Chocolate Malt Cupcakes

March 21, 2016February 24, 2024 What Jessica Baked Next20 Comments

Make your Monday a little sweeter with these homemade chocolate malt cupcakes. A delicious combination of chocolate malt cupcakes topped with a vanilla, white chocolate and malt flavoured buttercream. These will be perfect for your next baking project!

I love sharing all my new cupcake creations on the blog, so this time I turned to another of my absolute favourite chocolate sweets.

Are you familiar with Maltesers? They’re malt balls covered with a thin layer of milk chocolate. They’re crunchy, sweet and I could definitely eat an entire sharing bag all to myself!

For these cupcakes you have a choice of a few different cupcakes to bake: you can bake a classic chocolate cupcake or bake a chocolate or vanilla cupcake with malt powder added. Sometimes I like to use my favourite chocolate cupcake recipe. It’s made with dark chocolate and cocoa powder for rich chocolate flavour, however on this occasion I decided on baking chocolate cupcakes with malt powder added to the cupcake batter as well as the buttercream. The buttercream of which is my recipe and the chocolate malt cupcake recipe I found on this amazing website.

These cupcakes are fantastic as they are, but topping them with a generous helping of my homemade buttercream takes this cupcake recipe to the next level. This recipe is almost identical to my favourite vanilla buttercream, however with this buttercream I’ve added malt powder and white chocolate. The best thing is the buttercream tastes exactly like the centre of a Malteser. I have to admit after I finished the first cupcake I was reaching for another straight away!

Running this blog has certainly given me a serious sweet tooth!

If you are a Malteser lover just like me then you’ll love this cupcake flavour combo. Bake the cupcakes for parties, a girls evening in or even for afternoon tea. They’ll be an instant hit! The cupcakes got a resounding thumbs up from the taste testers, particularly one who had just come home from a long day at work and devoured two of these cupcakes in one sitting!

(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Malt Cupcakes:

50g cocoa powder

175g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon salt (add just a pinch if using salted butter)

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

225g caster sugar

175g butter, softened

2 large free-range eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

175ml milk

4 tablespoons malt powder (such as Horlicks or Ovaltine)

Vanilla White Chocolate Malt Buttercream:

225g butter, softened

250g icing sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

40g malt powder, sifted

125g white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly – you can use dark or milk instead of white chocolate

4 tablespoons double cream or milk, plus extra if needed

Method:

To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a cupcake tin with 12 paper cases and set aside. In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, sift the cocoa powder, flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and sugar into the bowl. Mix together until combined. Now add the butter and mix until the butter is completely incorporated and no lumps of butter remain.
In a jug or medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, milk and malt powder until thoroughly combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in a slow and steady stream. Mix until combined, then stop of the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and continue to mix for a further 20 seconds or so. At this point the batter might appear a little lumpy, however any lumps will disperse as the cupcakes bake. Evenly distribute the batter between the cupcake cases, bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester when inserted into the centre comes out clean without any uncooked batter attached. Allow the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack completely.
To make the buttercream: Cream the softened butter for a 2-3 minutes until pale in colour. Now add the icing sugar and vanilla and continue to mix for 5 minutes (stop the mixer halfway through and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl). Now add the malt powder and the cooled white chocolate and mix until combined. Finally, add the cream beat for another minute. Fit a piping bag with your favourite nozzle and fill with the buttercream. Decorate the cupcakes as desired. They’ll last in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.

Recipe Notes:

Adjust the icing sugar depending on how sweet you like your buttercream. I find 250g is sweet enough given that we’re also adding white chocolate to the buttercream.
I prefer using double/heavy cream and not milk in my buttercream as it results in a creamier and lighter texture. You may need to add more cream/milk until you reach your desired piping consistency.
Decorate the cupcakes with whole and chopped Maltesers (Whoppers are the US equivalent). I used a sharp knife to cut the Maltesers up into smaller pieces, just be careful doing this. Make sure you decorate with the chocolate sweets just before serving otherwise they tend to go stale and lose their crunchy texture.

