Terry’s Chocolate Orange Traybake

November 3, 2020October 4, 2021 What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

Moist chocolate sponge cake topped with my favourite silky smooth and shiny dark chocolate ganache and decorated with chocolate orange confectionery. This recipe is one to bookmark for the festive season!

So after sharing these Vegan Brownies last month, I’m carrying on the chocolate theme today with this scrumptious traybake recipe!

I’m sitting here typing away while eating a piece of this cake and writing this blog post and I’m in complete and utter cake heaven. This yummy cake is soft, spongey and has a lovely chocolate flavour and a hint of orange that comes through in the background.

Dare I say the C-word?! Christmas is getting nearer and this year I’m getting ready ahead of time and trying to get as organised as I can in time. In typical Jessica fashion, I tend to end up running out of time to share my Christmas bakes before the big day arrives, but not this year as I’m determined to get through my list of recipes to make!

As it’s now November, from today onwards until Christmas I’ll be sharing recipes for the festive season and hopefully there’ll be recipes on here for when you fancy doing a spot of home baking!

Christmas this year will be little different to anything we’ve experienced before, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still celebrate (while keeping our loved ones and ourselves safe) and have a good time with lots of yummy food on our table. I’m working this year, so we’ll be having our Christmas dinner in the evening when I’m home from work. Boxing Day will be for relaxing and eating all the leftovers – something I’m very excited about regardless of the difficult situation we’re all facing at the moment.

A big part of Christmas for me and like many others is the food, comforting recipes that put a smile on your face, something I think we could all do with now. There’s certain ingredients that remind me of Christmas, it wouldn’t be Christmastime without Terry’s chocolate orange. As my family and I aren’t fans of your typical Christmas foods like mince pies or Christmas cake/pudding we have to be a bit more creative. You can tell how much of big fan of TCO I really am because I have a number of recipes which incorporate my favourite chocolate including this cheesecake, these cupcakes and these cookies!

This year TCO has given us an extra special Christmas gift by bringing back their famous white chocolate Terry’s chocolate orange. Everyone in my house has their favourite TCO flavour, mine is definitely the classic milk chocolate, but my sister loves dark chocolate oranges.

I’ve mentioned before that I like baking traybake cakes instead of layer cakes. I find layer cakes difficult to put together and baking is all about having fun and not worrying too much – I don’t want to stress about whether the layers are all even or if my cake is going to fall apart – this is a true story from a recent baking fail I had, I can laugh about it now but at the time I was beyond annoyed!

This is my go-to chocolate traybake. I chose to decorate mine with chocolate ganache, but you can swap the ganache for a chocolate buttercream or any favourite buttercream for that matter. I love this ganache recipe and if you feel like upping the chocolate orange flavour even more then you can use orange flavoured dark chocolate.

I used my Chocolate Traybake recipe and adapted it slightly to put a Xmas spin on the original version. I think there’s a traybake recipe for every season, in spring for Easter I love this Carrot Cake Traybake, in autumn I’m excited for my Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and now I have my Terry’s Chocolate Orange Traybake for the festive season! The final piece in the jigsaw puzzle is a summer traybake creation, but that’s something to work on next year…

So let’s run through how to prepare this scrumptious chocolate traybake. The first step is preheating your oven, once you’ve done that you’ll need to boil a kettle and mix cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda with boiling water, mix those ingredients together until combined and then leave the mixture to cool for 20 minutes. Now in a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar and orange zest to release the natural oil in the orange, then add the eggs and vegetable oil and whisk until smooth. Add the chocolatey mixture you prepared earlier along with the flour. Give it one more quick whisk and then pour the cake batter in a traybake tin.

Bake the cake until it’s risen and a cake tester comes out without any uncooked batter attached to the tester. Now allow the cake to cool completely in the tin, as the cake is cooling it’s the ideal time to get the ganache prepared ready for decorating the cake later as the ganache will need leaving for a couple of hours to firm up.

Ganache is basically a really fancy spreadable chocolate icing. It’s not too sweet and is super simple to make: just take some dark chocolate (you can use orange flavoured dark chocolate here too) and chop the chocolate up. Place the chopped chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Take a small pan and heat double cream and a tablespoon of golden syrup until just simmering and bubbles are appearing on the surface. Pour the hot cream on top of the chocolate and stir gently until mostly melted, then stir in a tablespoon of butter. Cover the very top of the ganache with clingfilm and leave it at room temperature for two hours until spreadable.

Once it’s ready, spread the ganache evenly across the top of the cake and decorate with the chocolate orange confectionery. I went for a mix of milk chocolate and mini white chocolate orange segments and chocolate orange sweets.

