The Three Flour Challenge

We've been busy in the kitchen over the summer, with lots of exciting projects, experiments and disasters coming up to keep your reading list full as Autumn draws in and we move in to both mine and Natalie's favourite times, Halloween and Christmas....

But in the meantime, I've had an experimental afternoon with my flour-haul yesterday...have a look..

THE THREE FLOUR CHALLENGE 

I don't think this will be the last of my kitchen trials, I've been inspired to try flours, flavours and combinations......

Do you have any alternative flours you love using instead of our staple plain and SR? 

Learning to Pop

I have a confession....one layer of the princess cake didn't make it out of the cake tin in one piece. What's a girl to do when a light, vanilla sponge is broken into a hundred little pieces?

I'll tell you what she does....she totally POPS her CAKE POP virginity and enters into a world of cake crumbs, more frosting, candy melting and stick swizzling...

First things first, I needed to take my broken up cake and transform it in to a big bowl of breadcrumbs...I was already starting to feel better that I was giving a gorgeous vanilla cake a new lease of life!

Now, I don't usually cheat with my buttercream frosting, but being short on time meant I caved in a brought my first Betty Crocker frosting in a tin. I went for the chocolate fudge flavour to keep my chocoholic family sweet. It was so simple to do, just adding 2 tablespoons of the choco-goodness to the crumbs and stirred until it all came together like cookie dough.

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Now for the fun bit, that brings out the child in me. Get your hands stuck in, give the dough a little squeeze and roll the mixture between your hands until it forms a lovely smooth ball. Being the perfectionist I am, I measured the same amount of mixture (a tablespoon) for each 'pop' so they'd look like an army of candy goodness in the end. 

And time to chill...overnight in the fridge is best if you have the time and the willpower to resist nibbling on these bite-size cake balls! 

Being my first time, I was faced with the age-old decision of mircrowave versus double-pan melting for the Candy Melts. After scouring the internet for the best choices, I went for the microwave this time, but I think the better option would have been on the hob, to keep the candy smooth and the right consistency. 

After stabbing each ball with a lolly stick, the melts in the microwave and I my trusty 'princess' glitter at the ready, I was ready to dip, dunk and get my pop on.

I found it really hard to keep the pops on the stick and had a few SOS moments which resulted in balls of cake and frosting being lost in a swamp of vanilla candy! I need to find a way of keeping the cake on the stick...so answers on a postcard please?

After a few lost stick incidents and my growning frustration at the candy not doing what I wanted I was about to spit my dummy out and I think I swore never to try popping again. However, I made the choice to experiment and make my pops more like toffee apple/chocolate truffle hybrids. I quite liked them!

Some were treated to a dip in candy hearts, glitter flowers and some had a roll around in my sparkly sugar.

The verdict? My first time didn't end with perfect cake pops, there were a few moments I was ready to admit pop-defeat and cake balls flying everywhere and sinking in bowls of candy was rather frustrating, but you know what? 

They were tasty, they went down VERY well at the party and I am dying to have another go. Watch this space for neat, detailed and character pops coming soon. Well, they do say it gets better with practice and no one REALLY enjoys their first time, right?

A Cake Fit for a Princess

Once upon a time a princess requested a cake...

So not usually one for a 'pretty' cake, I was worried when my 3 year old niece asked for a "massive princess cake, with glitter and Peppa Pig and cupcakes and things and sparkles" I talked her out of Peppa Pig. But the brief wasn't exactly within my usual repertoire of cupcakes, tarts and boozy mince pies, but I do love a challenge. 

I have never used fondant before to cover a cake, I usually go for a cream cheese or buttercream frosting piped or pallet knifed on, but I was under strict pre-school instructions as to the type of cake requires. Trust me, you don't mess with a 3 year-old on her birthday.

I stocked up my rather boring, cream and chocolate baking supplies with the most pink, glittery and princess-like baking products and set about creating a cake fit for a princes...

Glitter & Fondant..a new adventure!

First the cake. I decided (with my niece!) that a simple vanilla would be best. I usually follow the Hummingbird Bakery Vanilla Cupcake recipe, but this time I used Mary Berry's Vanilla Cupcakes from the Great British Bake Off book. I was pleased with the results, I well risen, light and moist cake with oodles of flavour. My tip here is to have lots of patience with the mixing and sieving and folding, taking your time here makes all the difference. I also used real vanilla rather than vanilla essence, so much better in the end!

