Baking · Buttercream and Frosting · Cakes

Red Velvet Cake

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Moist, homemade red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. The vibrant red colour of this cake makes it perfect for occasions like Valentine’s Day, Christmas or birthdays. 

Classic Red Velvet Cake is a gorgeously fluffy, moist cake with hints of vanilla and cocoa, and a lovely tanginess from buttermilk.

This red velvet cake is decorated with homemade cream cheese frosting.

In my opinion, the only frosting for red velvet cake is a cream cheese frosting. The tangy frosting works wonderfully and compliments the cake exactly how it should.

Like the Best Chocolate Cake recipe I’ve shared with you, red velvet cake is also one of the cakes I baked for customers. So this was another layer cake recipe I’ve been passionate about sharing with you.

Growing up in the UK, red velvet cake is something I wasn’t familiar with, but it has become one of my favourites! Top tip: for UK readers, you’ll need to get some red gel food colouring. Only gel food colouring will work and achieve that vivid ruby-red coloured cake.

As the name indicates, this cake is velvety and simply melts in the mouth. My favourite part of each slice is the very centre!

Just like many cake recipes, this one is hard to stop eating just one slice. I found myself dreaming of this all day and eating more than one slice a day!

Decoration is really easy for this cake. Slather or pipe roughly half the cream cheese frosting in the centre and then the remaining frosting on the top of the cake. Take any excess crumbs that naturally fall off the cake and use those to sprinkle over the top.

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Red Velvet Cake

Moist, homemade red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. The vibrant red colour of this cake makes it perfect for occasions like Valentine's Day, Christmas or birthdays. 
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings 16
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 400 g plain flour
  • 10 g cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Wet Ingredients

  • 115 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
  • 330 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 250 ml vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 250 ml buttermilk at room temperature
  • 2 and 1/2 tablespoons red gel food colouring I used a whole 25g bottle

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 60 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
  • 200 g icing sugar sifted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 400 g full fat cream cheese at room temperature

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line 2 x 20cm (8-inch) round cake tins with baking/parchment paper and set aside.
  • Sift the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl, whisk together until combined.
  • In another large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until just combined - this should only take a minute or so. Now add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
  • Add the oil, vanilla, vinegar and the food colouring and mix again until fully incorporated.
  • Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk again until combined and no lumps of flour remain. Be careful not to over mix.
  • Divide the cake batter between the two lined cake tins. Bake for 30-40 minutes - my cakes took nearer to 40 minutes. Test the cakes are ready by inserting a cake tester/toothpick directly in the centre. If no uncooked batter is attached, then they're ready. Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 15 minutes, then carefully remove from the tins and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
  • Once the cakes are cool, you can prepare the cream cheese frosting. Cream the softened butter in a stand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes to soften. Now add the sifted icing sugar and vanilla and starting on a low speed mix to combine. Continue to beat for 5 minutes or until really pale in colour - stop the mixer halfway through to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  • Once creamed add the softened cream cheese. Turn the mixer up and whisk on high speed for approximately 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is creamy, thick and smooth. You need to use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer with the a whisk attachment to make sure the frosting reaches the correct consistency.
  • When ready to assemble, take a little bit of the cream cheese frosting and spread that on the base of your serving plate or cake stand. Take one cake layer and place on your serving plate/cake stand. Spread or pipe roughly half the frosting on this first layer. Place the second cake layer directly on top. Decorate the top as you did the other cake layer. Sprinkle over any additional red velvet cake crumbs or sprinkles of your choice.
  • Serve slices of the cake. The cake will keep stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Recipe from Recipe Tin Eats, cream cheese frosting recipe from What Jessica Baked Next

More delightful treats to bake next!

Chocolate Brownie Heart

Carrot Cake Traybake

Valentine’s Shortbread Hearts

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Baking · Chocolate · Cookies

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Bakery-style chocolate chip cookies with the addition of nutty brown butter. Don’t forget a sprinkle of sea salt for the ultimate amazing cookie experience! An easy cookie recipe with no mixer required.

We’re kickstarting 2026 and a new year of baking on WJBN blog with a fabulous cookie recipe I recently baked.

Say hello to my latest cookie obsession.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Adding brown butter to your next batch of cookie dough is the ultimate flavour upgrade. A classic chocolate chip cookie is pretty good, but adding brown butter elevates a regular chocolate chip cookie to something outstanding.

My winning cookie recipe is made with browned butter and huge chunks of chocolate. The cookies taste great served fresh from the oven and even a couple of days after first baking.

