Cherry Bakewell Cake June 13, 2017

If you know someone who likes Bakewell tart, then they will just love this cake – it’s full of almond flavour and sandwiched with cherry jam. I made this for a neighbour who recently helped me out.

 

Ingredients

 

200g butter, softened

200g sugar

100g ground almond

100g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp almond extract

4 lrg eggs

 

For the filling & topping

 

1/2 a 340g jar of cherry conserve

175g icing sugar

2-3 Tbsp lemon juice or water

2 Tbsp ready toasted flaked almonds

 

Method

 

Heat oven to 180C/gas 4 and make sure there’s a shelf ready in the middle. Butter and line the bases of 2 x 20cm round sandwich tins with baking paper.

Using electric beaters, beat together all the cake ingredients with a pinch of salt until smooth, then spoon into the tins and level the tops. Bake for 30 mins or until golden and springy. Don’t open the oven before 25 mins cooking time has passed.

When they’re ready, cool the sponges for a few mins, then tip out of the tins and cool completely on a wire rack.

When cool, put one sponge on a serving plate, then spread with jam. Sandwich the second sponge on top. Sieve the icing sugar into a large bowl. Add the water or lemon juice, then stir until smooth and thick. Spread evenly over the top and let it dribble over the sides. Scatter with the nuts and leave to set for a few mins before cutting.

 

Easter (egg) Cake April 16, 2017

Happy Easter everyone!

Before the recipe I’d like to welcome all my new followers & thank everyone for all the likes 🙂

 

Ingredients for the cake, which is a basic Victoria Sandwich

 

175g butter, room temperature

175g caster sugar

3 eggs, beaten

175g self raising flour

pinch of salt

 

Method

 

Preheat oven to 180C/gas 4

Line 2 20cm sponge tins with parchment paper

Cream the butter and sugar together until its pale, light and fluffy

Add the egg a little at a time, beating well after each addition

Sift the flour and salt and add to the mixture, folding in carefully

Divide the mixture into the tins and bake for 20 – 25 mins, until well risen and the sides of the cake are just coming away from the tins

Remove from the oven and leave for 5 mins before turning out onto a cooling rack, leaving the parchment paper attached to the cake until they are completely cold

 

Vanilla Buttercream

 

110g butter, room temperature

60ml milk, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

500g icing sugar, sieved

A few drops yellow food colour

 

Beat the butter, milk, vanilla extract and half the icing sugar until smooth. Gradually add the rest of the icing sugar, beating until buttercream is smooth and creamy.

Add food colouring, carefully, only 1 drop at a time and beating well after each addition, until you get the colour you want.

 

Remove the parchment paper from one of the cakes and spread with strawberry jam. Remove the parchment paper from the other cake and spread on some of the buttercream then sandwich the two together.

Spread a little buttercream on a cake board and place the cake onto it (this will stop the cake moving).

I’ve used Kit Kat Bites around the side but you can use whatever you prefer. Spread a little buttercream on each and stick them to around the side of the cake, leaving a small gap for the chocolate eggs to fall down.

Spread buttercream all over the top of the cake. I then left it for 1 day to harden slightly before adding a mixture of Cadbury’s Mini Eggs and Galaxy Golden Eggs. I then put a small dab of buttercream on a few eggs and placed them onto the cake to give the look of the eggs overflowing.

Tip: Don’t add the eggs more than 12 hours ahead of putting the cake out as the shells on the eggs will go soft in the buttercream. Still edible, but softer 😉

Sticky Orange Marmalade Cake November 30, 2016

It’s a freezing cold morning here in Wales, so keep on baking to keep warm!

A big hello! and welcome to new followers of my blog, I hope you find something that inspires you to bake too 🙂

 

Ingredients

 

For the sponge

175g butter, softened

175g caster sugar

3 lrg eggs, at room temperature and beaten

175g self-raising flour

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

3 Tbsp thick cut marmalade

2 Tbsp milk

 

To finish

2 Tbsp marmalade

100g icing sugar, sieved

2 Tbsp water

 

Method

 

Preheat oven to 180C/gas 4. Line the base of a 20cm cake tin and grease the sides.

Put the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and whisk until the mixture becomes paler and fluffy.

Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition, add a spoonful of the flour with each addition of egg. Sift the remaining flour, salt and baking powder into the bowl and whisk again. When thoroughly combined add the marmalade and milk and stir in.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 55 – 60 minutes or until golden brown and firm to touch.

Run a round bladed knife around the tin to loosen the cake, then carefully remove and turn onto a wire rack (with parchment paper under the rack). Gently warm the second portion of marmalade and brush over the top of the warm cake. Leave to cool completely.

