Baking Lately - the adventures and happenings at United Cakedom

I wouldn't say I loved my job at Sainsbury's, as an online shopper, but I didn't hate it either. I loved being a witness to the sun rising and to scenes like the one above. I loved having my whole day ahead of me, but most of all I loved my co-workers. It was a comfortable environment and we were a great team of people. The only thing that made me want to change my job is that I was tired of dragging myself out of bed at 3:30am for a 4pm start. Picture below was taken on my last day and you can see how tired I am. 

I have found another part time job that suits my lifestyle better. It's just another change in a year of changes. I am looking forward to a new challenge, but sad about leaving behind two years of essentially some really great friendships. There are a handful of people I will be keeping in touch with, and the rest well let's just say thank goodness for Facebook!

One of things I did before I left is bake this Coffee and Walnut Cake for a charity bake sale going to BIBS, the local charity that our branch is currently supporting. Recipe can be found in Nigella's Kitchen on online here! 

I was told it was big hit and I got pictures of people eating it and the empty plate! The bake sale it's self was a big hit and it raised money for a great cause! BIBS (Babies in Buscot Support) is a registered charity that supports babies and their families in the special care baby unit (Buscot Ward) at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. 

This cake is one of many things I have baked lately, but haven't shared with you all! A lot of what I have been baking is stuff I not only have baked before, but also blogged. Here are a few of the things I've been Baking Lately: 

Strawberry & Cream Muffins 

Banana Bread 

(I haven't actually blogged this, but the recipe comes from the hummingbird bakery cookbook.) 

Muesli Flapjacks

So, that's a quick update on what I've been up to lately! I am still baking, but not as frequently nor as experimental as I used to be. I have also been a terrible baking supporter and have missed most of the Great British Bake Off this year. Think I will spend the rest of my Sunday trying to catch up with it as it is the semi-finals this week! 

It is my hope that once I've settled into my new job and I get a new routine set I will have more time to not only bake, but blog and get back into the blogging world! I have missed it as I have been dealing with real life stuff. 

I was all ready to get my Jamberry business off the ground and running and I've literally done nothing in regards to running it as a business, but I am still buying and using them! My latest manicure is called Ribbon Dance and I'm very pleased with it! 

United Jamdom

A link to my sight if you want to check them out! 

There are a lot of new styles for Autumn/Winter! 

Thanks for reading! Do you have a favorite cake or cookie or pastry or bread and so on recipe that you bake over and over again? Leave a comment below I would love to know! 

notes: This post has not been sponsored in any shape or form by any of above mentioned people/places/things! Please see my contact/policy page above for more information! 

Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes & Kids on Social Media

It's sometimes hard for me to remember my life before social media. It's also weird for me to know my girls will never a life without it. Recently they have been asking me for phones, they are 8 and 6! I felt like a right old fuddy duddy explaining to them that I didn't have a cell/mobile phone until I was 20 years old and that when I was there age cell/mobile phones weren't widely available.

They were more widely popular by the time I was 20, but I was one of the last of my friends to get a phone. I really hated the idea of people thinking they could get ahold of me 24/7 and now I live on social media sites that inform strangers of my whereabouts. What a turn around!

Myspace was a thing just as I was leaving high school and my friends in college had live journal accounts. If you had told me then that I would have stuck to writing a blog for nearly 5 years I would have thought you were crazy. I can't help but be grateful for being almost literally the last generation to grow up without Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

It's somewhat disturbing to me to know that my girls know what all three of those things are and I have never sat down and told them about them. We took a big step last Christmas and their grandmother bought them Kindle Fires. They love them! The first thing they did was vlog all their Christmas presents.

You read that right. They charged their Kindles and the first thing they did was video themselves showing off the rest of their Christmas presents. So, now when they bake with me they video it. Or as much as I will let them video it. They took turns videoing each other decorating the cupcakes and then when I set them up for photos they were right there with me taking pictures.

