Banana Custard & Cream Pudding POTs

Image Leave a comment 08/02/2021 the wee caledonian cook

In our house a Sunday is the only day we have a pudding after dinner and as we were having a filling stew today, I opted for something a little lighter. This was not only super tasty but really light and lower in calories as I used low fat versions. If you love banana’s and custard you will like this. It is also so quick to make, just 10 minutes to prepare with 30 minutes chilling time.

Serves 4

2 Bananas (keep a few slices to serve)

1 x 400g Tin of Low Fat Custard

1 x 150ml Double Light Cream

1 Tsp Vanilla Essence

2 Flake’s

Empty custard into a large mixing bowl and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Mash the bananas with a fork and add to the custard, crumble in 1 1/2 of flake and mix through to combine
Add 1 tsp vanilla essence to the cream and whisk up until thick, gently fold cream into the custard mix.
Spoon custard into serving dishes and top with a couple slices of banana and crumbled flake.
Serve immediately.

Note: If you have custard powder, put 2 tbsp of powder and 2 tbsp of caster sugar into a pan, add a little milk and stir to a paste, add the remaining milk (about 400ml) and bring to a gentle boil, stir continually until custard thickens. Remove from heat, place a piece of cling film over custard to prevent a skin forming and allow to cool then proceed as above.

Nutty Energy Balls

Image Leave a comment 08/07/2020 the wee caledonian cook

As the Covid19 Lockdown is slowly and gently easing, we are now allowed to travel to the mountains again. We have longed to get back outdoors and into the picturesque landscape we call home. The Scottish Mountains are my headspace, a place where I grow, think, be at peace, laugh and get fitter…lol! To read more about the Scottish Munros, Corbetts, Grahams etc, head over to my travel post https://atomic-temporary-46532287.wpcomstaging.com/2020/07/08/a-list-of-scotlands-mountains/.

Anyway, back to food, my first passion. To walk or climb the Scottish Mountains you need energy firstly (then waterproofs…lol), so I made these to pack and take with us for a wee boost when needed. Great for a pre workout snack too & also Gluten Free.

Makes about 16

For the Balls:-

4 heaped tbsp of Crunchy Peanut Butter (good quality, I use Whole Earth)

200g chopped mixed nuts & raisins (I used a food processor to chop finely)

2 tbsp Icing sugar

Coating/Topping:-

Choice 1:-

Dark or Milk Chocolate, 1 tbsp Butter – Melted together

Chopped Pistachios

Choice 2:-

Butter icing – Icing Sugar 80-100g, 1 tbsp butter – Melted together

Desiccated Coconut

Place all ball ingredients into a bowl and mix together until combined. You may find it best to us clean hands for this. Take a tsp size and roll into a ball.
Dip the rolled balls into your wet mixture of choice and then roll into the coconut or pistachio toppings to coat. Place onto a greaseproof lined baking tray and refrigerate to harden.
These can be stored for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Of course you can use any coating or topping you like.

Step by step images of nutty energy balls

Crispy Mint Squares

Image Leave a comment 04/07/2020 the wee caledonian cook

I was looking through all my recipes the other day and came across this one from my Gran’s old Cookbooks, one I hadn’t tried before. So with the wet weather to day was that day I was going to try these. Back in the day my gran always used margarine for baking, personally I think butter is a much better flavour so this was the 1 thing that I changed & I added in some pistachios to the base to give it a bit more crunch.

Makes about 16-20 squares (depends on how big a slice you want…lol!)

For the Base:-

200g Digestives, crushed

120g Butter

50g Light Brown Sugar

1 heaped tbsp Cocoa Powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 heaped tbsp desiccated coconut

40g Chopped Pistachios

1 egg beaten

For the Peppermint Centre:-

50g Butter

3 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

230g Icing Sugar

Green Food Colouring

For the Chocolate:-

140g Milk Chocolate (55% cocoa) I use Lindt, definitely my favourite.

40g Dark Chocolate (70% cocoa)

1 tbsp butter

Use a 9″ square baking tin and line with baking paper or foil
In a saucepan over a low heat melt the butter, stir in sugar & cocoa powder, bring off the heat and whisk in the beaten egg, return to heat and whisk until thickened, this only take a minute or 2. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extract, digestives, pistachios and coconut, mix together so everything is coated well. Using a spoon, spread the biscuit base mixture into you baking tin and smooth. Refrigerate for about 1 hour until hardened.
Using a mixer, stand or hand whichever you have, beat the butter until smooth. Add the icing sugar, milk, peppermint essence and food colouring and mix until blended. Smooth this mixture over the top of your biscuit base and return to the fridge to set for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt your chocolate with the butter in a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water and allow to cool slightly. (about 5-10 minutes)
Pour chocolate over the buttercream and smooth, return to the fridge to allow chocolate to harden. (about 30 minutes).
Once chocolate has hardened you can now decorate (if you wish), I just drizzled some green icing over the top and returned to fridge to set.
To prevent the chocolate from breaking when cutting into slices, remove from fridge and bring to room temperature. I made that mistake of slicing too soon and my chocolate cracked.

Pistachio & Chocolate Bites

Image Leave a comment 18/04/2020 the wee caledonian cook

I hope everyone is doing o.k. in these unusual times. If you are like me, I get bored very easily and need to be doing something productive with my day, so today I was talking to a friend and saying how we miss our coffee & cake dates at our fav coffee shop, then idea to use up whatever was in my cupboards to bake a cake and have a virtual coffee & cake date. I do love pistachio’s and always have some on hand, so this little cake bite was perfect.

Makes about 16 squares

150g shelled pistachios

200g milk chocolate (I used Dairy Milk bar)

200g golden caster sugar or light brown sugar

200g soft butter

3 eggs

200g Self raising flour

100ml milk

50g butter for chocolate

100g icing sugar

Pinch salt

Preheat oven to 160 deg and line a square tin (approx 20cm) with baking paper
Mix up 125g of pistachios and 75g of the milk chocolate with 100g sugar in a blender until finely chopped.
Tip into a bowl with the remaining sugar, butter, eggs, flour & milk with a pinch of salt and mix thoroughly.
Empty the mixture into your prepared tin and bake for about 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Leave to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, break up the chocolate and place into a microwave bowl with the 50g of butter, microwave for 1 minute, remove and stir together until fully melted. Next pour the icing sugar into the chocolate and beat together until combined and thick.
Pour over the top of the cake and even, using the remaining chopped pistachios, sprinkle over the top and allow to set. Cut into bite slices. Serve with a yummy cuppa!

Banana, Peanut Butter & Oat Choc Chip Muffins

Image Leave a comment 09/02/2020 the wee caledonian cook

Today was a day of using up leftovers and I had bananas that were crying out to be used. This little recipe is so easy to make and delicious too, you can store for 2-3 days in an airtight container or freeze if you are making a large batch. Gluten Free too.

A great healthier option too with the oats having 4 grams of fiber & 6 grams of protein. In addition to fiber, oats are rich in magnesium, zinc and iron. The bananas which are loaded with fiber, potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and various antioxidants. The Peanut Butter is a good source of magnesium too.

A great grab & go breakfast option or simply a little snack in between meals.

Makes 12

200g Scottish Oats

60g Peanut Butter

2 small bananas, mashed

1 egg

3 tbsp Maple Syrup

120ml milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 Dark Chocolate squares, chopped (or you can used choc chips)

Preheat your oven on fan to 175 deg and grease a muffin tin.
Put ALL ingredients into a bowl or mixer bowl and combine together.
Pour into muffin tin, filling approx 3/4 way.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until a knife comes out clean and muffins are set.
Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes. If freezing allow to cool completely.
Best served slightly warm. Yum!

Chocolate & Hazelnut Bundt Cake

Image Leave a comment 06/01/2020 the wee caledonian cook

Decided to bake a chocolate cake for our New Years Day dessert, we had the whole family this year so had to do something that fed 11 adults and 1 child. This was perfect and delicious but so rich, so a little bit is all you need.

Serves about 12-14

For the Cake:-

200g unsalted butter

200g Dark Chocolate

300g Light Muscovado Sugar

4 large eggs

175g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

For the Glaze:-

300ml double cream

160g dark chocolate

Choice of nuts – I used Hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 180 deg
Melt butter and chocolate together, either in a bowl over a pan of boiling water or in a microwave for about 1 minute. Allow to cool slightly.
Beat Sugar & Eggs together then pour in butter & chocolate mix.
Fold in flour & baking powder until combined.
Pour mixture into a cocoa floured bake tin and bake for about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile make the glaze by heating the cream gently and add the chocolate in, stir to melt. Whisk and pour over cake once cooled from oven. Sprinkle over nuts.

