Double chocolate cupcakes

Ingredients:

200g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
50g cocoa
drop of vanilla essence
120g caster sugar
3 eggs
100g melted chocolate
100g butter
40 ml  milk

Butter cream icing:
100g melted dark chocolate
250g butter
200g icing sugar
25ml milk

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcius.
2. Sift cocoa, flour and baking powder into a bowl.
3. In a secong bowl cream together the the butter and sugar until pale and creamy then add vanilla essence. Then beat eggs in one at a time.
4. Add half dry mix to butter mix followed by half the milk then repeat untill all flour mix is added to wet mix.
5. Fold in the melted chocolate.
6. Fill cupcake cases in a cupcake tin and bake in oven for 15 to 20 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool.
7. To make the butter cream fosting beat the butter until soft and the sifted icing sugar and cooled melted chocolate add milk to loosen if too thick.
8. Spread or pipe the the frosting over the cooled cupcakes.

Homemade chocolate truffles

Ingredients:
400g dark  chocolate (50-70% cocoa)
400ml double cream
50g butter
50g caster sugar
 
Flavourings:
Rum and raisins
Orange liqueur
Mint
coffee
chopped nuts

Decoration:
chopped nuts
melted white chocolate or milk chocolate
grated chocolate
cocoa powder

1. Break chocolate and butter into a large mixing bowl
2. Place cream and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
3. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and butter, stir gently until  all chocolate and butter is melted.
4. Seperate into different bowls for each desired flavour.
5. Leave to set in a cool dry place over night.
6. Roll into balls about an inch in diameter.
7. Decorate how desired.

Battenburg Cake

I made this cake for one of my closest friends, that i live with at uni, to celebrate the end of our second year exams. Iknew that she like the mini ones ny Mr Kipling so idecided to make the the genuine article.

Ingredients:

• 200 grams butter
• 200 grams caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 200 grams self-raising flour
• 2tbsp milk
• red food couring
• apricot or strawberry preserve
• 350g marzipan

1. Pre-heat an oven to 180 degrees celcius.
   
2. Either grease and line 2 26 x 16.5 cm oblong tins or grease and line one and place a a folded piece of parchment paper lengthways in the tin to seperate the two halves.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together until thick, fluffy and pale.
4. Beat in the eggs into the mixture adding a little flour if the mixture begins to seperate.
5. Fold in the remaining flour and add the milk.
6. Spoon half the mixture one of the prepared tins or into one half of the segregated tin.
7. Place a couple of drops of the red colour into the remaining mixture and spoon into the other tin/half of the tin. Level the surfaces of the tins to avoid peaks.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes and then leave to cool completely before attempting to handle.
9. Cut the cakes so that you have 2 equal sized strips of each colour, trim away any edges.
10. Spead the preserve of your choice on the cake pieces and stick the strips together in a chequered fashion.
    
11. Role out the parzipan on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar. Place the cake on the marzipan and fold it around the cake so that each of the four sides are covered. cut off any excess marzipan.
    

I appreciate that this isnt the greatest photo in the world but this is kind of what this cake is supposed to look like.

Top tip: I founfd that the preserve is easier to spread without making a mess if the knife is dipped in hot water first.