Category: Baking

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

Baking · Breakfast · Granola

Cookie Butter Granola

What Jessica Baked Next17 Comments

Crunchy cookie butter cluster granola. Add white chocolate chips into the mix and you’ve got yourself one sweet breakfast or snack ready to go!

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a great Christmas! It’s now officially 2017, let’s see how quickly this year goes. I swear 2016 went by in a flash, last year was a brilliant and memorable year for me, I’m now looking forward to see what 2017 has in store and I hope you carrying on enjoying the recipes I’m going to be sharing with you.

For my first recipe of 2017, I reviewed some of the more popular and favoured recipes from last year and I decided as you liked those I would share a few that were similar to the popular choices. The thing that surprised me most of all was that a selection of my savoury recipes have been just as liked as my sweet recipes, so I am hoping this year to branch out and share many more favourite savoury foods of mine and my family as well.

Only a few months ago I shared a delicious peanut butter granola. With big, crunchy clusters, just the right mix of salty ‘n’ sweet flavour and best of all a convenient recipe that took no time at all to bake and prepare were just a few reasons why that granola was on my list to be recreated. I’ve already had a handful of readers send me lovely emails and messages telling me they have enjoyed that recipe and frequently make it. Because that granola was a hit I’ve used the same recipe but this time I switched the peanut butter for cookie butter spread and it turned out to be a success!

The granola has the same amazing crunchy texture with a cookie butter undertone to each mouthful. I simply cannot resist eating this granola when it’s to hand but I’ve also tried it with milk and yoghurt on different occasions and it was just as good.

I chose to add white chocolate chips as I pretty much like to do with all the granola I make. But adding the chocolate is really up to you whether you want to add it or not. I wouldn’t be able to say no to the idea of chocolate and homemade cookie butter granola, could you?

Ingredients:

150g (1 and 1/2 cups) rolled oats

90g (1/4 cup) honey

65g (1/4 cup) cookie butter spread

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 170°C / 150°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 3. Line a large baking tray/sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. Add the oats to a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan add the honey, cookie butter spread and vanilla. Heat gently and stir until completely melted – don’t let it boil.
  3. Add the melted cookie butter mixture to the oats and stir until all of the oats are well coated.
  4. Spread the granola out onto the lined baking tray/sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes (stirring every 5 minutes) until golden and toasted. Watch the granola carefully as it burns easily.
  5. Once the granola is baked allow it to cool, as it cools it will harden and get crisp. Store granola in an airtight container. Chocolate chips can be added at this point, see my recipe notes below for further instructions.

Recipe Notes:

  • Cookie butter is a spread similar to peanut butter in consistency. It’s made from crushed speculoos biscuits which are flavoured with spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
  • Substitute the honey for agave nectar or maple syrup to make this granola suitable for vegans. The brand of cookie butter I used for this recipe was suitable for both vegetarians and vegans.
  • Adding chocolate chips to the baked and cooled granola is optional. I don’t usually add them until I am serving the granola and I tend to add just a small handful to each serving.
  • This granola will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. I prefer not to keep granola any longer than this length of time because I find it tastes better when it’s fresh, therefore this smaller batch is just the right quantity for me.

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies

Gingernut Biscuits

What Jessica Baked Next21 Comments

A traditional British ginger spiced biscuit. No chilling or mixer is required to make these wonderfully crunchy biscuits! 

Whilst my favourite cookie of all time is the classic chocolate chip cookie, that doesn’t stop me baking and trying out lots of new recipes and discovering more that I love.

It’s gingerbread season after all so I couldn’t let the Xmas season go by and not post another ginger spiced recipe with you. These gingernut biscuits are the taste of Christmas with their festive flavour, they’re more of a grown up version of my gingerbread men which are typically chewy and soft, unlike these gingernuts which are crunchy on the outside with a slightly chewy texture on the inside.

This recipe makes sixteen small biscuits, but it’s very likely you’ll want to bake a double batch like I did the last time I made them because the first will be gone in no time. Fresh from the oven enjoy the cookies with a mug of hot chocolate, a tall glass of milk or a steaming hot cup of coffee or tea.

Finding a recipe I was entirely happy with proved to be a difficult task. I’ve tested several different ginger biscuit/cookie recipes over the past few weeks. I’ve lost count of how many baking fails I had along the way, but I didn’t give up until I found the best recipe.

The perfect ginger biscuit recipe was a Delia classic. I always pick Delia’s cookbooks when I need a trusty recipe that I know will work, not a recipe that would mess me around and waste valuable ingredients and my time. For those of you who might not know, gingernuts are one of the UK’s favourite biscuits to have with tea. The biscuit is lightly spiced with ground ginger and sometimes other spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. They have various different names in other countries like gingersnaps in the US, lebkuchen in Germany and speculaas in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The baked biscuits have a distinctive crackle appearance on top, once you take a bite you will discover how gorgeously crisp and delightfully chewy they with the added deliciousness of a warming ginger aftertaste.

