Raspberry Cream Powder Puffs

I’ve really been wanting to make jam tarts. I gave it a go earlier this year with pretty average results. Now on that particular occasion I should have taken it as an omen as I made them for a picnic at the moonlight cinema where on the night we went we got drenched by rain.

Given the failure with my first go at baking jam tarts it’s taken me a while to get up the courage again, but when I saw the theme for this month’s Sweet Adventures blog hop was high tea I thought yes, I small conquer jam tarts. But alas it was not meant to be, as while I was flicking through cookbooks looking for recipes I came across a recipe for mulberry cream powder puffs (or are they sponge kisses?), Mulberries are in season at the moment and dotted all round my neighbourhood are mulberry bushes hanging over front fences laden with fruit. I’ll admit I’ve sampled some of the mulberries hanging over fences but in this case didn’t actually have any. While it crossed my mind to go mulberry picking I thought I might look a bit odd wandering around the neighbourhood stealthy picking mulberries. So I decided to make these powder puffs with raspberries instead as I had some in the freezer.

They were amazing, very high tea worthy, light, delicate, pretty and delicious.

Raspberry Cream Powder Puffs –  recipe adapted from the Australian Women’s Weekly Baking Day

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbls cornflour

2 tbls plain flour

2 tbls self raising flour

1/2 cup cream

1 tbls icing sugar

1/2 cup of raspberries (or berries of choice)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease two 12 hole shallow patty pans

Beat eggs and sugar until thick pale and creamy.

Triple sift flours then add the egg mixture. Carefully fold in flour. Don’t be to gung ho or else you’ll knock the air out of the mixture.

Drop tablespoons of mixture on to patty pan holes.

Bake 12 mins. Once done turn onto cooling rack.

If like me you only had 1 shallow patty tin you’ll need to wash it, dry it re grease it and bake the second batch.

Once the powder puffs are cool, whip the cream and icing sugar together until soft peaks form. Gently fold in raspberries. If using frozen berries which you have defrosted be really gently otherwise they’ll fall apart if you are too rough mixing them in.

Sandwich 2 powder puffs together with raspberry cream, repeat with other. Dust with icing sugar.

Make a cup of tea to go with them, hide form children and enjoy

Part of the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop – High Tea host by Le Delicieux

Strawberry and Tim Tam Cheescake

Ok quiz time

What do you get when you cross strawberries, cheesecake and tim tams?

Answer – something utterly delicious that you need to make ASAP (if this was not your answer I’m not sure I can help you).

Today’s offering of a strawberry tim tam cheesecake is not only delicious but utterly easy.

for the base you need 2 ingredients

for the filling just these ingredients

and we are pretty much doing a bit of food processor magic and letting it set. Easy right

Strawberry and Tim Tam Cheesecake

250g Tim Tams (a packet its only 200g so you’ll need 2 packets which will dangerously leave you with most of a packet left over)

2 tbls melted butter

250g Cream Cheese at room temp
1 Punnet of strawberries (you could use raspberries etc although if I were using raspberries I’m inclined to think you’d use the white choc tim tams)
1/3 Cup sugar
300ml thickened cream
1 1/2 tbls of Gelatine
3 tbls of hot water

In a food processor blend biscuits until fine crumbs are formed add butter and process until mixture kinda forms a ball. Press into a springform tin ( I used a 23cm one but I think a slightly smaller one would be better as you’d get a slightly thicker base and higher filling), refrigerate.

Process strawberries and sugar till well mixed, adding cream cheese and blend till smooth.

Sprinkle gelatine over hot water and whisk with a fork until dissolved. Process into the mixture in small quantities (if you add it all in at once into mixture it won’t disperse as well and you’ll get gelatinous chunks, this I found out form experience)

Add thickened cream and process until combined.
Pour over base and refrigerate until set.