Enjoy!

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Chocolate · No-Bake

Easter Chocolate Nest Cakes

March 9, 2016February 26, 2026 What Jessica Baked Next10 Comments

Easter is all about getting creative in the kitchen and having fun! These yummy no-bake Easter Chocolate Nest Cakes are made with just 3 ingredients and are the perfect treat for Easter! Use your leftover (if any!) Easter chocolate to make these treats!

I’m sharing my first Easter recipe with you today!

Growing up I always used to make these nest cakes over Easter time and they would also be made for parties. Over the last few years I’ve been teaching my little cousins how to make them.

This recipe is brilliant for any age – kids and adults alike will enjoy making these! The best part is the nest cakes can be made in less than 10 minutes and only need about half an hour to set in the fridge before you can devour them!

This recipe couldn’t be any easier to make, all you’ll need to do is melt chocolate and then add the cereal and coat in the melted chocolate. This simple recipe only requires two ingredients or three if you’re going to decorate the cakes with mini eggs like I did.

Try your hardest not to eat the mixture before popping it into the cupcake cases. When I was little I would always grab a spoon from the kitchen drawer and help myself to numerous spoonful’s of the yummy, chocolatey mix.

To decorate I kept it simple and placed a few Cadbury mini eggs on the top of each nest cake. Mini eggs are my absolute favourite Easter chocolate. When I have a bag of these around, I cannot resist eating them!

You can decorate these nest cakes in anyway you like, I’ll leave that up to you! 😉

(Makes 10)

Ingredients:

200g milk or dark chocolate (or a mix of the two – we prefer using just milk chocolate)

75g (3 cups) rice krispies (cornflakes or shredded wheat can be used too)

Cadbury mini eggs, for decoration

Method:

Line a 12-hole cupcake/muffin tin with 10 paper muffin cases. Break the chocolate into pieces and melt gently over a pan of gently simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water) or melt in the microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
Toss the melted chocolate with the rice krispies until the cereal is completely coated in the chocolate.
Divide the mixture between the paper cases and press 2-3 mini eggs into the centre of each nest. Chill in the fridge for half an hour until set.

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Cheesecake · Chocolate

Nutella Cheesecake

January 22, 2016October 5, 2021 What Jessica Baked Next10 Comments

Silky smooth Nutella Cheesecake. You won’t be able to stop eating slice after slice!

Seeing as you all share the same love for cheesecake, I knew I had to plan to share even more cheesecakes on the blog. I’m really proud of my No-Bake Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake. It was my first recipe to go to print and featured in one of my favourite magazines.

But this time I wanted to add even more Nutella goodness to the mix. I based this latest cheesecake creation on my Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cheesecake, of which I have been blown away by the positive response that recipe has gotten since I posted it.

For this Nutella version, I just swapped the melted chocolate orange for Nutella. This Nutella cheesecake is thick, creamy and has a beautiful mousse texture. I’ve never been a fan of baked cheesecakes, as they can be very heavy. No-bake cheesecakes certainly aren’t lighter in calories, but they are definitely lighter and fluffier in texture.

The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the cheesecake to set. The cheesecake is delicious served on its on own, but I like to sprinkle the top with chopped toasted hazelnuts for extra decadence. You could decorate it with Ferrero Rocher, but to be honest, the cheesecake is pretty rich already without the need for any extra chocolate. 🙂

This recipe makes a massive cheesecake, so if you want you could half the recipe and make a smaller cheesecake, or even make cute little individual cheesecakes. I find this recipe perfect for entertaining because it can be made ahead of time, it serves lots of people and certainly has the wow factor!