Chocolate & Pistachio Tart

Image Leave a comment 25/11/2019 the wee caledonian cook

Oh Yum, I love Pistachios and had some in my cupboards to use up, so I though I would give this little delight a go and I wasn’t disappointed.

For the Crust

100g Plain flour

35g Cocoa Powder

70g Chopped Pistachio’s

1/4 tsp salt

70g unsalted butter, room temperature

35g Demerara Sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Pistachio Paste

65g Pistachio’s

35g Demerara Sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

For the Filling

150g Milk Chocolate

120ml Cream

50ml Milk

1 egg beaten

Pistachio’s chopped to garnish

Grease a 9″ Fluted Tart tin with removal bottom.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, chopped pistachios, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add sugar, and beat until pale. Add vanilla, then flour mixture, beat until just combined and dough holds together when pressed between 2 fingers. Press dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 15 – 30 mins.
Roll out dough to an 11-inch round, 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Press dough into bottom and up sides of tart pan. Trim excess dough flush with edges of pan using a knife. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 150 deg C.
Bake until firm, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely.
Make the pistachio paste: Pulse pistachios, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until mixture begins to clump together. Add oil, and pulse until smooth and paste like. Spread evenly into bottom of cooled tart shell, pressing firmly with back of a spoon until flat and smooth.
Make the filling: Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat cream and milk in a saucepan over medium heat until almost boiling, pour over chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in egg until combined. Pour in filling to tart shell. Bake until just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool. Garnish with finely chopped pistachios.

Pear, Hazelnut & Chocolate Crumble Cake

Image 4 Comments 02/11/2019 the wee caledonian cook

Oh yum……Pears are in season at the moment so I wanted to try a different dessert with them, this was so delicious and the texture was crunchy too.

Makes 8 servings (or 6 big ones…lol)

100g chopped hazelnuts

140g self raising flour

175g butter cut into small chunks

70g Caster sugar

80g dark brown sugar (10g from sprinkling)

2 large eggs

4 small pears – peeled, cored and diced

50g dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Preheat oven on convection bake to 160 deg and line and grease a springform cake tin
Add the flour & hazelnuts to a bowl and mix, add the butter and pulse until it forms bread like crumbs
Add the sugar, eggs and mix
Add in 3 of the pears and chocolate and mix lightly until combined, Spoon mix into the cake tin and smooth out.
Sprinkle the other pear pieces on top and press down lightly, sprinkle the remaining 10g brown sugar on top and bake for 50-60 minutes.
Cool in the tin then transfer to a wire rack.
Serve with some lovely whipped cream or ice cream.

Chocolate & Almond Marble Bundt Cake

Image Leave a comment 31/08/2019 the wee caledonian cook

Oh yummy! I fancied something a little naughty with my coffee this weekend so thought I’d try out my new Bundt cake tin. It was supposed to be marbled, however, I think I put to much chocolate into the mixture and swirled it too many times…….lol! The flavour was fantastic though.

A Bundt cake is a cake that is baked in a Bundt pan, shaping it into a distinctive ring shape. The shape is inspired by a traditional European cake known as Kugelhupf, but Bundt cakes are not generally associated with any single recipe. The style of mould in North America was popularised in the 1950s and 1960s, after cookware manufacturer Nordic Ware trademarked the name “Bundt” and began producing Bundt pans from cast aluminium. Publicity from Pillsbury saw the cakes gain widespread popularity.

Ingredients for 1 Bundt tin

180g softened butter

225g caster sugar

3/4 tsp almond extract

2 tsp baking powder

180 g plain flour

75g ground almonds

3 large eggs

2 tbsp milk

3 tbsp cocoa powder with 3 tbsp water – mix to a paste

100g dark chocolate chips

Icing sugar to decorate

Pre heat your oven to 180 deg or if you have a cake setting, set to Marble Cake setting. Brush the Cake tin with melted butter, ensure it is thoroughly covered.
Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy, stir in the almond extract.
Mix together the flour, baking powder and ground almonds together. Beat in the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture with 2 tbsp of the flour mixture, repeat until all eggs have been added then fold in the remaining flour mix.
Stir in the milk and mix, then spoon 1/2 of the batter into a separate bowl and mix in the cocoa paste into 1 and the chocolate chips into the other.
Add spoonfuls of each batter alternately to the cake tin and drag a handle of a spoon through the mixture to create the marble effect, do not over do this.
Bake in the oven for about 40-50 minutes until a knife comes out clean
Let it cool for about 10 minutes in the tin before turning out. Once cooled, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve. Yummy!

Crunchie Biscuit Base Galaxy cake

Image Leave a comment 29/07/2019 the wee caledonian cook

I wasn’t really sure what to call this as it was a mishmash of 2 cakes….I was going to bake a chocolate tart and realised I didn’t have all the ingredients for the sweet pastry. So I decided to make a biscuit base instead. Then I discovered I didn’t have double/whipping cream but only single cream, so I therefore now had to bake. Despite all my misfortunes, this did actually turn out quite nice.

I was only making a small one for my other halves birthday, he loves chocolate…lol!

Makes a small portion for 1 or 2

For the filling:-

100g Milk Chocolate, minimum 35% cocoa

100ml single cream

50ml whole fat milk

1 egg

For the base:-

4 Digestive biscuits

1 Crunchie chocolate bar

1 tbsp butter – melted

For the toppings:-

small chunks of honeycomb to decorate

small edible spray glitter (optional), it was a birthday after all.

In a food processor put the digestives, crunchie bar and blitz until breadcrumbs, add in the melted butter and bring together.
Line a small springform tin with greaseproof paper. Empty the biscuit mixture into the tin and push/flatten down with your hands evenly. Refrigerate.
Empty the cream and milk into a pan and bring to the boil.
Place the chocolate into bowl in pieces.
Pour the hot cream and milk over the chocolate to melt, stir until blended. Set aside to cool.
Crack the egg into a dish and using a hand mixer, mix until fluffy.
Once chocolate has cooled, pour egg into bowl and mix through.
Remove biscuit base from fridge and pour in the chocolate mix.
Preheat your oven to 130 deg. Gently place the tin in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. You want it set but with a slight wobble. Remove and allow to cool.
Sprinkle some cocoa powder over top (optional) the sprinkle the honeycomb pieces on top. Serve.
This can be chilled and kept for later. Serve at room temperature.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Baklava

Image 2 Comments 24/06/2019 the wee caledonian cook

I’ve been dying to try this recipe for a long time & it was just as dreamy as I thought. I love peanut butter, so any recipe with it in I simply have to try.

This was so easy and quick to make, just 3 ingredients.

1 packet of Filo Pastry (I only used 8 sheets)

3 tbsp Peanut Butter (I used crunchy but you could use smooth if preferred)

3 tbsp Nutella (got to be Nutella…lol)

Line a baking tray with baking paper and preheat oven to 220 deg
Place 4 filo sheets onto tray and gently spread nutella chocolate over the sheet, lay another 4 sheets of filo over the chocolate spread and then gently spread the peanut butter over.
Gently roll up the filo (not too tight) and bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes.

Slice up and serve.

Crunchy Rocky Road Bites

Image Leave a comment 24/03/2019 the wee caledonian cook

I’m not a fan of marshmallows but I was cleaning out my kitchen drawers and came across a bag (not sure why they were in there…lol!), they had to be used up, so Rocky Road was the only thing I could think of where I had all the other ingredients and it was quick and easy to put together. My partner was absolutely delighted, he has a very sweet tooth.

Makes 6

100g milk chocolate chips – melted

30g butter – melted

1 tbsp Maple Syrup

40g mini marshmallows

80g Crunchy Weetabix bran (you can of course use digestive biscuits or other biscuits of your choosing)

Put the crunchy bran or biscuits into a food bag and using a rolling pin, crush till you have a good mix of crumbs and smaller pieces.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwaveable bowl for about 50 secs at power 900w. Mix in the crunchy bran biscuits, marshmallows and maple syrup until coated.
Pour into a small tin or a muffin tin and press down. Chill in the fridge for about 2 hours.
These need to be kept in the fridge after as they will melt at room temperature, allow to sit at room temperature for about 1 minute before eating. These will keep for about 1 week in an airtight container.