(Serves 15-20)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake:

75g cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

200ml boiling water

370g light brown sugar

Zest from one large orange

4 large free-range eggs, at room temperature

180ml vegetable oil

200g self-raising flour, sifted

Chocolate Ganache:

200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces – if you want even more chocolate orange flavour then use orange dark chocolate

200ml double cream

1 tablespoon golden syrup

1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted)

Decoration:

Milk Terry’s Chocolate Orange

White Terry’s Chocolate Orange – I used mini segments

Orange Chocolate M&M’s/Smarties

Sprinkles of your choice

Method:

To make the cake: In a small bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and boiling water. Mix until combined and then set aside to cool for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 23cm x 30cm baking tin that’s at least 4cm deep with baking parchment.
In a large mixing bowl rub the orange zest into the sugar to release the natural oil, then whisk the together with the eggs and oil until thoroughly combined. Add the chocolate mixture to this and whisk again until incorporated. Finally, add the flour and whisk until fully mixed.
Pour the cake batter into the cake tin. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a cake tester when inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Once the cake is baked, leave it to cool in the cake tin completely.
To make the ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium mixing bowl. Heat the cream and golden syrup in a small saucepan until bubbles just begin to appear on the surface and just before it starts to come up to the boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until mostly melted. Now add the butter and continue to stir until smooth. Directly place a piece of clingfilm on the top of the ganache and leave it at room temperature for about two hours until spreadable. Decorate the cake with the chocolate orange segments and your choice of additional sprinkles. Leave the cake to set at room temperature for a couple of hours before slicing into squares.

The traybake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. If you feel your cake is drying out, revive it by popping a piece into a microwave and heating gently until the chocolate is melted and the cake is warm – this is really yummy with the molten chocolate so I recommend you give it a try!

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Baking · Brownies · Chocolate · Vegan

Vegan Brownies

October 9, 2020December 8, 2021 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

Supremely fudgy chocolate brownies made completely vegan. You wouldn’t guess these chocolatey brownies are dairy free and made without any butter or eggs!

Hey readers! Today I’m changing it up and sharing a vegan bake I’m hoping you’ll fall in love with these brownies just as we have! Sometimes I like to delve in and do something different, come out of my comfort zone and share some vegan bakes.

My sister and I are both really into vegan food and we’re on the quest to find lots of vegan recipes to make. We’ve recently started switching our usual milk based products for plant-based alternatives and you really can’t tell the difference – such as this Creamy Porcini Mushroom Pasta we now make this yummy Italian pasta dish with oat cream and it tastes amazing and in our porridge for brekkie we use oat milk. It’s great to see how many vegan products are hitting our supermarket shelves, there’s a lot more choice available.

Back in January when partaking in Veganuary we baked some vegan recipes for the blog – I discovered a great Vegan Banana Bread and during January I started my journey to find a vegan brownie recipe. Unfortunately my baking that day didn’t go entirely to plan and I wasn’t successful finding the perfect vegan brownie recipe. The brownies I made were not pleasant at all, they were stodgy and didn’t have the texture I was aiming for, however we reluctantly tasted them, but they were thrown straight in the bin and the search for a blog worthy vegan brownie continued!

These brownies I photographed for my blog are only the second time I’ve baked vegan brownies so I was elated to finally land on a brilliant vegan brownie recipe and one I was happy enough to share.

Making a delicious vegan brownie isn’t an easy task. But these brownies are truly incredible, they’re rich even without butter, fudgy without eggs added and taste so chocolatey thanks to addition of both dark chocolate and cocoa powder. I wanted to bake a brownie that didn’t use any unusual ingredients a lot of vegan bakes call for. Many vegan brownie recipes ask for flax eggs, but I figured like myself most people don’t have flaxseeds/linseeds and other ingredients in their pantry or readily available where they live around the world.

I love brownies super fudgy so I love a centre piece of brownie because they’re always extra gooey. If you like those warm, molten chocolate lava cakes then take one of these brownies and give it a quick blast in the microwave and it goes all soft and gooey – your kitchen also gets filled with a divine chocolate aroma when they’re heated up!

If you feel like switching the recipe up a bit, I’ve seen lots of recipes where bakers have swirled melted peanut butter or cookie butter spread into the brownie batter before baking, so next time I’ll be trying that.

These brownies are addictive and I had ZERO control around them, I found it hard work resisting going back for piece after piece of brownie, but luckily for me I had some willing taste testers who didn’t mind having a helping of these fabulous brownies too!

(Makes 16)

Ingredients:

200g dark chocolate – I use 74% cocoa solids but ensure the chocolate contains no milk

140g plain flour

200g caster or granulated sugar

20g cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

80ml vegetable oil

240ml plant milk – I like using soya milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Half a packet (approx. 7) Oreo cookies, Biscoff, Bourbon Cream Biscuits (all three of these are suitable for vegans) – these are optional

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 20cm square cake tin with parchment paper and set aside.
Break the dark chocolate up and add to a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (bain-marie) – make sure the base of the bowl is not directly touching the water. Gently melt the dark chocolate until it’s smooth.
In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and baking powder. Give these ingredients a quick whisk together to combine then whisk in the oil, plant milk and vanilla extract until you have a smooth batter. Finally whisk in the melted chocolate until incorporated.
Transport the brownie batter to the lined tin. At this point you can top the brownies with vegan biscuits/cookies or extra vegan chocolate chips/chunks. We topped ours before baking with half a packet (7 biscuits/cookies) Oreos broken into smaller pieces.
Bake the brownies for 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool completely in the tin before cutting to 12-16 squares. We left ours overnight before cutting. The brownies will keep stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Recipe adapted from Sweetest Menu

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate

Chunky Milk Chocolate Pecan Cookies

August 28, 2020October 5, 2021 What Jessica Baked Next4 Comments

Thick and chunky chocolate and pecan cookies are chunkier and even yummier than your average cookie. These decadent cookies are packed with gooey milk chocolate chips/chunks and toasted pecans – a flavour match made in heaven!

