'The Prettiest Little Pinwheels You Ever Did See'

 

White and Dark Chocolate Pinwheels

These lovely little biscuits always manage to make me smile.

I just love the circular pattern, and they look far more complicated to make than they actually are.

They are also great for dunkin'.

you will need :

Dark chocolate layer -
100g dark chocolate, chopped
75g butter, softened
75g caster sugar
225g plain flour
2-3 tbsp. milk

White chocolate layer -
100g white chocolate, chopped
75g butter, softened
75g caster sugar
225g plain flour
2-3 tbsp. milk

 

1. To make the dark chocolate layer, melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Set aside to cool.

2. Beat the butter a little until pale and then add the sugar. Beat together until pale and creamy. Stir in the cooled chocolate.

 

3. Sift in the flour and beat together until combined.

You will have what looks like a bowl of chocolate coloured sand.

 

 

4. Next add small amounts of the milk and bring the mixture together to form a soft dough.

I used a palate knife to make a hole in the centre and pull the mix together, and then worked it together with my hands. Then wrap in cling film and pop in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.

 

 

Make up the white dough in exactly the same way.

 

 

 

5. Allow plenty of working space to roll out both pieces of the dough.

Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough into rectangles measuring approx. 37cm x 25cm

Carefully lift the white chocolate layer on top of the dark chocolate layer.

 

 

Trim any rough edges.

 

 

6. Roll up the dough like a Swiss roll and wrap in cling film.

Place back in the fridge for about 30mins to firm up again.

 

 

 

7. Preheat the oven to 180c / 160c fan, lightly grease two baking sheets, and line with parchment.

Using a sharp knife cut the roll into slices approx. 1cm wide.

You may want to shape them into a rounder circle after cutting.

I found they all had 'flat bottoms' (and lets face it, there's nothing worse than a flat bottom, right?)

Place on the baking sheets, allowing sufficient space for the biscuits to expand in the oven,  and bake for approx. 15 mins. or firm to the touch.  

They may cook a little faster in a fan assisted oven.

 

 

Cool on the baking sheets for 5 mins. before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

 

 

 

I think these biscuits taste better the day after baking, like most things, but whatever your preference may be, enjoy baking these pinwheels.

You will surprise yourself just how clever your baking can be.

 

Enjoy your day.

 

 

x

 

Say Cheese

 

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

I recently bought a few boxes of strawberries on my weekly jaunt to the supermarket and found, rather surprisingly, that they did actually taste like strawberries!

An odd thing to say perhaps, but I do tend to feel that fruits and vegetables grown out of season never really live up to our expectations, and often have no taste what so ever.

These particular strawberries were on offer, and in view of the fact we are still waiting for Spring to really arrive let alone Summer, I thought they may cheer everyone up a bit. So in the basket they went.

The first batch were simply washed, smothered in cream and scoffed by the Busy Bee household, and I have to confess they went down extremely well.

Therefore the second lot were reserved for a bit of fun.

I trawled through my collection of recipe books (which seems to be growing steadily at the minute, but that's another story), and came across this recipe in the trusty Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook.

I have used this book many times and all the recipes have always been delicious.

I have tweaked the recipe slightly to suit the Busy Bee clan, but in essence the recipe is the same.

This particular recipe seemed to leap out at me, as it made me think of Summer, and sunnier, warmer times in the past.

Fingers crossed we will see some of that yellow stuff in the sky soon.

You will need :

120g plain flour

140g caster sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt (omit if you are using salted butter)

40g unsalted butter at room temperature

120ml whole milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

12 large strawberries chopped into small pieces

150g  digestive biscuits crushed into crumbs

For the Cream Cheese topping you will need :

300g icing sugar

50g unsalted butter at room temperature

125g cream cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 170c / 150c fan / Gas 3.

2.Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt (if using) until combined.

4. Pour in the milk and vanilla extract and beat with an electric mixer until all the ingredients are well mixed.

5. Add the egg and beat for a few minutes to ensure the ingredients are well incorporated.

6. (Now this is where I have found the recipe benefited from a little tweaking), mix the chopped strawberries into the mixture gently and divide into the cupcake cases. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.

Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tray before lifting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

6. To make the cream cheese frosting beat the icing sugar and butter together with an electric whisk until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.
Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated.
Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, for approximately 5 minutes.
Be careful not to over beat, as it can quickly become runny.

7. Add the vanilla frosting onto the top of each cupcake and finish with a sprinkle of the crushed digestive biscuits.

I found the cakes needed to be kept in the fridge once completed as the frosting will turn very soft and a little unpleasant when eating. The texture seemed a little off putting when they were too warm.

In the fridge they will keep for 5-6 days, but as usual, 2 days max. is the lifespan in our house.

A cup of tea was the perfect accompaniment to this little piece of heaven in a cupcake case.

I hope you enjoy baking these, and eating them even more.

Enjoy your day. 

x