Guacamole

May 25, 2024September 14, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next3 Comments

Homemade guacamole recipe. This Mexican dip is an essential side served with a plate of nachos, alongside a burrito, tacos, quesadillas, or a bowl of homemade chilli con or sin carne.

Mexican food is up there on my list of favourite cuisines. The use of fresh ingredients, wholesome food are exactly two reasons why I love this kind of food as much as I do.

I’ve been preparing homemade guacamole for years, the recipe I use is incredibly easy and quick to make. I hadn’t thought until now about sharing the recipe with you. But since the weather has been warming up, and summer is (hopefully) on the way, I thought now would be a great time to finally share it!

I believe everyone needs a good guacamole recipe in their repertoire.

As I mentioned near the top of this blog post, I love Mexican food.

A fun fact for you: Mexican Red Rice (Arroz Rojo) was the first recipe I ever shared! As much as I have quite the sweet tooth, I am truly a savoury person!

This simple and easy Guacamole recipe starts with some mis en place. You’ll need all your ingredients together ready. Start by chopping the add-in ingredients: finely diced onion (I always go for red onion), deseed and dice tomato, chop up some garlic and a green chilli (leave the seeds in if you like it spicy), along with some coriander, and a small pinch of ground cumin.

Mash the avocado with the lime juice until there’s just a few chunks left, then mix in the ingredients you chopped earlier. Finally, season well with salt and pepper, to taste.

I used homegrown coriander from my parents garden, we have an abundance of parsley in ours (hopefully to feature in lots more summer cooking), but for today’s recipe I needed some beautiful coriander to flavour the guacamole.

Guacamole is just thing I really cannot ever buy. The readymade guacamole is not fresh, this is one of the dips that just has to be made fresh and eaten on the day of making. The guacamole you get in those dip selections are lacking all the texture that’s traditional, and they often don’t have the best flavour.

This recipes like this one, homemade is most definitely the way to go! It’s my take on guacamole, everyone makes theirs differently, but we love it and hope you do too!

Guacamole

Homemade guacamole recipe. This Mexican dip is an essential side served with a plate of nachos, alongside a burrito, tacos, quesadillas, or a bowl of homemade chilli con or sin carne.

Prep Time 20

Servings 6

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

3 ripe avocados
juice from 1/2 a lime add more if you desire
125 g tomato (deseeded and finely chopped) I use vine-ripened tomatoes for the best flavour
1 small red onion finely diced
1 garlic clove finely minced
1 green chilli (deseeded and finely chopped)
small bunch of fresh coriander finely chopped
pinch of ground cumin optional
salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Start by prepping all your add-in ingredients. Deseed and chop the tomato, red onion, garlic clove, green chilli and coriander. Have these ready to mix in.
Halve and stone the avocados - leave one stone for storage later on. Scoop the flesh out from the skin and add to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Squeeze the lime juice in the bowl.
Smash slightly, leaving a few chunks of avocado. Add all the remaining ingredients to the bowl (the chopped tomato, red onion, garlic, green chilli, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper).
Stir to combine fully, then place the guacamole mixture in a serving bowl/dish of your choice. If not serving straight away, place the avocado stone you reserved earlier in the centre and cover tightly, before storing in the fridge.
The guacamole will keep for up to 2 days. It's best eaten on the day of making.

Want another dip recipe to try? Make our favourite Creamy Homemade Hummus next!

You haven’t eaten the BEST chilli until you’ve made my Chilli Con Carne

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Baking · Chocolate · Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

May 10, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

Homemade chocolate chip cookie bars are quick and easy to make. They’re thick, with a gooey centre and crisp outside. So good served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce! If you love cookies, you have to try these cookie bars made without a mixer.

It’s already pretty noticeable that I love cookies. Love is probably an understatement. Cookies are most certainly the way to my heart!

As much as I love devouring cookies, and enjoy making cookie dough, sometimes baking cookies can be time consuming. For one, with quite a few recipes, the cookie dough requires chilling, and secondly, it takes time rolling the cookie dough into portions.

So to speed up the process, I decided on baking cookie bars.

Cookie bars might just be my new favourite way to serve cookies, and soon yours!

Cookie dough is prepared, then pressed into a square cake tin, baked and then sliced into bars. Ready to dip in anything from Nutella, to pistachio cream, or even dunked into a glass of milk. It’s super fun, and you can customise the recipe however you desire!

All good cookie doughs start with butter, and a combination of caster/granulated sugar and brown sugar, but more of the brown sugar for a softer cookie texture. Then a couple of eggs are added, along with flour, bicarbonate of soda, and then lots of delicious chocolate chips are folded through the cookie dough.

