tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36715580006254337892024-02-20T15:35:08.351+00:00Just a Girl and her KitchenAidRachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-60755942620121023732012-09-11T19:29:00.000+01:002012-09-11T19:29:01.653+01:00An overdue updateHello all!<br />
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Just a quick update to explain my huge absence from the blog over the past few months.<br />
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Following a painfully long and intense battle with illness, my family and I sadly lost our beloved Yaya, the most wonderful grandfather that there ever was. <br />
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I had unfortunately already been losing my baking mojo and, as my Yaya was one of my favourite cake testers, I have since been unable to take myself back into the kitchen.<br />
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However, with the new series of the Great British Bake Off, I have no excuse to get back to it, especially as his favourite cherry cake was a Mary Berry classic!!<br />
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So, in a lasting promise to my handsome Yaya, I hereby announce my sleeves rolled up and the pinny back on!<br />
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<br />Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-63468789308403193012012-05-14T10:46:00.001+01:002012-05-14T10:46:28.984+01:00Birthday Cakes!Last week was my big brother's 23rd birthday so I decided to make him his favourite cake: Coffee and Walnut! The 5th of May is a special day for our family as my parents celebrate their anniversary on the same day as my brother's birthday, so we get a double celebration!<br />
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This cake is forever a favourite among the coffee lovers in our family and is truly an enjoyment to make, albeit a little bit of a lengthy process. The recipe is from the first Great British Bake Off book!</div>
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Unfortunately, out of the six people who were to consume the cake, three of us hate coffee cake so I also decided to make some cupcakes. I'm a complete novice at decorating cakes and I've been desperate to get better (somebody please help me!) so I invested in Ruth Clements <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Busy-Girls-Guide-Cake-Decorating/dp/1446301648">The Busy Girl's Guide to Cake Decorating</a> which has clearly answered my prayers.<br />
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Yes, ok, they aren't a huge achievement but I have to start somewhere! I invested (I say invested because the set cost me twenty pounds...) in a Wilton cutter set for letters and numbers which I hope will be used a few more times, I have to get my money's worth!<br />
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I used the vanilla cupcake recipe from Ruth's book and was incredibly dubious as it called for four eggs, though the resulting cupcakes were very nice and fluffy. I attempted to use my initiative when decorating the cupcakes and only consulted the book for advice on how to stick the icing together, a good triumph in my eyes! I'm pleased to say both lots of birthday cake went down very well!<br />
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On a last note, my apologies for the lack of posts I've written recently, especially as the ones I have written have been mainly pictures and no recipes! It is currently the end of my first uni year so I'm finding myself low on time and my family is also going through a tough time. I will continue to attempt to blog and my thanks goes out to you all whole continue to hear my blabber on such rare occasions!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-70430045866205897272012-04-24T12:45:00.001+01:002012-04-24T12:46:36.606+01:00The Boy Who Bakes- Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate CookiesFor Christmas, I received The Boy Who Bakes by Edd Kimber and what an amazing book it is! As an avid Great British Bake Off fan, I loved Edd and was excited to start baking some of his mouthwatering recipes.<br />
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The book is jam packed with impressive cakes and bakes and, even without a tempting picture, my brother and I were keen to try his Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Cookies.<br />
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The pictures aren't great but they were eaten so quickly, we didn't really get any photos! As you can see, the cookies are a wonderful size. Although the recipe said it made twenty two, we got nearly forty five out of the dough and they were all what I would class as 'large' cookies. This made me very happy!<br />
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All in all, a wonderful cookie! They were chewy but crunchy, sweet but salty and totally moreish, I thoroughly recommend you to make these! I won't post a 'how to' as I want you to all invest in this book :)<br />
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Happy Baking everyone!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-27422203379922646522012-04-13T15:22:00.000+01:002012-04-13T15:22:36.770+01:00Clandestine Cake Club- March 2012I have once again stumbled upon that time of year where I have several deadlines looming over me. My apologies for the lack of posts over the past few weeks, I'm a bit stressed and seem to spend hours over my laptop writing about David Cameron and Bridget Jones, such a peculiar combination!<br />
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As you all know, Clandestine Cake Club is massive at the moment and last month, I was lucky enough to attend my first one! The theme was 'Baking with Beverages' and my, what a creative lot we are!<br />
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There were a lovely selection of cakes but I only managed to get a few photos as my brother and I were too busy filling our faces! I made a Pink Lemonade cake, playing on the lemon and raspberry flavours. My 'rival' cake was a Lemonade Cake and it was beautiful, it even had sugary crystals!<br />
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My 'Pink Lemonade' cake was a classic lemon victoria sponge, layered with raspberry creme, lemon curd and raspberries. I got some great feedback from some wonderful people and I can't wait to go back! My thinking cap is on for next month...Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-20096637514716379862012-03-01T11:27:00.000+00:002012-03-01T11:29:51.447+00:00SnickerdoodlesWhere on earth have these little beauties been all of my life?! I am absolutely in love!<br />
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I've never been a lover of anything 'spicy' but, for a while now, I have been on a complete cinnamon binge. I made a large batch of cinnamon sugar for pancake day and it's been sitting brewing into something wonderful ever since. As unhealthy as it is, I'm loving this on hot, buttered toast!<br />
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So, as the cravings continued, I decided to make Snickerdoodles! These are the most wonderful, sugary, cinnamony mouthfuls you could ever imagine. When googling snickerdoodles, The Caked Crusader came right up. As you all know, I'm a great fan of the CC and, having looked at a few recipes, decided to follow hers. I promise this obsession will stop at one point, her recipes are just brilliant to have in your files!<br />
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I get the impression that each recipe produces a different sort of snickerdoodle, some cake like, some more flat and biscuity. This recipe gave me a crunchy exterior with a wonderful cake interior!<br />
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I had so much fun rolling these around in the sugar, even though my hands turned a very unattractive yellow in the process! I didn't follow the recipe exactly and used my own cinnamon sugar which I made by using a ratio of 2:1 (sugar:cinnamon)<br />
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These biscuits have gone down brilliantly in my house, even the non cinnamon lovers have been converted! My favourite thing is that both my brother and my dad complained they had nothing to do with snickers, oh dear!<br />
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<u>Snickerdoodles- from <a href="http://thecakedcrusader.blogspot.com/2008/08/snickerdoodles.html">The Caked Crusader</a></u><br />
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<em><u>Ingredients</u></em><br />
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<em>For the biscuits:</em><br />
125g unsalted
butter, room temperature<br />
100g caster sugar<br />
1 egg<br />
2 tsp vanilla
extract<br />
250g plain flour<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
1 tsp ground
nutmeg- I omitted this!<br />
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<em> For the sugar coating:</em><br />
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2 tsp caster sugar<br />
1
tsp cinnamon powder<br />
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<em><u>Method</u></em><br />
- Preheat the
oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4<br />
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- Line two baking trays with
baking paper<br />
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- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and
fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla<br />
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- Stir in the flour, baking powder
and nutmeg until you have a sticky but well combined dough<br />
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- On a plate,
stir together the sugar and cinnamon to make the coating- this would have worked well in a bowl too!<br />
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- Taking a teaspoon
of the dough at a time, roll between your palms to make a little ball. Roll
the ball around on the plate with the coating and ensure it is completely
covered<br />
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- Place on the baking sheet. Place a maximum of 12 biscuits per
sheet as they will expand while cooking. Repeat until all the dough is
used<br />
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- Bake for 15 minutes or until the biscuit is golden
brown and slightly cracked on top<br />
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- Let the
biscuits firm up on the tray before you move them to cool completely on a wire
rack<br />
