tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75096232906636292782024-02-27T10:12:59.927+00:00Cake, Crumbs and CookingCarolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.comBlogger477125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-40171716299266562772013-09-22T17:08:00.001+01:002013-09-22T17:08:58.607+01:00Vanilla Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
I've been meaning to make these for ever such a long time, and although I know it's not an original idea, we seem to be having a mini heatwave reminiscent of summer and so it's probably the right time to share them. I took advantage of a recent day of leave from work to make the cakes and take them into work in the car. One of my difficulties with this recipe is that it's pretty difficult to Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-7184861968615183192013-07-18T21:28:00.000+01:002013-07-18T21:28:11.461+01:00Yeo Valley Blueberry Yogurt Cake
Quite often I do something I think is fairly sensible but then doesn't really work out... what am I talking about I hear you thinking. Well, I buy fresh berries with all good intentions of eating them and then when I realise that I'm not going to manage it I freeze the berries. All well and good, but they then stay in suspended animation in the freezer for a very long time. Too long.
Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-35390192039210175002013-07-04T16:15:00.000+01:002013-07-04T16:19:16.657+01:00Chocolate Cashew Cookies
Chocolate Cashew Cookies
I was recently contacted and asked if I would like to take part in the Aero Perfect Pairing challenge. With the offer of Niki Segnet's book 'The Flavour Thesaurus - Pairings, recipes and ideas for the creative cook' I was definitely in. The book arrived along with a big bag of Aero's Chocolate Orange bubbles (which I didn't manage to get a picture of) and a bar of Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-2073871361640987842013-06-10T18:40:00.000+01:002013-06-10T18:42:21.785+01:00Easy No-Churn Banoffee Ice-Cream
Well, it appears that warmer weather has finally found the UK over the past couple of weeks (although I am nervous to say it for fear of driving it away again!). So to celebrate the warmth I thought I'd make ice-cream. I thought it would be nice to make something quite quick and easy and a little cheat-y too but that doesn't mean that this won't be delicious.
Inspired by Kavey's Bloggers Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-85422642821870134782013-06-02T11:10:00.000+01:002013-06-02T11:12:49.415+01:00Rhubarb Cupcakes
I keep seeing rhubarb in the shops at the moment and decided to buy some to bake with. The only way I've ever really had rhubarb in the past is in crumble and not for years and years. For some reason I can't recall, I had convinced myself that I didn't really like it very much. It seems that's not really true!
The rhubarb I bought is the outdoor variety (the forced kind having gone Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-89574406091911414082013-05-27T18:30:00.000+01:002013-05-27T18:32:48.097+01:00Chocolate Chunk Banoffee Cake
The last time I was casting around for ideas to use up the inevitable overripe bananas sitting in my kitchen I saw one of my more recent cookery book purchases, one which definitely deserves more of my attention. The book is 'The Birthday Cake Book' by Fiona Cairns, and is full not only of amazingly decorated cakes and biscuits (many of which are around different birthday party themes) but Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-8048488660733506112013-05-18T08:20:00.001+01:002013-05-18T08:22:49.020+01:00Jaffa Cupcakes
I do enjoy a jaffa cake or two (although it's been a while since I bought any) and the chocolate orange flavour combo is generally a successful one. I decided to combine the flavours by using a chocolate cupcake base, marmalade to add orange, chocolate buttercream flavoured with orange extract and then topped with a mini jaffa cake.
The cupcake recipe is my adaptation of the Hummingbird Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-15272487309059910372013-05-13T22:00:00.000+01:002013-05-13T22:00:40.675+01:00Banana and Blackcurrant Cupcakes
I wanted to say Banana and Blackcurrant Buns because that's how I think of these (and who doesn't love a bit of alliteration!) but then I wondered if the wider world would be confused by the use of 'bun' to describe a small cake. So I went with cupcakes. But if I start referring to buns, that's what I mean.
Anyway, enough musing on descriptions. I had ripe bananas. Quite a lot of them so I Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-43192764576564770172013-05-11T22:20:00.001+01:002013-05-11T22:21:20.109+01:00Frozen Chocolate Bananas and an idea for the 5:2 diet
Frozen Chocolate Bananas with chopped ginger or butterscotch pieces
This is literally as simple as it sounds - frozen chocolate bananas. But don't make the mistake of thinking that something so simple must somehow be underwhelming; these are fabulous. I can take no credit for the idea as I first saw it in a booklet for Comic Relief produced by Delia Smith, over ten years ago. I've made Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-51554670773330768282013-05-05T09:55:00.000+01:002013-05-05T09:56:30.045+01:00Funny Face Jam and Cream Sandwich Biscuits (Cookies)
I often wish that I had stronger willpower when it comes to resisting things I see that I could use to bake with. I'm sure I'd be a lot better off without some of the things I buy, but it'd also be a lot more boring! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
Anyway, I recently saw some biscuit (cookie) cutters in Lakeland and couldn't resist buying them. I then made the leap Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-30610279663062847582013-04-28T18:10:00.000+01:002013-04-28T18:48:29.063+01:00Nigella's Buttermilk Birthday Cake - A Sunrise
I've seen quite a few brightly coloured cakes around recently, on the Pink Whisk and then BBC Good Food published their recipe for a Rainbow Cake too. Dan Lepard has been in on the act with his Rainbow Cupcakes too. I decided that I didn't want to go the whole hog and do a six or seven layered cake and decided instead to stick to three layers. I decided to go for red, orange and yellow - a Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-87190374205946203992013-04-25T21:30:00.000+01:002013-04-25T21:31:00.374+01:00Apple and Banana Muscovado Cakes
These little cakes are a Cake, Crumbs and Cooking original, inspired by the random selection of ingredients that I found myself with a few days ago....
I had an over-ripe banana (a common occurence in my house), some eggs that needed using up quickly, and some apples that were not particularly great for eating. It's the end of apple season (by a considerable margin...) and at the moment theCarolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-42432292175017118712013-04-14T23:15:00.000+01:002013-04-14T23:18:16.662+01:00Crystallised Ginger Pear Cake
I'm never quite sure about pears. I do really like them, but it depends on my mood as to whether I want a lusciously ripe and dripping Williams pear or a hard crunchy Conference, preferably cold from the fridge. So I bought pears and then decided that I didn't really want them at all. And we all know that pears usually go from rock-hard to soft-and-squishy in the blink of an eye so I decided Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-32842757221310790762013-04-07T22:45:00.000+01:002013-04-07T22:45:14.627+01:00A bready update
50% wholemeal spelt soured cream rolls
There haven't been very many bready posts recently at all (aside from the not-cross buns!). This is not because I'm not eating much bread, far from it. However I am often a creature of habit and when I find a recipe that works for me I tend to stick with it. Recently this has been Dan Lepard's Sour Cream Loaf. Not as a loaf though - as bread rolls. Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-27472931448379809082013-04-03T22:40:00.000+01:002013-04-03T22:40:32.934+01:00Fruity Chocolate Squares
Yep, another brown square.... tasty though
I knew I wanted chocolate cake and nothing too fancy but didn't really know what else beyond that. As I hunted in the cupboards and fridge for inspiration, a carton of soured cream that needed to be used (having been bought with no particular recipe in mind) and some dried fruit caught my attention. The dried fruit in question was some that I had Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-56676880162081117642013-03-31T21:50:00.000+01:002013-03-31T21:52:33.715+01:00(Not) Hot Cross Buns
Last year's buns with crosses and glaze - very pretty
A little late I know, but I did actually make these on time (i.e. before Good Friday) this year. I decided not to do the traditional crosses, making them into Not Cross Buns and therefore perfect for any time of the year, because these little beauties should definitely not be confined to the celebration of Easter!
I used the same Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-68377451497973859242013-03-24T10:25:00.000+00:002013-03-24T10:27:44.820+00:00Dan Lepard's Chocolate Lamingtons
Lamingtons with successful glaze - mark 2
Well, sort of. Last year, Dan's recipe for double chocolate lamingtons was published in the Guardian, ahead of ANZAC day. I made them at the time, and used the glaze that he recommended for coating them. However, since I avoid coconut (as one of those things to which I might be allergic but don't fancy finding out about) I didn't want to actually Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-58761542729468725192013-03-20T22:00:00.000+00:002013-03-20T22:02:12.452+00:00Not Quite Edd Kimber's Cinnamon Buns
Way, way back in October there was a feature in the Waitrose Kitchen magazine about baking books. Presumably to round up the books that were released last autumn in time for the Christmas present buying. There are quite a number of books featured, one of which is Edd Kimber's second book, 'Say it with Cake'. The recipe given from this book is his Cinnamon Buns.
I had a desire to make Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-7148062119523018572013-03-17T10:50:00.000+00:002013-03-17T14:15:13.054+00:00Red nose day? Soured Cream Chocolate Cakes
Or should that be Pink Nose Day? Well, as I'm sure you can probably guess from the title (and the fact that in the UK it was Red Nose Day on Friday with a staggering, record breaking £75 million raised on the night alone) these were supposed to be red noses. I always forget (not being someone who uses food colouring very often, if at all) that adding food colouring to buttercream is never Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-78140649360363763962013-03-12T18:30:00.000+00:002013-03-12T18:32:01.726+00:00Soured cream, raspberry and blackcurrant mini cakes with white chocolate buttercream frosting
Candles omitted - I'll leave you to guess the age...
Well, that's a bit of a lengthy title for some very diminutive cakes. It was J's birthday recently and for various reasons I wanted to make small cakes rather than a giant centrepiece. I decided to use my straight-sided 12-hole mini cake tin from Lakeland (sadly this is not sponsored by them, I paid for it myself, hence the desire to get Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-67139012119301126392013-03-10T11:15:00.000+00:002013-03-10T11:19:11.354+00:00Golden Syrup Banana Cake
I frequently pick up the recipe cards that are available in the supermarkets. I think I must have picked up over a hundred over the years, and due to my squirrelling tendencies they don't tend to get culled very often. In my defence, however, occasionally, I will recall a recipe card with something I thought looked particularly good, but for whatever reason didn't get made at the time of Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-20417342113594451832013-03-02T22:30:00.000+00:002013-03-02T22:41:09.109+00:00Simple and In Season Round-up February
Thank you to all of the lovely people who have entered their seasonal dishes into this edition of Simple and In Season, there is a fantastic range of recipes here and lots and lots that I will have to bookmark to try. Thanks too to Ren of Fabulicious Food for letting me host her event.
So without further ado here are this month's entrants:
First is Jen of Blue Kitchen Bakes with Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-11467695086702148482013-02-25T22:20:00.002+00:002013-02-25T22:20:14.411+00:00Ginger Chocolate Chewy Cookies
Also known as third time lucky! And also phew-just-in-time! When Choclette published a recipe for chewy apricot cookies back in December I immediately decided I needed to bake them. They looked delicious and pretty much my idea of a perfect cookie. And then I pretty much went off the idea of baking altogether. (Yep, it's been a bit like that round here recently).
But when I decided that I Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-49365033686497453122013-02-03T17:00:00.000+00:002013-02-03T17:00:05.052+00:00Simple and In Season
Well, I hadn't really expected that break to be quite so long! I'm glad to have reached the weekend after a pretty stressful week last week and it's happily now February, which hopefully means less snow and more of these.... (I'm living in hope!)
And to start the month off well, I'm pleased to announce that I'm hosting Simple and In Season, as Ren has kindly let me look after her Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7509623290663629278.post-45536671115829087622013-02-02T22:10:00.000+00:002013-02-02T22:10:09.602+00:00Simple Double Chocolate Vanilla Marble Cake
Well, that break wasn't really expected - life sometimes gets in the way of blogging and I think a combination of post-Christmas readjusting to work and general busy-ness meant that January sped past before I knew what had happened. I'm sorry to have missed out on participating in all of the blog challenges I usually enter, but hopefully I'll be a bit more active this month.
To ease Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13067886984635079539noreply@blogger.com6