Dark chocolate, Raspberry and Hazelnut Tarts

Planning a dinner party or romantic meal.... Skip the hassle of spending hours slaving in the kitchen and spend more time getting yourself ready, with this easy 15-20 minute tart recipe. This may well be one of the easiest desserts you could make, yet looks quite impressive.

This recipe can be substituted with making pastry instead of a biscuit base and using other fruits for example blueberries or strawberries, incase you have any picky eaters. 

The benefit of using mini-tartlet tins is that it produces a perfect sized portion for one and also with a removable bottom, means there is no stress trying to get an unbroken slice out of the tart tin ( I know you will all have been there at one point). 

Recipe:                                                               Makes 4

Dark Chocolate Ganche: 

• 200 ml Double Cream
• 150g Dark Chocolate
• Handful of Raspberrys

Biscuit base:

• 6 Hobnobs (or a biscuit of your choice, i.e digestives
• 2 Handfuls of Hazelnuts, i.e. about 15
• 30g Butter

Method:

1) Make the ganche: heat the cream either on the stove or in the microwave to just before boiling 

2) Add the broken up chocolate and stir 

3) To make the biscuit base: put the biscuits and hazelnuts in a sealed bag and vent your frustration on them with a spatula or weapon of choice, until they resemble breadcrumbs.

4) Melt the butter and add to the biscuit and hazelnut mixture.

5) Press into your tartlet tins (or one large tin)

6) Add the ganche on top and finish with raspberries.

7) Set in the fridge for 1 hour

Lemon Drizzle and Chocolate Birthday Cake

Brilliant Classy Birthday Cake

Two Tiered Lemon and Chocolate Cake

It was my fathers birthday, so I needed to make something special. I knew he liked both chocolate and lemon cake, so I thought what the heck lets do both! Plus, I knew Id have quite a few young ones round to scoff some cake and chocolate cake never goes a miss with them!

I also liked the contrast between the two, both in flavours and colours, I then blended both colours together with the blueberries and the caramelised lemon for decoration. 

Ingredients for Lemon Sponge

• 200g/7oz Caster Sugar
• 200g/7oz Unsalted Butter
• 2 Lemons, zest only
• 3 Eggs, 
• 200g/7oz Self-raising Flour

Method:

1) Beat the sugar, butter and lemon zest in a mixing bowl until pale and fluffy.

2) Gradually add the eggs, whisking after each addition until the egg is completely incorporated into the mixture before adding the next. 

3) Fold in the sieved flour using a metal spoon.

4) Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tins and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the sponge has risen and is cooked through. (The sponge is cooked through when a skewer inserted into 

the centre of the cake comes out clean.)

Lemon Butter Cream:

• 140g/5oz Butter, softened
• 280g/10oz Icing Sugar
• 1-2 tbsp Milk

5) Wait for the cake to cool and cover it fully in lemon butter cream (including in between each layer)

optional decoration:

-caramelised lemon zest and blueberries

6) Peel slices of lemon zest and cook in a pan with sugar and water (enough to cover the zest) until they start to caramelise. 

Large Chocolate sponge:

- 350g Unsalted Butter, 

- 350g Caster Sugar

- 6 Large Eggs

- 2tsp Vanilla extract

- 275g Plain Flour

- 75g Cocoa Powder

- 5tsp Baking Powder

- 4-5tsp Milk

Method:

1) Beat the sugar and butter in a mixing bowl until pale and fluffy.

2) Gradually add the eggs, whisking after each addition until the egg is completely incorporated into the mixture before adding the next. 

3) Add the vanilla extract.

4) Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together and  fold in using a metal spoon.

5) Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tins and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the sponge has risen and is cooked through.

To decorate and for the filling:  Dark Chocolate Ganche 

Cover the chocolate cake once cooled in the ganche.

Then add on the lemon cake and you're done!! 

Chocolate Fudge Ganche Filling

 Chocolate Fudge Ganche Filling

• 125ml double cream
• 150g good quality plain chocolate
• 100 grams Fudge (optional) otherwise just add 50grams more chocolate and 50 grams butter.

1) Melt together in a bowl over a low heat.

2) Leave to cool for 30 mins