Bakeland: Nordic Treats Inspired by Nature by Marit Hovland

There are a lot of cookbooks and baking books on my shelf and all of them are as unique as the authors who wrote them, but it does take something truly special to stand out and impress me as much as this book has.

Bakeland is the baking book I never knew I wanted or needed in my life. Marit Hovland has a website that is titled Borrow My Eyes. It is the most perfect title for her site as she sees such incredible things in nature and the things around her. I am glad she has loaned us her eyes through her photography and her ability to recreate what she sees in her baking.

It's a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively! The fact that it is not a book full of rainbow everything and over the top sprinkles I adore it. There is a place in the world for those sorts of things and don't get me wrong I do like shiny sparkly things, but I also love the colors of the world around us as they are just as effective if not more so.

As in the sub title of the book and my description above the pages of Bakeland are filled with treats inspired by nature.

Unlike other other baking books that break the recipes into seasons Hovland gives us her recipes for the changing of seasons. The first chapter being Winter into Spring, followed by Spring into Summer, Summer into Fall, Fall into Winter, and ends with recipes for the New Year.

A few of my favorite recipes that I am bookmarking to try are:
Coffee Ice Cream Cake with Chocolate Meringue
Chocolate Almond Cookie Eggs (pictured)
Cardamom Macarons with Blueberries and Cream Cheese
Birch Bark Cookies
White Chocolate Seashells with Raspberry Filling
Cinnamon Bun Cake with Rum Glaze
Lime and Strawberry Macarons (pictured)
Soft Pistachio Cookies with Strawberry Glaze
Walnut Brownie Cake with Whipped Cream and Blueberries
Vanilla Cloudberry Macarons
Pistachio Brownie Cake with Troll Cream (on cover of book)
Cinnamon Macarons with Apple Filling (pictured)
Chocolate Cinnamon Tree Cookies
Raspberry Mousse Cake with Mint Chocolate
Spice Cake with Cinnamon Almonds
Apple Pie with Caramel and Chocolate Leaves
Gingersnap Macarons with Cream Cheese
Gingersnap Pinecones with Cocoa (pictured)
Chocolate Coffee Mousse
Cheesecake with Cinnamon-Chocolate Crust (pictured)

I wish I could show you every single one of these recipes with you, but I suggest  your own visit to Bakeland  by picking up your very own copy at your local book store, I like supporting books stores, but it is of course available online and for more delicious recipes check out the authors blog linked above! 

*I was provided a copy of Bakeland: Nordic Treats Inspired by Nature by Marit Hovland to review by the publisher, Greystone, Retails at £22 and available from the 13th March 2018 from your local book retailers or online! All opinions are my own, I was not given any other compensation nor was I asked to give a positive review, please see my contact/policy page above for more information.

Red Devil Cupcakes {inspired by Scream Queens}

Tomorrow is the finale of Scream Queens! It’s already aired in the USA so I have avoided reading anything online to see whodunnit. It’s been hard so no spoilers please!

It’s one of the slightly annoying things about living in the UK is when a US TV show is brought over here it’s always behind schedule. It means you have to avoid any fan websites and stuff so nothing is ruined, especially in the case of a show like Scream Queens where there is a killer on the loose!

Scream Queens, if you haven’t heard of it, is a TV series about a sorority and serial killer. A serial killer who dresses as a Red Devil (the school’s mascot) and wants revenge on the sorority. It’s like any typical horror film, but better as every week we were left with clues and hints and speculation to who, what, when, and where.

Did I mention it’s full of utterly ridiculous shenanigans and cringe worthy characters, but it is funny and entertaining. I just can’t turn away from a good whodunnit story. What’s exciting is that the show has been given the go ahead for another season!

Feeling anxious to know how it ends I thought I’d try to cure the anticipation with these Red Devil Cupcakes. These devil food cupcakes with bright red vanilla frosting and devil horns are killer!

