Chocolate Éclairs with Crème Légère

Finished Éclairs

Today myself and Katie thought we'd make something that we've read a lot about and seen a lot of, but never actually attempted ourselves before; crème légère, which is essentially crème pâtissière, or custard (the thing we'd never made from scratch before) and whipped cream. It was a pleasant surprise how easy the crème pâtissière was to make, and how delicious it was with the extra cream folded through too! The éclairs recipe is adapted from a BBC GoodFood post, and was also surprisingly quick and simple to make, the effort is definitely worth it! 

Chocolate Éclairs with Crème Légère

Makes approx. 16 éclairs

Egg yolk mix before adding milk

Ingredients:

Éclairs:

140g plain flour

pinch of sugar

pinch of salt

125ml milk

125ml water

100g butter

4 eggs

Adding flour to choux mix

Crème Légère:

300ml milk

50g caster sugar

2 egg yolks

1.5tsp vanilla extract

4tsp plain flour

4tsp cornflour

300ml double cream

100g milk chocolate for coating

200oC oven/180oC fan oven

Method:

Chilling dough

1. Start by making the crème pâtissière filling; first heat the milk until almost boiling in a saucepan. Meanwhile, mix together the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla in a bowl, then stir in the flours, a couple of tsp at a time, to a smooth paste. 

2. Once the milk is almost boiling, gradually whisk it into the egg yolk mix, pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over a high heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 mins until thick; keep stirring it vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth. 

3. Pour into a bowl, lay a sheet of cling film directly on the crème pâtissière surface, then cool and chill until you’re ready to fill the éclairs.

Smooth dough with eggs

4. Put the milk, water and butter into a medium saucepan and gently heat so the butter melts but the liquid doesn’t boil. Once the butter has completely melted, increase the heat until the liquid comes to a fast rolling boil. 

5. Immediately turn off the heat, tip in the flour, sugar and salt and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until you a have a smooth dough that comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the pan and leave to cool until it's almost room temperature - to speed this up you can spread it over a large dinner plate and place in the freezer for one minute.

Piping dough

6. Once the dough mix has cooled, scrape it back into your pan. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and then gradually beat them into the dough mix, approx a quarter at a time. Using your wooden spoon, beat after each addition until you have a smooth, shiny mixture.

7. Line a baking tray, or two, with baking paper and draw on 16/18 10cm long lines, at least 5cm apart. Turn the paper over so the lines are on the underside of the paper, or they'll transfer onto the bottom of the éclairs.

8. Fill a piping bag with the dough (use a 1/2cm nozzle), and pipe along the guidelines. Smooth any points on the éclairs down with a wet finger.

9. Bake in the middle of a preheated oven for 20/25 minutes, or until crisp and golden.

Eclairs after baking

10. Once baked, make a small slit in the base of each eclair with a sharp knife, turn upside down and bake for another 5 minutes to dry out the pastry cases. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.

11. Whilst they're cooling, you can make the crème légère; whisk the double cream until thick and it stands in strong peaks. Fold the cream into your cooled crème pâtissière.

12. Once the éclairs are cool, spoon the crème légère into a piping bag (this time with a long, thin nozzle), and gently fill each éclair with a generous helping of the crème légère - they'll feel heavy when they're full.

Creme Legere before piping

13. Melt the chocolate carefully in the microwave in a shallow bowl and then dip each of the filled eclairs into the chocolate, so they have an even coating. Set on a plate and leave the chocolate to set - it's best to keep them in the fridge.

These won't keep for very long once they're filled, approx. 1 day before they go soggy, but they're so delicious and moreish they won't be around for long! There's lots of alternative toppings you can put on them too, such as sprinkling with flaked almonds or chopped hazelnuts - they're a great starting point for lots of experimentation.

Happy Baking,

The Baking Ginger xx

Finished éclairs!

This is just something I saw this week and fell completely in love with! Enjoy!

Caramelised Onion and Stilton Multigrain Spiral Rolls

Finished Rolls

Obviously I'm a fan of all baked goods, but these might be the best thing I've ever made; multigrain rolls are packed with sweet caramelised onions and punchy blue cheese. They’re great on their own (warm is best, or straight out of the oven!) or with a herby side salad or bowl of tomato soup. Cooking them side by side makes for crispy tops and soft, bouncy sides, but the fillings would be equally delicious worked through the whole dough to make a large loaf – whatever suits your needs!

