29th September 2016 // 7 Comments

Recipe: Ferrero Rocher Cake!

This petite Ferrero Rocher cake is perfect for September - when days shorten, leaves grow tinges of gold and flavoured coffees seem to be everywhere. Cutting yourself a slice of this chocolate and hazelnut cake will be the perfect way to finish the week. Brace yourself - it’s a soft chocolate cake filled with chocolate and hazelnut whipped cream and finished with individual Ferrero Rochers! Yup. Our recipe creates a small 6 inch cake - ideal for a quick yet indulgent weekend sweet as the weather gets crisper. So why not treat yourself with our Ferrero Rocher cake recipe!

Ferrero Rocher cake recipe!

(Slice generously for 4 people or perfect for a party of 8!)

For the chocolate cake…

283g self-raising flour (this is standard in the UK, but you can opt for plain flour and baking powder)
283g caster sugar
3 heaped tablespoons cocoa powder (however, this depends on brand and quality)
Boiling water
283g butter or margarine
4-5 medium sized eggs

01: Pre-heat your oven to 170C / 325F / gas mark 3.

02: Boil some water and create a soft toothpaste-like texture cocoa paste. Make sure there are no lumps!

03: In a stand-up mixer cream together the butter and caster sugar until combined.

04: Add in your flour and lightly mix together.

05: Now add in your eggs. Mix until incorporated (medium to high speed).

Tip!

Try not to over mix your batter as this can produce a denser and chewy-like cake which is not good. You want light and fluffy! There are proteins and gluten in batter which help make cakes rise and achieve the perfect texture so the last thing you want to do beat them up to oblivion.

06: Add in your chocolate paste and mix again on medium speed. When adding the chocolate you need to make sure that you add in as much as you like… some people may want a lighter cocoa cake and some might want a denser dark chocolate cake.

07: Grease up your cake pans and pour the batter evenly between three 6″ pans.

08: Bake for around 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean! Once baked leave to cool!

For the chocolate and hazelnut whipped cream (plus decoration)…

600ml double/heavy/whipping cream
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 tablespoon hazelnut essence
2 tablespoons icing sugar
6 Ferrero Rochers
Chopped hazelnuts
Angled palette knife
Icing scraper
Turntable

To make the chocolate and hazelnut whipped cream frosting and filling…

01:

In the bowl of a stand-up mixer (like a KitchenAid Artisan) add all the ingredients. Don’t worry about whipping the cream first and folding in the cocoa sprinkle by sprinkle. It’s easy - just add everything into the bowl in no particular order.

02:

Begin your mixer on medium speed for around a minute. This helps whisk up the cream to a slightly thicker consistency instead of switching it on full throttle and having cream sprayed across the kitchen. That… you definitely don’t want. Too much mess! You want more time eating and enjoying your cake not cleaning!

03:

Don’t whip the cream too much or it will suddenly turn stiff, grainy and not very attractive. Don’t stress out if this does happen to you though. To revive over whipped cream simply add in a couple to a few of tablespoons of extra cream (or whole milk) and mix by hand slowly until you have the cream the consistency and smoothness you like.

To decorate…

01:

Once filled and stacked use a good angled palette knife to smoother your chocolate and hazelnut whipped cream around the sides and top of your cake. Don’t apply too much pressure whilst doing this or else you’ll end up pushing the cake too much = in a Leaning Tower of Pisa look! At this stage you don’t need to concentrate on your frosting look perfect so long as it covers your cake. The next few steps will focus more on smoothing and sharpening your whipped cream!

02:

Now with a good icing scraper, turntable and a clean bowl begin to work your way around the cake smoothing and also removing excess chocolate whipped cream from around the sides of the cake.

03:

Gently press chopped hazelnuts around the base of the cake working your way up the sides a little.

04:

To finish use small dollops of any left over whipped cream chocolate to fix your Ferrero Rochers on top. Make sure each is spaced evenly apart.

