Scones | Recipe

Buttery, flaky and light, these scones will definitely impress anyone who comes over for afternoon tea. Best served with clotted cream and jam and a cup of tea to experience the real British experience.
Make this for your next tea party!

Scones Recipe                                                                                                  Recipe by iSaamuel 
INGREDIENTS;
250g of all purpose flour,
1 tablespoon of baking powder,
50g of cold, cubed, salted butter,
50g of sugar,
1 egg,
100ml of milk,

1 beaten egg,
1 tablespoon of milk for the egg wash

METHOD;
1. Sift flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar until well combined.
2. Add in the butter and using your fingertips, rub until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Make a well in the centre and add in the egg and milk. Stir with a spatula until a soft dough forms.
4. Gather the dough together. Flour your work surface and pour it out onto it.
5. Roll the dough until it is an inch thick throughout. Using fluted cookie cutters, cut out the scones.
6. Place the scones on a lined baking sheet and brush on the egg wash for a golden brown finish.
7. Bake at 180c for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. The scones should be well risen and puffed up.
Let the scones cool before serving with clotted cream and jam. Meanwhile, you can make your cup of tea!

Feel free to replace the milk in this recipe with buttermilk to make buttermilk biscuits which you can then serve with homemade sausage and gravy for a Southern twist. Enjoy!

Chocolate Mousse Cake | Recipe

Who doesn't love chocolate? This cake takes it to another level- it has three forms of chocolate (chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and chocolate ganache all combined) and it's so easy to make! The soft and moist chocolate cake compliments the airy mousse well, along with the ganache that adds depth to this recipe. This cake is so delicious that I may or may not have eaten half of it already (oops!) Give this recipe a go and let me know how it turns out.

Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe                                                                                   Recipe by iSaamuel 
INGREDIENTS;
Cake
3/4 cup of all purpose flour,
3/4 cup of sugar,
3/4 cup of cocoa powder,
1 teaspoon of baking soda,
1 teaspoon of baking powder,
1 cup of milk,
1/2 cup of vegetable oil,
1 egg,
1 cup of hot water

Chocolate mousse
100g of semi-sweet chocolate,
250ml of heavy whipping cream,
2 egg whites

Ganache
50g of dark chocolate,
150ml of heavy cream

METHOD;
Cake
1. In a large bowl, sift the flour cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder. Add in the sugar and whisk well.
2. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredient with a spatula and add in the egg, milk and oil.
3. Whisk together briefly. Add in the hot water and stir with a spatula until a thin batter is formed.
Tip: Adding the hot water thins out the batter creating a moist cake with a tender crumb.
4. Pour batter into two 7 inch cake pans lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake at 180c for 20-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool thoroughly before decorating.

Mousse
1. Chop the semi-sweet chocolate with a knife, into small pieces.
2. Heat the cream until it simmers on medium low flame. Do not boil.
3. Pour the cream on top of the chocolate and leave this for 5 minutes without stirring.
4. Stir with a whisk after 5 minutes until no lumps of chocolate remain, and you'll be left with a smooth ganache.
5. Transfer into a large bowl. Using a mixer, whisk until soft peaks are formed.
6. After, gently heat up the egg whites using a water bath while whisking constantly to ensure it doesn't cook.
7. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks are formed. Fold this into the chocolate/cream mixture until no streaks of egg whites remain.

Ganache
1. Repeat steps 1-4 as above for the mousse.

Assembly
1. Place half of the mousse on top of the first layer of cake. Spread evenly.
2. Place the second cake on top and place the rest of the mousse on top of that,
3. Spread evenly, decorate with whipped cream and pour the ganache as desired.
Enjoy!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies | Recipe

These soft and chewy cookies will be a crowd pleaser at any party. The sweet, vanilla cookie compliments the buttery and crunchy macadamia nuts. Furthermore, these cookies aren't overly sweet unlike the ones found in many bakery shops. Enjoy!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe                                                         Recipe by iSaamuel 
INGREDIENTS;
115g / 1/2 cup of unsalted butter (at room temp.),
1/4 cup of white sugar,
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar,
1 egg,
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract,
1 cup and 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour,
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda,
1/4 cup of macadamia nuts,
1 cup of white chocolate chips

METHOD;
1. Mix together the butter, white and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until the mixture becomes pale. (Takes about 3 minutes using a mixer).
3. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda in together with the flour. Pour this into the butter mixture.
4. Mix briefly either by hand or using a mixer on the lowest setting- do not overmix or you'll have dense, hard cookies.
5. Stir/fold in the macadamia nuts and chocolate chips using a wooden spoon or spatula.
6. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop even amounts of cookie dough onto a lined baking sheet.
7. Bake at 180c for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies are just lightly brown, and the centres should still be soft.
8. Let cool and serve warm with a big glass of cold milk.
Enjoy!