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Enjoy!!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-64041369987167216092012-02-26T12:55:00.002+00:002012-02-26T13:31:57.477+00:00Kinder Bueno Cupcakes- Take 2!Every time I check my blog statistics, the numbers for my original <a href="http://www.raymow.blogspot.com/2011/08/kinder-bueno-cupcakes.html">Kinder Bueno cupcakes</a> keep going up and up. This makes me feel like a very poor blogger as they really have nothing to do with the delicious bar besides a chunk on top!<br />
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And so along came the huge and continuing urge to redeem myself and create a real Kinder Bueno cupcake! This was easy; chocolate cupcake and hazelnut buttercream. But then came the quest on how to create the 'smooth milky and hazelnut' buttercream. At first I thought I'd use hazelnut flavoured Baileys but was unable to find a miniature version. I also wanted to eliminate alcohol so Frangelico was out of the question! Then, after what seemed like hours trailing around Newcastle, the idea struck- hazelnut syrup...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYywIYLg7fYLbrfCSd4qUs8HrZQ0bZ142ZC1VjD2W4uh0KTjWNULIEX-cAgDo0HNiRfxibkuuA6z_A8jM47lWjj3BUn36U0yEGxk9HsWrDdtVwDDjSkgwFmW8ZRBLBbCbOmwfj8vdGXCxm/s1600/KB+2+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYywIYLg7fYLbrfCSd4qUs8HrZQ0bZ142ZC1VjD2W4uh0KTjWNULIEX-cAgDo0HNiRfxibkuuA6z_A8jM47lWjj3BUn36U0yEGxk9HsWrDdtVwDDjSkgwFmW8ZRBLBbCbOmwfj8vdGXCxm/s320/KB+2+(2).JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I used my favourite <a href="http://raymow.blogspot.com/2011/10/happy-birthday-pa.html">chocolate cupcake</a> recipe from The Caked Crusader and also followed her step by step guide for making <a href="http://thecakedcrusader.blogspot.com/2011/11/pineapple-birthday-cake.html">Swiss Meringue Buttercream</a> which is hugely helpful even after you've made it several times!<br />
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The hazelnut syrup works really well with the buttercream, and provided a really subtle flavour, just like a Kinder Bueno! I added around 2 and a half teaspoons of syrup although you could add more for a stronger flavour<br />
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I'm really happy with these cupcakes, I feel like I've finally redeemed myself! Happy baking everyone!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-15249571936444913922012-02-20T19:54:00.001+00:002012-02-26T13:28:06.746+00:00Football Pitch Birthday CakeIt was my wonderful boyfriend's birthday last week and, having made him a <a href="http://raymow.blogspot.com/2011/02/ive-been-busy-baking-bee-these-past-few.html">bakewell tart</a> last year, I decided to go all out this year! Football consumes every inch of our lives, whether it's being played or watched, so the theme was a no brainer...<br />
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Unfortunately, none of the photos seem to justify the colour of the icing. I used nearly half a bottle but still couldn't go beyond a slightly pale shade of green!<br />
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For the sponges, I doubled a bog standard victoria sponge recipe and baked them one at a time in a large tray bake pan. I planned this cake about a month before making it and obsessed every single day over whether this would be too shallow. Following several attempts, I just went for it and it was a monster of a cake!<br />
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I followed a ratio of 2:1 icing sugar to butter for my buttercream and it was delicious! The footballers were a set by Wilton that I found in Lakeland and for once, I was pleasantly surprised at how cheap they were!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiL7_OBQoVGCPWD5NdoTfqlRS3yO8amLyXyOGN3TcDnrhTlFvq67361aOeAo2X8uXis2QENzxxiPyu_-Kpf1dLtMzAp3TItLf6Lm1YDWDWnvzoN_U4jnqmxW_4yHY4wK6UngDhBrY6E5Ec/s1600/Jeff's+Bday+cake+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiL7_OBQoVGCPWD5NdoTfqlRS3yO8amLyXyOGN3TcDnrhTlFvq67361aOeAo2X8uXis2QENzxxiPyu_-Kpf1dLtMzAp3TItLf6Lm1YDWDWnvzoN_U4jnqmxW_4yHY4wK6UngDhBrY6E5Ec/s320/Jeff's+Bday+cake+(1).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I struggled to find a cake board to accommodate such a whopper of a cake, so my dad bought me a cheap chopping board and we covered it with tin foil. It worked wonderfully!<br />
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Never again do I want to repeat my car journey with this cake on the front seat, journey of terror. All in all, a lovely cake and a very happy boyfriend! That makes me a happy Ray :)Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-52654935650816707802012-02-12T18:10:00.000+00:002012-02-12T18:10:36.126+00:00The Liebster AwardThe lovely Jo at <a href="http://whatdoyoumakeofmycake.blogspot.com/">What Do You Make of My Cake</a> gave me a Liebster Award this week, thanks so much! This is such a compliment for me, especially to know that my endless rambling is being enjoyed out there! You should also go check out Jo's blog if you haven't already, she would definitely be getting this award from me if I was allowed to do that. So, in keeping with the tradition of the award, I am passing it along with great honour.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJ7Zn8Nz-Ph5MDyT4sEoeaupwsFX4wiBQ6oexdcGdmU0gtjBA9hE6j5xjDjrUaHfZceZFaO-9IiGDp5opzlVWUZMwjCJOxWFOD0NumHDbvzUsV7gl1K-qRjmOovJJX1t5cNTOYn296rCS/s1600/Liebster+Award.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJ7Zn8Nz-Ph5MDyT4sEoeaupwsFX4wiBQ6oexdcGdmU0gtjBA9hE6j5xjDjrUaHfZceZFaO-9IiGDp5opzlVWUZMwjCJOxWFOD0NumHDbvzUsV7gl1K-qRjmOovJJX1t5cNTOYn296rCS/s1600/Liebster+Award.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">"The origins of the Liebster Blog award are somewhat unclear but the general consensus is that it originated in Germany, Liebster meaning favorite or dearest, to showcase bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. Upon accepting the award the recipient must then pass it on to five more blogs of note." </div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>The rules:</u></div><br />
<ul><li>Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog. </li>
<li>Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you. </li>
<li>Copy and paste the blog award on your blog. </li>
<li>Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed. </li>
<li>Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment at their blog. </li>
</ul><br />
1) <a href="http://www.nellyscupcakes.co.uk/">Nelly's Cupcakes</a>- Nelly is a fellow blogger from Newcastle and her tweets always get me in the mood for cake! She is always there with support and really helpful suggestions<br />
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2) <a href="http://whatkatebaked.blogspot.com/">What Kate Baked-</a> this blog is full of wonderful ideas, I'm loving the Valentine's biscuits Kate has on here at the moment. Bakes also come with a musical outburst!<br />
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3) <a href="http://notjustanyoldbaking.blogspot.com/">A Little Bit of Heaven on a Plate</a>- if the title picture isn't enough to entice you into this blog then I don't know what is, that cake just looks so heavenly! A lovely mixture of sweet and savoury and a delightful read<br />
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4) <a href="http://thenombakery.blogspot.com/">Nom! The Indulgent Baking Blog</a>- definitely living up to the well earned title of 'cupcake queen', they're absolute beauties!<br />
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5) <a href="http://laurabethmcn.blogspot.com/">Chocolate and Pears</a>- A delicious mix of all things baked, check out the cookies!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-67435784870109752192012-02-09T20:48:00.000+00:002012-02-26T13:27:37.674+00:00Marbled CupcakesI can never decide what I like best in a cake, chocolate or vanilla. Luckily, these cupcakes have both! As part of my Christmas present, my boyfriend bought me a book dedicated just to cupcakes, which is where I found this little beauty of a recipe! <br />
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The batter looked great as it sat in the cupcakes cases, however I was worried that there wasn't going to be enough of it to make the 12 cupcakes that it claimed to make. Despite having to be a tad economical, there was enough for 12 healthy sized cupcakes in the end!</div>
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The marble in these cakes looked great when you bit into them. They also tasted fantastic, next time though, I'll put more vanilla and chocolate in their respective batters. </div>
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I also used my Wilton 1M for the first time when decorating these cupcakes and I have no idea where it has been all of my life! As you all suggested, a larger nozzle really has defined my buttercream swirls and I'm looking forward to using my 2D.</div>
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Hmmmm!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-46678765212028766472012-02-03T11:32:00.001+00:002012-02-26T13:27:15.618+00:00A Little Bit of an UpdateNot a lot to report on the old blog this week as my beloved KitchenAid has been away for repair and I've been practising my boyfriend's birthday cake. So today, I'll finally get around to showing you all of my lovely new baking goodies from Christmas and my Birthday!<br />
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My brother was on top form this xmas/birthday and got me a lot of the things that I had wanted for ages. Firstly, he got me the Fred M-cups which I have been dying to get my hands on! I hate having to avoid recipes that are in cup measurements but these little beauties separate into six different cup sizes and they're adorable! He also got me baking beans and the lovely mini heart tin, clearly a further hint towards making him a lemon meringue tart!<br />
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Among the pressies from my brother are the new tray bake pans from my aunt. My previous tray bake tin is more of a deep roasting tin and now I can make individual ones too! Thank God for Lakeland. I also received a cookbook stand from another aunt and a cake lifter from my parents though my dad couldn't quite understand what it was for!<br />
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Also in the picture is a little gift to myself, some Wilton nozzles. I am absolutely in love with the 1M and it really has made my icing swirls so much more perfect! I'm yet to use the 2D but can't wait...<br />