Enjoy with ice cold milk or a steaming hot cup of coffee for a naughty treat during frosty evenings costing up to your sweetheart. If you want to make this cake perfect for grown-ups you can always add a little splash Kahlua Coffee Liqueur into the cream whilst whipping making it one tasty Ferrero Rocher mocha inspired cake!

29th October 2015 // 0 Comments

Recipe: No Bake Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecakes!

Recipe for autumnal no bake spiced pumpkin cheesecakes from Juniper Cakery

We absolutely love love LOVE autumn (or fall to our American readers). What’s not to love really? Mustard and oxblood colour palettes, seasonal inspired coffees (hello roasted chestnut latte), nerdy knitwear, fireplaces and of course…. anything pumpkin flavoured! We’ve been non-stop all year so when the wedding season began winding down recently it was the perfect time for us to finally devote some effort to our own blog recipes and tutorials. With this in mind here’s something we whipped up recently which we’re happy to say our tummies definitely enjoyed! The best thing about these mini desserts is that they’re super quick and fuss free to make; perfect for enjoying the rest of autumn too.

No bake spiced pumpkin cheesecakes!

(makes approx. 4 to 5 individual cheesecakes depending on serving size)

Ingredients and tools needed…

3 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
600g full fat cream cheese (stay clear of low fat as the higher water content will make it a nightmarish gloopy mess)
200g sifted icing sugar
2 heaped teaspoon cinnamon
1 heaped teaspoon allspice
1 heaped teaspoon nutmeg
6 plain digestive biscuits (or standard size graham crackers if you’re in the US)
1 tablespoon butter
Pestle and mortar or a rolling pin and a strong bowl
Large cupcake piping tip
Disposable piping bag
Ramekins or individual glasses (we used our favourite gold rimmed champagne coupes)

Look at all those lovely autumnal inspired ingredients! Perfect for a seasonal treat or two. If one individual no bake cheesecake isn’t enough to satiate your sweet tooth we won’t blame you for having an extra!

Step 01:

Take your biscuits or graham crackers and pound them to a fine crumbs along with your tablespoon of butter. Make sure to mix in the butter evenly with the tips of your fingers afterwards. You should aim to have your biscuit base the texture of wet sand.

Step 02:

Take your pumpkin, cream cheese, icing sugar and fragrant spices and combine them in a bowl. Make sure to taste test as you work so that you’re happy with the flavour! If you’d like to pack a punch in the spice stakes then add a little bit more (a little ground ginger is perfect for the more adventurous). Likewise if you only want a hint of pumpkin make sure to start adding it in gradually tasting all the way.

Step 03:

Take your lovely biscuit or graham cracker base and spoon it evenly into your pots or glasses. Once added use your fingers to press down on it gently.

Step 04:

Add your cheesecake mix to a disposable piping bag fitted with a cupcake tip (they’re lovely and big - perfect for impressive swirls) before piping the mix luxuriously into each individual pot or glass.

Step 05:

Voila! Now you can garnish them with edible gold leaf, autumnal sprinkles or seasonal fruits before leaving them in the fridge until they’re needed. Alternatively you could just devour it there and then…

If you’re feeling a little adventurous using coffee flavoured biscuits crushed up for the base or adding a few drops of good quality coffee extract into the cheesecake mix would make the perfect no bake spiced pumpkin latte cheesecakes! Adorn these with cute chocolate covered coffee beans gilded with edible gold leaf for a rather fancy look too.

13th November 2013 // 0 Comments

Autumn Recipe and Tutorial: Golden Apple Strudel Cupcakes

These addictive and decadent Golden Apple Strudel cupcakes are perfect to satisfy an autumnal sweet tooth. They are crumbly, soft cakes with brown sugar, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice baked in, filled with chunky homemade apple sauce, swirled with apple buttercream and topped with a gold dusted fondant apple; wonderfully simple and tempting, we’re sure you’ll agree!

