What better way to show your loved one a little love than by making a sweet treat ??
With Valentines Day tomorrow !!! I have 2 great last minute recipes for you to whip up !!
Cupid Cupcakes
These adorable
pop-in-the-mouth cupid cakes will undoubtedly set hearts aflutter.
Makes: 18
Prep time: 1½
hours
Cooking
time: 10 minutes
For the chocolate cakes
- 20g (¾oz) cocoa
- 2¼ tbsp boiling water
- 40g (1½oz) unsalted
butter, softened
- 25g (1oz) Lyle’s Golden Syrup
- 75g (3oz) Tate & Lyle Fairtrade Golden Caster Sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp milk
- 60g (2½oz) plain flour,
sifted
- ½ level tsp baking powder
- 2 rounded tbsp smooth
apricot jam
For the fondant icing & decoration
250g (8oz) Tate & Lyle Fairtrade Fondant Icing
Sugar, plus extra for rolling
- 4-5 tsp water
- Squires Kitchen red paste
food colour
You will also need 2 x
12-hole mini cake tins lined with paper cake cases, a 4cm (1½”) round fluted
cutter and 3 tiny heart-shaped metal plunge cutters, available from Squires
Kitchen.
Method :
Preheat the oven to
180°C/Fan160°, 350°F, Gas 4.
In a small bowl mix the cocoa and water together
with a wooden spoon until smooth, then add the butter, Lyle’s GoldenSyrup, Tate & Lyle Golden Caster Sugar, the egg and milk and beat well. Sift over the flour
and baking powder and mix well to make a thick batter.
Spoon the mixture into the
cake tins to slightly more than half full. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven
for 9-10 minutes until risen and they spring back when lightly pressed in the
centre.
Remove to a wire rack to
cool completely.
Sift the Tate
& Lyle Fondant Icing Sugar into a large
bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the water, a teaspoonful at a time, and
stir with a wooden spoon until it is too stiff to stir any more. Roll the icing
into a ball and turn out onto a surface lightly dusted with Tate
& Lyle Fondant Icing Sugar and
knead for a few minutes until it becomes completely smooth, soft and pliable.
If it feels too dry splash with a very little cold water and carry on kneading
until the water is absorbed. If it’s too
wet, dust the surface with extra Tate & Lyle Fondant Icing Sugar.
Divide
the fondant icing into 2. Colour one batch with red adding dots of colour in
several spots with a toothpick and knead well until the colour is evenly
blended. Continue until you get your desired shade. To keep your hands
stain-free, wear food-safe disposable gloves until you have finished working
with the red fondant. Leave the other batch white.
Lightly dust
the surface again with Tate & Lyle Fondant Icing Sugar and separately roll out
both fondants to about 3mm (1/8”) thick.
Using
the fluted cutter stamp out 9 circles, and lots of little heart shapes, from
each of the red and white fondant icings.
Put
the apricot jam in a small pan with a splash of water pan over a low heat until
melted then lightly brush over the tops of the chocolate cakes.
Place
the circles of fondant of top of the cakes and very lightly press down so they
stick to the jam. Decorate the tops with contrasting little hearts,
decoratively sticking them on with a dab of Tate & Lyle Fondant Icing Sugar mixed with a very little water to make a ‘glue’.
Arrange on a plate and serve.
Make-ahead :
Make
and freeze the undecorated cakes in a lidded container up to 2 weeks ahead.
The
fondant icing can be made up to 1 week ahead, wrapped in cling film and stored
in the fridge.
LoveHeart Meringues
Pretty as a picture, these
pastel meringue hearts make a stunning finale to a Valentine’s dinner à deux.
Makes: 2
pairs
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
For the meringues:
- 60g (2½oz) Tate & Lyle Fairtrade Golden Caster
Sugar
- 1 large egg white, about 30g
(1¼oz)
- Squires Kitchen mint green
paste food colour
For the filling :
- 65ml (2½floz) double cream
- 110g (4oz) jar cherry
compôte
- Tate & Lyle Fairtrade Icing Sugar, for dusting
- Squires Kitchen
crystallised natural whole roses
You will also need 2 baking
trays lined with parchment paper, a 8cm (3¼”) heart-shaped cutter and a piping
bag fitted with a star nozzle.
Method :
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan180°,
400°F, Gas 6.
Using the cutter, draw 4
heart shapes with a pencil on the 1 of the sheets of parchment paper, spaced
apart as the meringues will spread a little. Turn the paper over so you don’t
get pencil on the undersides of the meringues.
Tip the sugar onto the remaining baking tray and
spread it out in an even layer. Warm through on the middle shelf of the oven
for about 3-4 minutes or until the sugar feel hot to touch and has lightly coloured,
stirring once. Don’t let it caramelize.
Pour into a small bowl.
Reduce the oven heat down
to its lowest, 110°C/Fan90°C, 225°F, Gas ¼.
As soon as the sugar is
ready, using an electric mixer, add the white to the bowl and whisk at high
speed until it is light and foamy, for about 1 minute. Slowly add the hot
sugar, a dessertspoon at a time, and continue whisking until the mixture has
cooled and is very thick and glossy. Scrape down the sides halfway through.
This will take about 5 minutes.
Using a fine skewer or
toothpick, add a little of the colouring, briefly whisk again and check that
it’s the colour you’d like, if not, add some more.
Use a little of the
meringue to stick down the paper on the baking tray. Spoon the mixture into the
piping bag and pipe the heart shapes.
Bake on the middle shelf
of the oven for 55-60 minutes. The meringues are ready when they are crisp on
the outside and the bases are dry and not at all sticky. Turn off the oven and
leave them to cool in the oven for a few hours or overnight.
To assemble, lightly whisk
the cream, divide between half of the meringue hearts, spoon on the cherry
compôte, then top with the remaining hearts.
Arrange on plates, lightly dust with
Tate & Lyle Fairtrade Icing Sugar,
decorate with the crystallised
roses and serve.
Make-ahead :
The meringues can be made
up to 2 weeks ahead and stored in an air-tight container.
