Tea anyone?

Hi!

I love a nice cup of tea but I always have to have something to go with it or it just doesn't feel right so the other day I decided to make a marble loaf.

Ingredients

- 175g Butter, soften

- 175g Caster Sugar

- 3 Large Eggs

- 1/2 tsp Vanila Extract

- 225g Self Raising Flour

- 25g Cocoa Powder

- 2 tbsp Whole Milk

1. Place the butter and sugar into a bowl and beat until white and fluffy.

2. Add the vanilla extract and eggs into the mixture and beat well.

3. Pour the self raising flour into the mixture and using a hand-held mixer mix well.

4. Spoon out half of the mixture in a separate bowl and add the cocoa powder and milk. Mix.

5. Using a lined loaf tin spoon in 2 large spoonful of vanilla batter and then 1 spoonful of chocolate batter. Alternate on the next layer so 2 chocolate and 1 vanilla etc. Once Finished using a skewer make a 8 figure in the batter and bake.

6. Bake at 160°c for 15 - 20 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean

7. Sprinkle icing sugar on top and enjoy

You can be as creative as you want with the marbling or if you really can't be bothered you can make it half and half but I hope you try this recipe and tell me what you think.

TC

xx

Ferrero Rocher Inspired Chocolates

Hi!

A couple of days ago I was on Facebook and came across a video of someone making their own version of a Ferrero Rocher so I thought I'd give it a go but with a few changes (Click HERE to watch).

Ingredients
- 14 Malted Milk Biscuits (Blitzed)
- 25g Rice Krispies
- 200g Nutella
- 10 - 15 Whole Hazelnuts (depends on how big you want the Nutella balls to be)
- 200g Milk or Dark Chocolate
- 10 Hazelnut Chopped finely

1. Add the Nutella and Rice Krispies into the bowl and fold the ingredients until it is completely mixed.

2. Spoon out a small mixture and place a hazelnut inside and roll it into a ball

3. Chill your Nutella balls in the fridge for atleast an hour so they harden

4. Melt the chocolate and mix in the chopped Hazelnut. Add the Nutella balls one/two at a time into the mixture and cover completely.

5. Leave on a baking tray and chill for another hour so that the outside chocolate hardens.

Verdict:
I made mine a lot bigger than I originally had planned but they still taste yummy although I would suggest using less Malt Milk biscuits or take them out completely as it left a gritty feeling in my mouth. I would need to add a little bit of milk to make it less sweet and also make them much much smaller lol.

Hope you get a chance to try these out

Tc

xx

Final Bakes of 2015

Hi!

I can't believe that 2015 is coming to a close and a new year is just around the corner! Eek! I thought I'd end the year with some of my bakes which I didn't manage to blog about from August - September 2015.

My goal for 2016 is to be able to upload at least one bake a month so wish me luck.

Anyways..

Hemp Surprise

Sponge: Vanilla

Filling: Vanilla Buttercream

Covering: Vanilla Buttercream 

Extra(s): Fondant Decorations

This cake was baked for S friends and it was his idea. I didn't manage to take the inside but it was a rainbow cake inside. I'm going to lie. I didn't taste the cake nor did the birthday boys because someone stole it! Someone decided that they need cake and stole the whole thing.  

Chiffon Fruit Cake

Sponge: Vanilla Chiffon 

Filling: Fresh Cream and Fruits

Covering: Fresh Cream, Chocolate Fingers, Malteasers

Topping: Fresh Fruit, Chocolate Heart Shaped Lollipop

Fruit Cupcake

Sponge: Chocolate

Covering: Vanilla Buttercream 

Topping: Fresh Kiwi, Fresh Strawberry dipped in Chocolate

I made these for my friend's niece. A traditional Chinese Birthday Cake is made from a chiffon sponge so I attempted it and it was a success as it had risen well and tasted yummy.

Mini Fruit Cake

Sponge: Vanilla

Filling: Fresh Cream, Strawberry Jam, Fruit Cocktail

Covering: Fresh Cream

Topping: Dark Chocolate Ganache, Fresh Fruit

I made this for S birthday cake. I used the Wilton Rainbow cake pan and was so disappointed. The cake was so small but it was just about enough for 5 people. The cake tasted just right as I didn't add icing sugar to the fresh cream due to the sweetness from the fruit cocktail syrup and strawberry jam. 