Chocolate & Walnut Cake

Image 3 Comments 13/12/2018 the wee caledonian cook

OMG, this was so yummy! We had a soup ‘n’ pudding kinda day and this is what I decided to try.

Serves about 8

110g plain flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder

110g golden caster sugar

50ml olive oil

50ml walnut oil

55g dark chocolate, chopped

55g chopped walnuts

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

100g melted chocolate for topping

30g chopped walnuts for topping

Preheat oven to fan 170 deg. Grease a baking tin (approx 12″)
Blitz the walnuts until fine. Transfer to a bowl and add in the sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt then mix.
Add in the caster sugar, oils, chopped chocolate, eggs and vanilla extract and mix until well blended.
Spoon the batter mix into the baking tin and bake for approx 25 minutes.
Remove and cool on a wire rack.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave and spoon on top of the cake, crumble the remaining walnuts on top. Serve. Yummy!

Chocolate & Orange Biscuits

Image Leave a comment 14/11/2018 the wee caledonian cook

Keen to get a good biscuit, you can’t go wrong with these flavours. So yummy!

Makes about 15 biscuits

125g Butter – unsalted

175g Golden Caster Sugar

225g Plain Flour

2 tsp baking powder

75g Chocolate 70% – chopped small

Zest of 2 oranges

1-2 tbsp orange juice

Start by beating the butter and sugar together in mixer until they’re combined.
Then sift the flour and baking powder straight into the mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients, and work the mixture together until you get a fairly stiff paste.
Now flour a working surface and a rolling pin and roll the paste out to about 1cm thick. Then, using a cutter (5cm), cut out the biscuits and place them on the baking sheets and bake one sheet at a time near the centre of the oven. Bake them for about 20 minutes, or until the biscuits are a nice golden colour.
Take them out of the oven and leave them to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling tray, and finally sprinkle with a dusting of golden caster sugar or icing sugar or decorate – whichever.

Black Forest Brownies

Image Leave a comment 25/08/2018 the wee caledonian cook

These were lovely, it was a recipe I was testing, now I’m not much of a chocolate or brownie fan but I have to say I did have more than 1…..lol!

Makes 18

375g cubed unsalted butter

300g Dark Chocolate, I used 70%

375g Caster Sugar

75g cocoa powder

6 large eggs

100 g plain flour

200g cherries in kirsch, drained, chopped

Cherry Syrup from jar (8-10 tbsps)

Icing sugar to decorate and finish

Preheat oven to fan 160 deg. Line a baking tin with baking sheet and grease. Approx 33 x 23 x 2cm tin
In a large pan, melt the butter and chocolate over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 2 minutes. If you have Induction hob, put on at level 1.
Beat the eggs and sugar together until pale.
Slowly pour the melted butter & chocolate into the egg mixture, stiring all the time.
Fold in the flour & cocoa, then add the cherries and 5 tbsps of the cherry syrup.
Pour the mixture into your baking tin and bake for about 35 minutes or until you get a light wobble in the middle.
Remove from oven and drizzle remaining syrup over the brownie and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then place in a freezer for 1/2 hour to allow to set.
Slice up into squares and sprinkle with icing sugar to finish, then just devour! Yummy!

Chocolate & Banana Marble Bread

Image Leave a comment 11/06/2018 the wee caledonian cook

Having loads of bananas left, I decided on my favourite Banana Bread Recipe . This time I tried my Automatic settings on my oven, and it baked perfectly. I do love new technology.

These Automatic Recipes are a full proof way of cooking if your not sure, I love them and I’ve learned to experiment with recipes I might not have done before.

Choux Bun Doughnuts

Image 2 Comments 27/05/2018 the wee caledonian cook

Looking for something nice to have with a coffee this afternoon, I decided to have a go at Choux Pastry again. The first time I tried they didn’t puff up, so I was so pleased when these came out lovely and airy. Thought I would try doughnut shape instead of the traditional way. Very tricky to eat this way but then again I did make extra large man size ones……lol! They were absolutely delicious. Perfect for our afternoon coffee.

Makes 4

115g Strong Flour

4 tbsp milk

80ml water

Pinch of salt

Pinch of caster sugar

55g unsalted butter

3 medium eggs

Filling

300ml double cream

100g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract (or any other flavouring you wish)

100g Chocolate (if using on top)

Preheat your oven to 200 deg.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and flour
Put the water, milk, salt, sugar and butter into a pan and bring to the boil on a medium heat until the butter is melted.
Remove from the heat and sieve in the flour and beat vigorously until it forms a dough then cook on a very low heat for 5 minutes.
Leave to cool slightly. Beat the eggs then add in little at a time beating well between each egg. You want a smooth glossy finished dough.
Spoon the dough into a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe 4 rings, approx 4 inch diameter onto the baking tray.
Bake for 15 minutes at 200 deg then turn down to 170 deg for 10 minutes or until they have risen well and golden brown. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, pour the cream and vanilla into a bowl and whisk until just slightly thickened, then add the icing sugar and continue to whisk until desired thickness. Spoon into a piping bag with the star nozzle.
Cut the cooked Choux in half and pipe the cream into the middle then place the top on. Dust with some icing sugar. If using chocolate, melt chocolate in a microwave for 2 minutes then spoon on top and refrigerate to harden (about 10 minutes). Serve.

Amaretto Coffee Afternoon

Image Leave a comment 25/03/2018 the wee caledonian cook

Sometimes you just need to treat yourself with the little things in life that make you happy. This is one of them for me. Having some disaronno left from New Year, I decided to treat myself today, because I deserve it!

Put a pot of fresh coffee on, preferably strong taste.

Pour some Disaronno or any Amaretto into a glass.

Top with freshly brewed coffee.

Froth up some milk or cream with a little frother and spoon on top.

Grate some dark chocolate over.

Relax and Enjoy a little afternoon delight. xx

Chocolate & Black Cherry Ravioli

Image Leave a comment 25/03/2018 the wee caledonian cook

O.M.G. what can I say, another satisfying little dish. Ever since I got my pasta maker I’ve been keen to use it, so this weekend I decided to try something different. So deliciously scrumptious!

Serves 6

For the Ravioli

300g Plain Flour

1 tbsp of cocoa powder

3 eggs

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp of milk

For the Frangipane

100g ground almonds

100g powdered sugar

100g butter

1 egg

1 tbsp flour

1 tbsp dark rum

Others

200g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod

Handful of Black cherries

1 egg for wash

Prepare the dough for the ravioli by mixing all the ingredients together in a mixer. Allow the dough to rest for about 1 hour covered in cling film.
Meanwhile, mix up the frangipane by mixing all ingredients in a mixer until you get a thick mixture. Put into a piping bag and refrigerate until ready to use.
Cut the dough in half and flatten with your hands, then feed through a pasta maker (No. 4 or 5 setting) (or roll out to about 2mm if you don’t have one).
Lay the pasta on a floured surface, with the piping bag place a dollop of frangipane evenly spaced on 1 of the sheets, then place a cherry on top and brush around each one with egg wash.
With the other sheet of pasta lay on top and press down to seal. Cut the ravioli using a cutter and seal the edges with a fork.
Bring about 2 litres of water with the sugar and vanilla to a boil, place the ravioli in the water and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.
Meanwhile, heat up some custard.
Serve in soup bowls, pour custard in bowl and add in the ravioli, add in some black cherries and grated some dark chocolate over for extra sweetness. Yummy!

Vanilla & Almond Chip Cupcakes

Image Leave a comment 04/03/2018 the wee caledonian cook

When life gives you snowy days…………..JUST BAKE!……….Coffee and Cake can never go wrong in my house, especially on a snowy day. I used my sponge recipe from my pistachio cupcakes, and I just omitted the pistachios. I baked half with chocolate chips inside and the other half I used some Unicorn Chips (coloured white chocolate chips). I then decided to use what I had in my cupboards with regards to decoration and went a bit creative……lol! Think the boredom was getting to me……lol.

This is definitely my best cupcake mixture to date, always light and fluffy and full of flavour.