Put the sifted icing sugar into a small bowl and add the water to mix to a smooth runny mixture. Pour the icing over the cake – letting it run down the sides. Leave until completely set before cutting.

If stored in an airtight tin this cake will will keep for 5 days.

 

Chocolate Silk Cake November 22, 2016

This is a lovely cake, although more dense than your usual sponge cake.

 

 

Ingredients

100g butter, softened

300ml single cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

300g light brown soft sugar

100g dark chocolate, chopped

2 eggs

225g plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

 

For the Dark Chocolate Buttercream

100g dark chocolate, chopped

150g butter, softened

150g icing sugar, sifted

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Grease and line the base of 2 x 20cm tins  with parchment paper.

Warm the cream, vanilla and 150g of the brown sugar in a pan, stirring until the sugar has melted, then heat until just steaming. Add the chocolate and stir until melted, set aside.

In a separate bowl cream the butter and reamaining brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs a little at a time until incorperated, then mix in the melted chocolate mixture. Sift in the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda and beat to a smooth batter.

Divide between the 2 tins and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean, cool in the tins for 10 minutes then turn out onto rack to cool completely.

For the buttercream, melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water, cool for 10 minutes.

In a seperate bowl, cream the butter and icing sugar until smooth, then beat in the cocoa and a pinch of salt. Stir in the cooled, melted chocolate, if the icing is too soft, chill for 5 minutes in the fridge.

Place one of the cakes on a plate and spread half the buttercream over. Place the second cake on top and either pipe or spread the rest of the buttercream on top.

Peanut Butter & Jam Thumbprint Cookies July 17, 2016

 

If you like sweet and savoury together, you’ll like them. If you like Peanut Butter, you’ll love them!

 

Ingredients

 

1 1/4 cups icing sugar

1 cup smooth/creamy peanut butter

4-5 Tbsp butter, melted

1 1/2 cups finely crushed pretzels

strawberry jam

 

Method

 

Beat the icing sugar, peanut butter, and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Add crushed pretzels, and stir until well mixed. (Mixture will be crumbly.)

Shape mixture into about 20 (1½-inch) balls, pressing firmly so the dough holds its shape. Place the balls 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Press your thumb into each ball, forming an indentation. Spoon about ¼ teaspoon strawberry jam into each indentation. Serve immediately, or chill until ready to serve. Cookies will keep stored in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

Rainbow Swiss Roll Cake July 1, 2016

The rainbow craze is crazy, but lets just go with it…

 

For this rainbow swiss roll I’ve gone with the Victoria Sponge Cake recipe again

175g/6 oz butter, at room temperature

175g/6 oz caster sugar

3 eggs, beaten

175g/6 oz self raising flour

pinch of salt

7 food colours

For the buttercream

175g icing sugar, sifted

85g butter, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Tbsp  milk to soften if needed

 

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4

Line two swiss roll tins with baking parchment.

Cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture is pale, light and fluffy.

Add the egg a little at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift the flour and salt and carefully add to the mixture, folding it in with a metal spoon or spatula.

Divide the mixture equally between 7 small dishes. Add a small amount of differnt colour to each dish and mix in well, adding a little more colour if needed.

Transfer the mixture from the small dishes into seperate piping bags, snip the end of each bag and starting at an angle, pipe a line of each of the different colours across the pans.

Bake for 10 minutes after that time the cake should just be coming away from the sides of the tin, if not leave for another 3 – 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Loosen the cakes from the tins. Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Whisk the butter in a bowl until nice and soft then add half of the icing sugar, whisk well, add the extract and the rest of the icing sugar and again whisk well. If the buttercream is a little too stiff to spread easily, then add the milk and whisk again.

Place the two cakes end to end, spread with the buttercream and roll up starting with a short end.

If liked you could add coloured sprinkles to the buttercream and mix in.

Raspberry Mousse June 27, 2016

 

This lovely sweet raspberry mousse is light and full of a tangy berry flavour. Made with fresh raspberries, this tasty mousse serves 6-8 people and is perfect for parties. It takes 15 mins to make and a little time to set – and is well worth the wait. Top with fresh whipping cream and handfuls of berries for an even naughtier treat.

 

Ingredients

 

135g raspberry flavour jelly

600g frozen raspberries

2 Tbsp icing sugar

170g evaporated milk

 

Method

Dissolve the jelly in 300ml boiling water. Pour the hot mixture over the raspberries and whizz in a blender until well mixed and the fruit is squashed. Tip into a sieve and push the mixture through to get rid of the pips. Stir in the sugar.