Part of me loves it and part of me is sad that it's normal for them. I like to think that I maintain a balance of online and real life for myself as much as for them. We are strict on how much time they get to spend online, playing video games, and TV. I don't keep it from them completely because it's just not the world we live in, but it doesn't have to be the end all of everything.

This half term we've been outside everyday rain or shine. Maybe a day out or just to the park, but we haven't just sat around. Early last week it was just to wet outside and to keep them from udder boredom we made cupcakes and they got to choose whichever ones they wanted!

After looking though almost every baking book I own (which is a lot - just see the tab up above (it hasn't been updated recently either so it's just an estimate of how many books I own!)) they wanted to make Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook Home Sweet Home.

They are super sweet! If I ever make them again, I'd probably cut some of the sugar out! However, they are super good too! They taste exactly like a Strawberry Milkshake. I didn't taste it in the actual cake so might not be necessary, but I followed their instructions.

Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes were all the rage 3 years ago when the book was published. So, a bit behind the times, but they were so good! If you'd like to try them out here is the recipe:

Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes

70g unsalted butter, room temperature
210g plain flour
250g caster sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
210ml milk
2 large eggs
40g strawberry milkshake powder (Nesquik)

Heat the oven to 170C and line your muffin tin. Be prepared that this recipe makes between 12-16 cupcakes. Beat the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together until it resembles bread crumbs. In a separate jug mix the milk, eggs, and milkshake powder together. Gradually pour in half of the liquid mixture into the dry mixture while beating continually (low speed for stand mixers.) Beat on medium for a few minutes to remove any lumps before gradually adding the rest of the liquid mixture - again on a low speed.
Fill the cupcake cases two thirds full and bake for 20-25 minutes. Use the skewer test to determine if the cupcakes are cooked through. Once baked leave in the tin to cool for about 5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack - leave to cool completely before frosting.

frosting
500g icing sugar, sifted
160g unsalted butter, room temperature
50ml milk
100g strawberry milkshake powder (Nesquik)
mini marshmallows to decorate
paper or candy straws to decorate

Beat the butter until soft before adding a little bit of the icing sugar. Continue to gradually add the rest of the icing sugar, beat until smooth. In a jug whisk the milk and milkshake powder together. Pour the mixture into the butter/icing sugar mixture and beat on medium/high until smooth and fluffy.
Fill a piping bag and nozzle with the frosting and pipe onto the cooled cupcakes before decorating with mini marshmallows and straws!

notes: Recipe is adapted from the hummingbird baker Home Sweet Home - I reviewed the book here! They are some of my favourite books check them all out on the hummingbird bakery website!

Strawberry Tartlets & book review of Tea with Jane Austen by Pen Vogler

If you've read my blog before you'll already know that I am a fan of Jane Austen's work and when I came across this little book titled Tea with Jane  I couldn't resist! Two of my favourite things tea time and Jane Austen.

When I say it's a little book it physically is a bit smaller then the average cookbook and only has 60 or so pages, perfect size to slip inside a bag! Don't let the size fool you, it's packed full of tea time treats inspired by the world of Jane Austen; her work and her life!

My favourite thing about Tea with Jane Austen is that our author Pen Volger includes an old fashion version of the recipe next to the updated recipe - or how we read/write/cook today!

Emma is probably my favorite Austen novel so I had to make the strawberry tartlets! They were, of course, inspired from Emma and the day that Mr. Knightley invited everyone to Donwell Abbey to pick strawberries!

With a baked strawberry custard set in a sweet short crust pastry these would make a great tea time treat or if careful a perfect picnic treat! I would like to think Mr. & Mrs. Knightley would agree!

