It’s back! Bake Off is back! And I think we’re all feeling a
bit uneasy about it all, am I right?
I’m still not 100% sure on the presenters (I really miss Mel and
Sue) and the mentions of calories in the show (can we not, please?). But I am
slowly warming up to it all... just not the ads or Paul Hollywood. The ads will take some time
getting used to, but at least it means enough time to run for another cup of
tea.
Last year, I took part in the #BakeOffBakeAlong hosted by Amanda at Rhyme and Ribbons and I really really loved it, so much that I thought I’d at
least give it another go this year. I’m hoping it will help me warm up again to
the show that we love.
Part of the reason I enjoy #BakeOffBakeAlong (and seemingly all the stress it brings), is the fact that you’re trying out things you might not
usually do, you’re being pushed beyond your comfort zone... all the while
baking something (hopefully) delicious.
I love technical challenges and I love mini rolls, so I
thought it was only fitting to start off with this one.
But let’s get one thing out of the way first, are you
#TeamPeppermint or #PeppermintGate? Because I’m definitely not one to put peppermint
in my mini roll (which is why I replaced it with vanilla extract in these
ones).
That said, I’ve never made mini rolls before but I’ve sure
never eaten one with it in... and I’ve eaten a lot of mini rolls in my time.
That also said, I’m probably never making them again because that was
stressful.
I failed on step one and had a massive facepalm moment when
I skim read instructions and did not grease the paper after I had laid it on
the bottom of the tin. But the mixture was down and it was done, so that meant
some of the sponge stuck to the paper and broke off.
So top tip number one would be: grease a lined tin with
butter, then also for good measure, coat with a bit of cocoa to stop the sponge
from sticking to the paper too much, so the finish isn't total smooth on the edges.
Top tip number two would be: you don’t need a swiss roll tin to make these. I made mine using a regular
old baking tin of a similar size. Even with a ridge on the edge of the tin, it
didn’t mark the sponge and turned out pretty perfectly.
Top tip number three would be: use dark chocolate when they
say use dark chocolate. I used all milk chocolate (because I’m lazy and didn’t
want to go outside in the rain to buy some dark chocolate) and found milk chocolate didn’t drip over the
mini rolls as smoothly as I’d like.
I think the dark chocolate helps loosen the thick milk
chocolate consistency. Next time, I’ll make that special effort to pop out to
the shops to get the dark chocolate...
All in all, they didn’t turn out to be a huge disaster, just
a bit more fiddly than you would think a small little roll would be. They
aren’t all the same size, sorry Paul, but it’s all about learning and
sometimes, who cares when they taste that good?
You can get the recipe for Prue’s Chocolate Mini Rolls here
and if you want to get involved in the #BakeOffBakeAlong, there’s still time
to! Head over to Amanda’s blog to get all the details or if you just want to check
out everyone’s bakes.
What did you think of Bake Off’s return?
Add your comment