Whisk the evaporated milk in another bowl to a thick foam and then mix well into the setting raspberry jelly. Pour the raspberry mousse into a serving bowl and leave to set. Top with more raspberries for serving.

 

 

 

Granny’s Peanut Butter Cups June 13, 2016

Oh so much better than the Reece’s one’s, simply because they are made with Cadburys chocolate. If you love peanut butter, you will love these!

 

Ingredients

 

12 miniture paper cake cases

340g Cadburys milk chocolate

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup icing sugar

 

Method

 

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water.

Using a teaspoon put a small amount of the melted chocolate into the center of a paper case, and using the back of the spoon draw the chocolate up and around the side of the paper case, coating the entire of the inside of the cake case. Repeat with all the cake cases, then put in the fridge to harden.

Mix the peanut butter and icing sugar together well in a bowl.

When the chocolate shells have hardened, warm the peanut butter mixture in the microwave for a minute, this will soften it, makeing it easier to use.

Spoon the peanut butter mixture into each of the chocolate shells, leaving room to add more chocolate on top. Put back in the fridge for an hour to harden up.

When the peanut butter has hardened, re-melt the rest of the chocolate and using a teaspoon, spread the melted chocolate on top of the peanut butter.

Place back in the fridge to harden.

These will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for a couple of weeks, they’re also good to give as gifts…if you can stop eating them yourself 😉

 

Rainbow Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting May 29, 2016

Made this for my Daughter’s Birthday. I used a cream cheese frosting because it’s not quite as sweet as a buttercream frosting.

I started by making 2 Victoria Sponge cakes.

 

Ingredients

350g butter, at room temperature

350g caster sugar

6 eggs, beaten

350g self raising flour

pinch of salt

Food colouring, preferably the gel type in red, yellow, pink, blue, orange, purple & green

 

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

340g cream cheese, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature

6 cups icing sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

 

 

 

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/gas 4

Now if you have them line 7, 20cm sponge tins with parchment. Otherwise do the same as I did & just keep on washing the tins you do have between each use.

Cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture is pale, light and fluffy.

Add the egg a little at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift the flour and salt and carefully add to the mixture, folding it in.

I divided the mixture (as equally as possible) between 8 small dishes, & added a different colour to each of them except the last.

Place then on the same shelf in the centre of the oven and bake for 10 – 15 minutes until risen slightly, golden brown and begining to shrink from the sides of the tins.

Leave all the cakes to cool while you make the frosting.

Cream together the cream cheese & butter.

Mix in the icing sugar & vanilla.

Sandwich all the cakes (apart for the plain one, leave that on to one side for later) together with the frosting, keeping some back to cover the top & place in the fridge until ready to use.

Wrap the 8th cake in cling film & place in the freezer for a following recipe 😉

 

 

 

 

Giant Sugar Cookies December 28, 2015

These are fun and easy to make, just make sure the kiddies don’t eat a whole one in one sitting!

 

Ingredients for the cookies

 

1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

 

Ingredients for the icing

 

1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sieved
4-6 teaspoons milk
3-4 teaspoons golden syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 bar (150g) white chocolate

food colouring of choice

sugar sprinkles (optional)

Makes 3 giant (teaplate size) and 8 small cookies.

 

Method

 

Combine the butter and sugar in a bowl and cream together until smooth and fluffy. Add one egg and vanilla extract. Mix well until ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Combine baking powder and flour into a large bowl and mix well. Add this to the butter mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough is combined and crumbly. Transfer into a plastic bag and knead with your hands until it becomes a dough. Close the bag and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 175C/gas 4.

Flour your work surface and take your dough out of the refrigerator. Roll to about 1 cm thickness (1/3 inch). I cut the cookie by placing a teaplate on the dough and cut around it with a knife. Carefully place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make smaller cookies with the leftover dough. Bake for 15 minutes (about 8 minutes for smaller cookies). Let the cookies cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, combine icing sugar and milk (only using 4 tsp of the milk to start with. Mix well. Add syrup and mix to get the right consistency. Add vanilla extract for flavour. Pour the icing onto your cookie and spread evenly. Melt white chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds increments being careful not to burn the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has completely melted and smooth. Divide the melted chocolate in two and colour them with just a little food coloring. Pour the colored icing on top of the cookies (I didn’t pour mine straight away so it sort of blobbed on as it was begining to set) :-(. If desired, add sugar sprinkles on top. If you have smaller cookies, decorate them as desired.