Strawberry Tartlets

sweet shortcrust pastry:

225g plain flour
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons caster sugar
125g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons cold water

Mix the flour, salt, and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter and using your finger tips combine the flour mixture and cold butter cubes until it looks like bread crumbs. You don't want the butter to melt, so be quick and firm when rubbing in the butter. Mix the egg yolk and water together before adding to the flour/butter mixture. Using a knife stir it all together it should form big clumps. Then using your hands bring the dough together. Add water if you need to little by little. No need to knead. Wrap in clingfilm and leave in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

strawberry custard:

200g soft or damaged strawberries, hulled
3 egg yolks
50g caster sugar
40g plain flour
300ml milk

Grease 4 tartlet pans or a 9in/22cm tart tin. Heat the oven to 200C and take out the pastry from the fridge. Roll it out to about 1/4 inch or 5 mm thickened line the greased tartlet pans with the pastry. It's okay to leave some of the pastry having over the edge to help with shrinkage. Prick the pastry with a fork. Cover each tart pan with a sheet of grease proof paper and fill with baking beads and blind bake for 10-12 minutes for the tartlets and 15-18 for the tart tin.
Take them out of the oven and remove the paper and the baking beads and place back in the oven for 5 minutes or so.
While they are blind baking boil the milk and leave aside, cover it to keep it warm. Puree the strawberries and leave aside. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together with a whisk, until sugar has dissolved. Shift the flour in a third at a time beating well after each addition. Gradually pour in the boiled milk, whisking as you go. Return the custard mixture to the pan and heat until it just starts to boil - beat until the custard holds sits shape. Dip a wooden spoon into the mixture and pull it out. Run your finger down the spoon face, it should leave the line.
Take off the heat and beat in the strawberries. Pour into the pastry cases and bake for 10-15 minutes until the custard is set. Cool and serve! With strawberries or cream or meringues.

Suggestion: if you save the 3 egg whites from this recipe whip up some meringues to top your tarts with! Just half the recipe in this post I wrote: Waste Not Want Not!

notes: Tea with Jane Austen by Pen Vogler (check out her other title Dinner with Mr. Darcy!) was sent to me to provide a review - recipe is taken from said book with permission from the publishers, Ryland, Peters & Small. This title was published in February and is available at all good book sellers and online shops! All opinions are my own, no other compensation besides the book was given - please see my contact/policy page for more information!

Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits

For me breakfast is a thing for the weekends. It’s hard to wake up and want food right away or I should say it’s hard to wake up and want to cook right away. If I had a personal chef and breakfast was waiting for me as I got out of bed then it’s be a different story. But that’s not the story and breakfast is on me.

If there is an easy way for breakfast I will take it. When I was a teenager and started driving my sister and I to school, every once in a while we’d sneak through the McDonald’s drive through for a breakfast burrito (different then the ones here in the UK) and a fruit parfait. Maybe not the best of combinations, but hey I was a teenager and food didn’t seem to “stick” like it does now.

It was or is literally a layer of yogurt, strawberries and blueberries, topped with more yogurt and granola. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Since they don’t sell them here in the UK I thought I’d make it myself. Also, it is Breakfast Week! A campaign dedicated to educating the nation and celebrating breakfast, it is the most important meal of the day! Too many people skip breakfast, myself included some days....

I really hate busy as an excuse, everyone is busy, it’s what you choose to make priority and breakfast should be a priority. How would anything get done if you didn’t have the energy to do it? I am trying to make breakfast a priority and these parfaits make a good start!

They make a great breakfast because fruit and yogurt are, depending on the choice of yogurt, good for you. Plus they can be made the night before and can keep in the fridge for 1-2 nights if properly covered and ingredients were well in date when made.

Fruit & Yogurt Parfait

makes 2 (easily doubled)

8 tablespoons of yogurt, your choice (I used Arla Skyr Icelandic Style Yogurt, Honey)
3-5 strawberries, quartered
2 handfuls or 150g blueberries
baked muesli (recipe follows)

Layer two tablespoons of yogurt in each glass/container. Then add the layer of fruit and top with two more tablespoons of yogurt and the granola! or muesli. Enjoy or wrap tightly with clingfilm and save until the following day.

baked muesli

45g muesli of your choice
20g butter, melted
1 tablespoon of honey

Heat oven to 180C. Mix the muesli and melted butter, honey together. Spread on a prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring once or twice. Leave to cool completely before breaking up and dividing between each parfait.

notes: Shake Up Your Wake Up - all about how you can get involved with Breakfast Week! I was not asked to mention or promote this campagain, I just agree and like it! I entered this into Brilliant Breakfast linky! Aria Skyr Icelandic Style Yogurt is in no way associated with this blog post or my blog, I mention it because it is what I used. I chose it because it is low in fat and sugar, but high in protein, which can help keep hunger pains at bay. Please see my contact/policy page above for more information!

