Top 3: Cutter and Squidge RecipesBy Alicia Grimshaw

Sisters Annabel and Emily Lui are the duo behind Cutter and Squidge. After a successful pop-up this summer in Soho, they’ve recently moved to a permanent shop on Brewer Street. The cake shop is home to the much-loved ‘biskie’ – a one-of-a-kind fusion of biscuit,cookie and cake filled with lightened buttercream, handmade jams and caramels. To celebrate National Chocolate Week, the two ladies share their favourite recipes from the shop. Ready, set, bake:

This rich fudgy cake is a great way to impress your friends in no time at all!

 

Ingredients

• 9 eggs
• 300g sugar
• 50g melted butter
• 100g dark chocolate
• 50g cocoa powder
• 50 plain flour
• Peanut butter

Method 

Whip together in a bowl 9 eggs and the sugar until pale, fluffy and thick. Then fold in the melted butter, dark chocolate, cocoa powder and  plain flour. Pour into a greased and lined tin, swirl a few tablespoons of peanut butter. Bake at 180 for 20 minutes. Serve warm with ice-cream or cold with whipped cream.

Sea Salted Caramel and Chocolate Dreamcake

Here is a recipe that really celebrates our award winning sea salted caramel. The salty sweet butterscotch taste combined with fluffy sponge is a sure fire winner and one of our best sellers in the shop.

Ingredients (This cake will make a 3 layer 8” cake)

For the chocolate dream sponge:

• 350g softened unsalted butter
• 200g cocoa powder
• 350g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 100g sour cream
• 50g milk
• 400g whole egg or 8 eggs
• 350g caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the buttercream:

• 400g icing sugar
• 600g unsalted butter
• vanilla paste
• Optional – 50g sour cream
• C&S jar of salted caramel or make your own!

For the salted caramel:

• 100g sugar
• 100ml double cream
• 50g butter
• 2 tsp fine sea salt (preferably Maldon sea salt)

To make the light sponge

Whip together the butter and sugar until light, pale and fluffy, then mix together the egg, sour cream and milk.  On a medium speed add the egg mixture to the butter and sugar until all incorporated (the batter should be the consistency of whipped double cream).Sieve together the cocoa powder, self raising flour and bicarbonate of soda and slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the batter.

Equally separate the mixture into grease and lined 3 deep 8” tins (roughly 350g in each tin).Bake for around 30 minutes in a 170 degree oven until the middle is springy to touch. Baking will depend on your ovens at home.

For the buttercream 

With a flat paddle beater add the icing sugar together for  5-10 minutes until fluffy. If it ever becomes liquid just put it back into the fridge for an hour. Once chilled rewhip.Once the buttercream is fluffy add in the sour cream and beat on a high speed for 1-2 minutes.  Then on a low speed add in 100g of salted caramel. If you like it stronger then add a few tablespoons more.

To make the salted caramel

Add the sugar and a few drops of water to the pan, wait until all the sugar is dissolved and starts to turn a golden brown colour. The start to swirl the pan. Once the caramel is an amber colour pour in your double cream, abit at a time. BE CAREFUL! The sugar will bubble and steam when you add the cream, but don’t fear, once all of the cream is stirred in, your caramel will calm down and we a luscious golden colour. Boil for 3 minutes then add your butter, stir the caramel until the butter is completely incorporated and then add your salt. Boil for another 2 minutes. It is now ready.

To decorate your cake

Trim the tops of your sponge with a bread knife so you have nice flat cakes. Smear a small amount of buttercream on a cake board to stop the cake from moving on the board. Place one sponge flat side down and evenly spread 200g of the delicious salted caramel buttercream onto your cooled sponge and drizzle over the buttercream some of the lovely salted caramel.

Add on the next sponge and evenly spread another 200g on top. Add on the final cake sponge, this time with the flat side faced up. This will help you have a nice flat top for your cake.Now for the crumb coat to make sure your cake looks nice and white and free of cake speckles. Use 100-200g of the buttercream and spread it all over your cake. Filling in all the holes with the buttercream.  With a plastic cake scrapper or a flat large palette knife, remove the excess buttercream so you can see the sponge and all wholes are filled in.

Pop the cake in the fridge for 1hr. With the remainder of the buttercream, add it on to the top of the cake. With a palette knife cover the buttercream all over the cake as evenly as possible, don’t worry about making it smooth at this stage, just get it covered.If you have one, use a turn table, if you don’t, try using a small bowl and another cake board sitting on top of it.

With a clean palette knife, use the edge of it to gently scrape away small amounts of excess buttercream. Turning the cake as you scrape. You will see that the cake will become smooth.  Make sure to keep cleaning you palette knife after each scrape. Once the cake is smooth pop it back in the fridge for 30 minutes until cold to touch.Using a large 2cm nozzle and a piping bag, put the remaining buttercream in the bag and pipe 12 even peaks onto the edge of the cake. Top with chocolate shavings, marshmallows or brownie pieces.  Then drizzle the top with extra salted caramel.

Hot Chocolate

This hot chocolate recipe is what we serve in the shop, it is rich, chocolatey, not too sweet and is the best way to warm up!

Ingredients 

• 25g dark chocolate
• 50g of dutch pressed cocoa powder
• 25g caster sugar
• Pinch of sea salt
• 300ml milk

Method 

Wizz together in a food processor dark chocolate (c 55% cocoa solids), cocoa powder, caster sugar and a pinch of sea salt. Place the dry goods in a small saucepan and add the milk. Place on a medium/low hob and stir until steaming but not boiling. Pour into a mug, dust with cocoa powder and drink!