A few weeks back I was asked if I would like a German Friendship cake by a colleague and friend....to which I accepted.  In the same week, three other people asked me, and I had to turn down the offer, as I knew I was getting some later in the week.   Having then been given a container with gloopy, bubbly mixture inside and a set of instructions on how to look after the mixture.....called Herman.....I came home and Googled it (as you do) to see what this thing would eventually look like!!  As it look decent and I always like a bit of a baking challenge.....I sat Herman on my kitchen worktop in a bowl as instructed and....told my 7 year old that he needed to remind me to look after Herman!!

Now Herman happened to visit our house during the birthday weeks....so as it was a sourdough cake, I decided to delay Herman a little to fit in around our birthday cakes by keeping him for 13 days instead of nine days........by giving him his food on day 5, and then just stirring him for the next 6 days.  When I added Herman's last food, I didn't divide him and gave him away as instructed,  instead, I divided it the next day, baked mine and then gave my colleagues the starter dough with a piece of cake, the next day at work!!!  The result was....it was more convincing to show friends, what their starter would turn into and they were happy to take Herman home!!

I added mixed dried fruit to mine which had orange peel in, instead of just raisins, and it was a beautiful, moist cake....that the two oldest men in the house...ate warm with ice cream (alright for some).  

If you haven't been offered a started.....or would like to start one to hand around the instructions for a starter can be found here http://www.hermanthegermanfriendshipcake.com/

We have finally past the birthday month in our house.  I enjoy baking, I find it calming and relaxing.... so it was great to be baking for three weekends in a row, which also included making cheese straws and coconut fingers and then finishing off with the chocolate cake of all cakes for my son's 17th birthday.  It didn't last very long......having fed a few teens with a huge wedge each on the day  and  a piece for them to take home.  Normally at the is time of the year I am worried about making my chocolatey cakes with huge bands of chocolate around them as heat is chocolate's worst enemy......but heat is something we are definitely missing right now and the winter clothes are still making an appearance!  I think we can safely say....it is the wettest drought on record!!!

Create your own Keep Calm posters and save and print them on home

 http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/

We are on a run of family birthdays at the moment - Sister in Law's (40th) on Friday 13th April, so chocolate cake and cupcakes, my hubby's on Saturday 21st April so Lime and Coconut Cake with White Chocolate and this coming weekend our son's 17th birthday......so another cake...... yet to come!!

I have also made the apple and caramel cake which I posted a few weeks back, two weekends in a row for the birthday's dessert!   I used half of the mixture to make a lower cake which we served with cream the first week and with a home-made whisky sauce the second week (as the kids had already eaten).  I would definitely recommend the apple cake, served warm with the whisky sauce!!

Coconut and Lime cake with White Chocolate

7 inch round cake tin, greased and lined (I have three so can cook my 3 layers at one go)

Oven temperature 180 degrees C

Cake

8 oz self raising flour

8 oz soften butter or margarine

8 oz caster sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

1 large lime 

1 oz dessicated coconut

Topping

1 oz  dessicated coconut

Chocolate band

300g white chocolate melted

Frosting - I used lime flavoured cooked flour buttercream (recipe found lower down on my blog)

Whisk together the eggs, butter and caster sugar until pale and creamy.  Stir in the flour and baking powder (so it doesn't splash up in your face) then whisk until the flour is fully incorporated.  Stir in the coconut and the rind and juice of the lime.

Divide the mixture between the pans or if just using one pan, divide the mixture so there is enough to make three layers.  

Bake for approximate 20 minutes until golden and when a cake tester is inserted in the middle of the cake it comes out clean.  Remove from the oven.  Allow the cakes to cool for a few minutes in the tin, before removing them from the tin to cool completely. 

While the cakes are in the oven, toast the remaining coconut by placing in a small saucepan over a heat source, and stirring until just coloured.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Layer the cake with the frosting.  Also frost the sides and the top of the cake.  Sprinkle over the cooled toasted coconut.

For the White Chocolate band.  Measure the circumference of  the cake and the height of the sides (I use a strip of baking paper).  Cut a piece of baking paper just over the length and height of the cake measurements.  Spread the melted chocolate over the baking paper, covering all of the paper.  When the chocolate is just set (too hard it will crack, too soft it will pour of the paper when you lift it up), lift up the paper and wrap the chocolate band around the cake.  You may need to used a bit of melted chocolate to hold the edges together.  