Pistachio & Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Image 1 Comment 24/02/2018 the wee caledonian cook

O.M.G!! What can I say………….this little creation is my best yet……absolutely delicious! 10/10 my boyfriend said….lol!

I just love a relaxing saturday afternoon baking, while my boyfriend was watching the Rugby I was listening to my favourite tunes by Imagine Dragons and creating some little afternoon delights.

Makes 12

70g pistachios

140g Golden Caster Sugar

140g Self Raising Flour

140g butter

2 eggs

5 tbsp milk

100g milk or dark chocolate drops (whichever you prefer)

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp almond extract

250g icing sugar

Green food colouring

Preheat oven to 160 deg.
Line a Muffin tin with cases.
Blitz the pistachios in a blender under finely chopped. (keep a little back for decoration)
Mix flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, vanilla essence, almond extract and pistachios in an electric mixer until well blended and smooth.
Divide the mixture between the cases and then push some chocolate chips into each one.
Bake in the oven for about 23-25 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Leave to cool on a rack after.
Meanwhile, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add 1 tbsp at a time of water until you get a thick but still slightly running texture. Then drop 1 or 2 drops of food colour into icing to make a pale green colour.
Melt some chocolate in the microwave for the decoration. About 1 minute – 1m30secs.
When cakes are cool, top with the icing, then left over pistachios and drizzle with the chocolate. Refrigerate for about 1/2 hr to harden.
Then just devour! Oh so Yummy!

Chocolate Coconut Macaroon Biscuits

Image 2 Comments 18/02/2018 the wee caledonian cook

I first saw this recipe on Pumpernickelandrye, they looked far too good not to give them a try…………………oh and how I was right, they were delicious, light and very moreish. A very simple recipe that packs flavour and satisfaction. Perfect with a cuppa. (or as my boyfriend says ‘perfect on their own too!’ lol!)

They are more like a biscuit or cookie with a little crunch.

Makes 12

80g Granulated Sugar

3 tbsp plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

200g shredded coconut

3 egg whites

1 tsp almond extract

100g chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 160 deg.
In a bowl mix sugar, flour and salt together then add the coconut.
In a separate bowl whisk together the egg whites and almond extract until foamy but not too stiff.
Pour the egg mixture into the dry mixture and combine until moist.
Lay parchment paper onto a baking sheet and take 1 heaped tbsp of the mixture and place onto sheet.
Bake in oven for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate drops in a microwave dish for about 30 seconds intervals until melted.
Once macaroons have baked and cooled completely, dip each one into the chocolate to cover base and set aside. I lay back on tray upside down.
Place the macaroons in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes to allow to chocolate to harden. Once hardened, remove and you can then drizzle more chocolate over the top of the bakes (if you have any left, I only had enough for 2……maybe 150g chocolate drops would be enough to do this.) Allow to harden in fridge.
Serve with a lovely cuppa. Oh so Yummy!

Chocolate & Ginger Cake

Image Leave a comment 04/02/2018 the wee caledonian cook

I wanted to make a ginger cake but came across this recipe from Mary Berry that added cocoa powder, so I decided to give it a try. As there was only 2 of us I made a mini version. The combination of Chocolate and Ginger is just so moreish!

Serves 4 (double quantities for a 20″ size cake)

100g butter at room temperature

25g Cocoa powder

2 tbsp semi skimmed milk

2 medium eggs

90g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground ginger

125 g caster sugar

1 tsp stem ginger

For the topping and filling:-

115g icing sugar

60g butter at room temperature

1 tbsp of stem ginger syrup

1 tsp semi skimmed milk

1 tsp of Stem ginger bits for topping.

Grease and line 2 cake tins, I used 2 x 5″ springform tins.
Preheat oven to 160 deg on fan.
Put the cocoa powder into a large, heatproof bowl. Stir in 3 tablespoons of boiling water, then add the milk. Mix to make a smooth paste.
Add all the remaining ingredients and mix with an electric whisk for a few minutes, but watch not to over mix as you want it light and fluffy.
Divide the cake mixture evenly between tins and bake in oven for about 25-30 minutes. Then remove and allow to cool in tins for a few minutes before removing to cool completely on a rack.
To make the filling, sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add the stem syrup, milk and butter and whisk with an electric mixer until well blended.
Take 1 of the cakes and if needed trim the top of the cake so you have a flat base then spoon some of the mixture on and smooth with a palette knife. Take the other cake and place on top, then spoon the rest of the mixture and smooth with the palette knife. Finally garnish with the stem ginger pieces.
Serve with a lovely cuppa.

Chocolate & Honeycomb Mousse

Image Leave a comment 01/11/2017 the wee caledonian cook

This was a little healthy dessert recipe I found on line, although having double portions doesn’t make it healthy…lol! It was so delicious we had to have seconds.!

Makes 4 pots

100g scottish rasperberries

80g dark chocolate

100g quark

2 egg whites

2 tsp caster sugar

1/2 Cadbury crunchy bar – chopped

Firstly melt the chocolate either in a bowl over warm water or on level 1 on an induction hob.
Set aside and allow to cool. (approx 10 mins)
Whisk egg white until stiff then whisk in the sugar
Mix quark into the chocolate mixture
Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mix.
Add in the chopped honeycomb, leaving a few chunks to decorate after
Place some rasperberries in the bottom of the dish then spoon some of the mixture evenly into each dish. Top with crunchy bits and rasperberries.

Chocolate Nut Cake

Image Leave a comment 23/09/2017 the wee caledonian cook

On deciding what to do next using my crisper plate, I thought I’ve not really tried a cake?? Would it work?? Only 1 way to find out………………………..results were fab, tasty and baked in 10 minutes…….revelation!

Serves 12-16

200g Dark Chocolate – Melted (I used 70% cocoa)

240g butter

45g Walnuts

45g Hazelnuts

45g Almonds

170g golden caster sugar

1 tbsp flour

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch salt

If you have an Induction hob, melt chocolate in a pan on No. 1, if not melt using a glass bowl over boiling water. Once nearly melted add in butter and melt through, stirring a couple of times. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Chop nuts into very small pieces or use a processor and pulse but make sure not to make into crumbs.
Separate egg yolks from egg whites
One at a time add egg yolks to the chocolate and butter mix, stirring continuously.
Then stir in vanilla, sugar, nuts & flour
Whisk the egg whites together until stiff peaks, then gently fold into your chocolate mixture.
Pour the mixture onto the crisper plate and cook on dynamic crisp setting for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cooled remove from plate, slice and serve with some lovely whipped cream or ice cream if you prefer. YUMMY!!!!

Cherry Chocolate Mousse

Image 1 Comment 10/09/2017 the wee caledonian cook

This is my take on Jamie Olivers 5 Ingredient Recipe on his new Channel 4 TV Show and from his new book. It was really delicious and so easy to make.

Makes 6 small pots (or 4 big ones, if you’re like me….lol!)

200g Dark Chocolate

1 jar Black cherries (about 400g) I only used half.

4 eggs

2 tbsp golden cast sugar

200ml double cream

salt

First melt chocolate on Induction hob at No. 1 (or in a bowl over water) Keep 1 square of chocolate back for decoration.
Heat up the cherries in syrup gently for about 5-10 minutes
Divide the whites from the yolks into separate bowls
Mix the egg whites with a pinch of sea salt until stiff peaks
Mix the cream until slightly thick, then add egg yolks and sugar, mix to combine
Allow the cherries and chocolate to cool before adding
Gently add the chocolate to the cream mixture and fold together
Then gently fold in the egg whites to the chocolate mixture
Place mousse into a dish, then cherries, then mousse, then cherries……layer up as much as you want.
Grate some chocolate over top to finish……………devour!!!!

Chocolate & Banana Marble Bread

Image 1 Comment 26/03/2017 the wee caledonian cook

First try at marbling, I’ve seen it loads of times in magazines but never tried it, who knew it would be that simple!

125g butter

150g light brown sugar

2 eggs

2 ripe bananas

1 tsp vanilla essence

200 g self raising flour

2 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarb soda

pinch of salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 170 deg.

2. Line a baking tin with greaseproof paper

3. Place butter and sugar in a large bowl and mix together until smooth and fluffy

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well.

5. Mash the banana and add with the vanilla essence and mix

6. In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder, bicarb soda, salt and cinnamon together, fold into the wet mixture until combined.