I went for a combination of dark and milk chocolate chips. As with a few of my recipes, you can easily swap these around for a different chocolate – maybe white chocolate chips, or your go-to chocolate bar chopped up.

Once the bars are fully baked, leave them to cool for about half an hour, before serving, or even up to overnight and they still stay super fudgy in the centre. I highly recommend serving these bars with a little sprinkle of sea salt flakes, along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and some caramel sauce!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings 16

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

225 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
150 g dark or light brown sugar
75 g caster or granulated sugar
2 medium or large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
300 g plain flour
Generous pinch of salt only add if using unsalted butter
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
300 g chocolate chips I went for a mixture of dark and milk chocolate chips - save 50g from this for the topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 6. Line a 20cm square cake tin with parchment paper. Set the tin aside for later.
Cream the softened butter and both sugars until creamy and fluffy. Add the eggs, mixing well to combine. Now add the vanilla.
Fold through the flour, pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter) and the bicarbonate of soda, and mix until just incorporated.
Add 250g of the chocolate chips, reserving 50g for the top. Mix the chocolate chips through the cookie dough until combined. Transfer the cookie dough to the lined tin, smooth over the top with a spatula. Top with the remaining chocolate chips.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden. Allow to cool in the tin completely, before slicing up into 16 pieces. These cookie bars can be enjoyed both warm, and at room temperature. They'll keep in an airtight container for up to one week.

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Baking · Brownies · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate

Chocolate Brownie Heart

April 19, 2024July 25, 2024 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

Heart-shaped dark chocolate brownie. Treat yourself and your loved ones to this decadent and fudgy brownie heart. With chocolate ganache topping and all the sprinkles of your choice!

It’s Friday, that means the weekend is nearly here! Let’s jump straight into the weekend with a scrumptious brownie recipe that will get you drooling!

A little while back my sister came up with the idea for this brownie. She wanted to bake brownies, but suggested we bake the brownie batter in a heart-shaped cake tin we had.

She also had some Valentine’s-themed M&M’s that she’d brought back from a trip to Florida earlier in the year. We wanted to bake with M&M Cupid’s Blend, but we didn’t get round to doing so when it was the lead up to Valentine’s Day.

This recipe is perfect for Galentine’s/Valentine’s Day, an anniversary, or any occasion that’s worth celebrating!

We used our go-to Chocolate Fudge Brownies; this recipe never fails to impress. It’s absolute brownie perfection for those of you who adore extremely fudgy brownies. I’m not a fan of cakey brownies; I want them squidgy and super fudgy. This recipe shares the same texture as a chocolate fondant when warmed up in the microwave, but when served at room temperature it’s also resembles a chocolate torte/fudge bar.

We went for a classic brownie flavour, but this recipe can be adapted in so many ways. Swirl some Biscoff, Nutella, peanut butter, or even pistachio paste through the top of the batter. Add chocolate chips or chunks, or even some nuts, such as walnuts.

Swap the ganache topping for chocolate buttercream. I might try some white chocolate buttercream next time, or you can even simply drizzle over some melted chocolate for an easy and quicker decoration.

Bake this recipe, and you’ll be one bite away from chocolate brownie heaven.

Chocolate Brownie Heart

Heart-shaped dark chocolate brownie. Treat yourself and your loved ones to this decadent and fudgy brownie heart. With chocolate ganache topping and all the sprinkles of your choice! Bake this recipe and you'll be one bite away from chocolate brownie heaven...

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 5

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Brownie Batter:

200 g butter (salted or unsalted)
200 g dark chocolate
270 g caster or granulated sugar
3 medium or large eggs
2 medium or large egg yolks
115 g plain flour
35 g cocoa powder

Chocolate Ganache:

100 g dark chocolate
100 ml double cream

Decoration:

Chocolate or sprinkles of your choice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 160°C / 140°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 20cm heart-shaped tin with parchment paper on the base, and up the sides. Set the tin aside for later.
Melt the butter and chocolate over a bain-marie or in the microwave in 20-second intervals until completely melted and smooth. Set this mixture aside and leave it to cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile beat the eggs and egg yolks together until combined. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled slightly, add the egg mixture and stir to combine.
In large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and sugar, sift the cocoa powder over the top and mix until thoroughly combined and no lumps of flour remain. Now add the chocolate mixture and stir until combined, try not to over mix otherwise this may result in your baked brownie being tough. Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Bake the brownies for 40-45 minutes, they’ll be ready when they’re risen, the top has started to slightly crack and a cake tester when inserted into the centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached - the brownie should still have a slight wobble in the centre.
Leave the brownie to cool completely in the tin, then once cooled leave them to set for at least 6 hours or overnight for best results.
Decorate further if desired by making a chocolate ganache topping. Chop the chocolate up into small pieces, and add to a small mixing bowl. Place the cream in a small saucepan on medium heat. Once the cream just starts to bubble, take off the heat and pour over the chocolate. Leave for a minute, then stir until you have a smooth, glossy mixture. Directly cover the top of the ganache with a piece of cling film, leave to set at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
To decorate, I filled a piping bag fitted with a nozzle with the cooled, thickened ganache. Piping around the edge with the ganache. I then decorated further with chocolate/sprinkles. The brownie will keep stored at room temperature for up to one week, if you can resist it!

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Baking · Curd and Jam · Scones

Classic British Scones

April 9, 2024September 29, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next8 Comments

Classic British scone recipe. Buttery in flavour, with a soft and fluffy texture. Top generously with jam of your choice, and clotted cream for the very best scone experience.

This is a recipe update from April 2016. The recipe and photographs updated in April 2024.

I really love eating scones, and lately I’ve been enjoying baking scones too. I love a freshly baked scone, still slightly warm from the oven, spread with butter and jam, or topped with clotted cream and jam.

Scones originate right here in the United Kingdom. We Brits are proud of this bake that’s popular all over the world, with many countries having their own variations.

In the UK, we traditionally make sultana/plain scones and cheese scones.

I’m revisiting an older blog recipe; the original recipe contained vanilla, but with this one we’ve left it out, and actually, it tastes more traditional and even nicer without any vanilla extract. If you love vanilla, then you can always add a teaspoon to this scone mix.

Classic British Scones are left plain or have sultanas added. I enjoy both plain and sultana scones, but as one of the taste testers I’m making these for prefers plain scones, I’m therefore baking mine without sultanas today. If you want to include sultanas, add roughly a couple of small handfuls.

These scones are super simple to mix up; they have just a few more ingredients compared to my Lemonade Scones (3 Ingredient Recipe), but they’re incredibly tasty, with more of a buttery flavour and texture than the 3-Ingredient Recipe.

The mix makes around a dozen scones; how many you manage to make depends on the size of your cutter. I went for a 5cm fluted cutter; this made the perfect-sized scones, leaving us all longing for more.

Once the scones are risen and lightly golden, leave them to cool before serving. Serving is when you really bring your batch of scones to life. I highly recommend some strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream. There’s no better taste experience than this spread atop a homemade scone!

I’m holidaying in Cornwall this year, so I’m excited for a cream tea or two, clotted cream ice cream, and other delicious Cornish foods. I can’t wait to devour freshly baked scones filled with masses of clotted cream and the sweetest jam! The countdown is on!

But in the meantime, I’ll quite happily take these!

Classic British Scones

Classic British scone recipe. Buttery in flavour, with a soft and fluffy texture. Top generously with jam of your choice, and clotted cream for the very best scone experience.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

350 g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
85 g butter (salted or unsalted) cold and cut into cubes
3 tablespoons sugar
Generous pinch of salt
175 ml milk you might need to add more

Instructions

Preheat oven to 220°C / 200°C Fan / 425°F / Gas Mark 7. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and butter. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a fine breadcrumb consistency.
Now mix through the sugar, along with a generous pinch of salt. Slowly add the milk, continuing to mix until a soft dough (that's holds together well) comes together. You might need to add more milk to bring the scone dough together.
Lightly flour a work surface, press the scone dough out to approx. 4cm in thickness. Using a 5cm cutter (I went for a fluted cutter), gently stamp out 12 pieces from the dough - you will need to reshape and re-roll.
Brush the tops of the scones with a little extra milk, then bake for 12-15 minutes, or until risen, and lightly golden on top. Leave to cool on the baking tray for about 15 minutes, then serve with butter, jam, and cream of your choice.
The scones will keep for up to 2 days, stored in an airtight container/covered plate at room temperature. They're at their best on the day of baking.

More British recipes to bake next!

Coffee and Walnut Cake

Eton Mess Cake

Scottish Shortbread

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate

Millionaires Shortbread

March 27, 2024March 28, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next5 Comments

Classic Millionaires Shortbread. This favourite sweet treat consists of three decadently delicious layers: buttery shortbread, creamy caramel, and chocolate.

One recipe from over ten years of blogging that I’m yet to share is a recipe for Millionaires Shortbread. This is a classic treat, widely available in most bakeries, coffee shops, and tea rooms.

