Easter Weekend

Phew, it has been a busy weekend, my partners Birthday and Easter within the space of three days! The oven has barely been off.

For the past three years my partner has had the same thing for his Birthday! The Humming Bird Bakery's Key Lime pie!

Easter Sunday we held an Easter egg hunt for our daughter, with afternoon tea for the rest of our family.  I have literally baked my socks off this weekend, which at 35 weeks pregnant I think is rather impressive.

I started with the Simnel cake, I had never made a traditional Easter cake before, however I was spurred on by my partners love of marzipan.  I found a great basic recipe on the BBC Good Food website, and I definitely think it will be part of my annual baking routine with the little one.

Next on the list Vanilla Easter cupcakes, as we had some relatives of a fussy disposition attending, I thought I should have a simple offering, plus the icing usually goes down well with the toddler.  I used the vanilla sponge and icing recipe from The Primrose Bakery recipe book, which I have used many times and they always seem to turn out well.

Finally, I made a Raspberry Pavlova... Raspberries macerated with mint and ginger, with lovely crisp meringue and Chantilly cream! Simply scrumptious! I used a combination of Delia's meringue recipe and James Martin's fruit inspiration.

It was the first time I had made a Pavlova, as my partner has a meringue aversion.  However as it is my favourite, I have made it my mission to change his mind.

So that was our Easter Afternoon Tea, with the obligatory hot cross buns which I bought (tsk, tsk.) I will endeavour to make them next year... Maybe.  

I hope you all had a lovely Easter, and are all fully stuffed with chocolate and baked delights!

Cooking With Child

For the past six weeks I have been doing a cookery group through my local sure start centre with mini me,  it has been a great six weeks having a designated time to share my passion with the little one.  It lead me to the decision to carry on having a specific time to cook/bake with the wee one.  Don't get me wrong  I have always involved her in food prep, and even as young as she is tried to give her a good awareness of the ethics of food.

Some may say I'm cruel, an example being grocery shopping this week she wanted pears.  However, my local supermarket didn't have any grown in Britain so we had British grown apples instead... Yes it is mean, but who else is going to teach her.  

Oh dear... I'm getting passionate and going of topic, back to the real post.  Here is the recipe for: 

Miss Coraline's yummy sultana and cashew flapjacks.

Ingredients

80g Unsalted Butter
80g Brown Sugar
60g Golden Syrup
40g Honey
140g Porridge Oats
30g Chopped Cashew Nuts
60g Sultanas

Optional
50g milk chocolate
handful of chopped cashew nuts

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low to medium heat.
2. Stir in the sugar, golden syrup and honey and heat gently until melted
3. Remove the pan from the heat
4. Put the porridge oats, cashew nuts and sultanas in a mixing bowl and stir.
5. Add the melted syrupy butter and mix well until everything is combined
6. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and spoon the mixture into the tray.  Push it down with the spoon to level it and spread it out evenly
7. Bake in a preheated oven 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 20 minutes.
8. Allow to cool before cutting into squares, drizzling with melted chocolate and scattering with chopped cashews.

Feel free to switch the nuts to another type or perhaps try some seeds.  Try experimenting with different dried fruit too.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe in Alive and Cooking, a cookery book from Sure Start Children's Centres and Suffolk County Council.

Love Feast

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's day. Every year I like to cook Stephen something special especially with the arrival of my new shiny thing!!

So we feasted on chicken, ham and leek pie made from scratch (yes, pastry too!) with love, and scrumptious brownies. It was lovely, even with the toddler turning her nose up at it!

Christmas Candy Cane Cupcakes

This is my very own creation and for that reason no recipe post i'm afraid my lovelies... But never the less a feast for the eyes! Merry Christmas xx

Sunday Lunch Apple Tart

I believe apple pie or tart is the only dessert to have after a lovely sunday roast. This week I am lucky enough to be having sunday lunch with my nan. I love having big family sunday lunches, but especially with my nan. I have the fondest memories of sitting round her table with family.  I know no matter how my life changes, one constant will always remain... The love and warmth I get at my nan's as well as the best sunday lunch going! I hope you enjoy this apple tart with family, and if that isn't possible pick up the phone and give them a call.

