Category: Baking

Baking recipes including all sorts of treats such as cakes, cupcakes and cheesecake.

Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Christmas

Snowball Cookies

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5 Ingredient Snowball Cookies – whipped shortbread filled with pieces of toasted pecan, and a generous coating of icing sugar.

Last year I ran out of time to bake these for Christmas. I had so many ideas, but I knew I needed to make sure I baked these cookies this year.

Being from the UK, these Snowball Cookies aren’t something I was too familiar with. I’m sure my US/North American readers will be familiar with these. I now know they’re a popular cookie that features on Christmas cookie platters. They’re also known as Mexican wedding cookies/Russian tea cakes.

I love that these cookies look like little snowballs, they’re super fun and perfectly festive!

I added toasted pecans to my batch, but you can substitute the pecans for other nuts, such as hazelnuts, pistachios, or even walnuts. Also, mini chocolate chips can be used instead.

The cookie dough is a shortbread dough, but this is possibly one of the lightest shortbread textures I’ve eaten before. It’s just like the texture of whipped shortbread, super airy, with a texture that melts once it hits your mouth.

To make the dough, you start by creaming the softened butter until smooth, then right after that add icing sugar and beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Now, a couple of teaspoons of vanilla is added, followed by the flour – which is mixed until a soft dough comes together. Finally, some chopped and toasted pecans are added. After this, the dough is covered and chilled for at least 30 minutes before rolling.

Once chilled, small portions of the dough are rolled out, and then baked. Once baked, the cookies are cooled for 5 minutes, then they’re rolled in more icing sugar. Then the cookies are left to cool completely, before being rolled in a second coating of icing sugar. The finished cookie has a snowy whiteness, resembling a snowball!

These cookies would make a wonderful addition to a Christmas treat box gift for family and friends.

You’ll enjoy these cookies for their delectable melt-in-the-mouth texture, and beautiful buttery flavour. I really mean it when I say, it’s hard to stop at just one!

I lost count of how many I devoured while taking photos! My hands/camera, just about everything was covered in icing sugar…

But, I’m not complaining, as these cookies are simply divine!

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Snowball Cookies

5 Ingredient Snowball Cookies - whipped shortbread filled with pieces of toasted pecan, and a generous coating of icing sugar.
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 36
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 100 g pecans (substitute with hazelnuts, pistachios or walnuts optional
  • 225 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
  • 90 g icing sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 280 g plain flour

Coating:

  • 150 g icing sugar you might not need all of this

Instructions

  • Start by toasting the pecans (or nut of your choice), if using. Heat oven to 150°C / 130°C Fan / 300°F / Gas Mark 2. Spread the pecans out on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Allow the nuts to cool, before chopping finely.
  • To make the cookie dough: Cream the butter for a minute until softened. Now add the 90g portion of icing sugar and cream for another 2-3 minutes, until fluffy and lightened in colour.
  • Now add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the flour and continue to mix until it's incorporated fully. Finally, fold through the chopped nuts, if using.
  • Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes, or up to 3 days. If you chill the dough longer than a few hours, it will need about 30 minutes at room temperature to warm up before rolling. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line 3 large baking trays with parchment paper.
  • Take 20g portions of the dough and roll into balls. Place the balls of cookie dough at least 2 inches apart - you'll need about 3 large baking trays to bake all the cookies at once.
  • Bake the cookies for 15 minutes, until the bottoms are just turning golden, and the tops are lightly browned. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking trays for 5 minutes, then take the remaining icing sugar (150g), and roll each cookie lightly and very carefully in the icing sugar. They will be slightly sticky at this point.
  • Now place each cookie on a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Once cool, take the cookies and coat in the icing sugar once again - this is when the sugar really coats the cookies.
  • Enjoy the cookies right away, or keep them stored in an airtight container/or covered plate for up to one week.

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate · Christmas

Terry’s Chocolate Orange NYC Cookies

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A chocolate orange flavour spin on the popular NYC cookies! Thick cookies filled with chunks of Terry’s Chocolate Orange segments, vanilla, orange zest, and chocolate chips!

I’m kicking off the run of Christmas recipes today with these decadent NYC cookies! As I do from November onwards every year, I’m sharing Christmas-inspired recipes right through until the New Year! This year, I hope to entice you to make some festive recipes, and I have plenty for you to choose from.

My Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cheesecake, No-Bake White Chocolate Orange Cheesecake, Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cookies, Terry’s Chocolate Orange Traybake, Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cupcakes, or how about some Vegan Chocolate Orange Brownies?

Can you tell I’m obsessed with Terry’s Chocolate Orange?!

I’ve made sure these cookies are well and truly packed with TCO, with three whole chocolate oranges needed!

