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Crunchy muesli bars (granola bars)

Nagi — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 02:53:53 +0000

Adapted from my chewy muesli bars, this is a recipe for crunchy muesli bars that stay crunchy for over 3 weeks! I munch on these as a sweet-treat fix, yet they’re healthy enough for breakfast because they’re sugar-free. Endlessly customisable!

In pursuit of crunchy muesli bars

Chewy muesli bars are so easy to make. They don’t even need to be baked!

Crunchy muesli bars, however, were irritatingly difficult to crack. At least, without using sugar. Wildly popular crunchy muesli bars from my school playground days (mysteriously difficult to find these days – if at all?) had a frightening amount of sugar in them for something marketed as “healthy”.

While I am not one to shy away from sugar in my baking, I just always feel that some things should be a little more wholesome. Muesli bars being one such thing!

Cracking the crunchy muesli bar code

In a nutshell – if you bake a basic muesli bar recipe, it will come out crunchy but doesn’t stay that way for very long. Sometimes a few hours, or the day at best. The next day they are chewy/sticky/sweaty.

For stay-crunchy muesli bars, I found I had to do a double-bake situation:

toast the oats and nuts
mix with glue (peanut butter and honey)
press in pan, chill to firm
cut, then bake.

Lots of iterations of the above were tried in pursuit of this final recipe! I hope you love and munch on these crunchy muesli bars for many years to come.

Ingredients in crunchy muesli bars

Excellent recipe to cater to nut allergies! Just use 2 3/4 cups of “anything you want” though I’d use at least 3/4 cup of oats (my recipe uses 1 1/2 cups) for muesli-bar density. Any less and you will start moving into nut-bar territory (chunkier) and the glue (peanut butter + honey) may be insufficient to hold the bar together.

Express pass: Just use 2 3/4 cups of your favourite muesli mix!

Natural peanut butter – This recipe calls for natural peanut butter which is just pure peanuts without sugar and salt added. It’s runnier than commercial peanut butter spread (Bega/Kraft, Skippy, Jif) so it’s easier to mix through. I fear if you try this with commercial peanut butter spread, you will be cursing me with a thick doughy mixture! (Also, pure peanut butter is healthier – no palm oil, no sugar etc).
I use smooth but crunchy is fine too.
Non-peanut alternatives – Hazelnut, almond and cashew butter work great! While tahini would be an option I think the sesame flavour would dominate a little too much.
Honey – The sweetener for the glue and also what makes the muesli bar crunchy once baked. Maple syrup also works but they are not quite as crunchy and don’t hold together quite as well. But a good alternative.
Rolled oats – Just plain rolled oats, like we use for recipes like oatmeal cookies and Anzac biscuits. Not quick oats, not a ready-made porridge mix, not steel cut oats.
Almonds – I like chunky bits of almonds in my muesli bars. It’s best to give them a rough chop else you end up with giant pieces of almonds throughout which can make it more difficult to get clean cuts.
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) – These always make an appearance in my muesli bars for a nice splash of green colour.
Sultanas – My nostalgic dried fruit of choice, though you can absolutely substitute with anything you want.
Cinnamon – For flavour. Pumpkin spice mix is also lovely, as is a dab of vanilla extract (mix into the glue). Other spices I like to dabble with include: all spice, mixed spice and ginger.
Salt – Don’t skip this! Just a touch makes a difference. It does not make it salty.
Mini chocolate chips (optional) – The choc chips in store bought choc chip muesli bars are mini ones which are smaller than regular choc chips used in cookies. Mini ones are about 5mm / 0.2″ wide. I found them at my local Scoop Wholefoods (one of those places where you help yourself and pay by weight) but since deciding to publish this recipe, they have become strangely hard to find! So don’t fret if you can’t find them, just use regular ones.
Alternative – Chocolate drizzle across the top. Do this after baking! I just pop a small handful of chocolate chips or chocolate melts in a small ziplock bag. Microwave until melted, snip the corner off then drizzle across the muesli bars.

How to make crunchy muesli bars

The order of the steps matter for long-lasting crunchiness!!! And cutting the muesli bars before baking to lock in crunchiness is key.

Toast the oats and nuts in the oven for just 10 minutes. Drying out the oats a bit is a crunchiness insurance step, and toasting the nuts brings out the flavour.
Muesli glue – Warm the peanut butter and honey in the microwave (just 30 seconds) then give it a good mix to combine. The mixture is thinner when it’s warm which makes it easier to mix through.

Mix – Put the warm oats/nuts into a heatproof bowl and add everything else: dried fruit, cinnamon powder and salt. Pour over the warm glue then mix until thoroughly combined. It might seem like there’s not enough glue, but there is! Persist, use a cutting motion if needed. If it gets too hard to mix, microwave the bowl for 20 seconds which will loosen the mixture up and make it easier to mix.
Press – Put a sheet of paper over a 20 cm / 8″ square pan (no need to grease and create more washing up for yourself). Then press the mixture evenly into the pan. Hands is easiest, I find.

Optional choc chips

Cool then press – If you are topping your muesli bars with choc chips, let the mixture cool a bit first else the choc chips will melt! Then sprinkle across the surface and press in by covering with another sheet of paper (to prevent melting on contact with your hands).
Choc chips – post press!

Fridge – Put the pan in the fridge for 1 hour or until it is firm enough to lift the whole slab out without it sagging. At this stage, these are chewy muesli bars so you can eat them as is. But if you are in pursuit of crunchy, plough on!
Cut into 10 bars.

Bake for 25 minutes in a moderate oven (160°C/325°F (140°C fan-forced) until they are quite golden. You need to be brave here because pale = not as crunchy as they could be, but burnt = bitter! Check at 22 minutes to be cautious.
Cool for crunch! You will be able to feel that the muesli bars are crunchy but touching them. But don’t try to move or pick them up until they are fully cool so they will set and harden.

Storing crunchy muesli bars

Once fully cool, store them in an airtight container to preserve crunch. In “normal” weather, they will stay crunchy for up to 5 days just keeping them in the pantry. This also means you can pop them in a lunchbox and they’ll stay crunchy!

But to prolong the crunchy-life of these muesli bars and most especially in hot, humid weather (ie Sydney right now!), store the muesli bars in the fridge. This keeps them crunchy for well over a fortnight. I’m up to three weeks and they are still fine!

And actually, in warm weather, munching on cool muesli bars straight out of the fridge is actually very appealing.

Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Crunchy muesli bars (granola bars)

Recipe video above. I've never come across a crunchy muesli bar recipe that stayed crunchy beyond a day. So I decided to make my own – and these stay crunchy for 3+ weeks! Adapted from my chewy muesli bars, I found the key to be lightly toasting the oats then cutting the bars before baking. The chewy muesli bars also have a higher ratio of honey and peanut butter which is what makes them chewy!

PS Even though they're sugar free, I munch on these when I need a sweet-treat fix, yet they're healthy enough for breakfast.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine Australian, Western

Keyword crunchy granola bars, crunchy muesli bars, muesli bars

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Fridge & cooling 2

Servings bars

Calories 183cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

The glue:

1/4 cup honey (Note 1)
1/4 cup natural peanut butter, smooth (or crunchy!) (Note 2)

Muesli bars (Note 3):

1 1/2 cups rolled oats* (not steel cut)
1/2 cup almonds* , roughly chopped
1/4 cup pepitas* (pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup sultanas*
3/4 tsp cinnamon powder (or other, like pumpkin spice)
1/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
2 tbsp small chocolate chips or 3 tbsp regular dark choc chips, optional (Note 4)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F (140°C fan-forced). Place a sheet of baking paper over a 20 cm / 8" square tin with overhang so it's easy to lift out later (no greasing needed).
Toast: Spread the oats, chopped almonds and pepitas on a tray. Bake for 10 minutes. Tip into a heatproof bowl. (Note 5) Add the sultanas, cinnamon and salt.
Muesli mixture: Microwave the honey and peanut butter in a heatproof jug for 30 seconds on high. Mix to combine. (Note 6) Pour over the oat mixture and mix through. It might seem like it won't mix in, but persist, it will! Use a cutting motion if needed. Last resort – Note 7
Press: Tip the muesli mixture into the pan then press firmly into the pan. Once cooled, scatter the choc chips across surface (if using). Cover with a sheet of paper then press down firmly with your hands to push the choc chips in.
Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm enough to lift out without bending.
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F (140°C fan-forced).
Cut: Use the paper overhang to lift the muesli slab onto a cutting board. Cut in half, then each into 5 (10 bars). Transfer onto a tray using the paper, then space the muesli bars out.
Bake for 25 minutes or until quite golden on the surface and golden brown on the edges but not burnt.
Cool & crunchy: Remove from the oven and cool on the tray – it will become crunchy! Store in an airtight container once cooled, in the fridge if it's warm where you are. It will still be crunchy 3 weeks later!

Notes

* Switch these with whatever you want, use 2 3/4 cups total. See Note 3 for more info.

1. Honey – Maple syrup can be substituted but it doesn’t have quite the same glueing strength as honey. But it will still work, the muesli bars just crumble a little more easily when you bite into them.

2. Peanut butter – Natural, pure peanut butter that is 100% peanuts with no sugar, salt etc added is best here, for flavour and thickness (commercial spread is much thicker so it’s harder to mix through).

Non-peanut alternatives – almond, cashew or hazelnut butter. Tahini has been suggested which I haven’t tried because I feel the sesame flavour would overwhelm.

3. Stuff – You can basically use 2 3/4 cups of any “stuff” you want (I’ve made this using just a budget muesli mix) though you need at least 3/4 cup oats for the mixture to have the right density to glue together. I like the ratio I’ve listed above – sufficient dried fruit for natural sweetness, right amount of nuts for crunch!

4. Choc chips used in commercial muesli bars are smaller than the baking chips used for chocolate chip cookies. I found them at Scoop Wholefoods (those places where you help yourself and pay by weight). Else, just use regular choc chips OR drizzle the muesli bars with melted chocolate (like store bought ones).

5. Use a heatproof bowl for mixing in case you need to rewarm the mixture to loosen it up.

6. Heating makes it thinner so easier to mix through.

7. Last resort – microwave for 20 seconds to loosen the mixture up.If the mixture gets too thick to mix the “glue” through evenly, microwave for 20 seconds to loosen the mixture up then mix again.

Storage – They will stay fresher and crunchier for longer if they are stored in the fridge in an airtight container. They are actually really nice eaten cold, straight from the fridge! But if it’s not hot and humid where you are, they can even be stored for around 5 days just in the pantry.

Nutrition per bar. I find that one bar makes a good breakfast – and I have a hearty appetite!

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Early morning at his second favourite place on earth – Bayview dog beach. (I like to think his first favourite is wherever I am!)

The post Crunchy muesli bars (granola bars) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Mini Christmas Cakes – gift!

Nagi — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 05:24:45 +0000

Mini Christmas Cakes! Great to serve at gatherings and ideal for gifting – long shelf life, packages up beautifully, easy to make and economical. Made with my classic Christmas cake batter, the rich fruit cake is moist and velvety.

Mini Christmas Cakes

Here are the Mini Christmas Cakes I promised in last weeks’ Holiday Gift Guide!! This is just my classic Christmas Cake converted into mini form. They look so great on a platter to serve at gatherings, and are also ideal for gifting because they have a long shelf life. The cake is beautifully moist, rich with dried fruit, perfumed with Christmas spices. Dense, but soft pudding-like, not like a brick as many store bought ones are.

I also like that they’re easy to dress up for serving and gifting, because this Christmas Cake is designed to be eaten plain. So you don’t need to fuss to work around frosting or add a sauce for serving. Just dust with icing sugar, then for an extra Christmassy touch, tie a ribbon around each one and add a sprig of rosemary!

Also – the option to add a Christmas pudding drippy glaze!

What you need to make Mini Christmas Cakes

A LOT of dried fruit and very little cake batter!!

1. SOAKED DRIED FRUIT (booze optional)

Here’s what you need for the Soaked Dried Fruit. The fruit is soaked in either apple juice OR a combination of apple juice and brandy (for those who like boozy Christmas Cake).

Dried fruit mix speedy option – While I like to chop my own dried fruit (cake is softer, you get better flavour and I can use the ratios I like), feel free to use a store bought mix of pre chopped dried fruit for convenience.

Use any dried fruit you want – As long as it weighs 855g / 30 oz in total. The selection above is the mix I like!
Mixed peel is a store bought mix of dried, crystallised (ie sugared) lemon and orange peel. Usually it comes pre chopped – I like to chop it a bit finer. I like less citrus peel than some recipes because I’m too scarred by all those times I bit into a huge piece of orange peel. Just not to my taste! Don’t use FRESH orange and lemon peel, it will be too strong and too bitter. I do not know how much fresh peel to substitute this for.
Juice and/or booze – for a traditional boozy Christmas Cake, just switch 1/3 of the apple juice with brandy. Can also sub apple juice with orange juice if you want a stronger citrus flavour.

2. CHRISTMAS CAKE BATTER

And here’s what you need for the cake batter part. The cake has very little baking powder because it’s quite a dense cake with a pudding-like texture. But it’s still got a distinct “cake” texture – unlike some Christmas Cakes that are so dense they are like eating fudge!

Brown sugar – Dark brown sugar gives the cake a richer colour and that is what I use for my classic single large Christmas cake. For individual ones, I prefer a slightly lighter coloured crumb so the fruit bits stand out more, so I use regular brown sugar.
Molasses / golden syrup – adds to the richness of flavour and colour of cake. Either is fine – I interchange year on year.
Walnuts – sub with any nuts of choice, or leave it out completely.
Oil AND butter – oil is what gives this cake a superb moistness. Butter is for flavour!
Eggs – This is what makes the cake hold together rather than being crumbly.
Flour – Just regular plain / all-purpose flour. Self raising flour can be used to substitute the flour and baking powder but the cake may dome a little more than pictured.
Spices – All spice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Classic Christmas cake flavours!

How to make Mini Christmas Cakes

The only difference between this and my classic Christmas Cake is that I bake it in a square pan so I can cut into square individual cakes.

Pan size – I use a 20 cm / 8″ square pan which makes a 4.5cm / 1.8″ tall cake so when cut into 9 squares, they are a nice tall height and impressive gift-giving size. Feel free to use a larger pan – for example, a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ pan will make a 2.3cm / 1″ tall cake which you can cut into more pieces. You can also use a muffin tin lined with silver foil patties.

1. Baking the Christmas cake

The key step that makes this so much faster to make than other fruit cakes is the fruit soaking step. Most recipes call for dried fruit to be soaked overnight. I take a speedy approach: just microwave the dried fruit with juice and/or brandy, then stand for 1 hour to soak up the liquid. So much faster – and just as effective!

Soak fruit – Microwave the dried fruit with the juice/brand for 1 1/2 minutes or until hot. Stir to coat then set aside for 1 hour to let the fruit soak up the liquid and plump up.
Batter – Beat the butter and sugar for 1 minute until light and fluffy. Because of the volume of sugar vs butter, it won’t look creamy but you can tell it’s soft from the texture. Then beat in the oil and molasses, then the salt, spices and baking powder. Then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating until just incorporated.
Mix in the flour using a wooden spoon.
Soaked fruit – Then mix in the dried fruit, including any residual liquid left in the bottom of the bowl.
Pan – Pour the batter into a lined 20cm / 8″ pan. It will fill it right to the top and that’s fine, the cake barely rises. As noted above, it’s a dense cake but it’s not brick-like! It’s still distinctly cakey.
Bake 2 1/2 hours – Cover the cake with a sheet of baking paper (which will peel off without ripping the cake surface off), then foil. Then bake for 2 hours, remove foil and paper, then bake for a further 30 minutes uncovered to colour the surface.
Cool – Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferred to a rack to fully cool.

2. Cutting mini cakes

I like to cut into 9 squares because I think the proportions look nice and the cake is a gift-worthy size. To be specific, they are 6.5cm / 2 1/2″ squares that are 4.5cm / 1.8″ tall. As noted above, feel free to use different size pans. For example, a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ pan will make a cake that is 2.3cm / 1″ tall and you will be able to cut many more pieces.

Cutting – Trim the edges (to make the sides neat). Then cut the cake into pieces as desired. I do 9 squares.
Trim surface – The surface of the cake is ever so slightly domed. So to make the Christmas Cake into perfect uniform pieces, I trim the surface then turn them upside down and decorate the base.
Flip and dust or ice – Flip the cake upside down so the base of the cake is the side you decorate. Then either dust with icing sugar (easy option I use when gift-wrapping), or decorate drippy-style with white frosting (for a classic Christmas Pudding look) or top with fondant (see classic Christmas Cake recipe for directions).

Gift wrapping

As I mentioned earlier, Mini Christmas Cakes have in their favour as a homemade gifting idea. They are:

Easy to make
Economical – especially if you use a mixed fruit option instead of getting individual dried fruits
Easy to decorate – Just a dusting of icing sugar makes them instantly Christmassy! Though tying ribbon around the cake really is an easy way to make them even more gift-worthy.
Easy to gift wrap – no need to find specific size jars of gift bags. Just wrap in cellophane and tie with ribbon.
Long shelf life – This one is important to me! A few years ago I did cookies but they just don’t have a great shelf life. It’s rare for any cookie to truly remain in top-notch fresh form beyond 2 days. Wheres the Christmas Cake? I’ve kept mine in the fridge for a month and it was still like freshly made. How good is that!

Love to know how you present these Mini Christmas Cakes if you try them, or how you customise the cake to your taste. Share in the comments below – readers love getting inspiration!

Also, spoiler alert for my friends – you’re all getting Mini Christmas Cakes this year. 😂 – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Mini Christmas Cakes – ideal for gifting!

Recipe video above. Here's my classic Christmas Cake converted into mini form! They look so great lined up on a platter to serve at a gathering, and are also ideal for gifting because they have a long shelf life. The cake is beautifully moist, rich with dried fruit, perfumed with Christmas spices. Dense, but soft pudding-like, not like an enjoyable brick as many store bought ones are.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Australia, British, Western

Keyword christmas cake, easy christmas cake, fruit cake

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 2 30

Fruit soaking 1

Total Time 4 45

Servings – 16 pieces

Calories 388cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Fast soaked fruit (Note 1):

300g / 10 oz raisins
150g / 5 oz diced dried apricots , chopped 8 mm / 1/3"
75g / 2 1/2 oz mixed peel , diced 5mm / 1/5
150g / 5 oz glace cherries , chopped 8 mm / 1/3"
180g / 6 oz dates , diced 5mm / 1/5"
1 cup + 2 tbsp apple juice , OR 1/3 brandy + 2/3 juice (Note 2)

Cake:

115g / 8 tbsp unsalted butter , softened (1 US stick)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar , packed (or dark brown sugar for a darker crumb, Note 3)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or canola, peanut, grapeseed)
3 tbsp molasses or golden syrup (Note 4)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 2/3 cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
3/4 cup walnuts , chopped (optional)

Decorating

Icing sugar, for dusting
Christmas fondant – see directions here

Christmas Pudding Drippy Glaze

1 1/2 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar
1 tbsp / 15g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 – 3 tbsp milk

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Fast Soaked Fruit:

Heat – Place dried fruit and juice/brandy in a large microwavable container. Microwave 1 1/2 minutes on high or until hot.
Soak – Stir to coat all fruit in liquid. Cover then set aside for 1 hour (to plump up/soak and cool).

Cake:

Preheat oven to 160°C / 320°F (140°C fan). Grease and line a 20cm / 8" square cake pan with baking paper / parchment paper, or larger pan to get more cakes out of it. (Note 5 on pan size).
Beating – Using an electric beater, beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute on speed 5). Add oil and molasses, beat until combined. Add salt, spices and baking powder – beat until incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated.
Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon, then the dried fruit (including all the extra liquid in bowl) and walnuts (if using).
Pour into the cake pan, it will fill it right to the top (it won't spill over, the cake barely rises). Cover the surface with paper then cover with foil.
Bake 2 1/2 hours – Bake for 2 hours, remove the foil and paper, then bake for a further 30 minutes. A skewer inserted into middle should come out clean with no batter on it.
Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Cool completely before cutting.
Cutting – Trim off the sides (to make them neat). Then cut into 9 squares (or more, if you want). Trim the surface (to make them level as the cake slightly domes). Then flip upside down and decorate the base of the cake.

Decorating, gifting and serving

Simple – Dust with icing sugar. That's all this cake needs, it's so full flavoured and moist! Wrap with cellophane and ribbon to gift.
Ribbon – Wrap and tie a ribbon around each cake. Nice way to present for serving. (Optional to include for gift wrapping too, but then there's a double ribbon situation happening – ie ribbon and cake, ribbon on cellophane!)
Drippy white glaze – Mix the icing sugar, butter, vanilla and start with 2 tbsp milk. Mix really well (it will take time to come together, be patient). Then adjust thickness using 1/2 tsp milk at a time. BE CAREFUL – it goes from too thick to too thin very easily! Goal: Thick glaze that will ooze "pudding style", as pictured, rather than dripping in long streaks. Spoon onto cake, coaxing it down the sides. Allow to set before wrapping.
Fondant – See directions in my classic round Christmas Cake.
Serving – serve with custard for a traditional experience! Either homemade custard or store bought pouring custard.

Notes

1. Dried fruit – any fruit of choice can be used as long as it totals 855g / 30 oz and it’s finely chopped. Combination I’ve used is to my taste – I do not like my fruit cake too citrusy (hate biting into big chunks of orange peel!). I like having variety for flavour.

Mixed peel is a store bought mix of diced, dried, crystallised (ie sweet) orange and lemon peel. Sometimes it’s already chopped, sometimes not. Chop it to size per recipe. It is not fresh peel. Fresh peel will be much stronger and more bitter – not sure how much to use.

Pre chopped mixed dried fruit – store bought mix of pre chopped dried fruit is fine to use. Chopping your own will yield a more moist cake (pre chopped dried fruit is not as moist) BUT having said that, this cake is so ultra moist, it has the give to use pre chopped!

2. Juice / brandy – this cake tastes just as good made with or without alcohol, it comes down to personal taste. I usually make it without because Christmas Cake stretches far and I want everyone to be able to eat it.

BRANDY – If you want to use brandy, use 1/3 cup brandy PLUS 2/3 cup + 2 tbsp juice.

Juice – I like using apple juice for its neutral flavour. Pineapple and other not so strong flavoured juices will be fine here. If you like citrus flavour, use orange juice – you can taste it a bit more than other juices.

3. Dark brown sugar – makes the cake a rich dark brown colour. Can sub with normal brown sugar – will make cake lighter (also looks nice as fruit stands out!)

4. Molasses / golden syrup – adds to the richness of flavour and colour of cake. Either is fine – I interchange year on year.

5. Cake pan size – A square 20cm/8″ pan makes a 4.5cm / 1.8″ tall cake which is a nice height for 9 squares. Feel free to make this cake in a larger cake pan. a 23 x 33cm/9 x 13″ pan will make a cake 2.3cm / 0.9″ thick, it takes around 1 hour 45 minutes to bake (covered for 1 hour 15 minutes, then uncovered for 30 minutes). Don’t fret about exact baking times because the cake is very moist so it’s forgiving.

You can also use a muffin tin – silver liners look lovely. They take around 25 minutes to bake (no need to cover, just bake uncovered).

6. Serving – cake is moist and so full flavoured it’s wonderful eaten plain. But for an extra special touch, serve with custard.

7. Storage – I’ve kept it for a month in an airtight container in the fridge and it was good as it was freshly made (at room temperature). Having researched online, looks like 2 to 3 months is the general consensus (for fridge) and a year in the freezer (for this sort of cake, with no alcohol.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Pleading for help.

The post Mini Christmas Cakes – gift! appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Mini chocolate cakes

Nagi — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 05:00:00 +0000

We make mini chocolate cakes because they’re adorable, there’s an excellent ratio of frosting to cake, and you get the whole thing to yourself! With 3 layers of chocolate cake smothered in fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting, these are the perfect special occasion dessert.

Mini Chocolate Cakes

These adorable mini chocolate cakes are a petite 7cm/2.75cm size that’s made for not sharing with family and friends. Right in the spirit of special occasions that I’m suggesting you make these for! 😂

So, let me speak frankly. Individual portion mini cakes do take more time to decorate than a single chocolate cake. But they are more special. They look so great lined up on a platter. You don’t have to deal with the mess of cutting a giant cake.

And there is a high ratio of frosting to cake. These mini cakes call for half a batch of chocolate cake but a FULL batch of frosting! Not just because I’m being greedy, but simply because mini cakes have more surface area to cover.

So, for your next special occasion, there’s no need to spend $12 for a single mini cake from that posh patisserie down the road, only to be disappointed with how dry the sponge is and how meh the frosting is because it’s not made with real butter for cost cutting reasons. Let’s make our own!

(PS This recipe makes 7 mini cakes which is $84 worth for around $13 of ingredients).

3 layers = excellent frosting to cake ratio!

Ingredients in Mini Chocolate Cakes

We’re using my classic chocolate cake batter here. It’s the perfect cake to use for mini cakes because it’s moist and stays moist (small cakes dry out faster than large ones) with the bonus that it’s a really quick and easy batter.

Chocolate cake layers

Here’s what you need for the chocolate cake batter:

Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour. The cake won’t be as soft using self-raising flour.
Sugar – Either superfine / caster sugar or ordinary white sugar (granulated sugar). They work the same.
Baking powder and baking soda (bi-carb) – This cake specifically uses both because it makes the softest cake with an even rise (rather than a dome). However, if you’ve only got baking powder, you can substitute the baking soda with an extra 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
Cocoa powder – Just ordinary unsweetened cocoa powder. Not dutch processed, not hot chocolate sweetened cocoa!
Milk – Full fat cow milk is best, though low fat works too.
Large egg – A 55-60g/2oz egg from a carton labelled “large eggs”. More on eggs for baking here.
Oil is the fat in this cake which is what keeps this cake incredibly moist for days upon days. The sponge is drier if you use butter. Any natural flavoured oil can be used.
Coffee powder – Enhances the chocolate flavour, but you can’t taste coffee! Feel free to skip it.
Vanilla – For extra flavour!

chocolate buttercream frosting

And here’s what you need for the chocolate buttercream frosting.

Unsalted butter – Softened to room temperature so it can be whipped into a fluffy frosting. Don’t let it get too soft and sloppy else your frosting will be too! Technically in baking terms, “softened butter” should be 17°C/63°F – firmer than you think! This is soft enough to whip into creamy fluffiness but firm enough so it doesn’t turn frosting into slop.
Soft icing sugar / powdered sugar – As noted above, be sure to get soft icing sugar! If you use pure icing sugar the frosting will not be soft and fluffy, it sets hard.
Cocoa – As with the cake, use plain unsweetened cocoa. Not dutch processed or sweetened.
Vanilla – For flavour.
Pinch of salt – To bring out the flavours in the frosting.

How to make Mini Chocolate Cakes

It really is just your favourite chocolate layer cake in mini form. But I have some little tips to make your mini-baking-life a little easier because it can get a little fiddly!

1. The cake part (super easy!)

This is my classic chocolate cake batter with minor alterations to make a smaller batch baked in a thin layer that we cut rounds out of.

Whisk dry – Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl. Add the sugar and salt, then whisk to combine.
Add wet – Add the egg, oil, milk and vanilla first, then whisk. Stir the coffee powder (if using) into the hot water then whisk that into the batter. It will be VERY thin!
Baking tray – Pour into a lined baking tray. I use a 40 x 28.5 x 2.5cm cm tray (15.8 x 11.3 x 1″ – US standard jelly roll pan). This makes a cake which is about 12mm / 1/2″ thick which is ideal for a 3 layer mini cake. Any tray around this size will work though smaller pans will make thicker sponges and larger ones will make thinner ones.
Bake for 13 minutes at 180°C/350°C (160°C fan-forced).

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then use the paper to lift it out onto a cooling rack. Leave to cool on the paper for at least 30 minutes, then refrigerate for another 1 to 4 hours (uncovered) to fully, fully cool. ⚠️ Cooling properly is an important step because otherwise the cake may be too fresh and crumbly to cut out neat circles.
Invert – ⚠️ Another important step – flip the cake upside down before cutting circles! Cover the surface of the cake with baking paper (it is quite sticky, so using paper is important). Then flip it upside down onto a cutting board so the sticky surface of the cake is facedown.
Why does this matter? Because if the sticky surface is facing up, it is difficult to cut out neat circles as the sticky surface gets stuck on the ring then drags down the cake as you press down.

2. Cutting rounds

Use a 6cm / 2.4″ round cutter to cut circles out of the cake. Cut the circles as close to each other as you can to minimise wastage. You should have 21 circles. Feel free to use a different size cutter to make more smaller ones, or less larger ones!

See below for option to not cut rounds.

Prefer not to cut rounds? Or don’t have a cutter? No problems! Make square or rectangle cakes. Cut the cake into 3 equal size rectangles. Frost and stack. Refrigerate to set the frosting (so it doesn’t smear when you cut). Then cut into squares / rectangles, and frost the sides.

3. Chocolate buttercream

This is your standard buttercream, so the only things to watch out for is to start the beater on low once you add the icing sugar (to avoid a snow storm!) and to beat, beat, beat for a good few minutes at the end to get the frosting nice and fluffy!

Cream butter & icing sugar – Beat the butter first until nice and fluffy (a good 3 minutes), then gradually add the icing sugar and beat it in.
Fluff it! Beat in the cocoa powder, milk and vanilla, then once it’s all incorporated, beat on high for a full 3 minutes. This creates volume and makes the frosting fluffy so don’t skip it!
Proof of fluffiness. Try not to eat too much!
Piping bags – Transfer the frosting to a piping bag to apply to the cakes. This is the fastest and easiest way to frost the cakes! Without, you will be tearing your hair out and cursing me. Here’s why:

Trust me – piping bag is best!

The fastest and easiest way to frost these mini cakes is to use a piping bag. This avoids the need for a two step “crumb coating” that we’d otherwise need to avoid crumbs smearing into the frosting as we spread it across the cake.

This is my standard way of frosting cakes these days, mini and full size!

The crumb smearing frustration – The chocolate cake is soft and delicate because it’s a moist, springy cake (rather than dry and stiff!). What this means is that in mini form, and especially once you’ve cut rounds, the cake is very susceptible to crumbs smearing into the frosting as you spread it across the surface, which makes it look untidy.

Getting around the crumb smear – One way to get around this is to do what is called a crumb coat whereby a thin layer of frosting is spread all over the cake to catch and “glue down” the crumbs, and create a smooth surface for the final layer. The cake is then refrigerated to set the frosting, then the final layer of frosting is applied.

The piping bag solution! However, we can bypass that fiddly two step process simply by using a piping bag. By piping the frosting on, we essentially avoid contact with the surface of the crumbs on the cake layers when spreading!

So, trust me on this. A piping bag is the way to go! You can even just use a freezer bag because this frosting is so smooth. Just something to pipe it on. You don’t need a piping tip.

4. frosting

OK, now that you’re fully on board the frosting piping train (which, by the way, is my standard way of applying frosting to cakes these days, mini or not), let me show you how easy it is to do for these mini cakes!

First layer – Place a layer on a small piece of paper on a cake turntable if you’ve got one (or lazy Susan). But it’s fine if you don’t, it’s easy to use this method on small cakes even without one. Then a snail on the first layer. No spreading needed.
Layer – Place the 2nd cake layer on top, pipe another snail then cover with the 3rd layer.

Surface – Pipe a snail on the top which will be the surface.
Sides – Then pipe the frosting around the side of the cake, starting at the bottom. No need to be meticulous here because we will spread it.

Spreading – Now, to spread the frosting, use a light touch and spread just the surface. Avoid making contact with the cake which will dislodge crumbs that smear into your frosting! No need to be meticulous with the frosting if you plan to cover the surface. And the sides are nice when they are left a little rustic!
Voilà! Crumb-free frosting mini chocolate cakes, ready for decorating!

5. CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS FOR DECORATING

Decorate as you please! The easiest would be a dusting of cocoa or icing sugar / powdered sugar, or colourful sprinkles for cheerful mini birthday cakes. Pictured in post are chocolate shavings. Here’s how to do them:

Chocolate blocks – Use chocolate of choice. In the video I use mainly dark chocolate with a bit of white for colour.
Shave – Stand the chocolate on a 45 degree angle then use a knife to shave shards.
Said shards!
White chocolate is softer than dark chocolate so you will get nice curls. Whereas dark chocolate is harder so is more flaky.
Pile onto the cakes. Avoid touching the chocolate because it will break / melt easily. A fork makes transference and pilling easy.
Decorated and ready to impress!

I know, you’re already visualising the look on everybody’s face when you walk into the room with a platter of these mini cakes.

Surprise. Delight.

And of course, so, so impressed. So if the eat part isn’t enough to spur you on to make these, do it for the praise! People will be talking about your mini cakes for days to come. Weeks! Month! (I really need to grow up. Who encourages people to bake things just for the praise? 😂) – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Mini chocolate cakes

Recipe video above. We make mini chocolate cakes because they're adorable, there's an excellent ratio of frosting to cake, and you get the whole thing to yourself! With 3 layers of chocolate cake smothered in fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting, these are the perfect special occasion dessert.

No round cutter? Make square or rectangle layer cakes instead!

Makes 7 x 3 layer cakes that are 7cm / 2.8” wide.

Course Baking

Cuisine Western

Keyword individual cake, Mini cakes, Mini chocolate cake

Prep Time 45

Servings mini cakes

Author Nagi

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour / all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa , sifted (unsweetened, not dutch processed – Note 1)
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda / bi-carb (Note 2)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
1 large egg , at room temperature
1/2 cup milk , preferably full fat, at room temperature
1/4 cup plain oil , like vegetable, canola, peanut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tsp instant coffee powder , option (Note 3)

Chocolate Buttercream

250g / 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
4 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted
1/2 cup cocoa powder , unsweetened
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 tbsp milk , preferably full fat

Decorations

Dark chocolate , finely shaved using a knife (white chocolate is also pretty)
Raspberries, rosemary sprigs

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced).
Baking pan – Butter a 40 x 28.5 x 2.5cm cm tray (15.8 x 11.3 x 1" – US standard jelly roll pan) then line with baking paper (parchment paper).

Cake layers

Whisk dry – Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl. Add the sugar and salt, then whisk to combine.
Mix in wet – Add the egg, milk, oil and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Dissolve the coffee in the hot water, then add into the batter. Whisk to combine. The batter will be VERY thin!
Bake – Pour into the pan and bake for 13 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes then use the paper overhang to lift the cake onto a rack and cool for 30 minutes (leave it on the paper). Then refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour before cutting rounds (cake is too soft when freshly baked).

Assembling & frosting:

Cutting rounds – Cover the sticky surface with paper. Then flip upside down onto a cutting board (ie sticky side down). (Note 4) Peel the paper off the base. Then press out 21 x 6cm / 2.4" rounds (or other size or shape as you desire).
Pipe frosting – Place a piece of cake on a small piece of paper, using a dab of frosting to stop it from sliding. Pipe coils of frosting on the layers, using 3 rounds for each cake. Pipe frosting around the sides and on the top. (A cake turntable is handy if you've got one but not essential.)
Smooth frosting – Smooth the frosting using a small offset spatula or knife, taking care to only touch the surface. Avoid touching the cake because it will dislodge crumbs that will end up in your frosting!
Decorate with piles of chocolate shards. I also used raspberries and rosemary for the photos in the post!

Chocolate buttercream:

Beat butter for 3 minutes on high until soft and fluffy. Add icing sugar in 3 lots. Beat it in, starting on low speed then increasing the speed (to avoid a snow storm). Once incorporated, add more icing sugar and repeat.
Beat 3 minutes – Once the icing sugar has all been added, added the cocoa powder, milk and vanilla. Beat again, starting on low speed then increasing the speed gradually. Once the cocoa is incorporated, beat on high for 3 minutes to make it really nice and fluffy.
Piping bags – Transfer to a piping bag for frosting. (This is the fastest and easiest way, trust me on this. Even a ziplock bag will work here).

Notes

1. Cocoa – This recipe calls for ordinary unsweetened cocoa powder, though the pricier dutch processed cocoa powder (which has more intense chocolate colour and flavour) can be used.

2. Baking soda – Can be substituted with 2 1/4 tsp extra baking powder (baking soda is an insurance policy to ensure even rise).

3. Coffee in chocolate is a common practice these days to enhance the chocolate flavour. You can’t taste it. Optional!

4. Flipping upside down is important to help cut out neat rounds because the surface of the cake is sticky so it sticks to the cutter and you end up with rather untidy circles.

5. Square or rectangle mini cakes – Easier to assemble and no cake scraps! Cut the cake into 3 equal rectangles. Frosting the layers to make one large 3 layer cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour to set the frosting (so it cuts neatly). Then cut into square or rectangles. Frost sides as desired (whip frosting again to re-fluff).

6. Storage: If leaving cooked cakes overnight, make sure it’s 100% cool then cover the top with paper (it’s sticky) then cling wrap. Refrigerate until required – you can actually do this 5 days ahead because the cake stays fresh for 5 days. Or freeze for 3 months.

Assembled cakes will stay fresh in the fridge for 5 days – the cake sponge has excellent shelf life!

Life of Dozer

In today’s recipe video, you get to watch Dozer following me around the house while I eat the chocolate cake then eventually trapping me in a dead end (laundry). No chocolate cake for Dozer!!

The post Mini chocolate cakes appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Melting Moments

Nagi — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 05:00:00 +0000

Shortbread biscuits sandwiched with lemon icing. Melting Moments are a timeless Australian cafe favourite! True to their name, they literally “melt” in your mouth. They are delectable!

Melting Moments – flashback!

I am pretty sure Melting Moments is one of the first baked goods I ever attempted to make. The recipe from the Women’s Weekly “Best Ever Recipes” cookbook published back in the 1970’s or 1980’s which, to this day, is still my all time favourite cookbook. It holds such sentimental value, being the very first cookbook I ever owned. (Actually, “owned” is a bit of a loose term given I stole it from my mother. 😂)

The recipe I use today is based on the original Melting Moments recipe from this cookbook, though the ingredient quantities and mixing method has been slightly tweaked for what I think is a better “melt in your mouth” texture.

Also, the original recipe called for star shaped biscuits to be half dipped in chocolate then sandwiched with orange buttercream frosting, as pictured above. These days the popular cafe variety is plain biscuits joined with lemon frosting which is what I’m sharing today.

Shortbread biscuits

Plus lemon frosting = Melting Moments perfection!

Ingredients in Melting Moments

Melting Moments are shortbread cookies joined together with lemon buttercream frosting. While some recipes call for custard powder to make the cookies more yellow, I personally prefer the flavour without imitation custard flavour.

The cookies

Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour.
Cornflour / cornstarch – This is what gives shortbread cookies the signature soft “crumbly” texture.
Icing sugar (soft) / powdered sugar – This is the sweetener for melting moments which gives the cookies the signature shortbread cookie texture (ordinary sugar makes them harder).
⚠️ Australia – Get packets labelled “SOFT icing sugar” or “icing sugar mixture” not pure icing sugar (packet labelled as such). Soft icing sugar is sugar mixed with cornflour/cornstarch, tapioca that is used for fluffy frostings. Pure icing sugar (packet labelled as such) is made with 100% sugar only and is used for icing that sets hard, like royal icing.
Unsalted butter – Softened to room temperature which is (technically!) 17°C / 63°F. Don’t let the butter soften too much else the dough is a little more tricky to roll into balls.
Vanilla extract – For flavour. Extract is better than imitation essence. I wouldn’t use vanilla beans or vanilla bean paste for this purpose – it’s a waste!

lemon ICING

Older-style recipes, such as the original Women’s Weekly recipe, tended to use icings which are not as creamy but firmer and a bit crumbly. These days, the cafe versions use buttercream frosting which is soft, creamy and fluffy, with the most common being lemon flavoured. So that’s what I use in my recipe. However, I’m also including a passionfruit version too!

Unsalted butter – Softened to room temperature so it can be whipped into a fluffy frosting.
Soft icing sugar / powdered sugar – As noted above, be sure to get soft icing sugar! If you use pure icing sugar the frosting will not be soft and fluffy, it sets hard.
Lemon – Both zest and lemon juice.

For a passionfruit frosting, you will need passionfruit pulp (fresh, not canned, it’s too sweet) plus a bit of lemon to balance out the flavours.

The recipe also includes a passionfruit icing version!

How to make melting moments

Cream butter – Place butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a bowl. Beat for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy, starting on low speed to avoid an icing sugar cloud-storm.
Stir in dry in 3 lots – Add 1/3 of the cornflour and flour, then stir it in with a rubber spatula. Once the flour is incorporated, add half the remaining cornflour and flour, stir in, then repeat. The mixture is a a little softer than usual cookie dough, but it shouldn’t be pourable.

Scoop 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto the trays – 28 mounds in total. A cookie scoop with a lever is handy here!
Roll – Then roll into balls using lightly floured hands to prevent the dough from sticking. As mentioned above, this dough is a little softer that typical cookie dough.

Flatten with fork – Use a fork dipped in flour to press the balls down to 1 cm / 0.4″ thickness.
Bake for 15 minutes in a 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced) oven, switching the tray shelves and rotating at the 10 minute mark. The cookies should be very pale golden, not browned.

Fully cool on the trays.
Lemon icing – Meanwhile, make the lemon icing. Beat the butter first until creamy, then gradually add the icing sugar, starting on low with the handheld beater to avoid a snow-storm. Add the lemon zest and juice, then beat on high for 2 minutes to make the frosting nice and fluffy!

Sandwich the melting moments together with lemon frosting. A piping bag makes short work on this as well as making the edges of the icing nice and tidy, but you could just spread with a spoon or knife.
Refrigerate 1 hour – You can eat the cookies straight away but the frosting will be a little soft so it squirts out when you bite into the cookies. So to reduce squirt-age, I like to refrigerate the melting moments for 1 hour to set the frosting. Then bring to room temperature before eating which softens the frosting again, but it’s still not as soft as when freshly made so it won’t squirt out as much.
(I really never thought I’d use the word “squirt” so much in one paragraph. What has become of me?? 😂)

Why homemade tastes better

Make these for afternoon tea, for a bake sale, for book club with your friends. Or, just because homemade Melting Moments really are that much better than mass-produced store bought ones. Yes, I really did buy some so I could tell you that the cookies aren’t as “melt in your mouth” and the frosting is usually dried out rather than creamy inside.

But the thing that bothers me the most is that many store bought cookies aren’t made with butter but instead use more cost effective fat options like vegetable shortening which have no flavour. Butter is what makes these so good!!

I hope you get a chance to make these one of these days. They really are special! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Melting Moments

Recipe video above. These special cookies are an Australian cafe favourite. Shortbread cookies joined with lemon buttercream frosting, they are beautifully buttery, lemony and true to their name, literally "melt in your mouth" unlike any other cookie I know!

My cookies are generous sized because I like them big: 6cm / 2.4" diameter, 3.5-4cm / 1.5" thick. I wouldn't go any larger (too much cookie) but feel free to go smaller!

Course Sweet

Cuisine Australian

Keyword melting moments

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Cooling 1

Servings cookies (sandwiched)

Calories 335cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Melting moments:

250g (2 sticks + 1 tbsp) unsalted butter , softened (Note 1)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted (not PURE icing sugar, Note 2)
1 1/2 cups plain / all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornflour / cornstarch

Lemon icing:

100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
2 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted (not PURE icing sugar, Note 2)
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice

Passionfruit icing:

80g / 6 tbsp unsalted butter , softened
2 cups soft icing sugar / powdered sugar , sifted (not PURE icing sugar, Note 2)
4 tbsp fresh passionfruit pulp , (not canned, too sweet)
1 tbsp lemon juice

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced). Line 2 trays with paper.
Cream butter – Place butter, vanilla and icing sugar in a bowl. Beat for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy (start on low to avoid an icing sugar cloud-storm).
Dry in 3 lots – Stir in cornflour and flour in 3 lots using a rubber spatula. (ie add 1/3 of flour + cornflour, stir in, repeat twice more).
Scoop 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto the trays (cookie scoop handy here), then roll into balls using lightly floured hands (to prevent it from sticking). You should have 24 – 28 balls.
Bake – Press down into 1 cm / 0.4" thickness using a fork. Bake for 15 minutes, switching the trays at the 10 minute mark. Fully cool on trays.
Sandwiching – Pipe frosting onto half the melting moments, then sandwich with remaining cookies.
Set – Refrigerate for 1 hour to set the frosting (else it's so soft, it squirts out!). Then remove from the fridge 30 minutes prior to serving.

Lemon icing:

Cream butter – Place butter in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium high for 1 minute until smooth and fluffy. Add 1/3 of the icing sugar, then beat in starting on low and increasing to high (to avoid snow-storm!). Repeat another 2 times.
Beat 2 minutes – Add lemon zest and juice. Then beat on high for 2 minutes until fluffy. Transfer to piping bag, snip end off to make a 1cm / 1/2" hole. Use per recipe.

Passionfruit icing:

Same method as above for lemon icing.

Notes

1.Butter US measurement – You’ll need 17 tbsp of butter for this recipe which is 2 sticks + 1 tbsp.

2. Icing sugar type – If you’re in Australia, don’t get pure icing sugar, sets hard like for royal icing. Get packet labelled SOFT icing sugar or “icing sugar mixture”, or check the ingredients and ensure there’s either cornflour/cornstarch, tapioca or similar as well as cane sugar/sugar.

Storage – Keep in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days. It’s best to store in the fridge but bring to room temperature before serving. Though if it’s fairly cool weather, you can just keep in the pantry.

Nutrition per Melting Moment. Remember, these are generously sized!

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

This happens a thousand times a day. You can see how much he loves it. 😂

The post Melting Moments appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.