You can get as decorative as you want with these biscuits, maybe dip each biscuit half in melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles or candied ginger. The recipe is a breeze to make because you don’t need to use a mixer and the dough doesn’t need to be chilled either! If you’re a fan of gingernuts, why not give this homemade version a go, the biscuits are super easy to make and they taste spectacular for something so simple.

(Makes 16)

Ingredients:

110g self-raising flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 heaped teaspoon ground ginger

40g caster sugar

50g butter, softened

50g (2 tablespoons) golden syrup

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 190ºC / 170°C Fan / 375ºF / Gas Mark 5. Line 1-2 large baking trays with non-stick paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside for later. In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger. Stir through the sugar. Add the butter and using your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and is a crumbly texture.
  2. Mix through the golden syrup until a soft dough has formed.
  3. Evenly divide the dough into 16 small pieces – roughly a tablespoon each. I weigh my dough to be precise, but you don’t have to do that. Roll the dough into small balls and evenly spread out onto the lined baking tray allowing them enough room as they will spread whilst baking. Flatten each ball of dough a little with the palm of your hand and then bake for 10-15 minutes until they’ve spread, are golden in colour and have a cracked appearance. I turn the baking tray around about halfway through to ensure the biscuits all bake evenly.
  4. Once the biscuits are baked leave them to cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes, as they cool they’ll harden. Once cool transport the biscuits to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
  5. Biscuits will store in an airtight container or biscuit tin for up to 1 week.

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Christmas

Shortbread Biscuits

What Jessica Baked Next26 Comments

Buttery and crisp shortbread biscuits. Delicious dunked into caramel and melted chocolate or crumbled over ice cream. These scrumptious biscuits will just melt-in-your-mouth! 

Homemade shortbread is a Christmas necessity. I look forward to Christmastime all year round, it’s my favourite time of the year because you can go overboard decorating the Christmas tree and entire house, spend quality time catching up with family and importantly, eat as many biscuits, chocolate, cheese, crackers, canapés and sweets as you want. Just thinking about all that food is making me quite hungry…

The best part of Christmas is definitely the several boxes of shortbread and chocolate-coated biscuits we get to eat our way through and enjoy. I’ll admit it, I have no self-control when it comes to shortbread biscuits or any kind of biscuit for that matter. My maternal grandma is half Scottish and her dad’s side of the family came from Dunblane, I’m sure my love of making (and eating!) shortbread is highly influenced by my Scottish roots.

Shortbread for me is something truly magical. It requires a handful of ingredients and those few ingredients are quite easily accessible, meaning that if you suddenly remembered you’ve forgotten to get a present for someone (we’ve all been there) or plans change at the last-minute and you have unexpected guests, don’t panic as you can whip up a batch of these shortbread biscuits in no time at all with little notice and you won’t need to make a mad rush to the supermarket either!

These shortbread biscuits can be packaged up in bags or biscuit tins and given away to your family members and friends as an edible gift. Saying that, you probably won’t want to give any of these away, you’re likely to want to hide these somewhere only you know about!

Shortbread biscuits are a great way of getting kids involved with baking. They can prepare the dough by hand, then roll out it and stamp out different shaped biscuits with cutters. I picked a star-shaped cutter for this batch of shortbread biscuits because I love the way they look and you can always buy shortbread rounds, I like that these star-shaped ones are just a little bit different and they have an extra special festive touch, but I also love to use heart-shaped or regular round cutters.

Once the shortbread all baked, if you didn’t sprinkle the shortbread with sugar before baking you can now decorate each biscuit with a light dusting of icing sugar.

Your ticket to buttery, crumbly shortbread heaven is right here with this recipe.

(Makes 20-30)

Ingredients:

200g butter (salted or unsalted), softened

75g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

150g plain flour

150g self-raising flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

  1. Line two large baking trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside. Preheat oven to 160°C / 140°C Fan / Gas Mark 3. Cream the softened butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat together until light and pale in colour (about 1-2 minutes).
  2. Now sift the flours and add to the creamed butter and sugar mixture along with the vanilla extract. Continue to mix until a crumbly and soft ball of dough comes together. Don’t overwork the dough, try to touch it as little as possible. At this point you can wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill it for 15 minutes, however this is an optional step.
  3. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out to about 5mm / 1/4 inch thickness. Using your favourite biscuit/cookie cutters, cut out shapes from the dough and transfer to the lined baking trays. Sprinkle the top of each biscuit with a little extra sugar or you can dust each baked biscuit with icing sugar after baking if you prefer.
  4. Bake the biscuits for 30-35 minutes until they’re crisp and slightly golden around the edges.
  5. Once baked, leave to cool on the baking trays for 5-10 minutes, then carefully transport to a wire rack and allow the biscuits to cool completely to room temperature. Shortbread will keep in an airtight container for up to a week, but they definitely won’t last longer than a day or two!

Recipe from “Cooking Up A Storm” by Sam Stern

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Baking · Buttercream and Frosting · Cupcakes

Apple Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream

What Jessica Baked Next29 Comments

Spiced apple cupcakes with caramel buttercream. A quintessential autumn treat in cupcake form! 