I have shared a Terry’s Chocolate Orange cookie recipe previously, but this time, rather than a chocolate cookie dough, I went for an orange-flavoured cookie dough (without cocoa powder added).

I baked a NYC-style cookie similar to Levain Bakery/Crème in London a few years ago, sharing my Chunky Milk Chocolate Pecan Cookies. It’s been a while since I baked some super chunky/thick cookies, so I couldn’t wait to get in my kitchen and bake some!

Enjoy one of these cookies dipped in a mug of hot chocolate or warm with a scoop of ice cream!

They’re the taste of the Christmas season, filled with gooey chocolate orange segments and freshness from orange zest. I add some vanilla extract to my cookie dough, but this can be substituted with orange extract for a more delicious orange flavour.

I love a bit of festive baking; it’s lovely filling the house with freshly baked goods.

It’s my favourite time of year, with so many recipes featured on my Christmas menu. Butter Cookies, Gingerbread Men, Vegan Sausage Rolls (Easy Puff Pastry Sausage Rolls), Cheese and Mustard Puff Pastry Pinwheels, and Cinnamon Rolls.

You need a little patience with this cookie recipe. The secret to a super-thick cookie with crisp edges and a gooey centre is freezing the cookie dough for at least 90 minutes before baking. I leave mine overnight for an even thicker cookie and bake the cookies for exactly 17 minutes (until the edges are nicely browned), so they have incredible soft centres.

As the cookies cool on the baking trays, another finishing touch I do is press a few extra chocolate chips and a segment of Terry’s Chocolate Orange on the top of each cookie.

I hope you enjoy baking these in the lead-up to Christmas!

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Terry's Chocolate Orange NYC Cookies

A chocolate orange flavour spin on the popular NYC cookies! Thick cookies filled with chunks of Terry's Chocolate Orange segments, vanilla, orange zest, and chocolate chips!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 17 minutes
Chilling Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 2 minutes
Servings 12
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 230 g butter (salted or unsalted) cold and cut into small cubes
  • 160 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 160 g dark or light brown sugar
  • 1 large orange zest only
  • 300 g plain flour
  • 200 g self-raising flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 Terry's Chocolate Oranges save 12 segments for decoration and break the remaining chocolate into chunks - I used 1 dark chocolate and 2 milk chocolate
  • 100 g dark/milk or white chocolate chips
  • 2 medium or large eggs beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract this can be substituted with orange extract of left out

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, cream the cold butter for about 30 seconds until softened slightly. Add the orange zest to the sugars, and rub the orange zest into the sugars until combined. Now add the sugars to the butter and mix again until just combined. You don’t want to make this mixture creamy and fluffy.
  • Now add both types of flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Mix until you have a fine, breadcrumb texture. Save 12 segments of Terry's Chocolate Orange for decoration later on. Now stir through the remaining chocolate.
  • Add the beaten egg and vanilla and just mix until a dough comes together; be careful not to overmix. Weigh roughly 125g portions of the cookie dough and roll into a ball - this doesn't need to be perfect just lightly press them together. Place on a lined baking tray or container and freeze for at least 90 minutes, or overnight for a thicker cookie.
  • When ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. Line two large baking trays with parchment paper and place the trays in the oven for 5 minutes to heat before spacing the rolled cookie dough balls out leaving at least 2 inches between each to allow room for spreading.
  • Bake the cookies for 17 minutes, until lightly golden and crisp around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes, then if you desire, press a few extra chocolate chips and top each cookie with a Terry's Chocolate Orange segment.
  • Leave the cookies to cool on the baking trays for 5 minutes then transport to a wire rack and allow the cookies to cool slightly before serving. Cookies will keep stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Some favourite Christmas recipes!

Gingerbread Men

Butter Cookies

Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake

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Baking · Buttercream and Frosting · Chocolate

Ghost Cupcakes

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It’s spooky season and time to get ready for Halloween! Nothing screams Halloween more than these hellishly good Ghost Cupcakes! You get to decide whether they’re cute or spooky…

I first baked some Ghost Cupcakes many years ago when I’d only just started food blogging. I didn’t end up sharing the recipe, but years later I’ve decided to have another go at this cool recipe idea and bring it to the blog.

The recipe is super adaptable, take your favourite cupcake recipe. Chocolate, funfetti, red velvet, pumpkin, or vanilla.

My cupcakes were chocolate flavoured. I used my go-to Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake recipe, and topped the cupcakes with white chocolate buttercream.

In the past, I’ve used a cream cheese frosting. However, I love the un-beatable flavour combination of dark chocolate cupcakes with fluffy white chocolate buttercream.

The final decoration is super simple, take mini dark/milk chocolate chips or regular-sized chocolate chips and place two to make the ghosts eyes, and if you desire, place an extra chocolate chip for the mouth – I just went for two eyes!

