Legend of Grimrock – Blueberry Pie

Last weekend my significant other came to bed around 4AM, so I naturally asked where he’d been. Many suspicious girlfriends would think of the obvious; another woman or a secret shame, like eating flowers in the bathroom, but I knew better.

It turned out he’d discovered this amazing game called Legend of Grimrock; a seriously awesome old school dungeon crawler as a stunning modern incarnation. I fell in love with the game instantly; it was so mysterious and beautifully designed, and when I saw there was food I got pretty excited. I eventually discovered there’s a rather infamous blueberry pie hidden in the darkness. A kind of symbol of hope… delicious, delicious hope.

This recipe serves 6-8.

What you will need: A 9-inch loose base sandwich tin, a large baking tray, a sieve, a wooden spoon or hand mixer, a rolling pin and two large mixing bowls.

For the Pastry:

350g / 2⅓Cups Plain Flour

1 Teaspoon Salt

2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar

225g / 1 Cup Unsalted Butter (Chilled)

60ml / ¼ Cup Cold Water

For the Filling:

100g / ½ Cup Butter (Room Temperature)

100g /⅔Cup Icing/Confectioners Sugar

100g / 1 Cup Ground Almonds

4 Teaspoons Cornflour/Cornstarch

1 Large Egg (Room Temperature)

1 Large Egg Yolk (Room Temperature)

1½ Teaspoons Pure Almond Extract

½ Teaspoon Lemon Zest

3 Tablespoons Blueberry Preserve

200g / 2 Cups Fresh Blueberries

Making the Shortcrust Pastry:

1. In a large mixing bowl, sieve the flour, salt and sugar. Next add the butter. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your finger tips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Add the water a tablespoon at a time, mixing in between until the dough comes together. Once the dough forms into a ball, wrap it in cling film/saran wrap and place in the fridge to chill for about an hour.
3. Sieve some icing/confectioners sugar onto a clean, dry surface and roll the dough out until it’s about a quarter of an inch thick. Lift the pastry into the sandwich tin and pat it in to fill the tin evenly.
4. Trim off any excess pastry then put the tin in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Once chilled, preheat the oven to 220C/420F with a large baking tray inside.
5. Put the pie in the oven on top of the heated baking tray to blind-bake the crust. You may want to use some baking beans to help keep the pastry for shrinking while it cooks.
6. Cook the pastry for about 10-15 minutes until the edges appear slightly darker and are firm. Once baked, take out the pie and leave it to cool completely before adding any filling.

Making the Blueberry Pie:

1. In a large bowl, sieve in the sugar, almonds and cornstarch. Next add the butter, egg, yolk, lemon zest and almond extract. Mix well until thoroughly combined into a kind of thick batter. Leave the mixture in the fridge to chill for about an hour.
2. With your pastry cooled, spoon in the blueberry preserve and use the back of the spoon to smooth it out over the base to create a thin layer of jam.
3. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Once the almond mixture is chilled, pour it into the pastry and smooth it out until it’s even. Take your blueberries and pop them into the almond filling until the entire surface of the pie is covered.
4. Put the pie in the oven for 20-30 minutes. When the pie is firm, golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean – it’s ready! Take it out of the oven and leave to cool completely before serving.

Firstly, a huge thank you to Almost Human Games who replied to my email inquiring about Grimrock cuisine so promptly, and to Ben R for the beautiful comparison screenshots. It’s taken me about an hour to write this post, and in that time I’ve managed to eat about half the pie to myself. In making the pie, I didn’t want to overcook the frangipane filling, I wanted it to mix with the blueberries to create a creamy blueberry filling and it is… outstanding. I must have a seemingly bottomless pit for a stomach just like Mork, or even Grimrock it’s self.

You can download Legend of Grimrock from GOG, Steam and Grimrock.net.

Like this? You might also enjoy the Fable II – Amazing Apple Pie.

Silent Hill – Butter Cake

I’m pretty excited about this week’s Gourmet Gaming because I happen to be a huge Silent Hill fan. When I was about 10 I was given a ‘cracked’ import version of the game from Thailand as a holiday present from one of my mom’s friends.

The entire game was in black in white.

That’s what you get for buying duff versions of games, kids. Silent Hill was, needless to say, shelved after a few nightmares. I then returned several years later and managed to complete Silent Hill 2, which led to my great obsession with the series. Butter Cake appears to be one of only a few foods available in Silent Hill. Is it perhaps the source of all evil? There’s only one way to find out…

What you will need: An 8-inch spring-form cake tin, a sieve, a large mixing bowl and greaseproof paper/baking parchment.

