Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Cakes & Christmas High Tea
I know we are well past Christmas, but suck it up and deal with it. This post has lots of food porn.
My close friends from high school and myself started a tradition of having a Christmas party a few years ago. I’ve usually taken charge with the food with help from everyone, especially Miss A. We usually have a Kris Kringle and some ripper presents have been exchanged. This year, my high tea facination got the better of me, and we had a high tea dinner. Everyone was allocated something to bring to ease the stress for me, and I presented it buffet style.
So let’s have a look at some of the things that were involved in the yummy high tea.
I haven’t been to a high tea without sandwiches, so we had to include them. Unfortunately I decided to not make scones at the last minute, as we had far too much food already!
The pigs in blankets were by far the hit of the party. I asked Hamsley to help me choose some finger food from the frozen section of the supermarket. He picked up a pack of something that looked like pigs in blankets, and I told him to put them back and I’d try making them myself instead. I sent him off to get cocktail frankfurts instead. I looked up Nigella’s recipe for pigs in blankets but couldn’t be bothered making my own pastry, so all I did was put in some cheddar cheese and rolled them up with puff pastry. Instant nom I promise you.
We also had mince pies, chocolate royal puddings (which I seem to make every year), fruit, and I made two varieties of turkey sausage rolls.
And then something sweet for dessert. These are really rich, but do decandtly awesome.
Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Cakes
Australian Women’s Weekly
250g butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
6 eggs, separated
300g dark chocolate (63 per cent cocoa couverture), melted
2 cups ground hazelnuts
1 tablespoon frangelico (or chocolate or coffee liqueur or 1 teaspoon QUEEN coffee or chocolate essence)
1 teaspoon QUEEN vanilla extract
chocolates, to decorate
chocolate ganache
200g dark chocolate (63 per cent cocoa couverture), chopped
100g butter, chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease 18 muffin pans (1/3-cup/80ml capacity).
2. Beat the butter and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well between additions. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, stir in cooled chocolate, then fold in hazelnuts, liqueur and vanilla extract.
3. Beat egg whites in a clean small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold egg white into chocolate mixture in two batches.
4. Divide mixture among prepared pans. Bake 25 minutes or until just cooked. Stand cakes in pans for 5 minutes before turning onto wire rack; cool cakes upside-down.
Chocoalte ganache
Combine chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth and glossy. Remove from heat, stand for about 30 minutes or until thickened slightly.
Pour a little Chocolate Ganache over each cake; decorate tops with chocolates. Stand at room temperature until set.
Serves 18.
Jennifer (Delicieux)
Mmmm this all looks delicious Shellie. Your chocolate hazelnut cakes look scrummy too. Yum!
Erwin
Wow..looks awesome and looks nice and easy to make.
hollypop
innerestin’ christmas party. so these hazelnut cakes, are they a nice moist cake? or are they rather crunchy? i’m still looking for the perfect gf chocolate cake recipe.
penny aka jeroxie
Seems like you had a very yummy holiday! 🙂
kristy @ ksayerphotography
Those cakes look so good! A christmas high tea sounds like a perfect get together 🙂
Hannah
Now *that* is a Christmas pudding I can get behind! Hazelnut and chocolate instead of dried fruit and peel? Hurrah!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Gorgeous round up Shellie! We’re on the same wavelength 😉 I love how you used kisses-they remind me of those snowy points that you can do with meringue!
Helen (grabyourfork)
Personally I think we should feast like it’s Christmas every weekend. lol
GourmetGetaways
Ohh how cute, I love high tea food! It is too gorgeous.
Chicken and cashew sandwiches sounds divine 🙂
Esz
Oh boy does that all look tasty!
Christina
Food porn is right! Everything looks great!
Michelle
You can make nipple cupcakes with that. 😛
Sarah
Oh this looks gorgeous! I love high tea!
Susan
All that food is making my mouth water! What a great way to spend christmas with your friends.
Mez
I want to reach into the computed and have all these things STAT. Thank you so much for your kind comment on Twitter, I’m just being stupid. Sigh. One of those days. So glad your bf’s arm is on a speedy recovery! I thought I was following your blog and I missed so many posts :/ all corrected now.
Agnes
It’s never too late for food porn! 😀 Looks amazing!
Tv Food and Drink
I am standing and cheering for your elegant and enticing photos, only you can’t see me because I’m not near you, which is also a good thing because I’m not fully dressed, but I still love your photos!
Michelle @onandoffmyplate
Those look so good! I want one, two, maybe all of them!