I always have Nutella in my kitchen store cupboard. I’m literally addicted to it! I’m sure I’m not the only person who eats it by the spoonful straight from the jar? 😉

(Serves 10-12)

Ingredients:

Biscuit Base:

300g digestives or hobnobs – I used chocolate hobnobs

140g unsalted butter

Cheesecake Filling:

500g full-fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature

300g Nutella or other chocolate hazelnut spread

300ml double cream (heavy cream), chilled

45g icing sugar

Method:

To make the biscuit base: Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Blitz the biscuits in a food processor to a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and mix until well combined. Tip the biscuit crumbs into a 23cm springform cake tin and press down until firm. Use the back of a spoon or glass to smooth over. Then place in the fridge to chill whilst you make the filling.
To make the cheesecake filling: In a medium mixing bowl beat together the cream cheese and Nutella until smooth and combined. In another mixing bowl whisk the cream, icing sugar until soft peaks form. Fold the cream into the cream cheese Nutella mixture.
Spread the cheesecake filling over the prepared base, smooth the top with palette knife or spatula. Cover and leave to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight for best results.
Once the cheesecake is set, decorate the top with the chopped hazelnuts. You could also decorate with Ferrero Rocher or Kinder Bueno. Slice it and serve. The cheesecake will keep stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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Chocolate · No-Bake

No-Bake Energy Bites

January 14, 2016May 28, 2018 What Jessica Baked Next18 Comments

A simple recipe for no-bake energy bites. Made using healthy, energy boosting ingredients. You won’t feel guilty eating these!

Today I’m sharing one of my go-to healthy snack recipes. These no-bake energy bites are a breeze to make and you wouldn’t even guess they’re healthy, because they taste just like dessert!

Once rolled, the energy bites will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week. I love having a batch of these ready for snacking on during the day. If you have a sweet tooth just like me, these bites make a fantastic treat and will satisfy any sweet craving you may have!

The best part about this recipe, besides the fact it’s no-bake, is how short and simple the ingredient list is. You’ll need: old-fashioned oats, coconut, linseed (flaxseed), peanut butter, honey and chocolate chips. That’s it!

I love the peanut butter and chocolate flavour in these bites. Because these bites are no-bake, feel free to play around with the ingredients and add-ins. I like the idea of adding a pinch of cinnamon to the mix. You could also swap the chocolate chips for raisins or nuts, if you prefer.

So if you’re looking for sweet treat that is a little better for you, give these energy bites a try. I promise you, they taste exactly like “healthy” truffles! 😉

(Makes 20)

Ingredients:

100g (1 cup) old-fashioned oats (dry)

50g (2/3 cup) desiccated coconut (or flakes), toasted and cooled

75g (1/2 cup) ground golden linseed (flaxseed)

125g (1/2 cup) smooth peanut butter

115g (1/3 cup) honey or agave syrup

90g (6 tablespoons) chocolate chips (minis or regular)

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, toasted coconut and ground linseed. Add the peanut butter and honey and using a spatula, mix until the mixture starts to come together.
Finally, fold through the chocolate chips. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Once chilled, roll the mixture into 20 equally sized bites. Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to one week.

Recipe Notes:

If you want to make these energy bites chocolate flavoured, omit the chocolate chips and add 25g (1/4 cup) of cocoa powder along with the other ingredients.

Recipe inspiration from Cooking Classy

Enjoy!

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Baking · Cheesecake · Chocolate · Christmas · No-Bake

Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cheesecake

November 23, 2015November 27, 2022 What Jessica Baked Next150 Comments

Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cheesecake. An impressive and delicious no-bake dessert.

Christmas is fast approaching – in a month’s time we will be just a couple of days away from the big day! Christmas is my favourite time of year for several reasons. I love putting the decorations up, listening to festive music, baking and cooking lots of delicious food, but most of all I enjoy having break from college and seeing all my family and friends.

So I told you in an earlier post that I’d already been planning all my seasonal recipes. For this year’s first festive recipe I’m sharing this amazing Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cheesecake. All you chocolate orange lovers out there NEED to give this cheesecake a try!

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Terry’s chocolate orange. It’s one of mine and my sister’s favourite chocolates, I just love the rich chocolate mixed with the aromatic orange. My obsession with chocolate orange is proven with these cupcakes and these cookies.

