Halloween Gingerbread

Try a different sweet treat for Halloween.

I found some spooky biscuit cutters in Wilkinsons - just £1.50. Bargain!

Use a normal gingerbread man recipe:

http://thecreativecatatno59.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/gingerbread-biscuits.html

Then just add chocolate chips or small orange smarties to decorate.

Happy Halloween!

Quick Iced Coffee

Quick cool down for a hot day!

RECIPE

Iced Coffee
(Makes 1 glass)


1tsp coffee
1-2 tsp sugar (to your taste)
1/2 glass milk
8 ice cubes (approx)


1. Put the coffee and sugar in a mug and add a dash of boiling water. 
Stir to dissolve.

2.  Pour half a glass of chilled milk into a glass.

3.  Crush 8 ice cubes - this could be done in a blender - I used a sandwich bag and a rolling pin! Don't make the ice too small as it will turn to slush.

4.  Add the coffee mix to the milk bit by bit stirring well in between. Then add the crushed ice and stir again.  Serve!

Easy Peasy Lemon Cheesecake

A really quick no bake cheesecake recipe - the result was very well recieved!

It's more of an American thick cheesecake than a delicate one but very delicious!

THE RECIPE

Easy Peasy Lemon Cheesecake
(Serves 8+)

397g sweetened condensed milk (1 can)
300g mascarpone cheese
285ml double cream
4 large lemons
12 digestive biscuits
80g butter

Note: For best results use a 7 or 8 inch loose bottom cake tin.

1. Put the hob on a low heat and melt the butter slowly in a saucepan.  When the butter is fully melted add the crushed digestive biscuits (I found the best way to do this is put them in a sandwich bag 4 at a time and hit with a rolling pin). 

2. Once the butter has been absorbed into the biscuit turn the mixture into the cake tin and pat down.  Place in the fridge.

 

3.  Place the mascarpone cheese in a mixing bowl and use an electric whisk to soften.  Add the condensed milk and double cream slowly, mixing in between. 

4. Roll the lemons on a work surface (this is said to create more juice), then slice and squeeze the juice into a bowl.  Add the juice to the mixture bit by bit, mixing in between.

5.  The mixture should now be thick and creamy.  Remove the biscuit base from the fridge and add the mixture on top.  Smooth the top of the cheese cake with a spatula or back of a spoon.  Take one of the squeezed lemons and grate some rind on top of the cake for an extra lemon kick.

6.  Place the whole cake in the fridge for at least an hour.  I made mine the night before and it turned out lovely! 

White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies

Lovely cookies = great weekend treat!

THE RECIPE

White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies
(Makes approx 15)

125g butter (room temp)
125g soft light brown sugar
150g plain flour
100g white chocolate chips
50g white chocolate (finely grated)
50g dried cranberries
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp baking powder

1.  Preheat the oven to 180C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

2.  Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl (a wooden spoon is fine for this).  Then beat in the egg and milk.

3.  Add flour, baking powder, grated chocolate, chocolate chips and cranberries into the mixture.  Mix gently with a dessert spoon until you have an even mixture. 

4.  Place dessert spoonfuls of the cookie mixture onto the baking trays.  Don't forget to leave space for the cookies to expand!  You may need to reuse one of the trays for the rest of the batch. 

5.  Bake for 12-15 mins until the cookies are golden but still slightly soft.  Leave to cool on the tray for 5 mins then leave to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

Amazing enjoyed warm also!

Simple Victoria Sponge Cake

Very simple recipe, but very tasty!

THE RECIPE

Victoria Sponge Cake
(Serves 8)

For the Cake:
175g butter (room temp)
175g caster sugar
175g self-raising flour
3 medium eggs (beaten)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp jam (raspberry or strawberry is best)

For the Buttercream:
50g butter (room temp)
125g icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp milk

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.  Grease 2 round baking tins (I used 20cm size), cut 2 circles of baking paper to fit and place in each tin. 

2. Put the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract into a mixing bowl, and then sift over the flour and baking powder.  Beat all ingredients together until thick.  I used an electric hand whisk for this as I find it makes the sponge a lot lighter. 

3. Divide the mixture between the two tins and level out the tops as much as possible.  Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until risen and firm. 

4.  Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for a few minutes, then remove and place on a cooling rack. 

5.  Once the cakes are completely cool, the inside layers can be added.  To make the buttercream place the butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract and milk into a bowl and mix together with a wooden spoon until smooth. 

6.  Spread the flat side of one of the cakes with jam, and the other with buttercream. 

7.  Gently sandwich the 2 halves together, and dust the top with a little icing sugar to finish. 

A little something for the weekend!

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

Doughy muffins with a chocolate Nutella centre, with a sugar topping! These are amazing!

