Homemade white chocolate fudge pretzels/Flipz

Ever since I can remember I have had a weakness for white chocolate covered Flipz, unfortunately about 10 years ago these little things became less available to us Britons, and now they can only be bought from American sweet shops. This weekend I decided to recreate my own, and they tasted so close to the real thing! They were salty yet sweet, my only qualm was that the pretzel itself became a little stale when leaving the chocolate to set, if anyone has any suggestions on how to stop this from happening then please do share!

ALSO absolutely thrilled to say that my blog has been short listed for best food blogger award over at Cosmopolitan! Thank you to whoever voted :)!!! And if you'd like to vote for me again please do over here :) !

The Recipe:

1 bag of salted pretzels 

150g good quality white chocolate 

75ml single cream

The Method:

• On a double boiler, melt the chocolate until smooth and leave to cool slightly.
• Add the cream and mix till you get a gloopy consistency.
• Dip each pretzel into the ganache, and using a toothpick poke each hole in the pretzel. 
• Leave the pretzels to cool on some baking parchment for 2 hours.
• Enjoy!

Mbakes x

Cheats Caramel and Chocolate Ganache Tart

A ridiculously easy recipe that tastes wonderfully sweet. There's no reason why you shouldn't try this one out because the recipe contains cheat after cheat after cheat after CHEAT. 

The Recipe:
1 pack ready made sweet shortcrust pastry
1 tin carnation caramel or dulce de leche
200g milk or dark chocolate
60ml double cream

The Method:

• Roll out your ready to roll pastry on a floured surface and carefully crinkle into a fluted tart tin.
• Place in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until brown then leave to cool. 
• Over a double boiler, melt the chocolate till consistently smooth.
• Take the chocolate off the boiler and pour the cream on top then leave to rest in this state for 1 minute.
• Now stir the cream with the chocolate until glossy. 
• Spread all of the caramel onto the base of the pastry tin.
• Once the ganache has cooled slightly, pour on top of the caramel and spread. 
• Leave to set in the fridge for 1/2 hours.
• Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Usually when i bake a sponge cake i find it very difficult to truly enjoy the buttercream/frosting, for some reason it always tastes better when bought from a specialist bakery (without sarcasm, i wonder why). When you make it at home it always tastes too rich, to the point where you find it difficult to suck the cake off until there's none left. 

This recipe excited me. Both the peanut buttercream and chocolate ganache (with a touch of peanut butter included) were so damn good and just downright eatable. This is a rarity in my kitchen when it boils down to frosting. There are so many positive attributes to this triple layer delight that my brain is unable to reiterate them into typed words.

This is an American adaptation from the Smitten Kitchen, i spent hours converting cups to grams and was surprised to get it on point - especially when i discovered that cups vary according to the specific ingredient.  

A moist sponge, coated in a creamy buttercream with thick chocolate plopped on top. Go on, have a go. 

The Recipe

Sponge

250g plan flour

500g sugar

94g cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

236g/ml (it bears no difference) vegetable oil 

230g/ml sour cream

354g/ml water

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp white distilled malt vinegar 

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

Peanut butter frosting

284g cream cheese

112g unsalted butter

Icing sugar (use as much as you see fit, but do not exceed 500g)

172g peanut butter (preferably Skippy's as it will not split)

Ganache 

227g milk chocolate or dark chocolate - depending on your preference 

3 tbsp peanut butter 

2 tbsp golden syrup

125ml double cream

The Method:

• Preheat the oven to 170 degrees, grease and flour three cake tins. 
• Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Mix together till well incorporated. 
• Measure out vegetable oil and sour cream and whisk in till you have a fudge like and grainy consistency.
• Gradually add in all the water. Do not threat, the sponge is moist so the watery consistency is needed. 
• Add in vinegar and vanilla extract. 
• Whisk in the eggs and the pour into the pans. 
• Bake for 30 minutes, and then cool in the pans before you turn them out. 
• Place the cakes into the freezer whilst you prepare the frosting's, this makes for a firmer cake to work with whilst icing. 
• On top of a double boiler melt the chocolate, syrup and peanut butter together. 
• Off the boiler, mix in the cream till thick. Set aside. 
• In another bowl, beat the cream cheese with the butter until creamy. 
• Gradually add in the sugar and then the peanut butter. 
• Take cakes out of freezer and frost the layers and sides - don't forget to begin with a crumb coat. 
• Now pour the warm chocolate on top of the cake, use a spatula to create drips on the side.
• Hey presto.