These cupcakes will haunt you, that’s how good they are! You won’t be able to stop thinking about them…

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Ghost Cupcakes

It's spooky season and time to get ready for Halloween! Nothing screams Halloween more than these hellishly good Ghost Cupcakes. They're just as cute as they are scary!
Total Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 12
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • 85 g dark chocolate chopped into small pieces
  • 40 g cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon coffee granules or powder
  • 180 ml boiling water
  • 105 g strong white bread flour you can substitute this with plain flour
  • 150 g caster sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 medium or large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

White Chocolate Buttercream

  • 150 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
  • 300 g icing sugar sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 200 g white chocolate melted and cooled slightly
  • Dark or milk chocolate chips for decoration

Instructions

  • To make the cupcakes: Place the chopped chocolate, cocoa powder and coffee granules/powder (if using) in a medium mixing bowl. Pour the boiling water over and whisk until smooth and all the chocolate has melted. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 12-hole cupcake/muffin tin with paper cases. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and bicarbonate of soda until thoroughly combined. Whisk the oil, eggs, vinegar and vanilla into the now cooled chocolate mixture. Finally, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until you have a smooth batter.
  • Divide the batter between the paper cases – I find using an ice cream scoop best for doing this as it makes less mess. Bake for 17-19 minutes or until the cupcakes are well risen and a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the centre. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes and then transport to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
  • To make the buttercream: Cream the butter for about a minute or two to soften. Now add the sifted icing in two batches and beat for another 2-3 minutes until the buttercream is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and double cream.
  • Mix in the melted chocolate until just combined and decorate the cupcakes as desired - I use a large round piping tip to create the ghost shape. Decorate each cupcake with a couple of chocolate chips for the ghosts eyes. The cupcakes will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Get ready to bake some truly spooktacular cupcakes!

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Baking · Breakfast · Chocolate

Chocolate Granola

What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

My easy homemade TRIPLE Chocolate Granola makes a fun, chocolatey breakfast. It’s delicious, slightly bittersweet and great served with creamy yoghurt, or milk of your choice. A day that starts with a little chocolate is sure to be good!

There are many granola recipes on my blog. We’re utterly in love with this Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola when in need of a sweet ‘n’ salty treat for breakfast, but when we’re feeling like something a touch healthier, then our Basic Homemade Granola hits all the right notes.

I’ve said it lots of times before, I love making granola just as much as baking a batch of cookies, or a cheesecake. This granola is in fact inspired by my Triple Chocolate Cookies!

I’ll always find a way of getting chocolate involved in my breakfast bowl/plate…

Why buy all the expensive cereal/granola, when you can make it at home for cheaper?

When you make it yourself, you can control what ingredients are going in, which is definitely one of the many added bonuses of anything homemade.

What makes this granola contain triple chocolate: firstly, the cocoa powder combined with the oats before baking, secondly, the pack of dark/milk chocolate chips that’s stirred through the granola as it’s cools, and thirdly, the white chocolate chips added once the granola has completely cooled.

This granola is a dream breakfast for me. I love chocolate cereal, but with the oats in this and nuts, I feel it is just that little bit healthier than reaching for one of the go-to chocolate cereals!

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Chocolate Granola

My easy homemade TRIPLE Chocolate Granola makes a fun, chocolatey breakfast. It's delicious, slightly bittersweet and great served with creamy yoghurt, or milk of your choice. A day that starts with a little chocolate is sure to be good!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 350 g jumbo rolled oats
  • 100 g flaked almonds substitute with chopped hazelnuts, if preferred
  • 45 g dark or light brown sugar
  • 120 ml maple syrup or honey
  • 120 ml vegetable oil I use rapeseed oil
  • 60 g cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
  • sea salt flakes a generous pinch
  • 100 g dark/milk chocolate chips
  • 100 g white chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 150°C / 130°C Fan / 300°F / Gas Mark 2. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment or a silicone baking mat.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flaked almonds and sugar until combined.
  • In a small jug, whisk together the maple syrup/honey, oil, cocoa powder and vanilla extract until smooth.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, along with a generous pinch of sea salt flakes until the oats are all thoroughly coated. Spread the granola out on the baking tray - making sure it's an even layer.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, then give a good stir, making sure the edges are pushed to the centre and redistributed so every bit of the granola gets evenly toasted.
  • Bake again for another 15 minutes and repeat again, stirring as you did before. Now bake for a further 10 minutes. Sprinkle over 3/4 of the dark/milk chocolate chips, let the granola sit for a few minutes before stirring the chocolate in.
  • Allow the granola to cool on the tray, once it's completely cool, add the remaining dark/milk chocolate chips and the white chocolate chips, and stir through. The granola will keep stored in an airtight for up to a fortnight.

Serve your granola at breakfast: my favourite way to serve it is with natural yoghurt and fresh raspberries.

