Flour, Cake and Pastry

Happy Christmas Eve! So tomorrow is the big day, and I hope you've all got your presents wrapped, cards written and food prepared! Today is sadly the last in our Festive Favourites series for this year, and I've had so much fun sharing some of my favourite feel-good foods with you over the last week. This will be my last post for a few days so I hope you all have an amazing Christmas, and keep your eyes peeled on social media for a brand new post next week in time for the New Year! As it is Christmas Eve, I thought I'd share with you a great way of using up leftovers...Mini Turkey and Cranberry Pies. These little pies are so cute and are packed with a punch of flavour! You can also fill them with ham and mustard, or any other dream combinations that takes your fancy! Ingredients: 500g plain flour (plus extra for dusting) 250g butter Pinch salt 250g shredded leftover turkey 8tbsp double cream 8tsp cranberry sauce 1 beaten egg Method: Prepare the pastry (th...

Panettone is a classic Italian sweet bread, full of flavour. From it's humble beginnings in Milan, Panettone has fast become known as the Italian Christmas Bread. Today, this bread is often used as part of the Christmas gift giving season, and is found in nearly every Italian kitchen. In some families, this includes Easter as well. The bread is very buttery and so it doesn't stale easily. It's often accompanied by coffee or liqueur. It is an extremely labour intensive bread to make, which can take between 13 to 20 hours, due to the multiple risings which must take place. Therefore it is often prepared the day prior to serving. Many recipes call for hours of fiddling and waiting around for the bread to prove in to it's classic dome shape. However, that doesn't mean that a simple recipe was easy to come across! Here is a recipe you can make in your sleep (literally), and it comes from Maison Cupcake , who was inspired by a Great British Bake Off recip...

Good evening! Friday is almost upon us, which means the weekend is looming, as is Christmas! So today's Festive Favourite recipe is a staple in any meal, and always goes down well with a bowl of hot homemade soup, so it's perfect when you use up those left over veggies and turkey trimmings on boxing day. That's right, today's recipe is for a yummy traditional farmhouse loaf! Ingredients: 12g dried yeast 1 tsp sugar 500g strong white bread flour 1tsp salt 15g unsalted butter 300ml warm water Method: Place 150ml of warm water into a 600ml measuring jug. Sprinkle in the yeast and sugar, and whisk well before leaving in a warm place until the yeast froths up. This will take about 15 minutes. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the butter and add the yeast and a further 150ml of warm water. Mix together until a soft dough starts to form. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, this could take up to 10 min...

We're half way through the week! With four more days to go until the big day, I hope you're all getting your presents wrapped, food bought and cards written. Christmas Day will soon be upon us! So another day means another Festive Favourite recipe, and today's bake doesn't let down...today is meringue day! This recipe is a great one to get the kids involved with, and comes from British Lion Eggs ...Christmas Meringue Snowmen! This recipe makes 5 snowmen, so if you want to make some more (which you probably will), just double the recipe! Ingredients: 2 egg whites 100g caster sugar 75g milk chocolate chips 5 (10cm) lengths of ribbon Method: Preheat your oven to 140C. Grease a large baking tray and line with non-stick baking paper. Place the egg whites in a large, clean bowl and use an electric whisk to whisk them until they are thick, white and stiff peaks form. You should be able to tip the bowl upside down and the egg whites sh...

Happy Tuesday! Today's recipe comes from yet another European country which is full of culture, flavour and an overflowing amount of scrummy recipes and bakes that are yet to be discovered. Although this recipe has become increasingly popular here in the UK, it still is and always be a traditional German dish. A perfect alternative to Christmas Cake, and impeccable with a glass (or two) of brandy, stollen has quite possibly got to be up there in my list of favourite bakes. As a Christmas bread, stollen was baked for the first time at the Council of Trent in 1545, and was made with flour, yeast, oil and water. Advent was seen as a time of fasting, so many rich foods such as butter were forbidden during Christmas bakes. Over time, the bread has changed from being a simple, fairly tasteless loaf to one which is sweeter, more dynamic and made with extremely rich ingredients such as marzipan. It has adapted into the loaf we all know and love today, and frankly, it wouldn't...

