This cake recipe follows the standard 1-2-3-4 cake formula, meaning the baking ratio of ingredients is 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 eggs. To accommodate the small cake pan and create one single layer, a half batch of the 1-2-3-4 cake recipe is needed to fill the pan without overflowing.

What You Need to Make a Cake Sweetened With Honey

• honey—opt for honey with a lot of flavour and character. I use either Greek honey or local autumn honey that is darker and flavourful
• butter—this recipe was developed with unsalted butter. If using salted butter, you may want to adjust the salt in the recipe to avoid the cake being too salty
• sugar—I prefer to make this cake with white granulated sugar, not brown sugar as brown sugar will impart too much flavour that will interfere with the delicate taste of honey and lavender
• eggs—all the recipes on this site are tested with large eggs. If using smaller or larger eggs, this will affect the texture of the cake.
• flour—I bake with regular bleached all-purpose flour. This cake will likely work with unbleached flour, though the texture may be a little less fluffy.
• leavening agents—this cake recipe calls for baking powder, not baking soda. Read about baking soda versus baking powder if you aren't sure the difference.
• salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If you are using regular table salt, you may want to add half the amount to avoid the cake being too salty
• lavender buds—use culinary-grade lavender buds. Do not use lavender that is for household use for adding scent to rooms as this may be laced with fragrances that aren't edible
• milk—the liquid for this cake is whole milk (3.25 % fat) - I prefer full-fat milk which lends a little more fat to the cake to help it stay moist
• optional garnish—I topped the cake with honey-sweetened whipped cream made from 35 % fat whipping cream, mascarpone, and honey. This is optional but adds an extra layer of texture and flavour creating an elegant dessert.

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

• tea—instead of lavender buds, you could also try Earl Grey tea with bergamot. Crush the tea in a mortar and pestle to turn it into a fine powder
• milk—I prefer to bake with whole milk (3.25 % fat) but 2 % milk will also work fine. Skim milk is virtually fat free and will also work, but the cake may be a tiny bit less moist
• dairy-free—you can replace the butter with unsalted vegan butter and the milk with unsweetened soy milk. You can replace the whipped cream topping with honey-sweetened coconut whipped cream

How to Make a Honey Cake

This one-layer cake is simple to make, like any standard layer cake, using the creaming mixing method. Here's how to make this honey-sweetened cake:

Step 1—Grind the lavender in a mortar and pestle to turn the flower buds into a fine powdery hay-like texture (image 1) then whisk it into the flour along with the baking powder and salt (image 2).

Step 2—Combine the butter, honey and granulated sugar in the stand mixer bowl with a paddle attachment (image 3) and cream the three ingredients until light and fluffy before adding the eggs one at a time and the vanilla (image 4).

Step 3—Add the dry ingredients (image 5) alternating with the milk (image 6), beginning and ending with dry to create a fluffy smooth batter (image 7). Don't overmix it.

Step 4—Transfer the cake batter to a parchment paper-lined butter and floured round cake pan (image 8) and spread it with a mini offset spatula (image 9).

Step 5—Make sure the batter is levelled and smoothed from edge to edge (image 10) before baking until golden brown and set (image 11). The edges will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Step 6—You can serve the cake plain drizzled with honey, but I like to also top it with mascarpone whipped cream sweetened with a little honey (image 12).

Tip: the honey-sweetened whipped cream can be made following the same recipe as the maple whipped cream, but replacing the maple syrup with honey. How much honey you add is entirely up to you. Since I was planning to also drizzle honey on top of the cream to decorate it, I only added 30 grams (1 oz) of honey to sweeten it.

Honey Cake Baking Tip

The fun thing about crystallized honey is that you can heat it (in the microwave or a saucepan) and the gritty honey melts and becomes smooth and fluid again.

Of course, this is only temporary. As it cools, the honey slowly crystallizes again Remember, sugar syrups tend to crystallize (as does honey) because they have such a high concentration of sugar molecules.

Baking With Honey FAQs

More Easy Elegant Cake Recipes

If you tried this recipe for the best lavender honey cake (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Lavender Honey Cake

Learn how to make the best lavender honey cake with this easy recipe. This honey-sweetened cake is flavoured with ground lavender buds and topped with honey-sweetened whipped cream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Calories 365kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• OXO balloon whisk
• Braun mixer
• Cake tester
• Pastry brush
• 8-in cake pans

Ingredients

Honey cake

• 8 grams dried lavender culinary grade
• 190 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 5 mL baking powder
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 170 grams honey
• 115 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 100 grams granulated sugar
• 2 large egg(s) room temperature
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 125 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)

Honey whipped cream (optional)

• 160 mL whipping cream (35 % fat) cold
• 75 grams mascarpone cheese
• 30 grams honey plus a little extra to drizzle on the finished cake
• dried lavender for decorating

Metric - US

Instructions

Honey cakes

• Preheat the oven to 325 °F (165 °C). Prepare an 8-inch cake pan by buttering and flouring it, and lining the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Set it aside for later.
• Grind the lavender buds in a mortar and pestle to turn them into a fine hay-like powder.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground lavender buds, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the honey, sugar, and butter until it is light and fluffy. You can also use an electric hand mixer for this recipe!
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla.
• Add one-third the flour, then half the milk, another third of flour, then the rest of the milk, and the rest of the flour, mixing between each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix the batter until all the ingredients are combined.
• Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it out from edge-to-edge.
• Bake until the cake is golden brown and set, testing with a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake. This cake will take about 45 minutes to bake through.
• Set aside to cool for 15 minutes before unmoulding on a wire rack to cool completely.

Honey whipped cream (optional)

• Combine the cold cream, mascarpone, and honey in a large bowl and whip until firm peaks form.
• Place the cooled cake on a large plate, removing the parchment paper from the bottom. Spread the whipped cream on top and then drizzle with honey and sprinkle with lavender buds.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• Make sure to use culinary grade lavender that is edible, not lavender you may find for potpouri. 
• Opt for honey with a lot of flavour and character. I use either Greek honey or a local autumn honey that is darker and flavourful.
• Subtitutions and variations
  • tea—instead of lavender buds, you could also try Earl Grey tea with bergamot. Crush the tea in a mortar and pestle to turn it into a fine powder
  • milk—I prefer to bake with whole milk (3.25 % fat) but 2 % milk will also work fine. Skim milk is virtually fat free and will also work, but the cake may be a tiny bit less moist
  • dairy-free—you can replace the butter with unsalted vegan butter and the milk with unsweetened soy milk. You can replace the whipped cream topping with honey-sweetened coconut whipped cream

Nutrition

Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 268mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 700IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Lavender Honey Cake appeared first on The Bake School.

I like to dedicate the late spring and summer months to preserving the season, making small batches of jam whenever I have the chance. In the late spring, I usually make honey apricot jam and this rhubarb jam, whereas later in the summer, I focus on blueberry jam, strawberry and red currant jam, plum jam, and even jalapeño jam.

Ingredients To Make Small Batch Rhubarb Jam

The beauty of making jam at home is that all you need are two ingredients: fruit and sugar:

• Fruit: Use either fresh or frozen rhubarb, chopped into 1–2 inch pieces.
• Sugar: Use granulated sugar for the cleanest rhubarb flavour. Brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup would alter the flavour quite a bit and I don't recommend using them.
• Flavour: Add a vanilla bean, sliced open so that the seeds infuse the jam OR add some crushed juniper berries, which is what I did this time

Note: the set of pectin and jam is generally pH dependent, as is the ability to preserve and store jam. Some recipes will call for lemon juice, but I don't think it's necessary given the acidity of rhubarb. Before you dive into making this recipe, please read all about the jam setting point so you know all the tricks to determine if your jam will be set.

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions And Variations

This recipe is flexible up to a point. You can make the following substitutions or changes:

• Fresh or frozen rhubarb: swap frozen rhubarb for fresh rhubarb, following the same steps and boiling the jam until you reach the setting point
• Flavouring: I added juniper berries because I think it's a perfect pairing with rhubarb, reinforcing the herbal, vegetal notes of rhubarb. By all means, skip it and don't use any flavour elements, or use a vanilla bean, split down the middle and added to the pot with the rhubarb and sugar. The vanilla pods will infuse the jam as it boils.

You can replace half the weight of rhubarb with the same weight of strawberries to make strawberry rhubarb jam. Follow the same directions. If your strawberries are sweet or if you prefer your jams to be less sweet, you may drop the amount of sugar to 500 grams (1 pound), which is half the weight of fruit in this recipe. Do not reduce the sugar more than this. Otherwise, you will reduce the shelf life of the jam and also the set may be looser.

How To Make Small Batch Jam

Step 1: Combine the sugar with the chopped rhubarb and flavour ingredients (vanilla, juniper berries, etc) and let them macerate for at least 30 minutes to an hour to get the rhubarb to release some of its water. The mixture will become very fluid.

Step 2: Once the mixture has macerated, heat the jam on the stove and bring it to a boil. Continue boiling and stirring continuously until you reach the jam setting point or until the jam achieves the desired texture.

Step 3: Transfer the hot jam mixture to clean jars. Fill to ¼-inch (6 mm) headspace. Clean the rim and close the lid, inverting the jars immediately for a couple of minutes before inverting back to upright to form a vacuum. Alternatively, you can boil the jars in a hot water bath for 10 full minutes at a rolling boil and then remove them. The seal should form.

Note: Use a non-reactive funnel and ladle to fill the jars with hot jam. The funnels are included in most canning kits.

Ensuring Jam Set Without Pectin

Rhubarb is low in pectin, and pectin contributes to jam set. This doesn't mean that your rhubarb jam won't set if you make a batch of rhubarb jam without pectin. But the fact that rhubarb is low in pectin does mean that you must make sure to hit the jam setting point, temperature-wise.

Use a fast-reading digital thermometer to check the temperature as the jam cooks and to make sure that every batch of jam sets properly: this way I know I've hit the jam setting point, ensuring that it will set when it cools. I like to use the Thermapen or ChefAlarm.

For jams, I aim to boil the mixture above 215 ºF (102 ºC) and up to 220 °F (104 °C). The wrinkle test or frozen plate test is another method you can use to ensure jam set. You can also check the set by lifting the spatula you are using to stir the jam above the pot to see how it drips off. If the jam drips off in sheets and doesn't look watery, it's likely going to set. After all, nobody wants runny, watery jam! This is one of the best rhubarb recipes on this blog.

To measure the temperature of the jam as it cooks, I use a Thermapen which is very fast at registering temperatures and temperature changes. This is a handheld model, and the ChefAlarm probe thermometer with a cable would be better suited for making jam because you can use it hands-free!

Storage

When it's time to use your jam, always use a clean spoon or knife to take out a serving and don't double dip into the jar of jam because you will contaminate it. Once the jar is open, you must store it in the refrigerator. Otherwise, mold may develop. An open jar of jam will last up to one month if stored in the refrigerator.

Other Rhubarb Recipes

If you love baking with rhubarb as much as I do, here are a few more rhubarb recipes to try:

If you tried this recipe for the best rhubarb jam (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Small-Batch Rhubarb Jam (no pectin)

This easy small batch rhubarb jam recipe is flavoured with juniper berries for a beautiful way of preserving rhubarb without pectin (includes canning instructions). This way you can enjoy this rhubarb throughout the year.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine British

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4 cups

Calories 93kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Big pot
• ChefAlarm thermometer
• Mason jars
• Canning kit

Ingredients

• 900 grams fresh rhubarb about 8 to 9 stalks, chopped
• 750 grams granulated sugar you can reduce the sugar to 500 grams but not less than that, if desired.
• 7.5 mL dried juniper berries roughly chopped

Metric - US

Instructions

• Wash five 250 mL jars and lids. Place the jars on a sheet pan in the oven and heat them at 250 °F (121 °C) to sterilize them while you make the jam. Keep the jars in the oven until you will use them. Keep the clean lids aside on the counter for later.
• Combine the rhubarb, sugar, and juniper berries (if using) in a large, deep pot.
• Cook the fruit and sugar mixture on medium heat to first dissolve the sugar.
• Increase the heat to medium–high and continue to cook the jam, allowing it to come to a full boil, stirring with a wooden spoon so it doesn't catch on the bottom and burn.
• The jam will bubble up high in the pot initially and then eventually settle again. Continue cooking the jam until it reaches about 217–220 °F or 103–104 °C (the jam setting point).
• Divide the jam among the jars, leaving a ¼ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe the rims clean, then cover with the lids, fingertight. If any of the jars aren't filled full, don't seal them. Instead you can cover them and enjoy them right away, storing in the fridge. You will likely fill 4 to 4.5 jars.
• Seal the closed jars according to the manufacturers recommendations. I used Bernardin jars and I boiled my jam jars for 10 minutes to seal them. You can also invert the closed jars and keep them upside down for a couple of minutes before flipping them right side up. With either method, a vacuum should form.
• Let sit 24 hours undisturbed before storing them in the pantry.

Notes

I like to check the temperature of the jam as it cooks to ensure that jam reaches the jam setting temperature point so it sets properly in the end. A probe thermometer with a longer cable like the ChefAlarm would be great for this purpose!

If you are looking for an awesome cookbook dedicated to homemade preserves, the Preservation Society book on preserves is my favourite and  it's available on Amazon.

For a less sweet jam, you can reduce the sugar to 500 grams but not less than that, if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcal

The post Small-Batch Rhubarb Jam Recipe Without Pectin appeared first on The Bake School.

I found some frozen passion fruit purée at Yasolo, a little shop in my neighbourhood, owned by a lovely couple from Côte d'Ivoire. Obviously, I was ridiculously excited about it and the shop owner wondered why on earth I'd buy it if I wasn't going to make juice from it. So I explained to her, in French, that I was going to make a passion fruit spread of sorts, that's thickened with eggs and butter. Actually there isn't a French baking term for "curd" and often lemon curd translates as "crème de citron."

You can enjoy fruit curds like this passionfruit curd served with best scones or smeared on toast, and also as a filling for cakes and cookies (remember when I made grapefruit coconut cookies that were sandwiched with grapefruit curd? Yum!). In this case, I used it to fill green matcha tart shells to make these matcha tarts. 

📖 Recipe

Print

Matcha Tart with Passion Fruit Curd

A recipe for matcha tarts with passion fruit curd. This recipe would work great with lemon curd too! The tart dough is made with a tablespoon of matcha, which adds colour and flavour.

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 5 tarts

Calories 858kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Mini tart pans
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• Rolling pin
• Mini tart pans

Ingredients

Passion fruit curd

• 125 mL passion fruit purée
• 60 mL fresh lemon juice
• 200 grams granulated sugar
• 8 large egg yolk(s)
• 150 grams unsalted butter

For the matcha tart dough

• 86 grams unsalted butter softened
• 63 grams icing sugar
• 33 grams ground almonds
• 8 grams matcha green tea powder
• 1 large egg yolk(s)
• 156 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 22.5 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)

Garnish

• 2 Passion fruit for decorating, or you can use fresh raspberries

Metric - US

Instructions

Passion fruit curd

• In a medium saucepan, combine the passion fruit purée, the lemon juice, and half the sugar.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar until the mixture has lightened in colour. Set aside by the stove.
• Have the cubes of butter ready by the stove (away from heat) and also, place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl nearby. Have a couple heatproof spatulas at the ready.
• Heat the juice mixture on medium–high until it comes to a boil almost. Pour the juice over the lightened yolks and whisk like mad to temper the eggs. When the egg-juice mixture is well mixed, transfer it back to a saucepan.
• Heat the curd on medium–high until it comes to a boil, whisking constantly. When the mixture comes to a boil, set a time for 1.5 minutes and boil the mixture while whisking non-stop. Move the saucepan around over the burner to avoid scorching if your burner/pan have hot spots. At this point, the curd should be thick. Take the pan off the heat, and begin whisking in the butter, a little at a time. When the butter has disappeared and the curd is well mixed, pour it into the strainer set over a bowl. Use a spatula to get every last drop of curd out of the pan. Press the mixture through the sieve.
• Cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the entire surface of the curd, then close the bowl with another piece of plastic wrap pulled across the top. Chill overnight.

Matcha tart shells

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, icing sugar, ground almond, and matcha. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
• Add the egg yolk and mix it in.
• Add the flour and salt. Mix it into the dough on low.
• Sprinkle the milk over the crumbly mixture in the mixer bowl, and mix until the crumbles become a cohesive green dough.
• Dump the dough onto a work surface and press/gently work the dough into a uniform mass. Divide the dough into five pieces (~75 grams each). Flatten each piece into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
• Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out the dough so that it is larger than your tart pans (about 1.5 inches larger). Transfer the dough to the tart pan and work it into the mold. Be sure to not pull or stretch the dough but rather let it fall into place.
• Chill the unbaked tart shells for another 30 minutes or more (if you have the time, an hour is better). Place the chilled tart shells on a baking sheet, dock the dough, and bake on the middle rack for about 20 minutes or so. No pie weights needed! Bake the tarts until the edges are golden brown.
• Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then using a glass, unmold the tarts (check out my post about how to remove a tart from a tart pan for more info). Let cool completely before filling.

Assembly

• Fill the tarts with passion fruit curd and top with fresh passion fruit pulp or fresh raspberries.
• Chill until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 858kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Cholesterol: 453mg | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 272mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 60g | Vitamin A: 2408IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 4mg

The post Matcha Tarts with Passion Fruit Curd appeared first on The Bake School.

This post is sponsored by Cacao Barry.

I think one of the easiest tarts you can make is a chocolate tart that is filled with ganache and chilled in the fridge to set the filling. The dark chocolate ganache filling and whipped cream topping require no baking. The graham cracker crust is pressed into the tart pan and baked. No rolling pins are required for this crust!

I used leftover homemade graham crackers for this graham cracker crust, but by all means, use store-bought graham crackers or graham cracker crumbs to save time!

If you are a fan of tea-flavoured desserts, check out this recipe for Earl grey panna cotta tarts and this Earl Grey cake!

Ingredients

• graham cracker crumbs made from graham crackers (but you can also just buy a box of pre-ground graham cracker crumbs!)
• sugar, both granulated sugar for the crust and icing sugar (also called powder sugar)—if you aren't sure of the difference, please read all about sugar in baking
• butter, preferably unsalted because we don't want the components to be overly salty
• cream, both 10 % fat and 35 % whipping cream
• loose leaf Earl Grey tea to infuse the filling and to add to the whipped cream topping
• high-quality dark chocolate—I used 70% dark chocolate from Cacao Barry, but Lindt and Valrhona are also great options depending on your price point
• vanilla accentuates and brings out the flavours in this recipe—use pure vanilla extract (storebought or homemade)
• salt to balance out the flavours and also to make them pop more. I use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt. If you are using regular table salt, use half the amount!
• mascarpone cheese is added to the whipped cream to stabilize it, yielding a thick creamy whipped cream topping that is stable and doesn't weep.

Baked graham cracker crust versus chilled

The recipe below has you bake the graham cracker crust. Baking it helps the crust stay together when sliced and served so that it is less crumbly. Technically, baking is entirely optional when it comes to graham cracker crusts. 

If you want to make a no-bake chocolate tart, this recipe will work fine. To skip the baking step for the graham cracker crust, chill the tart shell while you make the ganache filling. Then pour the filling into the unbaked graham cracker crust and chill again to set the filling (preferably overnight), just like you would do for a no-bake cheesecake with a graham cracker crust. The crust will be a little more delicate without baking, but will still work well!

Special equipment

Remember to use a square tart pan with a removable bottom to make serving easy. Use this trick to remove the tart from the tart pan. 

Dark chocolate ganache versus truffle filling

The original tart recipe is from Abby Dodge and was published in Fine Cooking. This is a gorgeous recipe for a decadent chocolate tart that is sure to please chocolate enthusiasts and lovers of all things graham cracker.

The ganache filling is referred to as a truffle filling because it's more than just a dark chocolate ganache made from dark chocolate and cream. The truffle filling includes a little butter, vanilla, and a pinch of salt to round out the texture and flavour of this no-bake chocolate filling.

It's still just as easy as a simple chocolate ganache filling, and the butter helps add shine and stability to ganache fillings. Some will make the dark chocolate ganache filling for tarts with eggs (either whole eggs, egg yolks, or a mixture of both). Again, the eggs help with the emulsion. In this case, when egg yolks or whole eggs are added to a ganache mixture, usually the tart is baked in the oven to set or cooked on the stove, like for stovetop chocolate pots de crème.

Note that to make the best chocolate truffle fillings and chocolate ganaches, you should use the best chocolate that you can buy. For this recipe, I used Cacao Barry Ocoa 70% dark chocolate, which is a professional quality dark chocolate that you can buy in IGA grocery stores in Quebec and online from Vanilla Food Company. It comes in 1-kilo resealable bags as pistoles (which resemble giant flattened chocolate chips). The texture of the dark chocolate ganache filling is wonderfully smooth with this chocolate!

Substitutions

If you aren't a fan of dark chocolate, you can use milk chocolate, but you will have to modify the ratio of chocolate to cream to ensure the tart filling sets firmly. Check out this raspberry chocolate tart which has a milk chocolate ganache filling that you may prefer. You can use that exact filling with this graham cracker crust, though you will have to prepare more filling (1.25 times the milk chocolate ganache filling is required to fill a 9-inch square tart shell).

Do not use chocolate chips or compound chocolate for chocolate ganache. These are too sweet and contain unnecessary fats (often hydrogenated) that make for a less tasty filling. If you need help picking what chocolate to bake with, check out my guide to the types of chocolate for baking to find the best chocolate for every baking recipe.

Mascarpone stabilized whipped cream

I topped this dark chocolate tart with whipped cream, but a more stable version of whipped cream made with mascarpone. When you incorporate mascarpone into whipped cream, you form a more stable whipped cream that is less prone to weeping. Mascarpone stabilized whipped cream can be used to garnish tarts and desserts without worrying that the whipped cream will deflate, lose volume, and break down.

Other ingredients to stabilize whipped cream include:

• gelatin that is softened in cold water and then melted before adding to whipped cream—this is a favourite method of pastry professionals to stabilize fillings
• cornstarch but this can leave a powdery mouthfeel so use with caution
• yogurt (check out this fresh strawberry cream tart)

I added finely chopped Earl Grey tea leaves to the whipped cream topping, lending a slightly floral, citrusy note to the cream. I loved the look of the flecks of tea throughout the bright cream and these too could help absorb any moisture released from the whipped topping. Honestly, I'd use this mascarpone cream again for other recipes that benefit from refrigeration, like maybe for a trifle.

Other baking recipes infused with Earl Grey tea

If you like Earl Grey tea, you can also try these other Earl Grey tea-infused desserts:

1. Earl Grey panna cotta tarts with a tea-infused panna cotta filling and a sweet tart crust made with a little ground almonds
2. Earl Grey tea layer cake, where Earl Grey tea leaves are incorporated in the cake batter and used as a garnish, while tea is steeped in the milk for the Earl Grey buttercream
3. Earl Grey hot chocolate, for which you infuse cream with Earl Grey and then use that cream to make hot chocolate with real dark chocolate
4. Earl Grey chocolate truffles with a dark chocolate ganache made with tea-infused cream

📖 Recipe

Print

Earl Grey Chocolate Tart

Learn how to make a beautiful easy Earl Grey chocolate tart with whipped cream and a graham cracker crust. You can make this a no-bake dessert by chilling the graham cracker crust instead of baking it! The mascarpone helps stabilize the whipped cream topping so that it doesn't weep.

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Chill time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 55 minutes minutes

Servings 16

Calories 337kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Square tart pan
• GIR spatula
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• Mini offset

Ingredients

Graham cracker crust

• 255 grams graham cracker crumbs
• 25 grams granulated sugar
• 85 grams unsalted butter melted

Earl Grey chocolate ganache fiilling

• 250 mL half-and-half cream (10 % fat)
• 30 grams loose leaf Earl Grey tea more or less depending on how strong a taste you want
• 340 grams dark chocolate (70 % cocoa content) chopped
• 57 grams unsalted butter cut into pieces
• 2.5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 0.625 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt

Earl grey whipped cream

• 250 grams mascarpone cheese
• 188 mL whipping cream (35 % fat)
• 50 grams icing sugar
• 12 grams loose leaf Earl Grey tea finely chopped

Metric - US

Instructions

Graham cracker crumb crust

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Have a 9-inch square tart pan with removable bottom ready (like this one from Amazon), placed on a baking sheet so that you can easily transfer to and from the oven.
• In a medium bowl mix the crust ingredients until the butter has evenly coated all the crumbs.
• Pour the crust mixture in the tart pan, and press it out firmly and evenly all over the base and up the sides of the pan.
• Bake the crust for about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool. If you are unsure about this step, check out my tips on how to remove a tart from a tart pan.

Earl Grey chocolate ganache filling

• Begin by simmering (not boiling) the cream in a small saucepan with the tea bags for about 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Remove the pan from the stove, but leave the tea bags in while you work on the chocolate.
• In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate with the butter in the microwave on power level 5, microwaving for 1 minute at a time, then stirring, and repeating, until it is all melted and smooth.
• Remove the tea bags from the cream and add the tea-steeped hot cream to the chocolate mixture and stir until it is smooth (if the cream was a little cold, and the mixture appears curdled, just microwave it again for a couple minutes on power level 5, stirring every minute).
• Add the vanilla and salt.
• Let the chocolate ganache you’ve just made sit on the counter, for an hour or so, to cool and set just enough that it is still pourable, but not super liquid (you know what I mean?).
• Transfer the ganache to the tart shell using a rubber spatula, being sure to not get chocolate on the edges, and also to not disturb the delicate edges of the crust.
• Let cool completely, cover, and refrigerate until the filling is set, about 4 hours and up to 8 hours before proceeding with the recipe.

Earl Grey whipped cream

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the mascarpone, cream, sugar, and tea leaves on low, to combine, then on medium-high, until the mixture is thick and holds firm peaks. Don’t overbeat, or you’ll make butter (tasty, but not what we’re going for here…).
• With an offset spatula, spread the topping over the set tart, leaving pretty swirls and peaks of cream. Don’t worry if a little ganache is peaking through the cream. It looks better like that.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• For a no-bake chocolate tart, skip the graham cracker crust baking step and instead chill the crust thoroughly while you make the filling. The no-bake graham cracker crust might be slightly more delicate than a baked graham cracker crust, but the crust will still be sturdy enough to unmold and slice once the filling has properly set.
• For the dark chocolate, I used Cacao Barry Ocoa 70 % dark chocolate. Ocoa is a dark chocolate produced by Cacao Barry. It has a 70% cocoa content and is not overly sweet! Ocoa is available at IGA stores in Quebec, or you can order it online from Vanilla Food Company and have it shipped across the US & Canada!

Nutrition

Serving: 16g | Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 209mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 460IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 3.2mg

This post is sponsored by Cacao Barry. I was compensated monetarily and with product. Thanks for supporting the companies that allow me to create content. As always, please know that I wouldn’t work with a sponsor nor recommend a product if it wasn’t worth it.

The post Earl grey chocolate tart with whipped cream appeared first on The Bake School.

This post was sponsored by Cacao Barry. 

My mom used to serve us hot chocolate in tiny, very fancy china teacups when we were growing up. I remember having it after playing with the dogs out in the backyard in the dead of winter. The tiny teacups only came out when we were having hot chocolate. I'm honestly not sure what else you would serve in tiny teacups besides hot chocolate.

If you are in the middle of winter, like we are, and you are craving other hot beverages, try this Turkish coffee (great afternoon caffeine jolt) and hot buttered rum (because sometimes, booze is the answer).

Hot Chocolate Versus Hot Cocoa

I suspect a lot of people think that hot chocolate and hot cocoa are the same. They are both hot, chocolaty beverages, but they aren't made in the same way.

Hot chocolate is made from chocolate and milk, while hot cocoa is often made from cocoa powder and boiling water. Hot cocoa mix may also contain sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, or other ingredients.

Ingredients

Both hot chocolate and hot cocoa are very easy to make at home and require few ingredients. Hot chocolate made with real chocolate has a richer, more luscious flavour. And the more chocolate you add, the more unctuous and luxurious hot chocolate becomes.

To make hot chocolate, you will need:

• milk—I use whole milk (3.25 % fat) but any milk will work. Obviously, the higher the fat content, the creamier the chocolate beverage will be!
• chocolate—I use 70 % dark chocolate from the brand Cacao Barry called Ocoa. It is not very sweet.
• Earl Grey tea (optional)—I love the combination of Earl Grey tea and dark chocolate so I infused the milk with tea before adding the chocolate. This is optional.

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

In recipes like hot chocolate, where chocolate is the star and one of two main ingredients, use the best chocolate for baking with great flavour.

To make this hot chocolate, I used Ocoa chocolate from Cacao Barry, which is a 70% cocoa dark chocolate with a deep chocolate flavour. You can find it at IGA grocery stores in Quebec in 1-kilo resealable bags.

If you aren’t living in Quebec, you can order this chocolate online (and many other Cacao Barry products) via the Vanilla Food Company website. They ship across Canada and to the United States! This means that we all have access to professional quality chocolates at the click of a button. Investing in the best chocolate will make the best hot chocolate. It's that simple.

Ratio of Milk-to-Chocolate

For a luscious hot chocolate that is not too thick and not too thin, you want to start with two parts of milk (preferably whole milk) and one part of dark chocolate (the best chocolate you can buy and preferably 70% cacao chocolate), so 2:1 by volume. This means 2 cups (500 mL) milk mixed with 1 cup (250 mL) chocolate. By weight, this works out to 25% dark chocolate in whole milk or 175 grams of dark chocolate melted with 500 grams of milk.

This is how I personally make the best hot chocolate to suit my taste, but you might want to tweak this recipe to make it the way you like it, with more or less chocolate.

Substitutions and Variations

This recipe will work with dark, milk, or white chocolate. You could also try ruby chocolate or caramelized white chocolate for fun twists on the classic chocolate drink. There are so many flavours that pair well with hot chocolate and dark chocolate. In the recipe below, I infused the milk with Earl Grey tea before making the hot chocolate. I've done this to make Earl grey chocolate truffles and this Earl Grey chocolate tart. Here are a few examples of how you can get creative and flavour hot chocolate. Remember that in all cases, you will have to experiment to get the flavour you want. Make sure to add less flavouring first and add more as needed. If you add too much, you can't go back!

• Tea-infused hot chocolate: steep the milk with a few tea bags (or a tea strainer with loose-leaf tea) to add tons of flavour before adding the chocolate
• Spiced hot chocolate: add cinnamon, cardamom, or even some dried chilli for a kick
• Nutty hot chocolate: stir in a little nut butter, like tahini or peanut butter. Start with ¼ cup (60 mL) and add more to taste.
• Peppermint hot chocolate: stir in a little peppermint extract. Start with around ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract and add more as needed. 
• Lactose-free: use lactose-free milk
• Non-dairy: use your favourite non-dairy beverage, like almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk. Soy milk also works great here!

How To Make Hot Chocolate With Real Chocolate

Making hot chocolate with real chocolate is so simple. All you have to do is heat the milk, add the chocolate, and stir it to melt.

Step 1: Place the milk in a saucepan (image 1). Heat the milk with any flavour ingredients that need to steep. I added a few Earl Grey tea bags to the pot (image 2). Once the tea has steeped for long enough, remove the tea bags from the hot milk (image 3), then add the chopped chocolate (image 4)

Note: If you'd like to infuse hot chocolate with tea or spices, you would want to do that before, then strain it out and add the chocolate to the hot infused milk.

Step 2: Let the chocolate and milk mixture stand for 1 minute, then stir the two to combine them. Use an immersion blender to ensure the hot chocolate is smooth. Serve hot.

If you chill this drink for several hours before serving, you will have homemade dark chocolate milk! Just make sure to give it a good shake before serving.

Hot Chocolate Trick for Foam

Finishing the hot chocolate with an immersion blender not only smoothes it out, eliminating any lumps, and it also adds a lovely froth to your drink!

Serving Suggestions

Obviously, you can serve hot chocolate with whipped cream or homemade vanilla marshmallows. I also like to serve them with a cookie, like these slice-and-bake gingerbread cookies or these gingerbread cookie cutouts. These would also taste great with chewy chocolate sugar cookies or fancy chocolate sablés.

Hot Chocolate FAQs

If you tried this recipe for hot chocolate (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Hot Chocolate with Earl Grey Tea

This is a recipe for the best hot chocolate, made with high quality dark chocolate (70%) and whole milk. The milk is infused with Earl Grey tea, but you can skip that if you prefer. This makes a rich, luxurious hot chocolate.

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Calories 603kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• GIR spatula
• Hand blender

Ingredients

• 500 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)
• 3 tea bags loose leaf Earl Grey tea optional
• 150 grams dark chocolate (70 % cocoa content)

Metric - US

Instructions

• Place the pan of milk on the heat. If infusing with tea, add the tea bags to the milk. Heat over medium–high heat until it's almost boiling. Remove from the heat and, if using tea, let steep 5 minutes. Squeeze the bags and remove them.
• Add the dark chocolate to the hot milk. Let stand for 1 minute then stir to melt. Use an immersion blender to emulsify the mixture to yield smooth hot chocolate. This will also a lovely froth to the hot chocolate.
• Divide the hot chocolate between two mugs. Serve immediately as is, or with a dollop of sweet whipped cream or a marshmallow.

Notes

For the dark chocolate, I used Cacao Barry Ocoa 70 % dark chocolate.

Here are a few examples of how you can get creative and flavour hot chocolate. Remember that in all cases, you will have to experiment to get the flavour you want. Make sure to add less flavouring first and add more as needed. If you add too much, you can't go back!

• Tea-infused hot chocolate: steep the milk with a few tea bags (or a tea strainer with loose leaf tea) to add tons of flavour before adding the chocolate
• Spiced hot chocolate: add cinnamon, cardamom, or even some dried chilli for a kick
• Nutty hot chocolate: stir in a little nut butter, like tahini or peanut butter. Start with ¼ cup (60 mL) and add more to taste.
• Peppermint hot chocolate: stir in a little peppermint extract. Start with around ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract and add more as needed.

Nutrition

Calories: 603kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 923mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 447IU | Calcium: 372mg | Iron: 9mg

This post is sponsored by Cacao Barry. I was compensated monetarily and with product. Thanks for supporting the companies that allow me to create content for Kitchen Heals Soul. As always, please know that I wouldn’t work with a sponsor nor recommend a product if it wasn’t worth it.
Please note this post contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you buy a product I recommend, I will get a small commission, and the price you have to pay will not change in any way.

The post Best Hot Chocolate with Earl Grey appeared first on The Bake School.

These easy matcha cakes can be served plain, but I made them into an elegant green tea dessert by frosting them with this thick white chocolate cream cheese frosting made without powdered sugar.

Ingredients

• flour—bleached all-purpose flour is used in this recipe. Unbleached should work fine too!
• green tea—use fine matcha powder
• leavening agents—use baking powder, not baking soda in this recipe. Please read about baking soda versus baking powder if you aren't sure the difference.
• salt— use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt or if using table salt, add half the suggested amount because it's saltier.
• butter— use unsalted butter or reduce the salt in the recipe if you are going to bake with salted butter
• sugar—use regular white granulated sugar to avoid adding any taste or colour to the matcha cake so that the green tea flavour will shine
• eggs—use large eggs, not smaller
• vanilla—I used pure vanilla extract. It's optional but I find vanilla and matcha are a nice flavour pairing
• milk—I've tested this recipe with low-fat milk (1 % fat) and whole milk (3.25 % fat). Both work!

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Matcha Cake

This easy matcha cake recipe works as a single loaf, mini loaves, or even a layer cake. Here's how to make the cake recipe:

Step 1: Sift the green tea powder over the dry ingredients in a medium bowl (image 1). Whisk the dry ingredients together to make sure they are evenly incorporated.

Step 2: Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed with a spatula. Add the vanilla with the last egg (image 3).

Step 3: Add the whisked dry ingredients (image 4) alternately with the milk (image 5), beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Step 4: Transfer the green tea cake batter to the prepared loaf pan(s) (image 6) and bake until set (image 7).

Please note that you can bake this easy matcha cake recipe is a regular loaf pan or in mini pans. The baking time will vary according to the size of the pan. Baked in a single loaf pan, this cake may take 45 minutes to 1 hour to bake.

Step 5: Transfer the loaf cakes to a wire rack to cool completely (image 8). You can top them with a thick layer of classic cream cheese frosting or this white chocolate cream cheese frosting (image 9).

Please note that if you choose to decorate the cakes as I have done, you will need a half batch of either of the frostings mentioned above (about 400–450 grams of frosting) and a St-Honoré piping tip (either Matfer brand or Ateco will work).

Matcha Cake Baking FAQs

Does green tea cake have caffeine?

Because matcha powder has caffeine, green tea cakes made with matcha powder will also have caffeine.

What flavours go well with matcha cake?

Matcha pairs beautifully with sweet, creamy white chocolate but also with bright flavours like passion fruit and cream cheese. This is why pairing this easy matcha cake with white chocolate cream cheese frosting is so brilliant!
Berries are also great with matcha. You could serve these with raspberries, for example.

Why is my matcha cake brown?

The colour of matcha powder will change over time, but also when exposed to heat or air. The colour of the green tea powder will darken and become brown after opening the container, and when you bake with it, the edges will brown (also because of Maillard browning).
An open container of matcha powder will oxidize, most notably on the surface of the powder, changing the colour from bright green to dark green or even brownish. Unfortunately, it's difficult to avoid oxidation upon storage, and the colour change will affect the colour of the matcha cake.

Other Green Tea Desserts

If you love baking with tea, especially green tea as much as me, here are a few other recipes to try:

• Matcha gingerbread cookies
• Matcha tarts filled with passion fruit curd
• Matcha crêpes served with black sesame pastry cream

If you tried this recipe for easy matcha cake (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Easy Matcha Cakes

Learn how to make the best matcha cake with this easy recipe. The green tea cakes are made with matcha powder and topped with white chocolate cream cheese frosting for a simple yet fancy green tea dessert.

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 9

Calories 338kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Mini loaf pan
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• GIR spatula

Ingredients

• 190 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 19 grams matcha green tea powder
• 7.5 mL baking powder
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 175 grams unsalted butter softened
• 200 grams granulated sugar
• 3 large egg(s)
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 90 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325°F (165 °C). Grease 9 mini loaf pans (I used this pan from Amazon. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, matcha, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar for a few minutes until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed with a spatula. Add the vanilla and beat the mixture again.
• Add the whisked dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
• Give the mixture a couple more stirs with the spatula to make sure everything is evenly incorporated, then divide the batter among the prepared loaf pans.
• Bake the cakes until a cake tester inserted in the middle of one comes out clean and the edges begin to pull away from the sides. This takes about 20 or so minutes.
• Cool on a wire rack in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• This cake can be baked in mini loaf pans (up to 9, depending on dimensions), a standard 9x5-inch loaf pan or even better, a smaller 8.5x4.5-inch loaf pan. Baking the recipe as one cake as a large loaf cake will mean a longer baking time,  at least 45–60 minutes. Use visual cues and tests to determine when the cake is done baking.
• Use high-quality fine matcha powder. The colour may vary according to the brand of green tea powder, the type, and also the age of it, so the green colour of the cake will vary.
• I garnished these matcha cakes with this thick cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar.

Nutrition

Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 161mg | Potassium: 148mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 687IU | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Easy Matcha Cake appeared first on The Bake School.

Some scone recipes are aiming for a flakier scone using a folding technique, similar to homemade croissants or puff pastry. I've used the rolling and folding technique for these pear and chocolate scones, which were made with a more wet dough that benefitted from the rolling and folding in flour, without toughening them. 

On the other hand, for these mini rhubarb scones and the scones recipe below, I kept the recipe and method simple, like for this recipe, no folding necessary.

What are these scones made of

If you want to make cream scones with lavender and white chocolate, you will need the following ingredients:

• all-purpose flour is needed to bind all the ingredients together and give the scones structure. If you don't use enough flour, your scones may spread too much as they bake
• granulated sugar though used sparingly in this recipe is important to help tenderize the scones and preserve them so they don't dry out too fast.
• baking powder is a complete chemical leavening agent that doesn't require any special ingredients to work, as long as you add moisture (in this case from butter and cream) and heat (when you bake the scones in the oven). Do not use baking soda, which requires adding an acid to help baked goods rise. Read up on baking soda vs baking powder if you are unsure of the difference.
• salt is really important to balance out the sweet flavour. Don't skip it. I like to use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt, but table salt will work, though the cookies will be saltier and you may want to halve the salt in that case.
• butter, preferably unsalted butter because you will add salt to the dough, but if you have salted, it will work. Just adjust the salt in the recipe accordingly, otherwise your cookies may be too salty
• white chocolate adds a sweet creamy flavour to these, and it also caramelizes as the scones bake. I like to use white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate bar (like Lindt) or Cacao Barry Blanc Satin or Zéphyr.
• dried lavender buds add a floral taste to these, but make sure to use culinary grade lavender. This isn't a place for lavender that goes in closet sachets!
• whipping cream (35 % fat) adds moisture and fat to the dough, leading to a more tender and light scones.

Scone texture

Personally, I don't think scones need to be layered or overly flaky. We aren't making homemade croissants! It's more important that they be moist and tender, almost delicate. The perfect scone should be easy to pull apart with your fingertips with only the slightest tug and it should melt in your mouth. Plus that rolling and folding is a little extra work that I'd avoid, especially since there's always a risk of overworking the dough, making the scones tough, chewy, or hard.

For this white chocolate scones recipe, I've kept the method as simple as possible, the same simple method I used for these rhubarb scones. If you are looking for a stuffed scone, try these apple cinnamon scones, which are a little more elaborate, but taste really great in the end!

Adding lavender to scones

These scones are flavoured with lavender buds. Make sure to always buy culinary grade lavender or lavender tea, and not potpourri, which isn't edible! There are different ways you can go about infusing baked goods with lavender (or tea leaves like Earl Grey):

1. Heat the liquid in the recipe and infuse that liquid with lavender buds (or tea leaves), just like you would if you were steeping a pot of tea. Once steeped, strain and chill overnight before making your scones. 
2. Add lavender buds to the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt). That's it. This is what I did with Earl Grey tea leaves to make this Earl Grey cake, for example.

I've tested both ways and honestly, adding lavender buds straight to your dry ingredients works great. You can taste the lavender in the baked scones. The flavour comes through, without it tasting soapy.

A different way of adding a floral taste to scones would be using glaze, like with these date scones, which are a fruit scones recipe glazed with orange blossom icing.

These lavender scones have a delightfully crunchy exterior with a tender, soft interior that is infused with just enough lavender flavour without being overpowering. The scone dough isn't too sweet, which is why the white chocolate chips are a nice touch. And you will notice that, because the best scones are baked at a higher temperature, the white chocolate caramelizes, which makes these white chocolate scones even better!

For the white chocolate, you can use either white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate.  And though some might not consider it chocolate, white chocolate is a type of chocolate that I encourage you to explore for it's sweet, creamy flavour.

This scones recipe is made with all-purpose flour, also known as plain flour, which is why we have to add baking powder and salt to the dry ingredients. If you are in the UK or other countries that regularly use self-rising flour, use 375 grams self-rising flour and do not add the baking powder and the salt. 

📖 Recipe

Print

Lavender Scones

These tender lavender scones are made with cream, lavender buds, and chunks of white chocolate, yielding a rich scone that has a light texture and isn't too sweet.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Freeze time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 356kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Sheet pan
• OXO balloon whisk
• Rolling pin

Ingredients

• 375 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 50 grams granulated sugar
• 15 mL baking powder
• 10 mL dried lavender food grade
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 115 grams unsalted butter very cold, cut into small pieces
• 175 grams white chocolate chopped (or white chocolate chips)
• 310 mL whipping cream (35 % fat) plus a little extra for brushing on the scones before baking
• 15 mL Turbinado sugar or a sanding sugar that doesn't melt

Optional for serving

• unsalted butter softened
• clotted cream
• jam or marmalade

Metric - US

Instructions

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, lavender, and salt.
• Drop the cold butter cubes into the dry ingredients, and press the cubes of butter into the flour with your fingertips to get large flour-covered flakes (approximately the size of corn flakes).
• Mix in the chopped white chocolate
• With a big fork, stir in the cream just until the dough clumps (don’t over-mix it!). The dough should be a clumpy, floury mess at this point.
• Using your hands, press and gently squeeze the dough together, working it just enough to be able to gather the dough into a fat disk.
• Transfer the disk of dough onto a lightly floured work surface.
• Using a rolling pin, roll the disk into a bigger disk between 18 and 20 cm (7 and 8 inches) in diameter. The thickness should be a little over 2.5 cm (almost 1 inch).
• Cut the dough into 10 round scones with a cookie cutter that has a diameter around 6.5 cm (2.5 inches). Gather the scraps of dough and gently press them together to be able to cut out 2 more scones. You will have 12 scones in total.
• Place the scones on a parchment lined sheet pan. Freeze for 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C) while the scones are freezing.
• Just before baking, you can brush the tops of the scones with a little cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
• Bake the scones for 25 to 30 minutes, until the edges and tops are golden brown.
• Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of cream.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• This scones recipe is made with all-purpose flour, also known as plain flour, which is why we have to add baking powder and salt to the dry ingredients. If you are in the UK or other countries that regularly use self-rising flour, use 375 grams self-rising flour and do not add the baking powder and the salt.

Nutrition

Calories: 356kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 217mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 550IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Lavender Scones with White Chocolate appeared first on The Bake School.

Ingredients to Make Earl Grey Truffles

Homemade chocolate truffles are surprisingly easy to make with simple ingredients: chocolate, cream, and cocoa powder. Since chocolate truffles only have three ingredients, use the best chocolate, cocoa powder and cream you can buy because this is a recipe where the chocolate shines! Here's what you need to make these Earl Grey truffles:

• cream—I used 35 % whipping cream to make rich chocolate truffles
• chocolate—I recommend using 70 % chocolate that has a fruity flavour. Do not use chocolate chips in this recipe because they are too sweet and designed not to melt.
• tea—I used loose-leaf Earl Grey tea, but you can use any favourite of yours as long as you think it will complement the chocolate you are using
• cocoa powder—I coated the truffles with Dutch-processed cocoa powder, specifically Extra Brute cocoa powder from Cacao Barry. It has a lovely reddish-brown hue and a higher fat content..

Please see the recipe card for the exact quantites and ingredients.

Variations and Substitutions

The great thing about chocolate truffles is that they are great enjoyed as is, but you can also infuse them with some fun flavours. When flavouring truffles, try to think about the type of chocolate you are using and its flavour profile so that you can pair it with the right ingredients:

• Fruity chocolate—enhance that with a cream infused with lemon or orange zest.
• Floral chocolate—pair it with Earl Grey tea, lavender, or rose buds.
• Woody chocolate—great with some cinnamon or chilli to make a spicy batch of truffles with a little kick to them.
• Nutty chocolate—try adding a little Amaretto or Frangelico liqueur to your ganache!

It's so easy to add flavour to chocolate truffles by adding tea, herbs, citrus zest, and spices to the hot cream and letting it steep before pouring it over the chocolate. The key is to add as much flavour to the cream as possible.

I like to use a 70% dark chocolate from Cacao Barry called Ocoa, which has slightly sour, fruity, and woody notes that are perfect paired with Earl Grey tea. Be sure to taste the chocolate you will use to make truffles. You want to make chocolate ganache and truffles with a chocolate you enjoy eating. 

You may notice some extra ingredients in some truffle recipes:

• Glucose or corn syrup is added as a preservative when making ganache. It increases the truffles' shelf-life and creates a more elastic, soft, and chewy texture compared to truffles made without.
• Butter or cocoa butter is added to temper the ganache, creating a smoother, more velvety texture.

How to Make Truffles

Homemade truffles are very easy to make. Here's how you can make Earl Grey tea-infused chocolate truffles at home:

Step 1: Start by chopping the chocolate (image 1) and placing it in a heat-proof bowl (image 2). Meanwhile, heat the cream with the Earl Grey tea (image 3). Let the hot cream infused for 10 minutes (image 4).

Step 2: Bring the cream back to 70 °C (158 °F), then pour the hot cream through a strainer set over the chocolate (image 5). Let the mixture stand for 1 minute to allow for heat transfer, then emulsify the mixture using a whisk (image 6), a spatula/spoon, or even an immersion blender (image 7). The mixture should be smooth and glossy.

Step 3: Cover the ganache, placing plastic wrap directly on the surface and chill it for a few hours in the fridge until set (image 8), then scoop and roll the ganache into truffles with gloved hands (image 9). Toss the truffles in cocoa powder to coat them lightly (image 10).

Top Tip: Fixing a Broken Ganache

Chocolate ganache is a delicate emulsion of fats and liquids. These two do not necessarily want to interact or engage together, as we know: fats and water tend to separate into two distinct layers that seem immiscible. So sometimes, instead of making a smooth, fluid, emulsified ganache, you may end up with a broken ganache where the fat has separated out and the cocoa solids and sugar are left behind with the water.

A broken ganache may appear chunky with pools of clear fat separated out. it doesn't adhere to spoons or spatulas and slides right off. It is frustrating when this happens, but you can fix a broken ganache! Here's how:

Step 1: Identify that you have a broken ganache. The ganache should be warm, not hot, and all the chocolate should have completely melted, but the fat is separating from the mixture. The broken ganache may look lumpy or chunky (though it is melted). It doesn't adhere to surfaces like your mixing bowl, whisk, wooden spoon, or spatula and slides right off (image 1).

Step 2: Add a splash of cold liquid (water or milk—I used cold skim milk straight from the fridge) (image 2).

Step 3: Stir the mixture and continue adding a splash of cold milk every minute or so until you can see the ganache coming together (image 3). To fix the broken ganache in this recipe, I added a maximum of 2 tablespoons of cold milk to get it emulsified. The emulsified ganache should be smooth, fluid, and emulsified (image 4). It will cling to the bowl when you stir it and coat your spoon or spatula.

Chocolate Truffle FAQs

Homemade Candy is Fun

These easy Earl Grey chocolate truffles are perfectly smooth, mildly floral and citrusy from the lavender and Earl Grey. You could infuse the cream with any of your favourite teas/herbs, but I love Earl Grey and lavender tea. Double up on the tea for a more pronounced flavour and infuse the cream for longer. Chocolate truffles are easy to make. Try them and see for yourself.

If you like to make chocolates and confections, try these chocolate booze balls, birthday cake truffles and fruitcake truffles!

Other Recipes with Tea

Actually, you can use this same technique to infuse other desserts with tea. For example, you can make flavoured panna cotta by infusing the milk/cream with tea or another flavour. These recipes for Earl Grey panna cotta tarts, Earl Grey chocolate tart, and even Earl Grey hot chocolate are prime examples of infusing tea flavour into desserts. I've infused frosting and cake layers to make this impressive Earl Grey cake.

If you tried this Earl Grey chocolate truffle recipe (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Earl Grey Chocolate Truffles

Learn how to make the best Earl Grey chocolate truffles with this easy recipe infused with Earl Grey tea. These make a great homemade gift for Valentine's Day or other holidays!

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Chill time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 22 truffles

Calories 79kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Ingredients

• 170 mL whipping cream (35 % fat)
• 5 grams loose leaf Earl Grey tea
• 175 grams dark chocolate (70 % cocoa content)
• 45 grams Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder for coating the truffles

Metric - US

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, heat the cream with the tea leaves over medium—high heat. When the cream has almost come to a boil (steamy and hot), take it off the heat and let it infuse for 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, chop the dark chocolate. Transfer the chopped chocolate to a metal or glass bowl.
• When the tea has steeped sufficiently, check the temperature of the cream. Make sure it's at 70 °C (158 °F). If it's not, heat it again on the stove, then strain the cream mixture over the chocolate, pressing the tea leaves into the strainer to extract all the cream.
• Let the chocolate+cream mixture stand for 1–2 minutes to allow for heat transfer. Whisk the cream/chocolate mixture until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. You can use an immersion blender.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (placing the wrap directly on the surface of the ganache), and chill it for about 2–3 hours until the mixture is firm enough to scoop and roll into truffles.
• Scoop and roll truffles in small, 12 gram portions. You will get about 22–24 truffles. Use gloved hands to roll the truffles between your palms.
• Toss each truffle in the cocoa powder to coat it, tapping off the excess.
• Store the truffles in an airtight container.

Notes

• For the tea leaves, I have tested this recipe with loose-leaf Earl Grey tea and Earl grey lavender tea.
• For the chocolate, I have tested this recipe with Saint-Domingue Cacao Barry (70% dark chocolate) and also Cacao Barry Ocoa (70% dark chocolate).
• Optional: Add 28 grams (2 tbsp) of butter to the emulsified ganache to temper it and create a smooth finish.
• To make firmer truffles, use a higher ratio of chocolate to cream, like 290 grams dark chocolate for 170 grams (⅔ cup) whipping cream. 
• Other flavours to try: infuse cream with lemon or orange zest, masala chai, lavender or rose buds, cinnamon or chilli.

Nutrition

Calories: 79kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 117IU | Vitamin C: 0.05mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Earl Grey Chocolate Truffles appeared first on The Bake School.

I added lavender to the classic shortbread ratio. That's entirely optional. I love lavender, but not everybody is a fan and that's okay. Follow the recipe below but skip the lavender to make them plain if you prefer. Or you can try a different dried herb or spice, or even tea!

You can get creative with this basic shortbread recipe, as long as you keep the ratio of ingredients intact. You can read all about baking ratios and how to use them if you'd like to learn more!

Ingredients

The beauty of shortbread cookies is that they don't call for special ingredients or trips to the grocery store. You likely have everything you need (except for the lavender buds). Here's what you need:

• butter—opt for unsalted butter so that you can control the amount of salt that goes into your cookies
• sugar—specifically granulated sugar in this recipe because you don't want any flavour to interfere with the delicate floral lavender and creamy white chocolate
• flour—use all-purpose flour which will give these cookies a little structure and sturdiness without being tough
• salt is important to balance out the sweet buttery flavour. Don't skip it. I like to use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt, but table salt will work, though the cookies will be saltier and you may want to halve the salt in that case
• dried lavender—make sure it's edible so use culinary grade only!
• white chocolate—I like to use high-quality white chocolate like from the brand Cacao Barry.

Baking with lavender

Is lavender edible?

Though lavender is used to scent sachets of potpourri, the flower buds are actually edible. Besides being used to make rooms and clothes smell good, dried lavender is often added to tea blends, and also to baked goods, such as cupcakes and icings. Make sure to buy culinary lavender so you know it's edible (and not laced with perfume). You can find culinary-grade lavender buds on Amazon.

Culinary lavender is sold as blossoms usually and you will probably find culinary lavender in the loose-leaf tea aisle or the spice aisle of many stores. The blossoms are tiny, their colour, a vibrant blueish-purple. They have a very floral aroma, which carries through when you bake with it.

Infusing a dough with lavender flavour

I decided that the best method to get lavender into the shortbread would be to first cream the lavender and the butter together, hopefully lightly infusing the butter with some of the lavender essence, before adding the dry ingredients. I followed a basic 1:2:3 ratio of sugar/butter/flour to make these lavender shortbread cookies.

If you add lavender to cookies, it will impart a floral aroma (flavour and scent) to the cookies. Make sure to use the right amount. Too much lavender may go from a lovely floral flavour in baked goods to soapy if you are too heavy-handed.

Special tools

To make shortbread cookie dough, I like to use either a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer to help cream the butter and the sugar so that they are well mixed. You can do this by hand too. Besides a mixer, you will also need:

• a spatula for scraping down the sides of the bowl and the bottom to make sure the sugar and butter are properly incorporated
• a tart pan with removable bottom or another pan with sides with the same volume (get the baking pan conversions chart to help you swap pans with ease!)
• a glass or flat-bottom jar to press the dough from edge to edge to make a smooth, firm base
• a bench scraper (also called a pastry cutter) or a chef's knife or pairing knife to score the dough and a fork or a chocolate dipping fork to poke holes to let steam and air escape in the oven

The recipe yields a very crumbly-textured dough. All you have to do is dump the crumbs into the pan and press them down with a glass (watch the video below!).

I scored the shortbread (or rather I sliced through to the bottom just to be sure), docked them with a fork and popped them into my preheated oven. I baked these shortbread cookie wedges at 350ºF. Some shortbread purists may argue that shortbread should be baked at a lower temperature to keep them from colouring in the oven. I like my shortbread a little golden around the edges. Adds flavour.

What else you can bake with lavender

• add a little lavender to a classic shortbread cookie ratio to make lavender shortbread cookies (recipe below)
• infuse honey with lavender buds and make lavender honey cakes
• add dry lavender to vanilla sablé cookies
• infuse the milk with lavender to make panna cotta, just like you would tea in Earl grey panna cotta tarts
• add lavender buds to cakes and frosting in the same way tea is added to an Earl Grey cake
• infuse the cream with lavender to make lavender chocolate truffles. 

After 5 minutes of cooling in the pan on a wire rack, I re-cut the shortbread along the lines and let them cool completely before unmolding the shortbread wedges. I then dipped the sides of each shortbread triangle in melted white chocolate and sprinkled a few dried lavender blossoms on each. This is entirely optional. I happen to love white chocolate.

The lavender truly comes through in this shortbread cookie recipe: floral, but not too floral, buttery, not too sweet. These shortbread cookies have a crumbly, sandy texture, just the way a traditional shortbread should be.

These lavender shortbread cookies are much easier to make than shortbread cookies with jam, but equally satisfying and just as stunning because the shortbread wedges are dipped in chocolate!

📖 Recipe

Print

Lavender Shortbread Cookies Dipped in White Chocolate

This recipe is a fun lavender twist on the classic shortbread cookie and it's made in the easiest way possible! The dough is pressed into a scalloped edge tart pan and sliced into shortbread triangle wedges before baking for perfect shortbread cookies!

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 367kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Tart pan
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• GIR spatula

Ingredients

• 173 grams unsalted butter
• 15 mL dried lavender make sure it's edible, culinary grade lavender and not potpourri!
• 100 grams granulated sugar you can go as low as 88 grams of sugar for a less sweet shortbread cookie
• 255 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt

Optional ingredients

• 175 grams white chocolate melted
• dried lavender

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175 °C).
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and lavender for 1 minute.
• Add sugar and mix, scraping down sides of mixer as needed, until mixture is creamy.
• Add flour and salt, and mix on low until the dough is crumbly.
• Pour crumbs into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press with the bottom of a glass to form a firm, even layer. 
• Cut/score into 8 wedges. 
• Dock with a fork or metal skewer to poke holes through the shortbread cookie surface allowing steam to escape as the shortbread bake so that they dry out.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes, rotating at least once to ensure that they bake evenly (keep an eye on them to make sure that they do not brown too much). The edges will be lightly golden.
• Remove from oven and let cool slightly before re-cutting along the scored lines.
• Let cool completely before removing the slices from the pans.
• Dip or brush each slice with melted chocolate. Sprinkle with a few lavender blossoms.

Video

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• For this recipe, I used the 9-inch tart pan from this Wilton set that you can buy on Amazon.

Nutrition

Calories: 367kcal

The post Lavender shortbread cookies dipped in white chocolate appeared first on The Bake School.

Ingredients you need to make this recipe

Homemade ice cream can be either Philadelphia style (without eggs) or custard-based (made with egg yolks). For this mint chip ice cream recipe, we are making a custard base, so a crème anglaise. To do so, you will need:

• Milk and cream, preferably 2 % fat or even 3.25 % fat whole milk and whipping cream with 35 % fat. You can play with the amount of fat in this recipe, but less fat will have an impact on the final texture and flavour. The ice cream may taste a little more watery with less fat.
• Egg yolks to make the crème anglaise, which act as an emulsifier and a thickener in this recipe, providing body, as well as colour and flavour.
• Sugar, specifically granulated sugar because it won't interfere with the delicate flavour of the mint. Don't skimp on the sugar or your ice cream may end up too icy and the texture won't be as nice.
• Fine kosher salt, which dissolves easily and provides a little depth of flavour, helping the flavours in the ice cream stand out more.
• Fresh mint and/or mint extract or mint oil to infuse the milk before making the crème anglaise. You will need a lot of fresh mint for this recipe!
• Chocolate, chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.