Red Devil Cupcakes 

1 cupcake box mix (makes 9 cupcakes)
40g unsalted butter, room temperature
114g icing sugar
1 tablespoons milk
1/8 teaspoon of vanilla extract
red gel food color
black fondant, pre bought

Bake cupcakes according to box instructions.
For the frosting beat all the ingredients together in a bowl until combined. Add the food coloring until you achieve your desired shade of red.
With the black fondant/sugar paste make 18 devil horns. Place on top. Enjoy while watching the Red Devil take out sorority girls and fraternity guys one by one!

notes: This post has no association with the show, Scream Queens, in any way shape or form. Please see my contact/policy page above for more information. If you’d rather make your own cupcakes and not box mix ones why not try this recipe for chocolate cupcakes or this recipe for red velvet cupcakes! These would also work great for Halloween or dare I say Valentine's Day? Love does bring out the devil in us or something like that?

New To My Bookshelf: Cookbook Review(s)

I thought I would introduce a handful of the new books I have recently accumulated. A few of these I have had for months! There was a time when I used to get new cooking or baking books monthly, but now it's here and/or there that I seek out new cooking or baking books. Since it's been a while I thought I would give a shout out to a few that I think others might be interested in!

Bake in Black: Music Inspired Baking 

by Eve O'Sullivan & Dave O'Sullivan
- I was drawn to this book because of the tag line or sub title "Music Inspired Baking." I recently wrote a post about inspiration and where it comes from. Books are a big source of my personal inspiration and I love that these two authors took two things they love and mixed it all together. There are some great looking bakes in here. The Megadeth By Chocolate cake looks amazing or the Battenberg Out of Hell is clever and looks awesome! But it's not just cakes they have cookies/biscuits like I'm a Cowboy (cookie) who doesn't love a little Bon Jovi? There is a whole section on doughnuts and pies, my favourite being Basket Case a pie based on one of Green Day's most popular song! When I was on a field trip in middle school the whole bus sang this song with out any music. It was awesome! Last but not least the last chapter is all about the desserts! If you like music and baking I'd definitely check this one out!

A Modren Guide to the Wine World's Best-Kept Secret Sherry: with cocktails and recipes

by Talia Baiocchi
- Having sort of recently made a delicious sherry cake I found myself with half a bottle of sherry. Until I had this guide I wasn't really sure what to do with it! The author, Talia Baiocchi, takes us through the who, what, where, and when of sherry. There is a little jealousy here as the Baiocchi must have had a great time researching this book. First there is the how it's made and the variations before telling us how sherry has been perceived throughout history and how it's starting to make a comeback. There is also a selection of cocktails and recipes that either use or pair well with sherry. Over all it's a very resourceful and thought out book! There are a few cocktails I have planned for my half of bottle of sherry like the Sherry Cobbler, Tuxedo, Pimm's Copa, and Flamenco! Will let you know how I get on!

Simply Good Bread: Delicious home-baked recipes for everyone

by Peter Sidwell
- Bread is something that either works or it doesn't for me. I haven't picked up the knack for it just yet. Practice makes perfect and all that. Having Peter Sidwell's Simply Good Pasta book and a few of the recipes have become family favorites, so I look forward to trying out the recipes in his bread book. It takes the reader through the simple steps of making a basic loaf and then gives us variations on those basics. The Cider Apple Bread sounds interesting as well as the Cheese and Marmite bread! Chorizo & blackened chilli bread sounds good too! In the last chapter he shares recipes that use up stale bread as crumbs and so on! I can't wait to get baking!

Recipes from My Mother for My Daughter

by Lisa Faulkner
- This is a title I have been unsure of for a while. It wasn't that I didn't want it, I just needed an excuse and having recently won a book bundle on twitter I was lucky enough to have this included in the haul. So, it's currently sitting on my bedside table ready to be read before bed! It's the only time I usually have to read these days. There are already several recipes that have grabbed my attention after flipping through it.

notes: I bought Bake in Black, Sherry was given to me to review by my request, Simply Good Bread and Recipes I won in a twitter competition.