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As you can see, I got loads of new cookbooks! Im gradually making my way through them and have some exciting new posts coming up...<br />
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This present is genius! I'm forever finding recipes online and now I can write them down and keep them in this adorable tin. It came with loads of recipe cards for soups, starters, desserts etc.<br />
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This one was a present with no reason from my dad, how sweet! It has recipes for several types of pastries and is glass, so is great for keeping the pastry cold whilst rolling it out on the guides. I now have no excuse to keep buying pre-made pastry, do I?<br />
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Last but by no means least, is this little beauty from my brother...<br />
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I absolutely love this! It's so alike Kevin it's unreal, I can't wait to finally get it up on my wall. So, there you have them, all of my baking gifts from my gorgeous family!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-49512657246988468042012-01-28T19:08:00.002+00:002012-02-26T13:26:56.962+00:00Eteaket- Afternoon Tea in EdinburghLast week, my boyfriend and I took off to Edinburgh for a couple of days before I went back to Uni and life hit reality once more. Edinburgh is such a homely place for my family as my brother lived there for four years and it's always a favourite choice when taking a few days off.<br />
I've heard people rave about Eteaket on Frederick Street and, having exhausted ourselves just enough for a cup of tea, knew we had to try it. I was completely taken away upon entering, the decor was just as I expected as I expected a 'tea boutique' to be. There were mismatched cushions and bright colours on the walls, it was exactly how I'd have my own cake shop!<br />
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We chose a cosy seat in the corner and ordered our goodies. My boyfriend had a cappuccino and a millionaire's shortbread which he said was delicious and, having sneaked a mouthful, I can totally agree.<br />
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Unfortunately, I was slightly disappointed with my order. I was really impressed with the wide range of teas on offer (that's totally how it should be in a tea boutique) but all I wanted was a bog standard cup of tea, something that they could not offer me. On the plus side, however, my scone was huge and I had sufficient butter and jam to slather both sides of it, wonderful!</div>
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All in all, a recommended place that did not fail to please. The mismatched china was so beautiful and I felt the need to take plenty of photos of it! The atmosphere was excellent, we were surrounded by art students drawing together, friends meeting for coffee and a lovely woman reading her book alone, soaking in the surroundings. The staff were lovely too, taking our order at the table and generally being more than willing to help.<br />
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Next time your in Edinburgh, give Eteaket a try, such a wonderful place!<br />
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N.B. I have since received a lovely email from the wonderful people over at Eteaket informing me that a new menu has been released with a 'regular cuppa' on it, yaaaaay! :)Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-9442263766200303132012-01-26T09:22:00.000+00:002012-02-26T13:26:41.294+00:00Plum Cupcakes and a Very Big Thank You!Firstly, my blog celebrated it's first birthday last week and I had been planning a special bake for a few weeks. My boyfriend and I, however, decided to go away for a few days so the bake turned into a quicker one in order to pack! <br />
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When I started off this blog, I only had one recipe book and rarely baked. Having been lucky enough to buy my KitchenAid, I was challenged to start off a blog by two very special people who knew how much I loved to bake. I eventually plucked up the courage and now, 1 year later, I feel I have succeeded in not only improving my baking skills, but in making a lovely blog. I've met (you know what I mean!) some wonderful people along the way and would like to thank you all for reading my posts, commenting on them and continuously supporting me through the process!! What an amazing year...<br />
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Right, soppy stuff over! Here are the 'Plum Cupcakes' I made from the Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days book. I believe they should be called 'Plum Jam Cupcakes' as that's pretty much all that's in them...<br />
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I was so disappointed with these cakes! First of all, they use brown sugar which made them heavy and really didn't work well with the plum jam that was incorporated into the mix. Secondly, there was jam in the cupcake mix, which made the cake taste delicious, but then this was ruined by the jam layer within. I followed the recipe and used the correct amount inside the batter but this was far too much and completely ruined the cupcakes. So much so, I threw my dummy out and refused to eat them! <br />
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The recipe states jam in the cupcake, as a filling and in the buttercream but this was just overkill for me and I opted for a plain buttercream in the hope it'd tone down the jam. This worked but the jam was just so bitter!<br />
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I have hope in these cupcakes yet, so next time, I'll experiment with a lighter sugar and would also omit the jam filling!<br />
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I sent these off to my Dad's work and the feedback was great, so maybe they're being nice or I'm missing something? Who knows!!<br />
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<strong><u>Ingredients</u></strong><br />
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<em>For the Sponge:</em><br />
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120g unsalted butter, softened<br />
340g plain flour<br />
1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
4 large egg yolks<br />
360g soft light brown sugar<br />
180ml buttermilk<br />
270g plum jam<br />
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<em>For the Frosting:</em><br />
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500g icing sugar<br />
160g unsalted butter, softened<br />
50ml whole milk (I used Semi Skimmed and it worked fine)<br />
70g plum jam<br />
plum slices to decorate, optional<br />
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<strong><u>Method</u></strong><br />
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-Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5 and line your muffin tins with cases<br />
-Using a hand held mixer or stand mixer, mix together the butter, flour, baking powder and salt on a low speed until well incorporated and crumb like in texture<br />
-In a jug and using a hand whisk, mix together the egg yolks, brown sugar, buttermilk and 120g of the jam until combined. Add half of this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add the remaining mixture, then increase the speed to medium and mix until smooth<br />
-Fill each paper case up to one third full with batter, then top with 1 tsp of jam, followed by a similar quantity of batter (filling each case about two-thirds full)<br />
-Bake for approx. 20 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when you lightly press them. Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely<br />
-For the frosting, whisk the icing sugar with the butter on a low speed until fully incorporated and still powdery in consistency. Pour in the milk while mixing on a low speed, then increase the speed to high and whisk until soft and fluffy. Finally, stir in the jam by hand, ensuring it is evenly dispersed<br />
-Spoon the frosting on the cupcakes once they are cold, gently smoothing the tops with a pallette knife. Decorate with fresh slices of plumRachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-74547232243019255852012-01-23T18:02:00.001+00:002012-01-23T18:04:38.211+00:00Individual Bakewell TartsI have so much to write about! I need to share all of my bakey type Christmas and Birthday presents and a few of the bakes I've been doing recently. But for now, here are the Bakewell Tarts I made recently.<br />
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I've made a large Bakewell before (try <a href="http://raymow.blogspot.com/2011/02/ive-been-busy-baking-bee-these-past-few.html">here</a> for the recipe!) and, having had a really strong craving for some, attempted them again. I made some individual tarts on the day after New Year's day and they turned out perfectly and, as a result, they went down a storm. My more recent attempt, however, didn't go as smoothly.<br />
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<u>Problems:</u><br />
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1) In the original batch, the pastry turned out perfectly, in the 1st of this weekend's batches it did not. Solution= grease the tins (obviously? I didn't realise pastry needed greased tins!). This worked well.<br />
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2) My largest cutter did not fill the whole cupcake tin which was fine originally but worked against me this weekend. <br />
Solution= create a bottom and attach long strips to make sides. A seemingly clever idea, until they separated upon cooking and created a Victoria Sponge type affair!<br />
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3) I used Lorraine Pascals recipe which suggests shop bought pastry. Problem is, it's rubbish!! Solution= give up and never make Bakewells again...<br />
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Yes, they weren't problems that caused major damage and they still tasted amazing, especially covered in custard but following several disastrous bakes, my morale was at it's lowest. Keep Calm and Bake On, ey?<br />
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As I've never made a Christmas cake, I used Mary Berry's version of Delia's all in a bag cake. I hate Christmas cake, but the smell of the fruit and the spices really got me into a festive mood!<br />
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As everything was measured for you, and pre soaked, it was the easiest way to make a Christmas cake. Unfortunately, as we've had far too many indulgences over the last few weeks, my cake is yet to be decorated or eaten, so I'll keep you all updated when it is!<br />