Millionaires shortbread consists of a layer of buttery shortbread, followed by a caramel layer, and then the caramel layer is topped with melted chocolate. There are so many amazing variations you’ll find all over the internet, but you can’t go wrong with the traditional flavour combination.

This bake will remind you of a Twix bar! So if you’re a fan of this chocolate bar, then you’ll love this homemade version even more!

Recipe Rundown:

Shortbread Layer: This mixture will look very crumbly or short before pressing it into the tin. Don’t worry, as this is how you want it to be. The crumblier your shortbread dough, the better. Also, always be super careful not to overmix shortbread dough; the general rule is to handle as little as possible. Press the mixture into the tin until it’s in an even layer, prick with a fork all over, and bake for 25–30 minutes until pale golden.
Caramel Layer: Making caramel requires patience and gentle heating; be extremely careful as caramel gets very hot and will burn if it touches skin. This caramel takes about 7–10 minutes to make. Start by mixing all the caramel ingredients listed together, gently heating until dissolved, then gradually increasing the heat until the caramel gets hotter and starts bubbling. When the caramel is a light golden colour and has thickened, it’s ready to pour over the cooled shortbread layer. Leave this to set in the fridge for about an hour before resuming.
Chocolate Layer: Your choice of chocolate is up to you. I went for Cadbury Dairy Milk, but equally, a combination of dark and milk chocolate is great—just dark chocolate, white chocolate, or even blonde or caramelised white chocolate.

We love our shortbread recipes on the blog, sharing an array of truly wonderful recipes. Scottish Shortbread, Valentine’s Shortbread Hearts, and even Chocolate Shortbread.

We gave our millionaire’s shortbread an Easter decoration, using a mixture of crushed/whole Cadbury Mini Eggs. Why not top an already decadent recipe with even more decadence? My taste testers (me included) loved the crunchy topping the mini eggs added. With Easter only a few days away, you can make this yummy bake and top with leftover (if any!) Easter chocolate!

Don’t worry at all if your chocolate cracks when you slice it up. In all honesty, my chocolate cracked, but this recipe was too tasty not to share. If you want to ensure the chocolate doesn’t crack, just warm up your knife in some hot water.

However, our bakes don’t need to look perfect; it’s 100% all about the taste here with every single recipe.

Millionaires Shortbread

Classic Millionaires Shortbread. This favourite sweet treat consists of three decadently delicious layers: buttery shortbread, creamy caramel, and chocolate.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Chilling Time: 3

Total Time 4

Servings 16

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Shortbread:

225 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
110 g caster or granulated sugar
320 g plain flour

Caramel:

397 g can sweetened condensed milk
90 g butter (salted or unsalted)
100 g dark/light/demerara sugar
1 tablespoon golden syrup this is 15g

Chocolate Layer:

250 g dark/milk/white chocolate I used Cadbury Dairy Milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line an 20cm/8-inch square cake tin with parchment paper - leaving some overhang ensuring it's easy to remove the finished bake from the tin.
Place the shortbread ingredients: softened butter, sugar, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until a crumbly, slightly sticky dough forms.
Press the shortbread dough into the lined baking tin, making sure it's an even layer. Prick the shortbread all over with a fork, now bake for 25-30 minutes until pale golden in colour. Leave to cool completely.
Place the caramel ingredients in a medium saucepan/deep frying pan. Place the pan over a medium heat, gently heat until all the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Continue to stir until the mixture has started to bubble - turn the temperature down if it bubbles too much. Keep stirring until the caramel has turned a deeper golden colour and is thicker is texture. This should take about 7-10 minutes to achieve.
Carefully pour the hot caramel over the shortbread base. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
Melt your chosen chocolate, once melted pour over the set caramel layer. Decorate the top further with any other decorations you desire - we went for crushed/whole Cadbury Mini Eggs. Place the Millionaires Shortbread back in the fridge for at least 2 hours, before slicing into 9 larger pieces, or 16 smaller pieces.
The shortbread will keep for up to one week stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

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Biscuits and Cookies · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate · No-Bake

Malteser Slice

February 28, 2024February 27, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next8 Comments

Easy no-bake Malteser Slice! A decadent treat consisting of a soft, fudge-like biscuit layer with whole Malteser chocolates folded through, then decorated with milk and white chocolate, and even more Maltesers/Malteser Bunnies! One small square of this is not enough.

Inspired by my Crunchie Slice, I’ve put a spin on the original and swapped the Cadbury Crunchie bars for Maltesers.

