Family Get Togethers are #BetterwithCake

Cake is a food that is synonymous with celebration. Any event is instantly elevated to party status with the addition of a good cake or two. 

I remember going for Sunday tea at my grandparents' house every weekend as a child and waiting eagerly for my Nan's cake tray to be brought to the table - as soon as we had finished our boiled ham sandwiches, our cucumber in vinegar and our boiled eggs. As the cakes arrived, I would eye up the array of tasty treats, picking out which of the offerings I would choose. If there were Fondant Fancies on offer I would be over the moon! The sweet morsels just seemed so fancy - totally living up to their name! I loved the colourful fondant icing, that little creamy bit on top and the soft sponge. They really are one of the iconic, nostalgia inducing foods from my childhood in the 70's.

Fast forward forty years and cake still has that ability to make any family get together a celebration. Receiving a cake delivery from Mr Kipling this Easter was perfectly timed as my three eldest kids were all coming home for a bank holiday weekend visit. Having all five of my children together is quite honestly my favourite thing in the world.  The noise, the laughter, the chaos, the fun...add some yummy cakes to that equation and this get together was guaranteed to be exceedingly good!

At those times when you are pushed for time or don't want to be stuck in the kitchen baking, shop bought cakes can be a bit of a godsend. Some days I just want convenience over feeling like I'm in an episode of the Great British Bake Off. Don;t get me wrong, I love baking and the feeling of pride that comes with creating something gorgeous and tasty is pretty powerful. But I can't always harness my inner Mary Berry, so I'm glad to have an alternative for when my domestic goddess persona goes AWOL.

Classics like Viennese Whirls, French Fancies and Bakewell Tarts go down well with the family. Cakes look so pretty with their fancy shapes and colourful hues. Whipping them out of the store cupboard and popping them on a pretty plate creates an instant party in seconds.  Soon, everyone is happily tucking in to tea and cake, chatting and laughing (and picking the cherry off of their Bakewell Tarts! Does everyone do this - or just us?) 

Freddy loves cake and I love watching him select which one he wants with wide eyes and licked lips. The anticipation and the look of concentration as he chooses between them is precious. He has been known to flutter his eyelashes and cheekily ask "Can I have two, please?" when he struggles to pinpoint his decision down to just one cake. Watching him reminds me of six year old me, eyeing up my Nan's cake tray forty years ago.

Family get togethers are always #betterwithcake!

This post is an entry for #betterwithcake Linky Challenge (http://www.britmums.com/2015/03/the-easter-school-holidays-are-betterwithcake/), sponsored by Mr Kipling. Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/mrkiplingcakes

Bakerdays Letterbox Cake Video Review

I was sent a fabulous Bakerdays Letterbox Cake, personalised with one of my favourite photographs from my blog and a cascade of red hearts, to review.  The impact of receiving a beautiful cake like this through the post is simply wonderful!  There is something about seeing your own face immortalized in icing that gives cake lovers like me a huge thrill!

It arrived package in its own tin, safely within a sturdy box.  It came with a gift card and a packet of Love Heart Sweets...the perfect romantic addition!  The packaging ensures that the cake withstands the postal service and arrives to your door in perfect condition.

The cake itself was a moist and delicious carrot cake and the icing was soft and sweet.  A perfect combination.  There was enough for four slices, although it was so delicious I could happily have eaten the whole thing myself!

                             

Bakerdays Letterbox Cakes are the ideal edible gift for any occasion.  There are hundreds of designs to pick from on the easy to use website.  They can be personalised with text and photographs, so you can create a cake to suit anyone.  

They are delivered free of charge in the UK and cost £14.99.

What a wonderful way to say Happy Birthday, Congratulations or even I Love You!

Find out more at www.bakerdays.com

Things I Love - April Edition

It is the end of yet another month in 2013 and I am reflecting on some of the things that I have discovered, used or done, which have made me smile over the last few weeks in my monthly round up of things I love!