This cheesecake is based on my popular No-Bake Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake. The base is made up of crushed chocolate orange digestive biscuits and is simply mixed together with melted butter and pressed into a cheesecake tin until compact. The cheesecake filling is made using the same method I use for all my no-bake cheesecakes. Beat together softened cream cheese with a touch of icing sugar and vanilla until smooth, then the fold through melted chocolate orange. I used two whole chocolate oranges in this cheesecake, so it is guaranteed to have a gorgeous flavour! Then the final step is to fold through some very lightly whipped cream and then spread the mixture over the prepared biscuit base. I told you it was unbelievably easy!

For decoration I like to keep it simple with nothing too elaborate. My sister gave me the idea to fan the chocolate orange segments in the centre of the cheesecake. So we went for that easy design, finishing with swirls of piped whipped cream. This cheesecake is a gorgeous dessert that’s an absolute breeze to make and a treat to eat!

(Serves 10-12)

Ingredients:

Biscuit Base:

300g chocolate or plain digestive biscuits (or graham crackers)

140g butter (salted or unsalted), melted and cooled slightly

Cheesecake Filling:

500g full-fat cream cheese or mascarpone, softened at room temperature

2 x 157g Terry’s chocolate orange (or other orange flavoured chocolate)

300ml double cream (heavy cream), chilled

85g icing sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Decoration:

Terry’s chocolate orange segments – I also grated some over to decorate

Whipped cream – approx. 150ml double or whipping cream

Method:

To prepare the base: Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Blitz the biscuits in a food processor to a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and mix until well combined. Tip the biscuit crumbs into a 23cm springform cake tin and press down until firm. Use the back of a spoon to smooth over, place in the fridge to chill whilst you make the filling.
To make the cheesecake filling: Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie or in the microwave in 20 second intervals. Leave to cool only for a few minutes – chocolate stills needs to be slightly warm before adding the remaining cheesecake ingredients later to avoid lumps forming. In a medium mixing bowl beat together the cream cheese with the icing sugar and vanilla until softened. In another mixing bowl whisk the cream until soft peaks form.
Fold the cream into the cream cheese mix. Finally, fold through the melted chocolate.
Spoon the cheesecake mixture over the biscuit base and smooth over with a spatula or palette knife. Cover and leave to chill for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.
When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the tin and decorate. Best serve chilled. The cheesecake can be made ahead of time, leave it in the tin, covered with cling film for up to 3 days. Leftover slices (if any!) can be stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator.

Cheesecake lovers you’re going to adore this! The cheesecake will make an amazing centrepiece on the dinner table on Christmas day!

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate

Triple Chocolate Cookies

November 13, 2015February 14, 2023 What Jessica Baked Next21 Comments

Irresistible cookies filled with a mix of triple chocolate chips. Perfectly crisp on the outside, fudge like and chewy on the inside. Enjoy these bakery-style cookies with a glass of milk or a scoop of your favourite ice cream. You will be in cookie heaven!

If you know me well, then you will know that I really do love chocolate. I’m a self-confessed chocoholic at heart. Why have just one type of chocolate in a cookie, when you can have three? The more chocolate the better, because life is always sweeter when there is chocolate AND cookies involved.

These triple chocolate chip cookies are really quite amazing. They have the perfect chewiness and crispy outside, but also have the texture of a chocolate fudge brownie. My sister and myself have been baking these cookies for many years now and each time we make them they disappear almost instantly! I really love that each cookie is jam-packed with chocolate chips. Every bite is filled with an explosion of gooey chocolate!

The greatest thing about this cookie recipe is that you don’t have to chill the dough. Though, I often find chilling the dough allows the flavour to develop and also promotes a slightly thicker and chewier cookie. If the dough is too sticky, then I’d also recommend leaving it in the fridge for around 30 minutes to make the dough easier to roll.