The edges are crisp, slightly crunchy and the inside of the cookie is gorgeously soft. The chocolate mixed with an added sprinkle of flaky sea salt is a divine combination.

Top Tips For The BEST Cookies:

  • Use salted butter and brown the butter. Browned butter adds a delicate caramel undertone to the cookie dough. Take your time when browning butter. Brown butter is a game changer and I highly recommend it!
  • Use a mixture of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks in your cookie dough. I love the ease of adding a bag of chocolate chips to my cookie dough, but chopping up chocolate makes sure you get those huge chunks of melted chocolate in your cookies! I use supermarket own brand chocolate, you can use expensive chocolate but I don’t think it’s necessary.
  • Add cornflour (cornstarch) to your cookie dough. This creates a softer baked cookie and your baked cookie will be slightly thicker, and not spread as much.
  • Add a generous amount of vanilla extract to your cookie dough. Vanilla and chocolate = delicious flavour combo!
  • Always chill your cookie dough. This not only prevents spreading, but it lets the flavours develop further, leading to a tastier finished product!

I’ve baked a lot of cookie recipes for my blog, but this recipe is by far the best one yet.

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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bakery-style chocolate chip cookies with the addition of nutty brown butter. Don't forget a sprinkle of sea salt for the ultimate amazing cookie experience! An easy cookie recipe with no mixer required.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Chilling Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 34 minutes
Servings 18
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 170 g butter (salted or unsalted) cut into small chunks
  • 280 g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornflour
  • 150 g dark or light brown sugar
  • 100 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 300 g chocolate I use 1 x 200g bar of milk chocolate and 1 x 100g bar of dark chocolate, both chopped into medium sized chunks
  • dark chocolate chips I added a couple of handfuls and used the remaining to decorate the cookies

Instructions

  • Start by browning the butter. In a small pan, place the chopped butter. Gently melt on a medium heat. Stirring constantly, the butter will begin to foam and sizzle slightly around the edges. In approx 5-8 minutes from when you started, the butter will start to turn golden brown. Some foam will subside and the milk solids at the bottom of the pan will be toasty brown. The butter in the pan will smell intensely buttery and nutty.
  • Now remove the pan from the heat and carefully transfer the brown butter to a mixing bowl and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
  • In another mixing bowl, add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and the cornflour. Whisk together to combine fully.
  • In the bowl with the melted butter, add both types of sugar, and whisk until incorporated. Now add the whole egg and egg yolk, along with the vanilla extract. Whisking again until combined.
  • Now fold through the dry ingredients until a soft dough begins to form. Finally, stir through the chopped chocolate. Cover the bowl containing the cookie dough and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. I usually chill mine overnight. After overnight chilling, I leave my cookie dough at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling.
  • When ready to bake, divide the cookie dough and roll into 60g portions. Preheat oven to 170°C / 150°C Fan / 325°/ Gas Mark 3. Line a couple of baking trays with parchment paper and place the cookies about 3-inches apart.
  • Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes until crisp and lightly golden around the edges, but still soft in the centre. Place any additional chocolate chips/chunks on the tops of cookies if desired. I also like to sprinkle the tops with some flaky sea salt.
  • Cool the cookies on the baking trays for 10 minutes, before enjoying. The cookies will keep stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction

More of my favourite recipes!

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Pistachio Tiramisu (No-Bake, Eggless Recipe)

Best Chocolate Cake

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Biscuits and Cookies · Chocolate · Christmas · No-Bake

Terry’s Chocolate Orange Rocky Road

What Jessica Baked Next1 Comment

Rocky road with a tasty Terry’s Chocolate Orange twist! The classic no-bake treat everybody loves.

In December, it’s usual that I’ll share at least one recipe that contains a Terry’s Chocolate Orange.

A couple of favourites include my Terry’s Chocolate Orange Brownies, these Terry’s Chocolate Orange NYC Cookies, and two fabulous cheesecakes: No-Bake White Chocolate Orange Cheesecake and Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cheesecake.

We made and shared an insanely good Malteser Rocky Road this year, and next, a festive spin on that rocky road recipe was in the pipeline…

My sister and I spent an evening making this rocky road creation. We both share the same love for baking and being in the kitchen. I love that baking/cooking brings everyone together, and it was lovely to let my sister take the reins with this recipe. We plan to make this again in a couple of weeks for the Christmas celebrations we have in the diary.

What I like about rocky road is just how simple it is to prepare. Around the holidays we all have limited time to spend in the kitchen, but being able to whip up an easy treat with minimal effort is exactly what we all need!