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We also got our new oven just in time for Christmas, and I got straight on to making festive shortbread. I found some lovely little presentation bags in Morrison's and bagged them all up, ready to hand out to friends and family.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYAgX5_wmttaWK2SlRy-CpzXlA-uq8Y54cmnnj8k1YW6NxZoWIv1tmgDPKupj1Cdn2ff0wM00hynckElcfzm9KI65zHKRdIsRjrTpGv_tkHPvKhEijfC78SZacugIQX8GAEZ0SMnhGlx7/s1600/Xmas+Shortbreads+%25288%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYAgX5_wmttaWK2SlRy-CpzXlA-uq8Y54cmnnj8k1YW6NxZoWIv1tmgDPKupj1Cdn2ff0wM00hynckElcfzm9KI65zHKRdIsRjrTpGv_tkHPvKhEijfC78SZacugIQX8GAEZ0SMnhGlx7/s320/Xmas+Shortbreads+%25288%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As always, the photos for my bakes are either rubbish or non existent! Alongside Christmas cake and shortbread, I made peppermint creams and miniature bakewells, all of which were eaten so quickly that I didn't get to take any pictures! I promise that my New Years resolution is to take better pictures!<br />
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Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year, all the best!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-87218262091273443602011-12-16T11:26:00.003+00:002012-02-26T13:21:46.882+00:00Rocky RoadI have finally finished Uni for Christmas! I now have five weeks of obsessive baking ahead of me, once we get our oven back!<br />
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After a week of excessive studying, all I needed was some form of baking to relieve some stress. As I'm mostly limited to my microwave, Rocky Roads seemed the best option! I get the impression that, as long as they have chocolate and biscuits, Rocky Roads can have anything you like in them. Cue the creativity!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_OcJCfcsLiwLpSz27WVYhKf01Pdiszto8ItebyYRYeeqE1quTeNjzHi1_SCd8jKNno4eB2xiWqLzEBlStiDhBQ34Q4ggvabiW0YggmniNFncnAu7B_vuivbT_tywLhW5WxpXW6YWuzG6/s1600/Rocky+Road+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_OcJCfcsLiwLpSz27WVYhKf01Pdiszto8ItebyYRYeeqE1quTeNjzHi1_SCd8jKNno4eB2xiWqLzEBlStiDhBQ34Q4ggvabiW0YggmniNFncnAu7B_vuivbT_tywLhW5WxpXW6YWuzG6/s320/Rocky+Road+%25281%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately, pictures are limited as I made around 20 and most of them went with my dad to work. As my tray is quite small, the recipe gave me 12 decent size squares and a few in some cupcake cases. So, by the time I got up the next morning, all of the good ones had gone, hence the rubbish photos!<br />
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Needless to say, they were delicious. I've only ever had a pre-made, packaged rocky road (deprived childhood?) which are soft but these ones were chocolatey, crunchy and gooey, an all round hit!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKYjDta7mVCOfATO5-mEVd1UXMo5U8TcIvsVHLPpI-HJRzYZcEAb3gE1P6d7oezJZjxHY8SSIANVsFGZ780oxCHWVEwt2QESgzst9ZxR1OyvViGvGYXg-TPjrUUIwXAQuEQkKjdFXXmnW/s1600/Rocky+Road+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKYjDta7mVCOfATO5-mEVd1UXMo5U8TcIvsVHLPpI-HJRzYZcEAb3gE1P6d7oezJZjxHY8SSIANVsFGZ780oxCHWVEwt2QESgzst9ZxR1OyvViGvGYXg-TPjrUUIwXAQuEQkKjdFXXmnW/s320/Rocky+Road+%25282%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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We also got around to putting up our Christmas tree, Merry Christmas everyone!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wgOB9pXsNwOolyz_RjYBzDil8DPAfa_Jfjd5yvIR_W2lS3Rt26Uj0id5pB860aoc7F4ilM3EXXxnkbLRNvnocIHmxfaqCAYVC_JIlPD0KKWExsMtJCcMIwhlPJpPxsdXbfK3m6LOrpYI/s1600/IMG00973-20111211-1623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wgOB9pXsNwOolyz_RjYBzDil8DPAfa_Jfjd5yvIR_W2lS3Rt26Uj0id5pB860aoc7F4ilM3EXXxnkbLRNvnocIHmxfaqCAYVC_JIlPD0KKWExsMtJCcMIwhlPJpPxsdXbfK3m6LOrpYI/s320/IMG00973-20111211-1623.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<u><strong>Rocky Roads- recipe adapted from </strong></u><a href="http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/173662/Rocky-road-bars"><strong>Good To Know</strong></a></div>
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<em><u>Ingredients:</u></em></div>
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100g unsalted butter </div>
225g plain chocolate, broken into pieces<br />
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2tbsp golden syrup</div>
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2tbsp cocoa powder</div>
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2tbsp caster sugar</div>
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100g Maltesers</div>
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100g mixed milk and white chocolate chips- I used half choc chips and half fudge chunks</div>
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100g mini marshmallows</div>
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225g ginger biscuits, broken into pieces- I used digestive biscuits and found this was too many</div>
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Icing sugar to dust</div>
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<em><u>Method:</u></em></div>
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Line a 20cm (8in) square cake tin with baking parchment.<br />
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In a small pan, heat the butter, plain chocolate, golden syrup, caster sugar, cocoa powder and stir together with a wooden spoon. Once melted together, leave to cool for 10 mins- This worked brilliantly in my microwave in 10 second bursts, painfully slow but worth it!<br />
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In a large bowl, place the Maltesers, milk and white chocolate chip, mini marshmallows, ginger biscuits and bind together with the melted chocolate sauce. <br />
Pour into the lined tin and leave to set in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hrs. <br />
Remove from cake tin and slice into 16 snack-sized rocky road bars- depends on how generous you are!<br />
Dust the rocky road with icing sugar to serve.<br />
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Enjoy!</div>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-51551594748123276022011-12-10T12:14:00.001+00:002012-02-26T13:21:29.073+00:00Another Office BakeBlog posts at the minute are few and far in between, I currently do not have an oven!! This is proving most difficult, especially as I have a long list of christmas bakes up my sleeve. Luckily, I managed to fit in some baking for my brother before the oven was removed and, as a thank you, received some wonderful flowers!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUR-JDp4V-mfjpAq7_D-PiJd0TOMVWoiw5a5TT_SRn35g98Z1m-Oqf7yTEFdmgex8_PHLgjNUWPD4F-KMltqMNlP6ckoJK-5MMX6BU6h3SNtmYBS5iPd0eSC-yFWIdqY5rnDl6cApKnr5A/s1600/Jonny%2527s+cakes+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUR-JDp4V-mfjpAq7_D-PiJd0TOMVWoiw5a5TT_SRn35g98Z1m-Oqf7yTEFdmgex8_PHLgjNUWPD4F-KMltqMNlP6ckoJK-5MMX6BU6h3SNtmYBS5iPd0eSC-yFWIdqY5rnDl6cApKnr5A/s320/Jonny%2527s+cakes+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As always, apologies for the useless photos! Anyway, I made a chocolate victoria sponge not too long ago and it went down really well, better than any cake I normally make! So, when my brother asked me to make some cakes for work, I decided to make another sponge. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOhwiKVuUj6MRCppyB6sVA5A9_GHSBqn3OhbidXXK4qjVgTbS7WQ3APKnjKIC9lSpgK5tcMyzA3YM_qinyaOtoiHcoxkwZDvefv5LKbvxIK4q-LYlmYAwl9TPDNfMNGmBLqUueB2JBFHn/s1600/Jonny%2527s+cakes+%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOhwiKVuUj6MRCppyB6sVA5A9_GHSBqn3OhbidXXK4qjVgTbS7WQ3APKnjKIC9lSpgK5tcMyzA3YM_qinyaOtoiHcoxkwZDvefv5LKbvxIK4q-LYlmYAwl9TPDNfMNGmBLqUueB2JBFHn/s320/Jonny%2527s+cakes+%25289%2529.jpg" width="315" /></a></div>
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This time, I put vanilla buttercream in the middle and chocolate around the edges. I was a bit worried that the two buttercreams wouldn't work together as the vanilla one was quite strong so I had a taste (a big spoonful of the two, I can't lie) and they were lovely! I don't think it looked as good as the first time I made it, but apparently it went down really well :) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Lvm4G7D5wcI6zo37PdA3qCgmAGFfGuqpYCujd8UQhutqsjwq46UZKyGHqGv5rYcdc7MCpiaJgb9uUDGb-YeDYpFCxFGW21kPilF7KwLalXd1Fy15CiSp0QIR-D8Re7wXsq51JrMB1Bsu/s1600/jonny%2527s+cake+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Lvm4G7D5wcI6zo37PdA3qCgmAGFfGuqpYCujd8UQhutqsjwq46UZKyGHqGv5rYcdc7MCpiaJgb9uUDGb-YeDYpFCxFGW21kPilF7KwLalXd1Fy15CiSp0QIR-D8Re7wXsq51JrMB1Bsu/s320/jonny%2527s+cake+12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also made some chocolate fudge cupcakes with chocolate fudge buttercream. Overkill, maybe, but they were really lovely and the fudge melted into the cake. I used my favourite <a href="http://thecakedcrusader.blogspot.com/2010/10/chocolate-cupcakes-with-either.html">cupcake</a> recipe and substituted the white chocolate for fudge pieces.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoP86GkJzQVSionN5WjJyNv3NzoVf-7BElJR-aoR2eX8KwoNAj-Cw6-IL7dUsnpl7siw01m2eVFGbv7-xU2hRjeE7TAOI1XHVyoE6ZDLHUwfeb0O52qd0slLKccZcr9CN4h3_icBmabrJN/s1600/Jonny%2527s+cakes+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoP86GkJzQVSionN5WjJyNv3NzoVf-7BElJR-aoR2eX8KwoNAj-Cw6-IL7dUsnpl7siw01m2eVFGbv7-xU2hRjeE7TAOI1XHVyoE6ZDLHUwfeb0O52qd0slLKccZcr9CN4h3_icBmabrJN/s320/Jonny%2527s+cakes+%25283%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I put them in festively coloured cupcake cases, and topped them with Betty Crocker chocolate fudge buttercream. I know this is cheating, but its just sooo tasty!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmPSzfjN81fudx3ClgHrI-PKrsmt0UXAqWjt2JU7opTPH53Bkr5LsBzEFLFuMY4WMFZo_nYeFC94hZwOrRS6UmerkTGaRtIdxreXrCIq9y30gprZB058wR1zsxuXXPRJIy7CT3HexuR_5/s1600/Jonny%2527s+cakes+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTmPSzfjN81fudx3ClgHrI-PKrsmt0UXAqWjt2JU7opTPH53Bkr5LsBzEFLFuMY4WMFZo_nYeFC94hZwOrRS6UmerkTGaRtIdxreXrCIq9y30gprZB058wR1zsxuXXPRJIy7CT3HexuR_5/s320/Jonny%2527s+cakes+%25285%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm still struggling with my icing, if i do it from the middle outwards, it doesn't cover the whole cake. If I do it from the outside, I don't get a good peak, see what I mean?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsU0r95TyQRabEc0rMm_J5q7duQ1iCFqcydK7FS669BDRMmTuqM4cbSapoKfV35UJxSjaZ-LMCL0EhZksXIqHmmyUuPxDozHy2shcnbGNUKjvYD2SIWjoSAKlA1iKjRYzutRlnQSc99b6A/s1600/Jonny%2527s+cakes+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsU0r95TyQRabEc0rMm_J5q7duQ1iCFqcydK7FS669BDRMmTuqM4cbSapoKfV35UJxSjaZ-LMCL0EhZksXIqHmmyUuPxDozHy2shcnbGNUKjvYD2SIWjoSAKlA1iKjRYzutRlnQSc99b6A/s320/Jonny%2527s+cakes+%25286%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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They went down a storm, which is all I can ask for, I'll just keep practising!</div>