I converted this recipe from an American recipe - that's why some of the measurements are a little odd!

THE RECIPE

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins
(Makes 8)

For the Muffins:
76g unsalted butter (room temperature)
100g granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp of vanilla extract
120ml milk
192g plain flour
1 + 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
8 tsp Nutella (or other chocolate spread)

For the topping:
50g granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
40g unsalted butter

1. Preheat the oven to 220C.  Layout muffin cases in a muffin tin - or grease the tin with buuter to bake straight into it. 

2. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar together.  This can be done by hand or mixer (I used a wooden spoon and it turned out fine)

3. Mix in the egg, vanilla extract and milk.  The gently stir in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt - don't over mix, just combine them until you get an even mixture. 

4. Put a tbsp of mixture into each muffin case, followed by a teaspoon of Nutella (as close to the centre as you can), then cover with another tbsp of the mixture.  Try to cover the nutella so the top of the muffin is sealed.  Don't worry if the cases are full, these muffins don't rise very much. 

5. Bake at 220C for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180C and bake for another 15 minutes until the batter is set. 

6. Allow the muffins to cool for about 5 minutes on a baking tray, then begin to make the topping.  Melt the butter in the microwave for appox 20 seconds, until it's a thick liquid.  Then in a seperate bowl combine the granulated sugar and the cinnamon.  Now dip the top of each muffin into the butter, then dip into the topping mix, moving it around so all the butter is covered.  Repeat with all the muffins and then let them set on a baking tray. 

Lovely muffins that are a bit different and great served with a cup of tea!

I'm already planning to make them again!

Chocolate Cake Pops

I keep hearing about Cake Pops so thought I would try them out.  Small round cakes on sticks, very easy to eat!

 I bought a mould and some sticks on ebay (which cost me approx £6 in total) and set to work...

TO MAKE

1. I used a simple vanilla cupcake recipe:
Click HERE for link
This recipe could be halved and you'd easily get 12 cake pops!
2.  Place some mixture in each section of the mould - just so it's level.
3.  Then placed the top half of the mould on and baked in the oven.  Begin to check they are cooked after 15minutes - insert a kebab skewer into the hole in the mould - if it comes out clean they are ready.

 

4. Leave to cool slightly, then while they are still warm remove the top half of the mould and insert sticks.  I then used mugs to keep them upright while they fully cooled off.
5. Microwave chocolate in a bowl until it's melted (stir approx every 20 secs to avoid burning). Then roll the cake pops in the chocolate to coat them, return to the mugs to set.

They are delicious with milk or white chocolate, and far too easy to eat!

PS. Check your instructions that come with the mold before you start, just in case they're different!

Gingerbread biscuits

I love gingerbread, and this is a really good easy recipe!

THE RECIPE

Gingerbread biscuits
Makes a lot!
(This recipe fills 3-4 baking trays so you might want to halve the recipe if you're not baking for a group!)

350g plain flour
2tsp ground ginger
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
125g butter
150g soft dark brown sugar
4 tbsp golden syrup
1 medium egg
Chocolate drops (or decoration of your choice - raisins, icing, smarties etc.)

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper. 

2. Sift the flour, ginger and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl and stir together with a wooden spoon.

3. Dice the butter and rub into the mixture with your fingers.  Continue until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar. 

4.  Beat the egg, and add to the mixture along with the golden syrup.  Stir until the mixture starts to hold together like dough.  Get your hands in the bowl and make into a ball.

5.  Sprinkle some flour on a clean surface (to avoid sticking), and roll out the dough mixture with a rolling pin.  Roll until it's about 5mm thick and then use cookie cutters to cut the biscuits.  Re roll the left over mixture and continue until you've used it all up. 

6.  Place the biscuits on a baking tray (you'll probably need a spatula to transport them), and add the chocolate drops.  If you're using icing to stick decorations on this will need to be done after baking.  If you run out of room use baking paper to lay out the biscuits as this can easily be transferred onto the baking tray once the first batch is done. 

7.  Bake each batch for 10 minutes.  Allow the biscuits to cool slightly and enjoy!

These will keep for around 3 days if kept in a sealed container. 

Delicious enjoyed with a cup of tea!

Banana Cake

Delicious banana cake - I've loved this cake since I was a teenager! Courtesy of the lovely Tina!

THE RECIPE

Tina's Banana Cake

8oz self raising flour
4oz caster sugar
4oz butter
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas
1tsp of bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp hot milk
1 tsp baking powder
(Optional icing - Icing sugar, lemon juice)

1. Preheat the oven to 150C and grease a baking tin lightly with butter (8in tin works well). 

2. Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk.