Thick and chunky (copycat London’s Crème dessert shop / New York City’s Levain Bakery) cookies have been popular on the internet recently and I couldn’t resist any longer so I’ve decided to share my new favourite chunky cookie recipe with you today!

Cookies make me so happy, I’m 100% sure eating cookies will put a smile on your face even during these tough, uncertain times. It’s something about that chewy texture with the incredible and totally irresistible gooey chocolate that’s delicious when melted as you take a bite in to a cookie that’s fresh from the oven!

I like sprinkling a pinch of Maldon sea salt on top of some of the cookies before baking. Once your cookies are ready you’re in for a treat enjoying them with a glass of milk or with scoops of ice cream!

I love all types of cookies, on my blog I have shared the classic Chocolate Chip Cookies, White Chocolate Cookies, Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cookies and these insanely delicious Triple Chocolate Cookies. It’s safe to say this blog is not short of cookie recipes for you to try!

I’ve never shared a super thick and chunky cookie before and having seen these on Cupcake Jemma’s website and YouTube channel, I’ve been desperate to have a go at this recipe. Every time I watch Jemma’s team over at Crumbs & Doilies making these amazing cookies, I’ve wanted to reach right through the screen and grab the tray of freshly baked cookies instantly!

Milk chocolate pecan cookie dough tastes so good there might not even be any left to bake! I’m a sucker for tasting cookie dough, I can’t get enough of it!

I’ve tested out different chocolate and pecan cookies and found a couple of recipes that are wonderful. My whole family absolutely loves Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh’s chocolate chip and pecan cookies that feature in their SWEET cookbook – I’ve baked those cookies countless times and they never fail to impress. They’re a slighter smaller serving compared to this cookie recipe created by Crumbs & Doilies. However, lately I’ve been in the mood for a generous sized cookie to treat myself, bigger is definitely better in this case!

Personally I don’t think you can go far wrong with the classic flavour combo of milk chocolate and toasted pecan, but I’m looking forward to experimenting with variations. My sister has plans to bake birthday cake/funfetti cookies with white chocolate and sprinkles – I’m excited for those when she makes them!

If pecans aren’t your thing, then you can substitute with hazelnuts or walnuts (without the skins). Also, add different chopped up chocolate bars or if you don’t want to add nuts then you can leave them out and add even more chocolate.

Honestly, who would say no to more chocolate?

Definitely not me! Enjoy the cookies!

(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

100g pecans – see recipe for instructions on toasting

300g plain flour

200g self-raising flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

230g butter (salted or unsalted), cold and cut into 1cm cubes

160g dark or light brown sugar

160g caster or granulated sugar

200g milk chocolate chips

200g milk chocolate, broken into big chunks

2 large free-range eggs

Method:

Start by toasting the pecans, preheat oven to 170°C / 150°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 3. Place the pecans in a small baking tray and toast for 10 minutes. Leave the pecans to cool and then chop or break into small pieces roughly 1.5cm in size. In a mixing bowl mix together the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt until combined. Set this aside for the moment.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the cold butter for about 30 seconds until softened slightly. Add the sugars and mix again until just combined – you don’t want to make this mixture creamy and fluffy.
Now add the flour mixture and mix until you have fine breadcrumb texture. Now stir through the chocolate and nuts.
Add the beaten egg and just mix until a dough comes together – be careful not to over mix. Weigh roughly 125g portions of the cookie dough and roll into a ball. 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 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. 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 17-22 minutes. If you like a slightly underdone cookie then bake for just 17 minutes, but if you prefer your cookies more done then bake for nearer to 22 minutes.
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 – we think they taste best on the day of baking.

Recipe Notes:

I used a mix of half chocolate chips and 2 x 100g bars (200g in total) milk chocolate bars. Feel free to use 400g of chocolate chips or all chocolate bar in the cookie dough. Also, you can swap the milk chocolate for a mix of dark chocolate or even add some white chocolate < I’m trying this next time!
The recipe I followed made 12 cookies, however from my batch of cookie dough I managed to get a baker’s dozen (13 cookies) out of mine.
When rolling the cookie dough into balls, make sure to not form them too much. So when you’ve weighed each piece of cookie dough out just gently press into a ball.
I recommend freezing the rolled cookie dough balls overnight as this produces a thicker textured (and more flavourful) cookie when baked, but if you’re rushed for time or just want cookies ASAP then 90 minutes in the freezer is fine.
The recipe recommends baking the cookies for 17 minutes, I don’t like my cookies too underdone so I baked mine for another 5 minutes but again this all depends on how you like to serve cookies, if you prefer them softer and underdone then just bake for 17 minutes as the recipe instructs.

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Baking · Buttercream and Frosting · Chocolate · Cupcakes

Marble Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Buttercream

May 4, 2020October 5, 2021 What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

A perfect cupcake for when you can’t decide whether you fancy chocolate or vanilla cake! This simple cupcake recipe consists of chocolate and vanilla cake batter layered together and decorated with a swirl of milk chocolate buttercream.

Sometimes I want a chocolate cake and other times I really crave a vanilla cake, but when you combine the two in a cake you’ve created a truly special cupcake treat.

My sister bakes amazing marble cakes and this cake really is a super popular birthday cake choice in our house because you get the taste of chocolate and vanilla together!