It’s also fantastic sprinkled over ice cream/frozen yoghurt, or eaten straight by the handful – something I’m most certainly guilty of doing!

A couple more granola recipes to try next!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola

Basic Homemade Granola

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate

Caramilk Cookies

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Caramilk Cookies are incredibly soft and chewy. Filled with lots of chunks of caramelised white chocolate and white chocolate chips!

I’m a wee bit late jumping on the caramelised white/caramel chocolate bandwagon! Upon my first taste, I’ve since become literally obsessed. Whenever I’m eating a bar of caramelised white chocolate, I’m thinking of the many ways I can combine it in my bakes.

This cookie recipe is based on the cookie dough I use to make my Mini Egg Cookies. It’s perfect in every way possible. These cookies are soft, a little bit chewy and jammed full of gooey chunks of Cadbury Caramilk and white chocolate chips.

Exactly how a good cookie should be!

Homemade cookies are always a good idea! You can never have enough cookies. I could eat them all day long.

That first bite of a gooey, delicious cookie is simply amazing. We loved the combination of creamy white chocolate chips, mixed with the decadent caramelised chocolate.

With the summer season here, take a couple of these cookies, and add a scoop of ice cream to the centre. Your very own cookie sandwich is a decadent treat that will satisfy your sweet cookie craving and cool you down.

Every time I make cookie dough, I always leave some in the freezer, so then I can reach for a homemade cookie when I want! I have some of this Caramilk white chocolate cookie dough in the freezer, and cannot wait for another one!

I might reach for the extra cookie dough very soon, along with a tub of vanilla ice cream…

These cookies reminded us of bakery-style cookies we loved years ago, but better!

The cookies will keep on your kitchen countertop for a few days. They taste best on the day of baking, but on the second day we find they firm up and the flavour has developed further.

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Caramilk Cookies

Soft and chewy cookies filled with chunks of caramelised white chocolate and white chocolate chips!
Prep Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Servings 18
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 280 g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornflour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 170 g butter (salted or unsalted) melted and cooled for 5 minutes
  • 150 g dark or light brown sugar
  • 100 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 1 medium or large egg
  • 1 medium or large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 100 g white chocolate chips
  • 250 g caramelised white chocolate chopped - I use Cadbury Caramilk but Caramac works too

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cornflour and the salt - only add a pinch of salt if using salted butter.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter with both types of sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Add the whole egg, egg yolk and the vanilla extract, and whisk again to combine.
  • Now add the wet ingredients to your bowl of dry ingredients. Gently fold together to combine. Add your white chocolate chips and chopped Caramilk, stir to mix through. Cover the bowl and chill the cookie dough for at least 2-3 hours, or up to 3 days. I leave mine overnight and then allow it to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling.
  • When ready to roll the cookie dough, take 60g portions and roll into balls. Preheat oven 160°C / 150°C Fan / 325 °F / Gas Mark 4.
  • Space the cookie dough out on 2-3 large baking trays - you might need to bake the cookies in batches. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges - the cookies will appear very soft, but that's what you want. Press extra white chocolate chips and chopped Caramilk on top of each cookie while they're still hot. Leave the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking trays, then they're ready to serve.
  • The cookies will keep for up to 3 days, stored in an airtight container or a covered plate at room temperature. Freeze the cookies in an airtight container/or freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months - thaw the cookie before baking.

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Baking · Tarts and Pastry

Passionfruit Lemon Tart

What Jessica Baked Next83 Comments

Luscious passionfruit and lemon sweetness are combined in this gorgeous tart! Really easy to make, packed full of zingy flavour and great served with fresh berries.

Originally posted in April 2015, recipe and photographs updated May 2023.

I’m sharing this absolutely gorgeous Passionfruit Lemon Tart.  I’ve been making this recipe for years now and it’s a definite favourite springtime/summertime dessert of mine and my family.

The most perfect, buttery and crisp, sweet shortcrust pastry is topped with a silky smooth passionfruit and lemon filling. Once you’ve tried a piece of this tart, you’ll find it impossible to put your fork down!

Since I’ve started food blogging and attended culinary college/school, I have developed a love for making my own sweet pastry and tarts. I love how many variations and recipes can be made out of one pastry recipe. The addition of icing sugar is the trade “secret” to exceptionally light and crisp pastry – that’s something my mum has taught me to use when making sweet pastry.

You’ll bake your pastry case until lightly golden and set it aside to cool.

Now, we move onto the filling. To describe it, it’s incredibly creamy, fruity, sweet and oh-so good! Another important step I now do, is leave the tart to chill overnight in the fridge. Though that’s really hard because all you want to do is devour the whole thing, it really is such a crucial step.

