Ferrero Rocher Brownies

OMG right? 

I have to admit that these were not of my creation, but come from a creative youtuber Cupcake Jemma. I love watching her videos and if you haven't before you should start with the video I have linked below! These brownies again wouldn't have been my first choice as I am not a fan of hazelnuts. They aren't terrible, just not a huge fan. 

However, my baby baker, not a baby any more having celebrated her 8th birthday last week, likes them and loves Nutella even more. Something I discussed a few posts ago when I made Nutella brownies and since I only just made them I couldn't make them again. 

So, on the hunt for what else I could make her I came across great recipes featuring Nutella like 

Nutella Bueno Cupcakes from The Baking Explorer and an Ultimate Chocolate and Nutella layer cake from supergolden bakes and I also came across a No-bake Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake from What Jessica Baked Next. It was this last one that made me think of Ferrero Rochers and went on another hunt before coming across these brownies from Cupcake Jemma. 

They turned out beautifully (please ignore my cracked ganache) and were loved by all who tried them! If you'd like to have a go I have listed the ingredients you will need, watch the video for instructions and I made some notes on what I did differently below it. Enjoy!! 

Ferrero Rocher Brownies

2 small eggs

165g caster sugar

80g dark chocolate

80g unsalted butter

25g cocoa powder

60g plain flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

30g chopped roasted hazelnuts

Nutella Nougat

25g unsalted butter

100g caster sugar

30ml evaporated milk

40g nutella

100g marshmallow fluff

60g chopped roasted hazelnuts

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

for the topping

75g double cream

75g dark chocolate

8 or more Ferrero Rocher

There were a few things I changed to suit my needs: first I made them in a 7inch circle cake tin as I wanted it to be cake like for my daughters birthday. Because of this I cooked it for 25 minutes instead of the 15-20 that she suggests in the video. However, that could be because of my oven so if you too are making them in a round tin then check them at 15 minutes. 

Second I didn't pipe more Nutella in the nougat. Just an extra step I couldn't be bothered with, but would totally be worth it if you are a Nutella fan! 

Third I didn't decorate with more hazelnuts and gold lustre although I wish I had as my ganache cracked a bit. That was only because I was impatient and didn't let it all sit before taking it out of the tin. 

*Want to see more of Cupcake Jemma's delicious treats? Follow the video above or visit her website here. 

Bounty Cupcakes - A Birthday Treat!

I have a confession to make. I am the worst gift giver. It's not something I enjoy doing because the amount of pressure, I most likely put on myself, to find the perfect gift. Also I am tight when it comes to money and if I am going to spend my money on a gift it has to be good. Right?

The point of this mini-rant is that instead of having a minor anxiety attack over a present for friends I just bake their favorite cake or bake! My friend Sam recently turned 30 and had a low-key party at her house so I brought a dozen cupcakes.

After a text of "name your top five favorite cakes" she responded with chocolate, coconut, peanut butter, carrot cake, and red velvet. It was a no-brainer to combine the first two choices with these delicious cupcakes from a Hummingbird Bakery cookbook - Home Sweet Home. The book is 4 years old now, not as old as my friend Sam though! Sorry Sam!

If you want to make these again here's how!

Bounty Cupcakes

70g unsalted butter
170g plain flour
250g caster sugar
50g cocoa powder
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
210 ml whole milk
2 large eggs
about 6 Bounty's total, cut into chunks as seen in the photos
desiccated coconut, to decorate

Frosting
500g icing sugar, sifted
160g unsalted butter
60 ml coconut milk

Heat the oven to 170C and line your muffin tin!
Beat the butter, flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together in a freestanding mixer or with a handheld mixer, until combined but crumb looking.
In a separate bowl mix the milk and eggs together with a fork.
Gradually add the milk/egg mixture to the dry ingredients, beat until just combined.
Using an ice cream scoop if available, scoop the batter into the cases. Place a piece of Bounty in the middle before baking for 20-25 minutes in your pre-heated oven.
To tell when the cupcakes are done they should spring back slightly when gently prodded.

While they are cooling make the frosting, by beating the butter until whipped and then gradually add the icing sugar. This is to keep it from flying everywhere. Slowly pour in the coconut milk, beating all the while. Once it is all incorporated beat on high for a minute or two to get it fluffy.

Frost the cupcakes once they are cooled and sprinkle with desiccated coconut and top with a piece of Bounty!