You will combine the butter with brown sugar and a couple of drops of vanilla, then add an egg along with flour, raising/leavening agents, cocoa powder and LOTS of chocolate chips!

Roll the cookies and spread out onto two large baking trays lined with parchment or silicone baking mats. The baking time is really important to get correct. 10-12 minutes is perfect, the cookies will appear uncooked and very soft when they leave the oven, but it’s a crucial step to leave them to cool for a few minutes on the baking tray. In that time the cookies will harden and will have become more easily transferable and will not fall apart.

These cookies will keep for up to 3 days, they’re fantastic served as they are with a glass of ice-cold milk or you can warm one up in the microwave and serve with a scoop of ice cream.

(Makes 8-10 cookies)

Ingredients:

110g butter (salted or unsalted), softened

200g dark or light brown sugar

1 large free-range egg, at room temperature

Couple of drops of vanilla extract

165g plain flour

Pinch of salt (only add if using unsalted butter)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

30g cocoa powder

100g mix of dark and milk chocolate chips

100g white chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat your to 190°C / 170°C Fan / 375°F / Gas Mark 5. Line two large baking trays with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside.

2. Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together until just combined – it doesn’t need to be light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until incorporated.

3. Next, add the flour, a pinch of salt (only is using unsalted butter), baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder and mix until a dough comes together.

4. Finally, fold through the chocolate chips and mix to combine into the dough.

5. At this point you can chill the dough for 30 minutes to make it easier to roll or you can bake the cookies straight away. Divide the mixture into 8-10 balls. Spread out evenly on the baking trays. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Don’t over bake – once baking time is over, the cookies will appear very soft, but they’ll carry on cooking whilst they cool. Whilst the cookies are cooling I pressed a few extra chocolate chips into the tops just for decoration purpose.

6. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking trays for 5-10 minutes. In this time they will harden and will become more easily transferable. Finish cooling on a wire rack. The cookies will store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe from “Baking Made Easy” by Lorraine Pascale

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate · Cupcakes

Biscoff Cookie Butter Cupcakes

October 7, 2015May 9, 2023 What Jessica Baked Next90 Comments

Vanilla white chocolate chip cupcakes topped with a creamy swirl of Biscoff buttercream frosting!

From one cupcake recipe to another! This time I’m sharing my delicious recipe for cookie butter cupcakes. I’m pretty much obsessed with Biscoff, so it was definitely about time to share a Biscoff cupcake recipe on here. I’ve used my popular Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes as a base but this time decided to add some white chocolate chips to the batter. How do you make a vanilla cupcake EVEN more yummy? Adding chocolate is the answer! 😉

If you’re wondering what cookie butter is exactly, then if you ask me I will tell you it is one of the most heavenly foods out there! The spread is made of ground Speculoos biscuits and just like Nutella I could it by the ~~spoonful~~ jar. Speculoos (or speculaas) is a traditional Dutch spiced biscuit very popular here in Europe. They’re crunchy in texture and have a gorgeous warming flavour from spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and cardamom.

So to make these scrumptious cupcakes I start off with an easy no-fail cupcake batter. I went for a classic vanilla cupcake because I wanted the creamy cookie butter frosting to be the star of the show. The sponge cupcakes are moist, buttery and bake perfectly every single time. They have a beautiful light vanilla flavour and a hidden white chocolate chip surprise. 🙂

Once the cupcakes are fully baked and have had a chance to cool, I made my frosting. You may be tempted to devour the frosting straight from the bowl. To make it, simply cream the butter until pale, then add the icing sugar along with the vanilla extract and beat for about 5 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Then all that is left to do is add the Biscoff cookie spread and mix. Make sure you adjust the consistency with a splash of cream or milk as this will make it easier to pipe onto the cupcakes.

Swirl each cupcake with the frosting and then decorate with a sprinkle of Speculoos biscuit crumbs, white chocolate chips and half a Speculoos biscuit. These were really easy to make and will certainly impress all your family and friends.