I swear this year has been a complete blur and I just haven’t been able to keep up. I feel like it was only yesterday I was finishing my culinary diploma and straight after that I went on summer holiday. It’s Halloween today, later this week it’s Bonfire Night and very soon after that we will be celebrating Christmas. I’ve already had my taste testers reviewing some recipes I am hoping to share on the blog in time for Christmas. I can’t help myself as Christmas is my favourite time of year with all the sparkly lights and festive food, it’s just a fun and magical time spent with the closest people in my life.

On my last blog post, I spoke about how much I crave summer and warm weather, however I do still enjoy autumn. With cooler and shorter days, the crisp and chilly weather is a great excuse to have a cosy day in front of the TV watching way too many episodes of your favourite box set, sitting back and relaxing with a film and a giant bowl of popcorn or dedicating an entire afternoon to do some baking.

Recently I’ve been enjoying embracing autumn with bakes that combine cosy, warm spices. So today I’ve turned a quintessential autumnal treat into cupcake form. It’s no lie that I like baking cupcakes. I say like, but it’s more like love.

These apple cupcakes are not only fun to bake, but also delicious to make when you’re feeling in need of an indulgent treat. Best of all this recipe includes fruit, so technically these cupcakes are kind of healthy?

The cake itself isn’t too overly sweet, so the caramel buttercream enhances it perfectly. These cupcakes aren’t like the usual cupcakes I tend to make as they have more of a denser muffin-like texture opposed to a buttery, fluffy cupcake. However, they are still delicious and successfully incorporate the taste of apple and subtly warming spice flavour from cinnamon and ginger in each bite. The flavour and texture of the cupcakes is best on the day of baking, but they will keep at room temperature for a few days – we all agreed that the cupcakes were just as tasty, if not tastier after a couple of days.

To decorate the cupcakes I wanted to pick a buttercream flavour that complimented the apple. When considering ideas, caramel buttercream sprung straight to mind, so I stuck with that idea.

This caramel buttercream is made with a smaller quantity of butter, but as caramel/dulce de leche changes the consistency of buttercream, I like to add just a touch extra icing sugar to make sure it was thick enough and would hold peaks when piped. The buttercream requires only three ingredients, plus one extra if you decide to add a pinch of salt like I did. For me, just the smallish pinch of salt evens out the sweetness.

You know what they say, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Well I’m thinking more along the lines of a cupcake a day keeps the doctor away! I’m not sure about you, but I like that logic!

(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

Apple Cupcakes:

175g (1 and 1/4 cups) plain/all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

60g (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

200g (1 cup) caster or granulated sugar

1 large free-range egg, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

90ml (6 tablespoons) buttermilk, at room temperature

2 medium apples (approx. 1 and 1/2 cups), peeled, cored and grated

Caramel Buttercream:

150g (2/3 cup) unsalted butter, softened

375g (2 and 1/3 cups) icing/confectioners’ sugar, sifted

100g (3.5 ounces) caramel or dulce de leche

Pinch of salt

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cases.
  2. To make the cupcakes: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and spices until thoroughly combined.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth for about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to mix for a further minute until incorporated.
  4. Add the buttermilk along with half the flour ingredients and mix until a few lumps of flour remain. Add the remaining flour and fold to combine. Finally, fold through the grated apple.
  5. Evenly divide the cupcake batter between the paper cases, fill each cupcake case about 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cupcakes are risen and are starting to take on a golden shade. Check the cupcakes are baked all the way through by inserting a cake tester into the centre, if it comes out clean without any uncooked batter remaining then the cupcakes are ready.
  6. Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tin for a few minutes and then carefully transport to a wire rack. Leave the cupcakes to cool completely to room temperature.
  7. To make the buttercream: Place the softened butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter for 2 minutes until smooth and pale. Add the sifted icing sugar in two batches and beat until combined. Cream on medium speed for 5 minutes, stopping the mixer halfway though and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure everything gets combined. Finally, add the caramel and a generous pinch of salt and continue mixing for another minute.
  8. Fill a large disposable piping bag fitted with a large star tip with the buttercream. Pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes and finish by decorating with a drizzle of caramel and some fudge chunks if desired.

Recipe Notes:

  • I used cox apples to make these, however you can use braeban, bramley, gala or granny smith. You want to go for a relatively juicy apple, but not too juicy as this will affect the texture of the cupcakes and they may not bake correctly.
  • If you want you can dice the apple instead of grating/shredding it. Just be sure to cut the apple up into a small dice.
  • Buttermilk needs to be at room temperature. Leave the buttermilk out for at least an hour prior to baking the cupcakes.
  • If you don’t want to get too fancy you can decorate the cupcakes by spreading the buttercream on rather than piping it if you’re not confident enough.
  • Omit the spices if you’re not a fan.
  • Decorating is optional, we loved the extra caramel drizzle on each cupcake and the fudge chunks. You could definitely be decorate these in many different ways, so have some fun and get creative!
  • Recipe can easily be doubled to make 24 cupcakes if you’re wanting to make a bigger batch.
  • Cupcakes will store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Cupcake recipe from Chowhound

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Baking · Buttercream and Frosting · Chocolate · Cupcakes

Double Chocolate Cupcakes

What Jessica Baked Next16 Comments

Dark chocolate cupcakes with creamy, luscious white chocolate buttercream. These are for chocolate lovers only! 

