Baking Bo

Happy Easter! I thought by this point, you might be sick of chocolate eggs and fancy something a little bit more traditional. Before this year, I had never tried, let alone made, a Simnel Cake. But my Mum and I made my Grandma one for Mothers Day, as traditionally it was made by young girls in service in large houses to take home to their mothers on Mothering Sunday. It is decorated with balls of marzipan to represent the 11 disciples and is eaten at Easter.  Ingredients: 225g plain flour 1 + 1/2 tsp baking powder pinch of salt 100g glace cherries 350g mixed fruit 175g unsalted butter, softened  175g light brown sugar zest of 1 lemon 4 eggs 50g ground almonds 2 tbsp milk 500g marzipan 2 tbsp apricot jam Method: 1. Grease and line a 20.5cm round deep cake tin. Preheat your oven to 160 fan. 2. Put the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set to one side. Wash the cherries with warm water to remove their sticky syrup. Halve and put them into a bowl with the dried fruit and...

Happy Easter! Well... almost! I have seen these cookies all over Instagram lately so I thought I had to give them a go. The original recipe is by Jane's Patisserie  and they are absolutely delicious! Ingredients: 125g unsalted butter 100g soft brown sugar 75g granulated sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 300g plain flour  1 + 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1/2 tsp salt 100g dairy milk, finely chopped 200g mini eggs, chopped 50g (16) mini eggs, whole  Method: 1. Cream the unsalted butter, soft brown sugar and granulated sugar together using an electric whisk or standing mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and mix again. 2. Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix together to form a cookie dough. 3. Add the dairy milk and the chopped mini eggs and mix again.  4. Weigh the cookie dough into 8 balls, they should weigh 115g each.  5. Once they are rolled into balls, add the whole mini eggs to the top, place on a plate and pop in...

Happy St Patricks Day! I thought today was the perfect day to share my favourite Soda Bread recipe!  Ingredients: 250g plain flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 tsp soft brown sugar  225ml buttermilk  Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 210 fan. Grease a baking tray with a little olive oil.  2. Put the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and sugar into a large bowl.  3. Add the buttermilk and, using a wooden spoon, bring it all together into a doughy mass. Knead the dough lightly in the bowl into a smooth ball.  4. Place it onto the greased baking tray. Slash a deep cross on the top of the dough.  5. Bake for 12 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180 fan. Bake for a further 15-20 minutes until the base sounds hollow when you tap it. 6. Leave to cool for 15 minutes, then serve with lots of salty butter. 

  I first shared this recipe back in 2014  after seeing it on Audra Fullerton's blog . I decided to give it another go this weekend as I wanted to make something really special for brunch after a rubbish week.  I have converted all the cup measurements into grams for any fellow British bakers who want to give this one a go. I am so happy with how it turned out and I hope you enjoy the video I made, showing you how to make it over on my Instagram .  Ingredients for the dough: 175ml milk 55g butter 450g strong white bread flour 7g yeast 50g caster sugar 1/2 tsp salt 60ml water  1 egg  For the filling: 125g dark brown sugar 1 tbsp cinnamon 55g butter  1 tsp vanilla extract For the frosting: 60g butter, softened  125g icing sugar  1 tsp vanilla extract  a splash of milk  Method: 1. To make the dough, warm the milk and butter in a small saucepan until all the butter has melted and leave to one side. 2. Put 2/3rds of the flour into a larg...

Well, the best day of the year is finally upon us... Pancake Day! I asked on Instagram  which pancake recipes you would like to see, but we ALL KNOW I was always going to share all three! So here are my ultimate Vegan Pancakes, Crepes and American Pancakes recipes. Enjoy! 3 Ingredient Vegan Pancakes These pancakes are Vegan! They are also egg, gluten and dairy free! Win win!  Ingredients: 100g oats 2 bananas, mashed 100ml dairy-free milk of your choice (I used oat) Method: 1. Grease your pan well and heat.  2. Blitz all your ingredients together in a blender/food processor.  3. Pour ladles of batter onto the greased pan. 4. As soon as the pancakes are cooked enough that you can get a pancake flipper underneath without breaking the pancakes, flip and cook an additional minute. Serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit.  Crepes As much as I love American Pancakes for breakfast on a Sunday morning, on Pancake Day, I have to have Crepes with lemon and sugar. It's just ...