To prepare this simple no-bake recipe, in a saucepan melt together butter, golden syrup, dark chocolate and one whole Terry’s Chocolate Orange – yes, that’s a lot, but we’re packing in all the flavour here!

Once melted, leave the mixture to cool for about 5 minutes, then pour into the dry ingredients and mix well until everything is coated. Tip this mixture into a square baking tin and leave to chill in the fridge.

The next decoration is optional, but we like to melt white chocolate and spread that across the top of the rocky road. As it’s the time of year to indulge a little extra, we’ve topped our rocky road with a very generous 300g white chocolate layer. Then we decorated with sprinkles and the extra half of the TCO.

This is an extremely decadent and moreish sweet, that’s hard to stop eating. It’s a truly fun, cosy, little Christmas non-bake!

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Terry's Chocolate Orange Rocky Road

Rocky road with a tasty Terry's Chocolate Orange twist! The classic no-bake treat everybody loves.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Chilling Time 3 hours
Servings 16
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 150 g butter (salted or unsalted)
  • 4 tablespoons golden syrup
  • 250 g dark chocolate
  • 1 x 157 g Terry's Chocolate Orange
  • 150 g milk chocolate digestives
  • 200 g mini marshmallows
  • 1/2 Terry's Chocolate Orange reserving half for decoration later on

White Chocolate Topping/Decoration:

  • 300 g white chocolate
  • 1/2 Terry's Chocolate Orange
  • sprinkles

Instructions

  • Put the butter, golden syrup, dark chocolate and whole Terry's Chocolate Orange in a medium sized saucepan. Gently heat and continue stirring until all the chocolate has melted and you have a smooth mixture. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
  • In a large mixing bowl, break the digestive biscuits into small chunks and then add your mini marshmallows and 1/2 of the second Terry's Chocolate Orange (broken into small chunks) to the bowl. Stir gently to combine. Now add the melted chocolate mixture and stir together until all the ingredients are well coated.
  • Tip the mixture in the tin and press down until lightly compact. Pop it in the fridge whilst you prepare the chocolate topping. Melt the white chocolate and then gently pour and spread out over the top of the rocky road. Decorate further with the remaining Terry's Chocolate Orange half and sprinkles of your choice.
  • Allow to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
  • When ready to serve, remove the rocky road from the tin and slice up into 16 squares. You can cut the rocky road as big or small as you like. The rocky road will keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge or at room temperature for up to one week.

Recipe inspiration from Taming Twins

Even more great Terry’s Chocolate Orange Recipes! 

Terry’s Chocolate Orange Brownies

No-Bake White Chocolate Orange Cheesecake

Terry’s Chocolate Orange NYC Cookies

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Baking · Chocolate · Christmas · Cookies

Gingerbread White Chocolate Cookies (Marks & Spencer Copycat Recipe)

What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

Copycat version of the viral M&S Gingerbread & White Chocolate Cookies. All the festive feels with these incredibly delicious homemade cookies!

It’s time! My first festive recipe of the 2025 Christmas season is here.

I’m so excited when it gets to this time of the year and I can share all the festive-inspired recipes.

We’re starting with a homemade version of the famous Marks and Spencer Gingerbread White Chocolate Cookies. Earlier in the year, I shared my Chocolate Chunk Shortbread (Marks & Spencer Copycat Recipe). This recipe has now become one of my most viewed (getting thousands of views each week). I’m receiving messages from readers who have baked them – which always puts a smile on my face!

I simply cannot go into my local Marks and Spencers Foodhall without being able to walk past these cookies. Once they were in the bakery section, I grabbed two packs within a week. They are absolutely addictive and amazing cookies.

A recreation of these stunning cookies was bound to happen…

I’ve made my cookie dough as similar to the M&S one. This cookie has black treacle added, pieces of chopped fudge and lots of white chocolate chunks. I also love adding even more chopped white chocolate to the tops of each cookie once baked.

We highly recommend using a block of white chocolate and chopping that up, as opposed to using white chocolate chips. It’s the best when you get a piece of cookie with a huge chunk of chocolate!

I would quite happily bake and eat these cookies all year round.

The warmth of the ginger is just lovely and pairs wonderfully well with creamy white chocolate. The secret is to underbake the cookies ever so slightly. This way they have an irresistibly fudgy centre.

I’ve loved baking Gingerbread Men, but these cookies are definitely my favourite if I had to pick one!

Get your favourite Christmas tunes on playing, head to the kitchen and be ready to bake the BEST christmassy cookies.