These were good cupcakes and a hit with the birthday girl and her party goers! I would be curious to try these the other way around, coconut cupcakes with a chocolate frosting ...... maybe for next time!

top tip - bargain stores have small cans (120ml) of coconut milk so you don't have to buy a huge tin (400 odd ml). However, if you can't find a small can use the rest of the coconut milk for a curry or something?

Last note - if you like to bake and you don't own a Hummingbird Bakery book I suggest you get one immediately. Not later, I mean right this minute go online, you already are online so it's easy right? And order yourself a copy of  Hummingbird Bakery The Cookbook, Cake Days, Home Sweet Home, or Life is Sweet. My personal favorite is Cake Days, but have a look as every single recipe I have ever tried of any one of these books has turned out for me!

Snicker (stuffed) Brownies

You are only as old as you feel.

One of those sayings that is suppose to give hope to people who are afraid of getting old that if you are 50 odd it doesn't matter if you still feel 25! However, there are times that it could mean the opposite. I am going to be 33 in about a week and right now at the moment I feel like I'll be turning 53! Maybe 103?

I feel like I've lived a million lifetimes and I could do with a good nap.

Then after my nap I'll get up and binge watch the new series of TMNT with my girls, maybe thrown in a bit of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic and feel about 8 again!

Anyway, May is a busy month of birthday's not only do I have a May birthday it was a good friend's birthday last week. He loves Snickers and I had all these ideas and thoughts on how I was going to make him a Snicker like cake.

Then I just thought you know what brownies taste great with chocolate bars in them so that's what I did and I was right. It's not very often that happens, me being right about something, especially at the moment, but this time I can definitely say I got it right.

I have made these brownies a million times in a million different ways and they have turned out great every time. The recipe originated from a special edition of a Good Food magazine a few years back and the caramel sauce comes from the Outsider Tart Baked in America cookbook.

Snicker (stuffed) Brownies: 

150g dark chocolate, broken up
150g milk chocolate, broken up
250g salted butter
400g light muscovado sugar
4 large eggs
140g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
8 Snicker bars

Preheat oven to 180C/gas4 and line an 8in square pan with parchment paper. Line the 8 Snicker bars on the bottom. I didn't want mine touching so spaced them out a bit. But line them up however you want!
Very gently melt both chocolates with the butter and sugar in a medium saucepan. Just before the chocolate is completely melted, take off the heat and gently stir until it’s completely melted.
 Then add the eggs one at a time to the melted chocolate mixture. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the pan and stir until just combined.
Gently pour the mixture over the Snicker bars and bake in the pre-heated oven for a minimum of 35 minutes. As these are bit fatter they may need an extra five minutes. Up to you though! Leave to cool as you make the caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce

225g sugar
120ml water

120ml double cream

60g butter

100g salted peanuts, chopped

Combine sugar and water in a heavy saucepan. Gently whisk before placing the saucepan on a low heat. Once it is on the heat it is important you do not stir it. Swirling the pan is okay, just don't put a spoon in and stir. As the mixture heats brush with a wet pastry brush to remove any crystals that have formed. 

When making caramel it's important to stay close by as it go from clear, to a beautiful amber color, to burnt in a matter of seconds. I suggest keeping it on a low heat which means it can take about 20 minutes or so. Once the mixture takes on an amber/caramel color take it off the heat and add a little bit of the cream and whisk it in. It will bubble up so be careful! Then continue to whisk the cream in little by little until combined. Add the butter and whisk until smooth. Cool slightly before pouring on top of the cooled brownies. Sprinkle over the chopped peanuts and leave to cool in the fridge for about an hour.

For more treat filled brownies check these out: 

Rolo Brownies from Penne For Your Thoughts

Peanut M&M Brownies from Emily's Recipes and Reviews 

Rolo Stuffed Brownies from Supper in the Suburbs 

Slow Cooker Crunchie Brownies from BakingQueen74
Caramel Egg Brownies from Lovely Appetite 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Cake (birthday)

My blog started out of my love for making birthday cakes for my loved ones. I still 10 years on still love making a birthday cake most of all!

Recently my girls have started watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and words cannot express how happy that makes me. I have been a fan of the Turtles since I can remember! When we moved house, back when I was 6, my dad made my sisters and I a turtle lair out of one of our moving boxes and we played in it until it fell apart! Or until that time our basement flooded.... that flood ruined all our original Batman movie trading cards. Stupid flood. 

Anyway, my littlest one is now 6 years old and she asked for a chocolate turtle cake, I was happy to oblige! 

I have tried baking and tasted many chocolate cakes and most of them are dry and only mildly taste of chocolate. But I found one that works every time and it's super chocolatey!

Ninja Turtle Birthday Cake: 

chocolate cake

110g dark chocolate, broken up 

240ml boiling water, boil then measure

225g granulated sugar

195g plain flour

1/2 tsp salt 

3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

225g light brown sugar

120ml sunflower oil

110g sour cream

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract 

Heat the oven to 180C; line and grease two 8 inch or 9 inch cake pans - if using 8 inch there will be a little batter left over perfect for cupcakes or mini cake. 

Put the broken up chocolate in a large bowl and pour the boiling water over it, leave to the side and mix the sugar, flour, salt, and bicarb of soda in a separate bowl. Leave that to the side for a moment and go back to the chocolate/water. Whisk them together until smooth, then add the brown sugar, oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla one at a time whisking until smooth after each addition. Add a third of the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth repeating two more times until all the dry mixture is incorporated into the wet mixture. Pour into the prepared pans about 3/4 full and bake for 30-35 minutes. Do not over fill the cake tins as they will not bake properly and over flow, I know this from personal experience. 

Leave to cool in the tins for at least 5 minutes and leave to cool completely before icing and decorating.

buttercream

250g icing sugar

80g unsalted butter, room temperature 

25ml milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the butter until soft and fluffy - add the icing sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat until it's smooth and creamy. Add icing sugar if it's too soft and milk if it's too stiff. 

constructing the cake - once the cake is cooled spread the bottom layer with buttercream and place the other on top and cover that with butter cream as well. Leave a little bit of butter cream to use as a "glue" for the fondant mask/eyes/mouth. 

turtle decor

green fondant, enough to cover a 2 layer cake

white fondant, enough to make eyes/teeth

red/blue/orange/purple fondant, enough to make face mask

*I use store bought fondant. 

Dust your work surface with icing sugar to keep the fondant from sticking, roll it out as thin/thick as you like, but enough to cover the cake. I roll it out pretty thin as we aren't fondant lovers in this house. Gently wrap the fondant over the rolling pin to lift it up and lay across the cake. Gently smooth over the cake and press down around the edges. 

Then re-dust with icing sugar and roll out the color fondant for the mask. I free handed it, but if you want go online and print out a turtle mask and use it to trace. 

Again re-dust and roll out the white for the eyes and mouth. For the eyes I used circle cutters and the mouth I free handed. Like above go online and print a turtle mouth out if you want it to be exact. 

notes: recipe adapted from bake! by Nick Malgieri and hummingbird bakery cookbook by Tarek Malouf and the hummingbird bakers

Surprise Cake! {birthday cake}

I am a bad mom.

It’s not entirely true, but mom guilt is real people.

See I don’t do birthday parties. My girls don’t seem too bothered by this as we’ve never really done birthday parties, but I still feel guilty about it.

We still celebrate with family and a few friends! She did request a special cake and insisted on pizza for dinner! She also had lots of presents of clothes and design/coloring books.

No party, though. Maybe one year we'll throw her a big party and until then I will continue to feel slightly guilty about it. Only slightly though because the part of me that doesn’t feel guilty feels relief that I don’t have the stress and cost of a party.

This year, my now 8 year old, wanted a surprise cake - one that had sweeties in the middle.

How I made the cake: I used a tried and tested vanilla cake, from Rachel Allen’s Cake book. Which didn't rise as much as it usually does, but it tasted fine so I worked with it.

I used my circle pastry cutters to put a hole in the middle of the top layer of the cake. Set aside the circle of cut out cake. With a thin layer of buttercream, lay it on top of the bottom layer. Pour a bag of sweets in the hole. Cut the saved bit of circle cake in half and squish it back in the hole. Use a little bit of buttercream to stick it back to the sides if necessary. Then frost it with the remaining buttercream and cover it with sprinkles of your choice!

Irn Bru Cake - Birthday Traditions Gone Awry

When I was growing up we always got to decide what we wanted for dinner and what sort of cake we wanted for our birthday’s. So, it’s what I do for my husband and daughters. Last week my husband celebrated his birthday so, the customary questions applied. “What cake do you want and what do you want me to make for dinner?” 

He told me he didn’t have a preference of cake or his birthday dinner. How typical and extremely annoying.

