Apple & Elderflower Drizzle Cake

The Great British Bake Off is back! Well it was what 2 weeks ago? Every year I say I'm going to bake along with the Bake Off and every year I don't. I like baking and I enjoy the show, but I hate feeling like I have to bake something I don't want to bake just to tag along.

But every year there is that part of me that wants to tag along! I want to be apart of all the social media groups that are baking along and take part in all the competitions held by Lakeland and Dunelm and other various kitchenware companies.

I just can't get my act together. I made a drizzle cake, the one I'm about to share with you two days after the first episode! Yay great, but I'm only just blogging about it. Oops. I also had all the ingredients to make Viennese Whirls and I still have all the ingredients sitting in my cupboard. Oops again. And there is no way I'm going to prepared for this week! Bread.

However, I will be watching every week and maybe I'll be able to sort it out and actually bake something and blog it all in the same week? Although please don't hold me to it.

Apple & Elderflower Drizzle Cake

2 granny smith apples, diced
juice and zest of one lime
2 tbsp sparkling elderflower presse
300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g ground almonds
250ml sunflower oil
250g caster sugar
4 large eggs, 3 separated
1 tsp vanilla extract

Drizzle
2 tbsp sparkling elderflower presse
juice and zest of one lime
50g demerara sugar

Heat the oven to 160C and grease the bundt with butter and dust lightly with flour.
Mix the diced apples with the juice and zest of the lime along with the elderflower presse.
Combine the flour, baking powder, and almonds and leave to the side.
Beat the sunflower oil, 125g of the sugar, 1 whole egg and 3 yolks plus the vanilla until completely combined it should be lighter in color. Fold in the dry ingredients and just the juice from the apples.
In a separate bowl whisk the 3 leftover egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add the leftover 125g of sugar and whisk until thick and shiny. Gently fold it into the cake batter a third at a time. Last, but not least, fold in the diced apples.
Gently pour/spoon the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes before carefully turning the cake out of the pan gently poke holes around the cake.
Leave mixing the drizzle ingredients together until you finished the last step. You don't want the sugar dissolving in the liquid you want it to be a bit crunchy where the sugar doesn't soak all the way through. Leave to cool completely before serving!

notes: recipe is inspired from a BBC Good Food recipe found in their 2016 calendar.

Snowball {cocktail review}

When I think of the word “snowball” I immediately think of a snowball fight! Or of those Hostess cakes Sno Balls. 

When I came across this Snowball cocktail like drinks I was intrigued.

If you like me have never heard of a Snowball, they are an egg-based cocktail with lemon and lime flavoring. If you are making them from scratch they are usually made with an egg based alcohol called Advocaat, which is similar to egg nog and topped up with lemonade.

It’s popular here in the UK especially during the winter months, it’s commonly thought of as a winter warmer.

At first I wasn't sure what I thought of them, they have a very distinct flavor. After one I just had to have another.... and it's then I decided that when I think of snowballs I would not only think of snowball fights and Hostess cakes, but these cocktails! 

There is the refreshing side of the lemony-lime flavor and the slight eggy flavor gives it a warm comfy feeling.

They definitely fit this time of year perfectly! I dressed mine with a couple of cocktail cherries and a slice of lime. A slice of lemon would work just as well. 

These Sainsbury’s Smooth Snowballs are available in a package of four and would make a great addition to any winter party! 

notes: In association with Sainsbury’s only the product was provided for this review, all opinions are my own, please see my contact/policy tab for further information.

Baking with Isaiah! Chocolate Dipped Key Lime Pie on a Stick

Here in Minnesota there has been too much snow and it has been too cold for too long, so I decided to bring back some memories of warm times.  

When I was 7 I spent the summer with my dad it Key West Florida. With the sandy beaches and calm waters this is the perfect place to remember when it is too cold.

The best dessert I had when I visited Key West was key lime pie. Once I had chocolate dipped key lime pie I loved it.

Adding chocolate makes it 10 times better. The first time I tried chocolate dipped key lime pie on a stick is when we stopped along the way to Key West at a gas station that sold it.

Ever since that I have been waiting for an excuse to make chocolate dipped key lime pie on a stick. ~ Isaiah

Chocolate dipped key lime pie on a stick

Crust:

1 ½ cups graham crackers or crumbs

1/3  cup sugar

6 Tbsp butter, melted

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Filling:

1(14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

3 egg yolks

½ cup KEY lime juice

 ¾ cup sour cream

2 Tbsp KEY lime juice

3 Tbsp sugar

9-14 Popsicle sticks

The first thing you do is crush your graham crackers. You can also use the pre-crushed graham cracker crumbs. I used my food processor to crush my graham crackers but you don’t have to. You should get the crumbs fairly fine.

