Paddy's Day Minty Brownies

To celebrate all things green for St.Patricks Day we decided to create some minty brownies with green buttercream icing (of course)! Now you don't have to go for the minty version if your not a fan, just use plan chocolate instead. They are very easy to make, and can be eaten on their own as an indulgent snack or with ice cream, you choose! They keep well for several days. For best results, use good quality dark chocolate, and take care with the baking time as a slightly undercooked brownie is the best sort. This recipe makes 12-16 brownies.

Louise xx

For the Brownies

300g dark chocolate (70%) I used one mint flavoured bar and 2 plain.

120g plain flour

20g of cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

4 eggs

250g of soft butter

300g of golden caster sugar

For the icing

Softened butter

icing sugar

green food colouring

Method 
1/ preheat oven to 180 degrees
2/ Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a bowl over a saucepan of just boiled water.
3/ Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and whisk lightly with a fork.
4/Put the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, cream them together until they are pale and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs.
5/Now add the melted chocolate, the sifted flour and other dry ingredients and fold in gently and thoroughly with a flexible spatula or large metal spoon, making sure there are no pale streaks. Be patient!
6/Spoon the mix into a greased tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 25minutes. They should be sticky and not dry and spongy.
7/ When done, leave to cool before icing them!

Enjoy :-)

Red Velvet Cake

Love it or loathe it... Valentine's day is just two days away! So here at Disassemble Dublin we decided to bake a cake, because lets face it who doesn't love cake?!...and since Valentine's is upon us we decided to make a Red Velvet Cake. You may not guess from its extravagant appearance, but red velvet cake is deliciously light and extremely moreish. A classic in America, its becoming a favourite here.  Enjoy, but be warned this recipe makes a rather large cake so its perfect for sharing but equally not!;-)

Louise xx

For the cake:
120g soft butter
300g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
300g plain flour
10g cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of salt
220g of buttermilk
1-2 teaspoons of red food colouring paste (I used the whole thing nice it was quite small)
1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
1 heaped teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

For the icing:
110g of soft butter
400g of icing sugar
220g of soft cream cheese
a few drops of vanilla extract
and love hearts to decorate or whatever you like :-)

You will need:
Two 20cm round sandwich tins, greased with butter
and lined with greaseproof paper

Method:
1/ Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (gas mark 3)
2/ Put the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. With a wooden spoon or an electric whisk, cream them together until they are pale and fluffy
3/ Add the eggs one by one, and a few drops of vanilla extract, beating well after each addition.
4/ Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt into the bowl in batches and fold in gently with a large metal spoon, adding the buttermilk gradually in between the batches of flour.
5/ Now add the red colouring until you have a deep-red batter - be brave with the dye, it needs to be truly red. Fold in gently until the mix is all one colour.
6/ Mix together the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda and add to the mixture, folding in the combining the ingredients thoroughly
7/ Divide the mixture between two cake tins and bake for 25-30mins until the cakes are firm, springy and pulls away from the sides of the tins easily.
8/ Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing
9/ Now for the frosting. Put the butter in a mixing bowl and sift over the icing sugar. Cream together until smooth. Add the cream cheese and a few drops of vanilla extract and mix well, check the taste and adjust if necessary.
10/ Place one of the cake layers upside down on a plate or cake stand so you have a nice flat surface. Spread the frosting. Put the other cake layer on top and use the remaining icing to cover the top and sides of the cake.