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.

Fortnight ending 28th September

As i had a fairly quiet week baking last week (unusual I know!) I have combined last weeks efforts with this weeks. Starting with last week I made some banana and chocolate chip muffins, some cherry bakewell cupcakes and a batch of oat and raisin cookies. This week I make another batch of the oat and raisin cookies (think this is becoming a regular order each week now), plus some almond macaroons, tried a new recipe for vanilla frosted cupcakes from a new purchase -The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook ;-), a batch of orange flavoured muffins with a covering of chocolate orange ganache and I also made a batch of apple, blackberry and cinnamon chutney too.

Here goes with the photos, starting with last weeks first:-

Banana and chocolate chip muffins

Cherry Bakewell cupcakes

Oat and raisin cookies

This weeks now starting with the frosted vanilla cupcakes - these were slightly smaller than I anticipated so I am going to make them again this week coming but increase the quantities by 50% and have a change of colour frosting and some different toppings

Chocolate and orange flavoured cupcakes

Almond macaroons

and just for a change - another batch of oat and raisin cookies

and finally the chutney :-)

Week ending 14th September

A few things to add this week, no surprise there I am sure to those who read this blog... 

I started this baking week on Wednesday and made some banana and blueberry muffins aided and abetted by my young grandson Max - he loves stirring and also cracking open the eggs, although this can be hit and miss - note to self, have plenty of eggs available and floor cleaning stuff (not needed this week I hasten to add Karen!! )....

I then arrived home in Devon and made a raspberry torte from Jo Wheatley's book A Passion for Baking, followed the next day by more banana and blueberry muffins for hubby's work place, a lovely vanilla sponge cake, again this cake is courtesy of Jo Wheatley's book above, with added broken flake sprinkled over the top. I then thought it was time to make some biscuits, so Jo Wheatley's book came out again (my current favourite book) and I made oat and raisin cookies from A  Passion for Baking, and finally this morning I used my Mary Berry book, Baking Bible, and attempted her crown loaf, which is 12 mini rolls baked in a sandwich tin and pulled apart to eat. Unfortunately, although the finished result is more than edible I did forget to oil / grease the cling film used for the second rise in the tin, and when I took it off, very slowly and carefully, it messed up the tops and the lines between the rolls are not as defined as they should by. Having said that it does tear easily enough, but will remember this another time.

First batch of banana and blueberry muffins 12 large and 2 Max sized ones

Raspberry torte next - think I would reduce the temperature by 10 deg next time, but it was well received by all

More muffins, 

Vanilla sponge cake - one view from the top

Oat and raisin cookies - very moreish!!

And finally the crown loaf (well almost)

That's it for this week I think, apart from some Yorkshire puddings to accompany tonight's roast beef which are not made yet.... Have a few ideas milling around for next week, including a blackberry apple and cinnamon chutney.......

Week ending 7th September

After a couple of weeks away with my grandchildren I have had a baking day today at home ..... I did make some mini muffins with Max (grandson aged 2 3/4) just before I came home on Wednesday, and today I have made a white loaf, an apple cake, some banana and blueberry muffins and some ice cream cone cakes. The loaf, apple cake and ice cream cone cakes are all from recipes from Jo Wheatley's book A Passion for Baking Jo's Blue Aga and from her column in Sainsburys magazine. The muffins are a variation on a favourite banana loaf recipe adapted by me for muffins and with blueberries added, they are very moreish and will definitely do them again.

First up the mini muffins, aided and abetted by Max, he took great pleasure in accurately placing the maltesers in the centre of the muffins. The recipe said 24 mini muffins but I had enough mixture left over to make 3 adult sized ones too ;-)

Before decorating

 Now iced by me and maltesered by Max 

White loaf

Apple cake

Banana and blueberry muffins

Ice cream cone cakes

and add your own toppings if required

I am posting this today (Friday) but could add to it over the weekend, off to maker a chilli now for tonight's dinner, enjoy.

Ran out of bread, last loaf all eaten so just made another...