Thrifty But Glam

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...