Kinda healthy flapjacks!

I was knocking about my kitchen last night, thinking of something I could bake. Without having eggs or a lot of butter, I was pretty limited. However, I had the exact ingredients for Flapjacks...so that's what happened!

Cranberry and Hazelnut Flapjacks.

What you'll need:

-7oz oats

-2oz butter

-2oz caster sugar

-3tbsp of honey 

-1tsp of hazelnut syrup

-handful of chopped cranberries 

The Baking Of:

-Pre-heat oven to 180c

-In a saucepan, on a medium heat chuck the butter, sugar, honey and syrup; stir until it's golden liquid. Don't burn it though!

-Add the oats and cranberries, and stir together until it's all gooey. Then pour the mixture into a greased baking tray and pop into the oven.

-Bake for approx.20mins; you want it golden brown and a little crispy on top. They'll nice and chewy on the inside though. 

Take them, cut them out and share. Or not, up to you. 

This shit is Bananas!

I feel that this post will be pretty pointless, however I want to share it anyway as they went down a treat. A few weeks ago I made Banana Nut Muffins, from scratch. However for some stupid reason I didn't write down the recipe and it's definitely escaped my memory since then! I'm definitely kicking myself right now. 

So here's what they look like...

They were pretty simple, and if I can search the inner workings of my brain for the recipe then I'll add it on later. Although, I'm pretty certain you'll be able to find a recipe online (as much as I hate to say that). It's hard work being me sometimes! 

Enjoy looking at them! 

Ice, Ice Baby

Ahh, British Summertime. It's always a tough one...I like to try and make things that fit with the weather, but when it's technically Spring/Summer and it's still cold, it's quite hard to refrain from just making crumbles. But alas, last week we had a grand total of two hot days! So, with a little improvisation I took it upon myself to make ice-lollies. 

It really isn't that hard, but they're fun to make and you can be pretty adventurous with them. 

I went for Cream Soda and Raspberry. 

Fizzy, yes. Fruity, yes. Easy as pie? Totally. 

All you need is: a few ice-lollie making containers (I'm not up to scratch with the proper lingo), one or two cans of cream soda and a handful of fresh raspberries. 

Pour the contents into the pots, pop in the freezer for a few hours and hey, presto! 

Feel free to experiment more. If you're feeling cheeky, so for a little alcohol-frozen wine or pimms is amazing. 

Have fun and try to enjoy the summer! 

A hole lotta love

First up: Chocolate and Peanut Butter bundt cake. 

I know, the old faithful is back out again...but everyone loves PB! Plus, there's a hole in the middle, so the fun levels are instantly higher. 

What you'll need:
-A bundt cake tin. If you can't find one, it doesn't actually matter. If you'd like a hole in the middle, but can't find a tin, improv with a tin of beans in the middle of a normal tin. 
-3 eggs
-6oz caster sugar
-6oz butter
-6oz self-raising flour
-a heap load of cocoa powder
-3tsp of crunchy peanut butter
-1/4tsp of baking powder. 

The baking of: 
-Pre-heat your oven to 170c
-In a large bowl: cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, add the: flour, c.powder + b.powder. Then fold in the peanut butter. Mix together until you've got a nice thick, creamy batter. Pour the batter into the greased tin and bake for approx. 30mins. Or until it springs back on top and is dry in the middle. 
-Leave to cool and then ice. Silly me though, I didn't have any icing sugar. I would of done a chocolate glacier icing though. So for that you'l need:
-4oz icing sugar, 1 or 2 tbsp of hot water, 3tbsp of cocoa powder. Drizzle on the cake and tuck in!

N.B: The nuts in the peanut butter go all crispy, and taste sooo much better when cooked. 

Greetings fellow bakers!

God, living at home without internet is driving me crazy! Not only that, but I'm working non-stop at Starbucks so I barely have time to bake let alone update my blog! I feel so out of the loop...it's not a nice feeling. 

Anyway, whilst I have a window of internet I thought I'd give this a little tweak. I'm not bringing you anything spectacular today, but they're fun and super tasty! So I hope you enjoy the next two posts :).

Faye. 

P.s Thank you for continuing to find me. I hope some of my recipes are being put to good use!