These bars consist of crushed biscuits mixed with condensed milk and melted butter, and then they have whole Maltesers folded through. Once you slice it up, you have chunks of crunchy Malteser balls in each bite!

This slice hosts a whole load of different textures, a deliciously soft and slightly fudge-like biscuit layer, crunchy Maltesers, and a smooth and creamy chocolate topping.

I popped some more whole Maltesers on top of my chocolate layer before the chocolate had set, along with a pack of White Malteser Bunnies, because it’s nearly Easter and I’m loving all the Easter chocolate right now!

Like the Crunchie version of this recipe I shared last year, to make this Malteser Slice, you’ll start by blitzing some digestive biscuits until they’re a fine crumb texture. After that, you’ll mix in melted butter and a tin of condensed milk. Once fully combined, you’ll fold through an entire sharing bag of Malteser’s.

I love Malteser’s, and since sharing this Malteser Brownies recipe, I’ve been wanting to share another Malteser-inspired bake, with hopefully many more to come in my future recipes!

The slice is quick and easy to whip up, uses minimal ingredients, and is a whole lotta fun to make! I cut the slice up into bigger squares purely for my photography, but I recommend cutting the slice up into small squares as it’s very rich.

I couldn’t stop myself reaching for piece, after piece of this amazing Malteser Slice…

Now, all that needs deciding is what flavour slice will I make next?

Malteser Slice

Prep Time 20

Chilling Time 1

Servings 16

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

350 g digestive or malted milk biscuits finely crushed
100 g butter (salted or unsalted) melted
397 g tin sweetened condensed milk
175 g sharing pack Maltesers left whole
200 g dark or milk chocolate
1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted) this is 15g
50 g white chocolate this is optional
Maltesers and Malteser Bunnies for decoration

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the biscuit crumbs, with the melted butter and condensed milk. Stir until throughly combined. Now fold through the 175g pack of whole Maltesers.
Transfer this mixture to a lined 20cm square cake tin (or other suitably sized tin) and press down until compact and smooth on top.
Melt the chocolate and butter over a bain-marie, or in the microwave until smooth. Pour and spread the melted chocolate over the top of the biscuit layer. Now melt the white chocolate if you want to two types of chocolate for your topping. Pour spoonfuls of the melted white chocolate on top of melted chocolate already on top of the biscuit layer.
Using as toothpick, swirl the two chocolates together, creating a swirl effect. Top with extra whole Maltesers, and Malteser Bunnies/Reindeer's if desired.
When ready to serve, slice up into 16 squares or smaller pieces if desired. The slice will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Crunchie Slice

If you love Maltesers, try these great recipes next!

Chocolate Malt Cupcakes

Malteser Brownies

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Baking · Buttercream and Frosting · Cakes

Coffee and Walnut Cake

February 6, 2024February 10, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next7 Comments

A classic two-layer coffee and walnut cake recipe. This British cake is a hit! Light and fluffy coffee-flavoured sponge cake with crunchy walnut pieces, then filled and topped with decadent espresso buttercream, and decorated with a combination of walnut halves and pieces.

This cake features in tearooms, cafes, and bakeries all across the UK. Along with a Classic Victoria Sandwich, this is probably my favourite cake flavour!

In 2023, I worked on a few baking projects for customers away from my blog, decorating several cakes. This was something I was anxious about, but I’m now really pleased I had these jobs to work on, as my confidence with cake decorating has grown a lot. I was busy from April onwards last year with numerous orders, so now that I have more time on my hands, I want to make the effort to share some ‘classic’ cake recipes.

I’ve baked coffee and walnut cakes like this during my day job; this is always a popular cake choice for customers. Coffee cake is different in various parts of the world. In the UK, it’s exactly what it says on the tin; it’s a coffee-flavoured sponge cake, whereas in the US, coffee cake is cake with a crumble topping that’s served with a cup of coffee on the side.

I used a Nigella Lawson recipe, and, oh my, is it good! I made just a few alterations to the original recipe.

What Ingredients You’ll Need:

Butter/Margarine – salted or unsalted is absolutely fine. I prefer using margarine, as I find it produces a lighter-textured cake, and the cakes rise more evenly.

Sugar – caster/granulated sugar is what I use. However, I have made this cake with light brown sugar, and that works great too.

Eggs – this recipe requires 4 eggs (medium or large).

Self-Raising Flour – the raising agents already in the flour will help the cake rise. Nigella’s original recipe uses 200g of plain/all-purpose flour, along with 2 + 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda.

Walnuts – for the cake batter and the decoration. Chopped walnuts are folded through the cake batter, whereas walnut halves, and walnut pieces are used for the cake decoration.

