Deer Heart and Linzer Love Cookies

I love linzer cookies, The delicate buttery cookie sandwiched together with preserves is such a dainty treat and as you can see they are pretty as a picture.

Love is all you need Bowl and Mug from Mollegaarden (Krasilnikoff)

Although it is usual to decorate simply with the cut out shape showing the filling and maybe a dusting of sugar, I have decided to embellish each cookie with simple dots of royal icing adding an ornate touch without overwhelming the treat.

I have also modified my recipe to use hazelnut instead of the original almond lending a warmer, nuttier taste to the cookie which perfectly pairs with the raspberry filling.

The idea for the Deer Heart cookies has been in my head since last Valentines Day, as in truth the Deer Aimee cutter from Cakes by Bien is one of my favorite cutter ever. But I did find cutting the buttery soft linzer cookie dough a little tougher than when I use my regular vanilla sugar cookie or gingerbread cookie recipe and in the end I made half a simple circle cookie with a heart cut out. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it is a little bit of work removing the dough around the neck section and I can be a little bit lazy sometimes.

As it turns out the simple heart ones were the perfect little bite size, adorable and so much fun to decorate with the little dots of royal icing.

Hazelnut Linzer Cookie Recipe makes around 24 double filled deer cookies or 40 small circle.
Deer Aimee cookie cutter from Cakes by Bien. Circle cutter approx 4cm (1 1/2")

225 g (8oz) unsalted butter room temperature
100g (3 1/2oz) or 1/2 cup sugar * I used caster (superfine) sugar
1 large egg yolk
300g (10 1/2 oz) or 2 cups plain (all purpose) flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
80g (2 3/4oz) hazelnut meal (ground hazelnut)
Deer Cookie cutter and small plastic heart plunger or circle cookie cutter and medium heart cutter.

Filling - 1/2 cup raspberry jam (jelly)

Decoration - Royal Icing

In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the sugar and butter at high speed for a couple of minutes until light and creamy. Reduce the speed to medium low and mix in the egg yolk, scraping down the sides as required. Add the flour, hazelnut meal, cinnamon and salt and mix at low speed until combined.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours until the mixture is firm.

Dust the workbench with flour and generously flour a rolling pin, then roll# out the dough and cut out shapes as desired.

# If you have difficulty rolling out this dough you can roll it out between sheets of baking paper.

To make the Deer Heart cookies, cut out the deer shape and then use a small heart plunger cutter to cut out a heart shape on the back of half the cookies.

To make Linzer Love cookies cut out circle shapes and use a heart fondant cutter to cut out hearts in the middle of half the cookies.

Place the cut cookie dough on baking trays covered in baking paper and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and bake the cookies until golden (around 12 - 15 minutes).

Allow the cookies to cool on tray.

Place the raspberry jam (jelly) in a microwave safe bowl and heat at high for 20 - 30 seconds until it starts to bubble. Stir until smooth.

To fill deer cookies place jam (jelly) in a disposable piping bag and pipe onto half of the cookies (the ones without the heart cut outs). Gently press the remaining cookies onto the top using the jam (jelly) to stick the cookie into place.

To fill the heart cookies you can just spoon the jam (jelly) onto the top of half the cookies (without the heart cut outs) and press the other cookies gently onto the top.

To pipe decoration mix up pre-mix royal icing to piping consistency and fill a piping bag with a small round tip (I used 1.5 PME).

Pipe an eye and ear onto the deer cookies and a few small dots around the back/tail area.

With the heart cookies, pipe decorative dots around the heart cut out and edge of cookies.

Optional - To pipe decorative drop swags around the edge of the cookie, press the tip to the edge of the cookie and gently apply pressure to allow a length of icing to fall/drop down, carefully pull the tip around to the point on the cookie you wish the swag to reach whilst still applying the light pressure and press the tip to the cookie so the royal icing attaches to the edge of the cookie. Continue around the cookie until you have completed a full circle. Fill in dots between the swags around the edge of the cookie and then pipe a second smaller circle of dots on the top of the cookie.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Affiliate links may earn me money and contribute to supporting this blog.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission. 

Chocolate peanut layer extravaganza cake

I'm dreaming all about deeply satisfying rich tastes and at the moment I love the pairing of chocolate with creamy peanut butter. As though you can't tell from my previous post :)

To try and quell my desire I created this chocolate peanut layer extravaganza cake. Now I know what y'all are thinking, surly that Oreo Chocolate Cheesecake you just posted put a dent in my cravings, but the problem was I shared it all out. To remedy it I kept this one mostly to myself.

Which is quite an accomplishment as it's a reasonably tall cake.  With the additional height of the chocolate shards it makes quite an impressive cake suitable to serve at any gathering.  