Loafing around

The second baking session for my brother was possibly one of my best ever. Not blowing my own trumpet or anything. 
It's actually a recipe for a load cake, but shamefully I don't own a loaf tin. Tut, tut. So although my loaf is round and it worked, I suggest you bake it in the proper tin required! 

So second up is: Banana and Peanut Butter Loaf Cake. 

What you'll need:
-A suitable loaf tin!
-2 eggs
-4oz caster sugar
-4oz butter
-4oz self raising flour
-1/2 tsp of baking powder
-3tsp of crunchy peanut butter
-1 ripe banana

The Baking of:
-Pre-heat oven to 170c
-In a large bowl: cream together the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs and slowly fold in the flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl; mash the banana and PB, then fold them into the rest of the batter.
-Pour the mix into a greased tin and whack in the oven for approx. 30-40mins. 

Icing:
As you can see, mine doesn't have one-that wasn't intentional. I was hoping to dust it with some icing sugar or make a simple glacier icing, but I was out of the stuff! 
However, this part is completely up to you. The cake works well as either a proper pudding cake (with icing), or you could have it at lunch, warmed up with a little bit of butter. You make the call!

Ticking All The Right Boxes

Living with my brother, who is quite literally a human dustbin means my baking game is picking up...and fast. A few days ago I whipped up one cake, a few days later I whipped up another. It's great that he loves them, but hard work keeping up with his appetite! 

First off: Coffee and Hazelnut cake. 

What you'll need:
(Enough for 8-10 slices - depending on size of course) 
-2 eggs
-4oz butter
-4oz light brown sugar
-4oz self raising flour
-3tsp of hazelnut syrup
-3tbsp of instant coffee + hot water
Icing:
-4oz icing sugar
-4oz butter
-2tsp of coffee & water

The Baking of:
I'm going to be lazy and just link you to a previous step-by-step. Simply because it's a recipe I've done on numerous occasions.
All you need to do differently is add the syrup and coffee once you've got all the other ingredients mixed together. 

P.S: If you love your coffee, don't be shy on the amount! 

P.P.S: I've finally found out that you can actually buy Hazelnut extract/essence. So if you don't want a bottle from Starbucks, head over to amazon and pick up a small bottle. 

Coffee and Croissants

Since moving house I'm back in the age old dilemma of not having any internet in the house; therefore I'm left to find a suitable coffee shop that satisfies both internet and taste bud requirements. It might not be glamorous, but it ticks the above boxes and I get discount, so for the foreseeable future I shall be ducking into Starbucks. 
The best part is the coffee and croissants. 

Sitting here, romanticising about the idea of myself in a Parisian cafe, writing endless recipe books, watching people go by and meeting a handsome man. Unfortunately that wont happen today, but there's no harm in dreaming. Saying that though, I am currently in the process of making a book of favourite recipes; one that will hopefully sit pride of place in the cafe that I'll one day open. 

Anyway, I'm going to stop rambling, and crack on with what needs doing. I'm going to try and experiment a bit more soon, so please keep an eye out for something extra special. 

For now I shall go back to pretending I'm Carrie Bradshaw with my pastries and coffee. 

Round two!

No surprises for this next present....it's...CAKE! It tastes good, everybody loves it and why wouldn't you want a cake as a present?

What better way that to say thank you with chocolate and peanut butter?

What you'll need:

-4oz butter

-4oz caster sugar

-4oz self raising flour

-2 eggs

-cocoa powder (however much you fancy)

-1/2 tsp of baking powder

-2tsps of hazelnut syrup (optional)

The baking of:

-Pre-heat your oven to 170c

-In a large bowl: cream the butter and sugar; beat in the eggs; fold in the flour, syrup, cocoa and baking powder until you've got a nice creamy batter. 

-Pour into a small, but deep greased baking tin. Pop in the oven and bake for approx. 30mins. 

-Make sure it's bouncy, not wobbly before pulling it out of the oven. 

Icing:

-Whilst it's cooling, you'll want to cream together about 5oz butter, 4oz icing sugar and 2tbsp of crunchy/smooth peanut butter. Keep mixing until you're happy with the outcome. 

-If you wish to write a message or decorate with a coloured icing, continue reading, if not then dive in!

-You'll need approx. 2oz butter, 2oz caster sugar and a few drops of food colouring. Mix together and pipe it onto your cake!