Dough, pre-rising

Caramelised Onion and Stilton Multigrain Spiral Rolls

Makes 16/18 rolls

Ingredients:

Dough:

500g multigrain bread flour (or strong white)

25g/1oz marg or butter

2 tsp salt

2 tsp/7g dried yeast

350ml warm water

Filling:

4 onions, very finely sliced

2 tsp butter or marg

2 tsp sugar (any variety)

Salt and pepper to season

225g stilton (or use any variety of cheese you like)

Doubled dough

milk to glaze

200oC oven/180oc fan oven

Method:

1. Rub the marg or butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add the yeast and salt (to separate sides of the bowl) and mix.

2. Add the warm water in stages until the dough comes together but isn't sticky.

Soft, golden caramelised onions

3. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

4. Place into an oiled bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (at least 1 hour).

5. Whilst the dough is rising make the caramelised onions. Cook the sliced onions in a saucepan with a little oil over a low heat for 10 minutes, or until very soft and translucent, do not let the onions colour. Once soft, add the butter and sugar, continue to heat gently until everything is combined. Season to taste. Sieve the onions to remove excess liquid and set aside to cool.

Covered dough with fillings

6. Once doubled in size, turn the risen dough out onto a floured surface, knead gently for 30 seconds to knock it back and then roll the dough out into a rectangle (approx. 1m x 50cm).

7. Cover the rectangle evenly with the onions and blue cheese (broken into small pieces), tack one of the long edges to the work surface and then roll from the opposite long edge like a swiss roll - do it as tightly as you can. (I left a small portion of the dough without stilton as some of the people I was making it for don't like it).

8. Cut the ~1m long roll into approx. 5cm portions (you should get between 16/18 individual rolls, plus some scraggy end bits which you can just bake with the rolls).

Mid rolling

9. Place the rolls, cut side up into greased baking dishes; I used a rectangle dish and a round dish just to mix up the final loafs you’ll get.

10. Cover the rolls with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise again in a warm place for approx. 30 minutes.

11. Brush the rolls with milk and bake in the centre of a preheated oven (200oC) for 35/40 minutes, or until golden brown. Because of the oils from the cheese and onions you can't tap these rolls on the base to test for a hollow sound; you have to do it by the colour of the dough and the feel when pressed, you're looking for crispy exteriors that spring back when pressed. Turn out of the trays and leave to cool on a wire rack, or eat straight away... 

Sliced rolls before 2nd proofing

No two ways about it, these are delicious! They'll keep for up to a week in an air tight container, it's nice to reheat them in the oven for 10 minutes to refresh them if you're keeping them this long.

Happy Baking!

The Baking Ginger xx

Finished Roll!

Ready for the oven

Rye and Raisin Loaf

Finished, sliced loaf

I made this with a good friend as a revision/dissertation break; it's an adaptation of James Morton's recipe (he was on the Great British Bake Off a few years ago). I’ve never used rye flour before, but have eaten plenty of it as toast covered in butter – it makes some of the best toast ever in my opinion! This is a really lovely loaf, the sweetness of the raisins with the malty flavour of the rye is great, and it does make great toast too!

Dough being rested

Rye and Raisin Loaf

Makes one large loaf

Ingredients

200g wholemeal (dark) rye flour

300g strong white flour

2 tsp/ 7g dried yeast

2 tsp/10g salt

150g raisins (soaked overnight in coffee or water)

V.sticky dough  post kneading

375g tepid water

220oC oven/200oC fan oven

Method

1. Combine the flours, yeast and salt (to opposite sides of the bowl). Add the raisins and enough water to make a wet dough.

2. Place your dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes (doesn’t need to be in a warm place). Once rested, knead for at least 10 minutes or until really stretchy and smooth - the dough will be very soft and sticky at this point, so 'play with until stretchy and smooth' might be better advice than to try and knead it!

Risen dough

3. Place back in the oiled bowl, cover and leave to proof for one hour to 90 minutes, or until doubled in size.

4. Once doubled, turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and shape into an oval (or any other shape you fancy!). Place on an oiled baking tray and leave to rise for another hour, or until doubled in size. Just before the loaf is ready to bake put the oven on full whack to get it really hot, then before you put the loaf in turn it down to 220/200oC.

5. Score the top of the loaf, with random slashes or a pattern, whatever you like, and bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 35/40 minutes until dark brown and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap the base. Leave to cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Shaped, before 2nd rise

This loaf will keep for up to a week in an airtight container, and like a said, it makes great toast, with peanut butter or cheese for a sweet/savoury combo!

Happy Baking!

The Baking Ginger xx

Finished loaf!

Scored, before baking

Ultimate Chocolate Celebration Cake

This is a recipe I've inherited from my Gran, which she has adapted from a Mary Berry recipe. It's my 'go to' chocolate cake for birthdays or special occasions, it's often requested! The plain chocolate in the ganache means this cake is rich, but not overly sweet, it's a more grown up flavour; a very popular one!