(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

Vanilla Cupcakes:

150g butter or margarine, softened

150g caster sugar or light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 medium or large free-range eggs, at room temperature

150g self-raising flour, sifted

100g white chocolate chips (optional)

2-3 tablespoons milk

Cookie Butter Frosting:

150g butter, softened

250-300g icing sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

200g Biscoff or speculoos cookie butter spread

2-3 tablespoons milk or double cream

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake paper liners and set aside.

2. To make the cupcakes: Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together until light in colour and very fluffy. Add eggs one by one and mix to combine. Toss the white chocolate chips with about a tablespoon of the weighed out flour, then add to the bowl along with the remaining flour and the milk and mix until just combined and no lumps of flour remain.

3. Evenly distribute the cupcake batter between the cupcake liners. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out completely clean of any uncooked batter. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then when cool enough to touch remove from the tin and transport to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

4. To make the buttercream: Cream the butter until really pale in colour. Add the sifted icing sugar and the vanilla extract and mix together until the butter and sugar has combined. Continue to beat until fluffy and very creamy in colour and texture. Once the buttercream is fluffy add the cookie butter spread, and mix until combined. If the mixture if too stiff loosen with the cream or milk until you reach the desired piping consistency.

5. To decorate: Fit a large disposable piping bag with your favourite nozzle – I love the large star tip for cupcakes. Fill the piping bag with the frosting. Pipe even swirls on the top of each cupcake, or use a small cake palette knife and spread the frosting onto each cupcake. Finish by decorating with biscoff crumbs and biscuit halves, and or white chocolate chips. Note: I recommend topping the cupcakes with the biscuit half just before serving, otherwise it loses its crunchiness.

Recipe Notes:

Baking time will depend on your oven. This recipe recommends 15-20 minutes, but different ovens may cause the baking time to differ slightly.
This cupcake recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to make more.
For the frosting I like to add a few tablespoons of double (heavy) cream. The cream makes the frosting lighter and it will have a creamier texture. If preferred you can substitute with milk but please note that frosting will not have such a creamy texture. I also reduced the sugar in the frosting so it wasn’t too sweet. But you can adjust the frosting to your own taste.
The frosted cupcakes will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Cupcakes never last that long in our house!

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Baking · Chocolate · Cupcakes

Giant Cupcake: House of Fraser Bakeware Review

October 1, 2015March 1, 2025 What Jessica Baked Next34 Comments

I was recently reached out by House of Fraser who asked me whether I would be interested in reviewing a bakeware set to create some amazing bakes with. I received a cute cupcake pan and a castle bundt pan. I made a big cupcake for a family birthday earlier in the week, I’m quite proud of the giant cupcake, as it was my first attempt ever at making one! I’m fine with standard cupcakes, but frosting layer cakes is not my forte. To test out the cupcake pan, I baked a basic vanilla sponge cake and then decorated the cake with white chocolate buttercream, rainbow sprinkles and colourful sweets. So here it is, this is my fun and easy recipe for a giant cupcake!

It was my grandads 80th birthday earlier in the week and I wanted to bake a show-stopping cake perfect for this extra special occasion! As I mentioned earlier in this post, House of Fraser recently got in contact with me about working on a creative baking campaign and offered me the opportunity to test out and review a high-quality bakeware set. I am really impressed with the bakeware so far and I’m already planning my next giant cupcake creation!

The cute cupcake pan by Nordic Ware is absolutely fantastic. I think it is my new favourite cake tin! The cake pan is cast aluminum, this is great because it ensures the cake bakes really evenly and has a nonstick interior for easy release and cleanup. I used my perfect vanilla cupcake recipe as a base for this giant cupcake, but only the change I made was I upped the ingredients slightly to make more mixture for this cake pan.

To decorate I piped homemade white chocolate buttercream onto the top in swirls, which turned out to be much harder than I had first thought as my piping skills aren’t the best! Then I simply scattered over sprinkles and pressed some coloured sweets into the buttercream.