When I was studying art at school they gave us a project. They said create an ad for this company (a company they made up) they gave us a brief and set us free. We were stuck before we got started. Without knowing what the company/brand wanted we didn’t know where to start. Was it a print ad? Do they have a logo or are we designing one? What sort of color schemes do they use or want? Who is the audience?


This is how I feel when given creative rein on a cake and even dinner when it’s not for myself. How do I know if he was actually feeling like a hamburger instead of the chicken quesadilla’s that I ended up making. What if was actually thinking of a chocolate dream cake?

I like knowing what people want so I can do my best to provide it. Perhaps it’s a good thing we’ve been together 10+ years and I managed to do things right with the Irn Bru Cake and chicken quesadilla’s. However, after 10 years I’m sure he’s smart enough not to tell me if I got it wrong.

Right. So, yes I decided to make him an Irn Bru Cake, due to the fact that he loves the stuff. Back in the beginning of my blog I attempted to make Irn Bru Cupcakes, but they didn't turn out as well as expected. So, even though I was a little weary of trying it as a cake I was curious to see if I could make it work.

It doesn’t have a strong Irn Bru flavor, but a very subtle, yet distinct taste that works. Before you get started I should warn you that it’s very sweet.

Irn Bru Cake 

165g unsalted butter
320g caster sugar
3 eggs
200g plain flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
90ml Irn Bru
peach gel food coloring

Heat the oven to 170C and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper. If the short sides are exposed instead of messing around with more baking paper just lightly grease it with some butter. Anything to keep things simple.
Beat the butter and sugar together until lighter in color and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until just combined. Then beat in the flour and vanilla until just combined. Gently fold in the Irn Bru and a butter knife tip of peach gel food coloring with a spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes. Use the skewer test to test if it’s done. Leave to cool in the tin a while you make the icing.

Icing: 

approximately 125-150g of icing sugar
blue gel food coloring
1-2 tablespoons of Irn Bru
orange and yellow star sprinkles, to decorate (optional)

I tend to just throw icing sugar in a bowl and add liquid until I get the constancy that I want. Which is what I suggest you do, start with 125g of icing sugar and add a tablespoon of Irn Bru. Mix if you need more of one or the other adjust it until you get a smooth runny constancy. Add the food coloring gel and pour over the cake. Decorate with sprinkles of your choice, preferably orange/yellow colored!

notes: recipe was adapted from hummingbird bakery: Life is Sweet

Dear Blog, (4)

I completely forgot our anniversary - your birthday. It was on June 11th, we have been doing this thing for four years now. It’s funny to look back at the beginning to see how far we’ve come together. But for this post we’ll be looking at the last year. 

And man what a year it’s been; big things have happened. First I went home for the summer, it was a much needed trip and one that will mean a lot more then any other trip. It was a much needed break and I am forever grateful for having spent those five weeks with my parents and sisters. Then earlier this year (2015) I took an unexpected trip home again. My mom was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer at the end of January. She unfortunately did not survive her diagnoses. I don’t actually know what else to say. I am still processing it and going through the stages. I normally wouldn’t have flown home twice in the span of a year, but I am so glad I did. Never hesitate when it comes to these sorts of things.

Other things that are little compared to that are that my Baby Baker started full-time school. It also meant I went in search of a job and some how ended up with two! Two that still only equal part time hours as I am still a mom! It’s tiring though…either that or I’m getting old! 

But as always here are my baker’s dozen of links and things that stood out last year…in my opinion anyway! 

1. Last summer the World Cup was in full swing and for one Clandestine Cake Club the theme was said World Cup. I didn’t end up making that one as I didn’t have a babysitter and my husband was stuck in traffic on his way home. However I still made an awesome cake! 
2. Then there was the Coconut Lover's Coconut Cake. I don’t know that I have ever tasted a cake as good as that one … well a coconut cake anyway. If you or someone you know loves coconut then I would definitely get this made for you or them. 
3. I started writing Five on Fridays as a way to bring different things that weren’t always baking to my blog. It started out strong, but now it’s a bit random when one gets posted. 
4. From Food Blogger Connect 2014 I met a milk alternative brand called Oatly and they sent me home with a bunch of their product and I made these cupcakes and these donuts with said products. If you know anyone who has a milk intolerance check these babies out. 
5. Change up your tea time with these Apple Pie Scones! 
6. Remember that time I made Sticky Toffee Pudding... for the first time and it was good. 
7. We started off the new year with an Oreo Poke Cake, it’s always good to start something right. I had brought some Jello Pudding back to the UK with me from my summer trip home. 
8. Lucky Charms bark is all you need to feel lucky. 
9. Jen from Jen’s Food and I started up a monthly pastry challenge! PS. This month is breakfast pastries if you want to link up here! 
10. Once again this year I was a World Book Night giver and I wrote all about it here! 
11. Eurovision has been on for ages, but the only time I heard about it was from Father Ted. So, for a blogging challenge I made this delicious no bake treat! 
12. I also took part in a Bookies to Foodies week with my friend Missie who writes over on A Flurry of Ponderings. Which was fun to see some good food inspired by books! 
13. I think this Ginormous Jaffa Cake is worthy of a look back...man was it good! 

