Category: jenscouturecakes

Supreme SilK – VS – Covapaste

Hey everyone HAPPY FRIYAY!!!!!! I’ve been trying to get this blog post done now for over two weeks, between having the ozzie flu and my laptop not co-operating (come to think of it, maybe I gave the laptop the flu?!?!?! lol) but anyway, I’ve managed to get it done this morning whilst sitting in bed and taking a much needed break to get myself finally on the mend.

It’s no secret of my deep affection for Supreme Silk Sugarpaste made by the Irish company Select Ireland Foods. I have mentioned it a lot on my Snapchat (user name jenscouturecakes) and Instagram (which you can come and follow me on here) lately because I truly believe in this product. So I am writing this blog as a review of the product and also to review it up against another fondant which I don’t like and you’ll see the reasons why below.

SELECT V COVAPASTE

But first lets talk about it……………..

I first came across Select Ireland, a family run business based in Cork, Ireland, when Marisa got in touch asking me how much fondant I would use per week and would I be interested in trying their product. I asked her for a cheeky sample to try and it is now my firm favourite to use for cakes. When Marisa so kindly sent me some to try, I knew straight away it was going to be good. The presentation alone is superb. Supreme Silk comes in its very own re-sealable tub which is a fantastic idea for storing the fondant. Any other fondant I have purchased before comes in vacuum sealed plastic packaging which I find very annoying because once its opened, if its not stored correctly in a zip-lock food bag, it will dry out and harden. So this is a major plus for me. It comes in its very own plastic bag, inside the re-sealable tub, so no need to worry about having cling film on hand (seran wrap in the states), or food zip lock bags to store it in. Just wrap it up in the bag and close the lid and boom- its stored and ready to be used again. I am very happy with this because I’m constantly running out of cling film and zip-lock bags because of this very thing, so I’m very impressed with this.

Upon opening the fondant, after it was delivered to me on a very cold wintery day, I did a live opening and tasting of the fondant on my snapchat. It tasted amazing, a lovely vanilla flavour but it wasn’t too sweet or over bearing, nor was it to dull or faint, it was just right. Because of the weather conditions, and other experiences with fondant/sugarpaste, I had already presumed the fondant was going to be rock hard and very difficult to knead. So I decided what better time to try it then now when it would be at its most difficult, right? It was cold to touch obviously due to the weather outside, but, when I took it to my green board and began to knead it, it literally took me less than a minute to have it ready to cover a cake- NO LIE!!!!! There was no need to throw it into the microwave to heat it up. Believe me, I was as shocked as you most likely are reading that, but it is TRUE. Of course it was cold and hard to touch initially, but within seconds, it began heating up, becoming very elastic and pliable, and it rolled out like a dream. And best of all, NO AIR BUBBLES!!!!!!

When covering my cake, placing the fondant over the cake there was no rips or tears in the fondant and more importantly for me, no elephant skin!!!!! This is such a pet hate of mine with fondant, I cannot stand the elephant skin look off fondant and when I had the cake finished, it was as smooth as a newborn baby’s bum!! The perfect finish for any cake- that smooth, clean, professional look, JUST PERFECT!!!!

The most important thing about this fondant for me is being able to achieve super sharp edges that stay super sharp. This is extremely important to me, as you can see below, I like to finish my cakes off with super sharp edges so I love this with the Supreme Silk. Here is my most recent wedding cake using the sugarpaste and I am so happy with the finished result.

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I have used other fondant brands before this, including Icewise and Satin Ice which weren’t bad and I’ve tried others and been really let down with the finish. For example, before I found my fav, I stupidly bought a big quantity of Covapaste fondant from one of my suppliers without trying it beforehand, because fondant is fondant right?!?!?! What could possibly go wrong?!? Well, let me start by advising you against EVER buying this fondant. I had a three tier wedding cake to cover and I literally cried every minute of decorating it. I even posted in the Irish Cake Decorating and Sugarcraft Chat Facebook page asking about the fondant- was it just me? or were other people having similar problems? and to my relief lots of people agreed with me, and there were others who swore by it. But for me- its a NO! So here were my issues with it:

  • too hard to knead (you’d want Arnold Schwarzenegger muscles to go at it and then hello tennis elbow and writers wrist – ouch!!!!!)
  • air bubbles- need I say aymore?
  • elephant skin- aaaaaaaarrrrrghhhh
  • rips and tears (causing me to recover the cake twice- once again with the covpaste and then with a cheaper local supermarket fondant to try get the cake finished and on time, thankfully Tesco fondant actually came to my rescue)
  • the sharp edge wouldn’t hold
  • and finally when I went to smooth over the cake, the fondant dragged and tore. So it went from being too hard to knead to being super soft and sensitive.

Its safe to say I do not like Covapaste. The whole cake needed to be stripped and re-covered with a huge amount of fondant in the bin and not to mention the money it cost to buy it. I may aswel have gone into the bathroom and flushed the money down the toilet. I had such a bad experience with it and the tears and tantrums will never be forgotten, by me or by my husband ha ha.

So to round up all the pro’s of the Supreme Silk Sugarpaste (because I have not found one fault yet), see below:

  • super easy to knead
  • extremely pliable and elastic
  • zero air bubbles
  • smooth finish – no elephant skin
  • no rips or tears – extremely durable
  • sharp edges – all day everyday
  • vanilla flavour (not too sweet just right)
  • great for making models/figurines with with too
  • blends perfectly when using the wrap around method for covering double barrel cakes
So if you’ve been having trouble with your current sugarpaste, or you’d like to try something new, DEFINITELY give it a try its so worth it!!!!!
If you do try the Supreme Silk, let me know what you think in the comments below.
Til next time
Jen ♥ XX
Please note: this blog is my own personal opinion. I have not been asked to do this blog nor have I been paid to do it.

My top 3 Caker Gifts this Christmas

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I cant’ believe its over a year since I wrote my last blog post!! That time has literally ran away from me in a blink of an eye and its all down to you, my clients who have kept me so busy this year with cake orders. I couldn’t be happier with how 2017 has gone for me and JensCoutureCakes and I’m so excited to see what 2018 brings. I also can’t believe its only 8 more sleeps until CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!! It’s my favourite time of year and also usually my busiest time of year with chocolate biscuit puddings, fruit cakes, etc., but as I said on my Snapchat the other day (if you don’t already follow me my snapchat user name is jenscouturecake, come say hi) this year I’ve decided to take a break from all the madness and spend more time with my little family. With that in mind, its Christmas time which also means buying gifts for your nearest and dearest and I’ve been asked a lot lately what would I recommend as gifts for women who love to bake and love all things cake. So, it got me thinking, which led me to googling and I’ve found some last minute gifts for the caker in your life that will be here just in time for Xmas.

  1. The Kenwood Multitone Mixer and Food Processor

I actually cant believe the price of this! Holy Sh*t its such a bargain with the 2in1 mixer and food processor everyone could use one of these in their kitchen. At the amazing price of only €195 (was €325) its a steal! The Kenwood is a favourite among all cakers for being one of the best and most durable mixers on the market. A friend of mine has had one on her family for over 20 years with there never being any problems with it. So its safe to say its a cakers Designer piece as an Investment. You can get yours online from Debenhams here.

 

 

kenwood multitone

2) Cath Kidston Christmas Apron

Cath Kidston is a firm favourite among cakers for her beautiful designs festive and floral you’ll be sure to find something for everyone. Of course with it being the time of year a Christmas apron would seem appropriate for the Christmas seasonal baker but for the all year round cakers like myself maybe a more neutral design would be better suited. However, tis the season and all that so here is a beautiful Christmas apron I’ve found designed by the one and only Cath herself. They can be found in Kildare Village, Littlewoods and of course Cath’s website itself which you can click on here. Lots of them are up to half price in the Sale at the moment so even if its not a gift for someone else, whats the harm in buying one for yourself?!?!?!!?

cath-kidston-christmas-apron

3) Mary Berry Baking Bible Recipe Book

Every baker needs a good recipe book starting off and who better to start with than Mary Berry herself! Being the star baker that she is, Mary is part of The Great British Bake off, a highly respected British baker with over 75 cookery books in her career so far and her book The Baking Bible released in 2009 is perfect for bakers anew and also us more experienced cakers. A perfect gift for the star baker in your life for sure!! You can find them in any Eason’s store for just €36.40 or buy online here.