It is National Chocolate Week. This is one of the UK’s biggest chocolate events and I don’t know about you, but I’ll take pretty much any excuse to eat chocolate. To celebrate I baked cupcakes, not just any cupcakes, divine dark chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate buttercream.

If you’re a chocoholic just like me, then these scrumptious cupcakes will definitely be right up your street!

The recipe starts with Cook’s Illustrated ultimate chocolate cupcakes, a recipe I cannot stop raving about it. With rich chocolate flavour, each cake is gloriously fluffy and will just melt in your mouth. There’s no denying that this is my favourite chocolate cupcake and I’m sure it will soon become yours too. The cupcakes also have the perfect flat top and that means you can decorate each cupcake with a nice, generous swirl of buttercream. I have tried many chocolate cupcake recipes, all of which had claimed to the best, but it was Cook’s Illustrated’s recipe that ticked all the boxes for my taste testers and myself.

It wouldn’t be a cupcake without the buttercream after all. A creamy, luscious white chocolate buttercream sits atop a seriously fudgy and moist chocolate cupcake.

To make the buttercream, start by creaming your butter for a few minutes. You’ll want to have left your butter out overnight to ensure it’s really soft. Bear in mind the softer your butter is, the airer and lighter your buttercream will be. Once you’ve whipped your butter add the sifted icing sugar (in two batches) and slowly combine into the butter to avoid a sugar cloud and icing sugar going flying everywhere! Add the vanilla and continue to whip the butter and icing sugar together for an additional five minutes until the buttercream is really fluffy and light. Finally add the melted white chocolate and the cream or milk and try your very hardest to resist eating spoonful after spoonful…

I wasn’t successful resisting eating the buttercream before icing the cupcakes. Yes, maybe I did eat a couple of spoonfuls, but who can blame me because homemade buttercream is addictive!

And the finished cupcakes? It was love at first bite. I did however refrain myself from eating cupcake after cupcake by giving the majority of the cupcakes away to my good friends and a few family members. Anyhow, I know another batch will definitely be happening in the near future!

I’ve listed some tips in my recipe notes, those can be found just below the ingredients and method. Hopefully you’ll find them helpful and enjoy the cupcakes!

(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes:

85g (3 ounces) dark chocolate, finely chopped

40g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules or powder (optional)

180ml (3/4 cup) boiling water

105g (3/4 cup) bread flour (can be substituted with plain/all-purpose flour)

150g (3/4 cup) caster or granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large free-range eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

White Chocolate Buttercream: 

225g (1 cup) salted butter, softened

250g (2 and 1/2 cups) icing/confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

175g (6 ounces) white chocolate

60ml (4 tablespoons) double cream or milk

Method:

  1. 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.
  2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 12-hole 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 dry ingredients and whisk until you have a smooth batter.
  3. 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 5-10 minutes then transport to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
  4. To make the frosting: Melt the white chocolate over a bain-marie or in a microwave in 20 second intervals. Leave to cool. As the chocolate cools, cream the butter for about a minute or two to soften. Now add the sifted icing sugar in two batches along with the vanilla and beat for another 5 minutes until the frosting is fluffy and light. Mix in the melted chocolate followed by the cream/milk.
  5. Decorate the cupcakes as desired. They’ll keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, I guarantee you these cupcakes won’t last that long!

Recipe Notes:

  • I highly recommend using caster/superfine sugar when making these cupcakes. If you only have granulated sugar on hand, you can blitz it in a food processor for a few seconds to make it superfine.
  • Adding a teaspoon of instant coffee granules or powder adds to the intense chocolate taste. If you’re not a fan of mocha flavour, then just leave the coffee out of the recipe as it will work fine without.
  • For this buttercream I prefer to use salted butter rather than unsalted. This is because the white chocolate is very sweet, if you want you can use unsalted butter, but you might want to add a pinch or two of salt to the buttercream as you mix it.
  • You’ll need to use pure white chocolate and the best quality you can afford. Don’t substitute with white chocolate chips as they have stabilisers added and that will affect the texture of your buttercream.
  • I prefer to use double/heavy cream in my buttercream rather than milk. Cream will make a creamier, fluffier and richer textured buttercream.
  • Decoration is totally up to you, I decorated my cupcakes with triple chocolate curls which I purchased at my local supermarket. I also think decorating with milk or white chocolate buttons, chocolate shavings or sprinkles would look lovely.
  • To decorate these cupcakes I used a large closed star tip. It’s my favourite piping nozzle and makes the buttercream look like a Mr Whippy (soft serve) ice cream.
  • This recipe makes enough buttercream to generously ice 12 standard sized cupcakes. I did have a little buttercream left over, so you’re not a fan of too much buttercream then I would half the recipe.

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Baking · Bread

White Bread Rolls

What Jessica Baked Next24 Comments

These homemade white bread rolls are crisp on the outside yet fluffy and tender on the inside. If you’ve always wanted to learn how to make your own bread rolls completely from scratch, then this easy recipe will be a great one to start with! 