7. Pour half the mixture into another bowl and mix through the cocoa powder

8. Spoon both mixtures into the baking tin alternating between each so you have layers.

9. Drag a knife through the mixture a few times to marble then bake for approx. 1 hr or until knife comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

Image Leave a comment 19/03/2017 the wee caledonian cook

Oh we do love a good cupcake for afternoon coffee break. We bought some new coffee beans to try but then realised we didn’t have any cake to go with it…..so off I went to the kitchen to see what I had. Bananas from last week that were perfect for cake making, so that made my decision, banana cupcakes it was. So yummy! My decoration is in need of some practise though…lol!

Makes 6

80g self raising flour

120g light brown sugar (or you can use caster sugar)

20g cocoa powder

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 tsp salt

30ml milk

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 medium ripe banana – mashed

Preheat oven to 180 deg. Put all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, cocoa powder) into a mixing bowl and mix through.
Then put all the wet ingredients (egg, milk, vanilla, banana) into a separate bowl and whisk together.
Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk together. It should be runny but not too runny.
Put some cases into a muffin tin and pour the mixture into each, only 1/2 to 3/4 way, leave room for rising. Bake in the oven for 15-20 mins or until a knife comes out clean.
Allow to cool on a rack and then decorate to your own tastes. I just used some icing as I didn’t have any frosting.

I made some plain chocolate ones too, follow everything above but just take out the banana.

Chocolate Devil Delights

Image Leave a comment 10/01/2017 the wee caledonian cook

Oh well, what can I say, these are simply delicious! Initially I was just going to make some cupcakes but decided to try the gooey centre and also tackle my first time at sugar work, which is something I’ve always wanted to try. The sugar work is definitely work in progress…lol!

For the Cupcakes:- Makes 8-10

1 Cup all purpose flour (about 100g)

1 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup good cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil or rapseed oil

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

Pre-heat oven 180 deg C
Place cake liners in a muffin tin.
Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large bowl and whisk through to combine.
Add milk, oil, egg, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined.
Evenly distribute cake batter. Each cupcake liner should be about 3/4 full.
Bake for about 12-15 mins or until a knife comes clean from centre.
Remove and allow to cool completely.

For the Gooey Centre:- I decided to go with caramel but you can choose anything you like, I also cheated and just melted some caramel instead of making the real thing.

I used some caramel curls and just added 1 tsp milk and melted in microwave. I also wanted to use my food colouring and decided to give it a nice pink colour….lol!

2. Once melted, I wanted it a bit thicker so whisked it up a bit until thick and creamy.

3. Once the cupcakes are cool, using a spoon, spoon out some of the centre of the cupcake.

4. Then using a tsp, spoon some of the caramel mixture into the holes.

Finishing off:-

Again I cheated slightly and used shop bought frosting but you can of course make your own if you have more time.

Put frosting into a piping bag and then pipe on top to cover up the centre.
And then simply serve and devour or if you like try my sugar work and make fancy toppings! see my post on Sugar work. sugar wor

Malteser Pie – Simply Heavenly

Image Leave a comment 08/10/2016 the wee caledonian cook

O.M.G. What can I say….delicious, moreish, delightful, dessert heaven….oh the list goes on, simply delicious!

Tip: Remove base from tray before putting filling in! (I had a terrible time trying to get it out)

Bake tin size – 26cm

450g Maltesers – leave a handful for decorating at end

110g butter – melted

100g caster sugar

4 egg yolks

200g dark or milk chocolate

400ml whole milk

3 tbsp malt powder

300ml double cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Blitz the maltesers in a food processor until crumb like. Empty into a bowl.
Melt the butter and add to the maltesers, mix through until coated.
Grease the baking tin, push down the crushed malteser into the pan evenly, make sure that you go up the sides as it will need to hold a filling.
Put in the fridge to harden.
For the filling, in a pan heat gently the milk, sugar, egg yolks and malt powder until thickened. then add in the melted chocolate, stir through.
Once base has set, remove from tin and fill with the chocolate mixture. Place in fridge overnight to set.
When you are ready to serve, then we make the cream topping.
Pour cream and vanilla extract into a bowl and whisk until thick, then top the pie.
Using the left over maltesers, crush and sprinkle on top of pie. oh yeah….Yum…Yum!

Churros with Chocolate dipping sauce

Image 4 Comments 04/09/2016 the wee caledonian cook

I have seen various different versions of this recipe and always wanted to try, so today was the day that I would have a go at these delicious little Churros. A Churro is a fried-dough pastry snack. Churros are popular in Spain, Portugal, France, the Philippines, Ibero-America and the Southwestern United States. In Spain, churros can either be thin or long and thick, basically you can have them anyway you choose.

As you can see I didn’t have the iconic star shape nozzle for my piping bag, so mine are smooth unlike most images you see online, such as below. Yes I know…..they do look better…..I will definitely be going to get one.

This recipe makes approx 8

150g Plain Flour

1 tbsp Baking powder

1 tbsp olive oil

pinch salt

1 cup of boiling water

Oil for frying I love crisp n dry.

100g chocolate chips

120ml double cream

1/2 cup of caster sugar

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

In a large bowl mix the flour, baking powder, salt then add in the olive oil and water, mix together until combined, it should be like a very thick batter, it should not be runny and thin as this won’t work (trust me..my first batch was to watery and didn’t turn out at all) see my wrong batch below. wrong batch very thick batter
Heat in a wok some frying oil to 170 deg. If you don’t have a thermometer , drop a piece of bread in about 1cm and if it goes golden brown you know its ready.
Empty the batter into a piping bag. Slowly squeeze out the mixture into the oil making a long shape about 15cm long. You may find it easier to cut with a pair of sissors.
Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until a golden brown colour. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto some kitchen towel to absorb the fat.
Place caster sugar and cinnamon in a bowl then roll each churro in until covered in sugar.
Place chocolate chips and cream into a microwavable bowl, micro for 30 secs then stir, then another 30 secs and mix together well. (800w should be o.k.)
Pour sauce into a serving dish and dip…Yummy!

Chocolate, Banana & Peanut Butter Shake

Image Leave a comment 11/08/2016 the wee caledonian cook

This is so moreish and so healthy, you can have as your morning shake, lunch shake, snack shake, pre or post workout shake…….oh yes this is good anytime of the day….so yummy! At only 200 calories its even better!

Makes 2 shakes

2 bananas – preferably frozen

4 tbsp of peanut butter – chunky

2 tbsp cocoa powder

250ml water

pinch sea salt

Simply put everything into a blender and wiz up until smooth. Divide into glasses.

Dark Chocolate & Pistachio Banana Bites

Image 4 Comments 28/07/2016 the wee caledonian cook

Love….Love…Love these! Full of goodness and energy.

1 banana

50g Dark Chocolate (70%)

handful of pistachio’s – crushed

oh….and 1 skewer to hold banana in place.

Melt the chocolate, peel the banana and insert the skewer, pour the chocolate over the banana while gently turning to cover. Then sprinkle the pistachio’s over.
Remove skewer, lay on a plate and allow to cool in fridge to harden the chocolate. (about 1/2 hour)

Love these for a post workout snack or simply just to indulge!

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate and Raspberry Frosting

Image 2 Comments 22/05/2016 the wee caledonian cook

OMG….can a Sunday really get any better! I picked up some Chocolate Mint Leaves at the Glasgow Food Assembly on Monday https://thefoodassembly.com/en/assemblies/7907 , thanks to Rhone Cottage http://www.rhonecottage.co.uk/ , not really knowing what I was going to do with them, but one thing for sure I had to try them. I knew they had a delightful minty chocolate flavour to them so it had to be a dessert of some sort, these were just the ticket…….absolutely amazing flavours and so fresh tasting.

Makes 12

Cupcakes:-

150g self raising flour
50g cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
50g butter, softened
100g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
80ml milk
small handful of chocolate mint leaves, very finely chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 180 deg.
Combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter with a mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and whip until fluffy, about 2 minutes. One at a time, add the eggs, fully mixing after each addition. Add vanilla and mix just until combined.
To the butter mixture add 1/3 of the flour and combine, then add 1/2 the milk and mix. Next add another 1/3 of the flour and mix, add the rest of the milk and mix, then add the remaining flour and mix thoroughly.
At this stage add in your chopped chocolate mint leaves and mix together.
Place your cupcake cases into your tray and then using an ice cream scoop fill each case. (After years of try to get the right amount in a cup case with a spoon, this is just the ticket, perfect amount and easy to scoop. I thoroughly recommend you try….you’ll never look back)
Bake for approx 18 mins or until a knife comes out clean. Remove and allow to cool before frosting. Frosting:-

80g dark chocolate – at least 70% cocoa…I used Lindt (best chocolate in my book)
2 egg whites
50g icing sugar
30g butter, softened
½ tsp vanilla extract
100g Fresh Raspberries (Scottish is best!)