Ultimate Chocolate Celebration Cake

This makes a big cake, but it’s perfect for birthdays or other celebrations; it’ll easily cut into 20 generous helpings.

Ingredients:

4oz cocoa powder
12tbsp boiling water
6 large eggs
4fl oz milk
12oz self raising flour
2tsp baking powder
8oz marg/butter
20oz caster sugar

500g plain chocolate, chopped (good quality)
500ml double cream
(6 tablespoons apricot jam – optional)
Variety of chocolate sprinkles to decorate (optional)

160oC fan oven/180oC other ovens

2 x 8x10in rectangular baking tins (at least 3in deep) greased and lined

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl make a paste using the cocoa powder and water; add the water gradually and beat well after each addition until the cocoa comes together into a thick, smooth paste that looks like melted chocolate.
2. Add the remaining cake ingredients and mix well – it’ll form a thick batter. Divide the batter equally between your two cake tins and make a slight indent in the middle of the batter so they’ll rise level.
3. Bake the cakes in the middle of a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until the cakes are coming away from the edge of the tin and a sharp knife or knitting needle comes out clean when inserted into the middle of each cake. (Check on them halfway through baking it check they’re not getting too brown).
4. Once they’re cooked turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely; don’t be tempted to ice them too early or your icing will melt and ruin your cake.
5. Once the cakes are cooled you can make the ganache for filling and topping your cake. If you like apricot jam you can heat the jam in a pan over a low heat until it melts and then brush over each cake, it makes the ganache stick better, but I don’t like it so I don’t bother – it makes little difference.
6. To make the ganache put the cream and chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir constantly as it melts. Do not let the mixture boil.
7. Once all the chocolate has melted take the bowl off the heat and leave it to cool until it’s tepid, approx 10 minutes – then you can assemble the cake!
8. Begin by covering one cake in ganache, put onto a cake board/large plate, put the other cake on top and cover in ganache. Start in one corner and fill in the gap between the two cakes with ganache, as well as covering the sides of the cake at the same time. Use a flat bladed palette knife to smooth the ganache.
9. Once you’ve covered the whole cake cover the top with sprinkles if you're going to and leave it for at least two hours in a cool place to let the ganache set. The cake will keep for at least a week in an airtight container, it’s great served with cream for a real treat!

This really is a crowd pleaser, the ganache icing gives it a real wow factor, and you can have fun with extra decorations too!

Happy Baking,


The Baking Ginger xx

Supersized Carrot Cake

Finished slice of cake!

Today I made a massive carrot cake for a coffee morning tomorrow, it'll cut into 45 generous pieces, but I thought I'd just put the original recipe in here - I tripled it! It's an adaptation of the BBC GoodFood carrot cake recipe, but with extra carrots and spices to make it really moist and delicious!

It has the added benefit of being dairy free, so if you've got friends coming over with dietary requirements this is the cake for them!

Wet ingredients

Carrot Cake Traybake

 Makes approx. 16 generous portions

Ingredients

175g light muscovado sugar

175ml sunflower or veg oil

3 large eggs , lightly beaten

150g grated carrots (about 3 medium)

150g raisins/sultanas

grated zest of 1 large orange

175g self-raising flour

Adding dry ingredients

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp grated nutmeg

175g icing sugar

enough orange juice to make a thick icing

160oC fan oven/180oC all other ovens

Method

1. Line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment. The easiest way to do this is to cut a long strip of parchment and lay it across the bottom and up the sides of the tin, it also makes the cake easier to lift out when its cooked.

Monster cake ready to bake!

2. Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, pour in the oil and add the eggs; mix until combined. Stir in the grated carrots, raisins/sultanas and orange rind.

3. To the wet ingredients add the flour, bicarb and spices. Mix until everything is combined - it'll be a very runny batter.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 40- 45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. It'll be quite a dark golden brown colour because of the muscavado sugar and spices.

5. Leave to cool slightly in the tin, turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Baked, pre-icing

6. Make the icing and cover the top of the cake with it. Leave to set then cut into pieces. 

This cake is best enjoyed with a cup of tea (what cake isn't?!), it'll keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container, but it's better eaten sooner rather than later - its too easy and tasty not to give it a go!

Happy Baking!

Iced - before slicing

The Baking Ginger xx

Fruit Scones

Scones ready for butter and jam!

Impulsively decided to make fruit scones this afternoon, don't know why, but they were just what we fancied! This is an adapted version of Mary Berry's plain scone recipe, so they're not too sweet, but the makes them even better with loads of butter (clotted cream is even better if you've got some...) and jam!