I discovered why chilling is super important the first time I made this tart. I remember when I first made the recipe, I allowed it to cool to room temperature and then made the error of cutting straight in. The slice revealed was unset, but as an experiment, I popped the remaining tart into the fridge and left it there overnight. In the morning, it was now fully set and each slice came out flawless. The flavours had also developed and the tart tasted even more delicious.

The errors I’d made on the first bake were rectified and the very next tart I made was the perfect recipe and made its way onto the blog!

This tart serves 8 generous slices, even more if you cut it slightly thinner. It’s a lovely dessert recipe for spring/summer and goes wonderfully paired with fresh berries and some whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

It’s a pâtisserie-worthy dessert, sure to be loved by many!

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Passionfruit Lemon Tart

Luscious passionfruit and lemon sweetness are combined in this gorgeous tart. Really easy to make, packed full of zingy flavour and great served with fresh berries. Once you've tried a piece of this tart, you'll find it impossible to put your fork down!
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 8
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Pastry:

  • 200 g plain flour
  • Small pinch of salt omit if using salted butter
  • 115 g butter (salted or unsalted) cubed and chilled
  • 25 g icing sugar sifted
  • 1 medium or large egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons cold water

Filling:

  • 4-5 passionfruit
  • Juice and zest from 1 lemon
  • 150ml double cream
  • 4 tablespoons crème fraîche
  • 85 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 2 medium or large eggs
  • 2 medium or large egg yolks

Instructions

  • To make the pastry: Tip the flour and a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter and, using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the icing sugar. In a small bowl, blend together the egg yolk and water. Once mixed, add this wet mixture to the flour mixture and mix to form a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly until smooth. Wrap in clingfilm and leave in the fridge for 20 minutes.
  • Preheat your oven to 200°C / 180°C / 400 °F / Gas Mark 6. Lightly flour a work surface, roll the pastry out and line a 23cm / 9-inch loose-bottomed fluted tart tin. Chill in the fridge for a further 20 minutes - this prevents the pastry from shrinking in the case.
  • Prick the base of the pastry with a fork, line with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake the tart case in the preheated oven on a baking tray for 10 minutes. Then remove the baking paper and baking beans and return the pastry case back to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes until it's turned a light golden colour and set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C° / 160°C / 350 °F / Gas Mark 4.
  • To make the filling: Halve the passionfruit and scoop out the seeds and flesh into a sieve that's placed over a jug or bowl. Reserve the seeds and pulp, press with the back of a spoon until you have 75ml of passionfruit juice in the jug (I needed 5 passionfruit for this amount). In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the passionfruit juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, double cream, crème fraîche, sugar, eggs and egg yolks until smooth. Pour into the pastry case.
  • To bake and serve: Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until set. Leave to cool in the tin, then place the tart in the fridge for a further 4 hours or overnight. Serve chilled topped with extra passionfruit pulp, berries and pouring/whipped cream, if desired.
    The tart will keep stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

More recipe inspiration!

Strawberry Tart (Tarte aux Fraises)

Passionfruit and Lime Cream Pots

Biscoff Chocolate Tart

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Baking · Cakes

Eton Mess Cake

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Welcome the summer days with my easy Eton Mess Cake! Serve this scrumptious traybake at a Coronation or spring/summer garden party. This stunning cake will feed a hungry crowd!

This sensational vanilla traybake is baked until risen and perfectly golden, it’s then topped with whipped double cream, chopped fresh strawberries, raspberries, crushed meringue pieces, and finally, each slice is finished with a drizzle of tangy homemade raspberry coulis!

I’ve created a special recipe to mark King Charles’ Coronation. This is a moment in history and a wonderful occasion we are celebrating. But it’s also a cake you’ll love baking all summer long or for any kind of celebration.

I’ve seen lots of fabulous recipes everyone is baking for the Coronation. My Coronation recipe is this Eton Mess Cake. It’s a hybrid of two British desserts, a classic sponge cake and Eton Mess. Two of the very best!

Eton Mess is an easy dessert made by combining whipped cream with crushed meringue and berries.

You’re going to adore every single aspect of this cake. The fluffy vanilla sponge, the lovely creamy topping that’s filled with juicy berries, and sweet crumbles of meringue, of which, you’ll get to enjoy in each bite of the cake. Though, it’s optional, the raspberry coulis takes this cake to a different level of deliciousness. If you don’t want to make the coulis, you can even swirl some jam through the cream.

It’s also a great Wimbledon-inspired dessert too, if you’re looking for any recipe inspiration for that!

There’s nothing more British than strawberries and cream…

A light and refreshing cake recipe. Decoration is effortless, but I think even with simple decorating, this cake really has the wow factor, and will certainly impress!

