Summer Party Desserts

My go to party sweets

 

My party piece round up

No, I’m not talking about my ability to blow Malteasers into the air or to do the splits whilst balancing a plate on my face or my running man on the dance floor. I’m talking about the kind of treats perfect for a party.

Mini Vanilla Doughnuts with dark and white chocolate

It’s summer, you’ve invited friends round and it’s inevitably going to turn into a bit of a party. Forget the plates of cake balancing act. The awkward hand swapping dance, glass, plate, fork, napkin malarkey.

Double Chocolate Cake pops

For my events this summer I have been making treats which are pretty, fun, quick to eat and can easily be eaten while holding a glass of wine in your hand. TOP TIP! Make it small or put a stick in it and it becomes the perfect party dessert which equals less lip stick smudging! All of these desserts bar the Banana Popsicles (because they will melt) can be stored easily to take out and about or to a summer festival.

Here’s my party treats instagram round up!

Quick Banana Popsicles

Frozen Banana, Chocolate Popsicles

This is the perfect sweet treat for a BBQ.

Ingredients/What you need – Banana’s, 85% Dark chocolate, Walnuts and Vanilla pods, pop cake sticks or wooden skewers and baking paper.

Method – Cut ripe banana’s in half. Insert pop cake sticks or wooden skewers into the base of the banana’s about half way up so they feel secure. Store banana’s in a plastic sandwich bag sealed well and freeze over night.

Crush a handful of Walnuts. In a pan toast them over a medium. Keep an eye on the them and stir regularly to stop them from catching.

On a board with a small sharp knife slit a Vanilla pod down the middle of it’s length. Scrap out the vanilla paste out of it’s insides and add to the toasted nut. Sprinkle Cinnamon into your nutty vanilla mix and stir in.

Melt Chocolate in the microwave or in a glass bowl over a pan of boiled water. Keep stirring until all chocolate has melted. As soon as the chocolate has melted turn of the heat or it will burn and turn lumpy.

Dip the frozen banana’s in the chocolate and sprinkle the nutty mix over the top. Lay your decorated banana’s on a board covered with a sheet of baking parchment and stick these back in the freezer until set (about 5-10 minutes). When it’s party time  – enjoy!

Healthy Caramel and Black bean Brownies

If you have a little more time and friends with dietary requirements these are a great indulgent treat that look  impressive but very simple to do. Healthy, Vegan, wheat and gluten free. If you would like to make these you can find my recipe here –

http://thecakediaries.com/2015/05/14/caramel-and-chocolate-black-bean-stacks/

Enjoy your summer and pimp it up  a party with some of these festive summer treats. If you haven’t got the time and need your treats a-sap you can order from me at the Cake Diaries thecakediariesofficial@gmail.com

Treat yourself well,

Yours Truly,

THE CAKE DIARIES…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pistachio and Rose water Shortbread hearts.

Cookie Credentials Continued….

My Internets down and has been for the last 10 days!! My little fingers have been itching to blog about all that’s crumbly, fluffy, crispy, buttery, freshly baked, iced, diced, bouncy, moist, springy and oozing something delicious!! But alas it could not be and I have been bursting to get these Iranian inspired fancies on a page. Rose Water & Pistachio short bread Hearts.

Without the internet I have become agitated, forlorn, throwing myself on the bed and preying to the ceiling, why don’t you work? What have I done? Why can’t we sort this out? But we were so good together!!! I am constantly checking the connection like a teenager waiting for the phone to ring, waiting for the new love of my life to call and end this misery. But the internet does not love me. In fact I doubt it even remembers my name. Fine! because I have started a love affair with the internet in the café across the road. It has been good to me, dependable and has the added benefit of baked goods, coffee on tap and continuous Christmas hits that remind me remember to “rock around a Christmas tree, feed the world, that baby it’s cold outside, to stay another day, to look to the future, simply have a wonderful Christmas time, and to wish it was Christmas everydaaaayy!!”

To express my love I think it’s only apt that I share a recipe for something else I love dearly, Shortbread! So following on from my cookie credentials blog featuring my Avocado and dark chocolate all American cookie I about turn to a delicately flavoured middle eastern inspired biscuit.

I love middle eastern sweets and they use all of my favourite nuts and spices – cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, almonds and pistachios. I wanted to do something that captures some of these flavours and pep up an old fashioned short bread recipe (which are always very popular with the family at Christmas). The short bread recipe I have chosen is a really simple one that anyone can do. Why simple? Well, I am really excited about baking and passionate about getting those who are afraid of the bake into the kitchen. Though baking can be more of an exact science than cooking shall we say,it can be simple and it can be fun! So to those I know who think of themselves as a disastrous baker be scared no more!

