Our Recipes Archives - JUNIPER CAKERY | Cakes and Sweet Treats!

5th November 2020 // 0 Comments

Our Fun & Festive Christmas Cupcake Ideas!

Need some Christmas cupcake ideas? Well, the festive months are coming! Perfect for some cute projects. Also, with a second nation-wide lockdown (in the U.K.) under way here’s a fun Christmas tutorial round-up to keep you going! From Christmas Puddings to shimmering snowmen there’s bound to be something cute to create!

Christmas Pudding Cupcake Tutorial!

The first of our Christmas cupcake ideas? This cheeky Christmas Pudding cupcake! You can opt to change the colours around to git in with your party theme. More traditional? Swap the pink berries for red! Why not cut a few steps out and top with a festive pick instead?

Festive Christmas Tree Cupcake Tutorial!

This is one super stylish Christmas tree cupcake. Keep it chic and modern for the holiday season and check out our tutorial. You can also decorate the tree with fun festive sprinkles too.

Gingerbread Character Tutorial!

Say hello to our adorable gingerbread character. Click the link to find out how you can re-create this little cutie yourself. We LOVE the golden buttons and rosy cheeks on this fondant topper. Here’s a cute idea… why not flavour the fondant or modelling past beforehand with some cool gingerbread flavouring!

Reindeer Christmas Cupcake Idea!

Our sweet little reindeer is perfect for anyone looking for a fun Christmas cupcake tutorial. You can even add different bows or change colours to make it unique. Why not create one for each dinner place setting and add names to cupcake itself?

Fondant Snowman Cupcake Tutorial!

Finally, one of our latest Christmas cupcake ideas is this fancy snowman. Decked with a dapper top hat and a preened pink moustache he’s ready for party season. For the top of the iced cupcake you can even imprint sweet patterns with these fun rolling pins!

4th December 2019 // 0 Comments

Festively Chic Chocolate & Candy Cane Bark Recipe!

Christmas always means sweet little treats that can be whipped up quickly on a weekend or whenever you feel like a sugar fix. Our quick and easy to make Candy Cane Bark is no exception. It’s also pink, indulgent and has tiny hits of peppermint scattered on top. Perfect for enjoying with a hot chocolate. Or why not crumble pieces into a bowl of popcorn for a Christmas movie marathon! Of course they’re great as little presents in Christmas Eve boxes, festive stockings or as dinner party favours. Keep reading for our easy to follow recipe!

Candy Cane Bark Recipe

Ingredients and tools needed…

400g white tempered Belgian chocolate
Pink candy / chocolate colouring (don’t use normal water based food colourants as these will work against your chocolate)
Crushed peppermint candy cane pieces
Cooking thermometer
Cookie baking tray
Greaseproof paper
Washi tape
Angled palette knife
Microwavable jug
Butter knife

Step 01:

Firstly, half your white chocolate pieces. You should have two sets of 200g buttons/callets or broken chunks.

After that, add one set of 200g to a microwavable jug and at 10-20 second intervals heat your chocolate. Make sure you use your thermometer to check the temperature each time you check. The chocolate should only heat up to around 31 degrees C (87 degrees F). Any hotter and your chocolate won’t set properly. Don’t worry if there are still lumps just gently stir using a butter knife and they should melt.

Candy Cane Bark tip! How to fix overheated chocolate!

If you do end up over heating your chocolate simply add a few new pieces in and mix. Check the temperature and add a little more if it’s still over 31 degrees C.

Step 02:

Prep a cookie sheet with greaseproof paper. You may need to tape it down using a little wash tape on the corners.

Step 03:

When your chocolate is melted and ready poor it onto your prepared greaseproof paper and sheet. Then gently smooth it out using your angled palette knife. Make sure not to thin it out too much. You want to aim for a nice 2-3mm thickness. Leave to set. You can pop your tray into a refrigerator for 15 minutes if you like. Don’t leave this in your fridge for a long period of time, however, as humidity and chocolate are not friends!

Step 04:

Meanwhile, repeat step 01!

Step 05:

When your next 200g batch of white chocolate has melted add in a few drops of your pink candy colour! It’s always best to start small and add a little bit of colour if you need a stronger tone. If you add too much it’s a lot harder to then lighten it.

Step 06:

Repeat step 03, but pour and smooth your pink chocolate over the set white chocolate slab you created.

Step 07:

Crush up some candy canes (likewise you can use those cute peppermint swirl candies too) and sprinkle on top of your pink and white layered chocolate bark. Now leave to set!

Step 08:

Lastly, once your bark has set it’s time to take a sharp knife and carefully cut or break into pieces.

You can easily package your bark up as gifts for neighbours or friends. These vintage style pink stripe paper bags would be look cute! Break into smaller pieces and mix with salted pretzels, homemade marshmallow cubes and mini gingerbread cookies for a fabulously festive snack mix!

17th January 2019 // 1 Comments

Recipe: Partron Café and Dark Chocolate Mousse Cups!

We pretty much live on coffee every single day so these dark chocolate mousse cups laced with Patron XO café are an instant hit with us. Also, if you watched out Instagram stories over Christmas then may have spotted the tequila coffee liqueur a few times. For Valentine’s Day why not surprise the coffee fanatic in your life with this caffeine infused dessert? However, feel free to whip them up for yourself too if you like… you deserve it!

Dark chocolate mousse with Patron XO Café

Ingredients needed… (makes approx. 2 large coffee mugs full or 8 espresso cups)

220g good quality dark chocolate callets or buttons
1 tablespoon butter
150ml double cream - whipped
3 separated eggs
4 jiggers (the smaller end) of Patron XO café
100ml (however, you can use more if you like) double cream - whipped (we coloured our cream pink using Pro Gel in Strawberry)
Crushed coffee beans or chocolate covered coffee beans to garnish

Step 01:

Firstly, melt the dark chocolate slowly in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure not to heat the chocolate too much or too fast. Also, try not to get water into the chocolate as this will seize it up and you’ll need to begin again.

Step 02:

Now stir in the butter, Patron and egg yolks gently. Once incorporated set aside off the heat. At this stage it will look a little grainy and feel stiffer.

Step 03:

Add your egg whites to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and whip to a slightly stiff consistency. Basically your egg whites should resemble a large fluffy cloud at this stage.

Step 04:

Next fold your whipped egg whites into your molten chocolate mixture along with your double cream (the 150ml amount).

Step 05:

Carefully add to some stylish coffee cups. If you spoon these in and want a nice level flat top then just tap the cup on a counter a couple times to help the mousse inside settle. We divded our’s across two large coffee mugs. If you’re, instead, making these for a larger party then why not add to espresso cups? Leave to set for a couple hours in your fridge.

Step 06:

Finally, when ready add a dollop of whipped cream (from the 100ml amount) on top of each with a sprinkling of chocolate coffee beans!

Tip! If you over whip your cream then don’t worry! This can be fixed pretty easily. Simply add in a tablespoon or two of full fat milk or left over double cream and whip for a few seconds.

Your perfectly creamy and thick decadent chocolate mousse should now be ready for dessert time! The great thing about this recipe is that it is pretty adaptable. Swap the Patron XO Café for cognac or even Bailey’s (make sure to taste test) or trade in the dark chocolate for milk. You can, however, leave out the alcohol hit all together. There’s even the option of playing with layers. Alternate white chocolate mousse with dark and add crushed chocolate chip cookies on top.

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