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Eton Mess Cake

Easy Eton Mess Cake! Serve this scrumptious traybake at a Coronation or spring/summer garden party. This stunning cake will feed a hungry crowd!
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 16
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Cake Batter:

  • 300 g butter (salted or unsalted) or margarine margarine produces a lighter sponge
  • 300 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 5 medium or large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 300 g self-raising flour
  • 4 tablespoons milk

Decoration:

  • 300 ml double cream
  • 1 tablespoon icing sugar
  • 125 g fresh raspberries washed and left whole or chopped in half
  • 200 g fresh strawberries washed, hulled and chopped into small pieces
  • 2 meringue nests add more to the top if you like

Raspberry Coulis:

  • 200 g fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 2 tablespoons icing sugar
  • 1 tablespoons lemon juice or water

Instructions

  • Start by making the raspberry coulis. Place the raspberries, icing sugar and lemon juice/water in a small saucepan. Heat gently and continue to cook until the raspberries break down and you’re left with a thick and glossy sauce. Take off the heat and pass the coulis through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Discard the seeds. Leave the sauce to cool before refrigerating.
  • Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 23cm x 30cm (9 x 13-inch) baking tin with baking parchment.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter/margarine with the sugar for about 2 minutes, until light and creamy. Add one egg, along with the vanilla extract, and a tablespoon of the flour. Mix well to incorporate, then repeat with the remaining eggs and the flour. Finally, add the milk and continue mixing to combine - don't over mix.
  • Transfer the cake batter to the lined baking tin and smooth the top with the back of a spatula or spoon. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden, risen and a cake tester, when inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean without any uncooked batter remaining. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then transport it to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
  • Once the cake is cooled, it's time to decorate. Carefully remove the cake from the tin, peel away the parchment paper and transport the cake to a serving plate/platter. Take the cream and whip until soft peaks have formed, spread this across the top of the cake. Top with the fruit, followed by the crushed meringue. Serve slices of the cake, drizzled with the raspberry coulis and extra crushed meringue, if desired.
  • The cake will keep stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Make your very own meringue with my fantastic Meringues recipe!

Three more strawberries ‘n’ cream recipes!

Strawberries and Cream Puff Pastry Tarts

Strawberry Tart (Tarte aux Fraises)

Strawberries and Cream Shortbread Sandwiches

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies

Melting Moments

What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

Delicate buttery biscuits, lightly flavoured with vanilla and rolled in a choice of oats, desiccated coconut, or crushed cornflakes. Before baking, the biscuits are then topped with a sweet glacé cherry. These traditional Scottish biscuits have a taste of nostalgia.

Melting Moments are delectable, buttery biscuits that just melt in the mouth. Made with store cupboard ingredients, these biscuits are simply divine. Best of all, there’s no chilling or rolling out the dough.

I wasn’t aware of this at first, but there are actually two types of Melting Moments. One of them I was familiar with. That is a biscuit that has custard powder added to the dough, but the version of Melting Moments that I’m sharing with you today, I didn’t realise existed.

I discovered these at work. With our small team of chefs, we discuss recipes and new bakes we want to try out. My colleague mentioned she’d eaten these biscuits at school and was keen for us to bake some.

We cracked on baking several batches and they proved to be a hit. We couldn’t resist trying some as soon as they left the oven – this is definitely the best part about baking!

As soon as I’d finished that last bite of the delicious, freshly baked biscuit, I knew I just had to share the recipe on here!

Since sharing my Easy Oat Biscuits, this recipe is the most viewed bake near enough everyday. I’ve really been happy to see many photos of the ones you’ve been baking!

I thought I’d share another easy biscuit recipe. These Melting Moments are fairly similar, but the differences are, they’re made without brown sugar and instead of mixing oats into the biscuit dough, the dough balls are simply rolled in the oats instead. Finally, each biscuit is traditionally topped with a half/or whole glacé cherry before heading to the oven for baking.

I topped some of my biscuits with more than one cherry half. I love the sweetness the little bit of cherry on top adds! If you don’t have any glacé cherries, then even a square of chocolate is a fantastic alternative.

If you fancy changing the recipe, swap the vanilla extract for almond extract instead to make a Bakewell-style biscuit, or you could even add the zest of a lemon to the dough.

These biscuits have crisp edges and a lovely cake-like texture in the centre. They’re ever so moreish, one is not enough.

