Baking Bo

It's my sister's birthday today! She requested a Coconut Birthday Cake so this is what I made her, with a little bit of help from my lovely little niece.  I found this recipe online and adapted it a little bit. We aren't big fans of vast quantities of icing, so I only made half the amount of frosting and just put a layer in between and on top.  I also only had two cake tins the right size so couldn't make it three tiered! But it was light, fluffy and totally delicious!    Ingredients for the cake:  275g plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp salt 170g butter 330g granulated sugar 5 egg whites 120g sour cream 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp coconut extract 240ml canned coconut milk  80g desiccated coconut For the frosting: 115g butter, softened 112g cream cheese 300g icing sugar 1 tbsp canned coconut milk 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp coconut extract 1/8 tsp salt a handful of desiccated coconut for decorating a few spoon...

One perk of being back at work is definitely when your colleague gives you a massive bag of cooking apples and asks you to make something with them for the office! I had a little look on Jane's Patisserie's website and decided to try her Apple Crumble Traybake. I made two batches (which meant peeling, coring and chopping a kilo of apples!) one for the office and one for my family. It went down really well at work and my little niece said it was "good" and that is all the praise I need!   Ingredients for the crumble: 120g plain flour 60g caster sugar 60g butter Ingredients for the cake: 500g cooking apples (peeled, cored and chopped weight) 300g butter  350g light brown sugar (300g for the cake + 50g for the apples) 300g self raising flour 6 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp ground cinnamon  Ingredients for the decoration: 100g icing sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon  1-3 tbsp water  Method: 1. For the crumble, rub the butter, flour and sugar together until it resembles breadc...

  I will be back to work next week and will be in need of snacks to sustain me! Decided to try and make a batch of apricot & coconut balls to stop me reaching for the biscuits and treats.  Ingredients: 200g dried apricots 90g desiccated coconut + extra for coating  100g ground almonds 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted 1 tsp vanilla extract  2 tbsp honey Method: 1. Blitz the apricots, coconut, ground almonds, coconut oil, vanilla and honey in a food processor until the mixture comes together.  2. Take heaped teaspoons and shape into balls. Roll in a little extract desiccated coconut until coated.  3. Chill in the fridge. They can be kept in the fridge for up to 7 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Really quick & easy to make and totally delicious! May have had to try one... Just so I know they're good before I'm back at my desk... 

Are you in need of a retro dessert? Then look no further! After watching lots of repeats of Bake Off, I came across an episode where they were challenged to make a roulade. I had never tried to make one before and, as I still had copious amounts of surplus egg whites in my freezer after so many batches of Portuguese Custard Tarts, I thought I would give one a go. I absolutely LOVE hazelnuts, I think I would go as far to say that they are my favourite nut. So the idea of a nutty, chewy meringue, with lovely whipped cream and sweet summer berries was a winner in my books!  Ingredients: 150g egg whites  175g caster sugar  1/2 tsp vanilla extract  1/2 tsp white wine vinegar  1 tsp cornflour  40g toasted chopped hazelnuts  300ml double cream 3 tbsp Nutella  Strawberries & Raspberries  Method: 1. Line a 22cmx32cm baking tray with greaseproof paper, ensure it goes up the sides of the tray to make a collar.  2. Using an electric mixer, whisk...

Yesterday afternoon, I was in need of a slow, calm bake. I'd had a busy couple of weeks and just wanted to spend some time, weighing out my ingredients and methodically working through a recipe. I find it really helps me when I'm feeling anxious or overwhelmed. I'd had this recipe from Jane's Patisserie saved as one I wanted to try, so thought it would be perfect day to do it.  I have adapted the original recipe slightly. The original recipe has 250g butter, 1 tsp of almond extract, 250g jam and 50g flaked almonds which worked well when I first made them. But, when I've made them since, I use 1/2 tsp almond extract as the flavour is so strong. I use less jam on top as using the full 250g made them too sickly sweet. I think about 3 tablespoons would be plenty, swirled through the mixture. And, depending on how nutty about nuts you are, you could use less flaked almonds on top. Let me know if you give this a go!  Ingredients:  200g butter (melted) 125g granulated sug...

If you have been following my blog for a long time, you will know that I have made macarons before. However, they became a real stumbling block and I haven't attempted them again for a really long time. While on the hunt for more ideas as to what to do with the surplus egg whites left over from the Portuguese Custard Tarts, they came up time and time again. So I thought it was time to bite the bullet and give them another go.  Ingredients: For the shells -  200g icing sugar  100g ground almonds 3 egg whites  75g caster sugar  Food colouring  For the filling- 50g butter  100g icing sugar  Food colouring  Method:  1. In a food processor, blitz the icing sugar and ground almonds together for a couple of minutes. Sieve the mixture into a large bowl and leave to one side. 2. Whisk the egg whites, using an electric whisk, until they are thick, foamy and forming stiff peaks. Add the caster sugar, one teaspoon at a time, until full incorporated....

Anyone who knows me will know that I don't really know how to rest. I keep going and going and going until I burn out and have to stop. Today is one of those days. I've been spending the last couple of days exploring the countryside near where we live, going on long walks and days out with my boyfriend while he has some much deserved time off work. Last night, after we got back from exploring the coast down in Seaford, I couldn't settle and fancied something sweet to accompany my viewing of last years Bake Off. I am in denial that there won't be a series this year due to Corona so I'm re-watching last years to make up to it.  After the success of the Slutty Brownies I made from her site, I thought I would give this recipe from Jane's Patisserie a go. I didn't use as much chocolate in it though but they still came out deliciously gooey.  Ingredients: 200g plain or dark chocolate 200g butter 275g caster sugar 3 eggs 90g plain flour 30g cocoa powder 200g whit...