Chocolate Brownie Meringue Cake for World Baking Day

Today is World Baking Day...last year it was 'Caking', this year it is Baking Brave. If you check out the World Baking Day website, you'll find 100 different recipe increasing in difficulty from 1 to 100. All you have to do is choose your level and then get baking!

My initial thought was to go straight to recipe 100 but then decided that it was probably actually better to pick something that I'd really enjoy baking and that other people would enjoy eating, so I plumped for level 91 which falls into the category of 'I bake, therefore I am!'. The recipe in question is a Chocolate Brownie Meringue Cake from World Baking Day Ambassador Miranda Gore-Brown who you may remember was a finalist on the Great British Bake Off. I chose this recipe as what's not to love about chocolate brownie, meringue, hazelnuts, raspberries and lashings of cream!

I'm not really a brownie aficionado but this was a really simple recipe to follow, it contains chocolate, icing sugar, margarine, eggs and flour. The brownie base was baked for 8 minutes before taking it out of the oven half cooked, at which point the hazelnut meringue was spread on top and it was then baked for a further 25 minutes.

Once the brownie and meringue was cooled the two halves were removed from their tins. In order to do this, a knife had to be run around the tin but this did give me a slightly scruffy finish. The final touch was to whip up some cream, icing sugar and raspberries to give the lovely pink layer in the middle.

I'm a bit of a baking perfectionist but I think for this one it is impossible to get a really smart finish, however the slightly dishevelled appearance is part of the charm of this cake I think! Cutting it neatly is also a bit of a challenge.

This is a lovely recipe which everyone will enjoy, it might be particular nice if you have friends with kids coming over for Sunday lunch for example. If you'd like to give it a whirl you can find Miranda's recipe here.

I'm entering this cake into this month's Calendar Cakes challenge as the theme this month is Baking Brave. So if you've baked anything for World Baking Day you can enter it here. We're also after any bakes that you have made in the month of May that are out of your comfort zone or particularly challenging and bear in mind that everyone's level of challenge is different, so whatever your own personal triumph, you're welcome to enter it into Calendar Cakes.

Calendar Cakes is hosted on alternate months here at Laura Loves Cakes and over at Dolly Bakes. You can find out the theme on the first of each month :-)

Rose Petal & Pistachio Meringues

I recently made some chocolate leaves using rose leaves. The roses actually ended up serving a triple purpose...making the chocolate leaves, adding some aesthetic appeal to my lounge and the third use was making rose petal sugar.

I made the rose petal sugar by putting 240g of caster sugar and a small handful of rose petals into a pestle and mortar and then gently bashing them together. Both the sugar and rose petals were then tipped into a jar and sealed. This mixture was in the jar for two weeks before I used it.

The recipe calls for chopped pistachios which were incorporated into the meringue mixture and sprinkled on top.

These were simple to make and the mixture made about 8 moderately sized meringues that were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

These rose petal and pistachio meringues actually turned out better than I expected, although I did think they'd have a slightly rosier taste. I think if I made them again I might try 2 teaspoons of rose water but overall a tasty bake which I imagine could be modified by using other flavours such as orange water etc.

Ingredients

4 egg whites, at room temperature
2 tsp rose water
60g shelled, unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped

Rose Petal Sugar

240g caster sugar
small handful of rose petals

In order to make these meringues you will need to make the rose petal a week or two in advance. I washed my rose petals first but if you do this they need to be thoroughly dry before using them. Put the sugar and rose petals in a pestle and mortar and gently bash them together before tipping both the petals and sugar into a dry jar which should then be sealed.

Whenever you make meringues always ensure there is no grease in the bowl or on the whisk, they should be really clean. Prepare a baking sheet or tray with baking parchment which should be non-stick and preheat the oven to 150c/130c fan/gas 2.

Seperate the eggs into whites and yolks and then put the 4 egg whites in your clean bowl, beat until stiff. Add the rose petal sugar, a spoonful at a time, to the egg whites whilst whisking. Beat well after each spoonful until you have added all the sugar, this should make the mixture stiff and glossy.

Add the rosewater...the initial recipe said 1 tsp but the meringues didn't necessarily taste that much of rose, so if I was going to make these again I might add 2 tsp...but you can choose. Also add two thirds of the pistachios and fold them in with a metal spoon.

The mixture is now ready, spoon it onto the baking tray in large dollops. Scatter the remaining third of the pistachios over the top of the meringues before putting them straight in the oven. As soon as they go in you should turn the temperature down to 110c/90c fan/gas 1/4. Bake the meringues for an hour and a quarter, you should be able to lift them off the baking sheet without them sticking. Finally, turn off the oven and leave the meringues in until they dry out and the oven temperature has cooled. This could even be overnight. These meringues will keep in an airtight tin for 3-4 days.

