If there’s one tipple that perfectly sums up the spirit of Christmas, it’s Baileys. This year, go beyond pouring it over ice as a toast to the festive season – the creamy, delicious drink has so much more to give – starting in the kitchen.
To help you take your Christmas baking to the next level, Baileys has enlisted the help of London’s coolest baker, Lily Vanilli, to share her festive dessert hacks and recipes.
Chocolate Cake with Baileys Salted Caramel
The Chocolate Cake
Makes – approx 14
What you’ll need:
1 cup cooled espresso
1 cup olive oil
250g light brown sugar
Pinch vanilla
2 eggs
250ml whole milk
110g cocoa powder
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
240g plain flour
Pinch sea salt
How to do it:
Make up the coffee & leave it to cool. Beat together the olive oil, sugar & vanilla. Add the eggs & milk & beat gently until well combined. Sift together the cocoa, bicarb, flour & salt.
Stir until evenly combined, then beat into the batter until smooth. Slowly add the cooled coffee until just combined evenly.
Pour into well-greased cupcake pans (no paper cup necessary) – fill each cup around 2/3 full. Bake for around 15 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Once out of the oven and partly cooled, make a small hole in each cake and use a piping bag or squeezy bottle to pipe some salted caramel into the centre.
Serve warm or cold!
Baileys Salted Caramel
What you’ll need:
400g sugar
50g glucose
200ml water
200ml double cream
50ml Baileys
1/2 tsp Malden sea salt
How to do it:
Pour water into a non-stick pan over a high heat. Carefully add the sugar and glucose and then bring to the boil. Heat for 3-4 minutes, or until the sugar starts to turn golden brown – you shouldn’t stir but you can gently swirl the pan to make sure all the sugar melts evenly.
Once the sugar has melted and bubbles are forming all over the surface, take the pan away from the heat. Mix the Baileys extract into the double cream and carefully pour it into the pan – be careful to avoid splashes as the mixture will be very hot. Finally, whisk in a good pinch of sea salt & allow to cool.
Lily’s Hacks
Coffee and Chai Milk Ice Cube Mixer
Freeze cooled coffee or chai-infused milk in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, pop a few in a glass and pour in your Baileys. As the ice melts you have a lovely winter cocktail.
Baileys Hot Chocolate
Add 25ml of Baileys to your hot chocolate (Lily melts dark chocolate with a little hot water, then pours in hot milk, before adding the Baileys and stirring to combine).
Glitter Your Cranberries…
Wash your cranberries in cold water and drain, then transfer to a dry bowl and tip a little glitter over them. Stir with a paintbrush to coat evenly and use to decorate your festive cakes.
Make your pecans sparkle
Always toast nuts before applying edible lustre dust. Place them on a baking tray in an oven preheated to 200c for 6-8 mins. Allow to cool completely, then transfer to a bowl, tip in some lustre dust & stir to coat them. Use these to decorate your Christmas cakes and tarts.
Make A Rosemary Wreath
Use rosemary to create a winter wreath on your bundt cakes. Simply press sprigs of rosemary into buttercream on top of a bundt to create a wreath effect (I used my Baileys chocolate bundt recipe). You can then use your cranberries or pecans to decorate.
Enjoy your festive tipple but drink responsibly!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL4bGQIQodI&authuser=0
Baileys is available at all major supermarkets. RRP £14.99
#DontMindIfIBaileys
