate or filling leftover, just combine the two and firmly pack in any tin and you'll have a decadent chocolate fruit slice to enjoy

         You're all probably overwhelmed by this stage but trust me, this recipe is super easy. It may be a a tad tedious but, all your effort will be worth it. It's a lovely surprise inside and filling!
         I hope you enjoyed this recipe and give it a try. Be sure to leave a comment below if you do!

Nibble Away,
              Jo

How to: Chocolate Roll Cake with Coffee Buttercream Filling

Hey Nibblers!

     I've always loved a good roll cake. I always thought they were difficult to make and were way beyond my baking capabilities. But, when a birthday comes along (My Dad's, - Happy Birthday Dad!) I force to challenge myself to step out of my cupcake comfort zone and enter the world of gigantic cakes. And, with no further adieu Nibblers,  I can tell you my attempt was a huge success! Hooray!
    Better yet, this recipe is super quick (if you're on point with your prep work) and easy. It is sure to woo the crowds and have everyone thinking you're a baking goddess. Here's how:

What you'll need:
Chocolate  Roll:
- 75g / 1/2 cup of self-raising flour
- 6 eggs (yolk and whites separated)
- 35g / 1/4 cup of cocoa
- 1 Tbs. milk
- 2 tsp. vanilla essence
- 3/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 cup white sugar

Coffee Buttercream:
- 250g of unsalted butter (softened to room temp.)
- 100g icing sugar (sifted)
- 1 Tbs. milk
- 2 Tbs. hot water
- 2 1/2 tsp. of ground coffee (instant or freshly blended - whatever you have)
- 1 tsp. vanilla essence

How To:
Chocolate Roll:
1. Pre-heat oven to fan forced 180 degrees Celsius
2. Line and light grease a 30 x 40cm rectangular baking tray with some baking / parchment paper then set aside
3. Sift cocoa, baking powder and flour in a small bowl then set aside
4. Beat egg whites in a large mixing bowl until soft peaks form before adding sugar and continue beating until egg white mixture becomes glossy (approx. 3 minutes on high)
5. Beat egg yolks with milk and vanilla essence in a separate bowl
6. Fold yolk, milk, vanilla mixture into the egg white bowl

White/ yolk folding

7. Add dry mixture (flour, baking powder, cocoa) to the mixed yolk/whites bowl and fold until well combined

Cocoa/ white and yolk folding

8. Pour mixture into lined baking tray and spread evenly to all corners. Wiggle the tray lightly to ensure an even spread. Make sure not to tap the tray as you'll break the air bubbles in the egg whites which may affect the rise of the cake
9. Pop into the oven for 13 minutes
10. Sift a small amount of cocoa onto a new piece of baking paper to act as a working space for the cooked chocolate sponge
11. Flip the cooked sponge onto the new cocoa coated baking paper then carefully remove the baking paper that was used to bake the sponge in the oven
12. Using the baking paper, fold the shortest edge of the sponge and roll (yup, while it's hot / warm) and leave it in the rolled cylinder to cool completely

Kebab anyone?

Coffee Buttercream:
1. Mix coffee mix into hot/warm water until dissolved and leave until completely cooled
2. Beat softened butter on high for 5-7 minutes until the yellow butter turns to a creamy - off white colour
3. Add and mix milk and vanilla essence until well combined
4. Add sifted icing sugar and beat for 5 minutes until well incorporated, remembering to scrape the sides
5. Add coffee mixture into the buttercream and mix well
      Note: - If you find your mixture too runny, add 2x Tbs. icing sugar until you have the perfect
                   consistency
                - If you find it too stiff, add a Tbs. of milk until you have the perfect consistency
                            - Perfect - pipeable consistency is when it'll only slide of your spatula if you force it
                              back into the bowl with one swift hand movement

Assemble:
1. Un-roll your sponge

Look at those fold marks!

2. Using a piping bag, fill the inner rectangle sponge with the coffee cream

I accidentally added a bit too much cream. But it's so good, I didn't even care. You'll probably use abut 3/4 of the coffee buttercream you produce. Pop the leftovers in the fridge or freezer in a air-tight container for 2-3 weeks.

3. Spread the cream evenly, close to the edge as possible, to about a 5mm thickness

4. Using the baking paper, fold the shortest edge of the filled sponge and roll just as you had it before
5. Cut off the rough edges if you like then serve!

      I hope you enjoyed this recipe and be sure to share if you do give it a go. Dad loved his cake and asked for some slices to bring to work so he can have with his morning coffee. Coffee on coffee, why not? The beauty of this roll cake is that you can customise it to whatever flavour you want and will suit every occasion. Why not impress the family with an Easter themed roll cake? Add a couple of miniature easter eggs in the filling and they're all in for a surprise.

Here's a side view of my coffee buttercream covered two-tiered vanilla sponge cake I made last week for an early Easter party with the family. Coffee buttercream goes amazing with anything!

        Hope you're all having a lovely week!

        Nibble Away,
                 
                    Jo.