Table Decoration

As a result of doing the advent wreath for the Army this year I was asked to make a table decoration for a friend there. I'd never done one like this before but was pretty pleased with my effort. I used oasis and stuck small branch tips in to fill it out and decorated.

I like it.

Advent Wreath

In past years I have made Christmas wreaths to raise a little money to pay for Christmas. I wasn't going to bother this year but was asked by the Officers at the Asalvation Army if I'd do the advent wreath so this is what I came up with.

Pig in Mud

I volunteered to make the cake for the joint 3rd birthday of our Ante Natal group again this year. Back to the trusty dome cakes and we had a pig in a muddy field. The field was chocolate fudge and the pig was vanilla fudge. 

Present Cake

My friend wanted something special for her 50th. This was it...

I started by making three layers for fudgy chocolate cake and icing in fudge icing. 

It was big!!

Then I covered with white fondant and cut circles from pink and purple to decorate and balls of the same colours to put around the bottom. 

Finally I rolled purple and laid pink on top for the ribbons and made the big bow seperately. Next time I'll know to make the loops for the bow a few days before so they harden properly before assembling. 

I dusted all the coloured elements with lustre powder. I was quite pleased for a first attempt. 

Ladybird Cake

Another dome cake. This time a ladybird for Mischief's second birthday. 

Beaded Earrings

Made these for a friends birthday last month. I'd've liked to have kept them for myself. 

'99 Flake' Cupcakes

I've been playing with my piping nozzles again, I know, it's a problem...

This time I thought cake that looked like ice creams would be rather nice. I used a Wilton 1M and piped from the outside in using and upwards motion. I thought it was perfectly finished with a flake, sprinkles and raspberry sauce. The cupcakes were chocolate of course. The raspberry sauce seemed to soak down through the icing if left and made the sponges very moist. 

Bat Cake

I'm really into dome cakes at the moment. I think they look really effective whilst being incredibly simple to decorate. A colleague of Mischief's daddy was leaving work to do ecological surveying and she has a particular interest opin bats, so...this was the obvious choice.

I did a chocolate fudge cake recipe (chocolate was specifically requested) and coated in choc fudge icing before decorating.

I was pretty pleased with the out come though think it was slightly over baked as I thought it was a little dry. Good comments though so maybe I was being super critical.

I made the wings from black craft foam and just slotted them in.

Shortbread Pinwheels

This week we made shortbread pinwheels. We used the simplest shortbread recipe

6oz flour

4oz butter

2oz sugar

First we rubbed all the ingredients together to make fine breadcrumbs. Then I kneaded it all together to form a stiff dough, this took a while. Once the dough was ready I split into half and kneaded in cocoa powder to half to make chocolate shortbread. 

I rolled it out between two pieces of cling film to form a rectangle then rolled the plain dough out in the same way to the same size. Once done I laid them over each other and rolled tightly like a Swiss roll.

I cut into slices and laid on two baking sheets lined with parchment. Space well as they do spread.

I baked for about ten minutes to just golden and hey presto. They were a big hit with Mischief and her daddy.

Red Velvet Cake

Mmmm, one of my favourites. Using the techniques outlined in the Voctoria Sponge post this was my lightest sponge yet. However, either the bicarbonate of soda or the combination of that with cocoa powder has made for a bitter after taste. The quest for the best sponge continues but overall a good cake.

I finished it with a cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients

8oz butter, softened

8oz self raising flour, minus 2tbsps

2tbsps cocoa powder

8oz sugar

4 eggs

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

Red food dye paste

Butter

Icing sugar

Milk

Cream cheese (approx 150g)

Few drops vanilla extract

(I can't offer amounts as I go by feel)

Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy, lightly beat eggs in one at a time and food dye. Stir in dry ingredients till just combined. Divide between two cake pans and cook at 175 fan oven for 18mins.

Cool in tin for few mins then turn on to rack. Beat all ingredients for frosting together and ice. Cut and enjoy. Yum yum 

Apricot and Almond Tart

Could I be bothered to go out again and spend money I don't have on ground almonds I would have made a frangipani filling for this tart but instead I made a sponge flavoured with almond extract.

First I blind baked a pastry case. 

Sometimes I make a sweet case and the addition of sugar makes for a nice crispy base but the sponge is sweet so didn't want to over do it.

While that was doing I marinated fresh apricots in sugar and blood orange balsamic vinegar.

And also made an almond sponge by halving my normal 8oz 4 egg sponge recipe and adding a few drops of almond extract.

I filled the base with the sponge mix and laid the apricots on top. Usually I'd lay them cut side up but they had such a glorious colour I went the other way and drizzled the marinating juices on top.

It took far longer to bake than I expected and also, the hoped for peeking out of rosy apricots didn't occur quite as planned. Although, it will make for a nice surprise when cut.

Jammy Biscuits

• Super simple to make and Mischief loves bread-crumbing the ingredients...and licking the jammy spoon!
• 200g self-raising flour
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g butter
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 4 tbsp strawberry jam
• 170 fan oven
• Rub together dry ingredients, stir in egg and bring together to form a stuff dough.
• Roll into a sausage aprox 5cm diameter and cut into slices.
• Make an indent in each slice and fill with jam.
• 
  
  
• Lay onto two baking sheets. Really, do this, they spread a lot!
• Put in oven for 10-11mins and turn for last few mins. Don't get distracted by your little mischief as they go from just right to over done really quickly! :) 
• 
  
  
• They're done when they're golden and just risen. Leave to cool for few mins before transferring to cooling rack. 

Eat and enjoy!

Rose Cupcakes

I've been drooling over the images of cupcake bouquets recently and desperately want to have a go and actually perfect one for my friends baby shower. Well the first step is to ice a cupcake like a rose. So I did some research and ordered a huuuugggeee set of piping nozzles from amazon and impatiently waited for them to be delivered. They came today!

So I made fairy cakes so I'd have more to practice on and waited for them to cool. I thought I'd have a go at something different so defrosted some mango to make the icing.

Well it took virtually a whole box of icing sugar (hubby wasn't impressed as we don't have a lot of spare readies at the mo but hey ho). I expectantly fitted my chosen nozzle in the bag and...it popped straight out. Some dodgy Chinese import that's too small for the bag. So I rumaaged about and found a large star nozzle similar to the Wilton 1M but with 8 points rather than 6. Well I'd got this far so I thought I could at least practice my piping skills if nothing else.

Although not the result I was looking for I'm pretty pleased for a first attempt. I think I'll be sourcing a Wilton 1M and 2D though (and not telling hubby). I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with the set I got as nothing similar in there even though the description said there was, but I'll hang on to it for a while as there are some interesting petal and leaf nozzles and some I have no idea of so if I can find a bag to fit I'll try them out.

Cracked the cake

After my success on Sunday I decided to see if I could replicate it. Sunday's cake was finished in record time, mostly because Mike takes a slice to work everyday and we had bible study at the house Monday night in which it was dished out.

I tried a chocolate sponge this time for something different and as they are more difficult due to the reduction of s/r flour and addition of cocoa.

Well, while not as light as the vanilla sponge it was still better than normal. So I conclude sponges cracked! Yay! And a long time in the coming.

I only made it yesterday and as you can see its already taken a great beating...

Victoria Sponge Success

So far the items posted here have been historical. Here's a bang up to date creation. My folks came to join us for Sunday lunch and tea today and as I didn't have any dessert I whipped up a Victoria Spinge whilst Mischief was being entertained. 

Now I know a Voctria Sponge isn't really anything to get excited about but sponges in my house are a bit of a hit and miss affair. Some are on but others are really heavy and dense. So today I employed all the tips I had been collecting. I creamed the softened butter and sugar as long as I could bear, I added the room temperature eggs slowly one at a time and then I barely folded the flour in.

And hey presto, a cake that rose well and was super light and fluffy. Hubby even gave it a ten out of ten! High praise indeed. Here's a couple of pics. It's filled with vanilla buttercream and last years home made strawberry jam.

Autumn Wreath

One year the beautiful colours of Autumn inspired me to have a go making my firsth wreath. I twisted long willow twigs together and wound them round a wire coat hanger for shape and threaded them with all sorts of Autumn goodies.

I wored small conkers and fir cones, and used twigs with acorns, Hawthorn berries, rose hips, viburnum berries, sloes, blackberries and ivy berries and leaves.

For a first attempt I was quite pleased but the proportion was a bit off as it could have done with being a bit fuller in places.

Natural Candle Holder

I love all the natural berries and leaves of Autumn so after my success at an Autumn wreath I had a go at making a candle holder. I used some thin, bendy willow twigs and wound them together whilst twisting to get the right size. Then I threaded berries and leaves into the gaps.

Chocolate Cake Pops

I recently made a cake for a friend and froze the trimmings for use at a later date. We were expecting friends over one evening so I thought I'd have a go at cake pops as something to offer them.

First I cut the frozen trimmings into cubes and put on cocktail sticks.

Then I dipped them into chocolate melted with butter.

As they cooled I dipped some into hundreds and thousands and put them in foil covered polystyrene to display.

The others I dusted with edible lustre powder when they had fully set and cooled.

I was surprised how long the choclate took to set before I could set them down and then the chocolate suddenly thickened so much I had to re-melt it to use on the rest. It was also easier when to the cake was fully frozen.

First Birthday Cake

I had the honour of being nominated to make the birthday cake for the joint 1st party of our NCT group. I decided to make a train and have a carriage for each child.

Dedication Cake

When we got Mischief dedicated at the Salvation Army I decided to make a cake as the centre piece of the celebration.