This recipe serves 10-12.

Ingredients:

200g / 1 Cup Butter (Room Temperature)

300g / 1½ Cups Light Brown Caster/Superfine Sugar

4 Large Eggs (Room Temperature)

380g / 3 Cups Plain Flour

2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

½ Teaspoon Salt

240ml / 1 Cup Milk

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

To Garnish:

1 Tablespoon Butter

2 Tablespoons Sugar

Making the Butter Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 165C/325F. Lightly grease and line the cake tin. Dust the greased tin with a sprinkling of flour then set aside for later.
2. In a large mixing bowl add the butter and sugar. Beat for about 5 minutes, until it’s pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well combined. In a separate bowl, sieve in the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Alternate adding the milk and the flour a little at a time into the cake mixture. First add some flour, mix, then add some milk, mix again and continue until all the milk and flour has been added, ending with adding flour. This technique is important to make sure the cake has the right texture.
4. Finally, add the vanilla extract and stir well once again. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and place in the middle of the preheated oven for 60-70 minutes.
5. Once firm and golden, remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool.

Preparing the Garnish:

1. Add the butter and sugar to a small saucepan and allow to melt. Don’t let it boil!
2. Once warmed through, and with the cake fresh from the oven, brush the butter over the top of the cake and leave to cool completely before removing from the tin and serving.

Definitely the source of all evil. Including heart attacks and childhood diabetes. If this is what Pyramid Head has been eating all this time, I’m not sure how he’s so buff. Maybe Silent Hill is just an illusion caused by a build up of Butter Cake on the brain. That seems more reasonable than most of the theories floating around some forums. The Butter Cake is an unusual dense sweetness that I’d serve with a dusting of icing sugar, cream, ice-cream or fruits. Just don’t eat too much or you’ll never be able to escape!

Like this? You might also enjoy the Minecraft - Cake.

Request: EarthBound – Peanut Cheese Bar

I was pretty much oblivious to EarthBound until I was introduced to the curious character Ness in Super Smash Bros; having never owned a classic Nintendo console growing up I was subject to the gaming tastes of whoever owned the console I was playing (I was not beyond using a fellow classmate and neighbour to sate my need to play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). When I decided I was going to make this recipe I tried to source EarthBound from a friend who has an extensive retro games collection, but the fact he didn’t have it just instilled it’s cult status even more for me. However, I’m not without my EarthBound knowledge; I’ve read about it enough times in articles titled ‘gaming urban myths’ and ‘ultimate screwed up games’. Everyone kept asking for these Peanut Cheese Bars - I’d see the requests in my inbox and all I could imagine was some peanuts with cheddar cheese on top - melting and a little greasy… Then I remembered that cheese can be sweet and delicious too, I think the Mr. Saturns are definitely onto something!

This recipe makes 8 - 10 Peanut Cheese Bars.

What you will need: An 8x8 inch square spring-form or lose-base cake tin, a whisk, two mixing bowls, greaseproof/baking paper, cling film/saran wrap and a rolling pin.

For the Cookie Base:

175g / 1 ¾ Cups Flour

½ Teaspoon Baking Soda

½ Teaspoon Salt

110g / ½ Cup Butter (Softened)

85g / ¾ Cup Caster Sugar/Superfine Sugar

85g / ¾ Cup Soft Brown Sugar

½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Egg

For the Chocolate:

150g / 1 Cup Chocolate

55g / ¼ Cup Butter

40g / ¼ Cup Crushed Salted Peanuts

For the Peanut Cheese Topping:

225g / 1 Cup Cream Cheese

170g / 2/3 Cup Smooth Peanut Butter (Skippy)

100g / ¾ Cup Icing/Confectioners Sugar

120ml / ½ Cup Whipping Cream

Making the Cookie Base:

1. Prepare the tin by greasing it with a little butter and lining the base and sides with greaseproof paper/baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 190C/370F.
2. In a large bowl beat the butter, caster sugar and brown sugar together until creamy. Slowly add the egg and continue to mix.
3. Gradually sift in the flour, baking soda and salt and mix well until a dough forms. If it’s very soft pop it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
4. Place the dough between two large sheets of cling film/saran wrap and roll the dough out to roughly fit the base of your prepared tray. Transfer it to the tray and lightly press it in until the entire base is covered and even.
5. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Leave to cool while you prepare the chocolate layer.

