Thrifty But Glam

We all know that cakes are bad for us, but have you ever actually read the ingredients list on shop bought cakes?  Believe me when I tell you that there all kinds of nasty chemicals, unnatural additives and a ton of 'ingredients' that in my opinion shouldn't be there. Mr Kipling Mini Bakewell Tart Even the packaging that touts 'natures' own will have some not so natural additions, and if the cake is organic, I can guarantee that to act as a preserver they've used a ton more sugar than you should consume. So, should you give up cakes?  God, no!  To me the thought of not having a sweet treat in the house sends me into palpitations, a dinner is not a meal without an indulgent pud to finish it off.  So what can you do?  Simple, make your own. I'm not going to lie, it will be more time consuming, (slightly) more expensive and even stressful at times, but you will have the benefit of knowing exactly what has gone into your cakes and bakes.  I promise t...

Great British Bake Off Week Two - Biscuits So it is no secret that I am in love with Great British Bake Off! This year I have decided to do a little bake-along each week, inspired by whatever theme the weeks programming is. Week two was biscuits and I decided to create some vanilla shortbread. In truth, the only biscuits I generally make are cookies, so I was quite excited to try these, especially as they are a favourite of the Mr!  They were surprisingly easy to make and went down a treat. These were fantastic, (even if I do say so myself) so it seems only fair for me to share the original recipe ( from my favourite baking book! ) along with my tweaks so you can try them yourself :) Ingredients 225 grams butter 125 grams caster sugar 225 grams plain flour 125 grams ground rice (or rice flour) - I used a gluten free flour mix I had in the cupboard 1 tea spoon      vanilla extract 1 pinch salt      g...

So the 2014 series of The Great British Bake Off started last week and I managed to catch up with the first episode this morning. Their signature bake was a Swiss Roll and it occurred to me that this is something I have never attempted before. The first contestant to leave was the lovely Claire Goodwin and I loved the flavour combination of her chocolate orange Swiss Roll. In honour of her, I decided to have a go at one too. A chocolate and orange sponge Swiss Roll with Orange Curd and whipped dark chocolate ganache. Covered in a set dark chocolate ganache and candied orange peel slices. There were a lot of firsts in this bake; First Swiss Roll First Orange Curd First Candied Orange The flavours are fab and I really enjoyed making the curd :)  I was actually quite surprised at how easy this was to make. Sadly it is quite runny (I cooked it for far longer then the recipe called for). But the left overs will make a fantastic dip for my cho...

Now regular readers will know that I have a gluten free version of this recipe here , but I somehow forgot to share the original recipe, so after a lovely family member requested it, I figured it was time to write it up :)  I whipped one of these up for a family gathering over Christmas, and have fallen in love with it all over again! Equipment Food processor with blade attachment - for turning the biscuits into crumbs, you can use a freezer bag and rolling pin, but I prefer this way 20cm spring form tin - you can go larger or even a bit smaller, but ideally it should be spring form as removing the pie from the tin otherwise will be a nightmare Microwave - for melting the butter Mixing bowl Electric whisk - good luck if you decide to whip cream by hand Pestle - for pressing the biscuits into the tin, clean fingers or the back of a spoon can also be used Spoon Knife and Chopping board Hob and Pot Ingredients 1 405g tin of condensed milk (for those ...

Christmas may be over, but there are only a few days left until New Year's Eve, and quick party food ideas are a must! Embracing all things 70s (and my love for cinnamon whirls) I decided to over-haul a party favourite - the sausage roll. The humble sausage roll is much loved, but seeing as I was planning to use cheats puff pastry, (ready made) I felt these need a little extra to make them special - STUFFING! The great thing about these is that you can mix and match the sausage and stuffing flavours :) Ingredients 1 block chilled jus roll puff pastry (500g) 400g sausage meat - you can use sausages, just split the casing and squeeze out the meat Half a pack of 170g sage and onion stuffing Milk to glaze Salt and Pepper Flour for rolling Method Remove the puff pastry from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature (about 20 minutes) Make up the stuffing according to the directions (remember to halve the amount of water if only using half the pack) ...

