Fridge Cake

Here is how he did it

Ingredients
335g digestive biscuits
115g butter
50g granulated sugar
45ml golden syrup
100g plain chocolate
25g glazed cherries (optional)
25g flaked almonds (optional)
25g raisins (optional)
*Andy decided not to bother with anything resembling fruit or nut. He just added more chocolate.
Method
1. Weigh digestive biscuits. Put them in a plastic food bag and hit them with a rolling pin until they are just crumbs
2. Weigh butter, sugar and golden syrup and put them into a saucepan. Break the chocolate up and put them in the saucepan with the butter, sugar and syrup
3. Turn the heat on low and melt the ingredients in the pan
4. When the ingredients have melted turn off the heat and stir in biscuit crumbs until smooth
5. Next put in the cherries, almonds, raisins, etc (if you’ve decided to add them)
6. Spoon the mixture into a baking tray and smooth it down with a spatula or knife and put in the fridge to cool

*Andy’s handy hint: syrup is easier to measure if you heat the spoon first.
There you have it, cook on, lesson over!

Nicola’s Ebony and Ivory chocolate cake caused quite a stir in the office this morning. In fact, such was the impact, the entire Ebuyer Marketing team was inspired to pen a song about ebony and ivory and how the two should live in perfect harmony but we soon realised Sir Paul had beaten us to it by a good 27 years pipped at the post!

Here’s how she did it!

Doctor, Doctor .... it's death by chocolate

Ebony and Ivory Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

8 ounces of each of the following:
Margarine
Sugar
Eggs
Self Raising Flour

Method:

1. Cream the margarine and sugar together until pale and fluffy
2. Beat eggs together separately then add to sugar and margarine slowly, beat well
3. Sieve flour then add gradually to sugar margarine and egg mix
4. To make into chocolate cake; add the following to the above mix: 1 dessert spoon of Cocoa blended with a little hot water, mix well then add to the cake mix
5. Add chopped up chocolate or broken flake to the cake mixtures
6. Bake cakes in middle of oven at Gas 6 for about 50 mins, cake should spring back when pressed on top or insert skewer into centre if it comes out clean then cake is cooked.
7. Allow to cool well before assembling the cakes together using:
4 ounces of Margarine
8 ounces of Icing Sugar
8. Cream margarine until pale and soft add icing sugar and beat together carefully until creamy.
9. Use either as it is or add chocolate, spread onto one cake and place the other cake on top, this can also be used for the topping, spread and sprinkle with chocolate.

Decorating the Top

1. Place about 12 squares of Cooking Chocolate plain or milk into a microwave bowl cook on full power for 1 minute then stir cook on full power for 30 seconds then stir until all has dissolved.
2. Pour gently onto top of cake a little at a time, using a knife, run the chocolate all over the cake, keep adding the chocolate as much as you like, don’t be too worried if it runs off the sides, scatter with chopped chocolate or broken flake chocolate chips etc

When using chocolate for the cake covering it is best to use a sharp knife dipped in very hot water to cut through the chocolate, this helps to prevent the chocolate cracking and breaking.

Now that is a recipe bake fans death by chocolate? This is pure annihilation and Willy Wonka is behind the bomb, ENJOY

Though renowned as a wingman to the mug of traditional English tea, the origin of the scone is a Scottish one which would explain why our own Scotsman Rich was able to produce some of the best scones this side of the border, here is how he did it:

Rich’s “Don’t Call Them Skones” Scones

My favourite fillings - jam, clotted cream and a nice slice of Photoshop

Ingredients:
8oz self raising flour
3oz butter
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 tablespoon of sugar
Splash of whole milk

And don’t forget the filling! The Ebuyer crew munched their way through the following:
4 tubs of Cornish clotted cream
1 jar of raspberry jam
1 jar of strawberry jam
450g of fresh strawberries

For information on scones, check out this rather handy history of scones website I found.

It also makes mention of the kingdom of scone and the stone of destiny which I believe is the next title of a future Harry Potter spin-off, anyone? No?

Hint of Mint...Yes, Please!

Hand crafted with homegrown mint from his garden, this is how Gary created his trademark Maddock mint-delights:

Gary’s Mint Chocolate Cupcake Frenzy

Ingredients

For the cake mixture:
4 Eggs, whisked
8 oz Stork Cake Margarine
8 oz Demerara Sugar
2 oz Cocoa
6 oz wholemeal / plain white flour mix
1 desert spoon bicarbonate soda
Fresh organic finely chopped Chocolate Mint.

For the topping:
6 oz caster Sugar
2 oz Stork Cake Margarine
1 bar of good quality dark chocolate. Use confectionary chocolate not cooking chocolate it tastes better and has more calories!

Method

The Cupcake mixture:
1. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees c.
2. Cream the margarine and sugar together.
3. Whisk in the eggs, gradually. Get as much air into the mixture as possible and add the finely chopped mint.
4. Mix and sieve the flour and bicarbonate of soda together and gently fold in to the mixture a few spoons at a time.
5. Be careful at this stage to fold and not frantically mix. Get air into the mixture to make it fluffy and light.
6. Place paper cup cake holders into a oven cup cake tray and fill each holder with a good dollop of the mixture.
7. Carefully place the tray into the oven and cook for about 12 – 15 minutes. After 12 minutes slowly open the oven and just test that the cakes are done by gently pushing on the cake tops. If the cake ‘springs’ back they are done!. If not close the over door again for a few more minutes.
8. Be gentle with the cakes when taking them out of the oven. If you knock or bang them they can ‘fall’ and lose their springiness :o )
9. Leaver on a cooling tray to completely cool before adding the topping.

The Topping:
1. Mix the caster sugar and margarine in a bowl creaming the mixture into a soft creamy texture. You can start the caster sugar off by adding a little boiling water if you like.
2. Shave the chocolate bar into another bowl.
3. When the cakes are cool, knife dollops of icing to each cup cake, covering the tops in preparation for the chocolate. Then simply dip the cakes into the chocolate to shavings to top.

And if mint chocolate heaven in a case isn’t enough; here’s a bonus tip from Gary himself: if you want your cupcakes to look like big fat muffins, double up the bicarbonate of soda. It will make them raise more!

Death by chocolate, homemade produce, cheeky bonus cooking tips, bar raised. Roll on next week.

Multimedia Muffins

Here’s how he did it:

Ingredients

* 125g plain flour
* 200g self-raising flour
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 200g golden caster sugar
* Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
* 100g white chocolate, coarsely grated
* 200g butter, melted
* 3 large eggs
* 100ml natural yogurt
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 4 tbsp Bonne Maman Raspberry Conserve
* 100ml sweet dessert wine
* 200g white chocolate with vanilla, broken into squares, plus 100g white chocolate, grated, to decorate

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Get a 12-hole muffin tin and line with paper muffin cases. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Then, stir in the sugar, lemon zest and grated chocolate. In a large jug, mix together the eggs, butter, vanilla and yoghurt and mix with the contents of the large bowl.

Divide half the mixture equally between the paper cases but be sure to put a teaspoon of raspberry conserve into the centre of each muffin. Top with the remaining mixture. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

For the topping, you will need to melt the chocolate in a bowl and rest over a pan of simmering water. You can then spoon the mixture over the muffins before leaving to set for 10 minutes. Once set you can your toppings. I chose more which chocolate but I guess you could use whatever you want.