3. Beat the 2 eggs and stir them in.

4. Heat up the milk in the microwave until hot (around 30secs is fine) stir in the bicarbonate of soda to make a frothy mixture.  Mash the bananas.  Add them both into the mixture together and stir slightly with a wooden spoon (not too aggressive).

5. Sift the flour into the mixture and add the baking powder, stir these in gently until all the ingredients are combined.  The mixture should be quite firm and stick together. 

6.  Pour the mixture into the baking tin and smooth off the top.  Bake in the oven for around 50 mins or until a knife comes out of the cake clean. 

7. Once cooked carefully remove cake from the tin and leave to cool on a cooling rack.  

8. (optional) Once cake is cool sift some icing sugar into a bowl,  add a few drops of lemon juice and then add boiling water bit by bit as you stir to create a thick but spreadable icing.  Judge the amount of icing based on the size of the top of the cake.  Spread over and wait to set!

This cake is delicious and also lovely eaten warm (put a slice in the microwave for 20secs to enjoy warm).

MUFFINS:

This recipe also makes delicious muffins.  Put paper cases into a muffin tin and pour the mixture into them evenly.  Bake in the oven at 180C for 20 minutes or until knife comes out clean.  Add icing to each muffin. 

Thanks Tina!

Double Chocolate Cake

Lovely moist chocolate cake with white chocolate icing.  This cake is perfect for chocolate lovers and is delicious!

THE RECIPE

Double Chocolate Cake
(Serves 12)

For the Cake:
175g butter (softened)
175g brown sugar
155g self raising flour
20g cocoa powder
1tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 medium eggs
100ml creme fraiche

For the icing:
175g white chocolate
125g butter
4 tbsp milk
200g icing sugar
1 Cadbury's flake to sprinkle on the top (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 170C.  Grease 2 baking tins and line the bases with baking paper (20cm/8" tins are perfect - I had one slightly smaller and it made quite a nice tier effect, so it doesnt matter on the sizes too much)

2. Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, whisk together until combined.  An electric whisk is best as you'll get a much smoother softer cake at the end.

3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into the bowl.  Beat the eggs and add them into the mixture along with the creme fraiche.  Whisk it all up together.

4. Divide the mixture into the 2 baking tins.  Smooth the tops off with a spatula and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.  When the cakes come out, leave to cool in their tins slightly.  Then turn out onto a wire baking tray to cool fully.  Remove the baking paper.

5. Now for the icing...Place the White chocolate, butter and milk in a microwavable bowl.  Put the bowl into the microwave for 20 seconds at a time, stirring each time the timer goes off.  Continue this until the mixture is smooth. 

6. Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl and then add in the melted chocolate mixture.  Beat together with a whisk (again an electric whisk is best).  Allow the icing to cool, then whisk again until the mixture is thicker and keeps it's shape slightly when stirred.  (You could put it in the fridge for a while to speed up this up a bit).

7. Use a little of the icing to sandwich the two cakes together.  Then spread the rest over the top and sides of the whole cake.  Before the icing sets, sprinkle a Cadbury's flake (or decoration of your choice) over the top.

Enjoy! This one's quite a lot of work, but it's worth it!

Inspiration - Home, Parties and Weddings

I came across this website in the week:

http://www.angelatmytable.com/

It's got lovely ideas for home decoration, parties and weddings.  All with a lovely soft vintage feel.
The sell most of the stuff too!

Happy Easter

Enjoy the time off!

Chocolate-Caramel Cupcakes

... in case you haven't got enough chocolate treats this Easter!  Chocolate cupcakes with soft caramel centre. 

THE RECIPE

Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes
(Makes 12)

175g self-raising flour
20g cocoa powder
175g brown sugar
100g unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 eggs
125ml milk (room temperature)
Cadbury's Caramel chocolate bar or Rolos

1. Preheat oven to 180C.  Layout cupcake cases onto a muffin tray. 

2. Use a large mixing bowl, sift in the flour, add the sugar and cocoa powder.

3. Add in the butter, milk and whisked eggs.  (An easy way to get the butter and milk to room temp is just use the microwave for 10-20 seconds - although put them in a bowl/cup first!)

4. Mix together with a wooden spoon or electric whisk if you have one.

5.  Spoon in a little mixture into each cupcake case, add a rolo or square chunk of Caramel chocolate, then cover with more mixture until they're all evenly filled.

6. Put in the oven for 20 minutes. 

7. Leave to cool for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack for cooling. (although they are delicious served hot!)

The cakes will last for approx 4 days if kept in a sealed container.

I also used a rubber heart cupcake tray - a similar one can be found here:
http://www.marksandspencer.com/Marks-and-Spencer-Silicone-Muffin/dp/B004HCFX40
Be sure to grease the tray shapes first with butter. 

 Enjoy!

Something BIG for Easter

A couple of years ago a friend and I did something epic - we created a creme egg the size of an Easter egg!