So unless you have been hiding under a rock somewhere, you will know that poor old Nigella (Lawson) is having a tough old time of it at the moment. Although I've always found her TV shows a little on the caricaturish side, (I can't help but get the giggles and convince myself it is secretly a carry on spin off) the lady most definitely has talent. So in honour of Christmas, and the innuendo rich Nigella, here is her frangipane mince pie recipe - I can honestly say that this is my new favourite mince pie recipe! PASTRY 175g plain flour 75g butter, cut into cubes 25g icing sugar 1 large egg, beaten FRANGIPANE 100g butter, softened 100g caster sugar 2 large eggs 100g ground almonds (if like me you are a doofus and bought flaked almonds, you can grind them in a food processor (blade setting) to make ground almonds 1 level tbsp plain flour 1tsp almond extract - if you are using essence, you will need to add more FILLING AND ...

Wimbledon may be over, but the nations love for Strawberries and Cream is still running high!  These gorgeous cupcakes contain the two most loved Summer ingredients and have a secret jammy surprise - easy to make and sure to go down a storm! Ingredients - Makes 12 Cupcakes 115g Caster Sugar 115g Self Raising Flour 115g Margarine (or butter) 2 Medium Eggs 1.5 teaspoons vanilla essence Strawberry Jam 284ml Double or Whipping Cream 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 50g Sieved Icing Sugar 6 Strawberries to decorate Equipment Apple Corer Syringe / Plunger Icing Set 12 Cupcake Wrappers Ice Cream Scoop Electric Whisk Metal Cupcake Tin Scales Sieve Wooden Spoon Mixing Bowl Directions Preheat the oven to 170 °  celsius In a bowl measure out 115g margarine - this should be at room temperature.  If like me you've forgotten to take it out of the fridge early, nuke the measured amount in the microwave (high setting) for 10 seco...

The hardest thing for me cutting out dairy has been losing my beloved cakes and chocolate.  A few weeks ago I was about to give in, when I thought I would have a bash at making Vegan Brownies - not wanting a disappointing bake, I researched lots of recipes and then decided to tweak them to my liking.  The result is the best brownies I have ever tasted - this is not an exaggeration!  I am an absolute snob when it comes to cakes, bakes and chocolate - if it doesn't taste divine, I am not wasting the calories on it ;) I have a lovely friend who went vegan at the same time as I went dairy free, he is also Coeliac, so will provide instructions to make these not only vegan, but gluten free too - just for you Sam! x These are oozing with chocolate and have the depth of flavor that you can only get from plain chocolate - the secret ingredient adds a subtle chewy texture that most egg free bakes lack - who would have thought the exotic fig could be used in such a wa...

Well a few of my RL friends have become readers of my blog and there is one that I talk about more then most on here; My Bestie Helen!   You may remember her from nearly all cake/bake related posts, blackberry picking, spa dates (whoops still haven't uploaded that one), and the wonderful rudie bunting!  Helen is completely awesome; she has a kick ass attitude, a wicked sense of humor and is one of the kindest, most caring people in the whole wide world.  I am honored to have such a wonderful Bestie :)  Did I mention that like me, she also likes cake? ;)  What's not to love? So I asked her to share the amazing Banana loaf recipe that she let me sample last week and like the legend she is, she typed it all out and whizzed it over to me.  At the top of the message was a suggestion to share it on my blog - so here we go.  A guest post by the most fabulous baker there ever was! The banana cake recipe!! Maybe u could pop it on your...

