Flour, Cake and Pastry

Salted Caramel has become hugely popular in the last few years so I thought it was about time I shared a few recipe inspirations with this delicious filling! First of all, here's a base recipe from Jamie Oliver for Salted Caramel, and it's delicious! Its super simple and takes literally no time at all, so give it a go... Ingredients A dash of vanilla essence A pinch of sea salt 40 ml double cream 15 g salted butter 60 g caster sugar 40 g golden syrup Method Combine the cream, vanilla, half of the butter and sea salt in a pan. Cook, whisking over a low heat for about 2 to 3 minutes until it’s just bubbling,  and then take the pan off the heat and set aside. Place the caster sugar and golden syrup in a medium pan over a low heat. Don’t stir, just gently swirl the pan to help dissolve the sugar. Turn up the heat to medium and keep swirling until the sugar turns to golden caramel. Take off the heat. Stir the caramel into the hot milk with a wooden ...

So I'm finally back from my Australasia adventure! And I'm finally back to baking tasty delights! Oh how I've missed it! This week I made the easiest chocolate cake in the world, filled with a creamy delicious vanilla buttercream and decorated with my favourite decoration, a chocolate cage. Read on for a step by step guide and that all important ingredient list! You'll need two 8 inch round cake tins for this one! Ingredients 250g self raising flour 35g cocoa powder 285g caster sugar 285g softened butter 5 eggs 1tsp baking powder 1 tub of Betty Crocker Vanilla Icing 100g dark chocolate Method Preheat your oven to 180C, grease and line your cake tins. In a bowl combine the butter and sugar until creamy, and then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in a spoon full of flour with your last egg before beating well. Fold in the remaining flour, cocoa and baking powder until combined. Give the batter a final...

So I'm halfway through my New Zealand trip and what better way to celebrate than another Kiwi inspired recipe. Anzac biscuits are super easy to make and can be made either chewy or crunchy, depending on how you like them! An Anzac biscuit is a sweet biscuit, which is found in both Australia and New Zealand. Its main ingredients are porridge oats, delicious golden syrup and desiccated coconut. This recipe is from Food to Love , so be sure to go and check out all their other DELICIOUS recipes, you won't regret it. Ingredients: 1 cup plain flour 1 cup caster sugar 1 cup desiccated coconut 2 cups rolled oats 125g butter 2 tbsp golden syrup 1 tsp baking soda 3 tbsp boiling water Method: Heat oven to 180C. Line two baking trays. Place flour, caster sugar, coconut and oats in a bowl and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre. Place the butter and golden syrup in a saucepan to melt, or microwave in a bowl to melt. Dissolve the baking soda in boiling water. Add th...

Kia Ora! I'm currently doing some travelling around New Zealand, seeing all the sights and tasting all the delicious food. So I thought I'd share with you one of my favourites so far: Ambrosia! Ambrosia is a famous kiwi BBQ bring-a-long pudding. Its so simple...it only takes ten minutes to prepare on the morning of your BBQ or event, and by the time the BBQ rolls around the marshmallows will be soft and squidgy. And with just 4 ingredients, it really won't break the bank!  Ingredients: 1kg yoghurt (Any flavour you'd like)  500ml double cream  1 packet marshmallows (Any size)  1 punnet strawberries  Method: Slice the strawberries and chop the marshmallows in half (if using large).  Whip the double cream until soft peaks are formed, then add in the yoghurt and mix until its well combined.  Add in the marshmallows and fruit, and then spoon into either a large glass bowl or individual bowls or glasses.  Pop in the fridge for at least 5 hours go set...

Hello weekend! How excited I am to see you! So this week has been a crazy busy week, but I still found time to do a spot or two of baking, as always. We had a few lemons left in our fridge that were never going to get used up, so I thought I may as well pop them into one of my bakes * . And this is the result! Lemon flavoured shortbread biscuits, sandwiched together with a tangy lemon curd (which I admit, is a supermarket lemon curd, but that also needed using up so...), and finished with a dusting of icing sugar. They go perfect with a cuppa, or to be honest just by themselves. With a biscuit base that literally does just melt in your mouth and then a hit of delicious lemon, you really can't go wrong. Ingredients 200g softened butter 140g caster sugar 1 egg yolk 280g plain flour, sieved 1 lemon: zest 1/2 jar lemon curd Icing sugar, to finish Plain flour, to dust Method Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, and then add in the egg yolk and beat ...