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<strong><u>Chocolate Victoria Sponge- adapted from Mary Berry's Baking Bible</u></strong></div>
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<u>Ingredients</u></div>
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<em>For the sponge:</em></div>
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2 tablespoons cocoa powder</div>
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3 tablespoons boiling water</div>
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225g softened butter</div>
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225g caster sugar</div>
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4 large eggs</div>
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225g self raising flour</div>
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2 level teaspoons baking powder</div>
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<em>For the filling and topping: I found this wasn't enough and made separate batches for the filling and topping</em></div>
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50g softened butter</div>
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175g sifted icing sugar</div>
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1 tablespoon milk</div>
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-Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4</div>
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-Grease two 20cm sandwich tins and line the base of each with baking parchment<o:p></o:p></div>
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-Mix the cocoa and water in a mixing bowl then leave to cool slightly</div>
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-Measure the remaining ingredients into the bowl and beat until thoroughly blended- I've previously found that this method doesn't create a good rise so used the creaming method which worked brilliantly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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-Divide the mixture between the tins and level them out. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 25 minutes or until well risen. The tops of the cakes should be springy when touched</div>
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-Leave to cool in the tins for a while then turn out and leave to cool on a wire rack.<o:p></o:p></div>
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-For the buttercream, beat the butter, icing sugar and milk until smooth- I found more milk and cocoa powder was necessary! <o:p></o:p></div>
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-Once the cake is cool, sandwich the cakes together with the buttercream and spread the rest on top- or cover the sides like I did</div>
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Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-68915064620087651452011-11-30T17:47:00.002+00:002012-02-21T17:12:04.027+00:00Giant Cupcake- my first ever birthday cake!I've recently become bored of being restricted as to what I can bake. As my parents and brother are on diets and my boyfriend is a bit of a picky eater, my creativity is limited. So, when my friend told me she was looking for a cake for her daughter's birthday, I begged her to let me attempt it. We agreed that it would be a large cupcake and the rest really was down to me.<br />
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I've never made a birthday cake and making it in a situation where I wouldn't be able taste it scared me a lot! I'm also a complete novice at decorating cakes so I had planned a test bake but I never got round to it. The cake went into the oven looking most promising!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDMCdthrsoiheiuCNcLhigjNSSWU8vY8u6k50x67QGEBJM4LR59jUK3bQdvnNGkXaHBDF-xPTkL3hE2DC3J05xHT3NEgeEwS_JkbeV9RSE2W4KzOABFSi_bcwtsJXCaJBN86D0Tuw54-p/s1600/Jayden%2527s+Cake+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDMCdthrsoiheiuCNcLhigjNSSWU8vY8u6k50x67QGEBJM4LR59jUK3bQdvnNGkXaHBDF-xPTkL3hE2DC3J05xHT3NEgeEwS_JkbeV9RSE2W4KzOABFSi_bcwtsJXCaJBN86D0Tuw54-p/s320/Jayden%2527s+Cake+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There are a lot of things I wish I had realised beforehand that a practise run would have eliminated. Firstly, I wish I'd cooked it for longer, all the signs were there for a perfectly cooked cake but, once cooled, I began to worry. This then caused me to cut it in half (at a dodgy angle) and fill it with jam and buttercream which all merged together into one slop.<br />
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This stressed me out hugely and at one point my mum even suggested I start again!! I ended up walking away and going back to it a while later, in a much less stressed state. After some icing and a bit of decoration, the cake was completely transformed and I think it turned out really well, even if it does have a bit of a pointy tutu going on! <br />
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So, not much to report and not a lot of pictures but apparently it went down really well and Jayden absolutely loved it!</div>
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<u><strong>Giant Cupcake- adapted from </strong></u><a href="http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/517880/victoria-threader-s-giant-cupcake"><strong>GoodToKnow</strong></a></div>
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<strong><u>Ingredients</u></strong></div>
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<em><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">For the giant cupcake:</span></span></em></div>
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450g softened butter </div>
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450g caster sugar </div>
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8 large eggs </div>
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450g self-raising flour </div>
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4 level tsp baking powder </div>
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2 tsp of vanilla </div>
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3 tbsp milk<br />
Giant cupcake tin- mine was silicone and I found this incredibly easy to turn out</div>
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<em><span style="font-weight: bold;">For the cake covering:</span></em></div>
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250g white fondant icing</div>
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Pink food colouring</div>
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Strawberry jam- I used raspberry</div>
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<em><span style="font-weight: bold;">For the buttercream</span>:</em></div>
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110g unsalted butter, softened</div>
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500g icing sugar</div>
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60ml milk, room temperature</div>
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1tsp vanilla extract</div>
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Pink food colouring</div>
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<strong><u>Method:</u></strong></div>
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Set the oven to 180ºC and grease the tin using cake release spray or groundnut oil.<br />
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Cream the butter and sugar and add the vanilla. Beat for about 5 minutes. Add one egg at a time with a third of the sieved flour and baking powder until it has gone then add the milk and beat slowly until it is mixed in. <br />
Place half of the mixture in each side of the tin to about ¾ full and bake for 50 minutes. Times really depend on your own oven, so start to check the cake at 50 minutes, then every 10 minutes and do not remove from the oven until the cake is springy to the touch. This might take up to 1 hr 15 minutes. <br />
Remove from the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes before tipping out. If the cake has overflowed or has risen too high don’t worry, you can trim this with a bread knife or a cake leveller. It’s easier to do this while it is still in the tin. <br />
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Hold the cooling rack tight over the top of the tin and turn them out to cool. Once the cake is totally cool (probably an hour or 2) you can start decorating it.<br />
Colour and roll out the fondant icing to a ¼ of an inch thick. It has to be 25cm in length and 8cm high. <br />
Melt some jam in the microwave and leaving the cake in the upside down position brush over the base of the cake. This helps the fondant stick. Place the fondant around the cake and trim the excess. You can fold a little over the top (which is the bottom) so you have a clean edge. Press your finger round the indentations so you get the shape of the base back. Then turn the cake (not gripping too hard or you will squash it) the right way up.<br />
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Beat the butter, icing sugar, milk and vanilla together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Put a third of the buttercream in another bowl and add pink food colouring to it. Reserve this for your buttercream roses. Spread jam on the bottom half of the cupcake, then the icing and sandwich the two pieces together. <br />
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Ice the top with the rest of the buttercream in a design that suits you- I didn't pipe the icing as I was too scared, so just spread it on using a palette knife and finished with a patterned edge side scraper<br />
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Add any decoration that you fancy- I used Love Hearts, Dolly Mixtures and some raspberry sherbet<br />
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Enjoy!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-6227748186076025652011-11-21T13:03:00.000+00:002012-02-26T13:26:09.962+00:00Baking for Children in NeedFirstly, my apologies for a lack of posts recently, baking has been put on hold once more for education but I have a multitude of bakes to blog about, so keep your eyes peeled!<br />