Melt Chocolate using either a bowl and pan of water method or of you have an induction hob, melt in saucepan on level 1.
Place raspberries in a sieve over a bowl and mash until you extract the juice only….if you want the texture of the seeds then just mash and put to one side. (I’m not a fan of the seeds, I wanted a smooth frosting)
In a bowl mix sugar and egg whites until stiff peaks appear, you can test this by switching of your mixer and removing, if the peaks stay up it’s ready, if the peaks flop, mix some more…..this should take around 10 mins….very boring point of the recipe…I suggest pouring yourself a glass of wine and sipping while mixing. Just starting out…….. after 5 minutes…….still no where near stiff………sip…..sip……sip…… Whoohoooo….we’re there….several sips of wine later!
Add the vanilla to the egg whites, then add the butter, little at a time mixing at each stage.
Now add in the chocolate and raspberry juice and mix thoroughly together.
If not using straight away, you can refrigerate or even freezer the frosting.

Decorate your cupcakes anyway you choose and enjoy!

Chocolate Cake with a Gooey Peanut Butter Centre

Image Leave a comment 09/05/2016 the wee caledonian cook

Oh WOW…..oh WOW…..oh WOW! That’s all I can say about this………super tasty! My boyfriend said to me I could go a snickers bar…..so off I went into my creating area (my kitchen) and looking around my cupboards I had all the ingredients to mimic the flavours, so off I went and made an absolute master piece….so moreish!

Makes 2

100 g Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa (I used Lindt, which is the best….in my opinion)

50g Butter

1 medium egg

1 medium egg yolk

40g light brown sugar

20g Self Raising Flour

2 tbps Peanut Butter

Cocoa powder for sprinkling

Icing Sugar to decorate

Pre-heat oven to 200 deg.
Melt chocolate and butter in a pan gently and combine.
In a separate bowl whisk egg, egg yolk and sugar together until fluffy and combine together.
Then add in the chocolate mix to the egg mix and combine together
Fold in the flour to the mix.
Butter your ramekins all round then sprinkle the cocoa powder all over so it sticks to the inside of the ramekins.
Pour in half of the cake mixture into each ramekin
Place 1 tablespoon of smooth peanut butter into each ramekin
Pour the remaining cake mix on top of peanut butter
Bake for about 11-12 mins in centre of oven.
Remove from oven and gently remove from ramekin, it should come out easily, Sprinkle some Icing sugar over top and serve with some vanilla ice cream…….oh so Yummy!

Coffee Delights

Leave a comment 17/04/2016 the wee caledonian cook

13054743_810429812391887_305276699_o

I recently picked up some Amaretto Flavoured Coffee from my favourite shop ‘Brodies Country Fare’ https://www.brodiecountryfare.com/ , the coffee is manufactured by Edinburgh Tea & Coffee Company. I love a good after dinner coffee and as I love Disaronno, so this was the perfect little purchase.

To make it extra special I frothed up my milk and grated some luxury dark chocolate on top……oh Yum! So delicious.

13054784_810419699059565_14239331_o 13016369_810430102391858_384147733_o

Homemade Profiteroles

Image Leave a comment 26/03/2016 the wee caledonian cook

I was inspired to try Choux Pastry by a chef called Vivan in Italy, I was on a training course with Kitchen Aid and he demonstrated Choux Pastry in one of their ovens which was amazing. My boyfriend loves Profiteroles so I thought I’d spend an afternoon in the kitchen today as it was rainy outside. My results were pretty good, considering it was my first time but definitely room for improvement.!

Makes 8

FOR THE CHOUX PASTRY

200ml cold water

100g Butter

130g Plain Flour

4 eggs

1 tsp Sugar

FOR THE CREAM FILLING

100ml double cream

1 tsp vanilla essence

20 g icing sugar

FOR THE TOPPING

100g Milk or Dark Chocolate

Bring to the boil water and butter together. Remove from heat.
Add in the sugar and flour and beat until mixture comes away from the sides of the pot.
Once cool, slowly add in beaten eggs, little at a time. It may seem the egg isn’t going to combine with dough but it will. Keep beating in until all egg mixture has been integrated.
Put mixture into a piping bag. I found it difficult to add and hold at the same time, so I used a measure jug to hold the bag while I put mixture in. (remember to fold bottom up or it might come out end).
Slowly pipe onto a baking sheet on a baking tray.
Put into a preheat oven at 220 deg and bake for about 15 mins or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and pierce a tiny hole underside to let steam out and prevent them from sinking, let cool on a wire rack or in fridge.
Meanwhile to make the cream. Empty 100ml cream, 20g icing sugar and 1 tsp vanilla essence into a bowl and whisk until thick and stiff.
Once pastry is cooled, make a small hole on underside and pipe in the cream.
Melt some chocolate and then spread on top of profiteroles, refrigerate to harden.
Serve with some yummy warm melted chocolate.

Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Toffee Mini Cheesecake

Image Leave a comment 16/02/2016 the wee caledonian cook

Valentines Day was slowly arriving and I wanted to treat my other half with something different but something I know he would enjoy…his favourite flavours for desserts are peanut butter, chocolate and toffee, so I decided to make some cheesecakes combining all the flavours. It was absolutely delicious!

Makes 12 Mini Cheesecakes

180g Cream cheese
100ml double cream
1 tablespoon of peanut butter smooth
60g Icing Sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
13 Digestive Biscuits
50ml butter melted
Toffee Sauce of your choice – loads of squeezes
12 chocolate buttons or shapes of your choice

Melt butter in a pan
Put digestive biscuits into a food processor and blitz, add in melted butter and mix
Put some muffin cases into a muffin tin and scoop digestive mix about 2 tbsp into cases and press down.
Refrigerate for about 20-30 mins
Meanwhile mix cream cheese, peanut butter and icing sugar together
In a separate bowl mix double cream and vanilla until you get soft peaks
Fold in cream cheese and cream mix together
Spoon mixture into muffin cases and top with toffee sauce and a chocolate button.
Refrigerate overnight or a min of 12 hours. Serve

Nutrition Facts

Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Toffee Cheesecake

Servings Per Recipe: 12

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 134

Total Fat: 10.6 g
Saturated Fat: 6 g
Trans Fat: 0.1 g
Cholesterol: 30 mg
Sodium: 118.5 mg
Total Carbs: 8.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.1 g
Sugars: 5.9 g
Protein: 1.7 g

Maple Syrup and Chocolate Muffins

Image 1 Comment 24/01/2016 the wee caledonian cook

This was my 2nd batch of today, after a night out last night we wanted some Home Comfort Food, so off to the kitchen I went and decided on a quick Muffin Recipe. After looking at what I had in cupboards my Maple Syrup and Chocolate combo were just the ticket to tackle our munchie (hungry) feeling!

Makes 6 Muffins

125g Self Raising Flour

50g Softened Butter

1 egg beaten

50g Caster Sugar

40g soft light brown sugar

1 tbsp semi skimmed milk

2 tbsp Maple Syrup

FOR THE TOPPINGS

1 handful (20-30g chocolate drops)

1 Cup (50g Icing Sugar)

1 tbsp Semi Skimmed Milk

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 180 deg. Line a muffin tine with paper cases.
Beat the butter until soft, gradually add in Brown sugar and caster sugar until combined and fluffy.
Beat the egg in a separate bowl, Slowly add in the eggs to the sugar mix, add in the Maple Syrup and mix.
Sift the flour into the sugar mix in 3 batches, adding a little of the tbsp of milk after each batch until combined.
Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake in the oven for about 20 mins.
Meanwhile, mix the Icing sugar, milk and vanilla extract together until you get a fine paste like solution.
5 minutes before the muffins are ready, remove from oven and press the chocolate drops on top of the muffins, bake for the remainder, allowing chocolate to slightly melt in.
Remove from oven and using the icing sugar mix drizzle over the muffins……you can be creative here if you want!
Allow to cool for 10 mins……….and then devour….YUMMY!

