Happy Valentines Day!

 Don't go breakin' my heart.

 my achy breaky marzipan heart. Just nibble em.

 These candy hearts are so easy to whip up, and make the poiiiifect present for that special person, whether its your fella, friend or you.

 All you need is love and:
a package of marzipan
100g melted chocolate
and sprinkle for decoration!

Directions
Roll marzipan into heart shapes, dip and cover in melted chocolate... allow to set in the fridge on a plastic sheet. too easy but so good!

 

HAPPY VALENTINES!

PEANUT BUTTER NUTTY CUPS.

I remember my first ever encounter with a reeses PB cup. It may have infact the first time I think I had had peanut butter to boot... a big day in history indeed.

It was the summer of 2005, I was still a obsessive skateboarder and spent every single day skating and hanging out in the heat with my best buddies.  It was also in this summer I first layed eyes on Mr Bake n Beebz.  Everytime I bite into a chocolate nutty butter filled treat, im sent zooming back to the funniest, innocent and happiest days of my youth. This one goes out to saggy jean, brace wearing 16 year old Alice.

I may not skate anymore (although Id get the urge every now and then.)  I still, and will always love chocolate and sweets haha!

PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

• 50g peanut butter
• 25g confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 150g chocolate of choice

1. Mix together peanut butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small bowl until smooth and well-combined. Taste and adjust sugar and salt as necessary. Set bowl in fridge to chill. 
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate in 20-second bursts until smooth and shiny. Drop teaspoonfuls of the melted chocolate evenly into prepared mini cases, reserving half of the remaining chocolate. Place  in fridge until chocolate is firm, up to 30 minutes. 
3. Once chocolate is firm, remove from fridge and remove peanut butter mixture . Top chocolate cups with teaspoonfuls of the peanut butter , pressing mixture down with your finger to smooth out. Top peanut butter with teaspoonfuls of the remaining melted chocolate. Return to fridge and chill until peanut butter cups are set. 

 

These are so easy to make, and all packaged up would be great as a foodie gift.

CAKE POPS!

As a thank you present I made my friend Charlotte some cake pops, she got me a paid temping job as receptionist at her office, so the least I could do was make her something sweet and chocolaty as a gift.

Using another of those delicious chocolate spreads I nabbed, (I used the chocolate coconut spread, I think this maybe my fave?!) I quickly rolled together some cake pops, dipped them in chocolate and shook lashings of sprinkles all over those babies.

These are so easy to make and there is absolutely no cooking involved, oh apart from just nuking the chocolate in a microwave.

Makes 8 lollipops
Ingredients 

• 250g (9oz) of Madeira sponge cake, bought or homemade. (For my gluten free version I used crumbled rusks!)
• 100g (4oz) two large tablespoons of chocolate spread.
• 100g (4oz) your choice of milk chocolate or dark or white, whichever you want to coat your finished pop with.
• A few drops of flavouring essence (you could try lemon, vanilla, coffee, almond again its your choice really, whatever takes your fancy.)
• Sprinkles
• wooden skewers

Method 

1. break and Crumble the cake or rusk into a bowl.
2. Add the chocolate spread to bind the cake crumb,  this gives a 'cookie dough' like texture to the finished pop.
3. Mix it all together with a spoon then your hands, it's ready when it looks like play dough.
4. Take even amounts of the dough, roll into balls a bit smaller than a golf ball. Pop the balls into the fridge, on a prepared tray/container lined with silicone paper, to firm up.
5. Melt the chocolate on a medium setting in the microwave, regulary checking and stirring to vaoid burning the chocolate.
6. take the balls from the fridge, dip the wooden sticks in chocolate and really get it stuck into the ball. 
7. Return the balls to the fridge to let the chocolate set.
8. Remove from the fridge once again and coat / roll each ball in the melted chocolate of choice, add sprinklings.  Return to the fridge to set.

For presentation, as they were a gift, when set, I put my finished cake pops in cellophane bags and add curled ribbon for a finishing touch. 

Gluten Free Stuffed French Toast + Review

Popping Candy and Marshmallow

Peanut Butter +chocolate chip +banana stuffed french toast

This is what Sunday mornings were made for, long lazy lay ins and comforting yums. As much as I love cereal and oats, It always feels like a special and somewhat luxurious treat to have a specially cooked breakfast, with out fail, it keeps me smiling all day long. (take note Mr Bake n Beebz if you want to avoid grumpy a Alice.) 

This week I was sent an amazing new range of 4 new spreads by Sainsbury's to try out along with a loaf to sample it with. In my delivery I was excited to receive popping candy chocolate and a peanut butter chocolate chip spread... They must of made these with Bake and Beebz in mind! I could have just had plain ol toast with lashings of spread on (which I did as well ;) but Its Sunday, I'm hungry and I want my special breakfast. now. thank you.

I cant tell you how long I have been meaning to indulge in making myself french toast, maybe years?!! anyway...TOO LONG. Well today I am rectifying this grave injustice and i'm taking it further to compensate by stuffing it with these extra special chocolate spreads.

In one corner I have popping candy chocolate + mini marshmallow and in the other peanut butter choc chip with banana stuffed french toast. Taste tasting these is going to be a very tough job, but someone has to do it! you can too... here's the recipe.