White Chocolate Chip Fruity Brioche Muffins

Perhaps I should call them Bruffins or something? Start a new mash-up trend! Mash-up’s are fun, but what makes a mash-up? This is brioche made in a muffin tin and therefore looks like a muffin. It also has common muffin ingredients like the chocolate chips and dried fruit. Works for me as a mash-up, however, I will still call it a Chocolate Chip Fruity Brioche Muffin. No, bruffins here! Or worse Muioche’s … not even sure how one would pronounce that.

Also I am sure somewhere out there in the foodie world someone else has made brioche in their muffin pan/tin way before me. In this world of food it’s hard to be completely original.

Inspiration comes from everywhere. A recipe I found in a magazine a couple years ago inspired these brioche muffins. As I become a more confident baker I am able to change and adapt recipes to suit my tastes and needs.

 It was this recipe clipping and my recent baking day with my friend Jen, fellow baker and blogger, that encouraged me to make these deliciously light, chocolaty, and fruity brioche muffins!

They were loved and enjoyed by everyone who tried one, which was me, my daughters, me, one of the neighbors, and me again…. Sweetbreads are dangerous in this house!

To bring the danger to yours here’s how I made them. I used a stand mixer, but you don’t need one.

White Chocolate Chip Fruity Brioche Muffins

100g mixed dried fruit; cranberries, cherries, blueberries, strawberries

1-2 tsp vodka (or juice)

500g ‘00’ flour, sifted

100g golden caster sugar

2 x7g sachets fast action yeast

pinch of salt

200ml milk, gently warmed

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

150g unsalted butter, very soft and cubed

100g white chocolate chips

100g white chocolate, melted

Soak the dried fruit in vodka or juice and set aside. Sift the flour directly in the stand mixer bowl or in a large bowl and add the sugar, yeast, and a pinch of salt. Be sure to put the salt and yeast on separate sides of the bowl. Salt can kill the yeast.
In a jug combine the milk, which should be warm to the touch you don’t want it too hot as it too could kill the yeast, too cold and it won’t work either, gently whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract. Attach the dough hook and start mixing on low. Slowly add the liquid mixture. Use a wooden spoon to first bring the mixture together before kneading by hand. Mix in the mixer for 10 minutes, knead for about 10 minutes give or take a few minutes. It should be soft and stringy.
While the mixer is still running or while you’re kneading slowly add the butter cube by cube. Make sure each cube is completely incorporated before adding the next. The dough should look glossy. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean damp towel and leave to rise for one hour or until doubled in size.

Lightly grease each muffin indent with butter. Once the dough has risen gently knock it back, still in the bowl, by pressing your fist into it. Dust the counter top with a little bit of flour before turning out the dough onto the surface and give it another knock or two before folding in the dried fruit and chocolate chips.
Divide the dough into 12 pieces and using your fingertips fold each dough piece into a little ball before dropping into the prepared muffin tin/pan indents. Cover again with a clean damp towel, I used shot glasses to prop up the towel so it wasn't resting directly on the pan. Leave for an hour a little more or less until the dough has doubled in size.

Heats the oven to 190C, once heated bake the brioche muffins for 20-25 minutes until toasty brown on the top. They should feel slightly hollow when tapped.

Melt the white chocolate in your preferred melting method, either in a heatproof bowl over simmering water or in the microwave, be sure to check in 5 or 10 second intervals. Gently spoon the melted chocolate over the cooled brioche muffins.

notes: this recipe is adapted from Jamie Magazine issue 44 December 2013. 