Special equipment

To make the best homemade ice cream, I highly recommend getting an ice cream machine. When you are shopping, you have three choices:

• a freezer bowl attachment that is compatible with your stand mixer and that you can use with the paddle attachment (like this KitchenAid freezer bowl compatible with the Artisan stand mixers)
• an ice cream machine with a freezer bowl that has to be frozen for at least 24 hours before using the machine (like this basic Cuisinart machine that has great reviews on Amazon)
• an ice cream machine with a built in compressor so you can make ice cream any time of the day and all day long if you want, without worrying about pre-freezing the bowl. This is the most expensive category of ice cream makers on the market, but if you like to make homemade ice cream, you might want to consider it to make your life easier! I would! Whynter makes an ice cream machine with a compressor built into it and it has over a thousand reviews on Amazon.

The beauty of the ice cream machines with built in compressors is that they allow you to churn multiple batches of ice cream in a row. On the other hand, a freezer bowl can only be used to churn one batch, at which point it has to be frozen again in the freezer before using it again.

Ways of infusing a custard with mint flavour

The most straight-foward way to make mint-flavoured ice cream is to heat the milk with fresh mint to infuse it, prior to making the custard base. To do so, you need to use a lot of mint. I recommend at least 30 grams (1 ounce) of fresh mint (leaves plus stems) to infuse this volume of liquid (750 mL or 3 cups total).

Other options for adding mint flavour to ice cream include mint extracts or mint oil, which also can do a good job of adding flavour to the custard base. Just remember with extracts and oils:

• the flavour is more concentrated and a little goes a long way.
• add the extract/oil after cooking the custard base, preferably after it has cooled down to avoid the volatile compounds breaking down from the heat of the stove.

Incorporating chocolate chips and chunks in ice cream and frozen desserts

The trouble with adding chopped chocolate to ice cream and frozen desserts is that pretty much all chocolate that is sold commercially is tempered, whether it's for baking (as pistoles, fèves, chips, or chunks), or for eating (as chocolate bars).

Tempered chocolate is chocolate that has been recrystallized (meaning solid chocolate that was melted and cooled to solidify it again). Tempering is done to make the chocolate more stable, so that the chocolate doesn't melt in your hands too quickly. The recrystallization process known as tempering produces a more stable product.

It's very important to temper chocolate that is going to be handled or held in the hand because it increases the melting point, meaning it takes more heat to melt the chocolate.

The drawback to tempered chocolate is that if you add it to ice cream and other frozen desserts, the products are stored at -20 ºC, roughly, which is so cold the chocolate completely loses that melt-in-your-mouth quality.

Tempered chocolate that is frozen seems dry and brittle when you eat it. It also seems almost flavourless because many of the flavour compounds require melting and heat to properly enjoy them.

Tricks to make frozen chocolate more palatable

If you want to incorporate chocolate in a frozen dessert like this mint chocolate chip ice cream, you have options, that yield different results. It's up to you which road you take and what method you want to use to add pieces of chocolate to ice cream:

1. add chopped dark chocolate directly to churned ice cream, but the frozen chocolate may seem dry and won't have a melt-in-your-mouth quality that you may want.
2. melt the chocolate and swirl it into churned ice cream before hardening (melting will undo the tempering of the chocolate, making it more prone to melting after it hardens again). 
3. melt the chocolate and spread it out thin on a parchment-lined sheet, allowing it to set hard before breaking it into shards and adding to churned ice cream.
4. melt the chocolate with a small amount of a neutral oil (7.5 mL or 1.5 teaspoons of canola oil for every 85 grams of chocolate). Again either swirl the melted mixture in the churned ice cream or let it set and break it up into shards that you can fold into churned ice cream.

Substitutions

If you want to make this recipe, there are a few changes you can make:

1. replace fresh mint with mint extract. I'd recommend roughly 1.25 mL (¼ teaspoon) of mint extract for this volume of ice cream, but the amount you add is entirely dependant on how minty you want the ice cream to be and also the type of extract you use. For this substitution, add the extract after you are done cooking the custard.
2. replace fresh mint with mint oil. I'd recommend roughly 1.25 mL (¼ teaspoon) of mint oil for this volume of ice cream, but the amount you add is entirely dependant on how minty you want the ice cream to be and also the type of oiil you use. For this substitution, add the mint oil after you are done cooking the custard.
3. replace dark chocolate with milk chocolate or even white chocolate. Use the same weight of chocolate as suggested in the recipe.
4. replace the dark chocolate with chopped chocolate wafer cookies. Chopped Oreos would work really well in this recipe! I recommend using 250 grams (2 cups) cookies crumbled or chopped into pieces of different sizes in this recipe, as in the cookie ice cream recipe.

Ice cream storage

I highly recommend investing in a freezer container for your ice cream. I have a Tovolo ice cream tub that has an elongated shape, giving you ample room to drag the ice cream scoop more easily! The base is non-slip, so you have more traction when scooping and it's double walled for better storage.

Frequently asked questions

📖 Recipe

Print

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Chopped chocolate is stirred into freshly churned homemade mint ice cream to make this easy recipe for one of the most popular ice cream flavours, mint chocolate chip ice cream!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Chill time 12 hours hours

Total Time 12 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 457kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• OXO balloon whisk
• Wooden spoon
• Ice cream maker

Ingredients

• 310 mL whipping cream (35 % fat)
• 440 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat) plus more
• 30 grams mint leaves
• 5 large egg yolk(s)
• 150 grams granulated sugar divided
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 1.25 mL mint extract
• 85 grams dark chocolate (70 % cocoa content) grated or chopped into pieces of different sizes, see note below recipe

Metric - US

Instructions

• Freeze the ice cream drum in the freezer for at least 24 hours before attempting to make ice cream.
• Before you begin to cook the ice cream base, set a strainer over a 1 L (4 cup) measuring cup (or a big bowl preferably with a pouring spout). Set aside
• In a medium saucepan, whisk the milk, the cream, and the mint leaves. Heat the mixture until it is very hot and almost comes to a boil.
• Take the mixture off the heat and let the mixture infuse for about an hour.
• Strain the mixture into the measuring cup. If the volume is less than 750 mL, top it up with more milk. You want 750 mL of combined milk and cream to make this ice cream recipe.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with half the sugar until the mixture is a very pale yellow and very light.
• Transfer the strained infused milk back into the medium saucepan. Whisk in the rest of the sugar and the salt. Heat the mixture until it is very hot and almost comes to a boil.
• Pour the hot milk mixture over the whisked yolks to temper the eggs. Whisk continuously until the mixture is homogenous, then transfer it back to the saucepan.
• Switch to a wooden spoon and, stirring constantly, heat the mixture on the stove over medium—low heat until the custard has thickened and has reached 83 °C (181 °F).
• Pour the mixture through the strainer, pressing the custard through gently, if needed. Stir in the mint extract.
• Cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate the mint custard base for several hours to cool completely (overnight is best!).
• Place the frozen drum on the ice cream maker, and churn the custard according to instructions. It can take over 15 minutes to churn the ice cream.
• When the ice cream has reached the desired consistency, add the chopped chocolate (if using) to the ice cream machine to mix it in, just before stopping the machine.
• Turn off the machine, disassemble, and transfer the ice cream to a container, layering swirls of melted chocolate as you transfer (if using melted chocolate). Place in freezer for a few hours to harden the ice cream before serving.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• For the chocolate in this recipe, you have options:

1. add chopped dark chocolate directly to churned ice cream, but the frozen chocolate may seem dry and won't have a melt-in-your-mouth quality that you may want.
2. melt the chocolate and swirl it into churned ice cream before hardening (melting will undo the tempering of the chocolate, making it more prone to melting after it hardens again). 
3. melt the chocolate and spread it out thin on a parchment-lined sheet, allowing it to set hard before breaking it into shards and adding to churned ice cream.
4. melt the chocolate with a small amount of a neutral oil (7.5 mL or 1.5 teaspoons of canola oil for every 85 grams of chocolate). Again either swirl the melted mixture in the churned ice cream or let it set and break it up into shards that you can fold into churned ice cream.
5. For the dark chocolate, I used Cacao Barry Ocoa 70 % dark chocolate

Nutrition

Calories: 457kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 241mg | Sodium: 225mg | Potassium: 282mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 1313IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Mint chocolate chip ice cream appeared first on The Bake School.