Today’s recipe has been long coming. I’ve pretty much been waiting and putting off sharing it for ages now. I don’t know why, because these bread rolls are a winning recipe and a food I absolutely love.

This is actually one of my mum’s recipes and these rolls always go down a treat at family picnics and during the holidays. Usually mum is requested to supply the bread or rolls at family gatherings, they’re also delicious spread with garlic butter and made into garlic bread, dipped into olive oil and balsamic or even just slathered with butter.

The dough is pretty straightforward to prepare. We like to use olive oil in place of butter, adding olive oil as an alternative to butter and water instead of milk makes the recipe vegan and we think it also produces a lighter and crustier bread.

I always find readymade rolls to be overly sweet, over-proved and generally under baked and these are just a few reasons why I have been put off them. The bonus of making your own bread rolls means you know exactly what ingredients have gone into the bake and you can control how much salt and sugar is added. Homemade bakes like these rolls are mostly free or any unwanted additives and preservatives so they’re that little bit better for you.

Homemade bread rolls are a great accompaniment to a warm bowl of soup or filled with your favourite sandwich fillings. As the cooler months loom, a day you’re stuck in the house due to the weather is the perfect opportunity to spend baking bread. This is not the quickest recipe I’ve shared but it really is worth the extra effort and time.

Below I’ve listed some tips I think you will find helpful if you do give the recipe a try.

Important Points:

  • Always check your yeast is in date. If in doubt, always use new yeast.
  • Warm the water – be careful to make sure it’s not boiling. I find the easiest way to check is to test with your finger, if the water is a tepid heat then it’s ready to use. There’s no need for any specialist equipment!
  • Keep the yeast and salt apart. Salt will kill the yeast and stop the dough rising. When putting the ingredients in the bowl place the yeast and salt in opposite corners.
  • Substitute the extra virgin olive oil for another oil or alternatively use the same quantity of softened butter.
  • To make sure you’ve kneaded the dough enough before the first rise test by poking your finger into the dough very slightly, if it springs back then the dough is ready for shaping. If not, carry on kneading the dough for a few extra minutes.
  • I’d recommend weighing the dough before shaping into rolls. Weighing the dough means all the bread rolls will be the same size and will bake more evenly and it’s definitely worth spending a bit extra time doing this step.
  • I prove my dough in my fan assisted oven at 40ºC. Leaving the dough at room temperature to rise will work just as well. If it’s a cold day it will possibly take a little bit longer to rise.
  • This recipe makes 12 standard sized bread rolls, You can make 24 smaller slider-sized rolls if you prefer, however baking time will be cut by about half compared to the original recipe. To check doneness, use the same method of checking if they’re baked completely through by tapping the bottom, if it sounds hollow then the rolls are completely baked through.
  • Bread and rolls are always best eaten when they’re fresh. To experience the full flavour and texture of these rolls I would recommend tasting one on the same day of baking.

(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

550g strong white bread flour

1 and 1/4 teaspoons fast-action dried yeast

2 teaspoons sugar

1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (substitute with another oil or alternatively use melted butter)

310ml warm water

Method:

1. To make the dough: In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt and mix together (remember to make sure the yeast and salt are on opposite corners of the bowl). Add the olive oil and warm water and mix until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes by hand or with an electric hand or stand mixer fitted with the dough hook for 5-7 minutes until the dough is soft and elasticated.

2. To knead and rise the dough: Once the dough is kneaded, lightly oil another large mixing bowl. Add the dough to the bowl and lightly coat in the oil. Cover the bowl with clingfilm or a kitchen towel and leave somewhere dry and warm for at least an hour or until doubled in size. This should take around 60-90 minutes.

3. Once the dough has risen fully divide it into 12 equally sized pieces. I weigh the dough to be accurate then shape each piece of dough into rolls. Place the rolls onto a large baking tray that’s either been lightly oiled or lined with a silicone baking mat. Space the rolls apart by a 1-2 inches so they have enough room to rise and spread slightly. Cover with clingfilm or a kitchen towel and leave somewhere warm for further 45-60 minutes or until the rolls have joined up and doubled in size.

4. To bake the rolls: Preheat oven to 220°C / 200°C Fan / 425°F / Gas Mark 7. Bake the rolls for 18-20 minutes or until crisp and golden in colour. You can check the rolls are completely baked by tapping the bottom of one, if it sounds hollow then they will be cooked all the way through.

5. Allow the rolls to cool for a few minutes then carefully transport them onto a wire rack. Leave to cool completely to room temperature before serving. Rolls can be toasted prior to serving if you want to serve them warm. The rolls will keep fresh in a bread/sandwich bag for up to 2 days, if you want you can freeze the rolls but they’re best eaten fresh on the day of baking.

I recently baked these bread rolls again and added around 100g of chopped sundried tomatoes and a few sprigs of rosemary (chopped) to my dough. I brushed the tops before baking with some oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes. Then, halfway through the baking time, I sprinkled the tops with 100g of grated Cheddar cheese. They were delicious!