Last year was great let’s make it another great year. There are a few things I am looking forward too and some I am hoping to accomplish. I can’t wait to attend Food Blogger Connect again this September. Also I think another bakery tour of London is long over due! I am hoping to bake more with friends and looking to extend the hashtag storybookbakes. I love reading and I think it will be a great way to combine my love for said reading and baking! There is an idea I have had for quite some time now and I hope to finally make it a reality this year! We will see! 

So, blog it’s been a crazy year, but we have gotten through it … perhaps not unscathed but mostly okay. I will try not to forget next year! 

with all my love, Lisa 

Coconut Roll Biscuits or Kókusztekercs három színben

Since 1956 Eurovision has been a source of entertainment to all of Europe and apparently Australia? As an American ExPat I never really got into Eurovision, in fact if it hadn't been the theme for Treat Petite (blogger challenge) this month it probably would have passed me by again this year.

I thought it was a great theme for the challenge and it had me researching a couple of the countries I find interesting. The research now has me following an amazing Icelandic food blog, which is completely unrelated to the rest of this post! In the end I went with the best sort source one could find, I asked someone.

More specifically I asked my neighbor and friend Niki who happens to be Hungarian. Last Friday she came over and helped me make these super fun no bake Coconut Rolls. The base is made from digestive biscuits, sugar, cocoa powder, butter, almond extract, and apricot jam.

This combination is also used to make a truffle like treat. Instead of rolling out the dough, like you do in the instructions, they are rolled into balls before being coated in coconut. Also rum is used in place of the extract. Sometimes it’s even wrapped around a cherry to make it even more special.

However these rolls are the most popular with children and I can see why. The fun colors of the buttercream filling are very eye catching! You can use whatever colors you want really. These are pretty versatile treat!

Niki has made these so many times she was just pouring things in and adding a little more of this or that. I did take notes so here is how we made these delicious coconut rolls. Trust me when I say you won’t be able to resist them.

Coconut Rolls:

900g digestive biscuits

250g golden caster sugar

60g cocoa powder

1 bag desiccated coconut

250g unsalted butter, very soft

1-2 teaspoons almond extract to taste

½ jar of apricot jam

milk, as needed

buttercream (recipe follows)

Blitz all of the digestive biscuits in a food processor until they are tiny crumbs. Mix in the sugar, cocoa powder, and about ½ of the bag of coconut. Add the butter, extract, and jam – mix using your hands until you get a soft sticky like dough. Add either more jam or milk if it’s too dry. It is easier to add more jam or milk if the mixture is dry then to add more biscuit crumbs if the mixture is too wet, so be careful.

Once the mixture is completely combined it will be a bit sticky, but you should be able to handle. Divide it into 3 portions as evenly as possible. Take 1/3 of the dough and place it on a big sheet of cling film – enough to fold over the mixture and gently roll it out to a rectangle shape approximately 20x31cm or 8 ½ x12 inches. Spread one color/portion of the buttercream over the dough leaving a small boarder around the edges.

On one of the shorter ends gently start to the dough up by tucking the edge in. Keep it as tight as possible using the cling film to help it along. Once rolled leave to the side and repeat two more times with the remaining dough and other colors of buttercream. Then sprinkle the rest of the coconut out on the work surface and very gently roll each roll in the coconut. You may have to help it stick in places by gently pressing down.

Leave in the fridge for at least an hour before slicing. I was told I cut mine a little too thick, but not sure it matters much, as they won’t last long.

butter cream:

250g unsalted butter, soft

250g golden caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract 

3 different food color pastes

Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla together until combined and soft. Divide as evenly as possible into 3 separate bowls making each one a different color. Follow instructions above.