Making the Chocolate Layer:

1. Over a bain-marie melt the chocolate with the butter until smooth and shiny. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.
2. Once cooled pour the chocolate over the cookie base and spread it out until even. Sprinkle over the crushed peanuts and with the back of a spoon, gently press them into the chocolate.
3. Place in the fridge to chill for around 30 minutes while you prepare the peanut cheese topping.

Making the Peanut Cheese Topping:

1. In a large bowl gently mix together the cream cheese, smooth peanut butter, sugar and cream. Once combined whisk it until pale and fluffy.
2. Spoon the peanut cheese mixture over the now chilled chocolate layer and smooth it out.
3. Sprinkle on top a few more crushed salted peanuts if you like, then place in the fridge for several hours until firm and chilled.
4. Once chilled remove the combination from the tin carefully and cut it into bars.

Dragon Age – Found Cake

When I had a read through Game Rant’s “Most Disappointing Games of 2011” I wasn’t surprised when I saw Dragon Age II among the expected movie tie-in games of the year. Although I know a lot of people loved it, it was a saddening shadow of the awesome that was Dragon Age and an even greater festering husk of Baldur’s Gate for me. I was so involved with Dragon Age and so attached to Alistair (I don’t even find blond men attractive) I once drunkenly reprimanded a guy with the same name at a party for sacrificing himself at the end of my tale. I’m not sure how he felt when I declared my love and explained the impending grief for both me and the people of Ferelden but thankfully I still had my trusty dog (Bucephalus) who once brought me this cake. Personally, I don’t know what the hell Tycho was complaining about – I’d eat a “found cake”. Cake is cake, after all.

This recipes serves 6.

What you will need: Two 8inch (20cm) round sandwich tins, sieve, 2 mixing bowls and a whisk.

Ingredients:

175g / ¾ Cup Butter (Room Temperature)

175g / ¾ Cup Caster/Fine Grain Sugar

3 Eggs (Room Temperature)

175g / ¾ Cup Self-Raising Flour

70g / ¼ Cup Cocoa Powder (High Quality)

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

To Garnish:

250ml / 1 Cup Whipping Cream

Icing/Confectioners Sugar (Optional)

2 Strawberries (Halved)

Dog Spittle (Optional)

Making the Found Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F. Grease the cake tin with a little butter, line it with greaseproof paper/baking parchment and set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until pale and creamy. While continuing to mix, gradually add the eggs and whisk well until light and fluffy.
3. Sieve in half the flour, gently fold it in then sieve in the rest of the flour along with the cocoa powder and baking powder. Add the vanilla extract and stir.
4. Divide the cake mix between the prepared tins and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. The top of the cakes should spring back when softly pressed if ready. Once cooked, remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool.
5. Once cooled, remove the cakes from the tins. Whip the cream (with a little sugar if you wish), spread half the cream on top of one layer then turn the other layer upside down, place it on top and cover with the remainder of the cream. Place 3 of the strawberry halves on top to decorate.
6. Optional: Place the cake on your kitchen floor and get your dog to serve it for that final, authentic touch.

I’ve based the recipe for the Found Cake off the traditional Victoria sponge. This is a simple, fuss-free cake that wouldn’t be out of place in a Ferelden setting. It’s incredibly light and fluffy which means you can eat four slices for each slice of normal cake, ideal for any New Year dieters, because I’m pretty sure lack of cake is what turned Flemeth into that dragon.

Like this? You might also enjoy the Portal - Cake.

Request: The Sims – Key Lime Pie

Last Thursday it was Adam’s birthday, he hates the idea of birthday cakes and any kind of fanfare but I couldn’t let his day go by without him having something nice to eat. His favourite dessert is Key Lime pie and I just happened to have a string of requests for the same dish from when I made The Sims Mac and Cheese. Although not the most bizarre dish to appear in The Sims (I’m looking at you ‘Eggs Machiavellian’, eggs and watermelon? Really?!) it seems to be one of the most popular in-game desserts - I know that my Sim bakes it on a regular occasion only to leave servings of it around the house for impending pie emergencies. Since it now counts as a Gourmet Gaming post, it’s no longer a birthday treat and therefore acceptable for a non-celebration… right?

This recipe serves 6-8.