The addition of salted peanuts sprinkled on top and the chocolate shards with added sea salt flakes adds a lovely contrast both in it's crunchy texture and the salty taste which is a welcome foil to the sweet frosting.

During the winter months the cake should hold up quite well, however in warmer months or in warm climates you may need to chill the cake in the refrigerator during assemble the next layer of cake has been pressed in place.

Finally if your tastes tend towards the delectably indulgent but you don't quite have my stamina you can quarter the recipe, bake in a 15 cm round baking tin for around 20- 15 minutes less and have a cake that is still extravagant in taste but a little more moderate in serving size.

Chocolate peanut extravaganza cake makes 1 X 20 cm diameter by 15 cm high cake (excluding shard height)

I used an Ateco 868 piping tip and large disposable piping bag. Cake will serve 20 to 35 people depending on serving size. 

4 layers of chocolate cake (recipe follows)

Peanut Butter frosting (recipe follows)

100g dark chocolate

3 Tbsp salted peanuts

1/4 tsp salt flakes

Make the chocolate shards. 

Cover a flat tray with baking paper and melt the dark chocolate in the microwave at medium low heat and whisk until smooth. Spread the chocolate out onto the prepared tray, the chocolate should be a few mm's thick.

Chop 1 1/2 Tbsp of the peanuts roughly and sprinkle on top of the melted chocolate along with the 1/4 tsp of salt flakes. Allow to set.

Assemble the cake.

Place the first layer of chocolate cake onto a cake board or cake stand. Ensure this layer is completely flat, so it would be the bottom layer from one of the cakes you cut in half.

Place a large star piping tip into a piping bag and fill the bag with peanut frosting.

Starting on the outside edge of the cake, holding the piping bag upright 90 angle to the cake apply pressure for a short burst to pipe a star of frosting. Release the pressure on the bag and the pull the bag up away from the cake. Continue to pipe frosting around the edge of the cake and then pipe a second circle of frosting 'stars' just inside the first circle. Continue to pipe working to the center of the cake, you should have around 4 or 5 circles.

Take the next layer of cake, it should be the top layer to the cake you have placed on the bottom. If this cake has a rounded dome*, turn it over and gently press the domed edge into the frosting ensuring the cake is completely centered on the previous layer and that you have no cake overhanging. You should now have a flat top on the cake to work on.

Using the piping bag filled with peanut frosting cover the top of the cake with frosting as described in the steps above.

Take the next layer of cake. This layer should be the bottom layer of the remaining cake. Press it gently into place, make sure that the cake is centered with no overhang.

Using the piping bag filled with peanut frosting cover the top of the cake with frosting as described in the steps above.

Place the final layer of cake, if it has a domed top, once again push the top down gently into the frosting so you have a flat top on the cake to pipe onto.

Pipe the final layer of peanut frosting onto the top of the cake taking care that the stars are even and the same size.

Add final decorations.

Cut the dark chocolate covered in peanuts into large triangle shards using a sharp knife. Press the shards into the top of the cake with the points of the triangle facing upwards. 

Sprinkle the remaining peanuts onto the top of the cake.

Cake may be served immediately or stored for  in refrigerator until ready to serve, remove 20 minutes prior to serving. Left overs cake be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Chocolate layer cake

3 cups plain flour
2 tsp bicarb soda  
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup cool water
250 g unsalted butter room temperature cut into small squares
2 1/2 cup caster sugar 
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 160 C fan forced (325 F) and grease flour and line 2 X 20cm round tins with baking paper.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Mix the hot water and cocoa to make a paste then add the cool water mix until well combined, set aside.

In a large bowl of a stand mixer mix together butter and sugar at high speed until well creamed (about 2-3 mins).

Reduce speed to low and mix in eggs then vanilla mixing until well combined.

Add 1/3 of the flour, mix until just combined then add 1/2 the cocoa mixture, mix again until combined and scrape down sides. Add another 1/3rd of the flour, mix, add the remainder of the cocoa mix and scrape down sides then mix in the remaining flour.

Add the sour cream and continue to mix at low speed until completely combined.

Divide mixture evenly between the 2 X 20cm tins and bake for around 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes then carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

When ready to use cut each cake in half horizontally to make 4 layers in total.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ensure that all ingredients are at room temperature prior to mixing. In warm weather you will only require 1 Tbsp to achieve a smooth piping consistency. In cold weather you may need to add extra milk to achieve the desired consistency.