Allow the chocolate to fully harden before removing the band of baking paper.  

Yesterday I had a sort out.....on Easter Sunday (I most certainly did)!!!  I reduced all my visible craft stuff  (on a shelf which is on daily view) to about 25 % (still need to sort the stuff in cupboards/drawers etc), and ditched all those weeny pieces of card and paper that I was keeping to do something with, along with lots of patterned paper that I have never used......not ever!!  (I will be taking a lot to Preschool for the kiddies to do collage with......I couldn't just bin it all!!!)   I bagged up a life times worth of pieces of card stock for stamping on and organised all my remaining bits neatly and told myself that if I was going to make any more cards they would be clean and simple!  (Let's see how long that lasts for!)

Anyway my first card on my new clean and simple plan is a Wedding one (off to a wedding in 5 weeks and many inches to loose/dress etc. still to sort)  which fits in with Dream Valley Challenges which is Wedding/Love.   

The image is from The Greeting Farm, sentiment done on the computer, ribbon from my stash, and Promarkers for colour.  

ahh Blogger has a new look - so a bit confused over the whole posting set up (pray it comes out right)!  Anyway in the house of PapersandCakes.....there has been lots of cakes....but no paper!!  I intend to get the paper out over these holidays and do a bit of crafting but I am also thinking of getting rid of a lot of my craft stuff that I just simply don't use.....decisions!  

Anyway we are still on the Pumpkin goodies.  I love pumpkin and so does my family so this week its Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins with Coconut Streusel.  These were soft, moist and so delicious.  I was trying to persuade my guys to wait for them to cool so the cheesecake would set, but the smell was just circulating through the house and I found myself on repeat saying "wait for them to cool."  In the end....guy number 1 took a cake outside in the garden and held it until it kind of cooled!!!!!!

A little work is required ahead, to freeze the filling for and hour before baking - but worth the effort!

Recipe:

Makes 24  

Oven temperature 180 degrees Celcius

Muffin tin lined with paper cases

Muffins

3 cups plain flour

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground mixed spice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups sunflower oil

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups pumpkin purée (1 lb cooked weight pumpkin mashed)

Filling

4 oz cream cheese

4 oz mascarpone cheese   (or use 8 oz cheese cheese instead of 4oz of each)

3 tablespoons icing sugar

Coconut Streusel

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup plain flour

4 tablespoons cold butter

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup coconut

Prepare the filling by mixing together the cream cheese and the icing sugar until smooth.  Spread into a long roll onto clingwrap or baking paper, roll up and freeze for about and hour.  It should be hard enough to cut into pieces to fit into the muffin tin.

To make the muffin batter - Mix the flour, spices, salt and baking soda together.  Whisk the eggs, oil, sugar and pumpkin together until light and creamy.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until the flour is just moistened.  The mixture will be quite lumpy.

To make the Streusel - rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.  Then stir in the coconut and the sugar.  

Half fill each muffin case with the batter.  Remove the cheesecake roll from the freezer and divide into 24 pieces.  Place a piece in each muffin case on top of the batter.  Divide the remaining batter among the 24 muffin cases to cover the cheesecake pieces.  Sprinkle the coconut streusel over each one and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden or until a cake tester  comes out clean.  (insert the cake tester just of the middle of the cake as the cheesecake will be in the middle).

Cool completely before serving so the cheesecake can set.  

A little baking and a little crafting....the way it should be......with some pumpkin in hand....baking was definitely on the cards!!!

First the Crafting - This week over at The Secret Crafters Saturday Challenge is Doilies are not just for cakes! I have had this stamp from Caron Vinson for ages but never used it....but she is perfect for the person I want to give this card to. All the pieces for this card have come from scraps in my stash, promarkers for the colouring and some glamour dust on the wings, and a fiskars edge punch for the border.

Waitrose sells cans of pumpkin puree (in the tin fruit section). It is a 400g tin jammed packed with pumpkin puree - no water etc, just pumpkin! I usually make a pumpkin cheesecake, but thought I would do something a little different this time......hence a pumpkin roll.

I made two of these.....because I was curious to see how they would turn out using different sugar and also after opening the can of pumpkin.....I didn't want to waste it!! In take 1, I followed the original recipe for the cake from here (minus the salt and using caster sugar) and did my own frosting.......as I don't like over sweet cream cheese frosting.