What you will need: A 9-inch pie dish, a whisk, a grater and a large bowl.

For the Crust:

200g / 2 Cups Crushed Digestives (or Graham Crackers)

2 Tablespoons Ground Ginger

45g / ¼ Cups Caster/Granulated Sugar

135g / ⅝ Cup Butter (Melted)

For the Lime Filling:

4 Large Egg Yolks

400ml / 1 ¾ Cups Condensed Milk

6 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice

2 Tablespoons Lime Zest (Grated)

To Garnish:

Lime Jelly (Jell-o)

120ml / ½ Cup Double Cream

2 Tablespoons Icing/Confectioners Sugar

5 Quarter-Lime Slices

Making the Key Lime Pie:

1. Preheat the oven to 175C/350F and place a baking tray inside. Grease and line a pie dish and set aside.
2. In a bowl combine the crushed digestives, ginger, sugar and butter then press evenly into the prepared pie dish. Place the pie dish in the oven on top of the preheated baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes. Once cooked remove and set aside to cool.
3. In a clean bowl whisk the egg yolks until pale and fluffy and gradually add the condensed milk. Pour in the lime juice and add the lime zest, mix well then pour the mixture into the cooled pie base.
4. Place the pie back into the oven (still at 175C/350F) for about 15 minutes or until the mixture has set. Once cooked remove the pie and allow to cool before placing in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours.
5. Prepare the lime jelly (Jell-o) as per the packet instructions. Allow the jelly mixture to cool significantly, once lukewarm remove the chilled pie from the fridge and carefully pour a small amount of the jelly liquid over (just enough to cover the pie filling) then return to the fridge until the jelly has set.
6. Before serving, whip the double cream with the sugar until it forms stiff peaks. Spoon the cream into an icing bag and pipe the cream in a circle around the edge and pipe a dollop into the middle of the pie. Arrange the lime slices around the centre.

I’m not usually a fan of citrus things, I often find lemony flavours over powering and they just make me feel like I’m eating kitchen cleaner. I had it in my mind that this was going to come out terrible, I didn’t even know what Key Lime Pie was supposed to taste like since I’d never dared try any before. It reminded me mostly of a cheese cake and amazingly the lime jelly added a nice sweetness against the tart filling. I’ve decided that baked creamy-pie-cake things are becoming my forte which is ironic considering they’re the one thing I can’t really eat but I suffer the small taster slice for you guys… Oh and Happy Birthday, Adam!

Like this? You might also enjoy the Sims - Mac and Cheese.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Sweet Roll

This Friday Skyrim will be hitting the shelves and it’s one of my most highly anticipated releases of this year! Since I’ll be spending the entire weekend glued to my TV and ignoring all signals from my body that it’s tired and wants to go to bed (my brain will be shouting “DRAGONS!” to keep me perky) I figured I’d need some suitable snacks. I read a pretty funny article last week called “Things I Ate In Skyrim” that obviously included the infamous Sweet Roll. Before you climb up on your high armoured horse and start saying “that doesn’t look like any Sweetroll I’ve ever seen” this is a Skyrim edition Sweet Roll (note: no longer “Sweetroll” as it used to be in Morrorwind and Oblivion) that we got a sneak peek at - it seems to have gotten a bit of a visual upgrade and some frosting! I’ve gone with a dense spiced cake recipe that I think compliments the rustic, fantasy setting.

This recipe makes 6 Sweet Rolls.

What you will need: Large deep muffin tray, greaseproof paper/baking parchment, sieve, 2 bowls, wooden spoon, a pot and a knife.

For the Sweet Rolls:

180g / 1 Cup Butter (Room Temperature)

175g / ¾ Cup White Caster Sugar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup

2 Eggs (Room Temperature)

250g / 2 Cups Self-Raising Flour

2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

125ml / ½ Cup Milk

For the Frosting:

200g / 1 Cup Cream Cheese

55g / ¼ Cup Butter

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

125g / 1 Cup Icing/Confectioners Sugar

For the Cinnamon Syrup:

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons White Caster Sugar

2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

Preparing the Sweet Rolls:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. To prepare the muffin tray, cut small squares of greaseproof paper and stuff them into each muffin well – create folds and crinkles and then smooth them out to help create a rustic, uneven finish to the cakes.
2. In a large bowl cream the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and maple syrup together until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one and a time and mix well.
3. Sift in the self-raising flour and cinnamon then add the milk and stir gently until a smooth batter forms.
4. Fill the prepared muffin tray with the batter, filling each well nearly to the top and place in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown (a skewer inserted should come out clean when cooked thoroughly). Set aside and allow to cool completely while you prepare the syrup and frosting.