4 cups icing sugar mixture

2 cups smooth peanut butter

200 g unsalted butter room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp milk at room temperature

extra milk at room temperature extra if required

Place the sugar, peanut butter and butter in a large bowl and mix at high speed until light and fluffy, around 6 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add 1 Tbsp of milk and mix until well combined. Add extra milk as required to achieve a consistency which will is light and fluffy but will hold its shape when piped.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Affiliate links may earn me money and contribute to supporting this blog.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission. 

Sorry Not Sorry - Chocolate Oreo Cheesecake cake

Sorry, I know I'm supposed to be blogging about healthy clean eating and putting up recipes with cakes made from raw kale that taste exactly like kale chocolate.

Y'all have probably made resolutions and I really want to support you in that, fingers crossed that it all works out for you.

But I made a resolution that I thought I had a chance I might keep so it had nothing at all to do with giving up cheesecake, frosting, chocolate and/or peanut butter.

Truthfully I made this cake for Christmas day kinda in rebellion to making pavlova to take to every family event. I mean, I like pavlova as much as the next person but there is only so much you can eat.

So I thought I would like some cheesecake, then I thought, hmmm maybe some chocolate cake would finish it off and I had a bit of peanut butter frosting left over in the fridge so I covered the whole lot in that.

and it came together to make this cake. Seriously cut these slices really, really thin

Chocolate Oreo Cheesecake
makes one tall 6" cake

1 X 6" Oreo Cheesecake no crust (recipe below)
2 X 6" chocolate cake (recipe below)
Chocolate ganache set to spreading consistency
Peanut frosting
Optional - a few meringues, Oreos, chopped peanuts

Place 1 of the chocolate cakes onto a cake board or your cake stand, cover the top with a layer of chocolate ganache and pop the cheesecake onto the top of the cake pressing down lightly. Place in fridge to set.

Remove from fridge, cover top of cheesecake with a layer of chocolate ganache and then place the other chocolate cake onto the cheesecake, press down lightly.

Cover sides and top of cake with a thin layer of chocolate ganache and then chill in fridge until set. .

When set remove from fridge and cover whole cake with a layer of peanut frosting, return to fridge to set.

Gently heat ganache until it becomes just pour-able and top cake with a layer of ganache allowing a little to spill over the edges. Retain any extra ganache to heat and use as a sauce for serving

Decorate top as desired, I added some meringue, Oreo's and chopped peanut, although if you have extra peanut frosting some swirls of frosting with mini Oreo's would be cute.

Oreo Cheesecake

500g (17 3/4oz - if you round up to 18 oz it will be ok) cream cheese (full fat)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg white
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp plain flour (1 US Tbsp all purpose flour)
14 Oreo Cookies (whole or broken - I used whole)

Preheat oven to 160C

Grease and line a 6" tin with baking paper.

Beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Add egg and egg white, lemon juice, vanilla and flour, beat until just combined.

Pour half mixture into prepared tin, press half Oreos into mixture, pour half of the remaining mixture in and top with remaining Oreos, then the rest of the cheesecake mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for around 40 minutes or until the center is just set.

Allow to cool in tin for 15 minutes. Run a plastic knife around the edge of the cake to loosen sides and then carefully tip out cake onto a cake board to cool.

Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp bicarb soda  (baking soda)
1/4 baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup cool water
115 g unsalted butter (4 oz butter) room temperature cut into small squares
1 1/4 cup caster sugar (superfine) use regular white sugar if caster sugar not available
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 160 C fan forced (325 F) and grease flour and line 2 X 6" tins with baking paper.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Mix the hot water and cocoa to make a paste then add the cool water mix until well combined, set aside.

In a large bowl of a stand mixer mix together butter and sugar at high speed until well creamed (about 2-3 mins).

Reduce speed to low and mix in eggs then vanilla mixing until well combined.

Add 1/3 of the flour, mix until just combined then add 1/2 the cocoa mixture, mix again until combined and scrape down sides. Add another 1/3rd of the flour, mix, add the remainder of the cocoa mix and scrape down sides then add the final flour and mix until completely combined.

Divide mixture evenly between the 2 X 6" tins and bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes then carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Peanut Frosting

1/2 cup icing sugar (confectioners)
1/2 cup peanut butter
50 g (1 3/4oz) unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 3 Tbsp milk

Mix sugar, peanut butter, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add milk to make frosting to a spreadable consistency (in hot weather less milk will be required)

Chocolate Ganache

500 g (17 3/4oz - if you round up to 18 oz it will be ok) dark chocolate
175 g ( 6 1/8 oz) cream*

Place chocolate and cream in microwave safe bowl and heat at high heat for 2 minutes. Allow to sit for a minute and then whisk until smooth. Cover bowl and allow to set to desired consistency.

*I made this in summer in cool weather use 250g cream.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Affiliate links may earn me money and contribute to supporting this blog.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission.