This recipe has been a long time coming for me.
I have always been obsessed with marshmallows, so making them myself was always going to happen. I used to melt bowls of them in the microwave as a kid and eat them (sometimes with rice bubbles added too!).
After enjoying the white chocolate rocky road by Sweetness The Patisserie (now owned by Adora Handmade Chocolates), for years and gifting many a milk or dark chocolate rocky road, I really wanted to make a good rocky road at home. Years ago I bought marshmallows and patê de fruits from Sweetness and assembled it myself. But after having made my own marshmallows for quite a while, I really wanted to do the whole thing myself.
I have been keeping an eye out for a good patê de fruits or jube recipe for a while now. And I finally found one, that actually looked achievable in Bourke Street Bakery’s book ‘All Things Sweet’. I immediately put the book on my wish list, and luckily was gifted it for Christmas last year.
Now I had the marshmallows and the jubes covered, I had to tackle the chocolate! I don’t eat chocolate, unless its white chocolate, so I don’t have a lot of experience with tempering etc. The main thing I can say about it now I’ve done it is, buy good quality chocolate with a high cocoa butter content, and get yourself a chocolate thermometer. I made the mistake of thinking I could use my candy thermometer, only to realise it doesn’t read temperatures under 40 degrees Celsius, which is not helpful for tempering chocolate!
I bought this thermometer from Peter’s of Kensington, which is great as it’s a thermometer and spatula in one. If you want to know more about tempering chocolate I would recommend the above Bourke Street Bakery book and Katherine Sabbath’s pop up book ‘Greatest Hits’.
This recipe does look a bit daunting I know, but I found making the marshmallows and the jubes on one day quite achievable. They both need to set overnight at least, so the next day all you need to do is temper the chocolate and assemble the rocky road. I add a very small amount of pink colouring and rose flavouring which is suitable for use with chocolate, however this is completely optional. You could of course use any type of chocolate you like (I think ruby chocolate would be great here!).
Along with the chocolate thermometer, a candy (sugar) thermometer is also necessary to make the marshmallows and jubes.
I hope you have a go at this recipe (or one of the elements of it!), I think homemade rocky road would make great gifts to give this Easter - and if you can’t fathom all that effort I would recommend checking out the Easter ranges at Adora Handmade Chocolates (who also make a stellar rocky road!) and Bakedown Cakery for any Easter gifts you may need.
Blackberry Marshmallows
Homemade Blackberry Marshmallows
Ingredients:
275g pureed fresh blackberries (the seeds can be strained if you wish, however the total weight still needs to be 275g)
50g gelatine powder
115ml water
820g white/granulated sugar
320g glucose
50g potato flour/starch
50g icing sugar (pure or confectioners)
cooking spray
Method:
Spray a slice tin or lamington tray (at least 30x20cm) with the cooking spray and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, briefly mix together the blackberry puree and the gelatine powder. Leave for now, ensuring the whisk attachment is fitted and everything is ready to go once your sugar syrup is ready.
In a medium/large saucepan place the water, then the sugar, then the glucose. Place over high heat and cook until the syrup reaches 120 degrees Celsius on a candy thermometer.
With the mixer on low, gradually pour the sugar syrup into the blackberry mix. Whisk on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture turns a more opaque colour. The mixture will also start to thicken. Then increase mixer to high speed for about 8 minutes, until the marshmallow has tripled in volume and has thickened.
Pour marshmallow into the prepared tray, tapping it down on the bench to remove any air bubbles and to ensure it is sitting in the tray evenly.
Leave to set overnight before cutting (room temperature is best, preferably covered with a food net or cover).
Once the marshmallow is ready to cut, in a small bowl whisk together the potato flour and the icing sugar (sift if necessary).
Dust some of this mixture onto your clean work surface. Remove the slab of marshmallow from the tin, use a spatula to pull the sides away from the tin and tip it onto the dusted work surface.
Dust more of the icing sugar mix over the top of the marshmallow slab, and around the sides. Using a large sharp knife, cut into cubes, by cutting the slab into rows, then cutting rows in the other direction. Dust your knife regularly with the icing sugar mix, and continue to dust the marshmallows as they are cut. The size you cut the marshmallows is completely up to you, I like cutting them into larger cubes (as pictured).
Ensure every part of the cut marshmallows are covered in the potato flour and icing sugar mix. Toss them around on the bench to remove any excess.
Store in an airtight container. The marshmallows will keep for about 3 weeks.
Raspberry Jubes
Homemade Raspberry Jubes
Ingredients:
550g caster sugar, plus extra
15g pectin (citrus pectin)
15g citric acid
300g pureed raspberries, seeds removed (from about 400g fresh/frozen raspberries)
75g raspberry or mixed berry jam (sieved if lumpy)
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
75g glucose
80ml water
Method:
Line the base of a large baking tray with baking paper (approx. 30x20cm)
In a small bowl combine 50g of the sugar, with the pectin and citric acid.
In a medium saucepan, place the pureed raspberries, jam, lemon juice and vanilla bean paste. Place on medium to high heat and bring to the boil. Add the pectin mixture and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to come back to the boil, the remove from the heat and set aside (keep near your stove as you will need it again soon). This fruit mixture should have thickened up by now, and will continue to do so as it cools.
Place the remaining sugar (500g), along with the glucose and water, in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Allow the mixture to continue boiling until it reaches 121 degrees Celsius on a candy thermometer.
Once this point is reached, add the raspberry mixture and whisk to combine. Leave on the heat until it reaches 108 degrees Celsius. Once this point is reached, pour into the prepared tray, ensuring the mixture sits evenly in the tray.
Leave to set overnight, at room temperature (preferably with a food net or cover sitting over it).
When ready to cut, dust your clean work surface with some of the extra caster sugar, and tip the jube slab out of the tin. Cut into desired shapes, it’s really up to you. Sprinkle with more caster sugar until they are all well coated.
Store in an airtight container. Will keep for about 2 weeks.
Rocky Road Ingredients
Pink Rocky Road
Pink Rocky Road
Ingredients:
700g good quality white chocolate
pink colouring (suitable for use with chocolate)
rose flavouring (suitable for use with chocolate)
80g raw or blanched pistachios
265g homemade raspberry jubes
500g homemade blackberry marshmallows
dried edible rose petals, for decoration
Method:
Line a square baking tin (approx. 22cm) with baking paper - I like to use small bulldog clips to hold the paper in place.
Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Roast the pistachios on a lined baking tray for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Have all the rocky road elements ready to go next to your prepared tin.
Place a small pot with a little water on the stove and allow to simmer. Using another pot or bowl that will comfortably sit over the top of the water pot, measure out 450g of the white chocolate.
Place this pot over the simmering water (ensuring the water does not touch the base of the pot above) and melt the chocolate. Ensure the chocolate is constantly stirred. Once the chocolate reaches 45 degrees Celsius on chocolate thermometer, remove from the heat and continue stirring while gradually adding the remaining 250g of white chocolate. Add a little at a time and allow to melt before adding more.
Continue to check the temperature of the chocolate, once it has fallen to 34 degrees Celsius, the remaining chocolate should have all been added. Continue stirring to allow the chocolate to cool further to 32 degrees Celsius. Add a little pink colouring at this point, and a few drops of the rose flavouring. Start small with both and add more if you think it’s necessary.
Once the chocolate has reached 32 degrees Celsius, it is ready to use.
Pour about a third of the chocolate into the base of the prepared tin and allow it cover the base completely. Scatter in half the marshmallows and half the jubes. Scatter in a third of the pistachios. Cover with another third of the chocolate, then place the remaining marshmallows and jubes in, and another third of the pistachios. Cover with the remaining chocolate, and scatter over the remaining pistachios. Decorate with some dried edible rose petals.
Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set (especially if you are working in warm or humid conditions).
Once set use a large sharp knife to cut the rocky road into desired sizes.
I prefer to keep the rocky road in the fridge. Keeps for about 2-3 weeks.
Makes 8 generous blocks of rocky road.
References: ‘Bourke Street Bakery All Things Sweet’ by Paul Allam and David McGuinness (Murdoch Books, 2017), pp.104-105 + 119; ‘Greatest Hits - The Pop Edition’ by Katherine Sabbath (Katherine Sabbath, 2017) Recipe Card #40; Heilala Vanilla SWEETNESS Vanilla Bean Marshmallow.