Eat with others as dangerously good if alone you’d probably eat more than respectable

Part of the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop -Berry Nice to Meet You hosted by The Hungry Australian

Hazelnut Chocolate Orange Scrolls

Did you know there is a world Nutella day? I’m serious, its day to celebrate Nutella and make things with Nutella

I first made these scrolls to celebrate World Nutella day. They were pretty tasty and I’ve been needing an excuse to make them again. The excuse came in the form of the Sweet Adventure Blog Hop – Nuts about Sweets.

But instead of using Nutella from the jar I wanted to make my own version of Nutella. I look at a variety of recipes for it, became horribly overwhelmed by the sheer number of different recipes, pondered what to do, then came up with the idea of making hazelnut butter then mixing it in some chocolate ganache and for a twist adding orange zest. I was worried it would be a disaster, but that worry was wasted as it was amazing.

chocolate, cream and hazelnuts just waiting to be  mixed together

Hazelnut butter just waiting to be mixed into…

Chocolate Ganache

Hazelnut, Orange Chocolate Ganache

1 cup toasted Hazlenuts, skins removed

125g dark chocolate

125g milk chocolate

1/3 cup cream

1/2 tsp orange zest

Place Hazelnuts in food processor, process until they get the consistency of peanut butter. It will take a few minutes so stick with it but it will happen.

Melt both types of chocolate together with eh cream over a low heat. It will look all shiny and yummy.

Add hazelnut butter and orange zest to chocolate cream mixture. Mix well. It will be a bit grainy on account of the hazelnut butter, but taste delicious.

I used a 1/2 quantity of the dough part of Annabel Langbein’s Sticky Buns. But instead of filling it with butter and cinnamon I used my hazelnut choc orange ganache. Rolled it up and cut inot 4cm sections. let them rise again baked at 220 degress c until lightly browned. So very very good.

Part of the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop, this month hosted by Dining With a Stud

All the other delicious nut creations can be found here

Chai Tea Creme Brulee

I love tea. I’m not sure I can convey this enough. So I was rather excited when I found out that the theme for this month’s Sweet Adventures blog hop was tea.

I make a lovely early grey chocolate cake, and was tempted to make it for this post, but wanted to try something new. I started thinking about how I could infuse tea into a cake or a desert, and came upon the idea of somehow infusing it into a crème brulee. Immediately I thought of chai tea when I came up with the crème brulee idea. My favourite chai tea at the moment is choc chip chai from T2. It’s got a subtle twist on the normal chai flavour and it’s really well suited as the days grow colder.

So let’s make Chai Crème Brulee

cream is infused with chai tea

eggs and sugar whipped together

It gets all caramelly in colour once you add the cream to eggs and sugar

we get some water bath action

and I’d put a picture of blow torch action if I owend  a blow torch

Chai Crème Brulee (makes 4 smallish ramekins and takes about 24 hours)

500 ml cream

2 tbsp chai tea ( I used T2 Choc chip chai)

5 egg yolks

50g sugar

extra sugar (approx 50 g)

Place cream in saucepan add tea. bring to boil, simmer 5 mins., turn of heat. Leave to infuse 15 mins. The strain. Cool cream slightly.

When cream is cooling whisk the 50g of sugar with egg yolk, till combined. Slowly stir in cream until all combined.

Pour into ramekins, refrigerate overnight (or several hours)

The next morning pre heat oven to 120 degrees c and pop ramekins into deepish baking dish. Pour boiling water into baking dish so it comes 1/2 way up sides of ramekins.

Bake in oven for 30-40mins or until just set. Take out of baking dish and allow to cool, then refrigerate for 6 hours min.

When ready to serve take out of fridge, sprinkle just over 1 tsp sugar over the top of custard. The using a kitchen blow torch melt sugar till tis brown and bubbling. If like me you don’t have a kitchen suitable blow torch, you can melt the sugar under the griller, just keep an eye on it.

Leave for about 2 mins and the melted sugar will harden up, giving you that classic crème brulee crack.

Enjoy

This post was part of the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop – Whats your cup of tea? Head on over to check out some other amazing tea inspired creations