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As most of you will be aware, it was Children in Need on Friday and my Dad asked me to make something for a sale they were doing in his office. Although Lakeland were selling Pudsey cookie cutters, I felt that they were an unnecessary cost and probably limiting, as they printed the famous bandage onto the biscuit. I did have a teddy bear cutter that I bought from Fenwicks for 60p, which provided a perfect template for a teddy bear biscuit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZn-RjoG1-DE3H-IhGZTFPk-8t1ACx3hfrv74qjfpdy0WYCxwqZTjwyZmq9h1TjBAziylDYU9ICOVkpYctgIvuqCJByPIM8LGVeuaCEX2dSyz7kNwKmJNu2X9HaADmQwsXVkvFTMebHAJ/s1600/Pudsey+Bear+Bake+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZn-RjoG1-DE3H-IhGZTFPk-8t1ACx3hfrv74qjfpdy0WYCxwqZTjwyZmq9h1TjBAziylDYU9ICOVkpYctgIvuqCJByPIM8LGVeuaCEX2dSyz7kNwKmJNu2X9HaADmQwsXVkvFTMebHAJ/s320/Pudsey+Bear+Bake+%25286%2529.jpg" width="304" /></a></div>
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I used the same vanilla cookie recipe for these as I did for my <a href="http://raymow.blogspot.com/2011/10/halloween-pumpkin-cupcakes-and-dracula.html">Dracula biscuits</a> and was reminded how much I absolutely hate it. It's sticky, hard to work with and, no matter how long it sits in the fridge before and after you cut your shapes, the biscuits ALWAYS spread into one large tray shaped biscuit. As per usual, I had a mad rush to re cut and carefully transfer the biscuits to a wire rack before they firmed up. Nightmare!<br />
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I iced an outline around the bear first so that it would remain in that shape, and then filled it in. Sometimes I can be naturally creative but by this point it was late and I was fed up, so a few Pudsey's looked a bit rubbish.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifLUGWeyUWYPQDX5WM_-obIGkeGbIW5TR3JkK7f5Dr_GSotX9lvsJMtpoVOJQ_qN5vaePSvlv2U1hIg20FmepJ7Y3S66nsWbfYxJmqg_gVoCYnW1dbpwN9hL7LXHbZiCVMPiamL6RP6Gt/s1600/Pudsey+Bear+Bake+%252813%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjifLUGWeyUWYPQDX5WM_-obIGkeGbIW5TR3JkK7f5Dr_GSotX9lvsJMtpoVOJQ_qN5vaePSvlv2U1hIg20FmepJ7Y3S66nsWbfYxJmqg_gVoCYnW1dbpwN9hL7LXHbZiCVMPiamL6RP6Gt/s320/Pudsey+Bear+Bake+%252813%2529.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>
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All in all, I feel that they look good, and apparently they were delicious! I also made some cupcakes by adapting a recipe from <a href="http://thecakedcrusader.blogspot.com/2010/10/chocolate-cupcakes-with-either.html">The Caked Crusader</a> (which seems to be so versatile it's unreal) to be chocolate chip vanilla cupcakes and decorated them using some buttercream that I had left over from a birthday cake I made earlier that week- I'll update soon!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxj1KpIzqBMrIa9Dj_3asPSTLNXn3GiHm5dlRiXuZLIwPqOGeZ-n79ObCPSA2y1T48L_V5phLUjxBjAwu3GnDpyhfc_MQ1wnUa7RGW2g-AugsUHIHaj_Aw16FhsK-wB94kHz7s0n9fcrG/s1600/Pudsey+Bear+Bake+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCxj1KpIzqBMrIa9Dj_3asPSTLNXn3GiHm5dlRiXuZLIwPqOGeZ-n79ObCPSA2y1T48L_V5phLUjxBjAwu3GnDpyhfc_MQ1wnUa7RGW2g-AugsUHIHaj_Aw16FhsK-wB94kHz7s0n9fcrG/s320/Pudsey+Bear+Bake+%25282%2529.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>
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They look great but I'm still practicing my piping skills, any tips would much much appreciated! My dad says all of the cakes went down really well and they made lots of money for Children in Need so my good deed has been done!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6PSLTn9nhQxsR7KaOOXzFhRqyKyO3f0Z8KWzE2NXbWR0Xt2yHMoiLynKa4Jvd1S9atLY9FkrAauqNeTWkqWYmepxvTUv3BZDOE9RcWUjgwJO_FMbPmvCAoFuoe2t_CMUTurEcWAya0oy/s1600/Pudsey+Bear+Bake+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd6PSLTn9nhQxsR7KaOOXzFhRqyKyO3f0Z8KWzE2NXbWR0Xt2yHMoiLynKa4Jvd1S9atLY9FkrAauqNeTWkqWYmepxvTUv3BZDOE9RcWUjgwJO_FMbPmvCAoFuoe2t_CMUTurEcWAya0oy/s320/Pudsey+Bear+Bake+%25283%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Finally, I got a special mention from <a href="http://www.greatbritishbakingclub.co.uk/2011/11/children-in-need-friday.html">The Great British Baking Club</a> which made me very happy!<br />
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Happy Baking!!<br />
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</div>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-22956355599397484132011-10-31T15:50:00.003+00:002012-02-26T13:20:49.526+00:00Halloween: Pumpkin Cupcakes and Dracula BiscuitsI hold fond memories of Halloween from when I was younger. Each year, my parents would take my brother and I to our respective scout and brownie parties, bob apples, carve pumpkins, the lot! I always dressed as a witch with an obligatory eyebrow pencil mole on my cheek and my mum's lipstick.<br />
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This year, I decided to do some Halloween cakes. I had them planned for weeks, I was to have <a href="http://raymow.blogspot.com/2011/10/happy-birthday-pa.html">chocolate cupcakes</a> with a wickedly orange coloured swirl of icing. Unfortunately, I decided at the last minute to turn them into pumpkins, which didn't turn out brilliantly. My chocolate icing solidified, causing me to have to use white icing to paint the unconvincingly scary faces on. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFrq6Gt1SP7mHoVia3C7UaSrIeqfCbn1OLxqadjffI3AUoHOGkuBYjrYN6kEXV4BuJVZjSih2N8sfozaESt9Nof7nkT-wJ_C-3BsicXIV28nUekarxHilSRbitOvdig3M_Dv_y-qpGsym/s1600/Pumpkin+Cupcakes+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFrq6Gt1SP7mHoVia3C7UaSrIeqfCbn1OLxqadjffI3AUoHOGkuBYjrYN6kEXV4BuJVZjSih2N8sfozaESt9Nof7nkT-wJ_C-3BsicXIV28nUekarxHilSRbitOvdig3M_Dv_y-qpGsym/s320/Pumpkin+Cupcakes+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As sad as it seems, the failure of these cupcakes played on my mind all week. Eventually, I forced myself to start my Halloween bakes from scratch. I got the idea of Dracula cupcakes from the <a href="http://www.wilton.com/idea/Dracula-Cookies">Wilton</a> website and used my regular <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3468/basic-biscuit-dough">Vanilla Cookie</a> recipe.<br />
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I am really proud of myself with these, they taste and look great. They could even be a bit spooky!<br />
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Happy Halloween!!</div>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-72916788251718566382011-10-17T17:49:00.000+01:002012-02-26T13:20:14.393+00:00Viennese WhirlsViennese Whirls or Melting Moments? Hmmm...<br />
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These biscuits are an amalgamation of a few recipes, the main one being vanilla butter biscuits from <a href="http://thecakedcrusader.blogspot.com/2009/01/vanilla-butter-biscuits.html">The Caked Crusader</a>, as always! I'd like to point out here that I do own recipe books, you've just got to stick to what you know, right?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8zZYIbZl1oTACTYcv8m6u30AqZHnxYW50QUgzTYaNQLuf2oLr3mKHoxKEAdSppGtaTkJ8NRQsJBedE90hLlE4_ZJSvZi4MjyiabD8Paaqr8IM0i7h3qr7j2n8EPZsr1ivljOHHuqINF2/s1600/Viennese+Whirls+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx8zZYIbZl1oTACTYcv8m6u30AqZHnxYW50QUgzTYaNQLuf2oLr3mKHoxKEAdSppGtaTkJ8NRQsJBedE90hLlE4_ZJSvZi4MjyiabD8Paaqr8IM0i7h3qr7j2n8EPZsr1ivljOHHuqINF2/s320/Viennese+Whirls+9.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I really struggled to pipe these into a delicate whirl as I had hoped too but I gradually got the hang of it and I'm pretty pleased with the results! At first, I panicked over the small amount of dough that the recipe made and I made them quite small but they spread out to a perfect size whilst cooking, and kept their shape too!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9H_dgXznGeQwhO08vJsGS59t4pl_GyrDR8QrGFixflAatcOR06yG4opK4WpD7V21pD0O4-bEmiX4f2AHqwZgbt__DvqqgG8otcAj1_QiQ_MexxjPIqsjrsvZq3nJ8rIL27z-K81vL7Dg/s1600/Viennese+Whirls+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9H_dgXznGeQwhO08vJsGS59t4pl_GyrDR8QrGFixflAatcOR06yG4opK4WpD7V21pD0O4-bEmiX4f2AHqwZgbt__DvqqgG8otcAj1_QiQ_MexxjPIqsjrsvZq3nJ8rIL27z-K81vL7Dg/s320/Viennese+Whirls+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For the filling, I used Hartley's seedless raspberry jam (nobody likes seeds in their teeth!) and a vanilla butter cream from a recipe by <a href="http://www.silverspooncakecraft.co.uk/how-to/butter-cream-and-frosting/vanilla-butter-cream">SilverSpoon</a>. I added my vanilla gradually, though, and to my own taste as I worried a full tablespoon of vanilla would be too much.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtY5CeAx-qFpmOM1Qah7PXQUSo7CtH2EsB-jDKjQRre2KIwhrIOIhocPV_MEjcwkZTNsBOsYBR1fouDmRn-1SGeyfGnVjliUFUMufpfD7eU4pz90X20qfGzIpX5KGOntnb7I8FHOZ7iWJl/s1600/Viennese+Whirls+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtY5CeAx-qFpmOM1Qah7PXQUSo7CtH2EsB-jDKjQRre2KIwhrIOIhocPV_MEjcwkZTNsBOsYBR1fouDmRn-1SGeyfGnVjliUFUMufpfD7eU4pz90X20qfGzIpX5KGOntnb7I8FHOZ7iWJl/s320/Viennese+Whirls+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I made the mistake of stirring the jam in order to make it smoother and it was too runny, this only added to the look though, at least according to my boyfriend! Keep 'em sweet and all that...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWFqcmbYKLaXjWInnNfk2XpSLTnnGL5OVga99I1ybW4EQUWC4cb1cu-NIwM0bCxkU6gRq86yeDI5-vVu6Vvpu0KxwIx36TU8O7Kt6Ti_9IGTX282yWJljj0iVCHcIkWI7EtwZS4rDKUE9/s1600/Viennese+Whirls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWFqcmbYKLaXjWInnNfk2XpSLTnnGL5OVga99I1ybW4EQUWC4cb1cu-NIwM0bCxkU6gRq86yeDI5-vVu6Vvpu0KxwIx36TU8O7Kt6Ti_9IGTX282yWJljj0iVCHcIkWI7EtwZS4rDKUE9/s320/Viennese+Whirls.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Tada! They taste amazing :)<br />
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<em>Recipe adapted from The CC and SilverSpoon</em><br />
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<strong><u>Ingredients:</u></strong><br />
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<u><em>For the biscuits:</em></u><br />
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115g unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />
3 tablespoons icing sugar<br />
150g plain flour<br />
2 teaspoons vanilla extract<br />
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<em><u>For the filling:</u></em><br />
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100g Butter (softened)</div>