Chocoholic

Sponge: Nutella Chocolate

Filling: Dark Chocolate Ganache, Nutella Butter cream

Covering: Nutella Buttercream, Chocolate Fondant

Topping: Fondant Flowers

This was my first time making fondant flowers and I was so proud of what I had achieved even though it wasn't perfect in my eyes. I made this to go with 50 Nutella Cupcakes for a wedding reception. I was told that the colour theme was purple so I used 2 different hades of purple. I originally had 3 but it didn't work well so I used white flowers with some purple food colouring painted on.
The bride was shocked and overwhelmed by the cake; the guests loved the accompanying cupcakes and they had an amazing reception.

Thank-You for reading about my baking ventures

TC

xx

Baking Addict!

Hey!

So lately I've not been eating out as much but I've been baking more! Hooray!!

Ferrero Rocher Cupcakes

Sponge: Chocolate

Filling: Ferrero Rocher

Covering: Nutella Buttercream 

Topping: Roasted Hazelnut, Dark chocolate, Ferrero Rocher

Ferrero Rocher Cupcakes 

Okay I ain't too fuss about weight and calories as I feel life is just to short to be counting how much I eat etc. This cupcake contains 2, YES TWO! Ferrero Rocher's and a very tasty Nutella buttercream finished off with a hazelnut border.. dribbles.

Oreo Cupcake

Sponge: Chocolate

Filling: n/a

Covering: Oreo Buttercream 

Topping: Oreo 

Oreo Cupcakes

I'm not a fan of Oreos but this is amazing! The Oreo took away most of the sweetness which made it less sweet. I added an Oreo at the bottom of each cake to give it a bit of a crunch.

Mocha Celebration

Sponge: Mocha 

Filling: n/a

Covering: Nutella Buttercream

Topping: Chocolate Flake, Rainbow Sprinkles

I baked some cupcakes for my sister's friends birthday. She explained that she doesn't have a sweet tooth so I added some instant coffee into the cake mixture to lessen the sweetness.  

TC

xxx

April Munchies

Hiya!

I am so sorry with the late posts but I've been so busy stuffing my face xD

So Welcome to April!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Butter Icing decorated with fondant butterflies and flower.

&

Chocolate covered Cornflakes with sprinkles and chocolate eggs to decorate

Me and Z baked some cupcakes and made some chocolate Covered Cornflakes for Easter. I had purchased a cake decorating set from Ebay and couldn't wait to use it. I started to play around with the flower and butterfly fondant stampers and Z loved them! He loved how easy it was to use and how beautiful the shapes came out.

Z covering his cornflakes with chocolate cornflakes

Peach Ice Tea 

April in London became strangely warmer than usual and on a random shopping trip I stopped by Dunkin' Donuts in Woolwich to get this delicious and refreshing Ice Tea. 

#DunkinDonut

Kaspa's Catford
S and I took Z to Kaspas again as a treat for doing well on his potty training! He can finally tell me when he needs the toilet! Hooray!!

Banana Split

 We gave Z the menu to pick something as it was his treat and he picked a banana split! I didn't let him eat the whole thing himself so we shared and luckily we did because this had so much cream and Ice-cream!

Strawberry and Chocolate Crepe

S ordered a crepe all for himself and it was so rich in Chocolate that he gave up after 5 bites! lol I had some and found that it was perfectly matched as the strawberries were sour.

#Kaspas

Slug&Lettuce The O2

My sister had a leaving do at Slug and Lettuce at The O2 on a Friday. 

Nachos 

This is from the 'To Share' section and we now know why they don't do a single portion. The Nachos are HUGE (look below)!!! The Nachos wasn't crunchy like the usual ones you get it was very soft like a tortilla wrap which made it okay to eat but it wasn't special. 

 HUGE SIZED NACHOS

 The Feast for Friends

Southern-fried-style chicken fillets, breaded garlic mushrooms, smothered BBQ pork ribs, crispy fried potato wedges, toasted garlic artisan bread and beer battered onion rings. All served with delicious dips.