Once it's all iced, give it away or just give it to yourself if you're feeling in the need for a cake present. 

Round one!

As I'm leaving both my current job and my house I thought I'd get a little bake happy and make everyone presents. A tasty parting gift!

For work I went for Peanut Butter cups and vanilla shortbread. They went down a treat!

I have to admit, I cheated a little with the PB cups! Whoops. As it was my first time making them I found a recipe for them here; however I didn't actually have enough for the exact measurements so I kinda just made it up as I went a long. In my freezer was a big bag of dark Hershey's chocolate going to waste, so I melted that down. They're very rich, so unless you like dark chocolate I'd go with milk choc. On the plus side, everyone at work loved them! 

I resorted to a firm favourite recipe for the shortbread, which you can find in a couple of previous posts. Chocolate is optional, I just had some left over from the cups. 

Giving food as gifts always works well, so if you're ever stuck for ideas these are quick and easy, and super tasty! 

I'm still here!

I'm currently in the middle of moving and I've had other things going on so I've not really had much time for a lot of baking and blogging. However, I have knocked up a couple of treats recently.

I shall be in my new place by Friday and I will be making the most of having my own kitchen, thats for sure!

Whilst I've been away I've noticed that my page views have gone up, so I really appreciate you lovely lot still checking in. I hope you're enjoying your baking!

x

Cookies b4 Nooky!

Let's face it, food comes before most things and when you're spending Valentines alone, cookies are the best kind of date. 

Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Cookies!
Makes 20-30 (depending on dollop size)

What you'll need:
-150g butter
-150g light brown sugar
-1 egg
-1tsp vanilla essence
-300g plain flour
-1/2tsp baking powder
-100g dried cranberries
-100g milk choc chips

The Baking Of:
-Pre-heat oven to 200c
-In a large bowl: cream together the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs and add the vanilla
-Fold in the flour, cranberries and choc chips until they're all mixed in evenly and you've got gooey consistency. 
-Using a tsp, take small spoonfuls of the dough, roll with your hands and place onto a greased tray. Press down on them lightly and repeat. 
-Pop in the oven for approx. 12mins. Or until golden brown. 

If you're also on your own this year, don't worry about holding back - I'll never judge a fellow cake lover! 

HAPPY (slightly belated) VALENTINES TO YOU ALL! <3 

Cakes b4 Dates

Another year, another Valentines spent eating cake and working. Not a single Valentine in sight (excluding the one from my best friend). As much as I'd like to be wooed - yes, wooed, eating cake is so much easier. Plus, you know it's always going to be there; unlike the opposite sex. 

This year I did double baking; buns and cookies. Dead easy, but satisfyingly good. 

First up: Hazelnut & Chocolate buns.
Makes 12

What you'll need:
Sponge:
-4oz butter
-4oz caster sugar
-2 eggs
-4oz self raising flour
-2tsps of Starbucks hazelnut syrup (I must find out if there's a HN alternative!)
-And as much cocoa powder as you like
Icing:
-4oz icing sugar
-2-3tbsps hot water
-Even more cocoa powder

The Baking Of:
-Pre-heat the oven to 160c
-In a large bowl: cream the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs and add the flour. Stir in the syrup and powder. 
-Pour the mix into cupcake cases, whack in the oven and bake for approx. 20mins. Or until they spring back when prodded. 
-Whilst they're cooling you can get on with the icing: In a bowl, sift out the icing sugar, gradually add the water (until you have the right consistency) and then mix in the cocoa powder. 
-Once the buns are done, lather on the icing and for a finishing touch; add a Love Heart sweet. It's valentines after all!

Swimming in Pancakes!

Today was officially one of the best days in the British calendar: PANCAKE DAY! 

To those of you who don't like them, just leave for a while. But for those of you who do, come bask in the glory that is pancake. 

I'm a bit of lazy arse when it comes to my type of pancakes, I like them plain and coated it sweetie goodness. This year I made a proper attempt at making American style ones, purely because my friend doesn't like the crepe style. I'm glad I did it though. So fluffy and yummy, so good I had to eat four. In fact, my grand total for the day is seven; my other friend also made crepe style. 