Strudel Cupcakes Recipe (makes approx. 12 cupcakes)

226g self raising flour
226g butter
226g brown sugar
4 eggs
2 handfuls of raisins or sultanas (for some boozy decadence leave these to soak in a teacup of whiskey overnight before adding into your batter - remember to drain the whiskey first before adding to avoid sloppy, overly moist batter)
2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoon allspice

Pre-heat your over to Gas Mark 3 / 160C / 325F and line a cupcake pan with cupcake cases. Cream your butter and sugar first. When pale and creamy add your eggs, spices and raisins. When combined add the flour. Mix well and then pour your silky batter into your cases. Bake for around 20 minutes to 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when tested.

Apple, Cinnamon & Brown Sugar Filling

5 large cooking apples
3 teapsoon cinnamon
140g brown sugar
14 tablespoons water

Peel and chop up your apples in chunks around 1cm in size. In a saucepan add the chopped apples, cinnamon, brown sugar and water on high heat. Bring to boil and then lower the heat to medium and let simmer until the apple pieces have softened and the water has reduced a little. Take off the heat and mash before pouring into a jar. Leave to cool. Once cooled down you can core your cupcakes with a good cupcake corer and spoon your delicious apple mixture inside.

Apple Buttercream Recipe

250g butter
250-300g icing sugar (keep testing when adding to make sure it is the consistency and sweetness YOU’D like)
6-12 drops of natural apple essence

Add half of the of butter diced into pieces. Cream the butter in a mixer. Then gradually add icing sugar and the remaining butter (cut into cubes) until you get a smooth, creamy texture. Add the flavour to taste.

For more hints and tips see our tutorial on how to make buttercream here.

How to Make the Golden Apples

To make your golden apple cupcake toppers you will need…

Golden coloured sugarpaste / fondant (we coloured ours with Caramel / Ivory gel paste food colour)
Small leaf plunger cutter
Edible glue
2 paintbrushes (one for the glue and a dry one for applying lustre dust - remember to use brushes that have ONLY been used on/for food items)
Gold lustre dust
Taped modelling tool
Fondant rolling pin
Icing sugar

To make classic red apples instead you will need…

Red sugarpaste / fondant (use Christmas Red gel paste) for the apples
Brown sugarpaste / fondant (use Dark Brown gel paste) for the stalk
Green sugarpaste / fondant (use Juniper Green gel paste food colouring) for the leaf
Small leaf plunger cutter
Edible glue
1 paintbrush (remember to use brushes that have ONLY been used on/for food items)
Taped modelling tool
Fondant rolling pin
Icing sugar

Step one: Shape some sugarpaste / fondant into the body of your apple. Begin with a ball and smooth your fingers over it to create a slightly tapered base and rounded top.

Step two: For the leaf simply roll out some sugarpaste / fondant onto an icing sugar dusted surface and use the plunger cutter to cut out a small leaf. Leave on a curved surface (e.g. a teaspoon) to dry into a more natural shape. OR you could shape a small piece of sugarpaste into a leaf shape and indent the centre with a line using a veining tool.

Step three: To create the stalk shape a small amount of sugarpaste / fondant into a apostrophe-like shape with a flat top.

Step four: Attach the stalk and leaf by pushing the tapered modelling tool into the top of the apple, add a dab of edible glue into the indent for the leaf, insert the stalk into the top of the apple and lightly press the leaf next to the stalk where you’ve applied some edible glue.

Step five: If you’re creating golden apples leave your apples to dry fully. Once dry dust generously with gold lustre dust. Leave to sit for a few minutes before dusting again until you get a gorgeous glimmering gold!

Now you have your own Golden Apple Strudel cupcakes; perfect for any seasonal party!

5th November 2013 // 2 Comments

Spiced Apple & Caramel Cake with The Happy Egg Co.!