Now in a large bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and butter.

Next with the back of the measuring cup or you fingers gently press the crust into the pie pan and bake at 375F degrees for 7 min.

Now mix together sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and key lime juice. Pour filling in to pie crust and chill in fridge for 10 min.

In a smaller bowl mix together sour cream, key lime juice, and sugar.

Pour and spread the second mixture over the first mixture and bake at 350F for 30 min. Then let cool and freeze until rock hard. (This is very important.)

Cut small slits every 2-3 inches and insert the Popsicle sticks in them. Place back in the freezer.

Cut the pie into slices and spoon melted chocolate on then then flip over and repeat. Make sure the chocolate goes over the sides and covers to whole thing, let chocolate harden.

 Enjoy!

note from Lisa: First off I want to say a big thank you to Isaiah for sharing these amazing and delicious looking Chocolate Dipped Key Lime Pie on a stick on my blog! Isaiah happens to be a friend of my sister's! When I asked her if she knew anyone who would want to guest post on my blog she sent me Isaiah's name. He writes the blog Baking Adventures of a Ten-Year-Old where he shares his adventures learning to bake and cook. He was recently featured in his city's newspaper The St. Cloud Times Newspaper and he has his own YouTube Channel! 

Lime Shortcakes! {weekend baking}

My husband likes anything citrus. Especially limes, they are his absolute favorite! However he is not a huge fan of strawberries. (What is wrong with him?! ha!) So when I make strawberry shortcakes, I decided to make lime shortcakes for him. 

They are very sour but super yummy!

I made the Lime Shortcakes by using the same recipe I used for my Strawberry Shortcakes. If you want a shortcut, Bisquik has a recipe on the box for shortcakes that are easy to make.

I used the zest and juice of 4 limes. I took 3 more limes and with a paring knife, sliced the membrane out and arranged it on the bottom of the cake. (picture below)

Then, after I whipped my cream, omitting the vanilla, I slowly added about 1/4 cup of lime juice and a few pinches of zest.  You can make another shortcut by using Cool Whip and just add the lime juice to the thawed whip.

On top of my bed of limes, I put a dollop of lime whipped cream, put the top of the cake on, topped it with the cream and sprinkled lime zest.

It was a hit! ~ Janet

Fluffy Puff Puffs: Gourmet Marshmallows {review}

Fluffy Puff Puffs are an online company that makes gourmet marshmallows. 

They want to show the world that marshmallows are versatile and make a great sweet treat for any occasion.

They offer a variety of flavors ranging from their best seller Key Lime & Ginger Pie Mallow, White or Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Drizzle Mallows, Sugar & Spice, Salted Caramel, Love Current, Lemon or Lime Punch, Toasted Coconut, Cookies & Cream… the list goes on and the possibilities are endless! 

They are made without preservatives and are gluten free. Please check the official site for more information on what and how the mallows are made!

Recently Fluffy Puff Puffs sent me a selection of marshmallows to try out. Here are the flavors I received:

Sugar & Spice

A vanilla marshmallow covered in sugar and warming spices like cinnamon.

It had a nice balance of flavors and a nice crunch with the coating.

Raspberry & White Chocolate Drizzle

A raspberry flavored mallow w/a white chocolate drizzle

This was probably my favorite. It had a strong lovely raspberry flavor. 

Love Currant

A blackcurrant flavored mallow.

My least favorite, but only because I don't like blackcurrants. The flavor was good and my girls liked it! 

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Drizzle

A vanilla marshmallow with a white chocolate peanut butter drizzle.

I was a little disappointed with this one. I thought the mallow was going to be peanut butter, but the only peanut butter taste I got was in the drizzle. I am a huge peanut butter fan so, would have liked a stronger peanut butter taste, but that's just me! The vanilla mallow was good though!

Lime Punch

A lime flavored mallow

It tasted like lime and that's what counts! 

Lemon Punch

A lemon flavored mallow.

A great citrus flavor and very refreshing!

Key Lime & Ginger Pie

A key lime flavored mallow on top of a ginger biscuit crust.

This one was very good! I can see why it's a best seller! The lime flavor is mellow enough (not quite as strong as the Lime Punch) to compliment the ginger base nicely! 

Next time you’re throwing a party or in need of a special gift or if you’re just a marshmallow fan and want to try out some fun flavors check out the official Fluffy Puff Puffs site! (website no longer available 2017)

A big thank you to Louise for giving me the opportunity to try out these lovely gourmet marshmallows! 