Hello! So today I am off on my travels to Australia and New Zealand! And to celebrate I thought I'd share some yummy 'Taste of...' recipes to get you inspired and to just share some new and exciting flavours from across the globe. So look out over the next couple of weeks for some delicious treats from the other side of the world. This week sees the turn of Lamingtons, made from squares of sponge cake coated in an outer layer of either chocolate or raspberry sauce and then rolled in desiccated coconut. The thin mixture is absorbed into the cake and left to set, giving it its unique and distinctive texture. Without further a do... Ingredients 3 eggs 1/2 cup caster sugar 3/4 cup self-raising flour 1/4 cup corn-flour 15g butter 3tbsp hot water For the icing 3 cups desiccated coconut 2 cups icing sugar 1/3 cup cocoa powder 15g butter 1/2 cup milk Method Pre-heat your oven to 180C and grease and line a 18cm x 28cm tin. Beat the eggs until they're ...

SO here we are on our final #EasterInspirations post for this year! How fast has this month gone? However this does mean Easter has finally arrived, and I'm sure you're all ready for a weekend off work or school, to celebrate with your loved ones and just to have some well earned R&R. Today's post is one I'm quite excited about as it's a little different to our standard baking posts, today I'll be sharing 5 Easter Inspired drinks, all non-alcoholic, to have with your Easter brunch or your main meal, whatever you fancy. By making these drinks non-alcoholic it means they are something you can have with the whole family. They're all packed with spring flavours to get the most out of the delightful season we're in. Spring flavours are always fresh and light, as we move into those summery fruity tastes. You'll no doubt want to use these recipes over and over again throughout the year, and I wouldn't blame you! Strawberry Grapefruit Smoothie...

Easter Weekend is just one week away! How quickly has that come round? Christmas honestly feels like it was 2 weeks ago, let alone 3 months! Another week means another 5 Inspirations for your Easter Weekend tables, and what better way to round off a delicious homemade meal than with a homemade pie for pud? Good Housekeeping recently made a 20 recipe guide on the best Easter Pies, and while they all look DELICIOUS, I thought I'd share my favourite 5 to get you inspired. There's even a vegan friendly recipe which is also gluten-free, so no matter who you're catering for, there's always a recipe. Without further a do... Pear Crumb Pie We have a never ending debate in our house of whether to have a crumble or a pie, mainly because half of us prefer pie, while the other half prefer a crumble. So you can never win. Unless you combine the two...served with warm custard, or a little vanilla ice cream, this pie satisfies the sweetest of teeth, as well as using some...

Who would believe its the weekend once again, which means its one whole week closer to Easter weekend, and everything that comes along with it. So here is our second instalment of our Easter Inspirations series! As Lent comes to an end, many households across the world take the opportunity to indulge in the luxury ingredients they have done so well to avoid over the last few weeks. These ingredients can include eggs, milk, cheese, cream, sugar and chocolate, and so it has become a popular tradition-especially in Europe-to create a rich sweet bread which is filled with those luxuries, that makes your mouth water. So this week I'm going to be sharing some delicious sweet bread recipes from across Europe, all full of history, flavour and smells to die for. Don't forget to search #easterinspirations for more of our recipe ideas! GERMANY: OSTERBROT Osterbrot is a soft, white loaf made in a boule shape, scored with a cross. It is traditionally filled with currants and ...

So March is well and truly under way, and I do believe Spring is finally arriving! Throughout the month of March I'll be sharing some recipes perfect for Easter, and all that comes with it. This weeks recipes are all focussed on the awesome flavour combination that is Chocolate Orange. So read on for some Easter Inspirations. Chocolate Orange Brownies Brownie. Chocolate. Oranges. Does it really get much better? The great thing about brownies is that once you discover a great batter recipe, you can literally add any flavourings you like, or you could try your hand at baking some blondies, made with white chocolate instead of milk or dark. For a basic Brownie Batter, you'll need: 1 85g unsalted butter 185g dark chocolate 85g plain flour 40g cocoa powder 275g caster sugar 2 eggs And then just add the zest and juice of one large orange! For the method, just click here ! Chocolate Orange Cookies Cookies are perfect with a cuppa, and I'm sure us Brits demol...

So we are just two days away from March, which means my Sugar-Free February challenge is almost at an end. And that also means this is our final recipe in our Sugar-Free Feb series! To find out why I've taken part in this challenge for Cancer Research UK, or to donate, simply click below. CHARLOTTE'S SUGAR FREE FEBRUARY This weeks recipe is one of those thrown together recipes that just so happened to work out rather well. With no added sugars, this still packs plenty of sweetness from the blueberries and honey used. I turned the batter into cupcakes, but you could easily do a sponge cake or loaf tin bake. BLUEBERRY CUPCAKES Ingredients 150g softened unsalted butter 3tbsp honey 3 eggs, beaten 180g self-raising flour Blueberries (I used two handfuls, just add in as many as you'd like) Method Pre-heat your oven to 180C, and line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners. Melt together the honey and butter in a pan and set to one side. Sieve the f...

Welcome back to our Sugar-Free Feb series! So I went away this week and wanted to take some snacks with me that I could actually eat whilst I'm sugar free...and these fit the bill! Bananas are super versatile and can be used in cakes and cookies, or smoothies and ice cream. These bars are great for breakfast, an afternoon snack or a dessert. This recipe has just 2 key ingredients so it really is cheap as chips! I used the recipe from an amazing website, called The Kitchn however I adapted the recipe a little to suit my needs and tastes. As long as you have the two main ingredients (bananas and oats), you really can make this recipe anything you want it to be. Without further a do... BANANA OAT BARS Ingredients 2 ripe bananas 2 cups rolled oats 1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional) 1/4 cup pitted, chopped dried dates (optional) 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional) 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional) Grated nutmeg or cinnamon (optional) I added some chopped peanuts, ...

Aloha! This week is my second recipe in Sugar Free February, and you wouldn't think for one second that it has 0 grams of sugar! For the entirety of this month I'm giving up sugar to raise money for Cancer Research UK, you can head over to read more about why, what the money is going towards, and to donate, here . This means that I'm having to find recipes to share with you guys, and at home, that have 0 sugar, and so natural sugars are a go! SUGAR FREE LEMON AND HONEY CAKE So lemon cake is basically the best. Like I love it, a lot. But the downside to a good old lemon drizzle is that its 100% sugar overload, and that would just not do this month.  And then I stumbled upon this recipe , and to be honest, I don't think I'll go back to using my normal lemon drizzle recipe (sorry Bake Off). Ingredients 175g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 215g runny honey Zest of 3 lemons Juice of 1 lemon 75g ground almonds 3 eggs 100g self r...

Hello! Happy February! This month sees me taking part in Sugar Free February to raise money for Cancer Research UK, specifically for research into Secondary Breast Cancer, something which is very close to my heart. Now as a baker, going sugar free does have its challenges, mainly due to 99% of recipes containing some form of sugar. Even in normal life, it's surprising how much of our daily diets contain added sugar, even items you'd expect to have none in. So last week I spent most of my time researching (thank you Google) for some yummy recipes that do not contain an ounce of sugar, but still pack a sweet punch. Things from granola and cereal, to bread and biscuits. So for all of February, I'll be sharing a handful of delicious recipes, which don't break the bank, and which contain NO SUGAR ! And hopefully by the end of the month I'll have raised a little money, spread a little love, and feel a little bit healthier! I'll be sharing these posts as wel...

Happy new year from Flour, Cake and Pastry! Here's our first recipe of 2018,and it's to die for! Lemons, cream and chocolate... Does it get any better? Ingredients 10oz self raising flour 10oz butter, softened 10oz caster sugar 5 large eggs Zest and juice of 2 lemons 800ml double cream 2-3tbsp sieved icing sugar (to taste) Lemon curd 200g milk chocolate Method Preheat your oven to 180C, and grease and line 3 8inch cake tins. Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly add in the flour and mix well before adding in the lemon. Mix again until combined. Split the cake batter between the three tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted to the centre comes out clean. Once cooked, cool in the tins for 10 minutes before tipping out onto a cake wire to cool completely. Meanwhile, whip the cream until it reaches soft peaks. Stir in some sieved ic...