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I hope this gave you some ideas worth looking at and helps you in your search for a gift for the baker/caker in your life!

For now, I’m off to bed to watch some Netflix and chill before a hectic week ahead of Christmas shopping and catching up on housework- the joys!!!

Chat soon xx

Jen ♥

Nima Brush Birthday Bash

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I was absolutely thrilled when the lovely Niamh, director and owner of Nima Brush asked me to make the novelty cupcakes for their 4th birthday bash this year. I have made cupcakes for Niamh before and didn’t get to meet her so I was super excited to finally get to meet her in person. She is such a lovely girl and what a #GIRLBOSS she is!!!

 

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The event was taking place in The Bond Nightclub on Harcourt St., under Dicey’s. Jennie (one of Niamh’s team) got in touch and told me they were having an exclusive birthday party,  which was going to be a Masquerade theme, (as it was very close to Halloween what better theme to go with) and she asked me to come up with some designs to suit their theme. I decided what better to do than to incorporate the signature Nima Colour for the masks and add some glitz and glam to them to decorate.

nima-brushes

On arrival, there was unlimited glasses of Prosecco for everyone, along with lots of yummy treats in sweet jars, and of course the cupcakes. Niamh also had cool party neon glasses and bracelets for the guests. We set up the cupcakes on her beautiful Nima stand and also placed them on tables around the venue for all the guests.

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There was also an opportunity for all the guests to purchase the fabulous Nima brushes on the night which were displayed on the Nima table. Here is a close up of them…Aren’t they gorgeous?!?!?!?

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Needless to say, I was thrilled to get to meet Niamh and her wonderful team. They’re all such lovely girls and can tell they love Niamh and of course Nima. The night was a huge success with many a sore head the next day I’m sure. I was so overwhelmed when Niamh gifted me with a range her amazing brushes which I cannot wait to try!!! Have a look at these beauties……..

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Best of all I cannot wait to make Niamh’s wedding cake next year. She is so sweet and her wedding is going to be fabulous. Niamh thankyou for choosing JensCoutureCakes and I cannot wait to work with you on your wedding and future events ♥♥♥

Hope you guys enjoyed the read and if you were at the event I hope you had a ball as did I.

Jen ♥ xx

 

Reese Chocolate Cupcakes

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Good evening everyone, I hope you all had a fabulous weekend doing what ever it is you do to relax and have fun. I took the weekend off and had some much needed R&R after what has been a crazy couple of weeks. It finally caught up with me so I literally just vegged out on the sofa, you know as Julia Roberts says in Pretty Woman – “lay like broccoli” and that’s what I did.

Last week, while on my baking roll, my husband (I get such excitement calling him that, we just got married in the summer and its the best feeling ever!!), well, he requested his favourite treat of all to be picked up at the local shop – Reese’s, and because I was in a baking mood, I decided to give these cupcakes a go. Bless him, he’s been asking for these for ages so I finally gave in.

If you are a lover of all things peanut butter like he is, then you are going to peanut heaven when you taste these. The peanut buttercream is soft and fluffy, the chocolate cupcake is what dreams are made of, and not forgetting the Reese cup inside?!?!?!?! OMG these are the ultimate dessert!!

When making these, I prefer to use Panda Smooth Peanut Butter, which I picked up in my local Tescos. The smooth one is best because when piping on the buttercream, theres no peanut bits that will get stuck in your piping bag causing a blockage. I’m sure if you used a large enough nozzle or even better none at all, then you could use whatever one you wanted. But for me, I prefer the smooth one either way.

My recipe makes 12 Reese Cupcakes, so if you want less just halve the recipe but believe me, if like me you have a full house with guests all the time (its because I’m a baker, everyone knows theres always something nice going to be here for them, lol) then you will need the 12. So what are we waiting for, right? Let’s get to it.

Recipe: Yields 12

For the Cupcakes:

150g Caster Sugar

150g Flora Buttery or Margarine

3 Medium Eggs (at room temperature)

120g Self Raising Flour

30g Cocoa Powder

1tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Buttercream:

115g Butter (at room temperature)

180g Peanut Butter

85g Icing Sugar

Method:

For the cupcakes:

  1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC/ Gas Mark 5
  2. Line your cupcake tins with 12 cupcake liners.
  3. Using your stand mixer, or hand whisk, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy,
  4. Add in the eggs, one at a time until all three are combined. (You may need to add some flour if the mix begins to separate)
  5. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and cocoa powder with a wooden spoon until combined.
  6. Sieve your flour mix into the butter mix slowly, leaving the mixer on low speed until fully combined.
  7. Pour in the vanilla essence and mix for one more minute.
  8. Using a tablespoon, fill the cupcake liners half way and then place a full Reese into each cupcake. Do not push them in, just gently allow them to sit on top of the cupcake mix, as it will sink slightly itself. Then using equal amounts, pour the remaining mix into each cupcake covering the Reese completely.
  9. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until risen well and springy to the touch.
  10. Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool.

For the buttercream:

  1. Cream the butter and peanut butter on a slow speed together until completely combined.
  2. Then slowly sieve in the icing sugar, allowing it to mix thoroughly each time.
  3. When the icing sugar is fully added into the mix, turn the mixer to a high speed and allow to mix for approx. 3-5 minutes. The mixing time will depend on the temperature of the butter. If at room temp, then it will be ready in approx. 3 minutes, if the butter is cold it will take longer. You will know when the buttercream is ready as the colour fades slightly and it will be light and fluffy.
  4. When the cupcakes have completely cooled, then using a piping bag and piping tip, swirl the buttercream on top of each one in a circular motion.

Finally, enjoy these babies with a cuppa and spread the love to family and friends. These are sure to be a huge hit and be prepared to be asked to bake them again, and again, and AGAIN!!!

Enjoy baking my lovelies and let me know how you got on if you gave them a go. Who am I kidding, let me know WHEN you give these a go.

Jen ♥ xx

 

Toblerone Cookies

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I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love toblerone!!! As a child, I remember it being one of the gifts always brought home from holidays, be it family or friends, you could be sure to find one of these nougat heroes stashed in either their suitcase or that oh so lovely to look at duty-free bag because you knew exactly what was inside. I don’t know if its the milk chocolate or the nougat pieces that does it for me, but I could literally eat it until I pass out of a sugar overdose. I love how it tastes, the texture, how the chocolate melts on my tongue yet the nougat gets stuck in my teeth, and of course its iconic shape that is world known. It is now 108 years old, after being created in 1908 by two cousins in Switzerland, who probably never knew how famous it was going to be. It has literally become the holiday makers iconic gift to bring home to loved ones, no matter where in the world you may be there will always be a prism of Toblerone on view in those duty free shops reminding you of loved ones, and the fact that you better bring one home or you may get on the return flight!!!

So, to my complete and utter joy, I spotted a recipe for these chocolatey cookies on the New Ideas Website while thumbing it on Facebook. For those of you who may not know what “thumbing it” means, its a term I use when describing how my husband looks whilst on the phone- his thumb just scrolling through pointless social media sites to pass a couple of minutes, or hours, even days …I’ve lost count at this stage, but this time thumbing it was worth it for me. I tend to constantly google and search across all social media sites looking for and at all things cake!! I’m a caker……that’s what I do in my spare time!

Sunday was d-day for me to make these. Everyone was sitting in the sitting room eagerly awaiting their share of the cookies and applying massive pressure for them to be made NOW. I gathered all of my ingredients and got cracking on the recipe which was extremely easy to follow I might add. For non-bakers wanting to be brave and take the leap into baking, I reckon this one is for you. All you need is a stand mixer and it does all the work for you (if you don’t have one, pop it on your santa list, its worth a shot, sure now is the time to start dropping some hints anyway).

I like giant cookies so from this recipe I made 8. But you could probably get about 16 “normal sized” cookies. Team them up with an ice cold glass of milk and you’ve got a mean treat right there, one that’s worth the extra few syns on your slimming world week or more carbs on your macros, who ever you are, you are sure to love these and feel sin-free!!!

Recipe: Makes 8 giant cookies

200g Toblerone

50g Unsalted butter

100g Brown sugar

1 Egg beaten

100g Dark Chocolate melted

100g Plain Flour

50g Ground almonds (almond meal)

1tsp Vanilla extract

1tsp Baking powder

1tbspn Whole milk

Method:

  1. Take 4 whole triangles of the toblerone, cut them in half and put to one side. Then cut up the rest into small pieces to be added to the cookie dough later.
  2. Using the stand mixer, beat the sugar and butter together until smooth
  3. Add in the egg and vanilla extract.
  4. Pour in the melted chocolate.
  5. Pour in the flour, ground almonds and baking powder and allow to completely combine. Then pour in the diced up toblerone along with the milk and again allow to mix completely.
  6. Roll 8 balls that are the same in size and place them on a lined baking tray (you will have a fairly wet cookie dough, but once you roll it between the palms of your hand its very easy to shape and non sticky). Then using the 8 halved pieces you had to one side, place one piece in the centre of each cookie slightly pushing it into the cookie. Also don’t worry about flattening out the cookie, this will happen in the oven.
  7. Place them into your preheated oven at 180ºC or Gas Mark 5 for 15minutes.
  8. Take them out of the oven and place them on a cooling rack to cool.
  9. When you’re ready, enjoy with a cold glass of milk or a cup of tea which ever tickles your fancy!!!

I hope you enjoy these and let me know how you get on with making them!

Jen ♥ xx

 

 

My Top 5 Gifts For A Caker

Can you believe its only 87 more days until CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!! It’s my favourite time of year and also my busiest time of year with chocolate biscuit puddings, fruit cakes, etc and I am so excited. Today I was asked by my younger sister what I would like for Christmas (she’s crazy, already on the prowl for gifts) and it got me thinking……….What would I like?!?! Hmmmm so I got googling and I came across some amazing gifts that would suit any caker, especially if they’re as cake mad as I am.

Here’s what I found……

  1. These are definitely my Number 1 gift. I absolutely adore shoes, what girl doesn’t. Being a cake decorator means I work most weekends, especially those late Friday and Saturday nights, icing cakes, decorating, screaming, crying, you’ll know what I’m taking about if you’re a caker, so to get to my point- I have lots of beautiful shoes THAT I NEVER GET TO WEAR, but, can you picture me decorating cakes in these babies? Yes, they are high heels decorated as icecream, don’t they just make you want to eat that cherry right off?  It would make it all seem so much more worthwhile if I had these. They are made by the fabulous and innovative guys at Shoe Bakery!!!! Check them out they have amazing stuff on there. Which brings me to my Number 2.ice-cream-heels
  2. And while we’re on their fabulous site, why not get a matching bag? I mean it would be rude not to don’t you think?!?!?!?!? This Limited Edition White Sprinkle Bowler Bag is totally fashionable, even for non-cakers. It’s a must have for me.

icecream-bag

3. And look what else I’ve found which is also matching…..Yes, its an Icecream Cone Phone Cover from the incredibly clever guys over on Iced Jems. How cute is this? Would I use this? Hell yeah, its totally awesome. It may not be the right time of year to sport this phone cover, but who cares? A girl can dream, or so they say!

icecreamphonecover

4. My next gift worthy of my top 5 are these super cute keyrings from Laduree. I completely and utterly love French Macarons, they come in such a vast range of flavours I love love love to make them. They can be quite tricky to make, of course, they tend to drive people to near insanity trying to perfect these temperamental little treats, but when you have them mastered, you will acquire a deep affection for them just as I have.  You can read my blog and tutorial on Macarons here.

macaron-keyring

5. And so this brings me to my last, but not least gift number 5….

I get such a thrill from trying new recipes, and one day would love to write my own Cake Book. This would be absolutely perfect for anyone who like me, loves to bake and try out new recipes and also come up with your own. So what better way than to keep record of them in this cute little recipe book, and who knows, maybe one day publish your very own!! It can be bought here from Paperchase online.

recipe-book

So there you have it. My top 5 gifts for a caker, baker, or basically anyone who swoons over sugar and spice and all things nice!! For my sister, husband, friends, if ever you get a burning desire to buy me a gift……be sure to check off my list first.

Jen ♥ xx

 

 

 

Gluten Free Cookies

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These bad boys are like eating chocolate fluffy clouds (so my sister told me), and I think her way of describing them is on point! They’re slightly crunchy yet crumbly on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, mildly chewy and simply an all round feel good comfort treat. And do you want to know what the best part for me is?!? They’re gluten free!!

No, I am not coeliac, but I do have an intolerance to wheat, which of course is in regular baking flour, so this fact alone makes me happy. No cramps, no sluggish feeling, no bloating, but best of all after a hard days work, I can curb that chocolate sweet treat craving with one of these fluffy delights and not suffer the consequences.

When deciding to go on a gluten free diet, I spoke with a lot of people who had either made the same choice or medically have to consume gluten free foods due to their medical condition of being coeliac. A lot of them recommended Doves gluten free self raising flour to me, and so I trusted their judgement, after all they had been using it long before me. it can be found in all Tescos store, and can be purchased online here. I also googled a lot to find gluten free recipes, especially for cookies as these are a firm favourite of mine and my family as a treat, and after lots of googling and testing recipes, I finally can say I have modified and combined some different recipes to come up with my very own recipe to suit the type of cookie I enjoy.

doves flour

When most people I talk to hear of gluten free, a lot of the time they presume that the food is “like cardboard”, but I can guarantee you these are anything but! I absolutely love these, so does my husband and 4 year old (yes, even she devours them). So if you fancy giving these ago, I have included the recipe below, along with the brands that I use. I am only recommending them as they are tried and tested brands for me in baking, but if you wish to use an alternative, go for it!

Recipe makes 15 large cookies

Equipment needed:

Stand mixer or electric hand whisk

Weighing scales

Tesco non-stick baking paper (or greaseproof/parchment paper)

Flat baking trays (approx. 3)

Mixing bowl

Sieve

Cup and fork

Tablespoon

Ingredients:

250g Doves Gluten free self raising flour

200g Gem Soft dark brown sugar

100g Tesco Real Butter

2 Medium Eggs (beaten)

35g Tesco Baking Cocoa powder

1tsp Odlums Baking powder

1tsp Odlums Bicarbonate of soda

250g of Dr Oetker White chocolate chips (or dark/plain, or why not all three to make triple chocolate cookies?) mmm another thought!!!

Method:

In my method, I used my Kenwood Stand Mixer with the paddle attachment, but they will work the same using a hand mixer with the whisk attachment.

  • Preheat your oven at 180 degrees and line your baking trays with non stick paper.
  • Using the mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
  • To beat the eggs, pour them into your cup and whisk with the fork until the egg whites and yellows are completely combined.
  • When the butter and sugar are light and fluffy, leaving the mixer on slow speed, gradually add the eggs in little by little until completely combined and then beat on high speed for approximately 1min.
  • Sieve all your dry ingredients together into the mixing bowl to combine them all together. Then sieve them again into the bowl of the stand mixer and mix on low speed to form a thick cookie dough.
  • Pour in your chocolate chips and mix in with the tablespoon. Using the spoon again, taking heaped tablespoonfuls of the cookie dough, place them onto your lined baking trays with a good distance apart from each other (6 per tray) and then bang the tray on the counter to allow the cookie dough to spread and flatten out.
  • Bake them in the oven for approx. 12-15 minutes until completely cooked. A quick way of testing this is to lift the cookie off the paper. If it lifts up with ease and not stuck to the paper, they are ready to take out of the oven.
  • Allow them to cool on the wire rack completely, or if you’re like me and you like your cookies warm, give them approx. 3 minutes to cool and indulge in some fluffy heaven with a nice glass of milk!!!
  • You can store them in an airtight container for approx. 4-5 days.