Coffee/Espresso – I use espresso powder in the cake batter, and the buttercream. I love the intense coffee flavour it adds!

Milk – just a couple of tablespoons is needed to loosen the cake batter before baking.

Butter – for the buttercream I recommend salted butter opposed to unsalted. The salted butter evens out all the sweetness.

Icing Sugar – make sure you sift the icing sugar before creaming with the butter. This ensures your buttercream will be super smooth and luxurious.

We love the bittersweet combination of flavours, and the crunchy walnut pieces in the cake and topping.

Coffee buttercream is simply divine, and so easily eaten straight from the mixing bowl. I don’t drink coffee, but even I cannot get enough of this cake. I just love those specks of espresso in the buttercream!

This cake is a staple cake recipe in British kitchens! It’s a very homely cake, with rich coffee and lovely nutty flavour from the chopped walnuts inside the cake, and decoration.

The cake serves around 10 delicious slices!

Coffee and Walnut Cake

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 35

Total Time 1 5

Servings 10

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Coffee and Walnut Cake:

225 g butter (salted or unsalted) or margarine softened, you can use the margarine straight from the fridge
225 g caster or granulated sugar can be substituted with light/dark brown sugar instead
4 medium or large eggs
225 g self-raising flour
Small pinch of salt omit if using salted butter
4 teaspoons instant espresso powder feel free to reduce this amount
2 tablespoons milk
50 g walnuts chopped into small pieces

Coffee Buttercream:

175 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
350 g icing sugar sifted
2 and 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or instant coffee granules dissolved in 2 tablespoons of boiling water

Decoration:

10-12 walnut halves
chopped walnut pieces

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line the base of two 20cm / 8-inch round cake tins with parchment paper, and set aside.
Cream the softened margarine/butter and sugar together until lightened in colour and fluffy in texture - this should take only a few minutes to achieve.
Now add the eggs one at a time and beat in to combine - don't worry if the mixture looks curdled at this point, as once the flour is added it will come together.
Now add the flour, along with the espresso powder, and a generous pinch of salt.
Mix until a smooth batter has come together - try not to over mix. Now, mix in the milk, and then fold in the chopped walnuts. Transfer the cake batter evenly between the two cake tins, and smooth the top over before baking for 30-35 minutes (I would recommend checking the cake just after 25 minutes). All ovens are different, my cakes took nearer to 35 minutes to fully bake - but just check, once the middle is cooked the cakes are ready.
Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for about 15 minutes, then carefully remove from the tins and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
Once the cakes are cool, prepare the buttercream. Dissolve the espresso powder/coffee granules in 2 tablespoons of water, and set aside for the moment to cool slightly. Take the butter and cream for a minute to soften. Now add the sifted icing sugar and cream for a further 2-3 minutes, until lightened in colour. Now add the slightly cooled coffee mixture, and mix until combined fully.
To assemble the cake, place one cake half upside down on your chosen serving cake stand/plate/platter. Spread half the buttercream on this cake half. Place the other cake half over top. Now spread/or pipe the remaining buttercream on top. Take 8-10 walnut halves (or more if you like) and place around the edge of the buttercream. Sprinkle over some crushed walnuts directly on the middle of the cake, if desired.
Decorate further as desired, even a light dusting of cocoa powder, or chocolate-coated coffee beans would look great. The cake is ready to be served. It's best eaten on the day, or day after baking, but it'll last for up to 3 days covered at room temperature.

Love cake as much as me? Try these amazing cake recipes next!

School Cake

Eton Mess Cake

Classic Victoria Sandwich

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate

Valentine’s Shortbread Hearts

January 17, 2024January 16, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

Special shortbread biscuits to celebrate Galentine’s/Valentine’s Day next month! Show your love with these adorable shortbreads.

Starting 2024 on WJBN on a sweet note with a stunning shortbread biscuit recipe.

2023 was a brilliant year, memorable for so many good reasons, both personally and professionally. December saw the most blog views all year, so we ended the year on a real high! Lots of you were viewing recipes and making these over the festive period from all corners of the world.

I’m ready to start the year, and I have many ideas ready to bring to the blog. In the past, I haven’t shared a lot of ‘Valentine’s’ themed recipes, but I wanted to do something about that and start a new tradition this year!

So here we have some delicious shortbread biscuits, dipped in chocolate, and the prettiest pink heart sprinkles.

I already have a Shortbread Biscuits recipe on the blog, but recently I discovered a different shortbread and adore it.

The new recipe has semolina added to the shortbread dough. Semolina gives shortbread an extra crunchy texture and reminds me of shortbread you can get in tins, but of course better because they’re homemade.