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Melting Moments

Delicate buttery biscuits, flavoured lightly with vanilla and rolled in a choice of oats, desiccated coconut or crushed cornflakes, then topped with a glacé cherry.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Servings 12
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 200 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
  • 125 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 1 medium or large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 225 g self-raising flour
  • 50 g porridge oats (rolled oats also work fine too) substitute with the same amount of desiccated coconut or crushed cornflakes

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line 3 large baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy - this will take about 2 minutes to achieve.
  • Now add the egg and the vanilla. Mix again to combine. Now add the flour and fold through until you have a soft dough formed - don't over mix.
  • Place the oats, coconut or crushed cornflakes on a side plate or in a bowl. Take 50g portions of the dough and roll into even balls. Take each ball of dough and roll in the oats/coconut/cornflakes until coated well.
  • Evenly spread the balls of dough across the lined baking trays, allow enough room for each biscuit to spread - about 2-3cm between each. Top each ball of dough with half a glacé cherry.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the biscuits have a spread and are lightly golden around the edges. Don't worry if they appear soft, they will continue to cook as they cool on the baking trays. Allow the biscuits to cool on the baking trays for 5-10 minutes, then transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
  • As they cooled, I pressed a few extra pieces of halved glacé cherry on the top of a few of my biscuits. The biscuits will keep at room temperature, covered or in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

If you like these Melting Moments, then you just have to try my Easy Oat Biscuits next!

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Baking · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate · Cookies

Mini Egg Cookies

What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

Soft and chewy cookies, filled with crushed Mini Eggs, dark chocolate chips and white chocolate chunks. Topped while still warm with even more Mini Eggs and chocolate!

Easter is getting closer and I felt like baking cookies, as I hadn’t made any for such a long time.

I love all kinds of cookies. I’m not fussy at all!

I’m all for the super soft, chewy ones, the deliciously thick Crème London/Levain Bakery cookies, and thin and crispy cookies!

I’ve taken the elite Easter chocolate, Cadbury Mini Eggs, and added them to a batch of cookie dough. Today, I’m presenting to you my Mini Egg Cookies.

Over the last few weeks, most supermarkets here have unveiled huge displays of Easter eggs and various Easter favourite chocolates – there’s an incredible amount of choice. A couple of my favourites include Cadbury Mini Eggs and Malteser Bunnies.

You’re going to fall in love with the texture of these cookies. They’re super soft, with a gooey middle that’s filled with chocolate.

Chocolate wise in this cookie, you can add a combination you like. I went for a mixture of dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chunks, along with crushed Mini Eggs. You can add more Mini Eggs if you want. I like decorating the tops with more Mini Eggs for extra crunchy texture – this also ensures you get Mini Eggs in each bite of your cookie!

I find the easiest way to prepare the Mini Eggs for the cookie dough is to crush the Mini Eggs in the bag they come in with a rolling pin. You want a mixture of big and small pieces. Then tip the crushed eggs straight into your cookie dough! Alternatively, you can add the Mini Eggs whole into your cookie dough.

I used a Cadbury Mini Egg bar to top my cookies too. It’s delicious – I used the extra chocolate I had leftover from this bar and filled a croissant for breakfast. It’s game-changing!

These cookies are a scrumptious Easter bake! So good eaten freshly baked to really enjoy the gooey, soft texture. Equally enjoyed with a scoop of ice cream or dunked in a glass of milk.

With this recipe, you’re now ready to get your cookie fix this Easter!

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Mini Egg Cookies

Soft and chewy cookies, filled with crushed Mini Eggs, dark chocolate chips and white chocolate chunks. Topped while still warm with even more Mini Eggs and chocolate!
Prep Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 22 minutes
Servings 18
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 280 g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornflour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt add just a pinch if using salted butter
  • 170 g butter (salted or unsalted) melted and cooled for 5 minutes
  • 150 g dark or light brown sugar
  • 100 g granulated or caster sugar
  • 1 medium or large egg
  • 1 medium or large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 150 g Cadbury Mini Eggs crushed or roughly chopped
  • 150 g chocolate chips or chunks I used a mix of dark chocolate chips and chunks of white chocolate - you can add more mini eggs instead
  • Cadbury Mini Eggs and chocolate extra to decorate the tops of each cookie

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cornflour and the salt - only add a pinch of salt if using salted butter.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter with both types of sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Add the whole egg, egg yolk and the vanilla extract, and whisk again to combine.
  • Now add the wet ingredients to your bowl of dry ingredients. Gently fold together to combine. Add your Mini Eggs and other chocolate of choice, stir to mix through. Cover the bowl and chill the cookie dough for at least 2-3 hours, or up to 3 days. I leave mine overnight and then allow it to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling.
  • When ready to roll the cookie dough, take 60g portions and roll into balls. Preheat oven 160°C / 150°C Fan / 325 °F / Gas Mark 4.
  • Space the cookie dough out on 2-3 large baking trays - you might need to bake the cookies in batches. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges - the cookies will appear very soft, but that's what you want. Press extra chopped Mini Eggs and chocolate on top of each cookie while they're still hot. Leave the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking trays, then they're ready to serve.
  • The cookies will keep for up to 3 days, stored in an airtight container or a covered plate at room temperature.