200g Icing Sugar (sieved)<br />
1 tbsp Milk<br />
1 tbsp vanilla extract<br />
Any jam of your choice<br />
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<strong><u>Method:</u></strong><br />
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4<br />
Line two baking trays with baking paper- I used a large baking sheet<br />
Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy- this will take a few minutes so don’t skimp!<br />
Beat in the flour and vanilla and mix until you have a dough<br />
Fill a piping bag and pipe swirls onto the lined baking trays, they can also be piped into fingers<br />
Sprinkle some sugar over the biscuits, making sure that some settles into the grooves<br />
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown- mine took 18 or so minutes<br />
Leave to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving onto a wire rack to cool completely to allow them to harden up<br />
Meanwhile, make the butter cream. In a large bowl beat the butter with a wooden spoon or an electric whisk until light and fluffy<br />
Gradually mix in the icing sugar until smooth and creamy<br />
Add the vanilla and sufficient milk to give a fairly firm spreading consistency<br />
Choose two biscuits that roughly match each other in size, spread jam on one half and pipe butter cream onto the other<br />
Sandwich the two together and press gently- mine needed setting in the fridge for a while<br />
Enjoy!Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-32632711166458447122011-10-12T12:43:00.000+01:002012-02-26T13:19:45.106+00:00Happy Birthday Pa!Today is my daddy's birthday :) I love my dad, he is beyond amazing and he deserves nice cake! Although he's a dedicated dieter these days, I asked him if I could make him a birthday cake and he said 'no thanks, but I'd like some for the office please', (an example of how generous he is!) and stated it needed to be chocolate fudge cake. Lovely, I thought, I'll make my famous <a href="http://raymow.blogspot.com/2011/08/death-by-chocolate.html">Death By Chocolate</a> cake. Stupidly, I forgot to add the butter to this cake and the results aren't even worth documenting! <br />
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<strong><em>Note to self: never bake when ill!</em></strong><br />
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After getting a tad too annoyed, I frantically hopped on the computer and paid a visit to <a href="http://thecakedcrusader.blogspot.com/">The Caked Crusader</a> who, in true superhero style, saved me from a very sticky situation.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkp0ccOraJrNzy1SNhAOXanKUK_GZltNSuGsTi8cP3kBZuhnOAuLtdlaqbWS_osKWJYIb4NSnNNLetZ3SDWUljLvLRZTgTVpGesEoZng9d3Tlbpzt7mrBBu0IRLL-2vVeVbWotN1zs5Zy/s1600/Bday+Cupcakes+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkp0ccOraJrNzy1SNhAOXanKUK_GZltNSuGsTi8cP3kBZuhnOAuLtdlaqbWS_osKWJYIb4NSnNNLetZ3SDWUljLvLRZTgTVpGesEoZng9d3Tlbpzt7mrBBu0IRLL-2vVeVbWotN1zs5Zy/s320/Bday+Cupcakes+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I chose this recipe for a few reasons; it used all of the ingredients I had without needing to go to the shops, it was easily doubled and they looked delicious!</div>
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As you can see, the batter for these cupcakes was deliciously smooth, even though it used cocoa powder as opposed to chocolate.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5Q8qEMxOk1XjGjrGi0H61hXMN8uGROdL7BelHJOwuSvDckP5JWtfbGvS4lmBVugIyb3eY-IL9eXyhLTPD97QuV4U0fd_u6guBHgUSZP8IQ5XoNg1e3BloMgrBk0cNnFmLAA9tr-Y-GnA/s1600/Bday+Cupcakes+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx5Q8qEMxOk1XjGjrGi0H61hXMN8uGROdL7BelHJOwuSvDckP5JWtfbGvS4lmBVugIyb3eY-IL9eXyhLTPD97QuV4U0fd_u6guBHgUSZP8IQ5XoNg1e3BloMgrBk0cNnFmLAA9tr-Y-GnA/s320/Bday+Cupcakes+5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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For once, all of my cupcakes came out evenly, and a great size, I love this recipe!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8k9GLJtQNIhKXtrpQKoK9w84xpWU1hjpR_oKRQgf7F0MzxipCrBbdne8DmQljYH4ALUG_Dq8ykbsYsdAk9J1cZOJFty5WV2fa1OTRsaXfpE3ccPKOt19ANIwTNsg094KK_cIJZ0eKG6v/s1600/Bday+Cupcakes+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq8k9GLJtQNIhKXtrpQKoK9w84xpWU1hjpR_oKRQgf7F0MzxipCrBbdne8DmQljYH4ALUG_Dq8ykbsYsdAk9J1cZOJFty5WV2fa1OTRsaXfpE3ccPKOt19ANIwTNsg094KK_cIJZ0eKG6v/s320/Bday+Cupcakes+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I cheated a little and used Betty Crocker's Chocolate Fudge icing but this was because it is truly beautiful and it topped off a great bake in a great way! I still need a bit of work on my icing skills, I would have liked the icing all over the cake!</div>
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All in all, a very nice bake, a very happy office and a very happy daddy! Thanks CC!</div>
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<em>Recipe from The Caked Crusader, you can find it <a href="http://thecakedcrusader.blogspot.com/2010/10/chocolate-cupcakes-with-either.html">here</a> in it's original form</em></div>
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<strong><u>Ingredients</u></strong></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-style-span"><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">These quantities will make 12 cupcake sponges – the mix doubles up easily should you wish to make 24</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><i><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><em></em><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">125g unsalted butter, at room temperature</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">125g caster sugar</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">2 eggs</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">100g self raising flour</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">3 tablespoons cocoa powder</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">2 tablespoon milk</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">50g white chocolate chips- I didn't put any in as I had none</span></span></span></div>
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<strong><u>Method:</u></strong><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan oven 170°C/375°F/Gas mark 5. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Line a cupcake pan with paper cases</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy then b</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">eat in the eggs, flour, cocoa and milk</span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When the mixture is smooth and well combined, stir in the chocolate chips</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Spoon the batter into the paper cases</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean. Mine took around 17 minutes, which didn't burn them!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Remove from the tin as soon as possible and leave to cool on a wire rack – removing from the tin is important as the heat of the tin will mean that the cupcakes continue to cook</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Pipe or spread your chosen icing over the chocolate cupcakes and decorate as you please</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Enjoy!</span></span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-76101980664802008812011-10-03T19:07:00.001+01:002012-02-26T13:19:22.965+00:00Malteser Fridge Cake :)Chocolate Fridge Cake used to be my favourite thing to make when I was younger, it was forever a hit among my brownie group! Unfortunately, the recipe was from a book my Dad got me and was lost years ago and as a result, I have forever hunted for a replacement!<br />
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I'd like to thank <a href="http://www.mydish.co.uk/recipe/3224/chocolate-malteser-refrigerator-cake">My Dish</a> for helping me rediscover my love for the first thing I ever successfully baked, if you class it as baking...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKaytmsIffzO7Yl5tyAESX3eUXNns5oQzc393bL97DhzSKSuSTdGS7D6PJP7uWxIrmwhJPlWlBhVCLwr5E1yG9Z-B3qpU67TrC6aoWLEGbwsoVD-bhx86Mz_1KYlo_DoYBiWkwdjjsRUu/s1600/Malteser+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKaytmsIffzO7Yl5tyAESX3eUXNns5oQzc393bL97DhzSKSuSTdGS7D6PJP7uWxIrmwhJPlWlBhVCLwr5E1yG9Z-B3qpU67TrC6aoWLEGbwsoVD-bhx86Mz_1KYlo_DoYBiWkwdjjsRUu/s320/Malteser+cake.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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Warning: these cost next to nothing to make (providing you have the staples in the cupboard like I tend to!) and are mega mega delicious, not a good idea for those attempting a diet!<br />
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<strong><u>Malteser Fridge Cake- from </u></strong><a href="http://www.mydish.co.uk/"><strong>My Dish</strong></a><br />
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<em><u>Ingredients:</u></em><br />
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<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount">100g</span> <span itemprop="name">margarine, softened- I used unsalted butter as it was in the cupboard</span></span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount">6 tablespoons</span> g<span itemprop="name">olden syrup</span></span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount">250g</span> c<span itemprop="name">ooking chocolate (milk)- I used Sainsbury's 27p choc, doesn't alter the taste as you'd expect!</span></span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount">200g</span> d<span itemprop="name">igestive biscuits, roughly crushed- I used Morrison's own</span></span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name"></span></span><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="amount">200g</span> <span itemprop="name">Maltesers, cut roughly in half- I used 135g as this bag was cheaper...</span></span><br />
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<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name"><em><u>Method:</u></em></span></span><br />
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<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name">Melt margarine, syrup and chocolate over heat (or in the microwave stirring often)</span></span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name">When it's all melted, take it off the heat and add the crushed biscuits and maltesers, mix well</span></span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name">Spread into a lined greased swiss roll tin</span></span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name">Chill in the fridge then cut up into small squares</span></span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name">Keep refrigerated, can also be frozen!</span></span><br />