Have received a few requests for the scrummy Cookie recipe I made at the weekend, so here goes!  Please enjoy and remember that Cookie making is not an art, it is a roll of the dice, lady luck, fate smiling upon you deal ;) In other words, be prepared for failure and then you will be pleasantly surprised with however your Cookie's turn out. Ingredients 125g Cooking Spread (stork or similar) 175g caster sugar (or caster sugar/granulated sugar combination if you've run low like me) few drops of vanilla extract 1 egg (beaten) 50g milk chocolate 50g plain chocolate 75g white chocolate 175g plain flour pinch of baking powder 2 heaped teaspoon of cocoa or good quality drinking chocolate With Regards to chocolate, I used Tesco value bars as they are a bargain at 30p a bar! Method Preheat the oven to 185 C (170 C for fan assisted ovens) and line a baking tray with baking paper/ parchment paper. Using a hand whisk cream the sugar and butter together unti...

Well after last weeks bread maker review I had lots of lovely people telling me they were off to purchase a bread maker!  Sadly I think that Argos may be depleting the last of their stock as lots of lovelies have told me how much they have struggled trying to source one. (none in my nearest 10 stores!) Some cheeky chappy is also selling the same model on Amazon for £100!  And people seem to be paying that price, just goes to show how fantastic the bread maker really is. So now I have lots of new converts, it seems only fair to share with you one of the easiest, quickest and tastiest bread recipes that we use - for those that have the Cookworks bread maker manual, this recipe is included, however as usual I have tweaked it to make it appeal even more to us.  If you don't have a cookworks bread maker, you can still use this recipe providing you have an ultra-fast setting on your machine. Ingredients for a 2lb loaf 300ml water (2 parts cold to 1 part boiling) 75g so...

Well this was the year that I vowed the majority of my Christmas gifts would be home-made.  To me, one of the main components of Christmas is scrummy food!  Unsurprisingly, I decided to make some baked treats to give as gifts. Chocolate Truffles After everyone on my Christmas forum was raving about giving home made truffles as gifts I decided I had to make my own.  Back in November I purchased some metallic petit four cases, with the intention of using them for truffles.  I have made ganache before for icing cakes, but never used it to make truffles.  The actual baking part is child's play, I used this recipe; http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/182606/chocolate-truffles The only adjustment I made was using German dark chocolate instead of the recommended 70% cocoa (Lindt etc) - I may be biased, but I just think that German Chocolate has a far deeper taste. The assembly was very, very messy!  It was a bit of a struggle not to l...

I love baking, and generally I would never use a packet mix.  I personally think that they don't actually save time, they cost more money and usually they don't taste all that great either.  However after rummaging in my cupboard a few weeks ago, I found a Mrs Crimbles sponge and muffin mix that was about to go out of date.  We inherited this packet mix from my cousin, who brought it whilst she was trying out a gluten free diet.  I hate waste, and really couldn't bare to throw it away. The weekend I discovered the mix, also happened to be the biggest Birthday weekend of the year!  I was already making a madeira cake for my cousin and thought it would be a good idea to whip something up for Chris to enjoy whilst we were there. Chris loves raspberries and he loves cream cheese.  Coupling the two created this; I have to say that despite it being a packet mix, it was deliciously moist!  The combination of raspberries and cream cheese isn't...

On a fairly regular basis, I will get a huge craving for these glorious little beasts!  I can't help but lust after the creamy, chewy caramel and sweet, smooth chocolate.  Now that I have finally found a wonderful recipe for a buttery biscuit base (insert favourite masterchef mash up here ) I am once again in heaven! Ingredients Base 250g Plain White Flour (Doves farm is the best) 150g Butter 75g Caster Sugar Caramel 100ml Double Cream 50g Caster Sugar 400g Condensed Milk Topping 200g Milk Chocolate 100g Dark Chocolate - Optional Step One Mix all the base ingredients together until it resembles a soft crumbly dough.  Don't worry if some of the butter stays in lumps, this will break down during baking. Step Two Oil a 23-25cm square pan and place the mixture into it.  Because this dough is so crumbly, you may find it difficult to spread in the pan.  I found that the easiest way to do this, was to use my finger tips t...