Good evening!  Today's Festive Favourite Recipe is one that always goes down a treat, we make it at work all the time and it's quite possibly one of my favourite breads to make. So read on for our yummy Focaccia recipe! Ingredients: 500g strong white bread flour 2tsp. Salt 2 sachets dried yeast 2tbsp. Olive oil (plus a little extra for drizzling) 400ml cold water Sea salt, to finish Method: Place flour, salt, yeast, oil and 300ml of the water into a large bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon gently to form a dough and then knead the dough in the bowl for 5 minutes, gradually adding the remaining water. Stretch the dough by hand in the bowl, tuck the sides into the centre, turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat the process for about 5 minutes. Tip the dough into an oiled work surface and continue to knead for 5 minutes. Return he dough to the bowl and cover and leave to rise until doubled in size. Line 2 large baking sheets with grease proof paper. Tip the dough onto t...

Hello! Today is the first of my festive favourites, mincemeat. Mincemeat is something that really does get better with time, the longer you leave it, the more it matures, and the tastier it becomes! So it really is worth making it early, and leaving it to sit for a few days before you make some yummy mince pies! This recipe comes from the baking Queen, Mary Berry , and uses butter instead of suet, making it perfectly suitable for vegetarians, so its the perfect crowd pleaser! It makes 4 x 370g jars, so you should have plenty to keep you going over the Christmas period! Ingredients: 175g currants 175g raisins 175g sultanas 175g dried cranberries 100g mixed peel 1 small cooking apple, peeled and finely chopped 125g butter, cut into cubes 50g whole blanched almonds, roughly chopped 225g light muscovado sugar ½ tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp mixed spice 1 lemon-rind and juice 200ml brandy Method: Measure all of the ingredients except the alcohol into a large ...

Happy Sunday! With one week to go until Christmas, mince pies are being made, Christmas cakes are being decorated and Christmas puds are being steamed. But with a week to go there is still time to make a birthday cake or two, and this weekend's recipe is just that...a lemon and white chocolate birthday cake decorated with a sprinkling of icing sugar and encircled in white chocolate fingers. Without further a do, here's the recipe! Ingredients: 10oz self raising flour 10oz butter 10oz caster sugar 5 eggs 1 lemon-juice and zest 1lb icing sugar, plus a little extra for decoration 8oz softened butter 1tsp vanilla essence 2tbsp lemon curd 3 boxes Cadbury's white chocolate fingers *8 inch circular cake tin x 2* Method: Pre-heat your oven to 180C and grease and line your cake tins. Cream together the butter and sugar, before sieving in the flour and adding one egg. Stir well. Add the rest of the eggs and beat well until well combined and a cake batter is form...

Good afternoon!  It's once again Monday, and once again it's a chilly, dull afternoon, making you want to get in your pjs, make a cup of cocoa and curl up on the sofa to watch a good Christmas film.  This week is my fourth and final Winter Warmer recipe, and it's a yummy one! With half of my family living in Cornwall, it's safe to say we have had our fair share of Cornish pasties over the years (they are so yum). This is a bit of a spin on the classic pasty...it's  a pie for starters. But served with a few roasties and lashings of gravy, this is the classic Cornish Pasty, Northern style.  Ingredients: 750g lamb neck fillet (cubed) 2 baking potatoes (cubed) 1 500g swede (diced) 1 large onion (roughly chopped) 750ml lamb stock (hot) 1 tbsp thyme leaves 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 500g puff pastry  1 egg (beaten) Method: Put the lamb, veg, stock, thyme and Worcestershire sauce in a large pan. Bring to the boil on the job, skimming off any foam that...

December is here...and Christmas is less than three weeks away! Today's recipe is perfect for those family meal times, when you just need a hearty dish after a long chilly day at work or school. Ingredients: 1KG Bramley cooking apples 140g caster sugar 0.5tsp cinnamon 3tbsp flour 350g plain flour (plus a little extra for dusting) 225g softened butter 50g caster sugar 2 eggs Method: Put a layer of kitchen roll on a large baking tray. Peel, core and slice the apples about 5mm thick and lay evenly on the baking tray. Put kitchen roll on top and set aside while you make the pastry. For the pastry, rub the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until it resembles breadcrumbs. Break in a whole egg and a yolk (keep the white for glazing). Beat together for about a minute-it will look a bit like scrambled egg. Now work in the flour with a wooden spoon, a third at a time, until it begins to clump up, then finish gathering it togeth...