Making the Frosting:

1. Add the cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in a bowl and mix gently until combined.
2. Slowly sift in the icing/confectioners sugar and stir gently. Allow to chill in the fridge before using.

Making the Cinnamon Syrup:

1. In a pan on a medium-high heat melt the butter, sugar and cinnamon together until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside for use later.

Making the Sweet Rolls:

1. Unwrap the cakes from the paper and careful slice the puffy top off the cake. Turn the cake upside down so that the cut top is now the bottom.
2. Cut a small hole in the top of the cake that’s about 1cm deep and 1cm across. Pour a little of the cinnamon syrup into the hole.
3. Drizzle the frosting over the top of the cake and serve.

Now for the infamous question: While in town the baker gives you a Sweetroll. Delighted, you take it into an alley to enjoy only to be interecepted by a gang of three other kids your age. The leader demands the Sweetroll, or else he and his friends will beat you and take it.

1. Act like you’re going to give him the Sweetroll, but at the last minute throw it into the air. Hoping that they’ll pay attention long enough for you to get a shot in on the leader.

2. Drop the Sweetroll and step on it, then get ready for the fight.

3. Give him the Sweetroll now without argument, knowing that later this afternoon you will have all your friends with you and can come and take whatever he owes you.

Protip: Don’t take your Sweet Rolls into any alleys.

Like this? You might also enjoy the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - S’Jirra’s Famous Potato Bread.

Costume Quest – Pizza Sundae

Pizza Sundae was the big winner of the Costume Quest vote, even my own mother was begging for this one to win! When thinking about how to make this I had to consider quite a few things – is this more savoury and pizza based? Or sweet and ice-cream based? I decided that blue layer indicated something sweeter, in fact it reminded me of fond memories eating tutti-frutti ‘Smurf’ ice-cream in Italy as a child. So I constructed a kind of pie filled with the many layers and heart of an ice-cream sundae.

This recipe serves 6-8.

What you will need: 9 inch pie dish, greaseproof paper/baking parchment, baking tray, large and medium bowls, a whisk.

For the Base:

110g / 1 Cup Salted Peanuts (Finely chopped/crushed)

200g / 1½ Cups Digestive Biscuits (Crushed)

50g / ¼ Cup Butter (Melted)

For the Sundae:

200g / 2 Cups Good quality:

• Strawberry Ice-cream
• White Vanilla Ice-cream
• Chocolate Ice-cream

Red & Blue Food Colouring

18g / ½ Cup Mini Marshmallows (The smaller the better)

50g / ½ Cup Small Chocolate Chips/Chunks

200ml / 1 Cups Double Cream

6 Tablespoons White Caster Sugar

8 Glacé Cherries (Halved)

Preparing the Base:

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F and place the baking tray inside to heat up. Grease and line the pie dish and set aside.
2. In a bowl add the peanuts, crushed digestive biscuits and melted butter and mix thoroughly.
3. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pie dish and make a few holes in the base with a fork. Place the pie dish in the oven on top of the preheated baking tray and cook for 10-15 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before storing in the fridge to chill.

Preparing the Sundae:

1. Remove the strawberry ice-cream from the fridge and allow it to soften – not too much, just enough that it is manageable. Once soft, adjust the colour (if not pink enough) with a little red food colouring and mix well.
2. Mix the mini marshmallows into the strawberry ice-cream then pour the mixture into the pie crust ensuring it is smooth and even. Place in the freezer to chill.
3. Next remove the vanilla ice-cream and allow to soften. This time add a few drops of blue food colouring and mix well until the right shade has been achieved.
4. Take the now frozen pie from the freezer - please make sure each layer is fully frozen before you add the next otherwise they will mix and it will be more difficult! Pour the blue-vanilla ice-cream on top, spread evenly then return to the freezer to set.
5. Once frozen again, remove the chocolate ice-cream and allow to soften. Add a few drops of red food colouring to add a subtle red hue to the chocolate layer. Mix in the chocolate chunks/chips.
6. Pour the chocolate ice-cream over the blue-vanilla then return the pie to the freezer.
7. Take the pie from the freezer 20 minutes before serving to allow to thaw. Whip the double cream, slowly adding the sugar to taste, then add the whipped cream on top and scatter with glacé cherries. Serve with a hot chocolate or fudge sauce if desired.