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Baking · Cakes

Lemon Drizzle Cake

What Jessica Baked Next23 Comments

Luscious lemon drizzle cake. Fluffy buttermilk sponge cake soaked with a lemon sugar syrup and drizzled with tangy lemon icing. Lemon dessert lovers, this cake recipe is for you! 

Lemon drizzle cake is a British classic. I’ve grown up enjoying this cake and it holds a special place in my heart. The cake is very popular here where it’s sold at most bakeries, tearooms and is commonly found on many afternoon tea menus. As much as I love this cake there are many recipes out there that are a tad bit lacklustre. I’ve tried a good few and often found them too dry or simply lacking a real lemon flavour punch. But this recipe is the exact opposite. It’s fresh, summery, lemony and lip-smacking good!

You know a bake is going to be good when the recipe starts with a whole big block of butter. I have a few secrets of how to make the best lemon drizzle cake. Firstly, I like to add just a touch of buttermilk to my cake batter. The tanginess from the buttermilk works really well with the lemon flavour and it helps keep the cake moist and fluffy for several days.

Another way I make my lemon drizzle cake differently, is I make my own lemon sugar. I’ve always liked vanilla or cinnamon sugar, but I would definitely say lemon sugar is my favourite out of the three. The sugar is super easy to make, all you have to do is rub the sugar and grated lemon zest with your fingertips. Doing this helps release the natural oil from the lemon and it really enhances the lemon flavour in your finished bake.

I’ve made this cake twice within the last week. With the first I thought I would freeze a few slices ready for when I fancied a piece of cake, but let’s just say those few slices of cake soon disappeared from the freezer and found their way onto my plate… 😉

This gorgeous cake is delicious served with a scoop or two of ice cream, clotted cream, yoghurt and fresh berries

Joseph Joseph

Making this cake also gave me the opportunity to test out the latest Joseph Joseph samples from their new range. I have always been a fan of the Joseph Joseph kitchenware. I particularly like the Shake It™ which comes with an integrated rocking handle and this cleverly stimulates the process of tapping the sieve with your other hand. I used it to sift the dry ingredients (flour and baking powder) into my cake and also to sift the icing sugar when I made my drizzle icing to decorate the cake. Whiskle™ which isn’t just your ordinary whisk as it has a silicone bowl scraper attached, which helps make sure you get every single bit of the batter into your cake tin and it also helps save time on washing up! The Fin™ works in the same way as it makes sure you can get every last bit of your cake batter into the cake tin so there no wastage. The Glaze™ can be used to brush the lemon sugar syrup over the cake, but I’m also looking forward to using it when I make homemade pastry or even for brushing vegetables or meat with oil before roasting.

Ingredients:

Lemon Cake:

250g unsalted butter or margarine, softened

250g caster sugar

Zest from 2 large lemons

4 large free-range eggs, at room temperature

275g self-raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

100ml buttermilk

Juice of 1 large lemon

Lemon Sugar Syrup:

150g caster sugar

Juice of 1 large lemon

50ml water

Lemon Drizzle Icing: 

100g icing (confectioners’) sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice (add more less depending on your preferred consistency)

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 23cm springform cake tin with butter and parchment paper.
  2. In a small bowl combine the sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingertips, rub the sugar and zest together until combined.
  3. In a large mixing bowl beat together the softened butter/margarine with the lemon sugar until creamy and fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Make sure you scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients are getting incorporated.
  5. Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and beat again until just a few lumps of flour remain. Finally, add the buttermilk and lemon juice and mix again until they’re combined into the batter fully.
  6. Spoon the batter into the cake tin and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake the cake for 50 minutes or until a cake tester when inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean without any uncooked batter remaining. All ovens are different so the cake may need 5-10 minutes longer in the oven. If the cake is colouring too much cover the top with a piece of tin/aluminium foil.
  7. Once the cake is baked completely, leave it on the side to cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile, make the lemon sugar syrup. Heat the sugar, lemon juice and water in a small saucepan. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Once dissolved, take off the heat. Poke holes all over the cake using a skewer, then pour the hot lemon sugar syrup all over the top of the cake. This step must be done when the cake is still warm. Now leave the cake to cool completely, then once cool remove from the tin.
  8. Make the lemon drizzle icing by sifting the icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and mix until you have a thick, runny icing. Adjust the consistency to your preferred liking with less or more lemon juice. Drizzle the cake with the icing.

Recipe Notes:

  • The cake will keep for up to 1 week stored in an airtight container.
  • The drizzle icing is optional, but I think it really makes this cake!
  • This lemon drizzle cake is delicious served on its own, but we especially love it with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream, clotted cream, some yoghurt and fresh berries.

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Baking · Bread · Dips and Sides

Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread

What Jessica Baked Next61 Comments

Cornbread with a delicious savoury addition of mature Cheddar cheese and spicy jalapeño chilli peppers. Dunk into a warm bowl of chilli con carne, soup or spread with butter. 

Cornbread is the epitome of summer picnic food for me and I love that it pairs well with so many different dishes, dipped into a bowl of chilli con carne, served alongside barbecue ribs, grilled chicken or simply served as it is.

