Whoopie Pies

Whoopie pies are very much like cupcakes, similar mix but made like biscuits so have a much better cake to frosting ratio and give much more scope for playing with flavours.

I'll give the recipe for the chocolate pies first, then a variation for red velvet and then some frosting ideas :)

Chocolate whoopie pies

115g unsalted butter

200g brown sugar

1 egg

5ml vanilla extract

225ml buttermilk (sainbury's or waitrose or big tescos for this one)

60g cocoa powder

5g bicarbonate of soda

190g plain flour

Preheat oven to 200 degrees (gas mark 6) and cover 3 large baking trays with greaseproof paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together and then add the egg.

In a seperate jug add the vanilla essence to the buttermilk.

In another bowl (lots of washing up!) sift the flour, cocoa powder, soda and flour together. Then add half this mix to the creamed butter mix followed by half the buttermilk. Fold in the rest of the flour then the rest of the buttermilk, do not over mix.

Either spoon the batter onto the baking sheet to make disks about 4-5cm across (leave plenty of space between), or put the batter in a piping bag and pipe rounds about 4-5cm across. I can normally make about 42 rounds out of one set of batter. Bake in oven for 10-12 mins until it forms a hard crust on top.

Red Velvet whoopie pies

Use the same measurements as for the chocolate ones except for the following:

200ml buttermilk

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp red food colouring

Mix the food colouring with the buttermilk and vanilla in the steps above.

Frostings

I fill chocolate pies with chocolate frosting, and red velvet pies with strawberry or raspberry marshmallow frosting.

Vanilla

250g icing sugar

80g unsalted butter, soft

25ml whole milk

couple of drops of vanilla extract

Chocolate

300g icing sugar

100g unsalted butter, soft

40g cocoa powder

40ml whole milk

Cream cheese (great with red velvet)

300g icing sugar

50g unsalted butter

125g cream cheese

Marshmallow

250g icing sugar

80g unsalted butter

25ml whole milk

1 jar plain, raspberry or strawberry marshmallow fluff (can get at TK Maxx bizarrely enough or Selfridges)

Beat together the icing sugar and butter with cocoa powder if using on a slow speed in an electric mixer. Add milk slowly and cream cheese or marshmallow and mix until incorporated, then beat on high speed for 5 minutes until it is light and fluffy.

Pipe or spread frosting on one side of the whoopie pie and sandwich with another similar sized cake.

To top the pies for the chocolate ones I use nutella, and for the red velvet ones I make up strawberry icing, then decorate with various sugary treats :)

Tiramisu Gateau

• 4oz (110g) butter/margarine
• 4oz (110g) caster sugar
• 2 large eggs (beaten together)
• 4oz (110g) self raising flour
• 200g plain chocolate (grated)
• 150ml very strong black coffee
• 100ml Tia Maria
• 300ml double cream
• 50g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 x 250g cartons marscapone (room temperature)

Pre-heat the oven 170 degrees.

Put the butter in a bowl with the sugar and cream together, mixing them together until they are pale and light. Slowly add the eggs, combining a bit at a time.

Get a sieve for the flour and using a metal dessert spoon, fold the flour into the mixture, sieving the flour into the bowl from as high up as possible to add air. Fold in the flour a quarter at a time.

The mixture should drop off the spoon easily when you tap it on the side of the bowl.

Grease a deep (at least 7" wide) springform cake tin and put greaseproof paper on the bottom. Scoop the mixture into the tin, and place in oven for 25-35 mins until golden brown and the tops are springy to touch. Leave to cool.

Grate up the chocolate. Mix the coffee and Tia Maria together. Cut the cake into 3 layers.

Line the base and sides of the tin with cling film. Then using a whisk mix the cream, vanilla and 50g caster sugar to soft peaks and fold in the marscapone. Remove about 1/4 of mix and 1/4 grated chocolate and set aside.

Place 1 sponge layer in base of cake tin, sprinkle over 1/3 coffee mix, 1/3 marscapone mix and then 1/3 chocolate, repeat with other 2 layers, then chill in fridge. When ready to serve remove from tin and put on serving platter. Carefully spread the remaining marscapone around the edge of the cake and cover with chocolate to finish.

Chocolate Fudge Cake

• 4oz/120g golden syrup
• 4oz/120g soft brown sugar
• 4oz/120g margarine
• 6oz/180g self raising flour
• 2oz/60g cocoa powder
• 1 egg
• 1/4 pint/145ml milk

For the icing

• 2oz/60g margarine
• 7oz/150g icing sugar
• 1oz/30g cocoa powder
• 2 tblsp boiling water
• 1 tblsp milk

Melt the sugar, syrup, margarine in the microwave (start off on high for 30 seconds and see how it goes).

Once all melted together, mix well and then slowly add rest of ingredients, adding the flour and cocoa powder bit by bit and mixing well.

Once cake mix is smooth and combined pour into a greased plastic/silicone mould (I use a tupperware ring mould which is ace but this kind of thing would work as well, a ring mould is the best shape for it).

Cook in microwave for 4 1/4 mins on high, until the cake mix is just cooked, don't overcook it as the cake will carry on cooking even when you remove it from the microwave.

Let the cake stand for at least 10 minutes, until it starts to shrink away from the mould sides. The turn out onto a plate and leave to cool.

Whilst cake is cooling put all icing ingredients into a jug and melt in microwave for 15 seconds, then mix together and give 10 seconds more in the microwave. Mix again and allow to cool.

Once cake cool, ice with fudge frosting.

When eating, either serve hot or cold, for hot, cut a chunk and put in microwave for 20 seconds on high and icing will turn into fudge sauce.

Carrot Cake. Lush.

Compiled from different recipes (as usual!!) with a bit of my own tinkering too. Main credit goes to Monsieur Rankin. And Becky Boo.

• 250g unsalted butter
• 4 eggs
• 375g soft brown sugar
• grated rind 2 oranges
• 450g carrots grated
• Juice of 1 orange
• 250g plain flour
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 150g chopped pecans
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp salt
• About 150g mixed raisins and sultanas (just kinda threw some in!!)

FOR TOPPING

• 225g philidelphia (other brands are available)
• 65g butter
• 400g icing sugar
• 1tsp vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 180C or gas 4

Grease 9 inch cake tin

Beat butter, sugar and orange rind.

Slowly add the eggs beating well

Fold in carrot, pecans and fruit

Add vanilla extract and orange juice

Fold in sift flour, mixed spice, salt and bicarb

Bake for 45 - 60 minutes

NB I had too much mixture left so experimented and made some carrot cake muffins!!

For topping, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the icing sugar and vanilla essence. Lavish over cake indulgently and enjoy. Yum yum.