Pretty often my friends ask me where I find the time to bake. Easy! The recipes I make may look pretty but they are fairly easy and quick to make. I’ve always loved creating even the simpliest recipe but presenting it in a pretty way and I guess that makes the difference.
With the new year I didn’t have any particular resolution but promised myself I would have started to bake/cook a different recipe every week so here I am.
This week I was inspired by Dr. Oetker chocolate challenge which aims to encourage more people to get experimental by trying new chocolately bakes never attempted before.
I had a look at the yummy recipes on Dr. Oetker website and I was pleased to see a wide range of easy to follow recipes. I picked a different version of a dessert that I used to bake when I grew up in Italy: Vanilla and White Chocolate Choux Buns (in Italy we call them bignè )
There aren’t many ingredients you would need to make these and you can find them all at your local supermarket in the baking aisle. Dr. Oetker has a great range of products and tools to help you make a great chocolatey bake. You can choose between several varieties of cooking chocolate, chocolate decorations and powders available which will help you to create a delicious chocolatey bake with your own twist.
I think I was about 8 years old when I first made profiteroles filled with cream and covered with dark chocolate. I remember my mum had different recipe books and every now and again I picked a new recipe to see if I could do different baking techniques. For some reason Choux buns have a reputation for being difficult to make…trust me if you follow the recipe step by step, they are easy to make and ready in just over an hour (included baking time).
If you want to give it a go I read a good tip which will give you great results! Just remember that the initial steam created in the oven will help the choux pastry to expand and will reduce cracking too. But when the buns have reached the desired size you should slightly open the oven door to let the steam escape and allow the pastry to dry completely. Come on, give it a go!
Choux pastry is light and crispy and once is filled with delicate cream it tastes divine. And to make choux buns look pretty sofisticated you just need to create a linked heart decoration on top of each one (easy to do with a toothpick) and voila’ the perfect treat for an afternoon tea or a dessert at the end of a meal is ready.
On Sunday we met up with some friends so I prepared some Vanilla and White chocolate choux buns that we enjoyed with tea and coffee after our lunch together.
If you would like to try it, you can find the recipe to make 12 Vanilla and White Chocolate Choux buns on Dr. Oetker website.
And to get you baking Dr. Oetker is running a Twitter competition throughout March. To enter simply tweet @DrOetkerbakes a photo of a chocolate bake you’ve made and tell who you would like to share it with for a chance to win a deluxe hamper of chocolate products from Dr. Oetker using the hashtag #evenbetterbaking.
This is why I love so much baking! I get to spend more time with my daughter (who loves helping me preparing yummy recipes) and then I get to share my food with friends and family: a great way to enjoy life!