Shortbread is a bake that just cannot be beaten. It’s simple, but when made well, it’s hard to beat.

What Ingredients You’ll Need:

Butter – salted or unsalted is absolutely fine. Butter is essential in shortbread dough, no margarine or alternative, it just won’t taste like shortbread should, and they will spread/not keep their shape!
Sugar – only a little caster/granulated sugar is needed, shortbread is all about the buttery flavour, but isn’t overly sweet.
Plain Flour – just enough to bind the dough together.
Semolina – adds a lovely crunch to the shortbread biscuits. It’s optional, but I really recommend it!
Chocolate – any type of chocolate you like. You can half dip the shortbread hearts, or drizzle them with the chocolate.
Sprinkles – pretty ‘n’ pink sprinkles are great for Valentine’s! Even some freeze dried strawberries/raspberries would be great.

I refilled a tin of already eaten shortbread from Christmas with this new batch

Show your love and appreciation for someone special with a surprise batch of homemade chocolate-dipped shortbread.

Get your friends around, have a Galentine’s night, and bake and decorate these biscuits. Decorate with a combination of chocolate. I did half my shortbread half-dipped in milk chocolate and the remaining dipped in white chocolate. I then piped some remaining contrasting chocolate on top of the chocolate already on each shortbread.

Fun to make and wonderful for the upcoming Valentine’s Day! I can’t think of a more delicious way to say I love you than with these!

Valentine's Shortbread Hearts

Special shortbread biscuits to celebrate Galentine's/Valentine's Day! Show your love with these adorable shortbreads. I can't think of a more delicious way to say I love you than with these!

Prep Time 50

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1 10

Servings 20

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

200 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
100 g caster or granulated sugar
300 g plain flour
50 g semolina
100 g dark or milk chocolate
100 g white chocolate
Sprinkles I used cute pink heart sprinkles

Instructions

Start by preparing the shortbread dough - cream the softened butter and sugar until light and creamy.
Now add the flour and the semolina, mix until a crumbly dough forms. Be careful not to overwork the dough at this point, only mix until it comes together.
Wrap the dough up in clingfilm and chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This step stops the biscuits spreading when baking.
Preheat oven to 170°C / 150°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 3. Line two large baking trays with parchment paper.
Lightly flour a work surface with extra flour, roll the shortbread dough out until it's roughly the thickness of a pound coin. Take a 6cm heart cutter, and cut out roughly 20 from the dough, re-rolling and continuing to cut out more biscuits.
Transfer the unbaked shortbread biscuits onto the baking trays, sprinkle with a little extra sugar, and bake for 15-20 minutes until pale golden in colour - you don't want these too golden. They should be slightly firm to the touch when ready. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking trays, then move to a wire rack and leave the biscuits to cool completely on there.
Once the biscuits are cool, melt the two types of chocolate. Dip one biscuit at a time on one side into the chocolate. Allow to set, before drizzling the remaining chocolate on each biscuit. Finish with some sprinkles of your choice.
Once the chocolate has set, the biscuits are ready to enjoy. They'll keep in an airtight container/tin for up to 1 week.

Valentine’s Day Recipe Inspiration!

Chocolate Truffles

Homemade Crêpes

Jammy Dodgers

Chocolate Shortbread

White Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis

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Candy and Sweets · Chocolate · Christmas · No-Bake

Christmas Crunch Snack Mix

December 20, 2023December 20, 2023 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

A scrumptious snack mix that’s perfect for festive parties and snacking on while watching Christmas TV or films. It’s a great recipe to make with kids, but adults will have just as much fun making this!

The countdown to Christmas is on! We’re only 5 sleeps away from the big day. It feels as though December has gone by in a flash!

We’re waving goodbye to 2023 soon. It’s been another fantastic year of blogging; I’ve shared some more tasty bakes, and I cannot wait to see what recipes feature on the blog next year. I want to take the opportunity to thank you for all your continued support in reading my blog and baking the recipes (new and old). WJBN means so much to me, and I get so much satisfaction from creating content.

This will be my last recipe of the year. I was inspired to make this snack mix after seeing this idea on the shelves in the supermarket. This homemade mix is fun to make, and in the end, you get a larger quantity overall to serve, and it can be tailored to your own budget and flavour preferences.

Not everything has to be made from scratch over Christmas. I’m all for cutting corners, less prep time, and easy and impressive recipes!

Serve this crunch mix at parties, or transfer to gift bags, tie with a ribbon, and give as an edible gift. This will take less than an hour to make from start to finish, and lasts in an airtight container for up to one week.