Autumn always brings forth some wonderfully warming and indulgent flavours when it comes to food and celebrations. As Guy Fawkes’ Night festivities commence in the United Kingdom this month’s cake is nothing short of a subtle yet sumptuous treat; perfect to enjoy during the Bonfire Night shenanigans! Imagine slicing into a fragrant cake spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and ginger; covered and filled with home made caramel sauce and scrumptious apple buttercream; and then drizzled with even more caramel sauce! Wouldn’t that be the perfect addition to your dinner table this 5th of November and during the rest of the chilly season! If you’re outside of Great Britain we’re sure you’ll still enjoy this recipe too. The rich spices, tangy apple frosting and sweet caramel pair wonderfully with any autumnal soirée. The little fondant apples sat happily amidst dripping caramel resemble glistening apples bobbing in a barrel of water ready for party games.

Simple Spiced Cake Recipe (makes approximately 3 x 1″ layers of an 8″ diameter round cake)

453g self raising flour
453g butter
453g brown sugar
7 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teapoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Cream your butter in a mixer then add the brown sugar. Add in the flour along with half of the happy eggs for around one minute. Once half of the happy eggs are combined add the remaining and the spices to taste. Mix for about 5 minutes.

Pour batter in the pan until 2/3 full and place on the top shelf of a pre-heated oven at Gas Mark 3/325F/170C. Bake for around 30 minutes. Repeat this step to create your second and third layer.

Apple Buttercream Recipe

500g butter (around two packs in the UK)
300-400g icing sugar (keep testing when adding to make sure it is the consistency and sweetness YOU’D like)
6-12 drops of natural apple essence

For more hints and tips see our tutorial on how to make buttercream here.

Easy Caramel Sauce Recipe

260g caster sugar
4 tablespoons of room temp water
140ml double cream
50g butter

On medium heat dissolve the sugar with the water whilst stirring in a saucepan. Raise the heat until the sugar mixture bubbles and turns a lovely golden brown (this should take around 5 minutes). Take off the heat and stir the cream and butter into your caramel sugar mixture. Leave to cool and it’s ready to fill and pour atop of your cake!

To assemble your cake smooth caramel sauce and apple buttercream between each layer of cake. Next apply a thin layer of buttercream over your cake evenly leaving extra buttercream for later. Smooth and leave in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes to an hour. Once chilled smother the rest of the lovely apple flavoured buttercream over the sides and top and smooth with a spatula. Now carefully pour the caramel sauce over the cake and use a clean spatula to push the sauce to the edges so it drips luxuriously! Finally you can decorate the top with little fondant apples, fudge pieces, cinnamon sticks or caramel filled truffles!

We do hope you thoroughly enjoy this warm and taste bud tingling recipe during the ensuing chilly months. Try a generous slice with a cup of spicy chai tea or gingerbread flavour coffee for an uplifting treat!

3rd October 2013 // 0 Comments

Coffee, Brown Sugar and Caramel Cake with The Happy Egg Co. Eggs!

On September 22nd the British summertime ended and autumn began! Cooler mornings and darker evenings makes this month’s cake the perfect treat. Our coffee, brown sugar and caramel cake is simple to recreate as the indulgent flavours combine to make a wonderful autumn treat perfect for any occasion!

Coffee Cake Recipe (Makes two 8″ layers)

4-5 eggs by the happy egg co.
250g self-raising flour
250g brown sugar
250g butter
6-12 drops of natural coffee essence

Pour batter in the pan until 2/3 full and place on the top shelf of a pre-heated oven at Gas Mark 3/325F/170C. Bake for around 30 minutes. Repeat this step to create your second layer.

Caramel Buttercream Recipe

250g butter
400g icing sugar
5 tablespoons of room temperature water
6-12 drops of natural caramel essence

Adding whole coffee beans for decoration is a great way to finish this cake off, why not give it a go!

Hello! We’re Felicity & Krystle; we create beautiful cakes and confections in Yorkshire & North Lincolnshire!

Since we opened Juniper Cakery our work has featured in international books, magazines & blogs. In 2015 we began creating bespoke cakes and confections to order. We've also created treats for Olivia Burton Watches, Benefit Cosmetics, Boux Avenue, Homepride Flour, The Happy Egg Co., Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Satin Ice, Royal Albert and more! We also write for the popular Craftsy.com blog too!