I asked on my social media platforms what cupcake recipes you wanted to see on the blog and I had some delicious responses. My friend, Alice, suggested baking marble cupcakes and I figured because I hadn’t shared a marble cake/cupcakes recipe on here yet, it was time to do something about that!

As you know already if you’ve baked/read recipes from this blog you’ll know I only share easy recipes that are totally fail-proof. The last thing I want you to do is waste your time and money on recipes that don’t work and you’re unhappy with. I love putting a big smile on you and your family and friends faces with my recipes!

This cupcake batter is super easy to prepare. It’s made the same way I make the batter for this Classic Victoria Sandwich, but this time we’re splitting the batter into two and adding cocoa powder to one part of the batter. The only bad part is there’s one more bowl to wash up once you’re done baking, but these cupcakes are worth it!

To construct the cupcakes ready for baking, once you’ve filled your cupcake/muffin tin with paper cases, dollop a spoonful of vanilla batter in one paper case, then repeat the previous step this time with a spoonful of chocolate batter on top of the vanilla batter (or do this the opposite way round if you prefer). Then continue to repeat alternating the batters until all the paper cases are 3/4 full and you’ve used up both cake batters. Seriously so easy and these cupcakes look impressive when they’re baked!

The cupcakes suit a whole host of different buttercream recipes. I picked to decorate my cupcakes with milk chocolate buttercream, but cream cheese frosting or even vanilla or white chocolate buttercream would pair well with the cupcakes.

I used my favourite ultra creamy milk chocolate buttercream recipe to top the cupcakes. I had a slight ingredient problem in my kitchen before baking these as I was running low on icing sugar and we couldn’t get any in our shopping and to make things worse I also discovered that my muffin tin was thrown out by accident < every bakers absolute nightmare! So first I had to order a new tin to bake the cupcakes and then I had to improvise by making icing sugar ready for my buttercream! Simply using my blender (which I use to make smoothies) I blended caster sugar with cornflour. I worried how it would turn out, but I’m impressed how easy it was to make my own.

If you’re looking for a new cupcake recipe to bake during lockdown, here’s my super simple and yummy marble cupcakes. These cupcakes lasted less than a day in our house, I think that tells you just how good these cupcakes taste. Enjoy everyone!

(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

Cupcake Batter:

175g butter (salted or unsalted), softened

175g caster or granulated sugar

3 large free-range eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

175g self-raising flour, sifted

50ml milk

3 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted

Milk Chocolate Buttercream:

125g butter (salted or unsalted), softened

250g icing sugar, sifted

200g milk chocolate, melted and cooled slightly – you can use a mix of dark/milk or use all white chocolate

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3-4 tablespoons double cream or milk (sometimes I add a tablespoon extra to make it creamier)

Small pinch of salt (add a pinch extra if using unsalted butter)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 12-hole cupcake/muffin tin with paper cases.
To make the cupcakes: In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until creamy and pale in colour. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well before adding the next and also add the vanilla – don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled as once you add the flour it will be fine.
Now fold through the sifted flour and once the flour is nearly all mixed through add the milk and mix until combined.
Split the batter into two portions – this doesn’t have to be exactly equal. Then stir the cocoa powder into one batter until incorporated.
Take a spoonful of vanilla batter and add to the paper case, then place a spoonful of the chocolate batter in top. Repeat until all the cake batter has been used up.
Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the centre of one of the cupcakes. Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tin for a few minutes and then transport them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
To make the buttercream: Cream the butter for a minute to soften. Add the icing sugar and vanilla extract and beat for about 5 minutes until it’s fluffy and has turned pale in colour. Add the melted chocolate along with the cream and a pinch of salt. Mix until just combined.
Decorate the cupcakes as desired, I pipe buttercream on the tops of mine but you can also spread the buttercream with knife on top of the cupcakes. Add sprinkles if you like – I used white chocolate stars from Cake Angels Sweetie Pie Sprinkles which were kindly gifted to me to bake with during lockdown.

The cupcakes will store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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Cheesecake · Chocolate · No-Bake

White Chocolate Coconut Snowball Cheesecake

December 11, 2019October 6, 2021 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

Get into the Christmas spirit with a slice of this white chocolate cheesecake with a coconut biscuit base and topped with desiccated coconut, white chocolate and Raffaello truffles!

Today, I have another Christmas recipe to share. I eat cheesecake a lot throughout the year, but even more so around Christmastime! I couldn’t let 2019 come to an end and not share one last cheesecake recipe this year in time for Christmas Day and the New Year.

I’ve taken this No-Bake White Chocolate Cheesecake I made for my blog in April 2016, having made that cheesecake on a whim for a dessert to serve for family friends we had coming over and because it proved so popular with our guests, I quickly changed my mind and declared it a blog-worthy recipe!

That certainly was a good decision as the cheesecake soon became (and still is) one of the most popular recipes on this website, it’s a recipe I always get brilliant feedback on from people who’ve made it and hearing people say that this white chocolate cheesecake is one of the best cheesecakes they’ve ever made puts a big smile on my face. So since this recipe receives many positive reviews, I’ve come up with the idea of putting a festive spin on it.

This coconut and white chocolate cheesecake will be the star the show on your Christmas table without a doubt, it’s a cinch to prepare and tastes amazing.