Trying to find a cake recipe that allows for food intolerances is always a bit tricky. You have to take into account so many different aspects, that it can get incredibly confusing! Recently, I was asked to make a 1st birthday cake, for a little chap who can't eat eggs or dairy...and whilst butter and eggs make up half of the cake batter, a little research on the internet helped me find lots of replacements! And after a little while of searching, I finally came upon this recipe which uses oil and water as a replacement for the eggs and butter. To be honest, I was a little apprehensive. I wasn't too sure how the cake would turn out once baked...but to my pleasant surprise it turned out really well. Here's the recipe! Ingredients: 3.5 cups self raising flour 2 cups sugar 2tsp baking powder 0.5tsp salt 2tsp white wine vinegar 2tbsp vanilla essence 2/3 cup vegetable oil 2 cups cold water Method: Grease and line 2x8inch baking tins. Combine all the dry ing...

This cake is a real showstopper...a simple yet delicious sponge filling, decorated with a raspberry flavoured buttercream, ombre style. Ingredients: 250g butter, softened 250g caster sugar 1tsp vanilla essence 4 eggs 250g self raising flour 1tsp baking powder 500g icing sugar, sifted 250 butter, softened Raspberry jam 100g Frozen raspberries Method: Grease and line two 8” cake tins. Preheat the oven to 180c. Cream together the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy, and add the vanilla essence. Add the eggs one at a time, beating the mix well after each addition. Sift in the flour and baking powder, fold in well. Divide the cake mix between the tins, and bake for 25-30 minutes, until well risen and golden brown, and springy to the touch. Transfer to a cooling wire. Level the tops of the cakes using a serrated knife. Set onto a serving plate or cake board and sandwich together with the jam. Beat together the icing sugar and butter, until fully combin...

So here we are, November is suddenly near it's end, and Christmas is little over a month away. Time is going faster, and life is becoming busier, and all of a sudden there's no spare time in the day to cook a meal, let alone bake something. But have no fear...there are recipes out there that take very little time to make, can be made in advance and taste so lush! This weeks winter warmer recipe is a family favourite, and after spending this weekend in Wales, I thought I'd add a Welsh spin and throw in some leek too, yum! Ingredients: For the pastry: 250g plain flour 110g butter, softened Pinch salt 1 egg, separated For the filling: 1 large bulb garlic 2 tbsp olive oil 150g smoked bacon 4 leeks (washed, trimmed, quartered lengthways and finely sliced) 3 eggs 200ml double cream 50g cheddar, grated Salt and pepper to season Method: For the pastry: Grease a 9 inch tart tin. Sift the flour into a bowl, then add the softened butter and a...

So winter has arrived, bringing with it flurries of snow, slippy roads and radiant sunrises. I love this exact time of year...the last few days of autumn and first few days of winter are here, and I love the mish mash of weather we now have. I love the colours on the trees, and having an excuse to bring out my big fluffy winter coat! So now winter is here, many are turning to food for comfort; it's that time of year perfect for soups, stews and hot puddings...food that warms you up and is good for the soul. Over the next few weeks running up to Christmas, I'll be sharing with you some of my favourite winter warmers recipes, from hotpots to crumbles. And this first recipe will not fail to warm the cockles of your heart even on the coldest of days...the wonderful Sticky Toffee Fudge Cake. Ingredients: For the Sponge 175g chopped dates 1tsp. bicarb. 50g salted butter Pinch of salt 75g demerara sugar 75g molasses sugar 175g self-raising flour 2 large eggs 1tsp. vani...

Happy Monday...its Halloween! Which also means its the end of October, which I'm a little sad about! There's nothing more autumnal than gingerbread; I love the smell of it when it's cooking-it makes everything seem so festive! So to get in the mood for the festive season which is fast approaching, and to wave a fond farewell to October, here's my recipe for some yummy gingerbread. Ingredients: 300g self raising flour Pinch of salt 3tsp ground ginger 100g caster sugar 50g margarine 3tbsp golden syrup 4tbsp milk Method: Heat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius, grease a baking tray. Place the flour, salt and ginger in a bowl. Warm together the margarine, sugar and golden syrup, and add to the dry ingredients-mix well. Add the milk and mix to a firm consistency. Knead the dough lightly with your hands. Roll out and cut out shapes or people, and place them on the baking tray. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly then carefully lift onto a wire ra...

Chocolate orange is one of those flavour combinations that really can't go wrong. And for me, there's nothing more delicious than a Terry's Chocolate Orange; they are my favourite sweet treat of all time. So I thought I'd combined the classic Christmas snack with one of my favourite bakes-marble cake. Chocolate orange marble sponge, sandwiched together with a smooth, creamy buttercream, and topped with 12 segments of Terry's Chocolate Orange. Does it really get much better? Ingredients: 10oz Self Raising Flour 10oz Butter, softened 10oz Caster Sugar Pinch of Baking Powder 5 Eggs 1.5oz Cocoa Powder Zest and Juice of one Orange To decorate: 1 x 500g pot of Betty Crocker Vanilla Icing (I cheated this week and didn't make my own buttercream, but sometimes it has to be done) 1 Terry's Chocolate Orange *2 8inch circle cake tins, greased and lined* Method: Combine the flour, butter, sugar, baking powder and eggs in a mixing bowl, and beat we...

Over the last few years, the human population has grown, and with that growth comes an increase in food choices and dietary requirements. It's now also become common for people to choose to eat gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian or vegan. It's amazing to think we now live in a world where we aren't limited to what we can eat, or where we can get our food from. The world of food has come a long way, and with it brings a whole host of new directions we can take our diets down. Today I'm going to be sharing some Vegan dishes. One of my friends is soon to be going Vegan, and so I thought I'd help her out by sharing some yummy alternatives to some of her favourite snacks. Just because you're limited to what you eat, it doesn't mean you can't have fun playing around with new ideas, opening your eyes to new dishes, and new cultures. Veganism is a lifestyle that avoids all animal foods including meat, dairy, eggs and honey; all animal derived products such ...

Rocky Road is a delightful dessert. It always goes down a treat at parties, coffee mornings, at home with the family-pretty much anywhere to be honest. My favourite recipe for Rocky Road has got to be by The Hummingbird Bakery. It's absolutely gorgeous, and it's such a quick and easy recipe. It also makes 12 generous portions so there's no need to fiddle on with multiplying the recipe to make sure it serves everyone. Great right? So without further a do, here's the recipe! Ingredients: 1.4KG milk chocolate, roughly chopped 8 regular sized chewy, filled chocolate bars of your choice (such as Snickers or Mars), roughly chopped 100g marshmallows 180g maltesers 100g dried apricots, roughly chopped 100g raisins 100g cornflakes 100g chocolate vermicelli *You will also need a 33x23x5 cm baking tray, lined with greaseproof paper* Method: Put the milk chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the base of the bowl touch the ...

Autumn has arrived, Halloween is on the way, and Winter will soon be here. That means only one thing; comfort food will soon be becoming an everyday dish. You can't go wrong with a hot bowl of crumble, pie or sponge. There's something typically British about it. I was recently given a load of apples by a friend, so I did what I do best and baked. I made an apple crumble and it cheered us right up. After a really rubbish weekend, comfort food was just what we needed, and crumble hit the nail on the head. It tasted even better with fresh apples picked right form the garden. Crumble is such a cheap sweet treat, and if you're lucky enough to have an apple tree, rhubarb bush or berry bush in your garden, then you really can make it for next to nothing. All you need is fruit, sugar, water, flour and butter. Most of these are ingredients you already have on your shelf, so there's rarely any need to pop to the shop either! Ingredients: 4-5 bramley cooking apples (or h...