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Gingerbread White Chocolate Cookies

Copycat version of the viral M&S Gingerbread & White Chocolate Cookies. All the festive feels with these incredibly delicious homemade cookies!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Chilling Time 1 hour
Servings 10
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 120 g butter (salted or unsalted)
  • 80 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 80 g dark or light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon black treacle optional
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 220 g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 150 g white chocolate chopped into medium-sized chunks
  • 100 g fudge chopped into small chunks

Instructions

  • Start by melting the butter. Add the melted butter to a large mixing bowl, along with the caster and brown sugar. Whisk this together until combined. Now add the black treacle (if using), the egg and vanilla extract. Whisk again and mix until incorporated.
  • Now add the plain flour, ground ginger, bicarbonate of soda and the salt. Using a spatula, gently fold together the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until mostly combined.
  • Fold through the chopped white chocolate and fudge. Mix again until combined - be careful not to over mix. Cover the cookie dough and chill for one hour.
  • Once ready to bake, preheat oven to 180ºC / 160ºC Fan / 350ºF / Gas Mark 4. Divide the cookie dough into 8-10 portions - each piece of cookie dough should weigh just over 80g.
    Line 2-3 large baking trays with baking paper. Spread the cookies out evenly, leaving enough space as they will spread during baking. Bake for 12 minutes, until just lightly browned, with a soft centre still visible.
  • When the cookies are baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking trays for 10 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack and leaving to cool completely. Press some additional chopped chocolate or chocolate chips on the top of each cookie, if desired.
    The cookies will keep stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe from Lord Lucy

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Candy and Sweets · Chocolate

Oven Baked S’mores (10 Minute Recipe)

What Jessica Baked Next1 Comment

Easy oven baked S’mores. A classic American sweet with deliciously gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate. A super quick and easy treat made with 3 ingredients and ready in 10 minutes!

S’mores is a popular American dessert. Typically, a s’more, consists of graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate, is made by toasting marshmallows on a campfire.

I wanted to show you this effortlessly easy way to make homemade s’mores in 10 minutes. Perfect for a cosy night in, sitting on the sofa watching one of your favourite films or boxset.

I love the crisp digestive biscuit, with the gooey, oozy marshmallow and chocolate sandwiched in the centre. I made a couple of these for my taste testers, and they adored them. The flavours all work so well with each other, making a fantastic treat, that can be made by anyone regardless of cooking skill level.

Another thing I really like about this recipe is how it can easily be customised. Try swapping milk chocolate for dark or white chocolate, or you can even use a hazelnut/pistachio-filled chocolate, or a Reese’s peanut butter cup.

Bonfire Night is around the corner on 5th November, so these baked s’mores will make a great dessert to enjoy that evening whilst watching fireworks!

The marshmallows lightly toast and go squidgy in the oven during baking

I have a sweet tooth, but with a lot of the recipes I share, I usually make a big batch of that food. With this recipe, you can make just what you need for that serving. If you fancy just one for yourself, then you can make just a single s’more. If you have a guest coming over, then you just double the recipe!

For each s’more, you’ll need two biscuits (digestives are my go-to, but rich tea will also work), a square of chocolate (around 4 small squares conjoined) and 2-3 regular marshmallows.

Place each biscuit on a lined baking tray, on one biscuit, pop the chocolate and on the other biscuit, place the marshmallows on top. Bake for 3-4 minutes, or until the chocolate is melted, and the marshmallows are lightly toasted. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then sandwich together before devouring!

Homemade S’mores are incredibly delicious! I’m not going to lie, they’re very messy, and you’ll end up with chocolate almost everywhere. But I think that’s the fun of it and they taste amazing!

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Oven Baked S'mores (10 Minute Recipe)

Easy oven baked S'mores. A classic American sweet with deliciously gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate. A super quick and easy treat made with 3 ingredients and ready in 10 minutes!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings 1
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 2 digestive biscuits
  • 1 block of 4 squares of milk chocolate still joined together
  • 2-3 regular sized marshmallows

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°C / Gas Mark 6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  • Place the digestive biscuits on the baking tray - the smooth side down. Top one biscuit with the chocolate and top the second biscuit with the marshmallows.
  • Bake in the oven for 3-4 minutes, until the chocolate is melted and the marshmallows are lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes, before carefully sandwiching the two biscuits together to make the s'more. Check the temperature is not too hot before eating.

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Chocolate · Cookies · Halloween

Mummy Cookie Dough Truffles

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Mummy Cookie Dough Truffles make a spook-tacular Halloween treat!

