Like any job, catering has its niggles but can be so much fun and so rewarding too. One of my favourie things is coming up with new ideas for each job. Tomorrow I have a Japanese dinner party to cater (please pray the snow stops!) I'm most excited about the petit fours. I am serving Mini Red Velvet and Matcha sandwiches, Blackberry and Chocolate Macarons and Miniature Matcha Tea Cakes. I have a ridiculous colleciton of silicone bakeware (pls feel free to borrow if in SW london) and so love an experiment.
Here I used Paul Hollywood's recipe for Tea cakes but made it to fit my mini moulds.
-I would say it was a pretty good recipe, but if you want a neat base, make the biscuits a few mm smaller than the diameter of your moulds to allow for the chocolate covering.
-I used the microwave to melt my chocolate and used couverture. If you want to ensure, totally glossy perfection, you should probably temper your chocolate. Tips here
-Don't be put off my cutter measurements, I used an 1/8 of a cup measure for mine.
-I decorated mine with a little gold leaf, it's all in the detail for a fancy occasion.
This is the trickiest bit, listen to Paul when he tells you to let the chocolate cool down and thicken.
Coating the biscuits and precariously balancing them on sink edge.
This is where the real difference comes in to play between your tea cakes and Tunnock's, seriously delicious meringue.
My Matcha is the real deal from Japan, the really vibrant green kind. You could mix any flavours or colours you like, I'm itching to do it all again and pop raspberries in the centre.
I also made vanilla...
Pop out carefully and gently!
I took this pic of the inside when I suddenly realised it was the money shot - however it was dark by then so it looks a funny colour and a tad blurry, hey ho.
Notes-
-Of course you don't need a mould, I also came across these adorable tea cakes from the cake hunter if you want to go free style it.
-Whilst searching for recipes I also came across these cute homemade cushions by Nikki up in Scotland, know anyone crazy about biscuits? Have a look here at her site
Here I used Paul Hollywood's recipe for Tea cakes but made it to fit my mini moulds.
-I would say it was a pretty good recipe, but if you want a neat base, make the biscuits a few mm smaller than the diameter of your moulds to allow for the chocolate covering.
-I used the microwave to melt my chocolate and used couverture. If you want to ensure, totally glossy perfection, you should probably temper your chocolate. Tips here
-Don't be put off my cutter measurements, I used an 1/8 of a cup measure for mine.
-I decorated mine with a little gold leaf, it's all in the detail for a fancy occasion.
-Of course you don't need a mould, I also came across these adorable tea cakes from the cake hunter if you want to go free style it.
-Whilst searching for recipes I also came across these cute homemade cushions by Nikki up in Scotland, know anyone crazy about biscuits? Have a look here at her site