These make great gifts as they are very pretty and look gorgeous wrapped in Cellophane and tied with a bow. Think Christmas gift ideas. Apropos of my next blog ‘Homemade Christmas gifts’. Or a perfect ‘Thank you gift’ or just a ‘ I love you and am thinking of you gift’ which is the gift I gave my other half last week and that he took in his packed lunch to work ribbons and all. Short bread is my favourite type of biscuit and growing up with a lot of Scottish family many different types have been consumed.
There are many similar recipes out there and this is the one I use. But before we get started I’ve highlighted some BIG TIPS!

TIP 1 – I am using icing sugar as I want a more delicate biscuit which is perfect for the subtle flavours of Rose and Pistachio. Scottish short bread uses caster sugar and is more robust and crumbly.

TIP 2 – The short bread must be put in the fridge for 1 and a half hours which helps to develop flavour and helps it hold its shape.

TIP 3 – Bake in the middle of the oven exactly!! We need an even top and bottom heat for this. Bake for around 13 minutes but keep an eye on these, we want a nice even golden colour. Take them out just before the sides start to change from golden to light brown. Depending on your oven you may need to whip them out a little earlier or anything up to 15 mins.
Rose Water and Pistachio Short Bread –

For the biscuit – Makes around 12 Medium hearts.

190g Plain flour

170g unsalted Butter

90g Icing Sugar

1 large egg yolk

Pinch Salt

Pistachio’s

For the Ice –

2 tsp Rose Water (from any Middle eastern Super Market or from the foods of the world isle in Tesco).

Icing Sugar

Method –

1 – Measure out your dry ingredients first in a large mixing bowl.

2 – Chop up your butter (room temp) and rub into dry ingredients to make bread crumbs

3 – Add the egg and form the dough. Pick it up and mould into a large ball.

4 – Wrap the ball in cling film and set aside in the fridge for 1 and a half hours (now go and do something else for that time to stop yourself from cheating and taking it out early)

5 – Heat the oven 20 mins before you are ready to put the shortbread in at 170.C

6 – Grab yourself 2 large pieces of baking parchment. Put the dough ball between the sheets and roll out the dough on top of the top layer of the parchment to around half a centre meter thick. Cut out with a heart shape cutter (mine was around 6 cm big).

7 – Line a baking tray with baking Parchment add the short bread.

8 – Bake in the middle of the oven exactly!! We need an even top and bottom heat for this. Bake for around 13 minutes but keep an eye on these, we want a nice even golden colour. Take them out just before the sides start to change from golden to light brown. Depending on your oven you may need to whip them out a little earlier or anything up to 15 mins.

9 – Take out and put on a cooling rack. While cooling add 2 tsp of Rose Water in a bowl and sieve icing sugar slowly. Remember that the Rose Water is to be a subtle flavour and not like drinking a bottle of your great Aunts floral Perfume (which yes I have done by the way but I was only 5 and it just smelt so nice I thought I would just radiate it always if I consumed the bottle). So you may want to add a little tap water too. You want the icing to be runny and not watery. The constancy needs to be perfect to drizzle with so we can artistically drape our biscuits with our luxurious, pink, rose water ice. With a vintage pink food colouring or red add to the mixture to achieve the desired colour pink you want. I use Sugarflair colour paste. I think that the pastes are better than the liquid food colours you get in the supermarket. Colour paste lasts for ages and you just need a little for a big effect. If you are using paste for the first time I find it best to add the colour to the icing with a tooth pick dipped in the colour and then swirled into the icing. It always surprises me how little you need.

10 – With a teaspoon I drizzle the ice back and forth over the biscuit.

Love the green colour of the pistachio’s in contrast to the pink ice. I think these biscuits are very elegant. They are delicate, buttery and crumbly. Drink with Earl grey yea for utter bliss and a taste of the high life.

Grab yourself some Cellophane bags and some ribbon and make a lovely gift. I find using cake pop bags are fantastic and you can order them at any online cake craft store. A homemade gift is one of the best gifts as it is one of the most thoughtful and it’s from the heart and is actually…a heart…mine!

Enjoy this cake adventure and add it to your cake diary. More homemade gifts to come next time in the run up to the big day.

The Cake Diaries xoxo

A home bake is the most personal bake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to The Cake Diaries.

Sweet memories of cake.
Tea time treats, layers cakes and luxurious mini creations made for capturing sweet memories of your perfect event.

My memories are quite literally made and defined by the cake in my life. I always remember the events in my life by what delectable and beautiful treats we ate. It was always the presentation of a big white cake box at a party that got the attention of the crowd and brought everyone together creating lasting memories.

So started my exploration of treat like fancies and my diary of a life in cake.

All Cake Dairies creations are home made using the very best quality ingredients, with absolute care and whipped by my very own hand.

You can order straight from the Summer/Autumn menu or get in touch with any creations you have in mind

On my blog I will update you with my baking commissions both past and present and share the many recipes from my cake diary which is literally busting at the seams!