Flour, Cake and Pastry

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...