So to make this cheesecake different to my other recipe I made just a couple of changes. The biscuit base is made with Nice biscuits instead of digestives. If you’re not familiar with Nice biscuits, they’re coconut flavoured and have crunchy sugar crystals baked on the top and they’re very delicious! I believe they’re available in most supermarkets.

I think you’ll agree that coconut and white chocolate work well and really compliment each other.

To finish, decorate your cheesecake creation however you wish to. I didn’t want my decoration to be too elaborate so I stuck to a few simple finishing touches as sometimes less is more.

For the photographs I decorate the cheesecake with the Raffaello truffles which were the snowballs. For the slice of cheesecake pictured, I placed some white chocolate chips around the edge, then sprinkled the slice with desiccated coconut and popped a white chocolate coconut truffle on top just before serving.

(Serves 10-12)

Ingredients:

Coconut Biscuit Base:

300g Nice biscuits or other coconut flavoured biscuits

140g butter (salted or unsalted)

White Chocolate Cheesecake:

600g full-fat cream cheese, softened – I leave mine out at room temperature for about an hour to soften

45g icing sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

300ml double cream, chilled

300g white chocolate, broken/cut into small pieces

Decoration:

Desiccated coconut

White chocolate chips or curls

Method:

To make the biscuit base: Break the biscuits up into smaller pieces. Place in a ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin or place the biscuits in a food processor and process until they’re fine crumbs. Mix together with the melted butter. Press the biscuit crumbs into a 23cm springform cheesecake tin until compact and firm. Leave in the fridge whilst you make the cheesecake filling.
To make the cheesecake filling: Melt the white chocolate over a bain-marie or in a heatproof bowl in the microwave in 20-second intervals. Leave to cool slightly.
Beat together the softened cream cheese with the icing sugar and vanilla. Now add the melted white chocolate and continue to mix until smooth.
In a separate bowl whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Fold the cream in two batches into the cream cheese mixture.
Spread the cheesecake filling on the prepared biscuit base and smooth over with a palette knife or spatula. Cover and leave to set in the fridge for at least 6-8 hours or preferably overnight.
To serve, decorate the top of the cheesecake with desiccated coconut, white chocolate chips/curls and Raffaello truffles.

The cheesecake will keep stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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Baking · Brownies · Buttercream and Frosting · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate

Ganache Frosted Fudge Brownies

July 22, 2019October 6, 2021 What Jessica Baked Next12 Comments

Bake yourself these chocolate fudge brownies frosted with dark chocolate ganache ready for when a chocolate craving hits. These brownies have a delectable truffle-like texture and are dangerously good served with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream.

I’ve taken my go-to Chocolate Fudge Brownies to the next level of deliciousness by covering them in silky smooth chocolate ganache and topping with M&M chocolates (FYI I actually didn’t realise until now that the last two recipes I’ve shared have both contained M&M’s!). Decorate and dress up your batch of brownies as you wish, you can leave them plain or beautify them as much as you want.

As the title describes these brownies are scrumptiously fudgy in texture just like a rich chocolate truffle, so if you’re more into cakey brownies then this recipe might not be what you’re looking for, but that said this brownie recipe has converted even the most chocolate dessert loathing person I know!

I’m a lover of all types of brownies, both cakey and fudge, but these fudge brownies have the edge for me.

This recipe is little more lengthy than other brownie recipes but it’s definitely well worth the wait. I say this because once baked, the brownies will need to be left to set for at least 6 hours, I usually make mine in advance and leave them overnight, then the ganache will need to be left to set at room temperature for an additional couple of hours on top of that.

The brownies are best stored in the fridge and because I baked mine on a really hot day, I found that my ganache took a little longer to set because of the heat and the brownies were very soft (just something to take into account). They’re far easier to slice up into pieces when they’ve been chilled for a while in the fridge, plus once they’ve been in the fridge they go all dense and even yummier in my opinion!

This is the perfect treat yourself brownie – it has tonnes of chocolate flavour and the ganache layer just makes these even more special!

We love these brownies as they are even without the luxurious ganache topping, however I feel the ganache makes these into a restaurant-worthy dessert. My sister and I took the M&M’s off a couple of squares of these brownies and microwaved them for about 20-30 seconds and the brownies went all gooey and reminded us of a molten lava chocolate pudding.

These brownies are an all-round favourite and this recipe will not let you down. Grab your apron and ingredients and get ready to bake up a storm and some of the most sinful brownies you’ll ever taste!

(Makes approx. 16-24 small pieces)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Fudge Brownies:

200g butter (salted or unsalted), cut into small cubes

200g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 large free-range eggs

2 large free-range egg yolks

270g caster sugar

115g plain flour

35g cocoa powder

Chocolate Ganache:

200g dark chocolate, cut into 2cm pieces

200ml double cream

1 tablespoon golden syrup

1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted)

Method:

To make the brownies: Preheat oven to 160°C / 140°C Fan / 325°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20cm) square tin with parchment paper and set aside.
Melt the butter and chocolate over a bain-marie or in the microwave in 20-second intervals until completely melted and smooth. Set this mixture aside and leave it to cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile whisk the eggs and egg yolks together until combined. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled slightly, add the egg mixture and stir to combine.
In large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and sugar, sift the cocoa powder over the top and mix until thoroughly combined and no lumps of flour remain.
Now add the chocolate mixture and stir until combined, try not to over mix otherwise this may result in your baked brownies being tough. Transfer the brownie batter to the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Bake the brownies for 40-45 minutes, they’ll be ready when they’re risen, the top has started to slightly crack and a cake tester when inserted into the centre comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.
Leave the brownies to cool completely in the tin, then once cooled leave them to set for at least 6 hours or overnight for best results.
To make the ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium mixing bowl. Heat the cream and golden syrup in a small saucepan until bubbles just begin to appear on the surface and just before it starts to come up to the boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until mostly melted. Now add the butter and continue to stir until smooth. Directly place a piece of clingfilm on the top of the ganache and leave it at room temperature for about two hours until spreadable.
Every spread the ganache on top of the now cooled brownie and further decorate as you desire – I decorated mine with M&M chocolates, at this point I highly recommend chilling the brownies for a bit before slicing.
When ready to serve, slice the brownies into 16-24 squares – because of the ganache layer you might want to cut the pieces a little smaller as these brownies are very rich. Brownies will store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.

Recipe Notes:

My oven is fan assisted and even though the recipe states to bake the brownies at 140°C Fan, I’ve always baked mine at 160°C Fan instead to ensure they’re not too undercooked.
Serve the brownies as they are or with ice cream, pouring or whipped cream and fruit. I like to serve my brownies with fruit, because it cuts through the richness of the brownie.
Usually I would say this brownie (without the ganache) serves about 16, however with the ganache layer they’re even more decadent so I reckon you could slice the brownies into 24 smaller pieces.

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate

M&M Cookies

June 24, 2019October 6, 2021 What Jessica Baked NextLeave a comment

Colourful, fun and delicious cookies. It’s hard to resist these perfectly crisp and chewy vanilla flavoured cookies filled with crunchy chocolate M&M’s.

I was kindly sent some products from SelfPackaging to present my bakes in. I wasn’t contracted to write a blog post and all views and opinions are my own.

There’s no sweeter way to welcome Monday and the start of a new week than serving you a plate of homemade M&M cookies! This latest cookie creation of mine is based on my Chocolate Chip Cookies, but this time I’ve swapped the chocolate chips for lots of chocolate M&M’s, which contrast perfectly with this deliciously soft and chewy cookie.

This is what your cookie dough should look like and hopefully you won’t be tempted to eat it all before baking!

There hasn’t ever been a time that I haven’t loved M&M’s (I especially like the bags with crispy, chocolate and peanut M&M’s), they’re definitely my favourite candy/sweet of all time. When I visited New York City a few years ago, I came home with a 1kg bag of chocolate M&M’s – I actually packed my suitcase full of American confectionery to enjoy when I arrived back in the UK. The downside was, because I bought so much during my trip, that my friend and I actually had to rush and buy an extra suitcase just so we were able to bring the goodies home before our plane left!

Anyway, my love of M&M’s led me to create this cookie recipe and this just might be my favourite cookie I’ve baked for my blog. I prefer my cookies to be softly baked, if you like your cookies the same way as I do then make sure to bake them until they’ve just started turning golden around the edges, but if you want your cookies crispier then just leave the cookies a few minutes longer in the oven.

With the arrival of summer, I highly recommend you serve two of these cookies sandwiched together with a scoop of vanilla ice cream – we made cookie sandwiches using these and they were amazingly yummy and I know for certain I’ll be making these all summer long.

I love making lots of tasty treats, but most the time baking for my blog leaves me with a lot of leftovers, more than the four people living in the house can eat. Because of this I often give a lot of my bakes away, sometimes to family, friends or neighbours.

I always struggle to find a container or a way I can transport my bakes to the recipient/s in an appetising way. Thankfully, SelfPackaging, a company based in Barcelona, got in contact and sent me some of their creative and eco-friendly packaging boxes and gift boxes to store and share my bakes in.

I’ve been sent many lovely products to showcase my bakes, I received boxes for cookies and macarons, a cupcake stand and large cake boxes.

I filled my beautiful pink and lilac cookie and macaron boxes with these M&M cookies. The boxes can be tied with pink bakers twine and decorated with pretty pink and white heart pendant tags and tags personalised for example with your own blog/business logo. It was a really nice surprise to receive my personalised tags with my blog logo, which was drawn by my good friend, Alice.

(Makes 15-20)

Ingredients:

150g butter (salted or unsalted), softened

80g light brown sugar

80g caster sugar

1 large free-range egg, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

225g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Pinch of salt (add a 1/4 teaspoon if using unsalted butter)

250g (2 x 125g packets) chocolate M&M’s, plus extra for decoration

Method:

Preheat oven to 190°C / 170°C Fan / 375°F / Gas Mark 5. Cream the butter, brown sugar and caster sugar together until pale and creamy.
Add the egg and the vanilla extract and beat until completely incorporated.
Sift the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda together over the top of the mixture and gently fold in until a few specks of flour remains.
Now add the chocolate chips and fold them through until evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough.
Cover and chill the dough for at least 15 minutes – for this batch of cookies I chilled my dough for one hour.
Divide the cookie dough into 15-20 equally sized pieces – each piece should roughly weigh 50g and then roll the cookie dough into balls between your palms. Evenly spread on two to three large baking trays lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (leave a gap between each cookie to allow for spreading).
Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes until they’ve turned a light golden colour – watch the cookies closely as all ovens are different and you don’t want these to over bake. When the cookies come out the oven they will appear under baked, however, as they cool they will firm up as they cool.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking trays for a few minutes. As the cookies cool you can press a few extra M&M’s on the tops if desired, then gently transport the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. The cookies will store in an airtight container for up to one week, but I find they’re best eaten on the day of baking or the day after.