These Brioche Muffins have been entered in these challenges:

Bready Steady Go – hosted by Jen's Food with Utterly Scrummy 

Recipe Clippings – with Farmersgirl Kitchen

ABC Bakes – hosted by Caroline Makes with the more than occasional baker (brought to us by the letter 'B'. B is for Brioche) 

Double Chocolate Strawberry Mini Tarts

This month’s Pastry Challenge is chocolate! The possibilities of a chocolate and pastry combination are endless! When faced with a lot of different choices the only way to narrow it down is to figure out what it is you want.

First I knew I wanted a chocolate pastry and a fresh fruit. So, I started looking through blogs and books for different options.

Then the chocolate and cherry tart I made in February kept coming to mind…but it was too dark for the beautiful weather we've been having. Then I knew I wanted something light and springy!

That’s why this chocolate short crust pastry with a white chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries came to exist. Since chocolate can be so rich it made sense to make these tarts little or mini. It makes the perfect chocolaty bite, without being too rich and sickly. We all love chocolate, but let’s be honest it can too much sometimes!

These would make a great spring teatime treat! So, let’s get baking…

Chocolate Short Crust Pastry

200g flour

25g cocoa powder

50g icing sugar

350g unsalted butter, cold & cubed

3 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift the flour, cocoa, and sugar together and gently rub in the butter so that the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Try not to touch it too much because you want to keep the butter from melting. Add the egg yolks and vanilla; mix together until you get a soft dough. Form into a ball and smoosh it down a little so it’s disk like. Then rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or over night.

Just before you take out of the fridge grease your mini tart pan or tart tins with soft butter. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter before rolling out the pastry - rotate every other roll to get a nice circle. You don’t want it too thin or too thick, but use your own judgment based on your tart tins. Then cut out circles somewhat bigger then your tart tins, you want the over hang. Presses gently into your pan/tin getting the pastry down into the corners, and carefully trim the excess dough off.

*If you are making little ones like these you will have extra pastry. There are two options either freezing it for a couple of months or make a double batch! Cover with cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. I left them in for about 45 minutes.

Heat the oven to 180C. Once it’s at temperature take the pan/tin out of the fridge. Using a fork put holes in pastry. Place a piece of grease proof paper in each, I cut out individual circles, and fill with baking beads press down to make sure they are holding the pastry down. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then remove the baking beads and bake for a further 5-8 minutes or until it looks dried out. I don’t know how else to describe it, because with chocolate pastry it won’t be brown. Cool for a few minutes before filling with the ganache and strawberry!

White Chocolate Ganache

50-100g white chocolate, broken up

50-100g double cream

20 or more fresh strawberries

The varied amount is due to your tart tin/pan size. You might need more or less. These ones used only about 50g of each. Place an equal amount of both ingredients in a heatproof bowl over a simmering pan of water. Stir until melted. Fill each tart case and top with a fresh strawberry!

notes: chocolate pastry recipe is adapted from Eric Lanlard’s Tart it Up! and can also be found online on The Telegraph’s website. Use up the egg whites making meringues!

These tarts were entered into these challenges:

The Pastry Challenge (theme chocolate) hosted by myself with Jen's Food 

Tea Time Treats (theme chocolate) hosted by Lavender and Lovage with The Hedge Combers 

Treat Petite (theme spring time) hosted by The Baking Explorer with Cakeyboi 

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cake {the hummingbird bakery: Life is Sweet}

Yesterday I shared my thoughts with you on the new beautiful Hummingbird Bakery: Life is Sweet cookbook. So, today I am sharing with you the first thing I decided to bake from it. Which just had to be the Peanut Butter and Jelly layer cake!

I grew up on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and even though I pretty much had them every day for lunch (back when you could take peanut butter to school) I still love them!

The combination of peanut butter and jelly is one that automatically makes brings “America” to mind. Therefore fitting right into everything that the Hummingbird Bakery stands for.

As usual the cake turned out great. Everything I have ever baked from the Hummingbird Bakery books has turned out lovely and exactly has expected.