Wrapper made by painting tin foil

1.5kg of chocolate

Pouring in the fondant

The beast on the scales

13 portions!

The recipe is here:

http://www.pimpthatsnack.com/project/302/?ref=quicksearch

It was super sickly and took a long time to create but we ended up with 13 large portions to share out among friends !
Egg-cellent!

Simple Stuffed Peppers with Chorizo

A simple recipe that's a bit different and only takes 30 mins!

Bit messy to look at but lovely to eat!

THE RECIPE

Chorizo and cous cous stuffed peppers
(Makes 4)

4 Peppers
Chorizo - 1/2 pack
300g cous cous
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tomatoes 
4 mushrooms
1 red chilli
Grated mozzarella (or cheese of your choice)

1. Preheat the oven to 190C.

2. Slice the top off each pepper, remove seeds and hollow out.  Place on a baking tray and put in oven for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prepare cous cous according to pack instructions.

4.  Heat some oil in a pan and add chopped onion and garlic.

5. Chop and add all other veg, stirring occasionally.  Then dice the chorizo and add to the pan.  (Add a little hot sauce or black pepper here if you like)

6. Fluff up the cous cous with a fork, add the contents of the pan and stir up together. 

7.  Remove the peppers from the oven and fill with the cous cous mixture.  Add some grated cheese on top and return them to the oven for 5 minutes. 

That's it! Serve with salad for lunch or with meat for dinner.  They are more filling than they look though - 2 is probably enough for a meal.  I also had some cous cous mixture left over which I had for lunch the next day. 

Enjoy!

Low-fat Blueberry Muffins

BAKING

Not completely good - but better than a normal muffin!

THE RECIPE

Low Fat Blueberry Muffins
(Makes 12)

5 tbsp olive oil
225g self raising flour
115g wholemeal flour (plain can be used as a substitute)
2 tsp baking powder
zest 1/2 a lemon
1tsp of lemon juice
85g caster sugar
50g brown sugar
1 small banana (best when they are very ripe and going black)
1 egg
290ml low fat yoghurt
225g fresh blueberries

1. Heat oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases. Mix both flours with the baking powder and the lemon zest.  Stir in both sugars, but keep back 1 tbsp of the caster sugar.

2. Mash the banana, beat the egg, then mix them together in a bowl with the yoghurt and oil.  Now pour into the flour mix and stir together with a metal spoon, they just need to be combined not mixed.  Add the blueberries and stir again.  (be careful not to crush them!)

3. Spoon mixture into the tin, each one should be very full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden brown.

4.  Mix the tbsp of caster sugar and the lemon juice together.  When the muffins are done brush the lemon and sugar over the top while they are still hot.  Leave to cool for around 15 minutes. 

The muffins will last for around 2 days - yum!

Facebook

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Mother's Day Bunting

CRAFT

I've designed some decorations for Mother's Day and thought I would share them with you all. 

Free printable bunting - click link below

To create your decorations ou will need:
-Access to a printer
- Scissors
- Ribbon
- Double sided tape
- A cocktail stick

Print out several pages of the pdf, about 5 pages will probably be enough.  Cut out the triangles, and attach to a ribbon.  Wrapping paper ribbon or string could also work.  The best way to attach is double sided tape, but staples will also work - just hang it up high so no one can see them!
There are also some cake toppers on the page - cut these out and stick to a cocktail stick.  These can then be used to decorate cakes. 

Click HERE to download

Enjoy!

Sewn cards

SEWING

I experimented with making some cards with my sewing machine.  I use fabric remnants in different patterns and then sewed a square and a heart onto paper.  I used thin paper so it wouldn't damage the needle and a full A4 piece so the paper can be folded in half and then half again to hide the back of the sewing.  I used them as Thank You cards but they could for Mothers Day?

Need: Fabric remnants, Coloured paper, Sewing machine. (Could be done by hand)

Giant Custard Cremes

FIND

Giant Custard Cremes!

They're from Costa Coffee.  To be honest they were quite sickly and we ended up sharing one - but it was a good surprise and somehting a bit different for a Saturday morning cup of tea!

Vanilla Cupcakes

BAKING

I made these for my sister's birthday a while ago - the recipe is simple and the bright icing looks great!

 

THE RECIPE

Vanilla Cupcakes

(makes approx 24)
225g unsalted butter, softened
225g caster sugar
225g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 - Preheat oven to 180C / 350F / Gas Mark 4.
2 - Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix until light and fluffy.
3 - Spoon mixture into baking cases and bake for 18 mins or until risen and golden brown.

So simple and so tasty! I then used a mixture of plain icing and buttercream icing in different colours - all the colous made a lot of washing up but the result was worth it!