ANNOUNCING: The Chocolate Quarter

If I was set with the task of writing the happiest story on the entire planet, it would probably start with a new shop filled with chocolate opening near my home. So hopefully that puts into perspective how happy I am to announce that The Chocolate Quarter is open for business in Birmingham’s own Jewellery Quarter. YES.

In the name of public interest I had to investigate and do some sampling, you know. For research.

This lovely home grown family business will boom in the JQ which is slowly but surely becoming a new hot spot. Just in time for Valentine’s day, the luxury chocolatiers have loads of offers, heart shaped velvet chocolate boxes, liqueurs, bespoke romantic hampers and insanely good deals for your loved ones. OR, if you’re single (hey), then you’re in for an even bigger treat because you don’t have to pretend to want to share.

The space has a comfy seating area for you to sit and drink your mega rich hot chocolate that they make from their house bars in front of you. There’s a corner dedicated just to nostalgic sweets, and they have a wide array of biscuits, fudges and “inclusion bars” (they even let you vote for new flavours).

I bought – and demolished – a mini box of chocolate covered coffee beans and a little box of handmade chocolates. Choosing was freaking hard, but my favourite flavours were “The Londoner caramel & stout” which was Guinness in a truffle, “Genoa basil Chocolate ganache” and the “Boston peanut butter & raspberry jelly”. But there are simpler more classic flavours too: praline, champagne, and caramel.

Head over to the Jewellery Quarter this Valentine’s day for a bespoke gift, and I seriously advice you follow them on Twitter and Facebook for regular competitions and updates.

Peace out, I’m slowly slipping into my cocoma. 

Recipe: Sticky banana & salted caramel muffins

Good evening! 
As if I don't bake enough as it is, I evolve into an incessant dough-on-her-face monster around Christmas. Possibly because it's too cold to be outside, possibly because I love winter and when I'm happy I cook. 
So, I'm going to show you my latest creation: Sticky banana & salted caramel muffins, with a coconut and peanut glaze. 

Ingredients
90g melted butter (cooled)
270g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
130g demerara sugar
2 tsp salted caramel flavouring/vanilla extract
2 large ripe bananas
2 large eggs
135ml milk

For Glaze and icing
2 tablespoons course coconut oil
1 table spoon peanut butter
Desiccated coconut sprinkle for garnish/decoration
Icing Sugar
Salted caramel flavouring

To prepare
So, preheat your oven to 200C and when it's time to put the dough in, lower it to 190C.
Sift the flour, baking powder, the spices and bicarbonate of soda in a big bowl and add the sugar. Stir it all well.
With a fork, beat the eggs with the flavouring, the melted butter and the milk. Mash the bananas really well and add those into the wet ingredients. 
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture. Stir it but don't overdo it or play with the mixture too thoroughly. 

Fill your muffin cases and put them in your baking tray.
Bake for 18-20 minutes at 190C, or until you can tell they are coming away from the sides.
Pull them out and rub the glaze over the tops, and return them into the oven for another 5 minutes.

With water icing, I just mix a certain amount of spoonfuls of icing sugar with cold water until I get the consistency I want. If you have salted caramel add that into the icing mix too, and when the muffins have cooled, brush the icing on the tops. Sprinkle your coconut, put them in the fridge or wait an hour for the icing to set, and you're ready to go!

I got a lot of people trying out the florentines, so please go ahead and try these out too, let me know how you get on and show me your photos!

E x

Festive Recipe: Cherry & Almond Florentines

It is a day in the week, which means it's time to bake food and eat it excessively!
I thought I'd show you a really easy recipe for florentines since we are nearing Christmas, and it's half of this blog's namesake.
The good thing about florentines is that they makeshift easily into what you want them to taste like. I've gone slightly traditional, but you can add pistachios, walnuts, cranberries or any other grown up sounding ingredient that twelve-year-old-you would've scowled at.

Ingredients:
60g butter
60g demerara sugar
60g golden syrup
50g plain flour
200g chocolate

For the flavour:
60g glace cherries
60g almonds

Yeah, I am not joking. The ingredients and measurements are that straightforward. As long as the flavour ingredients equate to 120g, you can include most anything. Flaked almonds are necessary, but you can chop any nuts or currants to go with them. It is also worth noting that dark chocolate tastes best on florentines. They are covered in caramel and unless your sweet tooth is colossal, white and milk chocolate will only cause a seizure. 

Method:
Preheat your oven to 180C and get three baking trays ready. DO NOT do a single thing without having baking paper in your house. 
Measure your sugar, syrup and butter and gently heat them in a pan til melted.
Remove pan from the heat, and add the flour, cherries and almonds. 
Stir until there is barely any caramel at the bottom of the bowl. 
Spoon sixteen teaspoons of the mixture onto your trays and bake them for 10 minutes. 
Once they're out let them harden and cool before putting them on a wire rack.
Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie and spread it on the flat side of the florentines. If you're feeling particularly insane, mark out a pattern with a fork. 
Put them in the fridge for an hour to cool.

Try the recipe and let me know how it goes, or better yet, I'm happy to test them for you.

E x