I didn't try everything on here but what I had was very tasty. The thought of the ribs is making my mouth water and the garlic sticks. I managed to have 3 garlic sticks lol.

 No leaving party is complete without drinks..

#SlugandLettuce

Nandos

How can I not atleast once mention the infamous Nandos (Maybe I'll get a Blackcard from this LOL) and S got so excited about the new menu items that we had to go and try it.

Churrasco Thigh Burger & Sweet Potato Fries

The chicken in the burger was so scrummy! OMG! It was tender and sweet and not dry! Hooray! The Fino Coleslaw was creamy and not bad but I prefer the normal coleslaw.

The sweet potato fries was NOT what I expected. I thought that it'd be cut up into chip size but it was a whole sweet potato cut up into strips. The sauce was too sour and not very nice but that wasn't the worst as the sweet potato was covered with salt which was disgusting! I had to eat the inside of the potato and leave the skin and outside which is my favourite part :(

#NandosUK

Five Guys The O2

I've always wanted to try Five guys even though I ain't a fan of burgers but it was so talked about that it was a must for me.

 Little Cheese Buger and Little Fries

I don't eat alot so I opted for the little burger and fries and tbh it was nothing special. It was over hyped but the most amazing thing is this...

Strawberry Sprite

They had the most amazing Soft Drink machine! You can create what ever flavour drinks you want! I had Strawberry flavoured Sprite and also Peach flavoured Sprite! You can have as many drinks as you want as it was unlimted refill! 

#FiveGuys

TC
xx

25th Birthday Cake!

Hello!

I know I haven't been up to date with my posts but I have been lazy. I'm sorry!!

So alot has happened and I am now 25!! EKKK!! Lol

Here is my yummy birthday cake from my amazing little sister although I had to design my own cake LOL

Chocolate Celebration:

Sponge: Vanilla

Filling: Fresh Cream and Fruit Cocktail

Covering: Fresh Cream with Dark Chocolate Ganache 

Topping: White Chocolate covered Strawberries, 

Border: Pipped Fresh Cream with Half cut strawberries

Extra(s): Chocolate Champagne Bottle  (Bought from Thorntons)

This cake was very light as I asked for a vanilla chiffon sponge, the layer of cream was just enough to balance the dark chocolate making it less bitter and the fruit cocktail was not thick but just right.

I am very blessed 

TC

xxx

Here is a simple Chiffon Cake recipe if you wish to try it

https://en.cookpad.com/recipe/1472541

May Bakes 2014

Hello !!

So sorry for not updating as often as I would love but I have been extremely busy; not only am I having to go through the terrible twos but I've just started a college course but still found time to bake ;)

It was my mum's birthday the other day and thus another reason to mess up the kitchen and create alot of cleaning was due for LOL

Fruit Birthday Cake with Chocolate Wafer

Fruit Birthday Cake with Chocolate Wafer:

Sponge: Vanilla

Filling: Fresh Cream and Fruit Cocktail

Covering: Fresh Cream

Topping: Strawberries, Mangos, Kiwi, Peaches and Blueberries

Border: Chocolate Wafer Biscuits 

Extra(s): White Chocolate Plaque (Handmade)

This cake is just as lovely as my amazing mother :) It tasted good and is so pleasing to the eyes but I do think that we should of cut the wafer into the same length as it does look messy *sighs*

Anyways...

------

I have recently started to experiment with baking cupcakes and it has been so fun. Below are recent cupcakes I've made for the first time.

I saw a recipe online for Ferror Roche Cupcakes and decided to have a go. I didn't follow the recipe through 100% as I didn't want it to be too sweet nor did I want a chocolate overload!
Summers here so I have to watch my weight lol..

Ferror Roche Cupcake with Nutella Butter Icing

I really liked the taste of the Nutella Butter icing but I was dissappointed in the Ferroro Rocher in the middle.. The wafer bit had become soggy and not as crisp but the nuts gave it a lovely texture and luckily I didn't make it a chocolate sponge as the butter frosting was so sweet.

Here's the recipe I kinda followed http://cookiescupcakesandcardio.com/?p=4742.