Thank you Niki for spending the afternoon with me and sharing this treat from your home country! And good luck to Hungary in the Eurovision finals! 

notes: this is my entry for the Treat Petite Blogger Challenge hosted by Cakeyboi and The Baking Explorer there is still time to get your entry in! 

February Round Up: The Going On's and Happenings on United Cakedom

This month started out with flapjacks! I added some chocolate covered cranberries I had picked up at Home Sense. I love that store. It’s dangerous every time I go in there because I always come out with something. They have you backed into a corner because if you find something you like, the chances of them being there when you go back can be slim to none!

Then Sainsbury’s set me their panna cotta mix to try out. I decided to infuse the milk and double cream with black pepper and topped it with caramelized peaches and a drizzle of caramel sauce. It was delicious and inspired by an ice cream I had at an innocent (smoothie) event I attended a couple years ago.

For Valentine’s Day I made a no-bake Chocolate Cherry Tart! It was rich and delicious… one thin slice is all anyone could manage in one sitting. So no one had to worry about pits I used a Cherry Pitter from OXO Good Grips that they sent me to use.

I also received a copy of Deliciously Decorated by Charlotte White to review. The book is full of great decorating tips and tricks! The Giacomo Casanova: Venetian Romance design was my inspiration for these cupcakes:

Other things that inspire me are books!! This month I made Silky’s Pop Cakes inspired by The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton. My girls really enjoyed eating something they read about from the book we've been reading before bed.

Speaking of my girls my littlest one turned 5 in the middle of the month and she requested a turquoise butterfly cake. I did my best and she was happy with the result!

February is full of birthdays including my friend Cathy who turned 30! She has a love of Lucky Charms and so as a special birthday treat I made her Lucky Charm Bark! I think she was pretty happy with it! I tried some too and it was pretty tasty, but mostly I loved the colors!

And last but not least I wrote my first Five on Friday in months! I hope to be better at keeping it up and it becomes a regular thing. I brought it back with five pans and tools that I bought, but have yet to use! I get all these great ideas and I buy things I NEED to make said great idea. However, things don’t always go to plan! Does this happen to you too?

That’s all for February!! March is going to be a bit book heavy as I've been doing a lot of reading! There are reviews and cake and brownies and much more!  

Lucky Charms Bark

It’s funny how sometimes the simplest treats are the best and most popular. Bark is just melted chocolate covered with whatever you want and then smashed into pieces. Simple. 

To be completely honest I used to think bark was a stupid idea. I mean it’s just melted chocolate covered in whatever. It’s like why go through all that to make your own chocolate bar? 

But now, now I get it. Making your own chocolate bar is awesome! You can make it literally whatever you want! Because it’s so versatile it makes a great gift!

My friend has a love, which is somewhat un-natural, for Lucky Charms. Instead of just wrapping a box of Lucky Charms up for her birthday I thought I would try to be creative with them!

I had thought of a few over complicated things and instantly dismissed them because time hasn't been on my side recently. Then I thought, “keep it simple stupid” as the guys on Fast and Loud always say.

That’s when I thought about bark and then I made it for her a week late and then it took me two days and a lot of hand slapping before I got it to her. Hand slapping because I had to keep my husband from stealing it!

Lucky Charms Bark

150g of Lucky Charms cereal

50g of Lucky Charms marshmallows

400g white chocolate

200g milk chocolate

In two separate heat proof bowls gently melt the chocolate. In a tray bake tray lay out the Lucky Charms cereal. Once the chocolate is melted pour over the cereal in any way you like, but so that it covers the cereal completely. Then sprinkle over the marshmallows and gently press down. Leave in the fridge for at least an hour or so to cool before breaking up with a knife. Then bag it up fancy or just bag it up if you’re not giving it away.

notes: I used Chocolate Lucky Charms that I bought at a little newsagents under the parking garage in the Oracle, Reading. They sell lots of American treats and in a pinch that’s where I go! 

Chocolate Birthday Cake {butterfly}

A little something for the weekend!! I just wanted to share some pictures of my daughter's birthday cake from last weekend.

She turned five. Five is a big deal! It means she's officially left the toddler stage, even if she can still throw a great tantrum and has entered the world of being a proper little girl.

There are a few things I miss about her being little, but I love watching her become herself more! It's the best part of being a parent seeing them grow up and watching them discover who they are even though you already know! 

I was instructed that it had to be a chocolate cake and turquoise and have a butterfly. I think it was a bit more green than blue to be turquoise, but other than that I think I did alright!