I had a piece of red velvet cake at work this week that had me dreaming of making it all week. Enter Sunday, the day of the week when I usually bake. Unfortunately the red velvet cake wasn’t to be – the recipe I followed for the sponge had far too much cocoa in it for the red colour in it to show up (I … Continue reading Rich chocolate cake with mascarpone frosting
I love a good loaf cake. If highly decorated cupcakes were the vamp of a cake based fictional drama loaf cakes would be the ultimate ugly duckling who turns into a swan. This cake uses spelt flour which is lower in gluten and higher in protein than normal flour and the only sugar comes from dark honey. The use of wholemeal spelt flour was entirely … Continue reading Honey and lemon loaf
I am well aware that Pavlova is generally more of a summery food than one for the depths of winter. However, hear me out. Frozen berries work wonderfully in this recipe and this recipe is amazing following a Sunday roast or for a special occasion. Plus, as its Valentine’s Day coming up, do you really want to pass up an opportunity to say “This my … Continue reading Pavlova
Christmas is well and truly upon us. If, like me, dried fruit based desserts leave you uninspired, try this gem of a dessert. This one is perfect for a special occasion; it looks impressive, packs a real punch in the flavour department and although making it is time consuming, it isn’t a difficult thing to bake. I did get a bit of pastry shrinkage with … Continue reading Chocolate and salted caramel hazelnut tart
I have recently got into baking bread from scratch in a big way. The thought used to fill me with dread, thinking I would fail horribly leaving me with a loaf that was burned on the edges and raw dough in the centre. Then I discovered that all you need is confidence and time. I like to mix my bread ingredients by hand so I … Continue reading Homemade focaccia
As you may have gathered from the limited number of pie recipes on my blog, homemade pastry is really not my strong point. After a food technology lesson when I was about 13 which resulted in pastry that would just not bind together I pledged my allegiance to Jus Roll more or less (except when it comes to baking club and baking with friends). Enter … Continue reading Coconut frangipane lime tarts (and mini tarte tatin)
Happy Hallowe’en everybody! This year I thought I’d share my recipe for gingerbread. Partly because they’re perfect to share at this time of year, or to give out to trick or treaters. Mostly because I have had zombie cookie cutters since I went to the cake and bake show back in March. These biscuits have an absolutely fantastic flavour. Almost makes you want to keep … Continue reading Zombie gingerbread
The other week Ed and I had a very companionable afternoon picking blackberries in Harrogate. I obviously got my new jumper full of thorns and we both ended up walking home nursing nettle stings. Anyway, armed with a large container of frozen blackberries (or brambles as my family calls them) and some beautiful apples very kindly given to me by my mum and FN at … Continue reading Harvest crumble bars (apple and blackberry flapjacks with crumble topping)
As I am embracing Autumnal goodies (Fall goodies I suppose for my North American readers) I decided to make these lovely spring rolls using mushrooms from my local farm shop. You can use any mushrooms for these but obviously things like chestnut, portobello or any mixture of mushrooms will work best and offer a variety of flavours and textures. This recipe can stretch to make … Continue reading Mixed mushroom spring rolls
Autumn is one of my favourite times for cooking. I have really started to enjoy making the most of all of the seasonal produce, especially since moving to Yorkshire where local produce is fantastic. Even beetroot haters (of which I am one) will adore this cake. The cake is lovely and soft, the beetroot adding a richness – it adds an extra dimension and the … Continue reading Chocolate beetroot cake
The Bunfight 