Cornbread isn’t really that popular where I’m from, but I don’t know why as this classic American quick bread is truly amazing.

I first made this recipe about a year ago, I was enjoying a lazy day watching a Barefoot Contessa marathon and on one of the episodes Ina was preparing cornbread with a twist. The delicious twist was the addition of sharp, mature Cheddar cheese, spicy jalapeño and spring onion (scallions). As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to bake some for myself as I loved the sound of all those flavours combined together.

I especially love this cornbread served warm with butter. It’s incredibly tasty! 

Even though I’ve said this cornbread is brilliant for packing up for a picnic, it’s also fantastic in the cooler months enjoyed with a bowl of chilli or soup for those times when you’re in need of some comfort food. Cornbread is pretty much perfect for all seasons, which is especially great at the moment as the UK summer seems to have mysteriously disappeared yet again and all I’m craving is warm winter foods.

I’ll have my fingers crossed hoping summer will make a reappearance sometime soon… 😉

This cornbread has just the right balance of sweetness and it’s deliciously moist without being too crumbly like some cornbreads tend to be. I’ve spent some extra time with this recipe translating the cup measurements into grams as everyone needs a good, trusty cornbread recipe in their repertoire and it definitely needs to be this one!

(Makes 12-16 large pieces)

Ingredients:

360g (3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

125g (1 cup) cornmeal or polenta

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

50g (1/4 cup) caster or granulated sugar

480ml (2 cups) milk

3 large free-range eggs

225g (2 sticks/1 cup) butter, melted and cooled slightly

225g (8 ounces) mature Cheddar cheese, grated

4 or 1/3 cup spring onions (scallions), chopped – use both white and green parts

1-2 large jalapeños, seeds removed and minced (you can add more if you’d like)

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking tray with parchment paper then set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, cornmeal/polenta, baking powder, salt and sugar.
  2. In another bowl whisk together the milk, eggs and melted butter until thoroughly combined.
  3. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until no lumps of flour remain. Be careful not to over mix.
  4. Fold through 2/3 of the grated cheese along with the spring onion (scallion) and jalapeño. Leave the cornbread batter to rest for 20 minutes.
  5. After resting spread the cornbread batter into the baking tray and top with the rest of the grated cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean without any uncooked batter remaining. Leave to cool completely in the baking tray, then slice up into 12-16 large pieces or alternatively pieces of any size you like. Cornbread will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Serve cold or warm.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecakes
Baking · Cheesecake · Chocolate

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecakes

What Jessica Baked Next10 Comments

This blog post was created in collaboration with Magnum Ice Cream. All views and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

These mini cheesecakes are for all peanut butter fans out there! Chocolate biscuit base topped with a layer of peanut butter cheesecake, followed by a drizzle of double chocolate ganache and a sprinkle of chopped roasted peanuts. 

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They’re any peanut butter lover’s dream dessert. It’s a mix of sweet and salty flavours and the perfect treat for anybody who loves cheesecake.

This year Magnum has launched the new Magnum Double. It’s available in 3 flavours, Magnum Double Chocolate, Magnum Double Caramel and Magnum Double Peanut Butter.

These delicious cheesecakes are based on the distinct layers included in the Magnum Double Peanut Butter. This truly decadent dessert combines and captures all the things I love about the Magnum Double Peanut Butter ice cream into a simple dessert that’s easy to make and delicious.

It’s no lie that I am a big fan of sharing cheesecake recipes on my site and I am currently having a lot of fun creating mini cheesecakes. Because they’re mini, it means you can indulge in more than one cheesecake.

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The mini cheesecakes consist of a buttery chocolate biscuit base that is followed by a layer of sweet peanut butter cheesecake. They take just 10 minutes to prepare and only 20 minutes to bake. Once they are completely chilled each cheesecake is topped with a generous spoonful of double chocolate ganache.

When I am in need of a yummy reminder of these cheesecakes, I like to have a pack of the Magnum Double Peanut Butter in my freezer ready for when a peanut butter craving strikes! My family and I have been fans of Magnum ice creams since I was very little. I remember warm summer days and hearing the jingle from an ice cream van arriving down the road where we live. I would beg my mum and dad for ice cream and a Magnum would always be what I would pick.

Are you a fan of Magnums? If so, what is your favourite flavour and why?

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I love the layers in the new Magnum Double Peanut Butter ice cream. I can’t think of a better treat to enjoy on a hot summer day! 

(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

Biscuit Base –

9 (approx. 150g) chocolate biscuits (mine were coated in chocolate)

60g (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

Peanut Butter Cheesecake –

450g/1lb (16 ounces) cream cheese, softened

125g (1/2 cup) smooth peanut butter

130g (2/3 cup) caster or granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large free-range eggs, at room temperature

Double Chocolate Ganache –

175g (1 cup) mix of milk and dark chocolate

120ml (1/2 cup) double (heavy) cream

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 170°C / 150 Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 3. Line a 12-hole cupcake/muffin tin with paper cases and set to one side.
  2. To make the biscuit base: Crush the biscuits until they’re fine crumbs. In a small bowl, mix together with the melted butter until coated. Divide the crumbs between the paper cases – approx. 1 tablespoon in each. Press down slightly until firm, then bake for 5 minutes until toasted. Leave to cool whilst you make the filling.
  3. To make the cheesecake filling: Beat the softened cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla and the eggs and mix until incorporated. Divide the cheesecake filling over the top of the prepared biscuit bases. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set. Leave to cool in tin completely, then remove and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
  4. To make the ganache: Finely chop the chocolate and place in a medium sized bowl. Gently heat the cream in a small saucepan then take off the heat once it’s boiling. Pour the hot cream over the top of the chocolate and leave for 5 minutes. Now stir until smooth and no lumps of chocolate remain.
  5. Spoon the ganache over the top of each cheesecake. Sprinkle with peanuts and chocolate chips if you desire before serving.

Enjoy!

jess

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Baking · Cheesecake

Mini Lemon Cheesecakes

What Jessica Baked Next31 Comments

Mini lemon cheesecakes are the perfect treat paired with whipped cream, berries and homemade blueberry sauce! 

These mini lemon baked cheesecakes are deliciously indulgent without being overly sweet. They’re a few bites of pure cheesecake heaven.

It’s safe to say that I love cheesecake. I think that is pretty evident with the amount of cheesecake recipes I share. But as much as I love those cheesecake recipes they often make really big cheesecakes, which is way too much for us to eat so I often end up slicing up pieces to a give to my family to help out!

These mini cheesecakes are a little less intimidating to make than regular cheesecakes. They don’t need to be cooled in the oven and are less likely to crack. Plus, mini bakes are cuter and because they’re smaller that means you can eat more than one and they’re even easier to share.

To make these cheesecakes, start by lining a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. The cheesecakes start off with a buttery digestive biscuit base, which is made by combining biscuit crumbs with melted butter to bind it.

The lemon cheesecake is made by beating cream cheese with lemon sugar. The lemon sugar is made by rubbing the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips. Sounds weird, but it helps release the natural oil from the lemon, which flavours the sugar beautifully. After beating the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy add a tablespoon of lemon juice and a couple of eggs and drop of vanilla extract. That’s the cheesecake topping ready to go!

Scoop a few tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture onto the pre-baked biscuit bases and then pop the tray in the oven and bake for 22-24 minutes or until the cheesecakes are almost set in the centre.

(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

Biscuit Base:

150g or 10 digestive biscuits, crushed – this is 1 and 3/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs

70g unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Lemon Cheesecake:

450g (1lb) cream cheese, softened

130g (2/3 cup) caster or granulated sugar

Zest from 1 large lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 large free-range eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Blueberry Sauce:

150g (1 and 1/2 cups) fresh or frozen blueberries

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons icing (confectioners’) sugar

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 170°C / 150°C Fan / 325°F/ Gas Mark 3. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Set aside.

2. To make the biscuit base: Combine the biscuit crumbs and melted butter until combined. Evenly distribute the biscuit crumbs between the paper cases – approx. 1 tablespoon or so in each. Press down slightly into an even layer. Bake for 5 minutes until toasted slightly then remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly.

3. To make the cheesecake: Beat the softened cream cheese for about a minute until smooth. In a small bowl combine the sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingertips rub the lemon zest into the sugar until it’s fragrant. Add the lemon sugar to the cream cheese and beat again for another minute or two until the mixture is fluffy. Add the lemon juice, eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth and all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Spoon the cheesecake on top of the pre-baked biscuit bases. Bake for 22-24 minutes or until the cheesecakes completely set in the centre. Once the cheesecakes are baked place the tray on top of a wire rack and leave to cool completely to room temperature. Once cool chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

4. To make the blueberry sauce: Place the blueberries, lemon juice and icing sugar in a small saucepan. Heat gently and cook for a few minutes until the blueberries break down and the sauce has thickened. You can leave the sauce with chunks of blueberry in it or you can strain it through a sieve like I did. Chill the sauce until cool – I usually make mine ahead of time and chill it overnight.

5. To serve, remove the cheesecakes from the paper cases. Top with whipped cream, fresh berries and a drizzle of homemade blueberry sauce.

Cheesecake filling from here

Topped with a drizzle of my homemade blueberry sauce (recipe above), these cheesecakes combine my favourite flavour combo lemon and berries. They’re fresh and the perfect cheesecake for spring and summer. I know you’re going to love these as much as we did! 🙂

A Virtual Bridal Shower for Meriem of CulinaryCoutureBlog.com!

Thank you to Nora of A Clean Bake for organising the bridal shower and getting us all together to celebrate Meriem. 5 bloggers and myself are sharing recipes including flavour combos that are made for each other. Check out the menu below and enjoy all the delicious recipes from my friends!

A Virtual Bridal Shower Menu:

Paleo Brookies from A Clean Bake

Yellow Cake Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream for Two from An Edible Mosaic

Mocha Cupcakes  from Baking a Moment

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cupcakes from Blahnik Baker

Cheese and Charcuterie Board from Hall Nesting

Mini Lemon Cheesecakes from What Jessica Baked Next

Enjoy! Congratulations Meriem!

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