Anyway, I know it's a little late in the day for a recipe seeing as Pancake Day is practically over, however you can never have enough pancakes. This is quick, simple and easy to add extra flavourings if you wish:

What you'll need

-135g plain flour

-1tsp baking powder

-1/2 tsp salt

-2tbsp caster sugar

-130ml milk

-1 egg

-2tbsp of butter, or olive oil (plus extra for cooking)

The making of

-In a bowl, mix together the: flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

-Melt the butter (cheat by popping in the microwave - don't burn it though!)

-Whilst the butters cooling: in a separate jug (i used the measuring jug), whisk your egg and milk. Then add the butter. 

-Pour the wet mix into the dry and whisk into a thick, creamy batter. Leave to sit for a few minutes.           

-Get your frying pan warmed up and well oiled (don't go over board, but use enough to get a couple of uses out of it). 

-Using a ladle, pour out one or two scoops of batter into the pan (depending on the size of the pan). It'll be thicker than the usual mix. Let them get fluffy, golden brown and then flip. Repeat until the mix is all gone!

Enjoy with many toppings! We had caramel drizzle and bananas but the world is your pancake and you can do with it what you want! 

Please excuse the poor picture, it was an after thought!

Skinny(ish) Chocolate and Hazelnut Muffins!

I want to eat my cake and be healthy too! Dieting generally sucks but if you balance your cake intake out with plenty of exercise it does't have to be all bad. So with that attitude I thought I'd try and make a healthier version of the delectable treats. 

What you'll need:
Makes 6
-1tbsp cocoa powder
-100g self-raising flour
-50g caster sugar
-1/2 tsp of bicarbonate soda
-1 egg
-100ml skimmed milk
-2tsp Starbucks Hazelnut syrup (perks of the job)
-Chopped nuts (this was a last minute choice and I only have brazil nuts, but I'd say hazelnuts are the better option)

The Baking Of:
-Pre-heat your oven to 170c
-In a large bowl mix together your dry ingredients (flour, b.soda, cocoa & sugar)
-In a separate jug beat together the wet ingredients (milk, syrup, egg & oil). Then mix the two together to make a creamy batter.
-It's a wet batter, so you may want to put the mix back into the jug and pour it out into muffin cases. 
-Before you pop them in the oven, sprinkle over the chopped nuts. Whack 'em in and bake for approx. 15-20mins. 

I know they're skinnier than normal cakes, but that doesn't mean you have to eat them all at once! 

Enjoy!

Mocha Buns!

Hi all! It's been a while...I've definitely been slacking on the baking front. But today I thought, it's about time I rendered this. 
Today's little treat comes in the form of Mocha Buns! A nice and simple recipe, that hits all the right spots. Working at Starbucks definitely helps on the idea front. 

What you'll need:
*Makes 12*
-2 eggs
-4oz butter
-4oz sugar
-4oz s/r flour
-cocoa powder
Icing: Butter, icing sugar, coffee + hot water

The baking:
-Pre-heat your oven to 160c
-In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, add the flour and mix. Pour in the cocoa powder until you've reached your preferred chocolate level. 
-Pour the mix into bun cases, pop into a tray and bake for approx. 20mins. Or until they spring back when prodded!

Whilst they're cooling you can then crack on with the icing. I've not provided measurements because I think it's all down to personal preference. Just don't use too much water!

-In a large bowl: mix the coffee and water (as if making a very strong coffee), add the butter and icing sugar and whip together. Keep adding until you're happy with the outcome. I used approx. 4oz butter & sugar. Once your buns are cooled you can slap that butter icing on! Dust with cocoa powder and there you have it! 

Try not to eat them all at once, but do enjoy. 

An Ode To Cake

As you may know, I enjoy cake. Cake is a girl's best friend, not diamonds. One day I plan on opening my own little cake shop - somewhere quaint, kitsch and filled to the brim with cake. But for the mean time, I thought I would show my dedication and get myself a wee tattoo. 
The tattoo shop was so lovely, I actually got a cup of tea in a cup and saucer! I think I might use it as inspiration for my future shop. 

My cake was fresh from the oven when I took this, hence the not-so-pretty finger. But, Et Voila! 

Ooh, you little Tart.

