Most us, while fond of food, have a deep-seeded yearning towards one item in particular. For me, this is the bite-sized treat, the French Fancy. For as long as I can remember, these delicious cakes have been my all-time favourite dessert. One of my earliest memories is being at the kitchen table, chowing down on a pink Fancy. Sure, there have been times I’ve seen them on the shelf and haven’t pounced… but this is usually a day or so after I’ve take a box of them to a secluded place and wolfed them down. However, in recent years the quality of Fancies has dropped. The recession has led to the sponge becoming more aerated, the icing more sugary, the buttercream being thinner. I tried switching brands but the quality of the new ones was inconsistent. Cue despair. Time to take action and make my own!  

What You’ll Need:

Sponge:

• 170 g Caster sugar
• 170 g Self raising flour
• 170 g Butter
• 3 Eggs

Filling:

• 1 Egg
• 150 g Icing sugar
• 25 g Flour
• 90 ml Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla essence

Icing:

• 400 g Icing sugar
• Cocoa powder
• Lemon juice
• Vanilla essence
• Dark chocolate

It’s rather intimidating trying to make something yourself after years of devotion to someone else’s creation. There’s a lot of internal pressure to not only make it right, but also to make it better. The student has grown weary of the Master’s teachings. They’re no longer giving me what I need. One small mistake will leave me with a sense of failure and vulnerability. Where I would once hid myself away to devour a box out of greed and delight, failure would lead to the same situation only it would be to hid my shameful creation from the world. In short: no pressure.

For the sponge, set the oven to 200°C. Beat the eggs and sugar together. Then mash in the butter, Sieve in the flour and mix well. Pop it in the oven. So far, so good.

Now for the filling. This is what makes the Fancies the shining examples of glory that they are. Am I worried? My Dad, a fellow Fancy enthusiast, pokes his nose into the kitchen. He looks at me with hollowed eyes. Nothing is said but everything is implied: you get this wrong, you’re out of here, kid! Whisk the whole egg with the icing sugar until creamy and fluffy. Sieve in the flour and beat it in too.

Put the milk on the stove and heat until it’s steaming. Then pour it into the egg mixture and place it over a low heat. Mix as though the devil were standing on your shoulder screaming in your ear to go faster. The texture should change almost instantly to a thick, custard-like paste. Stir 2 tsp of vanilla essence into it and then leave to cool.

The sponge should be ready. Allow it to cool for about 20 – 30 mins. While you’re waiting, turn your attention to the icing. Divide the icing sugar into three bowls (approx 100 – 150 g per bowl). Add a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice and a pinch of salt to one and stir in well. The sugar should clump together in a sticky ball at the centre of the bowl. Gradually add water to this until it is still very viscous but now level. In another bowl, add a couple of tablespoons of cocoa power, a dash of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Do the same as with the previous. For the final bowl, add a teaspoon of vanilla essence and a couple drops of pink food colouring. Then do as you did with the previous flavours.

When the sponge is cool, slice it into small cubes (approx 2 cm²).

Leave it to stand another few minutes. Then fill a piping bag with your Fancy topping. Carefully put a small mound of filling on each cube.

When this is done, fill up a basin with warm water and make a Bain Marie for your icing. This will soften it enough to drizzle over your Fancies without actually diluting the icing mixture. Let the bowls of icing sit in it for a few minutes and then begin spooning it over your work. It’s getting close to Judgement Day…

Leave them to set. You may need to top up some of the icing on the lemon and vanilla flavoured Fancies as the icing might be very thin over the filling. After about 30 – 40 mins, melt 25 g of dark chocolate. Using a fork, drizzle it over the Fancies. Wait anxiously for it to set.

Place on a nice plate for added aesthetics and then present to the parental magistrate. Wait.

Wait some more. He looks me dead in the eye. Pauses mid-chew for a second. Blinks. Swallows.

Without a word, he reaches for another one. Then silently leaves the room; success – but only just. I needn’t clear out my wardrobe but I’m on thin ice for pulling such a reckless stunt. The kitchen needs to be left spotless. The Fancies can be left on display for familial grazing throughout the day. I have proven myself.

]]> http://decidedlydelicious.com/2013/02/26/growing-up-and-becoming-fancy/feed/ 5 shallowpocketslucy Iced Fancies Fancy (13 of 22) Waves of mixture mirroring the waves of anxiety I'm experiencing Buttercream French fancy filling icing Sponge French fancies Seems like I'm still on track... It's a thin line between success and failure... French Fancy French fancies http://decidedlydelicious.com/2013/02/24/ginger-snaps-for-when-my-patience-is-about-to-go/ http://decidedlydelicious.com/2013/02/24/ginger-snaps-for-when-my-patience-is-about-to-go/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2013 01:57:51 +0000 Lucy http://decidedlydelicious.com/?p=638 ]]> The posting pattern of this blog is fairly cyclical. Summer arrives in due course and there are desserts-a-plenty. Christmas sees not only a widening on waistlines but also of the site’s content. Any activity in-between is sparse and sprinkled with frantic, sugar-fueled stress. This post is no exception. I first came across a recipe for ginger biscuits when making a Christmas present for my Gran. While they were well-received, the more creative part of me decided  I could do better. After several experimental batches, I present to you Ginger & Cranberry Snaps with a Balsamic Twist. Believe it or not, balsamic vinegar works really well in this instance, not to mention it makes a good conversation starter! Perfect material for when your social life has dried up and the last thing you want to talk about is study. Not to mention, good for attracting fellow students out from their study-dominated hovels to converse with in the first place.

What You’ll Need:

• 180 g Self raising flour
• 120 g Soft brown sugar
• 60 g Butter
• 1 tbs Honey
• 1 Egg
• 50 g Cranberries
• Ground ginger – 2 tsp for a hint, or for ginger lovers like myself, chuck in a heap
• 1 tsp Balsamic vinegar

I’m rather fond of this recipe as it can be done in a jiffy. When those sweet-teeth cravings of mine start tingling, I can be munching on a batch of these within 30 mins. Put the oven on to 200°C Fan. While that’s heating up, sieve the flour into a bowl and then mix in the sugar. Blend the cranberries. Then mix them in too, along with the rest of the ingredients (bar the egg). When they’re all blended together, beat in the egg.

Now you’re good to go. The mixture will be pretty sticky, so coat your hands lightly in flour. Then pinch small pieces of the batter and roll them into little balls. Place them on a parchment-lined baking tray and then the rest is fairly obvious!

Leave in the oven for 15 – 20 mins. Remove and place on a cooling-wire. Make yourself a much-needed coffee and by the time that’s made, you’ll be able to stipend some of these for study-munching. There’s hardly any cleaning up involved with these guys either. Win-win!

What You’ll Need:

• 200g (Lacto-free) Cream cheese
• 100g 70% Dark chocolate
• 100 – 150g 60% Dark chocolate
• 100g Walnuts or Hazelnuts
• Icing sugar

Beat the cream cheese until it is, what I can only describe as, “loose”. Then turn your attention to the 70% dark chocolate. In a heat-proof bowl, melt it over some simmering water. Sampling any chocolate at this stage will only lead to scolded fingers and more loathing over poor self-control.

Pour the chocolate deliciousness into the bowl with the cream cheese.

Then mix it all up!

Blend half the walnuts finely and mix them into the now chocolaty paste. When this is well-mixed, spoon out small drops and roll it into small balls. Place them on a tray and refrigerate for an hour-or-so.

After the hour’s up, melt the 60% dark chocolate in the same way as before. Dip the balls into the melted chocolate and cover them completely. You may need to use your fingers to do this to distribute the covering evenly. If you can take the heat, keep it over the simmering water as it prevents it hardening prematurely.

Before the chocolate sets, place walnut halves on top and then put back in the fridge to fully set. Leave for another hour or so and then dust some icing sugar over them all to finish up.

Then dive right in. Try to share.

A festivity I can get behind

Nearly all of us are familiar with the lyric “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” which oozes out of every radio this time of year. I for one though, was not actually familiar with chestnuts until today. Being a Grinch in general (proof), I get bothered with all the Christmas traditions being shoved down my throat from mid-October onwards. I refused to simply roast the chestnuts (despite the cooking instructions being in on the conspiracy too). However, my sister is a complete Christmas enthusiast – if I strayed too far from the Season, I would be made into mincemeat! A compromise was born: I present to you my Not-So-Traditional-But-Still-Seasonal-Roast-Chestnuts.

What You’ll Need:

• 300 g approx Chestnuts
• 3 Small oranges
• 20g Butter
• 3 tsp Vanilla sugar
• 1 tsp Cinnamon

Preheat your festive ovens to 200°C. If you’re a Believer, check it for elves beforehand – as flavoursome as they are, cooking one is a surefire way to land on the Naughty list.  Line up the chestnuts and with a sharp knife, deeply slice a cross into them.

Took ages to polish these for the photo… Another reason to dislike Christmas

Peel the oranges so that the rind is left in reasonable-sized pieces that can be placed over the chestnuts later on.

Everything is falling nicely into place

Slide a tiny lump of butter into each chestnut and place them on a baking tray. Then lightly sprinkle the vanilla sugar over them.

It’s at this point I realise I’m humming some Christmas jingle

Despite an in-depth search of supermarket shelves, I couldn’t find any of the Christmas magic that’s apparently available in every retail outlet across the country come December 1st. Should you find yourself in a similar position, dust them with cinnamon instead. Take a few segments of orange and squeeze the juice over the openings. Top the chestnuts with the peel. Admire. Pop in the oven for 15 mins.

All ready to go!

Remove. Admire again.

Had I tried to roast these over the fire, I think my mother would have had a fit

Then plate them up and reach for some eggnog… Another thing I’ve yet to try first hand. While they’re certainly tasty morsels to munch on as I’ve never had them before, I’ve nothing to compare them to. This is where I’ve to ask for the opinions of fellow, more experienced foodies. Thoughts?

One of the healthier options on this blog…

The relationship between my little sister and I started out rough. My earliest memories of her are those of being bitten by the brat. Her earliest memories of me are of being ratted out to mom for something she didn’t do. Somewhere amongst the screaming matching, vengeance plotting and general hatred blossomed love! I’m not entirely sure how but I think it has something to do with realising we exerted more influence together over the parents than we did alone… Anyway, a decade or so after this union, things are still going strong. Life has got between us though. Approximately 3175 kilometers  between us as she’s now in Canada! What can I do to replace her? Not much. So to fill the void, I turned my attention to the Peanutbutter Cookies recipe she introduced me to and improved them – an act of general sibling rivalry as well as a metaphorical “screw you for leaving!” This recipe can also be used for filling post-break up voids, general feelings of loneliness or for those damned smug individuals who just want some tasty cookies.What You’ll Need:

• 170 g Butter
• 173 g Peanutbutter
• 200 g Caster sugar
• 110 g Brown sugar
• 1 ½ tsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 156 g All-Purpose flour
• 180 g Rolled oats
• 100 g Dark chocolate chips
• 70g Cranberries
• Zest of large orange

The list of ingredients is pretty long but the recipe – just like my sister – is fairly simple. Set the oven to 190ºC and get to work!

With an electric mixer, blend the butter and peanutbutter until they become one. Avoid the obvious metaphor of myself and my sister’s origins. It’s too painful to think about… Next, toss in the sugars, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix well. After this, add the eggs and vanilla. Then sieve in the flour. Lash the oats in and the cranberries, chocolate and orange.

Normally I don’t go to such efforts…

Using two soup spoons, mold the dough into little balls of yumminess. I’ve got to hand it to my sister here, she taught me this trick and it works a treat although it does leave less dough to be licked off fingers. Probably for the best.

Yes, the raw dough is mighty tasty

Pop these guys into the oven and set the timer for about 25 – 30 mins. Then wait and reminisce. A key indicator that they’re done is the edges will begin to go brown. Once you see this, take them out and let them sit for a few minutes. After they’ve rested awhile, slide them off the tray onto some cooling racks. Taking them out to the garden to photograph is entirely optional. My sister likes to leave them outside to cool as it means we get to eat them sooner. This also means that the many birds populating our garden take interest so she usually ends up sitting at kitchen window, guarding them. One more than one occasion has she startled us all by leaping up suddenly and waving her arm at some hapless pigeon whose got too close. Looking forward to her homecoming. Until then I’ll just have to eat my way through a few batches of these and help myself to the make up she wasn’t able to bring with her. I guess there are some benefits!

On second thought, she can stay away awhile longer…

The worry is getting to me…

So it’s that time of year again – exams are looming. Several reports are due. Add a couple of essays on top of that, along with some important TaeKwonDo competitions fast approaching… Chaos! Everything is up in the air. The more rational side of me is screaming (it’s the only way that little voice tends to get my attention when I’m in hyper-drive) that all is needed is just take a few deep breaths –  everything will be fine. Calm down, the work will get done . It always does… but the more rebellious part of me ain’t interested! It’s time to embrace the madness! What better way to do that than by grabbing some nuts?

What did you think I meant?!

This is the part where I normally detail some nice, exact measurements. NOT TODAY! Today, you’re to just grab a pot of honey, a sprinkling of salt and some spices. I don’t know about you but when I envision madness, I also get hit with a metaphorical heatwave – that’s a theme I’m happy to roll with. Bump the oven up to 200°C. Now turn your sleep-deprived, crazied eyes to your collection of spices. The ones I went for were:

• Cayenne Pepper
• Hot Chilli
• Paprika
• Ground ginger

Spill around 300g cashews into a non-stick tray of sorts. Slop about a table spoon and a half of honey on these bad boys.

They do say you catch more flies with honey, than vinegar… Something I constantly need to remind myself of when the Stress Monster is lurking.

Now for the fun part: Lash a bunch of chilli, paprika, cayenne pepper onto the sticky, sweet goodness you have before you; then the ground ginger and salt – personally choose to be a bit sparing with these guys. Mix them all up and chuck them into the oven. Leave them in there for about 15 mins.

I can feel myself relaxing already

During this time, you may choose to:

• Dance around the oven with all the vigor of some “the end is nigh” preacher.
• Sit in dead silence, staring the dog out of it until the timer’s high pitched beep startles one of you.
• Do something true insane and actually set about completing some of your workload!

Before any of this, however, the one sensible and prescribed thing you are to do in this whole affair is to tear off a piece of parchment paper large enough to scatter the finished goods onto. Have this laid out before you pull the nuts out of the oven and heap them onto it immediately. Should you forget this vital step, you’ll find yourself having a “Here’s Johnny” moment as you end up hacking away at the sugar-solidified nuts encrusted into your base. You’ll end up with something that looks more-or-less like this:

Bringing new meaning to the phrase “melt the stress away”

So you don’t add feelings of guilt and bloatedness to your already riddled conscience, try save some for later

(I said “try”)

Don’t judge me for me generous portion. It’s been awhile…

During one of those life periods where you feel the world is against you, my a-word-a-day calender decided to join in; April 23rd: Lactard – a derogatory term for someone who is lactose intolerant. Despite my efforts to quickly crumple up the offending sheet, a friend saw it and the term has stuck ever since. Becoming a lactard isn’t the worst thing that could have happened to me but it is challenging when certain “friends” insist on drinking a pint of milk or eating a bowl of ice cream in front of me whenever I come over. However, this week I had a win. A glorious one at that! On the shelf at Tesco, illuminated by the heavenly light of the refrigeration there lay lactose-free cream, lactose-free cheese and lactose-free yogurts. A door that has been sealed for many-a-year has just swung open and to celebrate I made this tasty Orange and Almond Cream Cheese Cake.

The only ingredient that  matters

What You’ll Need:

• 4 Eggs, separated
• 175g Golden caster sugar
• 250g Ground almonds
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• Zest of large orange
• 120g Butter
• 100g Icing Sugar
• 300g Cream cheese
• 1tsp Vanilla
• 250g approx Raspberries

If you’re in anyway as close to being as excited as I am about this, you’re going to need to stop dancing around the kitchen before we go any further. Delight suppressed? Good. Now, using a food mixer whisk up the egg whites until stiff. While that’s happening, in a separate bowl beat the yolks and golden caster sugar together until they’re light and fluffy.

Some eggs fresh from a family friend’s chicken – nothing but the best ingredients for this special occasion

When both mixtures are ready, fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture in two goes. Then add in the ground almonds, again in two goes. After this, add in the orange zest and baking powder. Pour it all into a round baking tray and pop into the oven for 35 – 40 mins.

Before the oven elves work their magic…

Place this baby on a cooling rack and leave to settle. In the mean time, soften the butter and blend well with the icing sugar. Lump the cream cheese into the mixture along with the vanilla and voilà: the icing is ready. Now turn your attention back to this beauty.

…And afterwards; Damn, those guys are good!

Smoothing the butter cream icing over the cake and then place the raspberries on top in a pattern of your choice. If you’ve been limited by lacto-filled food like I’ve been these last few years, by no means should you hold back! Having not tasted cream cheese for years, its flavour was fondly welcomed back by my pallet. I have to hand it to them, Arla make some fantastic stuff!

Life as I know it has changed for the better

Given my hysterical happiness about this development, here’s a gratuitous cake photo. Enjoy – I sure did!

Yes. A am going for seconds in the background. Don’t judge.

Small to ensure guilt-free seconds

I’ve always loved words; a passion that my wonderful Gran has always fostered. Some of my earliest memories are from when we used to live on the same road and my four-year-old self would toddle up the lane, knock on her door unexpectedly and proudly ask for “some cheese, please, Louise“. My Gran’s name is Eileen. Thankfully, this blatant disregard for proper address  never affected the outcome of my full belly. She humoured my ingenious rhyming talent. She even encouraged it by introducing me to the Flower Fairies - a collection of poems accompanied by beautiful drawings that I still cherish today. Growing up, she’d always be giving me books to read and when I hit “that age“, she even allowed me some responsibility through the medium of book vouchers. Keeping in mind that at “that age” she was also scolding me for chasing after my sister with a sling shot, so the independence was well received. These books opened up many worlds in which I would lose myself.

Nowadays, I don’t read nearly as much as I’d like to however, I do bake. A lot, as you may have noticed. This new passion has allowed me to give something back. Every Sunday at Family Dinner, Gran sits at the head of the table – her rightful place by all counts – and shares with us some truly fascinating stories or just puts up with my sister and I jostling one another on either side of her. It’s always a delight to make dessert for this gathering. A few weeks ago, it was a particularly pleasant effort as it was Gran’s birthday.  These very humble Lemon Slices require no fuss, are sweet with a fun kick to them and leave a lasting impression – just like my fantastic Gran! The recipe is from my old favourite: Gorgeous Cakes.

What You’ll Need:

• 1 Excellent Gran
• 3 Eggs
• 225g Butter
• 225g Self-raising flour
• 150ml (Semi-skimmed) milk
• 225g Golden caster sugar
• 100g Granulated sugar
• 1.5tsp Baking powder
• Juice and zest  of 2 lemons  

Preheat the oven to 190°C. The analogy between Lemon Slices and grandmothers stops here. Under no circumstance should you beat your sweet Gran until she’s light and fluffy as you do the butter and caster sugar! After this, mix in the eggs into the mixture and then add the milk. If you’ve an electric whisk, now’s a good time to use it as this requires a fair bit of mixing. Don’t panic if the mixture separates - it will work out fine.

Off to a good start in life!

Slowly sieve in the flour and baking powder, all the while using the whisk to incorporate it all together. When that’s all done, add in the lemon zest. Pour the mixture into a baking tray lined with parchment. Pop it into the oven for 30 mins or so until it’s pulled away from the edge.

Gran with our Norwegian and Tanzanian branches of the family tree – smiles all round!

Place on a cooling rack. With a knife or skewer, pierce the cake repeatedly leaving approximately 2 cm apart from each hole.  Then add the granulated sugar to your lemon juice. Stir well and pour over the sponge. Leave it for about 40 mins. Check regularly as a certain grandmother may be an opportunist who likes to hover around the kitchen when Sunday Dinner is being prepared. When the lemon syrup has set, slice up the sponge as you wish.

Happily, the dessert went down a treat. WOO!

Love you, Gran! xxx

I can almost taste the deliciousness

For the last while I’ve been working on getting macarons right and have come close, but still always fell short of the mark. Earlier in the week, I met up with TVandCookies. She was kind enough to take me under her wing and teach me her tricks of the trade and I am now enlightened. Together, we made Lemon Macarons with a Blueberry Buttercream Filling – I’ve no shame in saying they would have been phenomenal… had we not got distracted by cat videos online and allowed them to burn. “Devastated” does not come close to describing how we felt. However, we will try again soon and share our (more desirable) results with you all.

To redeem myself, I decided to fall back on an old reliable for this week’s post: Jammy Dodgers. Even when I’ve managed to leave these in the oven for too long (I’m terrible for getting distracted), they still taste amazing: When a variety of the singed and saved ones are presented on a plate, the more carcinogenic ones are referred to as the “nice” ones and the others as the “nicer”. They are a popular request from friends and once you bake them for yourself, you’ll know why! I’m not surprised as I got the recipe from one of my favourite cookbooks: Annie Bell’s Gorgeous Cakes. What’s even better about these beauties is that they’ve fun and relatively mess-free to make.

What You’ll Need:

• 115g Ground almonds
• 100g Caster sugar
• 200g Plain flour
• 225g Butter
• 150g (approx) Raspberry jam
• Icing Sugar

Mix the almonds, caster sugar and flour together. Then mush the butter into it using your hands… Or you could be boring and lob them all into a food processor. The mixture should very quickly become soft and smooth.

Buttering me up the right way

Flatten it out and wrap in cling film. Put it in the fridge overnight… Or you could be impatient like me and put it in the freezer and turn your attention elsewhere for 20 mins. Preheat the oven to 140°C. Cover a selected worktop and rolling pin generously with flour. Take the dough out of the fridge/freezer and roll it out evenly until it’s about 3mm thick. Then using a cookie cutter of your choice, slice your way around the dough. When you’re finished, remove the centre from half of the biscuits with a smaller cutter. These will be the tops. There will be a lot of leftover dough – don’t let it go to waste. Pop it back into the fridge for a few minutes (watch this to help the time go by) and then re-roll it. This is well worth the effort as these babies will be flying off the plate. Pop into the oven for 30 mins.

Lined up and ready to go

When the timer signals, remove the biscuits and left cool for a few mins. Then place them on a cooling rack. To avoid more cleaning up than necessary, place the hollowed out biscuits on a rack over a tray. Now put the jam into a small pot and add a little water. Stirring constantly bring to the boil and reduce it for a few minutes. Spoon the jammy goodness onto the bottoms – don’t be stingy with it, you’ll regret it later.

Looking very good!

While this is setting, lavishly sieve the icing sugar over the tops and then piece the biscuits together. Simply tip the excess icing sugar into the bin or even back into the bag depending on the cleanliness of the tray used. Then indulge… but not too much or else who knows what might happen! This recipe has never failed me and I can say with confidence that it will soon become an “old reliable” of yours too.

Minimum of four per serving is required when eating these

Upon seeing these, any ill will melted away

This week’s post resulted from months of abuse by a “so called” friend. I’m not entirely sure who it started or how but whatever it was prompted the floodgates of insensitivity to burst open; a dangerous situation to be in given we spar one another in TKD class, where it’s perfectly acceptable to punch someone in the face.  After one cruel joke too many, I decided to warm the relationship which had turned so cold by producing these Dark Chocolate, Ginger and Cointreau Cupcakes - because what problems can’t be solved with alcohol and chocolate? While I came up with this recipe myself, I must thank Chez Chloe and TVandCookies who are both sources of inspiration.

What You’ll Need:

• 175g Caster sugar
• 175g Butter
• 3 Eggs
• 125g Self-Raising flour
• 50g Cocoa powder
• 2in Fresh ginger
• 75ml Cointreau
• 100g Dark Chocolate
• 20ml Milk
• 100g (approx) Icing Sugar

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Beat the sugar and butter together until it’s light and fluffy. Then mix in the eggs one-by-one. Sieve half of the flour into the mixture. Fold it in and then add the other half. Once this is done, add the cocoa.

I’m as surprised as you are that I managed to sieve the flour so evenly

Skin the ginger and then using a garlic press, squeeze as much juice out of it as possible into a glass. This can take some time. Keep the resulting mush as this will be used later. Pour the juice through a sieve into the mixture and add most of the Cointreau as well (keeping a small bit for your icing). Once all this is stirred in, load up your baking tray. This recipe makes about 18 cupcakes.

I can feel our friendship already improving

Set the oven timer to 20mins and then turn your attention to the icing. Break up the chocolate into small pieces and put into a heatproof bowl. Put the milk and the ginger mush into a glass and heat it in the microwave until bubbling. Take it out and stir well – this helps the ginger’s flavour release. Add in the remaining Cointreau and stir again. Sieve the liquid onto the chocolate. The milk should still be warm enough to partially melt the chocolate. Put it over a pot of simmering water to finish the job. Add in about 25g butter and the icing sugar, stirring all the time. It should become smooth and glossy. Leave to cool.

Hold back – it will be much tastier on the cupcakes

When the 20mins are up, remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes in the tray. Then place them on a rack. Leave them be for a further 40mins.

Nearly there…

Using a pallet, place the icing into a piping bag and go mad. Then serve up with a cold glass of milk. Friends again? I think so. Even if we still punch each other in the face!

A few designs I tried