Pumpkin Roll - Take 1 - Using Caster Sugar

Dense texture......but very tasty.

The cake in take1 was rather dense with the caster sugar so I then had another go using granulated sugar but I twigged the recipe as below:

Pumpkin and Coconut Roll - Take 2 Using Granulated Sugar

Definitely better in taste and texture.

INGREDIENTS:
Cake:

1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 eggs
2/3 cup mashed pumpkin
4 heaped tablespoons coconut

Filling:

200g cream cheese, softened

2 level tablespoons icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Grease a 15 X 10-inch swiss roll pan and line with baking paper which is just a bit longer and wider than the pan.

Mix the sugar, flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, and eggs in a large bowl for about 5 minutes until pale and creamy. Use a large metal spoon to mix in the pumpkin and the coconut. Pour the mixture in the prepared pan and tilt from side to side so the mixture evenly covers the pan including the corners. Bake for 14-15 minutes until springy to the touch.

While the cake is cooking, lay a large piece of baking paper out and sprinkle over some sugar. (This helps to stop the cake from sticking to the paper while it cools). When the cake comes out of the oven, turn the pan upside down on the sugared paper. Gently peel off the baking paper from the cake. Working quickly, cut a shallow groove about one inch in on the short side of the cake closet to you. (this helps to roll the cake up better). Roll the pumpkin cake up with the baking paper, and leave to completely cool.

While the roll is cooling, mix the cream cheese, and powdered sugar together until it is light and creamy. Once the roll is cool, unroll carefully and spread the filling over the cake. Roll the cake up once again. If there is time allow to chill....it does taste better if left to chill!!

Cake pops - little balls of cake on a stick, enrobed in chocolate and smothered in sprinkles!! I love making these. They are a fantastic way of using up left over cake, or cake trimming.....or in my case I made a sponge in the microwave to make these!! You will need to break the cake into fine crumbs (a fork does the job) and then mix in some buttercream or ganache to make a cake dough.

These ones have coconut and lemon cake inside and are covered in white chocolate and glitter sugar....but the flavours for these are endless.....use any cake and enough buttercream, just to bind the cake together!

To make mine I used:

Cake

2 oz self raising flour

2 oz caster sugar

1 egg

2 oz butter or margarine

1 oz coconut

grated rind of a small lemon

juice from the same lemon

Ganache

3 oz white chocolate melted

five tablespoons double cream

Covering:

200g white chocolate (melted)

sprinkles

lollipop/cake pop sticks (made of paper)

To make the cake:

Mix all the ingredients together in a microwave proof bowl. Cook in the microwave on High for approximately 5 minutes or until well risen and springy to the touch. Leave to cool for a few minutes before removing from the microwave. Remove the cake and empty on to a plate. Using a fork, break the cake to form cake crumbs. Leave to cool.

When the cake is cool, make the ganache by mixing together the melted chocolate and the cream in a large bowl. Empty in the cooled cake and mix together. It should form a ball of cake dough. Wrap the cake in clipwrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight until firm.

To Make the cake pops:

Break of small pieces of the chilled cake and roll into balls. Place the balls onto a tray/plate.

Melt the chocolate and then dip the end (about 1 cm) of the sticks into the chocolate. Place a stick in each cake ball....the chocolate will help to secure the stick in the cake.

Chill the cake pops again for about an hour......or you have kids nagging at you....."are they done yet?"......... Stick them in the freezer until they are firm!!!

Dip each cake pop into the melted chocolate. Rotate the cake pop quickly a few times while holding upside down so any excess chocolate will drop off. Cover immediately with the sprinkles as the chocolate will set really quickly. A short glass will make the ideal stand for them to completely dry.

Wow Spring is just around the corner and the sunshine on the weekend was a nice treat! I decided to get some of the craft stuff out on the weekend and made a card......while everyone else was playing music!! I didn't have a design in mind, just went with the colours and bits and pieces I had left lying around (some from some recent wedding invitations). The background paper came free in PC Essentials magazine from Crafters Companion, the ribbons, lace, cardstocks, flowers and gems from my stash and the image is a Manga Stamp from Sugar Nellie. The heart is a stamp from Stampin Up (forgotten the name of the set) and I have handwritten the sentiment.

I am going to enter this card at the Dream Valley Challenges Blog as they have a female themed creation for their current challenge - although some of the cards from their design team is just amazing!!

