#chocolate #traybakes #desserts #sweettreats #cookingwithkids

Surprise Cake (Guess the Secret Ingredient)

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If like me you love trolling through old recipe books, you find some pretty weird stuff.  Don’t start me on how wrong Fanny Craddock’s mincemeat omelette is.

Recipes with weird ingredients largely came about because times were hard or normal ingredients just weren’t available.

This cake dates back to the depression, and was popular again during World War 2 when the secret ingredient was used when butter was rationed.

If you haven’t guessed yet, the secret ingredient is Campbell’s condensed tomato soup.  Before you get grossed out, I promise the cake doesn’t taste of tomato soup, it actually tastes great.

This isn’t the depression era recipe (because lets face it butter makes everything taste better).  I’ve used a cream cheese frosting and grated chocolate but you could also use nuts as a topping too.  I baked this as a sheet pan cake, but you can also split it between two 6 inch cake tins if you want to make this as a two tier cake.

Ingredients

120 Grams Butter (room temperature)

200 Grams Sugar

2 Eggs

1 Tsp Vanilla extract

210 Grams Plain flour

1 Tsp Baking soda

1 1/2 Tsp Ground ginger

1 1/2 Tsp Ground cinnamon

1 Can Campbell’s condensed tomato soup (do not add water)

For the topping

200 Grams Cream cheese

100 Grams Icing sugar

50 Grams Dark chocolate (grated)

Method

  • Preheat your oven to 170 degrees (Celsius)
  • Using a stand mixer or electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
  • Add the eggs, one at a time.  Mix well, and don’t panic if the mix looks like it’s curdled a little.
  • Add the vanilla extract, and dry ingredients and mix until it forms a smooth batter
  • Add the tomato soup concentrate to the mix, and fold in thoroughly with a spatula until there no more streaks in the mix
  • Line a 9in x 12 in cake tin with baking parchment.
  • Pour the mix into the cake tin and spread evenly, make sure to get the mix right into the corners.  Bake for 45-50 minutes before checking the centre with a tooth pick (if it comes our clean the cake is ready, if not give it a few extra minutes)
  • Allow the cake to cool completely before topping with the frosting
  • To make the icing, whisk the icing sugar and cream cheese together drape a tea towel over the bowl to stop the icing sugar billowing up
  • Once all the ingredients are combined, spread evenly across the the cake which should now completely cold
  • Sprinkle with grated chocolate or crushed walnuts

Mini Egg/Chocolate Chip Cookies

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I love eating things other people make and one of my workmates made these and I was instantly addicted. So a big shout out to Christina for being kind enough to give me the recipe.

Christina’s recipe uses dark chocolate (either chips or chopped up chocolate), but because it coming up to Easter I decided to use smashed up mini eggs which are my total downfall. These cookies are also a great way to use up any random chocolate you have lying about after Easter.

You can make the dough a day or two before and keep it in the fridge so that all you have to do is cut it and bake when you need them (if you’re having friends over this means less last minute scurrying around and you appear like a serene domestic goddess with an oven full of delicious cookies)

Ingredients

350 Grams Plain Flour

1 Tsp Bicarbonate of soda

1 Tsp Salt

225 Grams Butter (room temperature and cut into chunks to make it easier to cream with the sugar)

175 Grams Soft brown sugar

50 Grams Caster sugar

1 Tsp Vanilla extract

2 Eggs

350 Grams Smashed up mini eggs (or use chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate)

Makes 24

Method

  • In a bowl combine all you dry ingredients (don’t add the chocolate yet)
  • In a separate bowl combine the butter. both types of sugar, add vanilla extract and mix until creamy, I used a stand mixer for this which makes it a lot easier but an electric whisk will also do the job
  • Beat the eggs into the butter mixture, and then gradually add the flour. Then stir in our chocolate pieces (I folded them in using a large spoon so that they didn’t get too broken up an electric whisk.
  • Split the dough into 2 halves, and roll each half into a sausage shape roughly 5cm in diameter and wrap each sausage in cling film before chilling in the fridge for at least half an hour
  • Preheat you oven to 190 degrees (Celsius), you’ll probably need a couple of baking sheets, and these should be lined with baking parchment
  • Cut the chilled cookie dough into 2cm think slices and transfer to you baking sheet leaving room for them spread as they cook. Bake for 10-12 minutes

Mini Egg Rocky Road Bars

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You can make an almost infinite variety of rocky road bars. The key thing is include lots of different textures.

I used mini eggs because they are basically my crack cocaine. My other more recent addiction is Bishoff biscuits. I’ve used these here, but you can use any type of crunchy biscuit or cookie you prefer.

Ingredients

400 Grams Chocolate (I used half milk and half dark chocolate, but use what you prefer)

125 Grams Bishoff biscuits

100 Grams Marshmallows

250 Grams Mini Eggs

3 Tbsp Golden Syrup

50 Grams Butter

Method

  1. Break the chocolate in to chunks, and add to a microwave proof bowl along with the butter and golden syrup. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time until the butter and chocolate have melted
  2. Place the biscuits in a freezer bag any bash with a rolling pin (if you don’t have one a tin can will do). The biscuits should be be broken into bits but not too small or all crumbs. Put the broken biscuits in a large bowl
  3. Add half the mini eggs to the freezer bag and bash these too. Add to the broken biscuits and add the Marshmallows
  4. Pour two thirds of the chocolate mix into the bowl and stir until combined. Line a 12cm X 18cm dish with baking paper and transfer the rock road mix into it. Spread evenly.
  5. Cover the rocky road mix with the chocolate you held back. I use a wet palate knife to smooth the top (an ordinary knife is fine if you don’t have one, as rocky roads are bumpy)
  6. Sprinkle the remaining half of the crushed mini eggs and refrigerate for a minimum 1-2 hours before cutting into slices

Super Simple Shortbread

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Sweet, buttery and delicious.

I love shortbread, but I had horrendous flashbacks of trying make it in Home Economics class in school. It was a nightmare to roll out, stuck to the counter top, and was impossible to cut out and transfer to the tin neatly.

All this changed, when I discovered this recipe from the amazing women who run the The Edible Flower, in Ballyinahinch. This recipe is incredibly easy, doesn’t need to be rolled out, and is easy to cut into neat fingers for serving. These also make lovely little gifts if you fancy them up in a nice bag, or tin.

Who doesn’t love someone who turns up with a sweet treat.

Ingredients

315 Grams Butter

350 Grams Self raising flour

120 Grams Caster sugar (plus a little extra to dust the finished shortbread with)

120 Grams Corn flour

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 1/2 Tsps Cinnamon (optional)

If you’re a complete neat freak you can use a ruler to make sure all your shortbread is cut to the same size. As you can see, mine aren’t quite perfect.

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 140 degrees
  2. Melt the butter in a pam over a low heat, or in a microwave in short bursts
  3. Weigh out all your other ingredients in a bowl and add the melted butter
  4. Mix until it is a soft dough, making sure there are no floury bits
  5. Press the dough into a 20cm x 30cm Swiss roll tin. You can smooth the top with a palette knife if you want it completely smooth, but don’t worry if you don’t
  6. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes. Once cooked, cut into fingers, while still warm. Sprinkle lightly with a little caster sugar
  7. Makes 28 large or 56 small fingers of shortbread. This shortbread freezes really well, and also makes really nice gifts for people