Tag: vanilla

White or dark chocolate and vanilla mousse recipe

When someone mentions mousse it always sounds fancy, but they’re not all that tricky to make, and plenty of fun to eat.

This recipe is a request for the Facebook page, feel free to message with any recipe requests.

To the recipe!

Ingredients (makes enough for 4, or maybe 1..)

  • 300ml double cream
  • 30-50g caster sugar
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 200g white or dark chocolate
  • Either vanilla flavouring, essence, extract or a fresh pod

Equipment

  • Saucepan
  • Whisk
  • Mixing bowl
  • Measuring jug
  • Ramekins, or something to put the mousse in

Prep and cooking (10-20 minutes)

  1. Put 60ml of cream in a saucepan with the vanilla and warm on a medium heat until it starts to bubble around the edges, don’t let it boil.
  2. Whisk the egg yolk and sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth and creamy, add a tablespoon of the hot cream to the eggs while mixing, do this a few times and then add it back to the saucepan. This is so the egg yolks don’t scramble.
  3. Turn the heat down low and whisk until it thickens a little, enough to coat the back of a spoon. (Don’t let it boil)
  4. Remove from the heat, smash the chocolate up and stir it into the cream mixture until it’s all dissolved and is nice and smooth, you shouldn’t need to return it to the heat for all the chocolate to melt but it will take a few minutes and you need to keep stirring it.
  5. Put this mix to the side to cool and in another bowl whisk the remaining 240ml of cream until whipped to soft peaks.
  6. When the chocolate mix is cool enough simply fold in the whipped cream, refrigerate and enjoy!

At a mousse end

A lot easier than you may have thought!

This can be combined with other deserts to make some great combinations, or just enjoyed on its own or with some berries do a garnish, or something.

More recipes soon!

Vanilla cheesecake recipe

The cake that’s not a sponge, but more of a big cheesy biscuit.

I’ve got a ton of cheesecake recipes which I will eventually get round to writing up, but for now I thought it best to start with a classic,

Vanilla cheesecake!

To the recipe,

Ingredients (makes 1 cheesecake)

For the base

  • 250-300g digestive biscuits
  • 100-200g butter

For the filling

  • 600g cream cheese
  • 100g icing sugar
  • 300ml double cream
  • Either; vanilla flavouring, essence, extract or a vanilla pod, a pod tastes best

Equipment

  • Cake tin (23-26cm)
  • Either a food processor, or a ziplock bag, tea towel and rolling pin.
  • Mixing bowl
  • Wooden spoon
  • Palette knife
  • Whisk or electric whisk
  • Microwave or saucepan
  • Cling film

Prep (25-30 minutes)

  1. Start by greasing the cake tin with butter.
  2. Either blitz the biscuits in a food processor, or put them in a ziplock bag, wrap it with a tea towel and smash it with a rolling pin until you have fine crumbs, if doing the second method be careful as it can get quite messy.
  3. Melt the butter in a saucepan/microwave and add it to the biscuit. Mix with a wooden spoon, the more butter you use the better the base will set but don’t overdo it or it will go soggy. On the other hand don’t use too little or it won’t bind together.
  4. Pour the biscuit mix into the cake tin and pat down into a base with a wooden spoon or your hands.
  5. Cover with cling film and put on the fridge for 15-20 minutes to set.
  6. Now onto the filling, put the cream cheese in a bowl with the icing sugar and whisk together until smooth.
  7. Add the flavour, (scrape out the inside if using a pod) add to the bowl and mix well.
  8. There’s 2 ways to add the cream, you can either add it straight to the mix and whisk until fully mixed, or you can whip it the fold it into the mix with a spatula. The second give a lighter cheesecake.
  9. Take the base out of the fridge, remove the clingfilm and spoon in the filling, level and smooth with a pallet knife.
  10. Recover with cling film and return to the fridge for 30+ minutes.
  11. Try not to eat it all at once.

Just Brie mine

Not really the right kind of cheese but it might appeal to some.

For all you cheesecake lovers, I’ll be adding more cheesecake recipes over time so keep your peepers peeled.

I’ll also be adding s recipe soon for London cheesecake, which isn’t a cheesecake (or cake) at all, it’s a pastry.

Until next time!