Rainbow Dash's Rainbow Jellies!!

So, this isn't so much a baked good as a fun treat for kids!

My oldest turns five in December and she wants a birthday party. At first she wanted a My Little Pony Party (or maybe I wanted her to want one!) and now she wants a princess party!

I have a bunch of great ideas for a My Little Pony party and if I can’t use it for her birthday I’ll use it for my 30^th in May! ;0)

A rainbow cake with blue frosting would also be awesome for a My Little Pony Party!! 

Anyway, every once and a while we pick up the MLP magazine and they had a ‘recipe’ for rainbow jellies (jello in the USA) I thought these are easy enough and would be great for a party if you topped it with fluffy light blue cream! I didn't do the topping but the girls and I had fun making and eating these rainbow jellies!

To make Rainbow Dash’s Rainbow Jellies: Buy any number of different colored/flavored jelly (jello) make according to instructions and layer in the order of a rainbow* starting with blue/purple at the bottom and topping with red. If you make it in a mold that needs to be turned out start with red at the bottom and so on… Also be sure that each layer is set before adding the next!

I just wanted to not the subtle colors of the UK jelly. The reason it’s subtler is because it doesn’t have huge amounts of unwanted e-numbers and additives! If you made it with Jello you’d get much more vibrant colors, but all those extra unnatural things your body really doesn't need!

notes: *red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink

Hartley’s UK   

Jello USA

Triple-Citrus Cupcakes!! {Martha Stewart} #AugustBreak

Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Triple-Citrus Cupcakes

Flourless Chocolate Lime Cake with margarita cream!!

I made this cake first of all because I've never made a flourless cake. Second, because of the lime, my family LOVES lime. :)
My cake is super dense, which I imagine is what happens when there is no flour, but it makes the cake very dense. There were no complaints at my house!
I made the lime cream to top it based on Nigella's recipe for Margarita cream, minus the alcohol. Not that I don't love alcohol, I just have 4 kids who will be eating this cake. ;) The lime cream is ah-may-zing!! It's so yummy and a must have to balance out the sweetness of the cake.
~ Janet

This recipe is taken from Nigella's website so it is the UK version. I tried to make it American friendly if any questions please leave a comment. It also appears in her book Kitchen.

For the cake:

• 150g dark chocolate, chopped -Bittersweet Chocolate Ghirardlli's
• 150g soft unsalted butter, plus some for greasing
• 6 eggs
• 250g caster sugar -super fine sugar
• 100g ground almonds -Almond meal/flour
• 4 teaspoons best-quality cocoa powder, sifted
• zest and juice 1 lime
• icing sugar, to dust (optional)
• 1 x 23cm springform or other round cake tin

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4, line the base of your cake tin with baking parchment and butter the sides.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together either in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water, or in a microwave (following manufacturer’s instructions), then set aside to cool slightly.
3. Beat the eggs and sugar together until about tripled in volume, pale and moussy. I do this using a freestanding mixer, but a hand-held electric model would be just fine too; obviously, by hand is possible but would demand tenacity and muscle.
4. Mix the ground almonds with the cocoa powder and fold this gently into the egg and sugar mixture, followed by the slightly cooled chocolate and butter. Finally, fold in the zest and juice of your lime.
5. Pour and scrape this mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40–45 minutes (though start to check at 35); the cake will be just firm on top, but still have a bit of wobble underneath.
6. Remove from the oven and sit the cake in its tin on a wire rack to cool. Once the first heat has left it, drape a clean tea towel over the cake to stop it getting too crusty, though a cracked and cratered surface is to be expected; it’s crunch I’m avoiding here.

7. When cold, unmould, dust with icing sugar if you wish and serve with the jaunty Margarita Cream that follows...

Margarita Cream

• 60ml lime juice (2-3 limes) or from a squeezy bottle
• 1x15 ml tablespoon tequila
• 1x15 ml tablespoon triple sec or Cointreau  note above I omitted this and it turned out great!
• 75g icing sugar -confectioners sugar/powder
• 250ml double cream -heavy cream

1. Stir the lime juice, tequila and orange liqueur together in a good-sized bowl, then whisk or fork in the icing sugar and let it dissolve in the sour, strong liquid.
2. Slowly whisk in the double cream and keep whisking until you have a light, floaty, aerated mixture, then serve with the Chocolate Lime Cake above

For the American version use this in place of the ground almonds.

Almond meal/flour found in health food stores, or in your health food isle at the local grocer.