I’ve taken a bag of my favourite popcorn – you can make your own, but for ease I bought a bag.

I use sweet ‘n’ salty’ popcorn for my mix. I love the combination of sweetness and saltiness in each mouthful. Then I added a combination of our favourite chocolates and sweets. My recipe is just a guide; I used Oreos, chocolate-coated pretzels, festive-coloured M&M’s, and Galaxy Minstrels.

I made this mix, and it was served at a Christmas party. It got some good reviews, so I thought I would share it with you this Christmas!

This Christmas Crunch Snack Mix will become a Christmas tradition from now on in our house!

Christmas Crunch Snack Mix

A scrumptious snack mix that's perfect for festive parties and snacking on while watching Christmas TV or films. It's a great recipe to make with kids, but adults will have just as much fun making this!

Prep Time 45

Servings 15

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

100 g popcorn (already popped not kernels) I went for sweet 'n' salty', but just regular sweet would work
100 g white chocolate melted
154 g pack Oreos broken into pieces
90 g chocolate-coated pretzels
50 g M&M's I picked the festive colours for my mix - you can use any colours
125 g Galaxy Minstrels

Instructions

Place the popcorn in a large mixing bowl. Pour over the melted white chocolate and stir to coat the popcorn in the chocolate.
Line a large baking tray/sheet with parchment paper/silicone baking mat, spread the popcorn out in an even layer. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, until the chocolate is set.
Once the chocolate is fully set, stir through the crushed Oreos, pretzels, M&M's, and the Galaxy Minstrels. Store the mix in an airtight container - it will last for up to a week.

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate · Christmas

Chocolate Shortbread

December 5, 2023December 3, 2023 What Jessica Baked Next9 Comments

Rich, homemade Chocolate Shortbread. Divine cocoa flavour is celebrated in this buttery, crumbly, and slightly salted chocolate shortbread recipe. Made in one bowl AND no chilling!

This intensely chocolatey shortbread recipe is a perfect Christmastime treat. It’s not overly sweet, slightly bittersweet, and has a salty hit in each bite.

A slice of shortbread anytime of the year is lovely, but around Christmas, I feel it’s even more special. Whether you have friends or family stopping by, want a gift to share with neighbours, or simply want to treat yourself to some baking and a sweet for an afternoon or evening dessert.

My chocolate shortbread has the flavour of a chocolate brownie. Rich, decadent, but without either a cake or fudgy texture, but instead the delectable, crumbly texture of shortbread.

When I made my Scottish Shortbread recipe for the blog back in 2015, I fell in love with the idea of baking shortbread by pressing the dough straight into a tin rather than rolling, then cutting the dough into shapes. We’re cutting the prep in half, which means we get to eat our shortbread even sooner!

Saving time is always helpful around December and the weeks leading up to Christmas, when we’re often pushed for time.

Like with most biscuit or cookie recipes, this one is just a base recipe.

Switch the recipe up by adding some freshly grated orange zest, tossing in some nuts, or combining some dark, milk, or white chocolate chips into the shortbread dough.

Once baked, you can dip the shortbread pieces into melted chocolate or drizzle it over.

There are so many exciting ways to make this recipe your own!

This recipe is found in ‘The Great British Book of Baking’. I was given this as a Christmas present from a work colleague last Christmas, and ever since spotting this recipe in the book, I’ve been excited to try it! It certainly did not disappoint, and it has me intrigued to try more!

Chocolate Shortbread

Rich, homemade Chocolate Shortbread. Divine cocoa flavour is celebrated in this buttery, crumbly, and slightly salted chocolate shortbread recipe. Made in one bowl AND no chilling!

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

200 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
100 g caster sugar
260 g plain flour
40 g cocoa powder
Pinch of salt omit if using salted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease a 20cm cake tin with extra butter.
Cream the butter for a minute to soften. Now add the sugar and cream for a further 2 minutes until lightened in colour and fluffy.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, and the pinch of salt (if using), and mix until a dough comes together - don't over work the dough, just mix until there's no visible specks of flour remaining.
Transfer the shortbread dough to the greased cake tin and press down until compact. Score into 12 triangles, making sure you don't slice all the way through. Prick each piece of shortbread once or twice with a fork, and bake the shortbread for 25-30 minutes until the top is firm to the touch - mine was in the oven for a full 30 minutes.
Once baked, allow the shortbread to cool in the tin. Remove from the tin and sprinkle with a little extra caster sugar/or icing sugar if you prefer. Slice into 12 triangles and serve. The shortbread will keep for up to 1 week, stored in an airtight container/or a covered plate.