Below are the Easter cookies I baked last year. These were vegan and were filled with dark chocolate chips and hazelnuts – yum!

We’re crazy for cookies here on WJBN! We’ve shared many biscuit/cookies with you, below are some favourites!

Easy Oat Biscuits

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pret’s Dark Chocolate Almond Cookies

Butter Cookies

Triple Chocolate Cookies

Scottish Shortbread

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Baking · Bread · Light Lunches

Double Cheese Hot Cross Buns

What Jessica Baked Next83 Comments

A savoury spin on hot cross buns! These Double Cheese Hot Cross Buns are packed with flavour from mature Cheddar, they’re topped with a cheesy cross and even more cheese. I serve mine with a quick, homemade chive butter.

Recipe originally posted in March 2014. Recipe and photographs updated March 2023.

This is a recipe redo from 9 years ago! The recipe and photographs were in need of a little update.

You’ll find hot cross buns in supermarkets all across the UK. The traditional hot cross bun is filled with dried fruit and mixed spice, but in recent years, new flavours have appeared and become equally popular choices.

We’re talking chocolate hot cross buns, some with cocoa powder in the dough and others with chocolate chips added. I have a recipe for Vegan Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns.

Red velvet is another flavour I’ve come across, along with apple and cinnamon, and caramelised white chocolate and fudge.

All these sweet hot cross buns are great, but you can also get savoury hot cross buns, with many, including one of my favourite ingredients. Cheese.

These Double Cheese Hot Cross Buns consist of a simple dough that’s flavoured with cayenne pepper and grated mature Cheddar cheese. The cross-topping is usually made by mixing flour and water, but mine is made by mixing together grated Pecorino cheese, flour and water. The cheese adds that extra salty, cheesy deliciousness to each hot cross bun!

Right before baking, I sprinkled the tops of each HCB with even more Pecorino – if you’re not vegetarian, then you can use Parmesan instead.

Serve your cheesy hot cross buns with a liberal amount of salted butter. I made my own chive butter, by mixing softened butter with chopped chives from the garden and a little bit of black pepper.

Also, why not fill your savoury hot cross bun with some crispy bacon – I love vegetarian bacon and think this would pair wonderfully for brunch/lunch. Or spread with butter, followed by your favourite chutney and some extra cheese.

The recipe is time-consuming, but there’s no better feeling than eating a batch of homemade bread you’ve baked right in your own kitchen.

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Double Cheese Hot Cross Buns

A savoury spin on hot cross buns! These Double Cheese Hot Cross Buns are packed with flavour from mature Cheddar, they're topped with a cheesy cross and even more cheese. I serve mine with a quick, homemade chive butter.
Prep Time 3 hours 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 55 minutes
Servings 12
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Hot Cross Bun Dough:

  • 250 ml milk
  • 50 g butter (salted or unsalted)
  • 500 g strong white bread flour
  • 14 g dried yeast 2 x standard 7g packets
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
  • 1 medium or large egg
  • 150 g mature Cheddar coarsely or finely grated

Cheese Cross Topping:

  • 5 tablespoons finely grated Pecorino Cheddar can be substituted
  • 5 tablespoons plain flour
  • 5 tablespoons water

Cheese Topping:

  • 25 g Cheddar or Pecorino grated

Instructions

  • In a small pan, heat your milk and butter until the butter has melted and the milk is just warm to the touch - you don't want the milk boiling hot.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add your bread flour, yeast (to one corner), salt (to the opposite corner to the yeast) and the cayenne pepper (if using). Give these ingredients a good stir so they're evenly mixed.
  • Now add the warmed milk/butter mixture, along with the beaten egg and stir until a soft dough comes together.
  • Knead by hand or in a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook attachment for 8-10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth.
  • Cover the bowl and leave the dough somewhere warm for 2 hours or until it's doubled in size.
  • Once the dough has doubled in size, mix the grated Cheddar into the dough by hand. Divide it equally into 12 pieces (I weigh for accuracy and each dough piece weighs roughly approx. 80g) and roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Place the balls of dough on a large, lightly greased baking tray, leaving space for them to rise. Leave for the dough to rise for another hour, or until the dough has risen and joined up.
  • Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. Make the cheesy cross topping by mixing the grated cheese, flour and water gently until it's just come together - try not to over mix this, otherwise it becomes tough when baked.
  • Transfer the cheesy cross topping to a piping bag, snip the end a little just to make a small hole. Pipe a line across the top of the buns and then pipe another line the opposite way, so each bun is topped with a cross. I went over the top of each line again to use up the majority of my mixture - don't worry if you don't use it all.
  • Sprinkle over the grated cheese and then bake the buns for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden - mine took 25 minutes. Allow to cool and then serve with plenty of butter!

Vegan Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns

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