February 2015 bakes

I cant believe its March already - here is my update for my February baking.

First of all I made some chocolate chip muffins in my mini loaf tin, these were very yummy

Next on the list were some shortbread cookies, they had a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar on the top.

An old favourite next, cherry bakewell cupcakes requested by my daughter.

New recipe next, malteser blondies, these went down very well with my daughters work colleagues.

I then had a go at an old Red Cross recipe for an egg-less fruit cake, I forgot to take a picture of a slice but it was lovely, and after a few days it was even nicer spread with butter, a little like a malt loaf.

A lovely white loaf, this recipe never fails

A small jar of blueberry sauce made for pancake day

Then I had a go at a mincemeat cake after I found a tub of mincemeat at the back of my fridge. This makes a lovely moist cake.

I then had a go at slow cooker chocolate fudge - wow !!! very very moreish

I then had a go at Mary Berry's shortbread - this was a great success too

Then this weekend I made another lovely white loaf

 Finally this month a recipe I found in last weekends supplement called Grandma's Apple Cake, it took a little preparation as 5 eating apples needed finely slicing but well worth the effort.

January 2015

Time for a quick round up of January - not been too busy this month, so here goes, first some lovely vegetable soup, not actually baking but was delicious and lasted me ages - loads of ingredients and very tasty

Some very delicious salted caramel cupcakes - went down a treat with my daughters work colleagues I'm given to understand ;-)

Some oat and raisin cookies, usual recipe which never fails, although these were a little crispier around the edges, may have left them in for just a minute too long, but middles were still fairly chewy

I tried a new recipe for a cherry and coconut cake - and was very pleased with the result

A sunflower seeded loaf

And the star bake for January - made by me up to and including the plain red icing picture, then decorated by my daughter Karen for her son's 4th birthday party, I think you can guess the theme?

Time to get ready for February baking now, any feedback/comments welcomed. Thanks for looking.  

New Year 2015

Happy New Year to anyone reading this!

I have just realised I have not posted anything to my blog since last June so thought I would do a quick update of some of the things I've made since then. I bought a bread maker in this time, plus a soup maker, so have been experimenting = lovely jams and marmalade in the bread maker too :-)
So I will just put up a few pictures to update the blog, then start baking and experimenting with savoury dishes too this year, and try to update a little more regularly.

First just a few loaves, jams and marmalade jars I have made.

orange and lemon marmalade

Apple and blackberry jam

I also made some cakes and biscuits with my grandchildren in Guildford

And a few cakes, oat and raisin cookies  and mince pies

some individual yorkshire puddings/toad in the holes



                                      



and a birthday cake in stages for my daughter Jo (taken to her work place for everyone to share)

That's mostly it for now, so will save, sign off and upload, and keep on baking
 ;-)

Weeks ending 20th June 2014

This will be my last blog until August as I won't have much time for baking or blogging for a few weeks due to the forthcoming wedding of my son and his lovely fiancé this weekend, Wimbledon Centre Court tickets the following week, and then a >3 week holiday to Cuba - phew exhausting just writing it all down lol. 

I also intend to experiment more with savoury dishes in the future too. 

So now to catch up with the last month or so's baking - here goes....

Traditional white loaf

Banana loaf with added sultanas

Traditional white loaf but this time as 1lb loaf and four mini loaves

One mini loaf bacon sarnie :-D

                                                 

New recipe for lemon meringue cupcakes

A Mary Berry banana loaf

Lisa Faulkner banana loaf made with my young grandsons help in his mummy's kitchen

Granary loaf

Yet another fruit cake 

Oat and raisin cookies

White loaf

Three chocolates cupcakes, plain, milk & white in there somewhere!

A vanilla sponge from Jo Wheatley's A Passion for Baking - just to use up the buttercream from the cupcakes above you understand ;-)

And another white loaf

Hmm I seem to have made even more bread... yet another white loaf - but I have to say its a delicious recipe

Needed a new 2lb loaf tin hence this banana cake looks a little squashed as the dimensions are not the same as my old tin

The swiss roll rose a lot and was awkward to roll but it tasted divine with fresh cream and a side serving of fresh strawberries

Granary loaf

Ooops another new tin, this time to make mini loaves (this tin makes 12 each equivalent to a muffin size cupcake, my other mini loaf tin makes eight larger ones). I wouldn't use cupcake cases another time though, just put the mixture straight in the greased tins as it has loose bottoms, and use plenty of cake release spray - a brilliant invention.....

Granary loaf

White loaf

Vanilla sponge filled with strawberry jam

Granary loaf

Ditto

A new low sugar option for oat and raisin cookies - not tried and tested yet..... could be time for coffee now???

Finally for now my first attempt at a CHOCOLATE giant cupcake - chocolate cake covered in white chocolate buttercream and decorated with Pebbles and Giant Buttons