This is a BakingBo original recipe! This recipe is dedicated to the wonderful Sarah Powell . I've followed Sarah for years and always been a fan of the Jules and Sarah Podcast . But last year, she hosted her first Granny Supper Club, which I was lucky enough to attend. Since then she's gone on to create a wonderful online community of like minded people through her LIIIIVE Elevenses chats and her wonderful Parlour membership.  Sarah has been a huge cheerleader for me this last year. I sent her some of my Bakewell Blondies last summer and she was kind enough to mention them on a recent Nibble podcast episode !  Today is her birthday so I thought I would create these muffins, especially for her! They are inspired by her love of all things Bakewell. Happy Birthday Sarah! These muffins are super light, have that classic almond flavour, with a good dollop of jam inside! This recipe makes about 6/7 large muffins (as pictured) or 12 smaller muffins.  Ingredients: 300g self rais...

Normally, I'm not a big fan of Valentines Day. But this year, I am finding any excuse to celebrate ANYTHING, big or small. I found these gorgeous pink and red heart shaped cupcake cases in my cupboard and knew I had to use them! These are just a really simple cupcake recipe so feel free to jazz them up in any way you see fit! This recipe makes 12 cakes!  Ingredients for the cakes: 125g butter  125g caster sugar  125g self raising flour  2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp milk Ingredients for the icing: 100g butter, softened  icing sugar food colouring  Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 190/170 fan.  2. Combine all of the cake ingredients in a bowl using a hand whisk or a standing mixer.  3. Divide between 12 cupcake cases. Bake for 15 minutes until risen and golden brown. 4. Whilst the cakes are cooling, prepare the icing. Cream the butter in a bowl. Add icing sugar (gradually) until you have the desired consistency. Divide the icing in to two bowls...

I have been baking these Cheese Straws for years! I first posted this recipe on the blog back in 2013 and thought I would share them again now. I made them to have alongside some homemade Leek and Potato soup. I will share the recipe for that down below in case you are interested! Cheese Straws: Ingredients: 200g self raising flour pinch of salt 1/2 tsp mustard powder 100g butter 150g mature cheddar cheese, grated 2 eggs Method: 1. Put the flour, salt & mustard powder in a bowl. Rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumb. Add the grated cheese. 2. Use the egg to combine the mixture into a rough dough. 3. Roll out on a floured surface and cut into strips. Put on a baking tray, lined with greaseproof paper then sprinkle the extra cheese over the top. Bake at 160 for 20 minutes until golden brown. Leek and Potato Soup: Ingredients: 2 leeks, roughly chopped 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced 1 onion, finely chopped 40g celeriac, peeled and finely diced 1/2 tsp ground white pepper...

Last week, I turned 28! Despite the lockdown, my wonderful parents and boyfriend ensured I had a wonderful birthday. This included receiving a surprise box of Creme Cookies ! It's been almost a year since my friend Steph and I attempted to get our hands on a Creme Cookie when we went to London. I was very excited to try them and my favourite flavour, by far, was White Chocolate and Miso. I had seen that Anna of The Anna Edit had posted this recipe a while ago so I thought I would give them a go today. I did a bit of an experiment with the chilling times as seen below. I would say that appearance wise, the cookie dough that was frozen looks the most like a Creme cookie! But they all tasted amazing! Just depends if you prefer a more spread, well done cookie or a thick gooey one!  Ingredients: 200g butter, cold and cut into cubes 200g light brown sugar 100g golden caster sugar 2 eggs 360g self raising flour 1 tsp cornflour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1/2 tsp salt 2 tbsp white miso 25...

I was inspired by my lovely friend Barinder aka  The Baking Londoner  to make some Madeleines after she shared some Pistachio ones she had on her Instagram . I have adapted my old faithful Madeleine recipe, which is a Rick Stein one that I saw him make on his French Odyssey program when I was 12. Back in 2005, no one really knew what Madeleines were, so finding a tray was a bit of a mission. My Dad, who worked in London at the time, scoured the city to find one, and this is the one I still use to this day.  Ingredients: 3 eggs 100g caster sugar zest of 1/2 lemon 100g melted butter 100g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tbsp honey 120g white chocolate freeze dried raspberries Method: 1. Put the eggs and sugar together in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until thick and mousse-like.  2. Add the lemon zest, flour and baking powder and fold in using a metal spoon. Add the melted butter and honey, then transfer the mixture to the fridge to thicken for 15 minutes....