Now on Saturday afternoon, after cardmaking and music session had ended...... we decided to go and get new school shoes for small son as it would be a bit wrong of us to make him wait until the term ended for new ones (poor feet). Having been out for about two hours, I get a call from our neighbour, asking if we were in. Having explained to her that we were out, she calmly told me that she had just noticed that our house keys were hanging out of the lock in the front door!!! Oh dear......I am glad that I was in the car, with the kids first.......so it wasn't to hard to work out who had left the keys in the door!!! Anyway our kind neighbour, walked across and removed the keys from the door, and kept them until we made a rather speedy journey home!

To thank her for her vigilance and because I was so relieved that everything was still left in the house......I baked her a dozen chocolate cupcakes which were iced and delivered to her door, as soon as they had cooled out of the oven!!!

These are the darkest moistest chocolate cakes, topped with a generous dollop of dark chocolate ganache and then a swirl of cooked flour vanilla butter cream!!

Cooked Flour Buttercream

8 oz granulated sugar

2 oz plain flour

250ml milk

175g butter softened

In a saucepan, mix together the sugar and the flour. Stir in the milk and then heat over a gentle heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens to a thick sauce. (around 7 - 10 mins).

Pour the sauce into a large bowl, add any flavouring and colouring and allow to cool completely. When the sauce is cool, whisk in the butter, until the butter cream is thick and creamy.

Those who actually read my posts will know I always go on about the weather!! I can't help it...I am an island girl after all!! The weather has been excellent over the past few days......I love seeing my washing drying on the clothes line with the smell of washing powder and comfort filling the air. I love the longer evenings, and that we can maybe be just about brave enough to go out in a t-shirt! (that doesn't include me - I'm still wearing a scarf indoors).

But dark, cold evenings does mean more time to look at Pinterest to find more ideas and things to bake, so Hmm how about these below........probably about two thousand calories per slice - I wouldn't even try to work it out!!

Chocolate Cookie, Oreo, Brownies - a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough, covered in oreo's, smothered in brownie mix and baked to perfection!!

Oven temperature 180 degrees Celcius, greased and lined 9 x 13 inch pan

Cookie Dough

1 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 cup chocolate chips

2 pkts oreos

Brownie Mix

350g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

250g butter

3 eggs

250g dark brown sugar

100g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder.

Method

To make the cookie dough - Cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract. Add the flour and bicarbonate of soda and mix together until all the flour disappears. Mix in the chocolate chips. Press the cookie dough into the prepared pan.

Lay the oreos over the cookie dough and then set aside.

To make the brownie Mix - Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heat proof bowl ( I use the microwave). In another bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale and fluffy. fold the chocolate into the egg mixture with a large metal spoon. Fold in the flour and baking powder.

Pour the mixture over the oreos and cookie dough and spread out. Bake for approximate 40 minutes until the surface is set and slightly cracked on the top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin.

For extra calories - add ice cream or cream and serve while the brownie bars are still warm.......then eat nothing but carrot sticks for the rest of the week!!!

I have been rather lazy recently......wanting to update my posts but just not getting sorted and getting down to it!! I am blaming it on the recent cold snap - I'm a Leo - so I need sun, sun, sun....so the recent cold spell has left me feeling pretty despondent!! Still there have been moments of joy.....seeing Snow Patrol on a rather snowy night in Birmingham in early February was brilliant! I am also lucky to have a lovely family who appreciates all my baking efforts and this caramel apple cake was definitely one that was a lovely treat on a cold evening and boy did it taste good!! A moist sponge with lots of apple pieces, enrobed in caramel = heaven!!

3 cups plain flour

2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 eggs

1 cup sunflower oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups apples finely chopped

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Caramel

1 cup dark brown sugar

6 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons cream

Heat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F/ Gas Mark 4. Lightly Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan

Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda and cinnamon together in a bowl.

In another large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil and vanilla until light and foamy.

Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture with a spoon and stir until the flour is combined. (It will be a little stiff and gluey, but will loosen when the apples are added.)

Stir in the apples and nuts if using.

Scrap the batter into the pan and bake for about 45 minutes until golden, risen and cooked.

Remove the cake from the oven, leave it in the pan and place on a wire rack.