*  Adapted from Christmas Heaven Magazine

Baklava for AlphaBakes

This month the magic AlphaBakes letter is 'B'...it's randomly generated and then to participate in the challenge you can make anything beginning with B or which has an ingredient beginning with B. This is quite handy really as Baklava has been on my 'to make' list for quite a while now but has never quite made it to the top...so here it is my Baklava for April's AlphaBakes! The challenge is hosted by The More Than Occasional Baker and Caroline Makes.

Baklava always looks so tempting...and what's not to like...pastry and nuts soaked in butter and sugar...heaven! Not so good for anyone on a diet though...but if we don't mention it, it can't be true! This version also has cardamom and orange blossom water in, giving it a nice aromatic flavour and a light delicate flavour with the orange blossom.

I used the following recipe adapted from BBC recipe but Nigella also has a good one here. The only other thing is I would have liked to have chopped the nuts a bit finer but I didn't have a food processor handy at the time. I also only had a top and a bottom layer of filo...if I were to make it again I think I'd add some more layers inbetween. I would also consider using a disposable tray as this might help to get the first few out as it can be quite difficult, with a disposable tray you could cut down the side!

Why not give AlphaBakes a go...I've got my second B in the oven as we speak!

Ingredients

18 sheets Filo pastry

225g unsalted butter

225g pistachios and walnuts, mixed and roughly chopped

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cardamom

Syrup

350g granulated sugar

300ml water

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp orange blossom water

Butter a 17cm x 28 cm baking tray, I didn't have this size so I just used the closest thing. Then preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan/gas 4. Put the butter over a low heat until it is melted. Lay 10 sheets of the filo into the baking tray, each one should be brushed with melted butter before adding the next.

The nuts should already be roughly chopped, they can then be mixed in a bowl with the sugar and cardamom. This mixture is then spread over the pastry in the baking tray. Finally, layer on the remaining sheets of filo, again buttering between each sheet. Once complete, take a sharp knife and cut in the diamond pattern through the top layers. To bake, put in the preheated oven for 20 minutes before reducing the temperature to 150c/130c fan/gas 2 and baking for another 30-40 minutes. The top should be a bit puffy and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little.

The final step which gives Baklava it's wonderful sugary taste is to make the syrup. Heat the sugar, water, lemon juice and orange blossom water in a saucepan, preferably heavy-based. It should be over a medium heat for around 20 minutes until it forms a syrup. When ready, allow to cool slightly before pouring into the slits you cut earlier. Leave to cool completely and then cut into individual diamond shaped pieces. I also served mine with a squeeze of honey over the top!

Fruity Christmas Biscotti

Making home-made gifts is all the rage at the moment, so I thought I'd try these Christmasy biscotti to give to some of my friends and family. They were surprisingly easy to make and they live up to their fruity billing! I particularly enjoyed making these as they're a bit different from your normal bake. I also used Lakeland's Magic Non-Stick Liner to line my baking trays which worked a treat and is completely reusable...just wipe it down and use again next time!

350g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp mixed spice
250g golden caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 orange, zest coarsely grated
85g raisins
85g dried cherries
50g blanched almonds
50g shelled pistachios

Pre-heat the oven to 180c/160c fan/gas 4. Then mix the sugar, flour, baking powder and mixed spice together. Beat up the eggs and then pour in to the dry mixture and add the zest. Combine with a spoon until the mixture starts to clump together, at which point you can use your hands to bring the dough together. Finally, add the fruit and nuts and mix until they are evenly spread throughout the mixture.

When ready, turn the dough out on to a floured surface and split it into 4. Each piece can then be rolled into a sausage, roughly 30cm long. You will need 2 baking trays lined with baking paper, put 2 sausages on each tray, well spaced. The biscotti then go in the oven for 25-30 minutes, the dough should rise and spread but still be pale.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly on a wire rack. Turn down the oven to 140c/120c fan/gas 1. When the biscotti are sufficiently cool, cut them on the diagonal into slices of around 1cm thick. Lay them back on the baking sheets on their sides, bake on the first side for 15 minutes before turning them over and baking on the other side, again for 15 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack and then store in an airtight tin. They'll last for up to a month. Alternatively, package in a gift bag tied with ribbon and give as gifts to your nearest and dearest!

If you wish they can be frozen at the end of the first 25 minute bake. Freeze flat on a baking sheet before bagging them up. They'll last 2 months in the freezer and when you wish to complete the baking it will just take 20 minutes on each side from frozen...simple!

* Adapted from BBC Good Food