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Cheesecake · Chocolate · No-Bake

No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake

May 10, 2019October 6, 2021 What Jessica Baked Next7 Comments

Easy no-bake chocolate cheesecake recipe. One bite and this insanely delicious chocolate dessert will absolutely steal your heart.

I’m back with a new blog post and another chocolate recipe! Chocolate lovers I’ll bet that you’re jumping for joy right now. During my blogging journey you’ve seen me share my favourite recipe for Chocolate Fudge Brownies, an amazing Chocolate Hazelnut Cake and these irresistible Triple Chocolate Cookies.

It’s no real surprise that I’ve created another chocolate dessert for my blog. Besides chocolate, another food I always have on my mind is cheesecake, so I’ve combined the two and created a special chocolate recipe you won’t be able to get enough of.

Looking at the photos of this chocolate cheesecake is making me crave this delightful dessert and I’m tempted to head back into my kitchen and make it again!

There literally isn’t a time when I’m not dreaming of eating a slice of cheesecake! I like to think of myself as a cheesecake connoisseur and I promise to only ever share cheesecake recipes that I truly love.

Since starting to write a food blog and training as a professional chef, I’ve made both baked and no-bake cheesecakes along the way, but no-bake cheesecakes will always be my favourite kind of cheesecake as they’re effortlessly easy to make and are completely fail-proof – there’s no worrying about the cheesecake cracking or needing to bake it in a water bath.

Simply one bite of this cheesecake and you’ll be in chocolate heaven. Seriously it’s super creamy and has just the right balance of chocolate. For the biscuit base I used Oreos, but I have also made this cheesecake with plain and chocolate digestives too. Just remember if using digestives or a biscuit/cookie without a crème filling then you’ll need to use more butter to bind it before pressing into the springform cake tin.

For the cheesecake filling I melted two bars of milk chocolate and one bar of dark chocolate, however you can play around with a different ratio of chocolate and adapt the recipe based on your own preference. Sometimes I use a higher ratio of dark chocolate and switch around the amounts depending on what I have in.

Keep the decoration of your cheesecake as extravagant or minimal as you like, I decorated mine with freshly whipped cream, chocolate shavings and served it with fresh berries and a mix of M&M chocolates.

One slice of this totally yummy, chocolatey cheesecake and you’ll be reaching for a second helping straight away!

Luxuriously creamy chocolate cheesecake with a crumbly Oreo base

(Serves 10-12)

Ingredients:

Biscuit Base:

2 x 154g Oreos (or you can use the same amount of chocolate/plain digestive biscuits – see recipe notes below)

55g butter, melted

Chocolate Cheesecake Filling:

500g full-fat cream cheese, softened – I leave mine out at room temperature for 30 minutes to soften

45g icing sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

100g dark chocolate

200g milk chocolate

300ml double cream, chilled

Method:

To make the cheesecake base: Crush the Oreos to fine crumbs. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and then add to the Oreo crumbs and stir to combine. Place the crushed Oreo mixture into a 23cm / 9-inch springform cake tin and spread into an even layer pressing it down until firm using the back of a spoon or your fingers.
To make the cheesecake filling: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with the icing sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Melt both chocolates over a pan of gently simmering water or alternatively melt it in the microwave in 20-30 second intervals, stirring and repeating until the chocolate has all completely melted. Leave the chocolate to cool for about 5 minutes before folding it into the cream cheese mixture – don’t allow the chocolate to cool completely otherwise it will solidify whilst folding into the other ingredients.
Whisk the cream until it holds soft peaks and fold into the chocolate cream cheese mixture. Spoon over the biscuit base and smooth over with a spatula or palette knife. Cover and leave to chill for at least 6-8 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the springform tin and I recommend decorating it with extra whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Recipe Notes:

I used Oreos for my cheesecake base, instead you can use chocolate/plain digestives – you’ll just need to up the butter in this recipe from 55g to 140g as the digestive biscuits don’t have a crème filling.
Cream cheese is best left at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before preparing the cheesecake filling.
The cheesecake will keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If frozen you’ll need to defrost the cheesecake in the fridge overnight before serving it the following day.

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

Bourbon Biscuit Fudge

March 23, 2019October 6, 2021 What Jessica Baked Next4 Comments

Bourbon cream biscuits are a traditional British biscuit and make a yummy addition mixed into chocolate fudge.

I have so many favourite biscuits and my sweet tooth is definitely a downfall of mine. Once I’ve opened a pack of biscuits, I find it extremely hard to stop eating them – I’m sure you have the same problem too?

I made and shared this Vanilla Clotted Cream Fudge last November and haven’t made any more fudge since then. As that was a vanilla fudge, I thought I would go for something completely different and carry on the chocolate theme with my last two consecutive recipes all involving chocolate.