October has arrived, spooky season is here, and that means Halloween is very close now. I have a scarily good recipe ready for Halloween gatherings/parties, or just for celebrating Halloween.

I love creating/making Halloween recipes. For me, there’s nothing more fun than getting my food blogging props out and styling a Halloween-themed scene. I also have a few Halloween recipes already on my site and look forward to sharing at least one or two each year.

Some of my other Halloween bakes include Halloween Chocolate Bark, Ghost Cupcakes, and an autumn favourite: Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

This new truffle recipe is made using edible cookie dough. When making homemade cookies, I’m always tempted to eat raw cookie dough, but as cookie dough contains raw egg and flour, it’s not suitable to consume until baked. However, this cookie dough doesn’t have raw egg in it.

To make the edible cookie dough, you need to heat treat flour. Heat treating flour makes cookie dough safe to eat by killing off any harmful bacteria. Follow my easy instructions listed in the recipe below, and you’ll be well on your way to perfectly safe edible cookie dough, ready to eat in no time!

I saw the idea of these truffles and couldn’t resist making some of my own. I love just how effective the simple and easy decoration is. The cookie dough is coated in melted white chocolate, then excess melted chocolate is drizzled over the truffles to make ‘bandages’, and finally a a couple of edible eyes are placed on each truffle.

I’m based in the UK and used a pack of edible eyes from the brand Cake Décor. Easily found in any major supermarket or baking/craft shop.

With the October school holidays approaching too, these will be a great project idea for parents or grandparents to do to keep the kids busy.

Cute or scary – you decide!

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Mummy Cookie Dough Truffles

Mummy Cookie Dough Truffles make a spook-tacular Halloween treat!
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Edible Cookie Dough

  • 100 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
  • 50 g dark or light brown sugar
  • 30 g caster sugar
  • 175 g plain flour
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 100 g dark, milk or white chocolate chips

White Chocolate Coating/Decoration

  • 300 g white chocolate
  • 30 edible eyes I use the brand Cake Décor

Instructions

  • Start by heat treating the plain flour. Preheat the oven to 160°C (also use the same temperature for fan-assisted ovens) / 320°F / Gas Mark 2. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Spread the plain flour out over the tray in an even layer. Bake the flour for 5-10 minutes - I baked my flour for 7 minutes. Allow the flour to cool completely before continuing with the recipe. The flour should take about 30 minutes to cool. 
  • Now take a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream the butter and both types of sugar together until light and fluffy - this should take about a minute or two. Add the flour to the mix along with the milk and mix until a dough forms. Finally, fold through the chocolate chips.
  • Take roughly 30g portions of the cookie dough, roll into even balls and place on a lined baking tray. Pop the cookie dough balls in the freezer for 15 minutes.
  • Melt the white chocolate in either the microwave in a bowl/jug or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water (bain-marie). Take each cookie dough ball and carefully, using a fork, roll around in the white chocolate until fully coated. Allow any excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl.
  • Pop the truffles back in the freezer for 5 minutes, then drizzle the remaining white chocolate over the top of each truffle to create 'bandages'. Finish by placing two edible eyes on top of each truffle. Allow the truffles to finish setting in either the fridge or freezer before serving.
  • The truffles will keep stored in the fridge in an airtight container/covered plate for up to one week.

If cookie dough isn’t your thing, then why not try these 3 Ingredient Oreo Truffles

Another autumn favourite is this incredibly good Apple Cinnamon Cake

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Baking · Bread · Main Meals

Naan Bread Pizza (Easy 15 Minute Recipe)

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Easy Naan Bread Pizzas! Speedy homemade pizza made in just 15 minutes. Top however you desire with all your favourite pizza toppings! A great kid-friendly recipe too.

Homemade pizza is one of the best foods, but can be a lengthy process and take a fair bit of time to prepare. That’s why today, we’re cutting some corners and making homemade pizza in just 15 minutes!

I usually enjoy a naan bread alongside a delicious plateful of curry, but I soon discovered they also make fantastic pizza bases.

As with lots of pizzas, the topping choices are endless. I went for a classic American-style hot pizza with pepperoni slices and homegrown jalapeños. You can keep these pizzas simple with just tomato and cheese, or top with cooked chicken, bell pepper slices, and some Cajun spice (one of our other favourites), or even just with a combination of roasted vegetables.

In my household, we work different shifts, so sometimes we eat dinner later in the evening. Easy and super speedy dinners like this are great when we’re eating later and don’t have a lot of time on our hands to make something extravagant. It also stops us ordering food in, so we eat a healthier version of our takeaway favourites.