As it's Burns Night tomorrow, I thought I would share this traditional Shortbread recipe for those who wish to celebrate!  Ingredients: 250g plain flour 75g caster sugar 175g butter Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 160/140 fan. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. 2. Using a food processor, mix the flour, sugar and butter together until it forms a smooth dough-like-paste.  3. Roll the dough out into a rectangle and either cut into fingers and decorate with fork markings or use a cookie cutter to cut out your desired shape. Place onto the baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes until pale and slightly golden. 

After seeing this recipe on Bake Off, I knew I wanted to give it a go. I had the luxury of time the day I made it, so I followed the recipe really carefully and took my time following each step meticulously. The recipe I used was Paul Hollywood's  and I was really pleased with the result. The bread is light and fluffy. The chocolate is sweet and the nuts add lovely texture.  Ingredients for the filling: 65g blanched hazelnuts 100g unsalted butter       150g caster sugar 80g dark chocolate 40g cocoa powder Ingredients for the dough: 275g plain flour 5g yeast 25g caster sugar 1/2 tsp salt 2 eggs, beaten 50ml milk 80g butter, cubed and softened  Ingredients for the syrup: 100g caster sugar 100ml water Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200/180 fan.  2. Put the hazelnuts onto a baking tray and roast in the oven for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Tip onto a chopping board, leave to cool, then roughly chop and set to one side. Turn off the oven.  3. To mak...

Happy Veganuary! I wanted to share a recipe for anyone taking part in Veganuary this month! This recipe was recommended to me by my wonderful friend Kitty. It's Pret's Vegan Dark Chocolate and Almond Cookie recipe . She and her lovely partner Henry  (who is very clever and has written a  book! ) made them a LOT during Lockdown 1.0. Her advice was to follow the recipe exactly as they don't work as well otherwise. I was surprised how precise the measurements were but when I tried them, they worked!  Ingredients: 43g caster sugar 112g soft light brown sugar  4g salt 40g flaked almonds, lightly smashed 112g vegan dark chocolate, in pieces 205g plain flour 20g cocoa powder 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 65g coconut oil, melted  72g almond butter 100g golden syrup 40ml water Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 180 ° . Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.  2. Put the caster sugar, light brown sugar, salt, almond pieces, chocolate pieces, flour, cocoa powder ...

So, this isn't really a recipe... It's more instructions on how to assemble something that other people have done all the hard work for and you get to take the credit!  Ingredients: 250g puff pastry  250g sausage meat 1 egg, beaten Method: 1. Preheat your oven to 200/180 fan. Line a baking tray with silver foil. 2. Lightly flour your surface and roll out the pastry unto a long narrow rectangle.  3. Shape your sausage meat into a log and place down the middle of your rectangle.  4. Brush the sides of the pastry with beaten egg and tightly fold over the sausage filling.  5. Once neatly rolled, cut into 4 and place on the prepared baking tray. Make little slashes on top of each sausage roll and brush with more egg. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. 

Hello! Welcome to 2021! I took a little bit of a break from posting here after the #12BakesofChristmas series ended. I was so so happy with how it all went but I was quite creatively drained afterwards. So I took a bit of a break but now I'm back!  The first recipe I wanted to share this year is Snickerdoodles! I have shared these once before back in 2013, but thought they could do with an upgrade! I posted an IGTV of how to make them over on my @baking.bo Instagram so please pop over and have a look! Ingredients for the cookies 225g butter 268g granulated sugar 1 large egg 2 tsp vanilla extract 384g plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 2 and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt For the topping 50g granulated sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon Method 1. Preheat the oven to 170 fan. Line two baking trays with baking paper. 2. For the topping, mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. 3. To make the cookies, put the butter into a large bowl and cream until smooth. Add the sugar and mi...