Check out my banana and Coconut Muffins here also.

https://cookingwithluce.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/banana-and-coconut-muffins/

BEWARE!……your kitchen WILL get messy! lol!

Nutrition Facts

Maple Syrup and Chocolate Muffins

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 257

Total Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 4.6 g
Trans Fat: 0.3 g
Cholesterol: 45.4 mg
Sodium: 79.2 mg
Total Carbs: 42 g
Dietary Fiber: 1 g
Sugars: 19.6 g
Protein: 5 g

Chia Seed Chocolate pudding

Image Leave a comment 17/01/2016 the wee caledonian cook

So, I am seeing a lot of different recipes for Chia Seed Puddings, I use Chia Seeds (Superfood) in my porridge for my breakfast but never though about puddings until now, my curiosity got the better of me. I would have usually used Cocoa Powder with this but as I never had any I used one of my Actidiet Powders (I am currently doing a 7 Day Shred and Cleanse for my friends business, check it out http://www.actidiet.co.uk/me/julie-pringle/).

Serves 2

250ml of Almond Milk

1 Sachet of Actidiet powder (I used chocolate) or 1/4 cup of cocoa powder

4 tbsp Chia Seeds

1 tbsp Maple Syrup

Mix the powder with the Almond Milk
Add in the Chia Seeds and Maple Syrup and mix through
Pour into serving bowls and refrigerate overnight
Serve……Yummy!

Well, to my delight it tasted absolutely heavenly…….love this!

Toffee and Chocolate Shortbread with Pecans

Image Leave a comment 14/11/2015 the wee caledonian cook

Having my breakfast this morning and sitting looking at the very wet and windy weather through the window, my thoughts were of feeling cosy and warm this afternoon, so I decided I wanted a nice bit of cake to go with my fresh warm coffee. Looking in my cupboards I saw Toffee Sauce and Chocolate and came up with this wee bit of delightful heaven. Cake, Coffee and a Comfy Couch on a rainy day, canny beat it!

Makes 15 squares

110g unsalted butter

105g Soft Brown Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

130g All purpose Flour

Pinch salt

150g chocolate (dark or milk)

30g Pecans – chopped

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg.

2. Line a 20cm baking tin with foil and grease.

3. Mix with an electric mixer the butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth

4. Then mix in the flour and salt and mix until combined but not too stiff.

5. Pour mixture into the baking tin and with a spatula evenly spread out.

6. Place on middle shelf in oven for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

7. Meanwhile, chop up chocolate into small bits, and chop pecans too.

8. Once base is ready, pour chocolate bits evenly over and put back into oven for 1-2 mins until melted, remove and spread evenly.

9. Top with the pecans and allow to cool. Once cool put into fridge to set chocolate (approx 1 hour)

10. Cut into small squares and serve. YUMMY!

I had some toffee sauce and decided to drizzle over squares which added extra flavour.

Cinnamon Pancakes with Chocolate and Maple Syrup

Image Leave a comment 28/09/2015 the wee caledonian cook

One again I had a truly different taste sensation when visiting Florida this year, pancake and Maple Syrup were everywhere….much to my boyfriends delight! You had them for brekkie with Maple Syrup, eggs, bacon etc and then again on the menu for dessert with ice cream and flavoured sauces……oh Yum! Here is my homemade version…inspired by (Denny’s).

Makes about 14 pancakes.

300g Plain White Flour ( to make it a bit healthier, you can use wholewheat instead)

4 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp caster sugar

2 eggs

300ml milk

2 tsp vanilla essence

100g chocolate – to make sauce

1 jar Maple Syrup (your choice)

Sieve the flour into a large bowl, add in Baking Powder, Salt, Cinnamon, Sugar and mix.
Then add in eggs, milk and vanilla essence, mix through with spoon until blended making sure there are no lumps in he mixture, do not over mix.

3. Sprat a little cooking oil into a frying pan and heat through at high heat. Pour 1/2 a ladle or 1/2 cup of mixture onto the frying pan and even out with back of spoon, cook for approx 1-2 mins, you know it’s ready to turn when you see an even covering of holes.

4. Flip and cook for approx 1 min. Remove and continued to repeat until all done.

5. Keep warm in a warming drawer or in your oven at 70-80 degrees until finished.

6. If using Chocolate Sauce – break bar into chunks and put into a small pan, melt on Induction Hob Number 1 for about 5 mins. If using conventional method, melt in a glass bowl oven boiler water on hob.

6. Serve with Maple Syrup and Hot Chocolate Sauce……Mmmmmmmmmmm!!

My Scottish Nutella Creme Brulee (Quick option)

Leave a comment 11/05/2015 the wee caledonian cook

I love creme brulee and normally make it fresh, but I came accross the wee carton of delight in Aberdeenshire…..a ready made Creme Brulee from Devilishly Delicious based in Stonehaven.

Devilishly Delicious™ is a brand born from a true passion and commitment to food by the Macphie family. Based in Aberdeenshire, in the North East of Scotland, Macphie has been creating innovative, premium food ingredients for over 80 years and remain a family run company to this day.

The new Devilishly Delicious™ range heralds a new, exciting chapter in Macphie’s history. Building on its extensive experience and success supplying desserts and sauces into restaurants throughout the UK & Internationally, Macphie are delighted to now bring the new Devilishly Delicious™ range of products to you, to enjoy at home with friends and family.

The Devilishly Delicious™ team are passionate about great tasting food, after all its one of life’s great pleasures! Join the team in this exciting new journey and you too can experiment in the kitchen and create restaurant quality desserts from Devilishly Delicious™.

I still had some Nutella left in my cupboard and decided to combine the two to make an absolutely delicious pudding.

1. Melt the nutella in a microwave for about 30 secs until slightly smooth and spoon into a ramekin, only enough to cover the base.

2. Empty the DD Creme Brulee into a pan and bring to the boil stirring continually, remove from hob and pour into ramekins.

3. Put into a refrigerator for 1-2 hours to set. Before serving sprinkle some brown demerara sugar on top and heat under a very high grill for about 1-2 mins until bubbly and brown. (or if your lucky enough to have a kitchen blow torch, use that to brown), and serve. Deliciously yummy!

If you want to make creme brulee from fresh, here are the ingredients and method:-

1 large carton double cream

100ml milk

1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 pod

4 egg yolks

50g caster sugar

1. Mix Cream, milk and vanilla into a pan and heat through bringing to a boil, remove from heat once boiled

2. Beat eggs and sugar together with an electric whisk

3. Pour slowly the cream mixture into the egg mixture using a handheld whisk

4. Pour mixture into ramekins. Place ramekins into a large roasting oven tray and pour water into large tray so that it covers the ramekins about 1 cm from top. (like a ban marie), place into a preheated oven 160deg for 35 mins.

Heavenly Healthy Chocolate Pudding

Leave a comment 10/05/2015 the wee caledonian cook

I had some ripe avocados and bananas left over and suddenly thought about all the blogs/websites I’ve read about avocado chocolate mousse, so I decided to give it a go and add in a banana…….and oh WOW, it tastes amazingly good. The best thing was it only took 5 minutes to make. This recipe does about 2 large portions (270 calories each portion) or 4 smaller portions (136 calories per portion).

1 Banana

1 Avocado

3 tbsp Cocoa Powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp maple syrup or agave

1. Put Banana and Avocado into a food mixer and mix thoroughly until to get a smooth mixture.

2. Add in cocoa powder, vanilla and syrup and mix together until very smooth mixture is blended.

3. Spoon into a serving dish and eat straight away…YUMMY! ot you can put into a refrigerator for later.

My Nutella French Patisserie Delight

Image 2 Comments 04/05/2015 the wee caledonian cook

Makes 8 portions

I cheated a bit with this one and bought shop bought pastry. (Jus-~Rol) 1 x box

1 Jar Nutella

1 egg for glazing

a little flour for rolling.

1. Take out pastry from packet and split into 4 or 5 sections, Roll each section out to desired size using a little flour on surface to prevent sticking, you don’t want the pastry too thick or too thin.

2. Take one section of the pastry and spread nutella evenly over top, take next section of pastry and lay on top, then again spread with nutella etc, etc, keep on layering and spreading until you come to your last pastry layer and just lay that on top.