Ingredients

250g Puff Pastry
4-6 Cox Apples
Apricot Conserve

Roll out the puff pastry to about 2.5mm in depth, then place a 23cm plate on top and cut around it. Place your pastry circle on a baking tray, prick with a fork all over and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 160c, then whilst the pastry is chilling peel, core and thinly slice your apples. Once the pastry is chilled arrange the apple in circles (see pic below,) then bake for 30-40 minutes.

Once the tart is baked and cooled to just warm, heat some apricot conserve in a saucepan.  Then glaze the top of the tart with the warmed apricot conserve using a pastry brush.

I hope you enjoy this simple yet delicious, apple tart! Yum!

My Nan, with Sunday Lunch Apple Tart xxxx

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Another cupcake recipe this week, I'm afraid I saw this in one of my olive magazines and just couldn't resist! I absolutely adore the flavour combination of mint and chocolate.  I promise next week I shall bake something other than cupcakes.

Ingredients

Mint Chocolate Sponge

175g unsalted butter
100g G&B dark mint chocolate
200g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
275g dark muscovado sugar
1tsp peppermint extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Heat the oven to 180C/fan160C/gas 4.  Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water.  Stir until melted, then cool.  Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate.

With an electric whisk,cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the peppermint extract to the eggs.  With the whisk running, slowly add the egg mixture to the butter and sugar, adding a tbsp of the flour to prevent curdling.  Then add then chocolate.

Fold in the flour and divide the mixture into the papercases.  Bake for approximately 25 minutes, once ready to cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Mint Buttercream

200g unsalted butter
250g icing sugar, sifted
Peppermint extract
Green food colouring
Decorations

Beat the butter and icing sugar for a good 5 minutes until really light, then add the peppermint extract to taste and a few drops of green food colouring. 

With a palette knife, spread buttercream onto the cupcakes and decorate.

Enjoy my lovelies, these are truly yummy!

Rose Cupcakes - Primrose Bakery Style

I should say you were a liar if you told me you didn't love cupcakes.  I think there is nothing more glorious that a plate stacked with cupcakes of all the colours of the rainbow.  There is something quite wonderful about the versatility of a cupcake, how many other baked goods are as suitable for a wedding as they are a child's birthday party!  They are indulgent, without being overbearing.  They are beautiful, without being difficult. I love nothing more that whipping up a batch of cupcakes, and I always feel like quite the accomplished domestic goddess when I do!!

This lovely cupcake recipe is taken from the Primrose Bakery book. I made them with a vanilla sponge and Rose butter cream, as I wanted to have a delicate flavour rather then being too overpowering.

Now whenever I bake cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery book, I always edit the flour type.  I find the use of plain flour unnecessary I feel it gives the cupcake the dense texture of a muffin, which is not what I personally like.  I prefer my cupcakes to be light and fluffy!

Ingredients

For 12 Vanilla Cupcakes

110g unsalted butter, at room temperature

225g caster sugar, preferably golden

2 large free range organic eggs

275g self-raising flour, sifted

120ml semi-skimmed milk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon of good quality vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 160C (fan)/180C/gas mark 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tray.

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and smooth, which should take 3-5 minutes using an electric hand mixer.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for a few minutes after each addition.

Pour the milk into a jug and add the vanilla extract to it.

Add one-third of the flour to the creamed mixture and beat well. Pour in one-third of the milk and beat again. Repeat these steps until all the flour and milk has been added.

Carefully spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling them to about to thirds full.  Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes or until slightly raised and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and leave the cakes to cool in their tins for about 10 minutes before placing carefully on a wire rack to cool.  Once they are completely cool they are ready for icing.

Rose Buttercream

115g unsalted butter, at room temperature

4 tablespoons semi-skimmed milk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

500g icing sugar, sifted

good-quality rosewater, to taste

pink food colouring (optional)

In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, milk, vanilla extract and half the icing sugar until smooth - this can take several minutes with an electric hand mixer.  Gradually add the remainder of the icing sugar and beat again until smooth and creamy.  Add the rosewater at the very end and beat thoroughly, tasting to check it is scented enough.

To colour, simply beat in a tiny drop of pink food colouring.

Until next week sweeties, enjoy your cupcakes!