There was a second attempt with the cake because the first time I didn't follow the instructions and used only 2 tins. The batter was dripping over the sides and all over the oven. Then it wasn't cooking right so, in the end I just dumped it and started again. It may have been okay, but my mood dictated that I start again. Sometimes starting from the beginning is the best way to clear your head and get what you want.

I am glad I did because it turned out lovely. The only teeny tiny gripe was the amount of frosting, but I think if I had used a bit more in between the layers it might have been okay.

It has been consistent with all the hummingbird bakery book that the frosting recipes tend to produce more then needed, but if you half the frosting it just isn't enough. In this situation I would prefer to have more then less.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cake

110g unsalted butter, softened

380g caster sugar

320g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

255ml buttermilk

3 large eggs

3 ½ tablespoons of jam, flavor optional

Heat the oven to 170C and line three 8 inch/20 cm round cake pans with baking paper. Beat using a stand or hand mixer the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, and bicarbonate together until you get a sandy constancy.

In a jug or bowl mix the buttermilk, eggs, and jam (flavor of your choice) together. Then gradually add half of this mixture to the butter mixture and beat on medium until combined. Scraping the sides of the bowl down as you go. Once it’s smooth and has no lumps add the rest and beat until incorporated.

Divide between the tins. If like me, you only have 2 round cake tins, bake 2 then bake the 3^rd one. It just takes more time, as you have to bake again and then wait for it to cool. Bake for 20-30 minutes, as ovens vary I would check on yours at 20 minutes then check again in 5 minute increments. It should have a nice golden brown color and spring back when touched. When in doubt use the skewer test. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from pan and leaving to cool completely before adding the frosting!!

peanut butter frosting:

190g smooth peanut butter

455g full-fat cream cheese, cold

2 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

450g icing sugar, sifted

1-3 tablespoons milk

jam, same flavor as chosen above

Beat the peanut butter until lighter in color before adding the cream cheese, vanilla, and salt. Mix for only a minute until combined. I over mixed just a little and it was softer then I would have liked. Add the icing sugar a little at a time, until completely incorporated. Then add one tablespoon of milk one at a time only use if needed.

to finish: Spread a good layer of jam on the first layer and then gently spread 4-5 tablespoons of the frosting on top of that. You don’t have to go to the edges because the next layer will smoosh it out. Then add the second layer and repeat, top with the final layer and cover the whole cake in frosting then enjoy!

notes: Previous post is a review of the newly release hummingbird bakery book Life is Sweet! I love peanut butter. Just wanted to have a note on the bottom like all my other posts.... :0) Also these pictures are just okay, it's a really hard cake to photography. I need to take a photography class! Just another random thought to put here in the "note" section! 

Love Your Freezer Part 1: Fruit {smoothies & muffins}

This post is the first in two posts where I will be sharing the love for my freezer. Starting with fruit! As a baker fruit is a pretty obvious thing to keep in my fridge, because frozen fruits make great crumbles, cobblers, and pies! 

Frozen fruit (and vegetables) are almost better then fresh. The fruit is frozen almost immediately after it’s picked and by doing that seals in the freshness. An added bonus with frozen fruit is that 9 times out of 10 there is no need to defrost before using them, so it's as simple as throwing them into whatever it is that is being baked and/or cooked!

The most obvious way to use frozen fruit is in smoothies! Smoothies are the best way to make the most out of any frozen fruit. Since the fruit is frozen ice isn't necessary to add ice, which just ends up watering it down. Sainsbury’s have a strawberry banana smoothie pack that make smoothie making a breeze. My two girls love it when I whip this up for them!

Strawberry Banana Smoothies:

½ pkg (eyeball it) of Sainsbury’s Strawberry Banana Smoothie frozen pack

300ml vanilla yogurt

300ml apple juice

Blend all the ingredients together. Adjust the yogurt or apple juice according to constancy.

Any frozen fruit makes a good smoothie, I found the trick is using juice to add flavor and texture. It helps keep the smoothie from being too thick. Apple juice pairs well with strawberries, but play around to find your favorite combination. Also if you juice your own fruit it is even better for you, no hidden sugars.

The one frozen fruit I constantly have to restock is blueberries. That is because they are the best fruit/berry to use in pancakes, smoothies, and muffins. This is my fail safe recipe for Blueberry Muffins; the only thing I did different this time was sprinkle some vanilla sugar on top. It gave these muffins a darker colored top, but it was worth it. 

Feel free to substitute with frozen raspberries, blackberries, cranberries or even cherries in place of the blueberries!

I am always looking for ways to make the best out of my freezer! What tips and tricks do you use? 

Please leave a comment below! 

For my go to Pancake recipe follow the link here 

(substitute the chocolate chips for blueberries)

&

For my favorite blueberry smoothie follow the link here

&

For Gluten & Dairy Free Blueberry Muffins follow the link here

notes: In association with Sainsbury’s for their Love Your Freezer campaign! Check out there Live Well for Less free magazine usually available at the end of the tills for more freezer ideas and tips. Watch out for Part 2: Vegetables and Herbs coming soon!! 

Some Serious Strawberry Shortcake

Recently I have been thinking of home, home being America.

I haven't been back for years. Things like life and money just always seemed to get in the way.

It was a priority for me to see my family this year so with the help from my parents we booked tickets for the end of July. 

I know a lady from South Africa who's husband gets upset when she refers to SA as home. Which in turn upsets her that he doesn't understand. 

I understand.

I thought maybe after so many years that I would stop calling America home, but I haven't yet. I call England my home too, two homes are better then one they always say. 

Well, I'm sure someone has said that somewhere? And if they haven't then I have!

I am looking forward to being home, but I still have life to live before then so I've not packed my bags just yet!

There will be a lot of visiting, but a lot of down time as I am going for 5 weeks! I will be posting a few posts before I go and hopefully be posting while I'm there, sharing with all of you what I'm getting up too! 

In the meantime I have a few classic American desserts and bakes to share with you among other things. 

I decided I wanted to make Strawberry Shortcake when I found myself smelling strawberries at the store with my oldest little person. While I was smelling freshly baked shortcake and sweet whipped cream she was smelling strawberries and nothing else.  

I made sure we got two packages. I made Strawberry Shortcakes and her and her sister ate 400g worth of strawberries in one sitting. 

We limit their in take of strawberries so it doesn't become a serious problem in their adulthood. I'm lying we let them eat as many as we can afford! 

To me Strawberry Shortcake is a classic dessert and perfect way to highlight fresh strawberries. Plus it gave me an excuse to use my Wilton pan I have only used one other time. This is some seriously good dessert! 

Strawberry Shortcakes: 

strawberries

400g strawberries

50g sugar

Mix the sliced strawberries with the sugar in a bowl and cover and leaver until ready to use. We want the strawberries to be nice and juicy! 

shortcake

300g plain flour

100g sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

114g butter, chilled

140ml milk

1 large egg

Heat the oven to 190C grease the dessert shell tin by Wilton or a 8inch/20cm round pan, with a cake release spray and lightly dust with flour, tap out excess flour.

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together before adding the butter in cubes. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like course crumbs. If you have a pastry blender tool thing then use that.

Fold in the milk and egg until just combined. 

Use heaped table spoons to fill the indents in the dessert shell tin and gently press down and smooth with the back of the spoon. Or spoon into the cake pan and smooth down as much as possible. The batter is a little sticky. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes if using the dessert shell, but 30-35 minutes if in the cake pan. The skewer test should be used to make sure it's cooked all the way through. Cool in the tin/pan for at least 10 minutes before turn out on a plate. 

to serve

150ml whipping cream

1 tsp caster sugar

Whip the cream and sugar together until it holds it's shape. Then I drizzle some of the strawberry juice on the cake(s) to soak in a little before adding strawberries, whipped cream to taste! 

Then eat! Ice cream would also be great in these! 

notes: My post on home being where the heart is! The only other time I used this pan was for this post. Recipe roughly adapted from a Betty Crocker cookbook.