Folding; Boring but worthwhile patience!

Next, a big batch of my favourite buttercream frosting (Icing sugar, milk, butter, vanilla pod) to coat the cake  ready for the fondant to be placed over the top. It's best to chill for about an hour at this stage to help create the perfect base for the fondant.

Crumb-coating. Now, chill!

 Time enough to make a mini heart cake for the top. It's essential in this princess business, apparently!

After I had chilled the cake, I rolled out the white fondant with the help of even MORE icing sugar and carefully folded it over the triple layer cake. I was scared of tear and bumps, but I was surprised at how simple it was to neaten up and smooth down. Just handle your fondant with TLC and it'll do as you want.

Next, I dyed some more sugar fondant with food colouring paste. It's important not to use liquid food colouring, as it make the fondant impossible to mould and manage and it gets a bit messy. It takes some kneading to get an even colour, but keep going! I used a heart and a butterfly cutter to produce and army of pink shapes. I also coloured more sugar fondant and crumb coated my heart cake and placed it on top. 

Tip: I didn't have any edible glue to play with, so I warmed up a little bit of apricot jam (home-made, of course) and used that to create a base for my glitter.

After the butterflies had been sufficiently dusted in pink glitter I fluttered them over the top of the cake. I used Silverspoon Designer Writing icing to write 'Laila' on the heart to add a personal touch for the said princess. I used the same icing to write the '3' on the coordinating mini cupcakes. 

The finished cake and mini cupcake went down a treat at her mini party. The princess was pleased and life in her Kingdom went on...and the magical cake and it's eaters lived happily ever after...

I know It's Not Halloween, But She Wanted A Ghost Cake

I'm quite an easy person to please really, a nice cookbook and I'm quite happy. Make it a horror themed cupcake book and I'm happier than a vampire given a free run in a blood bank. So when I was given A Zombie Ate My Cupcake! by Lily Vanilli for my birthday this year I was more than a little chuffed.

Alas, Halloween came and went, and my little vampire-self was not invited to the ball, so I had no excuse to make any of these wickedly fun creations. Until, that is, I started showing this book to anyone who had the time to look and my cousin requested a giant ghost cake for her 21st birthday party.

Now, the particular design in question, as all of the cakes in the book, is for cupcakes with a side note that once the smaller versions have been mastered, a full-size cake could be tackled. But who has time to practice? So I decided to jump straight in, one giant ghost cake coming up!

I started with just a basic sponge cake, and filled it with a chocolate fudge butter cream - because we need some chocolate in there somewhere.

Then on to the icing. This was a, fairly simple to make, meringue type icing - in that it was mainly egg whites and sugar. There was copious amounts of whisking involved, but seeing as I have recently been upgraded from a hand whisk to a new fangled electric one, this was no longer an obstacle that inevitably resulted in blistered fingers and a very achy arm. Within no time I could turn the bowl upside down and hold it over my head, without the fear of getting a face full of icing - although I can't say I would really have complained if that had happened as the icing tasted much like marshmallow fluff, yummy.

So, then on to the tricky bit, the build. This took more marshmallows than I had anticipated - the whole bag - and at one point I actually considered making a quick dash to the shops to get another bag, (well I did promise a 'giant' ghost cake). But seeing as I was covered in the usual smattering of flour, sugar and whatever else I had picked up from the bake, I decided against it.

But luckily there was enough icing to pad out any missing marshmallows. Once the rough shape was in place, it was onto the finer points of decoration. And here's where I realised there was a slight problem: I had no black icing, or food colouring, to do the eyes. What a school-boy error for a fledgling goth baker. Cue a mad rummage through the cupboards for inspiration. I decided to try currants - being the only black edible material I could find. But I wasn't happy with the results, so then decided to try chocolate, although not having any dark, had to use milk, which wasn't black enough - this was not going well!

I settled on chocolate eyes, with a currant pupil. The mouth was a different story, after trying out several currant/chocolate combos, I decided that just sculpting the icing would be the best compromise.

It could probably have been better, but for my first attempt I'm quite pleased - looks a little menacing which I like. Although he has the look of Slimer about him (you remember, from Ghostbusters), so next time think I might throw some green food colouring into the icing and see if I can really work on the likeness. For next Halloween maybe...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zombie-Ate-My-Cupcake/dp/1907030514

Learning to Stitch

I love baking and feel very domesticated when I'm surrounded with mixers, eggs and flour, but I decided it was about time I developed a catalogue of domestic goddess style skills.

