Palmiers

Palmiers

Ingredients:
Puff pastry
Granulated sugar


Method:
1. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/mark 6.


2. On a surface sprinkled liberally with sugar, roll out the pastry to a rectangle of thickness 3-4mm.


3. Sprinkle some more sugar evenly over the top of the pastry. Roll up one side of the pastry towards the centre, stopping at the middle, so half the pastry has been rolled. Repeat on the other side, again working towards the middle. Gently press the sides together, then wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.


4. Slice the rolled pastry into pieces roughly 1cm thick. Lie on the prepared tray and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Chocolate Coconut Milk Cake

Recipe found from Poires au Chocolat

Chocolate Coconut Milk Cake

Ingredients:
For the cake:
55g dark chocolate (70%)
85g cocoa powder
200ml boiling water
145g plain flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp
90g unsalted butter, melted
230g caster sugar
50g dark brown soft sugar
2 eggs
275ml coconut milk
For the ganache:
125ml coconut milk
125g dark chocolate (70%)



Method:
1. Line an 8 inch square pan with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180◦C/350F/mark 4.


2. Chop the chocolate and place in a bowl with the cocoa powder. Pour in the boiling water and whisk until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.


3. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl.


4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugars and butter. Once combined, whisk in the eggs, one at a time, and continue whisking until pale and thick.


5. Add the coconut milk followed by the chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour mixture and whisk to combine. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick poked into the middle comes out with a few damp crumbs.



6. For the ganache, heat the coconut milk in a small saucepan over a medium heat until just boiling. Chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl; pour the coconut milk over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Cool for 10 minutes before pouring over the cake.

Carrot Cake Muffins

King Arthur Flour, found on Positively Splendid

Carrot Cupcakes

Makes 12

Ingredients:For the filling
250g cream cheese
50g granulated sugar
½ tsp vanilla extractFor the batter350g plain flour, sifted
100g granulated sugar
55g dark brown sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¾ tsp nutmeg
¾ tsp salt
2 eggs
180ml water
80ml vegetable oil
240ml carrots, grated
30g dessicated coconut

Method:1. Preheat the oven the 200C/400F/gas mark 6, and line a muffin tray with muffin cases.

2. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the cream cheese on low power for 30-40 seconds. Mix in the sugar, vanilla and salt and set aside.

3. For the batter, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, water and oil. Fold in the dry ingredients and then fold in the carrots and coconut.

4. Place about 2 tablespoons of the batter into each muffin case, then top with a generous tablespoon of the filling and the remaining batter.

5. Bake for about 18-20 minutes in the centre of the oven, or until the tops are bouncy and a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean. Leave in the trays for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely, for at least half an hour.