Plus, when you get a pizza craving but don’t want the cost that comes with ordering a takeaway, then this recipe will save you both time and money!

With this simple and easy recipe you’ll need just a handful of ingredients.

Naan Bread/Flatbread – This is a really quick and easier alternative to preparing homemade pizza dough. I went for a supermarket’s own brand of naan bread. You could also use a flatbread instead of naan bread – baking time might differ by a couple of minutes.

Pizza Sauce/Passata – I use pizza sauce, but add additional seasonings. These seasonings include garlic granules/powder and dried oregano. If you can’t find pizza sauce, passata makes a great substitution.

Mozzarella – I use a mozzarella and cheddar blend, but just mozzarella will work too. I go for ready grated cheese, which saves time!

Toppings – These are down to personal preference. I went for a pepperoni pizza topper, sliced jalapeño, plus an extra sprinkle of dried oregano.

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Naan Bread Pizza (Easy 15 Minute Recipe)

Easy Naan Bread Pizzas! Speedy homemade pizza made in just 15 minutes. Top however you desire with all your favourite pizza toppings! A great kid-friendly recipe too.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 4 naan breads mine weighed 260g each
  • 250 g pizza sauce or passata
  • 1 teaspoon garlic granules/powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 200 g grated mozzarella I use a mozzarella and cheddar blend

Toppings

  • pepperoni
  • jalapeño

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 220°C / 200°F / 425°F / Gas Mark 7. Once the oven is heated, place two large baking trays in to heat up.
  • In a jug or small bowl, mix the pizza sauce/passata with the garlic granules/powder and dried oregano. Season with black pepper and salt. Evenly spread the sauce over each naan bread base.
  • Now top with the grated cheese and additional toppings.
  • Carefully remove the hot baking trays from the oven, line each tray with a piece of parchment paper and place two naan bread pizzas on each tray.
  • Bake for 10 minutes, until crisp and lightly golden around the edges. Allow to cool for a minute or two and serve immediately.

This recipe was inspired by Taming Twins

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Baking · Buttercream and Frosting · Cakes · Chocolate

Best Chocolate Cake

What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

The BEST Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake. This is the one and only chocolate fudge cake recipe you need. Decorate this stunning cake as you desire and get ready to receive many compliments! 

When it comes to chocolate cake, this recipe I have for you today is simply the best. Yes, that’s a bold statement, but once you’ve had a slice, then you’ll be raving about just how fabulous it is.

Ina Garten (aka The Barefoot Contessa) is the author of this recipe. It’s quite frankly the absolute queen of chocolate cakes on the internet. I’m a great fan of Ina, and the summer before I started my professional cookery course at culinary school, I watched episode after episode of her programmes that were on Food Network. I love her simple, timeless approach to cookery.

A cookbook of Ina’s I own has a recipe for Beatty’s Chocolate Cake. This is the recipe I’m using today, but I’ve used a different buttercream to decorate mine. The cocoa buttercream is divine, with just the right amount of richness and creaminess. It’s a standard American-style buttercream and tastes great paired with the fudgy chocolate cake.

I’ve shared chocolate cakes and cupcakes on my blog, but never a classic layered chocolate fudge cake with buttercream.

There are a few ingredients that make this chocolate cake superior to many other recipes. The delectable, fudgy and moist texture is thanks to the use of oil instead of butter in the cake batter. Also, the addition of buttermilk and hot coffee keeps this cake from being anything but dry.

To tell you just how GOOD this cake is, I baked and decorated my cake in the morning and by the evening we only had a quarter of it left! It’s the kind of cake you just can’t help but go back for more of.

Once you bake the cake, get ready for all the compliments and glory you receive. I know myself first hand. For a short time, I baked numerous cakes for customers and quite a few of my orders were for this chocolate cake. I loved hearing my customers enjoying the cakes – it’s the best feeling when someone enjoys something you’ve put a lot of effort into.

I kept my decoration simple. I spread half the buttercream on one cake layer, and then I topped that with the other cake layer. Finally, I spread the remaining buttercream on the top – placing a little bit of it in a piping bag fitted with a star nip nozzle. I piped swirls of the buttercream around the edge of the cake, then further decorated my cake with white chocolate truffles, triple chocolate curls and some crunchy shimmered biscuit balls.

So I say it just one more time. Here you have the BEST American-Style Chocolate Fudge Cake. Have a great time baking this one!