From above, the Pizza Sundae actually looks like a pizza covered in some bizarre red olives – mission accomplished! Originally I wanted the crust to be a cookie crust, but after a bit of research I discovered this wouldn’t freeze very well and was forced to use a cheesecake style base. I added in some salted peanuts to create a nice contrast with the sweetness of the ice-cream filing – I always love nuts in my sundaes for this reason and it works just as well here. I had toyed with the idea of the blue layer maybe being minty but decided in the end to go with the classic Neapolitan flavours – the vanilla layer acting as a nice balance between the strong flavours of the strawberry and chocolate. I was really worried this wasn’t going to work and I seriously impressed even myself when I finally cut it open! With whipped cream and a cherries on top I think the Pizza Sundae is the future of sundaes and the combinations are nearly endless!

Don’t forget to check out the other winners - Mossy Log and Choconana!

Costume Quest – Mossy Log

Mossy Log came second in the Costume Quest vote. I’m glad Mossy Log won because it meant I had the perfect excuse to invest in an electric hand mixer and finally got to witness what “stiff egg whites” looked like outside of a cookery show. I had a bit of a quandary over whether to make Mossy Log as one big cake or lots of little cake rolls – in the end I thought it would be better to create a large cake. You could of course make several large cakes and claim them as small cakes and eat as many as you like. That’s my kind of cake logic.

This recipe serves 6-8.

What you will need: 30x35cm Swiss roll tin/baking tray, 4 large bowls, whisk, small Tupperware container, pot, greaseproof paper/baking parchment, spatula and a cupcake casing.

For the Chocolate Log:

5 Eggs (Room Temperature)

140g / 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar

100g / 1 Cup Self-Raising Flour

25g / ¼ Cup High Quality Cocoa Powder

1 Cupcake Case

120 ml / ½ Cup Double Cream

1 Tablespoon Caster Sugar

For the Frosting:

190 ml/ 1 Cup Double Cream

300g / 1½ Cups Dark Chocolate (70%+)

For the Moss:

25g / ¼ Cups Desiccated Coconut

Green Food colouring

To Garnish:

25g / ½ Cup Chocolate (For the shards)

Black Writing Icing Tube

Making the Moss:

1. In a small Tupperware container with a lid, pour in the desiccated coconut and a few drops of food colouring. Close the lid and shake well until the coconut is dyed and the desired colour. Set aside for later.

Making the Chocolate Frosting:

1. On a medium heat bring the cream to the boil then quickly remove from the heat – don’t let it burn or overflow! Break in the chocolate and mix well until it has melted and the mixture is smooth.
2. Leave the chocolate cream to cool then place in the fridge to chill for about an hour until spreadable.

Making the Chocolate Shards:

1. Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie. Lay out a large piece of greaseproof paper/baking parchment on a counter then have another of the same size set aside. Once the chocolate has melted slowly pour it into the prepared paper and spread it out thinly leaving a small gap around the edges.
2. Place the second sheet of greaseproof paper/baking parchment over the top and press it down. Fold the paper up starting from the bottom into little strips until it’s all folded up then place in the fridge to chill.
3. Watch this video for step-by-step instructions - Making Chocolate Shards at FineCooking.com.

Making the Chocolate Roll:

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F, have your cupcake casing ready and grease and line the Swiss roll tin.
2. Separate the eggs; put the yolks in a large mixing bowl and the whites in another. Add the sugar and water to the egg yolks and whisk well until the mixture is light and fluffy. Sift in the cocoa powder and flour and gently fold them in, keeping the air.
3. Next whisk the egg whites until they are stiff and form peaks then gradually and lightly fold the egg whites into the cake mixture.
4. Spoon a small amount of the cake mixture into a cupcake case (enough to half fill it) then pour the rest into the prepared tin, spread until even and bake both for 10-15 minutes.
5. Lay a sheet of greaseproof paper/baking parchment onto a surface and sprinkle with cocoa poweder – once cooked turn the cake out onto the prepared sheet, cover with a tea towel and allow to cool. Leave the cupcake aside to cool also.
6. Once the cake has cooled trim any edges to create a perfect rectangle. Using the greaseproof paper underneath, roll up the cake into the shape with the paper inside and set aside.
7. Whip the double cream with the sugar to taste. Unroll the cake and spread the cream inside, leave a small gap on the edges. Roll the cake up again and place in the fridge to chill for about 20 minutes.

Making the Mossy Log:

1. Take the cake from the fridge and using a little bit of the chocolate frosting stick the cupcake on top of the cake to create the stump. Frost the entire outside of the cake liberally, covering the cupcake stump and creating a smooth finish.
2. Sprinkle the green coconut over the top in small batches being careful not to get any stuck on the stump.
3. Take the sheet of chocolate from the fridge and unroll it, it should snap and break and create the shards. Picking ones that are the right size, stick them to the frosting along the bottom of the cake on the front and back, half way up.
4. Use the black writing icing to create a swirl on the stump and your Mossy Log is ready to serve.

This cake is delicious. Actually it’s not really a cake it’s more like a chocolatey cloud. Someone suggested a minty kick would go down well, so maybe adding a little peppermint extract to the coconut would be nice. Although this is supposed to be a Halloween creepy treat, I think it would nicely replace any Yule log at Christmas too. 

Don’t forget to check out the other winners - Pizza Sundae and Choconana!

Request: Minecraft – Cake

I purposefully don’t play Minecraft; though enough of my friends have harassed me to play it and I’ve heard nothing bur praises. I’ve spoken before of my horribly addictive personality and I know that if I got involved in Minecraft I would never again see the light of day and they’d find my shrivelled, malnourished corpse collapsed over my laptop. It would be a good way to go, but just not yet. Either way Minecraft Cake has been on my list for a while now and enough of you have been asking for it so here you go!

This recipe makes 2 small cakes.

What you will need: Large mixing bowl, 20x20 square cake tin, small bowl, small pot, sieve, whisk, rolling pin, spatula, greaseproof/baking paper.

For the Cake:

200g / 1½ Cups Plain Flour

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

200g / 1 Cup Golden Caster/Superfine Sugar

200g / 1 Cup Butter (Room Temperature)

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

3 Medium Eggs (Room Temperature)

3 Tablespoons Milk

For the Frosting:

100g / ½ Cup Dark Chocolate

25g / ¼ Cup Butter

150ml / ⅔ Cup Single Cream

100g - 200g / 1 - 1½ Cups Icing Sugar

To Finish:

White Ready-to-roll Icing

Red Ready-to-roll Icing

Preparing the Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 20x20cm square cake tin.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.

3. Beat the eggs and add them slowly to the butter and sugar along with the vanilla extract.

4. Sieve in the flour and baking powder then combine it gently into the mixture. Pour into the prepared cake tin and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

5. Once golden brown and springy, allow to cool and store in the fridge while you prepare the frosting.

Making the Frosting:

1. In a bain-marie, melt the chocolate, butter and cream together until smooth.
2. Allow to cool until the mixture thickens slightly, then slowly whisk in the icing sugar until the chocolate is light and fluffy. Allow to cool further before spreading onto the cake.

Making the Cake:

1. Once the cake has cooled, level it carefully then cut it into 4. You may want to use a cookie cutter or make a template so each piece is of equal size.

2. Take a portion as your base and add a little frosting to the top of it and layer another piece of cake for the top – set aside.

3. On a clean work surface, sprinkle some icing sugar and roll out the white icing to about 1 cm thick and cut a piece large enough to comfortably cover the cake.

4. Spread some frosting on top of the cake and then cover with the white icing. Trim the icing, then cut in the pattern. You may want to make a template and use scissors/scalpel.

5. Roll out the red icing to about 1cm thick like before and cut out 4 large and 6 small squares, arrange the red squares on top of the cake to match the Minecraft Cake.

6. Cut appropriately to serve. If you leave the cake you will have to return to the cake to continue eating it.

I found this really stressful! I’ve made it at least three times now because this is a rather important entry! The cake its self is beautiful, just a simple sponge recipe, the tricky part is getting the shapes and icing correct. I didn’t think I would have to use my technical graphics skills to work out cake patterns – maybe I would have enjoyed it more at school if that had been its purpose from the start. All I can say is cardboard templates really saved the day here. You can of course make this cake massive if you have the right sized tins, I did not so I had to improvise and make smaller, personal cakes - that way I didn’t have to share. I am, however, officially sick of eating cake.

Like this? You might also enjoy the Minecraft - Mushroom Stew.