Fruit Scones

Makes 12 big scones

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients

16oz self raising flour

4oz marg/butter

4 tsp baking powder

2oz caster sugar, plus extra for the top

5oz dried fruit (I used 3oz sultanas + 2oz raisins)

2 eggs

0.5 pint milk

Bringing mix together

160oC fan oven/180oC other ovens

Method:

1. Rub the marg into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the baking powder, sugar and dried fruit and combine well.

2. Crack the eggs into a measuring jug, whisk, and make up to 0.5 pint with the milk.

3. Add the egg and milk mixture to the dry ingredients, keeping a little back to glaze the tops with.

4. Bring the mix together, I use a palette knife to stop it getting too messy. Tip out onto a well floured surface and knead lightly to bring it all together into a smooth, soft dough.

Rolled out dough

5. Roll out to an inch thick and cut out rounds using a 2 inch fluted cutter (or into whatever shape you want!). Place onto a lined baking sheet, with at least 2 inches between each scone. Repeat until all the mixture is used. (It should make 12).

6. Brush with the leftover egg and sprinkle on a small pinch of sugar onto the top of each scone.

7. Bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the scones are golden brown and firm to the touch in the centre.

Ready for the oven!

8. Leave to cool slightly - these are best eaten straight out of the oven so the butter melts, although they're just as good once they're cool.

They'll keep for 3 or 4 days in an air tight container, if there's any left!

These are so easy, a great stand by for when you fancy a sweet treat for afternoon tea!

Happy Baking!

The Baking Ginger xx

Dad’s Favourite: Cheese and Onion Pie

Finished pie and leftover cheese straws

This is Dad’s favourite; I remember having it as a special meal every Easter holiday in the caravan, with mushy peas or baked peas - it only comes out on special occasions now though! This is my Gran’s recipe that I’ve adapted by adding more cheese, I use a really strong cheddar, and the mustard brings out the flavour of it even more, if you’re not such a fan of this flavour you can use a milder cheese, but I think that kind of defeats the object of a cheese and onion pie…

Pastry coming together

Ingredients:

8oz plain flour

2oz lard/Trex (vegetarian alternative)

2oz butter/marg

large pinch salt and pepper

1.5tsp mustard powder

4oz grated extra mature cheddar

8tbsp cold water

3 medium onions

6oz grated extra mature cheddar, plus extra for the top of the pie

3 eggs

Pastry ready to chill

1tsp Dijon mustard

large pinch salt and pepper

1 beaten egg to seal and glaze

Oven at 170oC fan oven/190oC other ovens

7in pie dish, approx 2in deep

Method:

1. First make the pastry by rubbing the lard and marg into the flour and mustard powder until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the seasoning and cheese and mix well.

Rolled out pastry base

2. Add the water to the bowl slowly and mix with your hand until it comes together to make a soft, but not sticky, pastry. You might not need all of the water, or you might even need more.

3. Tip the pastry out onto a lightly floured surface and bring it together into a smooth pastry. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least two hours – the longer the better as it makes the pastry easier to work with.

4. Whilst the pastry is chilling it’s time to make the filling; finely dice the onions, cover with water and boil for 15 minutes, or until soft and translucent.

5. To make the filling add the cheese, eggs, mustard and seasoning to a large bowl and mix.

6. Once the onions are soft, drain them and leave to cool until they’re cold enough to touch so they won’t scramble the eggs, then add to the filling mix. Leave this to one side now until you’ve sorted your pastry.

Lined pastry base

7. Once the pastry is chilled cut it into 2 pieces, of one third and two thirds. Roll out the larger piece until it’s one and a half times larger than your pie tin. Pick up the pastry gently and lay it into the tin. Lift up the sides of the pastry so it falls into the corners and then gently press the pastry into the sides of the tin. Leave the edges over hanging.

8. Pour the pie filling into the pastry base and glaze the edges with beaten egg

9. Roll out the other half of the pastry on a floured surface until it’s 0.5cm thick and gently lay it over the top of the pie. Press the edges together so they seal and then use a sharp knife to cut away the excess pastry (you can use this to make decorations for the top of your pie, or make cheese straws by twisting strands of the pastry, which will take approx. 20 minutes to bake)

Base, filling and lid for construction

10. Crimp the edges of the pie, brush with egg, sprinkle with the extra cheese and cut two small slits in the top of the pie to let the steam escape.

11. Bake in the centre of a preheated oven on a preheated baking tray for 30-40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the centre of the pie is firm to touch – if the pie browns too quickly turn the oven temperature down slightly and keep cooking until the pie is firm to touch.

Pie ready for the oven!

This pie is tastiest warm or at room temperature, but of course is good straight out of the oven too if you can’t wait! Like I said, we love it with baked beans or mushy peas and some buttery mashed potatoes!

Finished piece of pie!

Happy Baking!

The Baking Ginger xx