For the Caramel

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook, stirring all the time over a medium heat until the mixture gently boils. Cook for 2 -3 mins after the mixture begins to boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat, then pour the caramel over the hot cake. Leave the cake to cool before serving.

Happy New Year everyone. This is my first post for the New Year and hopefully the first of many! I have made a card - the first in ages.....but I have been baking (see below)!!! The challenge over at Secret Crafter this week is Let them eat cake and this layout comes from the fantastic sketch over on Sweet Stop Sketch challenge Blog.

The papers I have used here come from Milson & Co range (free pad with Papercraft Essentials Magazine), the cute little image came free from Sliekje Digi Stamps and the sentiment is from Stampin up. The image has been coloured with promarkers and I used a fiskars border punch for the edging. Black and pink cardstock from my stash!!

Now onto the baking. I spotted a pull apart Lemon cake on Pin Interest via here. I have changed the recipe slightly as the dough was far too sticky, so I added the flour differently.

I am not sure if I would call it a cake - I am thinking its more like bread, so I am going to call mine Pull apart Lemon Bread!! The smell when it is cooking is just fantastic and it simply just pulls apart - all the slicing is done before it is cooked. Also I was unsure if actual plain flour would work with yeast and would it rise (but it did), I am guessing that strong bread flour, would give it a different texture. I didnt use an expensive brand of plain flour either (er cough Aldi for 52p).

Being desperate to try it out yesterday, am visually thinking I had all the ingredients I started out by getting the flour, yeast etc all mixed and ready. However when it came to adding the vanilla, I discovered I didn't have any - so I used a coconut flavoured one instead. I also only had two lemons instead of three, but it did have a lovely lemon taste with a hint of coconut - but will definitely use 3 next time. It was the softest, tastiest bread and even the ends were tasty. Mine is looking a bit extra brown (didn't hinder the taste) because after 20 minutes when I was supposed to have covered it in foil - I discovered I didn't have any foil either!!! I then had to hope it would be cooked quickly - it did - within 30 minutes. To top it all off - the bread came out of the oven, it had moments to cool before the first slices were pulled of and comments were made how good it tasted - only this morning I realised I never poured the icing over the bread - so I am so going to have to make this again!!

The sliced bread risen and filled with lemon and sugar

The cooked Loaf

The inside with flecks of lemon and orange zest.

Pull Apart Lemon Coffee Cake (Bread)

Sweet Yeast Dough

2 3/4 cups plain flour plus some extra

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) instant yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup milk

2oz unsalted butter

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Lemon Sugar Filling

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Zest of three lemons

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

2 oz unsalted butter, melted

Tangy Cream Cheese Icing

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup icing sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Make the dough:

Heat the butter and the milk together until the butter melts. Set aside to cool slightly. While it is cooling Mix the flour with the yeast and the sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the water to the milk mixture and stir in the vanilla extract

Pour the milk mixture over the flour and stir until combined. Mix with an electric mixer at low speed and add the eggs one at a time, mixing each egg until it is combined.

Sprinkle the dough with 2 tbsp of flour and knead it with a dough hook for 3 minutes. The dough will be sticky but should become soft and smooth from the kneading. Leave the dough in the bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Mix the sugar, lemon zest, and orange zest. It will draw out the citrus oils and make the sugar sandy and fragrant.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9″x5″ loaf pan or spray it will baking spray

Forming the loaf: Deflate the dough with your hand. Add flour by the tablespoon as necessary, kneading it to incorporate the flour so the dough is soft enough to roll out on floured surface into a 20″ by 12″ rectangle.

Melt the butter and use a pastry brush to thickly coat the dough with the melted butter

Use a pizza cutter, or a sharp knife to cut the dough crosswise in five strips, each about 12″ by 4″ (it might not be this exact size, but try to make the five strips be equal sizes). Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lemon sugar over the first buttered rectangle and gently press the sugar in. Top it with a second rectangle, sprinkling that one with 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon sugar as well. Continue to top with rectangles and sprinkle, so you have a stack of five 12″ by 4″ rectangles, all buttered and topped with lemon sugar.

Slice this new stack crosswise, through all five layers, into 6 equal rectangles. Carefully transfer these strips of dough into the loaf pan, cut edges up, side by side. it might be a little roomy, but the bread will rise and expand after baking. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until puffy and almost doubled in size, 30 to 50 minutes.

Bake the loaf for 20 minutes and then check to make sure that top isn't browning too quickly. If it is, just cover the top of the loaf with tinfoil and continue baking for a further 10 to 20 minutes until the loaf is golden and cooked. (Mine took 30 minutes in fan assisted oven) When done, transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.

Make the cream cheese icing. Beat the cream cheese and icing sugar together until smooth, then add the milk and lemon juice. Stir until creamy and smooth. Spread over the warm bread. Enjoy

It's the season to be baking - tra la la la la, la la la la!!! Christmas cakes, mince pies, cupcakes.....baked, decorated and eaten - well I still have one undecorated Christmas cake in the cupboard, but since everyone has consumed a years worth of calories in a matter of days, I think the Christmas cake will stay put for a while yet.

The one thing which one of my sons always ask for at Christmas is a baked cheesecake.....which we all like....... but every Christmas?? This year to incorporate several likes, I made a trio of desserts, baked cheesecake with berries, chocolate brownies with ice cream and a brandy-snap with white chocolate mousse. (The ice cream I bought, but everything else was made at home including the slightly tangy berry sauce).

Now brandy snaps has to be the most fiddly things to make!!! I made two at a time, and made just enough for one each - no there was none for seconds - I just couldn't devout the patience! The brownies were simple and easy to make and the cheesecake was just as easy and there was plenty of left overs which disappeared by the 27th!!

The picture shows a huge portion, but we all had a half a portion of brownie and cheesecake after our Christmas dinner - I couldn't cut the brandy snap down!!

Today.....I have an urge to bake.......but I think the hubby would have a fit if I produce anything sweet for the next few weeks lol - ooh but anything savoury would make him happy so mini smoked salmon frittatas and quiche for the boys will make everyone happy!

Vanilla cupcakes for School Christmas Party

December crept in rather quickly........as we found out on Thursday morning when the youngest son got out of bed......to no advent calendar!!!!!! Okay it was a mix of getting one later, having a look at some upmarket ones online but then deciding against it and then of course realising on Thursday morning that we hadn't actually got any!!! We duly explained to a the younger son that he would be getting his after school as dad was off work and would go and get him one.........only to find by that evening..........we couldn't actually even buy one in our town!!!

Not wanting to make younger son think that he would be the only child without an advent calendar.....I told him (without thinking) that I would make him one after he had gone to bed and he would then be able to open up two windows the next morning.........he of course went to bed rather excited and very happy.

At eight thirty on Thursday night, I was beginning to wonder why I had even opened my mouth to suggest I would make him one and even more so......to start making one after eight thirty at night!!!! Having searched through my stash and a little help from Google......sour cream packets were born!!

I had some thick pearl A4 papers from Crafters Companion. I cut each sheet into four equal size rectangles, used some double sided tape to glue together two of the sides, trimmed with some fiskars scallop edge scissors, and finished of with a punched hole at the top and bit of fuzzy wool and a line of string and paper clips to hang it. Numbers generated on the computer and punched out using a circle punch.

By midnight it was all assembled........I managed to find two treats for days 1 and 2 and the advent calendar was ready. He wasn't to know the other packets were empty......until a mad dash to the shops on Friday afternoon!!

The next morning.....the facial expression said it all.......he was so pleased with the "world's biggest advent calendar"............we have to meticulously take down each one and he takes out the treat, then it has to be hung back up.............it is his biggest pride and joy!!!

I am going to showcase this on Make it Monday.........for all the hours it took.........it still goes to show how a little paper, tape and imagination can bring happiness to someone.

It's pie season - pumpkin pie, mince pies - you name it, its in some kind of pie at this time of the year! This week I have baked whoopie pies - they went to the schools cake sale for the girls book club and on the weekend (yesterday), our first batch of mince pies!! These have to be the poshest mince pies - sweet shortcrust pasty, topped with a Viennese biscuit topping, so they are light, buttery and crisp and who cant resist a buttery biscuit????

Recipe:

Makes 16 large (muffin pan) or 30 small (mini muffin pan)

Pastry:

80z plain flour

4 0z butter

1 tablespoon sugar

1 medium egg (beaten)

Viennese Topping

6 oz butter (softened)

1 1/2 oz icing sugar

6 oz plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Filling : 1 lb mincemeat (the sweet fruit kind - Tesco (UK) finest with Brandy and Port is fantastic)

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5

To make the pastry - sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, then mix in enough egg to make a firm dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about a minute until smooth. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.

To make the Viennese topping: beat together the butter and the icing sugar until pale and fluffy. Sift over the flour and the baking powder and beat in. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with large star nozzle.

Roll out the pastry thinly and cut to the approximate size of the muffin hole using a cutter. Line the muffin tins with the pastry circle and divide the mincemeat between the pastry lined tins.

Pipe the Viennese topping over the mincemeat in swirls then bake for approximately 20 minutes until golden.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes in the tins. Remove from the tins and place on a cooling rack. Serve warm or cold.

The pies will keep for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container.

Warm days, cold days, warm days, cold days........what's up with the weather????? Everyone seems to have been coughing, sniffing and sneezing over the past weeks and for the past four days, I have found myself in the same boat!

The queues in the shops are beginning to increase.....stressed out people in car parks trying to find a park as close to the shop as possible.....oh how I remind myself why I like the internet at this time of the year!!!

After a run of no baking - its the last thing you need to do when you're sniffing - I had to bake the guys something yesterday.......they look forward to the creations that come out of the kitchen and at least I get feedback!! A roulade means not much handling with the hands (the biggest passer on of the cold), or should I say not much touching with the hands, because its covered with paper for rolling up too.

This went down a treat last night..... by nine o'clock, hubby and middle son was eating their third slice each (I know....... alright for some) - Chocolate roulade with white chocolate and raspberry filling.

Chocolate Roulade

Oven temperature 180 degrees Celcius, 23 x 33 baking tray greased and lined with baking paper (or a rectangular roasting tin of the same size :) )

For the cake:

175g caster Sugar

6 large eggs

200g dark chocolate (I used 45 % cocoa content)

For the filling:

200 ml extra light double cream (Elmlea has half the fat of other brands)

150g white chocolate

150g fresh raspberries

To make the cake:

Melt the dark chocolate and allow to cool. Separate the eggs into to large mixing bowls. Make sure the egg whites go into a bowl which is grease free other wise they will fail to whisk. Whisk the egg whites until thick and forming soft peaks (if you turn your bowl upside down they should stay in the bowl), then in another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the caster sugar until pale, thick and creamy.

Fold the chocolate into the egg yolk mixture using a large metal spoon, being careful not to knock the air out of the mixture.

Add two large spoonfuls of egg white to the chocolate mixture and fold in using the large metal spoon, until all traces of the egg white have disappeared. Then fold in all of the remaining egg white - be patient - be gentle - you are making a sponge!!

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and tilt the tin gently to ensure that the mixture reaches the corners of the tin.

Place in the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until well risen. The top should appear slightly crisp.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin. Don't worry it is suppose to sink!

For the filling:

Melt the white chocolate and allow to cool. Once cool, pour in the cream and whisk together until soft peeks have formed.

Assembling the Roulade:

Turn the roulade out onto a sheet of baking paper. You can either sprinkle caster sugar or icing sugar on the paper first (I didn't). Leave about an inch on the short side closest to you, free of cream, Spread the cream over the rest of the cake and then dot with the raspberries.

Use a knife to make a shallow cut along the 1 inch piece of cake (which you have left cream free). This will make it easier to roll. Using the paper to help, roll up the roulade.

I have finished mine of with shaving of white chocolate scattered along the top.

Happy Halloween!!

It's the last day of October, and I am beginning to detest the fact that as of tomorrow we will be saying "It's Christmas next month!!!" Don't get me wrong - I love Christmas - the preparation, the shopping (as long as its over the internet), the gift wrapping, and preparing and cooking a Christmas meal and anything else festive, but Christmas has really crept up on me far too quickly this year. ahhhhh!!

This weeks Challenge over on Crafting When we can is Halloween/and or Anything but a Card, Secret Crafter is Spooky or Whimsical, My Mum's Craft Shop Challenge is Spooktacular, and Dream Valley Challenges is Anything Goes, so I am entering the card below in all of these.

Our youngest was invited to a Halloween party on Saturday which was perfect as I also made the cupcakes too for the party. The image on this card which is perfect for boys was free from Dustin Pike and the Halloween papers from Shery K Designs. The spider I found on some clipart and the sentiment I made on Acme Labelmaker.

Oh I so enjoyed decorating these cupcakes - the bloodstained eyeballs, the mummies and these piped chocolate spider webs turned out beautifully and I hope the kids enjoyed them too.