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Best Chocolate Fudge Cake

The BEST Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake. This is the one and only chocolate fudge cake recipe you need. Decorate this stunning cake as you desire and get ready to receive many compliments! This cake can be made either as a 2 or 3 layer cake.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 12
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Chocolate Fudge Cake Batter

  • 210 g plain flour
  • 400 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 90 g cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 240 ml buttermilk
  • 120 ml vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 240 ml freshly brewed coffee I use 1 teaspoon of coffee granules with 240ml of boiling water - you can use just boiling water and leave the coffee out

Cocoa Buttercream

  • 225 g butter (salted or unsalted) I prefer using salted butter for my buttercream
  • 420 g icing sugar sifted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 40 g cocoa powder sifted
  • 3-4 tablespoons double cream add more or less to just consistency of buttercream

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line 2 x 20cm (8-inch) round cake tins with baking/parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt until thoroughly combined.
  • In a medium-sized bowl or jug, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla extract.
  • Now add the wet ingredients along with the hot coffee and carefully whisk until just mixed and no lumps of flour remain.
  • Distribute the cake batter evenly between the two cake tins and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean without any uncooked batter attached. Please Note: The original recipe instructs you to bake the cake for 35–40 minutes, mine took nearer to 60 minutes to fully cook through. All ovens are different, so you may need to check the cake at 40 minutes and keep baking until the cake tester comes out clean.
  • Once the cakes are baked all the way through, allow them to cool in the tins for 30 minutes, then remove from the cake tins and leave to cool on a wire rack completely.
  • To make the buttercream, start by creaming the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. This should take about 5 minutes by hand or by using an electric mixer. Now add the cocoa powder and mix again until just combined. Finally, add the double cream and mix again until combined.
  • Take the first cake layer and place directly on your chosen serving dish/plate. I used a cake board and spread a tiny bit of buttercream on the base to secure the first cake layer. Take half the buttercream and spread it out evenly, then place the second cake layer on top and spread the remaining buttercream on top. I like to pipe a few swirls of the buttercream on top of my cake.  
  • Decorate the cake further with your favourite chocolates or sprinkles. The cake will keep stored, covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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Candy and Sweets · Chocolate · Ice Cream · No-Bake

No-Churn Snickers Peanut Butter Ice Cream

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Say hello to the BEST no-churn peanut butter ice cream recipe! No ice cream machine is required to prepare this dreamy dessert. Peanut butter flavour ice cream, with salted caramel swirls, peanuts and chopped Snickers chocolate bars combine to make one amazing summer ice cream!

It’s no secret that I like my no-churn, no ice cream machine recipes! I couldn’t let summer ’25 pass without posting a no-churn ice cream. It’s now a blog tradition in recent years!

Summer 2024, I made this No-Churn Cookie Dough Ice Cream.

This new ice cream recipe is inspired by my trip to Florida at the start of this year. If you’ve been to Walt Disney World, in Magic Kingdom they sell the ‘All American Sundae’. This is scooped chocolate and vanilla ice cream, topped with melted peanut butter and chocolate fudge sauce, and finished with whipped cream and peanut butter chips – it’s incredibly good.

Totally worth visiting WDW alone just for that AMAZING sundae.

The photo above is the ice cream base pictured before freezing. I added additional ingredients: swirls of salted caramel because we had a pot of leftover salted caramel waiting to be used, otherwise it was highly likely I would consume it straight from the jar with a spoon!

This ice cream recipe is adaptable. If you don’t have salted caramel, you can leave it out, switch it for chocolate sauce instead, or even swirl through additional peanut butter to ramp up the peanut flavour even more.

Also, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are a fantastic substitute for Snickers. Or you could add crushed Oreo cookies instead or brownie chunks.

The ice cream reminds me of my favourite Snickers ice cream bar. Enjoy scooped into bowls or ice cream cones.

If you’re an avid Snickers fan, then this ice cream recipe and my No-Bake Snickers Cheesecake should be the next recipes you make!

