Chocolate & Lime meringue layered fudge

I love fudge and it always goes down such a treat with friends and family! I have even started to get a bit bolder with my flavours and this time I made a layered fudge, the bottom layer is milk chocolate and the top is a zesty lime meringue fudge using homemade lime curd.

Here's how...

I made the chocolate fudge first and pressed it into a 40 x 28 x 2.5cm tray, whilst it was cooling I made the lime meringue fudge which I spread evenly over the chocolate fudge and then left the layered fudge to set before cutting into squares.

Chocolate fudge (makes 24 pieces)

Ingredients

• 25g unsalted butter
• 397g condensed milk
• 400g milk chocolate chips
• 100g icing sugar

Cooking instructions

1. Line a 20cm (8") square pan with baking parchment or a 40 x 28 x 2.5cm tray if you are making the layered fudge
2. Place the butter, chocolate and condensed milk in a heavy based jug
3. Stir using a wooden spoon over low heat until smooth and silky
4. Remove from heat
5. Using an electric whisk or food mixer, beat in the sieved icing sugar
6. Pour mixture into prepared pan, smooth over the top with the back of a spoon
7. Leave to set for a few hours
8. Cut into small squares
9. Store in airtight container in fridge

Lime meringue fudge (makes 24 pieces)

Ingredients

• 75g (3oz) unsalted butter
• 700g granulated sugar
• 200ml (7 fl oz) double cream
• 397g condensed milk
• 4 tbsp lime curd
• 50g meringue, crumbled

Cooking instructions

1. Line a 20cm (8") square pan with baking parchment, no need to if you are making the layered fudge
2. Place the butter, sugar, milk and condensed milk in a heavy based jug
3. Stir using a wooden spoon over low heat until sugar has dissolved
4. Now turn up heat to medium and bring mixture to a boil, stirring continuosly so mixture does not stick to bottom of pan
5. Place candy thermometer in jug and continue stirring until mixture heats to "soft ball", 240 deg F
6. Remove from heat
7. Using an electric whisk or food mixer, beat mixture for about ten minutes
8. Add lime curd and broken meringue pieces, beat mixture for about ten minutes until it loses its gloss
9. Pour mixture into prepared pan, smooth over the top with the back of a spoon
10. Leave to set for a few hours
11. Cut into small squares
12. Store in airtight container in fridge

Tips...
You must use a candy thermometer as making fudge is an exact science
You can use a heavy based saucepan if you do not have a jug
Remember the mixture gets very hot, so please take care



Have a sweet day!

Key Lime Cupcakes

The lovely peeps at Just Bake sent me some pretty white broderie anglaise cupcake wrappers and cupcake decorations for Easter. So to fit in with my Neon and pastel colour palette I lined them in neon yellow, green and pink paper. I wanted my cupcake flavours to match the colour of the wrappers, to go with the neon green lined wrappers I made zesty lime cupcakes with a lime curd filling. To match the zesty cupcakes I went for a mascapone and cream frosting and decorated them with white chocolate glittery flowers and leaves, glittery white chocolate egg and sprinkled them with white chocolate strands so they would look like nests.



Here's how...

Gluten-free key lime cupcakes (makes 12 large cupcakes)

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 175g gluten-free self raising flour
• 175g unsalted butter, softened
• 175g goldencaster sugar
• Grated zest of two limes
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp milk

Cooking instructions

1. Heat oven to 190C fan assisted
2. Line baking tray with cases
3. In a food mixer, beat the butter and sugar till light and fluffy
4. Slowly beat the eggs one at a time to the butter and sugar mix till just combined
5. Whisk in sifted flour, lime zest, baking powder and milk until fluffy
6. Divide the batter between the cases
7. Bake for about 15-20 mins until cakes bounce back when lightly pressed
8. Place on rack to cool

Whilst the cakes are baking, make the lime curd...

Ingredients

• 25g butter
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 2 medium eggs , beaten
• Juice of 4 limes

Cooking instructions

1. Place the butter, sugar, eggs and lime juice in a medium saucepan
2. Heat on a low heat, stirring continuously until thickened.
3. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool

To decorate (for 12 large cupcake sized cakes) Ingredients

• 250ml double cream
• 220g mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 2 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
• Glittered Chocolate egg disc
• White chocolate strands
• Glittered white chocolate flowers and leaves

Instructions

1. Place the cream, mascarpone cheese and icing sugar in a bowl and whisk till light and fluffy
2. Place bowl in fridge for 1-2 hours
3. Using an apple corer ~ Gently push the corer into the center of your cupcake, rotate the corer slightly and pull the corer out of the cupcake. Push the small cake round out of the corer and repeat this process with all the cupcakes.
   Or use a cupcake corer as per instructions.(they all differ slightly)
   Be sure not to go all the way down to the bottom of the cupcake, otherwise this can cause your filling to seep through the case.
4. Fill piping bag fitted with a star nozzle
5. Put lime curd into the hole in each cake and replace the cake pieces
6. Pipe a swirl of mascapone icing on top of the cakes and sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles
7. Place glitter eggs disc inside
8. Adorn nest with chocolate flower and leaves

Have a sweet day!