The last time I sat at a sewing machine was in a home economics class at high school. I recall being very proud of my peg bag at the time, but the time has come to extend my stitching repertoire and get back in front of the machine. If only I could remember how to load the bobbin! 

Plus I have a lovely Cath Kidston 'Sew' book that's been gathering dust on my book shelf since last Christmas which is crammed full of craft projects I have been itching to make.

But first the basics...


Cutting the fabric samples

Practice 'straight' stitches....

French Seams (used in lingerie) 

It's Autumn, Whoopie!

A new month, a new adventure in the kitchen.

I have never tried making Whoopie Pies before, but thought I'd give these little American treats a whirl. To celebrate Autumn, Halloween and all things pumpkin. I chose a Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days recipe for Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Whoopies.

Perfect for Halloween, Bonfire Night and Autumnal days...

Time to get carving the pumpkin out, getting rid of the seeds (ready to roast with salt and pepper for a snack later!) the flesh got diced, the other bits thrown in the compost and the rest of the pumpkin sat waiting to be transformed into a jack-o-lantern whilst the whoopies were cooking.

After mixing, following a recipe which used oil not butter, I wasn't convinced that the mixture looked right at all. It looked way too flat, way too runny and a bit of a mess. The book states making sure you get 'exact' measurements so the pies fit together once cooked. I must admit, I was rather pessimistic about how they'd come out. But its all about practice and making mistakes isn't it?

The filling is the best bit though. Mascarpone cheese, vanilla and icing sugar whipped into a fluffy and light cream cheese filling. The recipe suggests using the American marshmallow treat 'Fluff' brought by the jar. Being veggie and wanting to sample my first whoopie, I left it out - but I am sure it'd add extra bounce to your whoopie filling if it was kept it. 

After 20 minutes and three batches in the oven, I it seemed I was falsely pessimistic about the outcome. They did in fact rise and they were surprisingly light and fluffy. I'm not get used to the super-fast oven I was using  so they were slightly too browned for my liking, but still, very Autumnal and they went down extremely well with family and friends. 

I'll certainly be getting my whoopie on again soon. I'm thinking Christmas, ginger and calling the filling snow?

The First Square or My Big Wool Obsession

So, with Halloween only one sleep away and September's unseasonal heatwave but a distant memory, the night's are getting darker and the weather colder. The chill in the air that teases your extremities is just begging for the smell of a bonfire and the smoke of recently expired fireworks. And the thought of curling up in front of an open fire in your biggest jumper, with a mug of hot chocolate becomes your preferred mode of self-indulgence. It's usually at this time that the urge to knit wakes from it's summer slumber.

This year it was roused by a trip to Hobbycraft where I rediscovered my obsession with Rowan Big Wool. Maybe it's because it knits up so quick, or because of the range of subdued, earthy yet sophisticated colour tones, or because it's 100% merino wool, but at the moment this is the only wool I can think about using.

So it was with great delight that I found this colour, Heather, on sale (£3.49, instead of £8.99, a ball). But what to do with it now I had it? Obviously this wool would make a rather amazing big chunky jumper, for aforementioned cold nights in front of the fire etc. But the thought of trying to find a pattern that I actually like fills me with dread. For some reason I can never find anything that I totally like, a collar here, a sleeve there, but never the total package altogether.

So, until my knitting skills advance and I can start to develop my own patterns I decided to do the next best thing and transform my Big Wool into a big, fluffy, knitted, patchwork blanket. I had wanted to do something similar last year, but for whatever reason never actually got around to it. But this year there shall be no excuses, and as proof here it is, my first square.

I started nice and simple with a checkerboard design, and got very lucky in that my estimated square size (40st x 45rows) was just about perfect for the amount of wool in a ball.

So far so good. I'm one patch down, but, seeing as if I'm doing this I want to do it properly (read make a really big blanket) I've got another 24 patches to do before my Big Wool obsession will be complete. My plan at the moment is to do some more checkerboard designs for the outer squares and then get my cable on in the middle ones. But who knows, we'll see where the mood takes me, and some time soon, if not this winter, then hopefully the next, I'll be sat wrapped up warm in my completed super cosy Big Wool blanket.

N