Admittedly this isn't the most "out-there" recipe, but I was bored yesterday and had very little in. Plus, I got to use some of my Chocolate Jam I made at Christmas. 
Jam Tarts make a great tea-time treat, and they're not very big, so you even when dieting they're totally acceptable. 

What you'll need:
(This makes 12)

-4oz butter
-8oz plain flour
-pinch of salt
-Two or three Tbsp of water
-1 tsp of vanilla essence

The Baking Part:
-In a large bowl, crumb together your flour, salt and butter. 
-Start binding the mix together by gradually adding the water. You want it to be a soft dough. If you add too much water, just balance it out with a bit more flour.
-Whilst binding, add the Vanilla. Alternatively, you could use other flavourings, it's just to add a bit of sweetness to the pastry. 
-Once you've got it in a neat ball, wrap it up in cling film and pop in the fridge for 15-30mins. Whilst it's in there, get the oven warmed up. Set to 140c. You can also grease up the baking tray (a bun tin will do nicely).
-Roll out the dough - not too thin though. Using either a cutter or a glass, cut out 12 circles and pop into the baking tray. Fill the bases up with a tsp of jam-don't get carried away otherwise it will burn in the oven. 
-With the leftover pastry bits you can get creative and decorate the top. 
-Once they're done, pop them in the oven for approx. 15mins, or until golden brown. Et voila, easy peasy! 

This week, I plan on baking something a little more challenging. So keep your eyes peeled :)

Baking failure!

I've been slacking majorly on the baking front these past couple of weeks. Partly down to lack of time, partly down to getting back on my diet (sad face) and partly down to the fact I have a cold. Again.
I really want to bake something, but trying to work out something healthy-ish and different is proving a little tricky. So for now, sit tight and keep enjoying my previous recipes :)

Hope all is well out there little bakers!

Frugal Food

I'd just like to get a "HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL" out of the way first. 

Back to business. I was thinking earlier about how, in the past year I've spent most of my time living like a student (apart from the studying bit). In the sense that, without having a lot of money, I've had to make meals that go a long way. Because for one; it's healthier than living off of ready meals, but also, it's cheaper. So for those of you wondering if I eat anything other that cakes and the like; yes, yes I do. 

To be perfectly honest, the meals I'm going to list aren't exactly mind blowing, but I thought I'd share some tips for those of you who may also have a problem with saving your pennies. 

Meal one: Lasagne.

A classic, simple dish. All you need is some mince (I go for turkey because it's the healthiest), lasagne sheets, veg and a white sauce. Obviously it's better to make your own sauce, but it's cheaper to use one out of a jar. Making it up is dead easy, if you don't know how, feel free to ask. But if you a make large enough portion (you can usually get about 4/5 healthy meals out of it), eat the first portion and once the rest is cooled, whack it into separate cartons and pop in the freezer. Whenever you want a slice of cheesy, lasagne you can just dip into your freezer and not venture to the shops. 

Meal two, three and four.

The above rule generally applies to a lot of dishes. If you've got some mince, veg and sauce you can go quite a long way. I've made up pots of Chilli, spag bowl, pasta bakes etc. Turkey mince isn't that expensive and neither is veg, so putting the two together only seems right. Plus, it's quick and easy and full of all the right things. 

Meal 5: Soup. 

Trusty soup. We're all guilty of picking up "5 cans for £3" or whatever the deal is, but if you stop and think about what goes into these soups compared to a homemade one, you may as well put the tins back on the shelf. Soup always seems like a pain to make, but really, it isn't. And it's a great way to use up anything that's looking a little ropey. For example; if you've had a roast chicken the previous night, keep the carcass and get a stock out of it. Soup keeps for a few days if you leave it in the fridge (I'm guessing you can freeze it, I never have though); so pop it into a couple of tubs and enjoy for a while longer. 

More ideas:

Leftovers are actually one of the best things about meals. People usually bin them or give them to the dog, but if you actually look at what you've got, you're more than likely able to get another meal out of it. One of my finer moments was after a roast pork: we had quite a bit of meat left, I found some noodles in the cupboard and some veg that needed eating. So, I sliced the pork into strips, whacked it all in a wok and hey presto! Pork Stir Fry! 

It's all about being creative. And when money's running low, it doesn't hurt to plan ahead. 

My three tips for your savoury cooking:

Have fun making your food, don't eat it all at once and always save room for cake!