So this week is National Cupcake Week, and bakers up and down the country are getting their bake on, and coming up with brand new cupcake recipes all for you lovely people to make, bake and taste (or you probably could cut out the middle man and go straight to a café and enjoy some cakey goodness). This week I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite cupcake recipes, to excite your tastebuds on this dreary Wednesday afternoon. Cupcakes are one of those easy peasy recipes that you used to make with your mum when you were a kid. They are so versatile, you really can't go wrong with a good cupcake. So to start off, here is a basic cupcake recipe which you can edit and add any flavourings to, the choice is yours. Basic Cupcake Recipe Ingredients: 110g self raising flour, sieved 110g caster sugar 2 large eggs 110g softened butter 120g softened butter 250g icing sugar, sieved 1tbsp milk 1tsp vanilla essence Method: Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius and l...

Happy Monday! So the end of September is fast approaching, and dare I say it, Christmas is actually just around the corner. Shops are getting ready for the festive season, stacking their shelves with chocolate and Christmas cards. Absolutely crazy! The one good thing about Christmas coming is Ferrero Rocher being back on the shelves. I absolutely love them, and of course, love to bake with them. So I was over the moon to find this scrummy recipe on the BBC Good Food website, for Hazelnut Brownies, filled with that Ferrero Rocher goodness! It honestly doesn't get much better-it's literally Christmas on a plate. Ingredients: Box of 16 Ferrero Rocher chocolates 250g pack salted butter, plus a little extra for greasing 250g caster sugar 225g light muscovado sugar 100g cocoa powder 4 eggs 100g self-raising flour 85g chopped hazelnuts 4 tbsp. Frangelico or Fratello hazelnut liqueur (optional) Method: Unwrap the chocolates and place on a tray. Pop them in the freeze...

So tonight sees a brand new baking challenge in The Great British Bake Off; and for the first time ever, the bakers are faced with all things batter. I'm extremely excited to see how the remaining bakers react to this brand new batch of challenges! Time will tell! So in honour of batter week, I thought I'd share with you guys my favourite pancake recipe! I mean, can you really go wrong with pancakes? No! Ingredients: 135g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 2 tbsp sugar 130ml milk 1 large egg, beaten 2 tbsp melted butter(allowed to cool slightly) or olive oil, plus extra for cooking Method: Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a large bowl. In a separate bowl or jug, lightly whisk together the milk and egg, then whisk in the melted butter. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and, using a fork, beat until you have a smooth batter. Any lumps will soon disappear with a little mixing. Let the batter stan...

Happy Thursday! I hope you all enjoyed The Great British Bake Off  last night! I'm looking forward to catching up on it when I come back from South Africa. I thought I'd share with you one of my favourite basic baking recipes: cupcakes. They're so easy and they're certainly a crowd pleaser! You can pretty much add any flavourings you want, how great is that? So this recipe makes 12 cupcakes, and enough icing to pipe a swirl on top! Simple! Ingredients: 110g self raising flour, sieved 110g caster sugar 2 large eggs 110g softened butter 120g softened butter 250g icing sugar, sieved 1tbsp milk 1tsp vanilla essence Method: Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius and line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake cases. Beat together the flour, butter eggs and sugar for two minutes, or until a golden batter is formed, it should be thick and fluffy. Add any flavourings! Split the mix into the twelve cases. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and a skew...

Scones are one of my favourite things. I love them! And they're even tastier when filled with a good dollop of jam and a spoonful of whipped cream, perfect for those summer nights sat in the garden with a nice cold drink. The recipe comes from one of my favourite recipe books...Be-Ro. It's so simple to make and there's so many different varieties to choose from-fruit, cheese, cherry, blueberry, coffee and walnut. The list goes on! So, here you go! Ingredients: 225g Be-Ro Self Raising Flour 50g Margarine Pinch Salt 25g Caster Sugar (omit this if you're making a savoury scone, such as cheese) 1 Medium Egg To add any extra ingredients, such as cheese or sultanas, just add 50g of your selected filling Method: Heat the oven to 220ºC, 425ºF, Gas Mark 7 and grease a baking tray. Mix flour, and salt, rub in margarine and stir in sugar and fruit. Add egg mixture and milk reserving a little for brushing the tops. Knead lightly on a floured surface and roll ou...