3. Take a large cutter or something circular like a cake tin lid to cut around pastry stack and make nice and neat all the way around.

4. Now come the tricky bit, take a small glass and position in the middle, the cut out your sections evenly.

5. Now take each section pull towards you slightly and twist about 3 times and seal the end.

6. Once all sections have been done, brush with some egg wash for the glaze.

7. Bake in a preheated oven for about 15-20 mins or until golden brown. (or as per packet instructions)

8. Break up sections and serve once cooled….oh so yummy!!!!

Chocolate ‘n’ Peanut Butter Balls

Image Leave a comment 22/03/2015 the wee caledonian cook

I was looking for a quick pre or post workout snack, so made these for a quick pick me up of energy.

Makes approx 20 balls

200g Peanut Butter (I used Crunchy but you can use smooth)

50g butter

1 tsp vanilla essence

150g Icing Sugar (or substitute)

100g Dark chocolate (I used 85% cocoa)

1. Put peanut butter, butter, vanilla, icing sugar in a pan and heat on a medium heat (No. 5/6 if using Induction), when it starts to bubble, remove and set aside to cool,

2. Once cool make into small balls and place on greaseproof paper on a tray. Place into freezer to harden for approx 1 hour.

3. Break up chocolate and place into a saucepan, heat on No. 1 if using Induction, or alternatively melt chocolate using bowl over pan or in microwave.

4. Remove balls from freezer and using 2 forks cover each one in the melted chocolate then place back onto the greaseproof paper and freezer for approx 30 mins until chocolate hardens.

5. To serve, remove from freezer approx 1o mins before to allow softening……..scoff….yum!

Can be kept in freezer up to 1 month. Yummy protein balls!

Chocolate orange custards

Image 2 Comments 15/02/2015 the wee caledonian cook

Aren’t we always looking for healthier desserts? Guilt Free? Low Fat? Low Calories? My answer is yes, but I don’t want to compromise on flavour. This is perfect, delicious and healthier.

Serves 2 – per serving 169 kcal, 5 g fat (3g sat fat), 23g carbs, 8g protein

3/4 cup of skimmed milk

4 squares of 90% cocoa chocolate

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon of orange extract

1 tablespoon of splenda sugar

butter

1. Pre-heat oven on Multilevel to 160 deg. Butter bottom and sides of custard mould/dish and sprinkle some sugar around, shaking off excess. Place into a shallow dish and set aside.

2. In a saucepan mix milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, chocolate pieces and 1 tsp of vanilla extract, gently heat through until chocolate is melted.

3. In a bowl combine egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract.

4. Gradually whisk the milk mixture with the egg mixture and remove any foam from surface.

5. Pour mixture into the moulds, pour boiling water into the shallow dish around the moulds and place in oven for approx 30-35 mins.

6. Remove moulds from dish and allow to completely cool in moulds/pots on a rack. Once cooled, cover and refrigerate for approx 2 hours.

7. To unmold custards, loosen edges with a knife, slipping its point in between the custard and cup to let in air. Then place a dessert plate over each custard, turn mold or custard pot and plate over together releasing the custard onto plate. Decorate with some strawberries for garnish.

Yummy!!

Orange and Dark Chocolate Biscuits

Image Leave a comment 07/01/2015 the wee caledonian cook

Trying my hand at something a wee bit different. Not bad! Tasty too.

Serves 10-12

1/2 cup 60-70% vegetable oil spread

1/4 cup softened butter

2/3 cup sugar or sugar substitute such as Splenda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg white

2 cups all purpose flour

1.5 tsp finely grated orange peel

40 dark chocolate stars or alternative

1. Preheat oven to 170 deg.

2. In a large bowl, combine veg oil spread and butter beat with an electric mixer on medium speed, add sugar, baking powder and salt, beat until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in egg white and as much flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon stir in remaining flour and orange peel.

4. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, place balls apart onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 7-9 mins or until edges are set and bottoms are very lightly browned.

5. Immediately once out of oven press a chocolate star into the centre of each cookie. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. YUM!

77 cal each, 9g carb each.

Light Low Calorie Chocolate Mousse

Image 1 Comment 03/11/2014 the wee caledonian cook

Did someone say Low calories Chocolate Mousse? Oh yes…..yummy and low calorie!

Serves 2-3 about 150 calories per serving.

50g plain chocolate 70% solids

150g low fat ready made custard

2 medium egg whites

Rasperberries and icing sugar to decorate

Melt the chocolate over a bowl or boiling water or in a pan on Induction Hob, number 1 setting

Remove and let cool but do not let it set. Stir the custard into the melted chocolate.

Whisk the egg whites together until fairly stiff

Stir/Fold the egg whites half at a time into the melted chocolate mixture with a metal spoon

Divide the mixture into small bowls or teacups, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove from fridge and dust with some icing sugar or grated chocolate and decorate with rasperberries

Delicious low fat/calorie pudding…

Assorted Meringues

Image 3 Comments 14/09/2014 the wee caledonian cook

My very first go at Meringues…was very pleased, but would love to learn more.

ASSORTED MERINGUES – makes about 18.

4 Large Egg Whites

115g Caster Sugar

115g Icing Sugar

Food Colouring (Optional)

Crushed Hazelnuts (Optional)

1. Pre-heat oven on Eco Cooking to 100 deg. Line baking trays with baking parchmont paper (don’t use tin foil or baking sheet as they will stick)

2. Break egg whites into a glass bowl and using a handheld whisk, whisk on medium speed until it resembles a fluffy cloud and has stiff peaks.

3. Turn up the speed and gradually mis in the sgar a little at a time, leaving about 5-6 seconds between each whisk. When ready the mixture should be thick and glossy (see picture above)

4. Sift 1/3 of the icing sugar in and using a rubber spatula fold in gently the icing sugar, and repeat until all icing has gone.

5. At this stage you can add any additional flavours or food colourings and fold in gently.

6. Using 2 dessert spoons gently ease a scoop onto the baking sheet or just drop them on.

7. Bake on levels 1 & 3 or 2 & 4 for about 1 3/4hrs – 2hrs. Meringues should sound hollow/ crisp when tapped on bottom, leave on rake to cool.

8. Serve like an Eton Mess with fresh berries (see picture) and some cream or put two together with some cream in the middle.

9. For the hazelnut version, melted some chocolate, pour over, whip some cream and sprinkle crushed hazelnuts on top. (picture to come)

Mmmmmmm………first attempt at these and they were great.

Luxury Chocolate & Mint Truffles

Leave a comment 20/07/2013 the wee caledonian cook

Luxury chocolate & Mint Truffles

100g Plain chocolate with Min 75% cococa

100g Plain Chocolate with mint (or orange flavour if you prefer)

60g Butter

4 Tablespoons of Caster Sugar

1 Large Egg

Chocolate Sprinkles for Decoration

Melt the chocolate and Butter in a saucepan on Level 1 on an Induction Hob (if using normal hob, use glass bowl method)
Once melted add in sugar and stir together for a minute
Take off heat and break egg in and mix until thick texture
Put into fridge for about 1 hour until slightly hardened
Remove from fridge and roll into balls, then dip into sprinkles and chill in fridge for approx 1/2 hour.

Mmmmmmmmm……………….Delicious Sweet Treat.

Chocolate Fondant

Image Leave a comment 27/02/2013 the wee caledonian cook

Crisp on the outside, lovely and runny on the inside.

Chocolate Fondant

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 tsp plain flour

150g plain chocolate – minimum 70% cocoa solids

150g butter

3 eggs and 3 egg yolks

50g caster sugar

25g self raising flour

4 x ramekins

*Melt chocolate and butter together (best done on Induction hob at power level 1) if not, melt using glass bowl over boiling water method

*Whisk eggs, egg yolks and caster sugar, mix well until it starts to go thick and you can leave a line trail with whisk. (electric whisk is recommended)

*Gently fold in the melted chocolate mixture into above with a metal spoon until just combined

*Sift in the self raising flour and continue folding until fully combined

*Gently grease with butter the bottom and sides of the ramekins and place a circle of greaseproof paper on bottom

*Mix together cocoa powder and plain flour then sift into ramekins all around base and sides. Remove any excess

*Pour mixture into ramekins then cover with cling film and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

*Place ramekins in oven and select fan programme at 200 deg and bake for 11 minutes.

* Serve with your prefered sauce or garnish or your choice.