If like me you’ve been inspired by The Great British Bake Off you can visit the link here on House of Fraser’s website and browse the bakeware.

(Makes 1 giant cupcake using a 6 cup pan)

Ingredients:

Cupcake Batter:

200g unsalted butter or margarine, softened

200g caster sugar

4 medium free-range eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

200g self-raising flour, sifted

2-3 tablespoons milk or water

White Chocolate Buttercream:

150g unsalted butter, softened

250-300g icing sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

150g white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

Method:

Preheat oven to 160 Fan / 180°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 4. Grease the cake pan well with butter – making sure you grease really well in all the grooves. Line the bottom of the base section with a circle of greaseproof paper. Set aside.
Cream the softened butter/margarine with the sugar and vanilla until fluffy and pale in colour. This will take about 4-5 minutes.
Add the eggs one by one, and beat in until fully incorporated.
Finally add the flour, along with the milk/water and beat for 20-30 seconds until no lumps of flour remain and the cake batter is smooth.
Distribute the cake batter between the cupcake pan, bake for 40-45 minutes or until a cake tester comes of clean of any uncooked batter. Once baked fully, leave the cakes to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then carefully turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
Once cool, frost with your favourite buttercream. I made my favourite white chocolate buttercream – to make it, cream the softened butter until pale in colour. Then add the icing sugar and vanilla, and and mix to combine. Continue to beat for 5-7 minutes, or until really fluffy. Finish by adding the melted chocolate, and whisk until combined fully. Use a small amount of the buttercream to sandwich together the two cake halves, then fill a piping bag with the buttercream and pipe onto the giant cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles and sweets!

Enjoy!

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Candy and Sweets · Cheesecake · Chocolate · No-Bake

No-Bake Snickers Cheesecake

September 28, 2015May 8, 2023 What Jessica Baked Next43 Comments

No-Bake Snickers Cheesecake. This treat is easy to make and even easier to eat! Consisting of a digestive biscuit base, a caramel cheesecake filled with chopped Snickers, then decorated with drizzles of caramel, chopped peanuts and extra Snickers.

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

Combining chocolate bar favourites into desserts is super fun. You combine all the flavours of your chosen chocolate bar in an easy dessert. This no-bake cheesecake is a recipe update from September 2015, and I’ve wanted to make that cheesecake recipe again and share it once more!

With the original recipe, I used an Oreo cookie base, but this time I’m sticking to the classic digestive biscuit base. If making an Oreo/chocolate sandwich biscuit/cookie base, use the same quantity of biscuit/cookie, but reduce the butter to 75g.

The WJBN blog has a vast range of cheesecakes, some plain like my Best No-Bake Cheesecake, the most viewed/viral recipe: Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cheesecake, and even a few vegan cheesecakes, including this Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake!

It’s safe to say my “Recipes” page has a whole load of cheesecakes just waiting for you…

This cheesecake has a buttery biscuit base, atop the base is a creamy salted caramel cheesecake, full of chopped Snickers bar. Then the cheesecake once set is drizzled with extra caramel, and the edges are decorated with chopped peanuts and even more Snickers!

For something different, you could swap the caramel for the same amount of crunchy or smooth peanut butter for the cheesecake filling. Next time I plan to do that!

No-Bake Snickers Cheesecake

Prep Time 6 20

Total Time 6 20

Servings 12

Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Biscuit Base:

300 g digestive biscuits (chocolate or plain) or 300g Oreo cookies (reduce butter to 75g)
140 g butter (salted or unsalted) melted

Caramel Cheesecake:

600 g full-fat cream cheese I leave mine out at room temperature for approx. 30 minutes to soften slightly
3 tablespoons icing sugar
300 ml double cream chilled
200 g caramel/dulce de leche I use Carnation caramel
4 x 41.7 g Snickers bars chopped into small pieces

Decoration:

200 g caramel/dulce de leche
Chopped peanuts
Extra Snickers bars chopped

Instructions

To make the biscuit base: Mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter until moistened. Press the biscuit crumbs into a 23cm springform tin until compact. Put to one side while you make the cheesecake filling.
To make the cheesecake filling: In a large mixing bowl whisk the cream cheese, icing sugar and the cream until thickened. Now mix in the caramel/dulce de leche and a generous pinch of flaky sea salt (optional) - don't over mix. Fold through the chopped Snickers.
Spread the cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit base you prepared earlier and smooth the top with either the back of a spoon, a spatula or a palette knife. Cover the cheesecake and leave it to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the springform tin and decorate as desired. I piped over the remaining half of the tin of caramel and sprinkled over chopped peanuts. Then I decorated the edge of the cheesecake with even more chopped Snickers.
The cheesecake will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Original photo from 2015!

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate

Cookies and Cream Oreo Fudge

September 17, 2015December 4, 2015 What Jessica Baked Next56 Comments

Classic clotted cream fudge studded with crunchy chocolate Oreo cookies. Just 5 ingredients and incredibly simple + easy to make! You are going to love this cookies and cream fudge!

I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t love fudge. I mean what’s not to like about creamy smooth sweet bites of pure deliciousness?

What I really like most about fudge, besides the fact it is delicious and seriously addictive, is how versatile each fudge recipe can be. I’ve already shared my Custard Cream Fudge (the best creation!). That recipe always goes down a treat with my blog readers, and when I made it for a charity bake everybody went CRAZY for it, and it sold out in less than 2 minutes!

After I realised the popularity of that fudge recipe, I decided to make a new version. I made this Oreo fudge to take over to my best friend’s house last weekend and yet again, like the previous times I’ve made it, this fudge went down a storm with everyone who tried a piece!

I’ve taken that previous fudge recipe and swapped the custard creams, which if you’re wondering are the British equivalent of golden Oreos for regular chocolate Oreo cookies. The fudge is just as tiring to make as I remember, I’m not gonna lie the recipe requires quite a bit of muscle to make! But after an extreme arm workout you can reward yourself with square after square of the yummy fudge! 😉

One of the best homemade treats and beautifully modelled by my sis!

This fudge requires just a handful of ingredients. It’s inspired by Cornish clotted cream fudge which always reminds me of family holidays in beautiful Cornwall. But I’ve added a twist, the fudge is speckled with crushed Oreos which are one of my favourite cookies!

The greatest thing about this simple recipe is that it’ll only take 30 minutes from start to finish to make and it doesn’t even require a candy thermometer! Making fudge can be an intimidating process, heating the fudge to the correct temperature, making sure it reaches “soft ball” stage. What is best about my recipe, is all you need to do with boil all the ingredients (minus the Oreos) for just 3 minutes then take straight off the heat and continuously beat the fudge until it turns nice and thick – that and waiting for the fudge to set are the two hardest parts of the recipe! Then finally finish by folding through the cookies. Leave it to set and then slice up!

The fudge would make fab gifts wrapped up or put into decorative jars. It is the best kind of sweet chocolate treat, perfect for any occasion! Enjoy!

(Makes about 32-40 squares)

Ingredients –

1 x 227g (8 oz) tub clotted cream

275g (9¾ oz) caster sugar

100g (3.5 oz) golden syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

8-10 Oreos, crushed

Method –

Line an 8″ x 8″ square tin with parchment paper and set aside.
Place the clotted cream, sugar, golden syrup and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Heat gently and stir until all the sugar has dissolved.
Turn the heat up, and the bring the mixture up to the boil. Allow to boil for 3 minutes. Then take straight off the heat.
Using a wooden spoon, continuously beat the fudge for 10 minutes until it is really thick and matte.
Finally fold half the crushed Oreos through the fudge. Spread out into the lined tin, and then decorate the top with the fudge with the remaining Oreos – make sure you press them in slightly. Place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. Once set, cut into cubes.

Recipe Notes: