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HALLOWEEN MUD PIE

Not a fan of eating pumpkins but want to bake a delicious Halloween treat? Why not give our Halloween Mud Pie a go! 

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Celebrate what must be one of the most delicious days of the year - National Chocolate Mousse Day! Here is our must-make recipe (but please note that it contains raw eggs):

Makes 4, from ‘1001 Cupcakes, Cookies and other tempting treats’.

300g/10½ oz plain chocolate, broken into pieces

5 tbsp caster sugar

20g/¾ oz butter

1 tbsp brandy

4 eggs, separated

cocoa powder, for dusting

1. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, set the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, add the sugar and butter and melt together, stirring constantly, until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the brandy, then leave to cool slightly. Add the egg yolks and beat until smooth.

2. Place the egg whites in a separate bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form, then fold into the chocolate mixture. Place a stainless steel cooking ring on each of 4 small serving places, then spoon the mixture into each ring and smooth the surfaces. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or until set.

3. Remove the mousses from the refrigerator and carefully remove the cooking rings. Dust with cocoa powder and serve immediately.

With the UK celebrating Mother’s Day on Sunday, why not make these extra special Strawberry Shortcakes to show her how much she is loved and appreciated? (From ‘Grandma’s Best Recipes’).

Strawberry Shortcakes, serves 6. 

Ingredients:

225g/8oz self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting

½ tsp baking powder

100g/3½oz golden caster sugar

85g/3oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

1 egg, beaten

2-3 tbsp milk, plus extra for brushing

FILLING

1 tsp vanilla extract

250g/9oz mascarpone cheese

3 tbsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

400g/14oz strawberries

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease a large baking tray.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and sugar together into a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Beat the egg with 2 tablespoons of the milk and stir into the dry ingredients with a fork to form a soft, but not sticky, dough, adding more milk if necessary.

3. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a thickness of about 2 cm/¾ inch. Stamp out rounds, using a 7-cm/2¾-inch biscuit cutter. Lightly press the trimmings together and stamp out more rounds. 

4. Place the rounds on the prepared baking tray and brush the tops lightly with milk. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until firm and golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool.

5. To make the filling, stir the vanilla extract into the mascarpone cheese with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Reserve a few whole strawberries for decoration, then hull and slice the rest. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar. 

6. Split the shortcakes in half horizontally. Spoon half the mascarpone mixture onto the bases and top with the sliced strawberries. Spoon over the remaining mascarpone mixture and replace the shortcake tops. To serve, dust the shortcakes with icing sugar and top with the reserved whole strawberries.