New cake adventure

I decided that I need to start being a bit more experimental with my baking. I have been sticking to the recipes to I know and not trying anything new. I saw a new idea from the States and wanted to give it a go.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/surprise-on-the-inside-gender-reveal-cake/cbda6a71-5169-4cf0-8e21-fb01c86160ba

I decided to make it a bit different and make a plain and chocolate sponge with chocolate icing and filled with M&Ms

Unfortunately my chocolate cake was a bit too crumbly and so I ended up with 3 layers instead of 4. I cut out a hole in the middle layer and iced the other two layers 

I started to layer the cake and filled the hole with M&Ms then covered the cake with chocolate icing and decorated with white chocolate buttons 

It looks good and there is no hint of what is inside until you cut into it 

Unfortunately my icing on the inside was slightly too runny so it mixed with the M&Ms so they didn't pour out as the cake was cut but for a first go I am happy with it. 

I will keeping experimenting with different flavours of sponges and icing. I think you could fill it with anything 

One small step

If I was asked what I wanted to be doing in 10 years time, my answer would be running my sweet shop.

After a lot of thought I have decided to take my first steps towards this by starting to sell a small selection of sweets on my website. I am now busy testing a lot of sweets to work out which ones I am going to sell.

I am hoping that this will be the start of something and I will be able to open my own shop in a few years and then I will be a very happy lady!

Giant Cupcakes Adventures

A friend has asked me to recreate an amazing looking giant cupcake for her birthday at the end of March.

I bought a giant cupcake baking tin about 5 years ago and it has sat on to of my kitchen cupboards unused. I had thought about getting rid of it in the last house move but am glad I didn't.

I thought I should have a trial run to see how easy it is to make before the actual day. I am making myself and my mother in law a special Mothers Day treat today and making a victoria sponge cake and thought I would go crazy and use another kitchen gadget that I have bought and not used yet, the double piping bags from Lakeland and see how things turn out.

Will post the photo of the finished article later

Lent Baking Challenge

I have spent the past few years giving up something for Lent, either chocolate or alcohol and one year I even gave up both. This year I will not be giving anything up I will be indulging myself in my passion instead. I have decided to set up a Lent baking challenge and want to get as many other people involved as possible.

The Lent Baking Challenge is really simple - for the 40 days of lent instead of giving up something you indulge in cooking lots of lovely things. You choose if you want to make 5 or 10 recipes and I have created a Facebook group where everyone can post up their recipes and photos of the finished food. So let’s get everyone involved, you don’t have to be the best cook in the world, you don’t even have to choose difficult recipes, just try to make at least 1 thing you have never made before. Invite as many of your friends to get involved as well.

Here is the link to the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/357742617579679/?bookmark_t=group if you go onto the group then you will see I have posted my first of the ten recipes on there that I am making tonight. My hubby is also getting involved and has posted his first recipe on there as well. 

I have decided to try and use some of the cookbooks that I have not used very much or even at all. Here are my first five recipes for the challenge:

• Salmon Fishcakes
• Chelsea Buns
• New York Cheesecake
• Bitter chocolate and orange muffins 
• Fruit and spice soda bread

I have not made any of these before so they will all be a nice challenge for me and I intend to finish the challenge by making a Simnel cake ready for Easter. 

Why not get involved and indulge yourself this Lent.  

Twitter + Cake = Yummy!

I had a very interesting morning yesterday, I made my way up to Cambridge and met with Miss Sue Flay (say it out loud) a lovely lady who runs her own business on top of a full time job and has started Twitter workshops. I use Twitter almost as much as I use Facebook and think I might be starting to become addicted to it as I look at it as soon as I wake up and just before I go to bed. I know I am a very nosey person so it helps me find out what other people are doing without actually having to talk to them.

I want to start using Twitter properly and to promote my business, Little Sprinkles, so I went along to find out what hints and tips she could pass on. I was greeted by a fantastic looking table with some very yummy looking food on it. I managed to wait at least 10 minutes before starting to eat all of this yummy food. I met three other really interesting ladies, two were foodies like me and the other a Twitter Newbie who wanted to start using it. The morning progressed, lots of tea was drunk and Cheese Scones, Coffee and Walnut cake and Rocky Road bites were eaten and it turned into a bit of an ideas session as we all bounced ideas off each other and suggested things that we could do.
It was a really worthwhile morning and I came away with my head spinning with ideas.

I have lots of things to start planning as well as real life that just keeps getting in my way. I have now left my job (or rather was made redundant) and have managed to secure another job this week which means we have to move about 80 miles from Bristol down to the Somerset/Dorset border. I start my new job on the 12th March and before then we have to find a house, a nursery for Nathan and move! I have not been slow in finding ways of getting myself out down there and have a table at a Mother and Baby Market next Saturday at Sturminster Newton so have to make a few cakes for that.

I think I can safely say that my February Challenge is going to go the same way as my January challenge but I have a new idea to get people baking and sharing their results so watch this space as I will share it with you all this week.  



All in the name of love

Well I decided to bake Stu a valentines present this year as we are not big valentines day people. And I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and make him something out of one of the books in my challenge! It's a bit cheeky but I did choose a recipe from my 1001 cakes & cookies book so I had a lot to choose from and I found something that I knew he would like. Cheese scones (heart shaped)

I haven't felt much like baking so far this month as I have had bigger things to think about. We have made a huge life changing decision, as it is my last day of work this Friday we have decided to leave Bristol behind us and start a new life in the country. We are moving down to the Dorset/Somerset border as soon as we can find a house.
It is a very scary but exciting decision and I have already started finding new ways to promote my business down there. I have a table booked at two wedding fayre (thanks to my mother in law) and a table booked at a mother & baby event so hopefully I will start to spread the word about Little Sprinkles down there.

Had better go do the washing up as it would be a bit mean to make Stu do it!

13 days down, 1 recipe made, 5 to go in 14 days

New month, new challenge

Well I was three recipes short on my January challenge. Life took over and baking had to take a back seat as I had to look after my little man who was properly ill for the 1st time at the end of January.

But I have decided not to let this beat me and I am going to take the remaining 3 books and add the 3 books I got for my birthday and use them as my February challenge, the other books are:
The Great British Bake Off
Old Fashioned Sweet Shop
There's a Zombie in my Cupcake

I only have 2 weeks left at work so should have a lot of free time on my hands after that. But then again I might not as the husband has 2 job interviews for proper teaching jobs this week, 1 in Yeovil and the other in Bournemouth so if he gets either we will be moving away from Bristol so the end of February could be very busy with packing and moving. I have already said I want a house with a big kitchen!!

So we now have 24 days left and 6 recipes to go. Best get baking!