Christmas Cookies

I just used a standard shortbread recipe as I love shortbread. I got some lovely cookie cutters in Kitchen Compliments, green food colouring for the icing, smarties and silver food spray and the rest is history! Little goody bags for the family members, neighbours and my good pal Joe who gets tipped with baking when he does my hair.

Walnut and Sultana Cinnamon Rolls

I have made these as a treat for Christmas Eve tomorrow when I go home. I will see if they go down well at home!

Milk Bread

This is a recipe for Milk Bread, something I had not heard of before but my parents were raving about a local cafe that made their own and I had to taste. It was light and fluffy and delicious so the above was a recipe I found from Dan Lepard in the Guardian food section. It's coming home as a Christmas Eve gift to my parents so I dont know if it tastes any good yet! It was my first bread, my first time using yeast and my first time kneading so fingers crossed!

Festive Chocolate Cake & ChocChip Xmas Trees

 My dear colleague Brenda was leaving work so I made my 'best chocolate cake ever' recipe but added some snow and a customised name ( melted choc, handle of a teaspoon and greaseproof paper). In hindsight as the letters actually worked I think in future I would just melt white chocolate to make the letters and skip the snow!.

 I couldnt leave out some chocolate chip shortbread Christmas Trees!

Best Chocolate Cake

You know when a cake just doesnt turn out as big and plump as you'd like it too. Well not only is this cake the best fudgy chocolate cake I have made,  but its still quite light ( I said quite light). My husband loves it and he has a very selective sweet tooth. I highly recommned people try this. It's from the recipe section of the guardian online and it's called ' the best ever chocolate cake'. Try it!

Baileys Cheesecake

This is a recipe from the Odlums website and is very creamy and tasty. I love cheesecakes of any sort so am easily please. I messed up whilst dusting cocoa over a doyley in the first picture and I then changed the look and either way the presentation wasnt as I had hoped! There are little shavings of toblerone throughout and it's very creamy but for fear of not having enough baileys in it I nearly doubled the quantity and it was that little bit too much...not too much of a complaint! One thing I would change about the recipe is the base. Its made up of chocolate digestives and butter. However when that sets the chocolate in the biscuits turns the base rock hard and I prefer a little crumble and less of a dislocating your shoulder feeling. Tasty all the same but definately not the best recipe out there.

Maple Pecan Layer Cake

This Cake is from the hummingbird bakery book. I think visually it's the one I'm most proud of but the recipe needs some alternations for the next time I make it. Its simply too sweet and thats all because of the maple syrup. I might leave the syrup out of either the frosting or the sponge next time. Overally a sweet nutty sponge with a lovely creamy buttercream frosting. It also kept really well.

Lemon & Poppyseed Muffins

As I'm more of a toffee/chocolate person I was surprised that these have literally gone to the top of my favourite cake list. A lemony poppyseed sponge with a lemon buttercream that has a real kick if you add in extra lemon juice like I do. I pepper it with poppyseeds ontop and bobs your uncle!

Chocolate Cakes

Who doesnt love chocolate cake. I think every few months I will try different recipes until I find the one that I personally adore. Both of the above are very rich and very delicious but I'm still going to keep looking! The top one is a sour cream chocolate cake by Nigella and really is for adults only.  Infact both are probably 'adults only' chocolate cakes as I just dont care too much for light cakes. The second cake is a ganache cake from the bbcgoodfood website and it's one of the highest rated cakes on the website. If you squint you can see it topped with raspberries on my wedding day table. This went down really well with those that I know normally prefer the lighter things in life!

Scones & Peanut Butter Muffins

I love nothing more than a good fluffy scone with raisins. These were my second try ( my first recipe went in the bin) and I was pretty pleased with them I have to say. The recipe is from the bbcgoodfood website if you want to give them a try. I would leave out or use half the amount of vanilla essense as its quite strong. The peanut butter muffins were one of my biggest disappointments. The sponge was too bland and the frosting far too sweet and rich. However the picture looked pretty so had to include! Any recommendations for a good recipe for peanut butter muffins would be welcomed!

Cookies!!

 Moose Shortbread! Standard Shortbreak recipe. Outstanding cookie cutter!

 Almond and Apricot Cookies from the Primrose Bakery Book. Soft and Chewy.

 Peanut Butter Cookies dipped in Chocolate. Think Very Crunchy Snickers

 Pecan Crunch Cookies

 Dark Chocolate Flapjacks. Not a cookie I know but they were all on their own in my album.

 Crunchy Cococnut Cookies. I thought these were absolutey gorgeous but note, they go from crunchy to chewy within an hour of being out of an airtight container. Still lovely regardless.

 Squirrel, hedgehog and heart shortbread biscuits I made for a little tea party with friends and their little girls. 2 year old Alice decided to lick the castor sugar off each biscuit followed by saying 'mmm delicious'. My job is complete. Doireann however ( few years older) saw my cookies/brownies and homemade scones and asked her mum could she have one of the buns they had brought.....Doireann makes you work for the compliment but I wont give up!

 Mocha Kisses from a Rachel Allen recipe. Found them too sandy in texture for my liking.

Hazelnut and Raisin Cookies. One of my first every cookies to make and still making them. Just like a boaster.

Festive Chocolate Chip Shortbread!

Retro Cakes

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

 

Classic Madeira Loaf with a lemon poppyseed frosting

 

Rhubarb and Custard Cake

I decided to choose some recipes that I didnt think I would enjoy as much but that my family would.  All of these were hits! From the top is the pineapple upside down cake which was so simple to make and really did work. Perfect with some creme fraiche. Next was a lemon madeira loaf which I topped with lemon butter cream icing I had left over. Finally and the biggest hit was a rhubarb and custard cake. It may sound a little strange but I am completely converted as is anyone who tried it. All recipes from the bbcgoodfood website.

Guinness Chocolate Cake

I came accross this recipe in the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook and have never looked back. I don't drink stout or beer of any kind but the kick of guinness in this cake really works. I believe Nigella and Delia have recipes for this which I have not tried but I dont need to as this has come out tasting and looking the same every time. The frosting is a cream cheese frosting and depending on the occasion I have dusted a cocoa heart on it for a valentines bake at work and a pint of guinness for one of my wedding day cakes on the last photo posted. I would definitely recommend this cake to anyone who loves rich dense chocolate cake with a kick!

Bakewell Cake & Bakewell Slices

I love anything bakewell and have tried a few bakewell tray bakes but by far the best is the one I have posted. It's from the Guardian food section by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. It includes fresh raspberries and the tartness of the fruit against the rich sweet bake is simply divine! Another winning recipe is the almond and bakewell cake which I have posted. Everyone seems to love this cake and its from the bbcgoodfood website.