Ingredients
to make 2 sandwiches

4 Slices fresh Gluten Free Sliced Bread

2tsp skim or non dairy milk
1 egg white
1 tsp cinnamon
sweetener (optional)
For the stuffed part!
1 tbsp popping candy spread
6 mini marshmallows
1/2 small banana
1 tbsp peanut butter chocolate chip spread

1. Take the 4 slices of  GFbread and remove crusts
2. Spread 2 pieces of bread with PB/chocolate and top with chosen toppings and place another slice of bread on top.
3. With a fork or your fingers pinch together edges of bread securely.
4. In a bowl whisk together milk, cinnamon and egg and dip each piece in to the liquid.
5. Heat a frying pan on a medium flame, once hot carefully place the 'parcel' into pan and cooked on each side until golden brown. serve immediately!

 

We are non biased here at BnB I'm not affiliated with Sainsbury's but I am in love with them for conjuring up these spreads! The popping candy gave my toast a fun extra pop, mixed with the melted marshmallows made me feel like a very happy kid. Oh and you certainly can't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter, its a Bake n Beebz staple. good job Mr sainsbury's, Bake n beebz approved. 

 

GULTEN FREE + VEGAN CHOCOLOATE CUPCAKES

I whipped up some special cupcakes for a special occasion! These Anniversary Cupcakes tasted rich and decadent but aren't too naughty for the waistline... oh and there vegan aaaaaand Gluten Free. Its a miracle.

 

I did a little experimenting first....lab coat on and electric whisk plugged in. For my first recipe trial, I used chickpea gram flour and adapted a Babycakes recipe. For the second batch  I used only rice flour. The Babycakes recipe was very fudgey, I could just taste gram flour and didn't rise too well but...

After extensive taste tasting I was pleasantly surprised with how successful my rice flour cakes had turned out. they rose a treat, had a bouncy, spongy crumb and weren't too over overpoweringly chocolaty. WE HAVE A WINNER.

GLUTEN FREE AND VEGAN CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE!
Ingredients- makes 10 cupcakes

 Dry ingredients
110g rice flour
35g potato flour
50g cocoa powder
15g arrowroot
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt

100 ml coconut oil (melted)
100 ml applesauce
150 ml agave nectar
110 ml hot water

Directions.

1. Pre heat oven to 170 degrees C and line a muffin tin with paper cases.
2. In a bowl sift all dry ingredients and mix.
3. in a jug or bowl combine the wet ingredients and slowly pour into dry ingredients whilst electric mixer is on slow.
4. whisk until mixture is smooth, pour or spoon into cases.
5. bakes for 15- 18 minutes. 
6. allow to cool then frost and sprinkle those babies!

 These were so delicious! I used a chocolate vegan icing recipe to top them off!

what have you baked lately?
Have you ever tried vegan or gluten free baked goods?

Baking for the birthday boy... Chocolateiest Chocolate Cake!

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MR. BAKE N' BEEBZ!

 For the sepcial man in my life... a special cake!

 I asked Harry what sort ofcake he would like and asked for a chocolate one... and specifically not a 'healthy' chocolate one. So i went all out for this special occasion. In my head i was picturing recreating the massive one from matilda, always envied that kid and his cake.

Livin' the dream

 

 

The crack in the top sorta looks like a heart. nawwwww.

 I used a Nigella recipe, of coarse. her ol' faithful, favourite go to chocolate cake recipe... and now mine! Holy deliciousness, ate half of the batter before it reached the tin or oven (nothing new there) but it still made a beast of a sponge cake.

 Ingrediants

• 200g plain flour
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 40g best-quality cocoa
• 175g soft unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
• 150ml sour cream  

Directions as penned by Nige herself...

Method

1. Take everything out of the fridge so that all the ingredients can come to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C and line and grease your tin with removable base.
3. Now all you have to do is put all the cake ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarb, cocoa, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream - into a food processor and process until you have a smooth, thick batter. If you want to go the long way around, just mix the flour, sugar and leavening agents in a large bowl and beat in the soft butter until you have a combined and creamy mixture. Now whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, vanilla and eggs and beat this into your bowl of mixture.
4. pour batter into prepared tin and bake until a cake tester, or a thin skewer, comes out clean, which should be about 45 minutes, but it is wise to start checking at 35.
5. Remove the cake, in their tin, to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before turning out of the tin. Don't worry about any cracks as they will easily be covered by the icing later.  

 

I cut my cake in half and once cool spread white chocolate swirl chocolate spread over one half.

Popped the top on and spread on extra icing, I used melted milk chocolate with a bit of golden syrup spooned in, carefully placed on some buttons and stars for decoration, and bobs your uncle, you got a cake. A very chocolatey cake. Perfect.

Celebration dinner! I cooked pan seared, pesto pork medallions with a chedder, sour cream, sweet corn potato mash and veggies on the side. We are going to have a quite night in with Jersey Shore and a slab of cake. Goodnight.

Chocolate covered treats!

I gathered all the snacks I could find at my parent's house and decided to dip them in chocolate and throw all kinds of sprinkles all over them, as you do.

I decided to opt for salted pretzels and some scottish shortbread were to be generously doused in melted galaxy chocolate.
I broke up and placed the squares of a chocolate bar into a microwave safe bowl and zapped it on medium heat, checking and stiring regulary until all chocolate had softened.

  I then decorated each piece in white chocolate chips and multi-coloured sprinkles, maybe going a little bit over the top with sprinkles. It was very fun, if a little messy.

once satisfied with the ridiculously overboard amount of coatings and decorations, place them on to baking parchment and allow to cool and set. 

they couldn't set quick enough

Shortbread Pizza!