So here it is, my third chocolate recipe in a row. Say hello to this gloriously chocolatey Bourbon Biscuit Fudge.

I think this might be the easiest and quickest recipe I’ve posted on my blog to date. This magical chocolate fudge recipe simply requires a tin of condensed milk, (dark and milk) chocolate bars and a pack of bourbon biscuits – it’s hard to believe how little ingredients produce something so scrumptious.

Bourbons were a childhood favourite biscuit of mine along with custard creams and Jammy Dodgers, so I was very excited to taste this new fudge creation.

As yummy as this chocolate fudge is left plain, I couldn’t resist adding some chopped bourbon cream biscuits into the fudge and pressed a few on top of the fudge before allowing it to set. While I chose to add bourbon biscuits to my fudge, you can absolutely add any other biscuits, chocolate or sweets you like.

The fudge is deliciously creamy and smooth and you’ll find yourself in exactly the same situation I was when I made this, I couldn’t stop at just one square of this fudge. I wish I had more willpower when it comes to sweet treats! However, because this fudge is so incredibly sweet, one or two squares will be more than enough to satisfy your sugar cravings.

I could definitely see myself having a shop dedicated to selling all my fudge creations. I have lots of (probably too many) fudge recipe ideas based on this recipe up my sleeve, so keep an eye throughout the upcoming year for more!

(Makes 36 pieces)

Ingredients:

397g can sweetened condensed milk

400g chocolate – I used a mix of 200g of dark chocolate and 200g milk chocolate, broken into pieces

200g pack bourbon cream biscuits, chopped

Method:

Line a 20cm / 8-inch square baking tin with parchment paper, making sure you leave enough paper up the sides to ensure you can release the fudge easily once it’s set.
Place the condensed milk and chocolate in a medium sized saucepan. Heat gently, stirring constantly until the chocolate has completely melted. Take off the heat and fold in 3/4 of the chopped biscuits.
Spread the fudge into the baking tin. Decorate the top with the remaining chopped biscuits – press into the top to make sure they stick.
Cover the fudge and leave it to set in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours or overnight for the best results.
Slice the fudge into approx. 36 squares – it might make more depending on how big or small you decide to cut your fudge. Fudge will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Recipe Notes:

Use the best quality chocolate you can afford.
Make sure to heat the fudge mixture really gently, heating it too quickly will overheat the chocolate and it might seize.
This recipe makes roughly 36 pieces of fudge, it might make more or less depending on how big or small you cut your squares of fudge.
The fudge is best left overnight to set for it to firm up enough.
This fudge will keep stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, please note that the biscuit on top will soften and loses it crunchiness a little the longer you keep it – however the biscuit takes on a softer more cake-like consistency, which is still very enjoyable nonetheless.

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Baking · Cakes · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate

Chocolate Traybake

March 14, 2019October 6, 2021 What Jessica Baked Next4 Comments

Easy and simple chocolate traybake is a great cake for parties and all kinds of celebrations. Moist chocolate sponge cake is topped with a dark chocolate ganache icing and can be decorated with your favourite chocolate and sprinkles.

Last month I shared my Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes and I’m back this time with a super easy and delicious chocolate traybake.

I just love chocolate cake and will always find one way or another to fulfil my chocolate fix!

This is an amazing cake recipe you want to have in your back pocket ready for celebrations. It’s the kind of cake that’ll go down a storm at birthday parties and a get-together with family and friends.

I guarantee you that this traybake will disappear instantly upon slicing!

I have lots of chocolate cakes and cupcakes on my blog already, but there’s certainly room for more. I baked and shared this Chocolate Fudge Cake all the way back in 2015 and that cake is completely different to this traybake as it’s super dense and fudge-like. Whereas this traybake has a light and airy texture.

It’s up to you on how you decorate your traybake and because it’s nearly Easter I chose to decorate mine with mini eggs, colourful sugar-coated chocolates and mini milk and white chocolate chips. It’s colourful and fun and this cake really does taste as impressive as it looks!

I’m excited to bake this traybake again as there is so many ways to decorate it and it can be adapted for any occasion!

(Serves 15-20)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake:

75g cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

200ml boiling water

4 large free-range eggs, at room temperature

370g light brown sugar

180ml vegetable oil

200g self-raising flour, sifted

Chocolate Ganache:

150g dark chocolate, broken into pieces – approx. 50% cocoa solids

2 tablespoons golden syrup

2 tablespoons double cream

Method:

To make the cake: In a small bowl whisk together the cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and boiling water. Mix until combined and then set aside to cool for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 23cm x 30cm baking tin that’s at least 4cm deep with baking parchment.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and oil until thoroughly combined. Add the chocolate mixture to this and whisk again until incorporated. Finally, add flour and whisk until mixed fully.
Pour the cake batter into the cake tin. Bake for 30-40 minutes (my cake took 30 minutes exactly) or until a cake tester when inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Once the cake is baked, leave it to cool in the cake tin completely.
To make the ganache: Place the dark chocolate, golden syrup and double cream in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Continue to stir until you have a glossy ganache.
Spread the ganache on top of the cake – it will be a thin layer and as the cake is very rich this amount is just right. Decorate the cake with chocolate and or sprinkles. Leave the cake to set at room temperature for a couple of hours before slicing into squares. The traybake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Recipe from Annie Bell’s Baking Bible

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