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No-Churn Snickers Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Say hello to the BEST no-churn peanut butter ice cream recipe! No ice cream machine is required to prepare this dreamy dessert. Peanut butter flavour ice cream, with salted caramel swirls, peanuts and chopped Snickers chocolate bars combine to make one amazing summer ice cream! 
Servings 8
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 500 ml double cream chilled
  • 250 g smooth peanut butter
  • 397 g can sweetened condensed milk
  • 240 g Snickers Chocolate Bars chopped into small sized pieces

Add-Ins

  • salted caramel sauce
  • peanuts
  • Snickers Chocolate Bars additional for topping - optional

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk the cream until soft peaks form.
  • In another mixing bowl, whisk the peanut butter and can of condensed milk until smooth and combined.
  • Add the peanut butter mix to the bowl of whipped cream, and whisk until completely incorporated. Finally, fold through the chopped Snickers.
  • Spread half the ice cream mixture out into a suitable container, then if desired, swirl some caramel/chocolate sauce/peanut butter through the ice cream. At this point I scattered over some peanuts too. Now cover with the other half of the ice cream mixture, repeating with the swirling of the sauce, if doing so.
  • I also topped my ice cream with additional chopped Snickers - this is optional. Cover the top with a lid or a piece of clingfilm.
  • Freeze for at least 6 hours or until firm and scoopable. I recommend freezing it overnight for the best results. Once ready to serve, allow the ice cream to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before scooping into ice cream cones or bowls. The ice cream will store in the freezer for up to one month.

No-Bake Snickers Cheesecake

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Baking

Lemon Bars

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Luscious lemon bars. Buttery shortbread topped with a divine zesty lemon layer. The bars are baked and chilled, then dusted with icing sugar before serving. A classic recipe sure to wow.

These Lemon Bars are summer in a bite.

An easy recipe that’s quick to whip up and these scrumptious bars taste like pure sunshine.

As I write up this blog post, after weeks of intense heat, it’s currently rainy and damp outside. As food bloggers will know, it’s not the easiest weather to photograph in!

I love myself a chocolate dessert. Best of all, my favourite dessert is anything with choux pastry (profiteroles or a Paris-Brest have my heart), but lemon desserts come a close second. I was in my element when I visited Paris in June, being completely in awe of all the amazing desserts on offer…

We have lots of favourite lemon recipes on the blog. Lemon recipes include this Homemade Lemon Curd, my Passionfruit Lemon Tart and these divine Raspberry Swirl Lemon Cheesecake Bars. Not to forget our family favourite Spaghetti with Courgettes, Chilli, Garlic and Lemon, which is definitely the BEST pasta recipe you’ll ever eat!

Also, these Magdalenas (Spanish Lemon Muffins) are something I count down to whenever I visit Spain!

It’s not summer without a lemon bake featured on my blog. I love the refreshing flavour that lemon adds to both savoury and sweet dishes.

The bars are simply amazing, they take minimal time to make and will most certainly wow anyone who’s lucky enough to try them!

We LOVED the buttery shortbread layer, which was cooked perfectly and the lemon curd topping was tart and packed with zingy lemon flavour!

My bars came out super bright, an almost rich orange in colour – this is because I used rich yolky eggs. If you’re in the UK, I recommend St Ewe’s Rich Yolk Eggs. Not sponsored, but I really like this brand.

The beauty of this recipe is that it’s not just exclusive to spring/summer, it’s a recipe you can make all year round.

Enjoy!

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Lemon Bars

Luscious lemon bars. Buttery shortbread topped with a divine zesty lemon layer. The bars are baked and chilled, then dusted with icing sugar before serving. A classic recipe sure to wow.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Chilling Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 55 minutes
Servings 16
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Shortbread Layer

  • 110 g butter (salted or unsalted) softened
  • 60 g icing sugar sifted
  • 115 g plain flour
  • 30 g cornflour

Lemon Curd Layer

  • 3 eggs at room temperature
  • 200 g caster or granulated sugar
  • 20 g plain flour
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest remember to do this before juicing the lemons
  • 125 ml lemon juice

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a 20cm / 8-inch square cake tin with oil and line with parchment paper with overhang (so it can be lifted out once cooked).
  • Make the shortbread base by combining the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Now add the flour and cornflour, just mix until a crumbly dough forms. Tip the shortbread dough in the tin and evenly press out until lightly compact.
  • Bake the base for 20 minutes or until lightly golden. While the shortbread is baking, prepare the lemon curd topping.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients listed for the lemon curd filling. Whisk together until fully incorporated.
  • Once the shortbread layer is baked, pour the lemon curd filling directly on top and bake for 20 minutes.
  • Remove the lemon bars from the oven, allow to cool at room temperature for around a hour. Chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours or up to overnight until set.
  • When ready to serve, slice up into 16 equally sized bars, dust lightly with icing sugar right before serving - this will sweat and melt away so dust right before eating.
    The lemon bars will keep for up to a week stored in the fridge.

More lemon-inspired recipes to try next! 

Passionfruit Lemon Tart

Lemon Posset

Lemon Sweet Rolls

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