De-Cluttering

Now that spring has almost arrived, I am thinking about projects that I would like to do to my home.  We decided that this is the year that we are going to reclaim space in our house that has previously been given over to the accumulated clutter generated by having had five children.  So last week I  blitzed my wardrobe, clearing out six sackfuls of clothing.  I was pretty ruthless deciding that if I hadn't worn it recently or if it was looking a bit tired, it had to go.  It felt quite therapeutic sorting out my wardrobe space.  I had had so many landslides in recent weeks as my irregularly arranged piles of t-shirts, vests, jumpers and nightwear slid over one another as they vied for freedom from their fabric prison.  Making rows of neatly folded articles of clothing and removing the dozens of empty coat hangers from my hanging rail has given my wardrobe a new lease of life.  I found long forgotten clothes so it felt like I'd been on a shopping spree!  Now I just have to apply this principle to the rest of my house!

Springtime 

I love that we are finally beginning to believe that the UK has another season other than winter and there are a host of seasonally themed products appearing in the shops to remind us of this fact.  For instance, you can make your washing-up chores fit in with the season by using new Spring Blossom Persil Washing Up Liquid.  Featuring hints of freesias, white rose, vanilla and dry fruits, the pretty pink washing-up liquid has the perfect aroma to welcome spring into your home.  With its burst of fragrance it makes the kitchen smell fresh, and the sparkling results make cleaning up less of a chore.  It is especially pleasing if your husband is the one who does the washing up!  It retails at £1.00 for a 500ml bottle making it great value too.

I was sent one to try!

Window Blinds

I have always been a curtain-person.  I have only ever had blackout blinds for the kids' rooms and have never previously thought of them as being anything beyond functional.  However, curtains are quite frankly a bit of a pain.  They are a nightmare to hang, the hems fray, the fabric billows in the breeze knocking things over and they are such an all or nothing method of light control.  Recently I have begun to covet the array of blinds that adorn the windows of my neighbours' houses.  They look so stylish and modern with their clean lines that I am thinking that this is the way I should go when I revamp my bedroom.  I love the way that they allow in as much light as you want and they give you privacy.  (I'm forever flashing the neighbours when the curtains are open and the bedroom light is on.)  I really love these Dark Chocolate Vertical Blinds from Web-Blinds which  can be bought online made to measure.  I always enjoy adorning my home with things that are named after food.  I have Pecan paint in my living room, Toffee Fudge in my kitchen and Mint in my hall. It sounds utterly delicious but is totally calorie free.

Dark Chocolate Vertical Blind  #sp

Birthdays

In our family April is a month of celebrations as both Ella and I have birthdays two days apart.  This year we had a weekend of chaos and fun when everyone descended to help us celebrate.  Then to continue the birthday fun we have had cakes, meals out and made favourite dinners at home.

Ian took me on a date to see The Evil Dead at the cinema!  He is such a true romantic!!  Even Google got in on the act giving me a personalised home page on my special day.  This really made me smile :)

TV Finales

Two of our absolutely favourite TV series are coming to an end and we are both excited to see how things pan out and feeling bereft that we will be losing them over the summer.  Dexter and The Following have both had us totally riveted for the last few weeks. Ian, Ella and I have our weekly dates where we join together on the sofa for our fix of our favourite serial killer and our favourite FBI agent who battle it out in their own respective shows.  How will they end??  I can't wait to find out.  I hope some new shows come along to fill the gap.  I have high hopes for Hannibal which starts on Sky Living soon!

Five People You Meet in Heaven

Ella bought me this book for my birthday.  It is by Mitch Albom.  The story follows Eddie, a fairground maintenance guy who dies while trying to save a little girl from being crushed by a ride that has malfunctioned.  He is sent to heaven where he meets five people who significantly impacted his life.  I read it in one day because I didn't want to put it down.  It is a beautiful and powerful book that made me think about how everything that we do impacts on others and reminds us what is important here on Earth.  I highly recommend it for comforting the soul and bringing a little faith and light into your life.

Chocolate Oreo Cake Recipe

I picked up an absolute bargain in The Works, a silicone Giant Cookie cake pan for just £1.49.  So we came up with a recipe for a Chocolate Oreo Cake that was just perfect for it!

Chocolate Oreo Cake

7 oz SR flour

1 oz sieved cocoa powder

8 oz liquid baking fat (Flora or Stork liquid or you could use butter or marg instead)

8 oz golden caster sugar

4 free range eggs

8 oz icing sugar

4 oz softened butter

6 broken up Oreo Biscuits (we found that bigger chunks made a really great texture)

1 teaspn vanilla essence

Make the cake using the all in one method.  Beat everything together.

Fill the silicone cake moulds (or use two standard 7" cake tins)

Bake at 180 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until springy to touch.

Whilst it cools.  Make the buttercream.

Beat the butter until soft.

Add icing sugar and vanilla essence.

Stir through Oreo pieces.

Fill the cake with the cream.

Enjoy!!

Win a Delicious Bakerdays Letterbox Cake -CLOSED

We recently reviewed the utterly gorgeous and totally scrummy letterbox friendly cakes from Bakerdays.  We were very impressed with the cute, personalised cake that Megan received for her 21st birthday, so much so, that we are going to give one away to one lucky reader.  With Christmas coming up, a fabulous festive designed cake straight to your door would be wonderful!  They have a brilliant Christmas range including one cake covered in Brussel Sprouts!  I think they are utterly brilliant and would make a great gift idea for a loved one.  After all who doesn't LOVE cake!

Image from bakerdays.com

To be the lucky winner of this cake, simply follow the Rafflecopter entry instructions below.  Good Luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions
Loquax Competitions

Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe

Britmums and Anchor have challenged a number of bloggers to cook up a recipe using Anchor's delicious butter or cream.  As it is Kizzy's birthday today, I spent a very enjoyable few hours baking up cupcakes.  Armed with my Anchor wooden spoon and with my Anchor Butter ready in my butter dish, I had my own mini Great British Bake Off in my kitchen and one of the goodies I made was Red Velvet Cupcakes.  I kept seeing these cupcakes on TV, in fancy cake shops and I even tried one freshly baked by Eric Lanlard at an event last year, and I really wanted to have a go myself.  This was the perfect opportunity!

Ingredients For Red Velvet Cupcakes

4oz softened Anchor butter

4oz caster sugar

2 eggs

4oz self-raising flour

1tsp vanilla extract

4 tbsp buttermilk

10 drops of red food colouring

1oz cocoa powder

1 tsp white vinegar

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and put cake cases into a muffin tin.

Beat together sugar and butter until pale and fluffy.

Beat in eggs one at a time.

Stir in flour, cocoa, vanilla, buttermilk, colouring and vinegar to make a vibrant red mixture.

Divide into cake cases and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Cool on a rack.

Ingredients for Red Velvet Cupcakes Topping

4 fl oz milk

1 egg yolk

1oz vanilla sugar

1-2 tspn cornflour

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 fl oz Anchor double cream

chocolate curls to decorate

Method

Warm milk in a pan.

Mix egg yolk, sugar and cornflour in a bowl.

Gradually add warm milk into the egg mix.

Pour back into pan and heat gently until thickened.  

Leave to cool.

Whip cream until stiff.

Fold into vanilla cream.

Top cakes and decorate.

The verdict was that these cakes were really delicious.  The soft topping was really yummy with its custardy, creamy flavour.  The sponge was vibrant and rich.  They looked really impressive too. This is definitely a cupcake I'll make again and again!!

I'm working with Anchor to promote their brand new Rewards Club, find out how you can get some of their kitchenware as well as more prizes - Anchor Rewards Club.

This is a Sponsored Post.

The Tiger Who Came To Tea! #Project 52

Freddy took a fancy to the mini donuts at the Next event and nothing was going to stop him from getting one!

Bring Out the Cake!

McVitie's Bring out The Cake For Summer

With one Diamond Jubilee under out national belt, a Euro 2012 Championship in full swing and Wimbledon and the Olympics to look forward to, there has never been a better reason to celebrate being British!  And every celebration needs great cake!!

Thanks to McVities it is easy to bring out the cake this summer with their yummy range.  Jamaican Ginger Cake, Hobnob Flapjacks and Jaffa Cake Bars are all big crowd pleasers!  McVities sent us some cakes to try for ourselves...and I never say no to free cake!

I love the nostalgic moments that Jamaican Ginger Cake evokes!  It's been around longer than I have...over 50 years and is a family favourite (especially with custard!)  RRP £1.55

The Hobnob Flapjacks are chewy and crunchy and chocolate topped.  RRP £1.65.

The Jaffa Cake Bars have the same winning formula of zingy orange, sponge cake and bittersweet dark chocolate in bar form. RRP £1.65

My Tiny Tester Freddy could not wait to get stuck into tasting the McVitie's goodies, and he was impressed!  The Hobnob Flapjacks were his favourite with the oaty, biscuity base and real milk chocolate.  As they come individually wrapped they are great for lunchboxes or a snack on the go!

We aren't the only ones getting free cake from McVitie's.  This summer, McVitie's are literally giving away cake up and down the country with their Bring Out The Cake campaign.  

They are attending outdoor events and visiting city centres across the UK.  They are also giving away free cake online!  

Keep an eye on their Facebook page at facebook.com/McVitiesCake for the return of their Bring Out The Cake app, where fans can download a voucher for free cake!  You can have your cake and eat it....for FREE!! 

 It will be going live again soon so make sure you like their page in readiness of free cake!!  Don't miss out!

A Jubilee Sponge Fit For A Queen

BART’S JUBILEE SPONGE

Bart Ingredients, the name behind a fine range of herbs and spices, has been working with Edd Kimber, winner of The Great British Bake Off to come up with a modern twist on the Victoria Sponge to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this summer. The recipe features a unique and exciting blend of ingredients from all over the world, from cinnamon to their signature Bart Bristol Blended pepper and even a refreshing hint of mint to tingle the tastebuds!

I was challenged to have a go at making this cake using this selection of Bart Ingredients spices.  Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

Serves 10

½ tsp Bart Bristol Blend Five Peppercorns

½ tsp Bart Ground Cinnamon

1 tsp Bart Ground Ginger

¼ tsp Bart Ground Nutmeg

2 tsp Bart Mint (Freeze Dried)

250g self-raising flour

¼ tsp salt

250g margarine or butter

250g Bart Vanilla Sugar

4 eggs, beaten

For the Filling and Topping

250g cream cheese

150ml double cream

100g icing sugar

250g strawberries, quartered

200g blueberries

Method

• Grease and line 2 20 cm round sandwich tins. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
• Cream together the margarine and vanilla sugar until light and creamy.
• Mix all the dry ingredients together and slowly add to the mixture, along with the eggs.
• Divide the mixture between the two prepared tins and smooth the tops. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until well-risen and golden brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
• Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
• When completely cool, cut each cake in half horizontally so you have four thin cakes.
• To make the filling, beat together the cream cheese, cream and icing sugar until thick and smooth. Spread the cream on top of one cake layer and scatter over one quarter of the strawberries and blueberries. Top with another cake and repeat.

Edd Kimber's Bart's Jubilee Sponge

My Verdict

I have to admit that when it came to the crunch I was a little bit too scared to add the pepper and mint.  (Next time I'll be more brave!)  I also deviated by only making a two layer sponge and instead of a full Union Flag on top, I went for a St George's cross (reduces the amount of fruit needed if like me you are on a tight budget!)  Nevertheless, I was very impressed with my finished cake (although it is not as elegant as the amazing cake made by Edd Kimber)!!  It looked quite grand and the addition of the spices added a subtle warmth to the flavour of the sponge, that I would never have thought of  adding myself.  The Bart spices themselves were lovely to use and smelt really lovely and fragrant.  I was very impressed that the ginger and cinnamon are organic.

The Strawberry Cross

Strawberries and Cream

A Slice For Me!!

If you feel inspired to bake a Jubilee Sponge I'd love to see how yours turns out!  Would you be brave enough to add pepper??

Bart Ingredients are running a competition to win a masterclass with Edd Kimber by submitting your own Jubilee creations.  Full details at  http://www.bartoffers.com/jubilee/

Silent Sunday

Cake!!