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name">Enjoy!</span></span>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-23713293246260296112011-10-02T12:28:00.003+01:002012-02-26T13:18:50.824+00:00Macmillan Coffee Morning: Cakes and BakesA while back, I was asked by a friend to make some cakes for a bake sale her Grandma was holding as part of Macmillan's World's Biggest Coffee Morning. This scared me as the circumstances in which I normally make cakes never call for them to be particularly outstanding...<br />
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After much deliberation, I settled on a Coffee and Walnut cake, a Madeira and some Lemon Biscuits, all of which I have made before without much difficulty.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFYtQKe9Zh62pd1INO4ICpZYqmfRaigE5tFaXdsGgQkfP_Bc2dV_e1sVaNteoyUvC4wcCa78lNx7PXlNcPfyTqM8Q4TQ3BHM59UCWQGs_Pnrx4tTD3SFyOJ0sMf3NKoJrUY1dkj4_Nc-s/s1600/Lemon+Biscuits+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFYtQKe9Zh62pd1INO4ICpZYqmfRaigE5tFaXdsGgQkfP_Bc2dV_e1sVaNteoyUvC4wcCa78lNx7PXlNcPfyTqM8Q4TQ3BHM59UCWQGs_Pnrx4tTD3SFyOJ0sMf3NKoJrUY1dkj4_Nc-s/s320/Lemon+Biscuits+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a picture from the first time I attempted Lemon Biscuits. These were left circular and un-iced as my family tend to prefer bakes without icing. As the biscuits for the bake sale needed to be extra special, I used a circular star type cutter and decorated them with lemon icing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFnzjahWPAGPjOGN2VlUNIkSOj7w6RcZjweTFhEFx5pQiRghU4tiUVH-DJUSvUWwqFwa6fUM7ylDpjv19uMNQ3ZkrbByv5d1jfdKSnj9x0rzdG-TH2LDkWXgcB5dZZXXeF6RYFk1ZbGfN/s1600/Bake+Sale+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFnzjahWPAGPjOGN2VlUNIkSOj7w6RcZjweTFhEFx5pQiRghU4tiUVH-DJUSvUWwqFwa6fUM7ylDpjv19uMNQ3ZkrbByv5d1jfdKSnj9x0rzdG-TH2LDkWXgcB5dZZXXeF6RYFk1ZbGfN/s320/Bake+Sale+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In order for the icing to remain on the biscuit and not dribble over the sides, I piped icing around the edges and allowed it to dry completely before adding the rest of the icing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjB6kmnJU1_1NYqBlcJ1X5UoB5zFPR2mAMbcQVk7nEY8NKsL3BIMU9wLd_XxEZVeGy1TH_jEPaVJ0MOWiTT2rULPozN2ioIl6ZavoFBesX8EyWgQ6Hpa-bWU97Ach9w0bucc_UMWb3-lc5/s1600/Bake+Sale+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjB6kmnJU1_1NYqBlcJ1X5UoB5zFPR2mAMbcQVk7nEY8NKsL3BIMU9wLd_XxEZVeGy1TH_jEPaVJ0MOWiTT2rULPozN2ioIl6ZavoFBesX8EyWgQ6Hpa-bWU97Ach9w0bucc_UMWb3-lc5/s320/Bake+Sale+7.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I was seriously impressed that I'd come up with this idea, it worked spectacularly. I finished them off with some citrus sprinkles by Dr. Oetker.<br />
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Next, I made a Madeira Cake. I've made this cake hundreds of times without any problems so it was really just typical that this turned out poorly when it really mattered! As I have just purchased Mary Berry's Baking Bible, I decided to follow the Madeira recipe in it.<br />
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My regular recipe is from the original GBBO book and I felt this would also be a great bake. The recipe told me to throw everything into the bowl and mix, which I was uneasy with. The cake came out unrisen and a bit flat which I believe was due to the lack of method behind the recipe.<br />
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I therefore had to smother the cake in a lemon icing in order for it to look less rubbish. On the day, my Granddad bought the cake so disaster averted!!<br />
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And, for my 'Show Stopper'...<br />
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This cake was received in the best way I could have possibly imagined it to have been, I was so proud! Having made this cake previously, I knew that the sponges came out thin in the tins I was planning to make them in and therefore doubled the mixture. The cake was, quite frankly, colossal in size, and apparently was selling for £1 a slice!<br />
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Not necessarily a full house of successful bakes but it was all in aid of a charity very very close to my heart. I only hope the efforts of myself and my fellow bakers have helped Macmillan in all of the amazing work they do!<br />
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<em>Coffee and Walnut cake from The Great British Book of Baking, Madeira Cake from Mary Berry's Baking Bible and Lemon Biscuits from Great British Bake Off: How to Bake: The Perfect Victoria Sponge and Other Baking Secrets</em>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-61649149217835760462011-09-29T21:19:00.002+01:002012-02-26T13:18:01.952+00:00Homemade Tomato ChutneyFirstly, my apologies as this is apparently my first blog in 2 weeks! I recently started university (waaah, so scary!) and with freshers, inductions, lectures etc., my life has become unbelievably hectic! I do, however, have a lot of bakes coming up, so keep your eyes peeled!<br />
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Somehow, I actually managed to have an afternoon to myself last Sunday and, seeing as my brother had suggested I made some chutney, I though I'd man up and give it a go!<br />
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Firstly, we had to sterilise the jar which, according to the instructions, needed to be immersed in water and have at least 3cm above it. This proved difficult as our largest pan had cauliflower in it (see above photo!) and we therefore had to use a pressure cooker. This was a laborious task but it allowed me to do all the prep needed.<br />
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Adding the red wine vinegar really made me excited about the chutney, it smelt beautiful! There was absolutely nothing difficult about this recipe, we literally threw everything into the pan and watched it simmer.<br />
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Despite the long wait, it eventually broke down and produced a lovely chutney which tasted more oniony than tomatoey but is delicious nonetheless!<br />
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Apologies for the poor photo, it had been eaten by the time I got to take a photo and it was dark!<br />
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<strong><u>Homemade Tomato Chutney- from the </u></strong><a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2949/homemade-tomato-chutney"><strong>BBC Good Food</strong></a><strong><u> website</u></strong><br />
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<b><u>Ingredients:</u></b><br />
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500g red onions , finely sliced</div>
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1kg tomato , chopped</div>
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4 garlic cloves , sliced</div>
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1 red chilli , chopped (optional)- we used half a green chilli as it was all we had</div>
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4 cm piece ginger , peeled and chopped- we didn't use this, no one but my mum likes it!</div>
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250g brown sugar</div>
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150ml red wine vinegar</div>
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5 cardamom seeds- again, we skipped these</div>
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½ tsp paprika </div>
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<u><b>Method: </b></u></div>
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Tip all the ingredients into a large heavy-based pan and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently</div>
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Simmer for 1 hr, then bring to a gentle boil so that the mixture turns dark, jammy and shiny </div>
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Place into sterilised jars and allow to cool before covering</div>
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Will keep for 6 weeks</div>
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Enjoy! </div>Rachaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07672958723463178542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3671558000625433789.post-66151359594250959832011-09-15T18:42:00.000+01:002012-02-26T13:17:34.368+00:00My New Baking Buys!My whole family have now clocked onto the obsession I have with baking and all that comes with it. This, apparently, is not a bad thing as I get presents like this...<br />
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As a thank you for babysitting over the summer, my aunt bought me these as a way of encouraging me further into attempting decorating cakes. Here, I have an icing turntable, a rolling pin, a modelling tool, some flower cutters, a 'decorating triangle' and a book on how to use these mind baffling tools. I was hugely touched that so much thought had gone into these and was immediately compelled to go buy icing and bake cake. I chickened out, of course...<br />
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<a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BE-RO-HOME-RECIPES-40th-EDITION-BERO-COOK-BOOK-NEW-/160641659904"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(source)</span></a></div>
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Alongside this, my OH's mum bought me this book following a conversation about how I learnt to bake at the side of my grandma who always had her trusty BeRo at hand. All of the recipes that I remember are in there; Maids of Honour, Viennese Fingers, the lot!</div>
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I've also made a few of my own buys recently, all of which kept Lakeland in business! I bought icing to go with my new presents, a new piping set to replace the rubbish excuse for a piping bag I currently have and I also bought a new cookie cutter which the woman forgot to take out of the basket and scan, hmmm....</div>
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Lakeland currently have a buy one, get one half price offer going on and I bought a new baking sheet that gratefully isn't silicone and a cake ring which is effectively a bundt tin! My brother also bought me an icing spatula so I am one very happy girly!</div>
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