Fluffy Deliciables.....Otherwise known as Vanilla Marshmallows

Been in a funk today. The kinda funk that makes me want to bake.....but I'm out of butter. So that means something else. Looking in the cupboard I found glucose syrup and a vanilla bean....this means marshmallows!

I got my recipe off the Martha Stewart website. Does anybody else like that woman more since her incarceration? I know I do. She make these fluffy little bites with peppermint oil in some and vanilla bean seeds in the others. I think peppermint and marshmallow is weird, so I made the vanilla ones, using my trusty vanilla bean paste. I love that stuff, it's so much cheaper and you still get a fantastic vanilla flavour.

The only things I changed was converting her 'sachet' measurement to a tablespoon amount, and using vanilla bean paste instead of seeds from a pod.

Vanilla Marshmallows

Equipment: You'll need an electric beater with bowl and whisk attachment. Cup and tablespoon measures. A saucepan and wooden spoon. And a well greased pan, I use glass and find it very good.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp unflavoured gelatin

1/2 cup cold water plus an extra 1/4 cup

2 cups caster sugar

2/3 cup glucose syrup

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract plus seeds from a vanilla bean (you could substitute another flavour here, any sort of flavour oil will work)

Icing sugar

1. In the bottom of your mixing bowl pour 1/2 cup of water and sprinkle over the gelatin. Then leave it alone. The gelatin needs to soak up the water and activate so that it will set. This is called 'blooming'

2. In the saucepan mix the sugar, extra water and glucose syrup. If you were to colour the marshmallows now would be when I would add the colour. You need to bring this mixture to a boil and let the sugar dissolve, this should only take a few minutes.

3. Very carefully take the saucepan off the stove, turn the mixer on to low speed. Gently pour the boiling hot sugar mixture into the the gelatin. Do this slowly otherwise you'll have extremely hot sugar splatter your kitchen.

4. Once you have added the sugar, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Turn the mixer back on and switch to medium speed.

5. As the marshmallows cool turn the speed up on your mixer. After about 10 minutes everything should have fluffed up and be nice and shiny.

6. Turn off the mixer and pour everything into your prepared greased pan, make sure you scrape the sides to get every last bit.

7. Allow the marshmallows to cool in the pan for about 2 hours, I have found on very humid days I need to put it in the fridge to get it to set properly.

8. Now come the fun messy bit! Make sure your work space is clean, and sprinkle a decent amount of icing sugar down, about 4 tablespoons. Then tip your marshmallows upside down on top of the sugar. Have faith! If you've boiled the sugar right and let it set properly everything will be fine. Sometime you may need to run a knife around the edge to release the seal.

9. Cut the marshmallows into squares with a pizza cutter dredged in icing sugar, and coat each cut square liberally with sugar. Store in an airtight container in your pantry for up to 1 week.

My Brand New Blog & Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake

So here we are. My fancy brand new blog. I like cooking blogs, I like them a lot. And honestly I don't think I have tme for a blog, but so many people ask for my recipes and methods this seems faster.

So first up: Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake!

This is a recipe from Nigella Lawson, featured in her book 'Feast'. I first made this cake about a year ago and wasn't impressed, I found it boring and not worth the effort. I then decided for a reason I can't remember last week to make it again. This is rare for me, if a recipe is bleh the first time I'm unlikely to make it again. But boy! Am I glad I gave this a second chance! Gooey and dark, sweet but not cloying.....heaven!

A few notes, first I didn't take photos....because I forgot. Second I have made a few pointers, as I've now made it three times since my success. Make sure you use DARK chocolate, and good cocoa. If you think you cannot afford good cocoa, go buy the Woolworths Homebrand Cocoa, made in Germany, it's extremely good quality at an extremely reasonable price. Likewise I use Coles brand Belgian Chocolate, reasonably priced and good quality. I believe baking is about using good ingredients but also about being affordable. I also use plain yogurt, instead of sour cream.

For this recipe you'll need the following equipment: Measuring spoons and cups, a spatula, a loaf cake tin lined with alfoil and greased to within an inch of it's life. I cannot stress this enough, do not make this cake without a lined pan. A set of kitchen scales. A chopping board and a sharp knife. And for the syrup a saucepan and wooden spoon.

And now...the cake!

Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake

200g plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
50g cocoa
275g caster sugar
175g softened unsalted butter (I have used salted and it doesn't really make a difference)
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla essence
80ml (1/3 cup) yogurt (or sour cream)
125ml boiling water
175g dark chocolate, chopped roughly

For the syrup
1 tsp cocoa
125ml water
100g caster sugar

25g dark chocolate, chopped and splintered.

1. Preheat the oven to 150c. Place everything except the water and chocolate pieces in a food processor or blender and blitz.

2. With the motor running drizzle the water through the funnel, the batter will be very pale and runny.

3. Fold through the chocolate and tip into a pan.

Now, if you don't have a blender or food processor follow the instructions below, I use the mixer method not a food processor as I don't own one!

1. Preheat the oven to 150c. Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat until combined and creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl down.

2. Add the eggs, and vanilla. Mix until combined. Make sure you scrape again so everything mixes right.

3. Add the flour, bicard, and cocoa and mix well. Scrape the bowl sides again.

4. Add the yogurt and combine. Then with the motor running drizzle the water into the bowl, it should be nice and gooey.

5. Now stir through the chocolate and pour into the tin.

6. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.

For the syrup

After you bring the cake out of the oven while it's cooling make up the syrup.

1. Put the water, sugar ad cocoa in a pan and bring to the boil.

2. Allow it to bubble away for a few minutes, you don't want this reduced too much otherwise it'll be too hard.

3. Pour over the cake making sure to get all the nooks and crannies.

4. Allow the cake to almost completely cool, then sprinkle the extra chopped chocolate over the top, I like to make sure the cake is still warm so it slightly melts.

Once cool pull the cake out by the alfoil lining and unwrap, serve and visit chocolate heaven.