--------

Chocolate Cupcakes with Oreo Butter Icing

I'm not a big fan of Oreo cookies (or any type of cookie xD)  but my friend asked me to teach her how to bake Oreo Cupcakes for her boyfriend and so we did.. lol

The recipe I was meant to follow had a cream cheese frosting but I didn't have any so I made it into just butter icing with crushed Oreo biscuits.

I loved the taste of them as the bitterness of the Oreo's made the butter icing less sweet but I had so much trouble piping the icing on as some of the crushed Oreos would get stuck in the nozzle ¬¬ 

Here's the recipe I kinda followed: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/user/1871966/recipe/oreo-cupcakes

Chocolate Surprise Cake

Welcome!!

Well I did promise more home-made cakes and here is our latest one :)

Chocolate Surprise Cake!! 

Chocolate Surprise Cake:

Sponge: Chocolate
Filling: Chocolate Cream with Roasted Hazelnuts&Almonds
Covering: Dark Chocolate Ganache
Topping: Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries and Honeycomb flavoured Matchsticks Chocolate
Border: Roasted Hazelnuts&Almonds
Extra(s): Home-made White Chocolate&Dark Chocolate Plaque

This cake is NOT for anyone on a diet because its just full of chocolate!!! It was so yummy and I was so surprised at how well the vanilla balls came out! :)
If I was to redo this cake I would like to make other shapes once you cut into it but experimenting is the only way forward lol

Inside of the Chocolate Surprise Cake

I will post more cake pics soon but for now

Thank-You for reading

TC x

P.S. I will tweets pics of food on my twitter so check it out at XsumBubz

2014!!

Hello!

WOW! Its 2014 now and tbh I gave up blogging but thought why not keep to it so this will be my new years resolution.
To blog atleast once a week! LOL

How have you lovely readers been? Hope you've had a great start to the new year if not here is some lovely homemade cakes that me and my sister Judy made for my friends birthday!! YUMMM :P

Fruit Birthday Cake with KitKats and Banoffee Minion Cupcakes!!

Fruit Birthday Cake:

Sponge: Vanilla

Filling: Fresh Cream, Strawberry Jam and Fruit Cocktail

Covering: Fresh Cream

Topping: Mango, Strawberry, Blueberries, Kiwi, Peaches and Grapes

Border: KitKat 

Extra(s): Chocolate Plaque (Bought but hand written)

The fruits we placed on the cake was sour due to it not being rip (learnt from that mistake, lol) but it looked amazing! As a first attempt me and Judy are very proud of it even though it got a little mashed on the way to the venue xD

Banoffee Minion Cupcakes:

Sponge: Banana Sponge

Filling: Caramel

Topping: Caramel Buttercream

Decorations: Hand made minions and Gru's Logo 

Ok.. I admit the minions don't look like minions but I'm still pleased with my first attempt at using icing! I didn't realise how hard it was to shape stuff from fondant icing. I tried using a youtube video but that didn't help much as I couldn't keep up so in the end we gave up and made our own xD 

The taste: OMG! the caramel hardened inside of the cake aswell as the caramel buttercream so it was more of a banana cupcake *sighs* 

But as people say, "Try and try again and you will succeed!"

Lets hope so... (Fingers Crossed) 

-----

Half&Half Fruit Cake!!

Half&Half Birthday Cake:

Sponge: Chocolate(Top) and Vanilla(Bottom)

Filling: Fresh Cream and Fruit Cocktail

Topping: Kiwi, Grapes, Blackcurrants, Cherries, Strawberries and Raspberries covered in Strawberry Fruit jel

Border: Milk Chocolate Fingers and White Chocolate Fingers

Extra(s): Homemade "23" Milk Chocolate plaque

I call this the surprise cake as you don't realise that its half chocolate and half vanilla until you cut into it. This cake is definitely an improvement as it tasted so much nicer (no sour fruits so lesson DID learn!). 

I must also admit that the Strawberry jel ruined the appearance of the cake but it was needed in order for the fruits to stay fresh as the venue was in a club! It was a fun night.. .. .. From what I could remember lol..

Anyways I will post new cake updates when we make them (lol)

Thank-You for reading 

TC x