7th December

Seems I have not updated my blog for three weeks - thank goodness for my photos being stored in date order!! 

First of the last three weeks baking consisted of blueberry muffins, a new recipe for chocolate hazelnut cupcakes - very yummy especially if you are a Nutella fan!!, some lemon cupcakes with lemon butter-cream and sugar nibs. I also made a large white loaf. Off to a 50th birthday surprise for the weekend so no more baking till the following week.

The following week I made another giant cupcake - this one was for my daughters birthday and I had to transport it (very carefully) by train  to Surrey - it arrived safely and undamaged - phew! I also made a family favourite - oat and raisin cookies, plus some mini Victoria sponges with a lemon curd and butter-cream filling, some vanilla cupcakes with a chocolate and vanilla butter-cream topping - using my newly acquired large duo piping set and I finally got around to making 8 mini Christmas puddings which I put a low oven overnight in a large pan of water.
The kitchen smelt like Christmas the next morning :-)

Finally for this week (so far!) I have made some mincemeat cupcakes covered with a brandy butter topping and a Christmas themed decoration, some vanilla cupcakes with a 'sweety theme' topping and yet another batch of those oat and raisin cookies- I'll be able to do them in my sleep soon but they are delicious - thanks to Jo Wheatley and her book A Passion for Baking

Feel free to leave any comments or questions at the end.

Thanks for reading

Fortnight ending 16th November

Two weeks in one today as I have been unwell in between and was not able to update my blog. So calling on my little grey cells now to recall two weeks ago !!

I could not forget my first ever attempt at a giant cupcake, I also made my Christmas cake(s), I made 12 small individual cakes and used the rest of the mix to make a loaf shaped Christmas cake in the smaller of my two 2 lb loaf tins. I did forget to take a photo of the loaf tin cake before packing it away for storage (and brandy adding of course) but will post pictures once its marzipaned and iced.

I  had also made some small fairy cakes accompanied by my grandson, Max, plus a large loaf of bread.

Now this week is was all about the little cakes and some new recipes. I made some mini coffee and walnut sponges, some lovely ginger and cinnamon cupcakes plus some lemon cupcakes topped with a creamy lemon buttercream and sugar nibs. No biscuits this week as I had less time, having been out of action for about 9 days  

First of all my very first giant cupcake in stages 

Now my loaf

crust looks a little wonky but it was all fine when cut and eaten !    

Then the fairy cakes made with help from Max age 2 3/4

And now for the mini Christmas cakes- looking forward to decorating these.. they are actually darker than they look in the photo - probably too much light on them or the wrong angle, need to improve my photography skills !!

Now the mini coffee and walnut sponges

Followed by the lemon topped cupcakes

and finally the ginger and cinnamon cupcakes - they look pretty ordinary but the taste is wonderful, especially if you are a fan of ginger as I am.

Fortnight ending 2nd November

As I only did a little baking last week due to time constraints I have included those in with this weeks. Last week I made a lemon drizzle tray bake and of course the obligatory oat and raisin cookies (I now make these every week!! but I will try and vary the biscuit theme from time to time with other types of cookies and biscuits). 

Then this week I have made a white loaf, some banana and blueberry muffins, some cupcakes topped with a lovely lilac butter-cream plus maltesers (left over from the trick or treat box, and a country farmhouse fruit cake topped with some of my supply of sugar nibs, this cake was done for Philip's birthday. I also made an apple and blackberry crumble and of course another batch of those cookies!!!

Last weeks first - cookies

Then the lemon drizzle traybake

Now onto this week and first of all the white loaf

quickly followed by banana and blueberry muffins

and cupcakes

not forgetting the required element of cookies

next was the apple and blackberry crumble

and finally the country farmhouse fruit cake - which was too big for my container so I had to divide it between two, so I can also show a picture of the inside

Week ending 19th October

Its all about the little cakes and practicing my piping skills this week, I am thinking of getting a giant cupcake tin so will definitely need more practice on piping as there is a large area to cover on the top of a ginormous cupcake!! I did also make some oat and raisin cookies and a granary loaf. Here are the photos plus the ones I didn't have time to publish last week of the toffee apple meringue tart.

Starting with the meringue tart from last week - starting with the apple filling, then topped with caramel, then the meringue before and after baking then a slice before devouring! And not a soggy bottom in sight !

Next this weeks loaf 

Then some orange flavoured cupcakes topped with real chocolate (as opposed to cocoa) butter-cream topped with a malteser

 Another batch of mini Victoria sponges

and some lemon cupcakes - another new recipe from my Hummingbird Bakery book

and finally for this week a batch of 24 oat and raisin cookies

Week ending 12th October

I have had a busy week again - made far too many cupcakes !!!! but my plan is to work my way through the 1000 cupcake book along with all my other books, must experiment a little more I think. I need to spend a day or three going through my books and making lists !!

Anyway this week I have made a granary loaf, a lovely farmhouse cake from a recipe I found on a new web page I discovered through Facebook - Poppy's Patisserie - and it was a lovely moist fruit cake. I have bookmarked her page!! I have also made blueberry muffins by request from my daughters friends at her workplace, mini Victoria sponges, another batch of cherry bakewell cupcakes (always a popular choice), some plain cupcakes decorated with two coloured icing (more practice needed here too), and a new chocolate biscuit recipe from another page I follow on Facebook called Iced Jems, the biscuits are called chocolate crackle bites. 

First of all the bread, from basic kneaded dough, to first rise and final loaf

Next was the farmhouse cake - yum yum

Mini Victoria sponges filled with jam and buttercream

Blueberry muffins

Iced cupcakes

Cherry Bakewell cupcakes

and finally the chocolate crackle bites, although I am making a toffee apple meringue tart for dessert tonight, but will not have time to post that today before I leave to catch my train to Guildford so will post that next week.

Week ending 5th October

I have to say I have been very busy this week (and this was all done on Friday and Saturday) - I have made two loaves of bread, one white and one granary, 2 batches of those lovely oat and raisin cookies, some red velvet cupcakes (from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook) some sugar nib and fruit cupcakes, and some more cherry bakewell cupcakes. I have also started my alcoholic fruit soaking for my Christmas cake - for this I used this recipe from Ruth Clemens lovely web site (http://www.thepinkwhisk.co.uk/2012/09/time-to-start-your-christmas-cake.html )

First of all the bread, these are both from Jo Wheatley's book A Passion for Baking and they always come out beautifully - I use my Kenwood processor for these for the initial kneading.

White loaf

Granary Loaf

Red Velvet cupcakes - first attempt at these, the recipe was very easy to do, and I would definitely do these again, sooner rather than later too

Sugar nib and fruit cupcakes

Fridays batch of cookies

And Saturdays 

and finally for this week another batch of cherry bakewell cupcakes

And, in case anyone is interested, here is my fruit soaking in brandy and orange juice for the next 6 / 8 weeks!!!!! Then it will be time to marzipan and ice. I am making the More Fruit Boozy Fruit version of the three on her page.