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Let me know how you got on, and leave some pics/comments below.

Have a great day!

Jen ♥ xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meringue Kisses

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So I have been a huge fan of The Meringue Girls for quite some time now, and having mastered my French Macarons, you can read my tutorial blog here, I decided to give their signature desert a go!!

I googled their recipe and I was brought to Bakerella.com‘s website where I found the recipe and method for these little sweet beauties. In her blog post, she explains that she used The Meringue girls cookbook and that she found them very easy to make- I was chuffed to read this as I had been quite nervous about giving them a go for ages now.

So to get started, here’s exactly what you need:

Ingredients:

Equipment:

  • Hand Mixer and large mixing bowl (optional)
  • Food Mixer with whisk attachment
  • Baking tray
  • Non stick baking paper/parchment paper
  • Disposable piping bag
  • Scissors
  • Food safe paintbrush

Method:

  1. Line the baking tray with greaseproof paper and pour in the caster sugar. Bake for 3-5 minutes at 200C until the edges just begin to melt. In my oven its fan assisted so it only took 3 minutes for this to happen, so please note ovens do vary.
  2. In the meantime, pour the egg whites into a large mixing bowl and using your hand mixer with a whisk attachment, begin whisking on a low speed until bubbles begin to form. Of course, you may do this in your food mixer too using the whisk attachment. Then increasing to high speed gradually, continue to whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form and you can turn the bowl upside down without the egg whites falling out. I talk about this in my blog on making French Macarons which is linked above.
  3. Take the sugar out of the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 100C. Then with the mixer still on high speed, begin to add one heaped tablespoon of the sugar at a time, making sure that the egg whites come back to stiff peaks after each tablespoon of sugar. When you have added all the sugar, continue to whisk for 5 – 7 minutes. The mixture will be ready when it has formed a high gloss and when rubbed between your finger tips it is completely smooth, with no “gritty” feeling of sugar.
  4. Prepare the baking tray again with fresh Parchment paper. To do this, use your finger tip and dab the meringue mixture on the four corners of the tray and press paper on top to hold it down in place. This prevents the parchment paper from moving whilst piping the meringues.
  5. To achieve the striped kisses, turn a piping bag inside out and paint on 4-5 stripes of your food coloring. Then roll the bag so the painted side is inside and carefully spoon the meringue mixture into the piping bag and fill it 2/3 of the way full. I find this makes it easier to manage the bag and to be more precise when piping the kisses. As you don’t need a piping tip, just cut off the tip of the piping bag about an inch in diameter to give good sized meringues.
  6. To pipe the kisses, hold the bag upright and allow the tip to touch the paper. Then squeezing the bag, pipe onto the sheet and pull upwards to get the little flick at the top. (my husband calls them gnome hats)
  7. Bake them in the centre of the oven at 100C for 30-40 minutes until they can easily be lifted off the parchment paper with the bases in tact. In my oven I used the regular setting ensuring not to use the fan. Allow them to cool completely and store them in an airtight container will keep for up to two weeks., or you may freeze them as they hold up really well in the freezer.

Here are my Meringue Kisses,

So happy that the #meringues worked out. Absolutely ❤️ these. Tried and tested using the @meringuegirls #recipe #jenscouturecakes #meringuelove #meringuekisses #meringuekisses #foodphoto #foodphotography #foodbloggers #foodblog #foodblogger #foodie #foodies #foodiegram #foodieblog #meringuegram #newproject #ideas #newproduct #desert #desertlove #desertlove
 meringue kisses
Its safe to say, I will be making these little sweet beauties a lot from now on, they went down a treat in my house and they’re definitely something I will be adding to my production list.
Let me know how you get on with yours and post your pics in the comments, I would love to see them!!
Have a great day,
Jen ♥ xx