White Tin Loaf

It's bank holiday Monday, its miserable outside and my better half was moaning we didn't have any bread for lunch. And because I'm just SO nice, I thought id try and bake a loaf for him- granted that meant no bread for 2 1/2 hours and he eventually got so hungry he walked down to CO-OP to buy lunch but HEY, I made bread!

I'm not going crazy for my first loaf of bread - something nice a simple will do - so a white tin bread will do! I'm fairly happy with how it turned out - especially for my first try of making bread (with yeast!)

This recipe is from Paul Hollywood's 100 Great Breads
500g Strong White Bread Flour (plus extra for dusting)
10g Salt
20g Yeast
50g Butter
290ml Water

Makes 1 x900g/2lb loaf tin OR 2 x 450g/1lb loaves

1.Put the flour, salt, yeast and butter into a bowl, then add the water, little by little, folding in with your hands until all the flour has been picked up. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until you have a pliable, soft dough. Put the dough back in the bowl and leave for 1 hour.

I found this recipe too salty, so next time I'll probably put in 6g instead of 10g. Don't put the salt on top of the yeast as it will kill it, so I put each ingredient at opposite sides of the bowl. Also I got a bit confused with 20g of yeast?! So I put in a single packet of dried yeast (7g) and it seems to have worked out fine! If, like me, your terrible at kneading, Paul explains at the beginning of his book to: start by making an indentation with the pals of your hands into the middle of the dough - then lift up the dough at the top and press it into the hole you have just made. Turn the dough and repeat and keep repeating this process for the length of time stated in the recipe. When the dough was put back in the bowl, I loosely covered it with cling-film and put it in a warm room.

2. Oil the loaf tin or tins. Shape the dough to fit the tin(s), and leave to rise for 1 hour.

I went for the single 2lb loaf tin. And using sunflower oil, I liberally oiled the tin. And once again loosely covered with cling-film and put in a warm room.

3. Preheat the oven to 230c/450F/mark 8. Just before you bake the loaf, dust the top with flour and, using a knife make slashes across the top. Bake for 30-35 mins, then turn out of the tin(s) onto a wire rack to cool.

I have a feeling I didn't make my slashes deep enough or big enough, as you will see in my pictures that the bread tried to expand out the side... I also found 230c was too high, so I took mine down to 200c. Thing is, the recipe didn't state if 230c was  for fan assisted or not. Im now guessing it was for non-fan assisted ovens!

This recipe is a great starting place for those who are new to bread baking - or want a fairly easy and quick recipe for white bread. I am really pleased with how my loaf turned out! We had a slice will it was still warm so the slice just melted the butter - it was truly delicious! I'm still very new to baking bread but I'm getting there - plus I'm adhering to my New Years Resolution of doing more bread baking! Paul Hollywood would be proud!!

Variation:
For Wholemeal Tin Bread use: 400g wholemeal flour and 100g white flour plus 320ml water.

GBBO Bread Week

This week it was bread week on The Great British Bake Off. 

The challenges were...

Signature Challenge: 2 Quick Breads
Technical Bake: Baguettes
Show Stopper: 3D Bread Sculpture

It was fairly easy for me to choose which challenge I would partake in..... well, it was more of a deduction of the other challenges and seeing what I was left with. There was no way I was making a 3D sculpture - I'm too lazy for that. And I didn't want to buy the fancy cloth for the baguettes, I found one from Lakeland for £12 and I realistically thought 'Would I ever make baguettes ever again after the challenge?? Probably not!' So by default I ended up making 2 quick bread loaves.

When it came to choosing a recipe for my signature challenge I went straight to the one and only bread book I own, 100 Great Breads by Paul Hollywood. How could I not do a Paul Hollywood recipe in bread week! It would just be breaking all the rules!

 Deciding what type of bread to bake was easy, I didn't want anything flavoured with things like stilton or bacon or other cheeses - so plain soda bread it was!

500g Strong White Bread Flour
20g Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon of Salt
75g Butter
200ml Buttermilk
150ml Milk

1. Put the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and work in the butter. Stir in the remaining ingrediants and mix well.

2. Line a baking tray. Combine the mixture with your hands to make a dough, then divide the dough into two and shape into balls. Flatten the balls out and cut crosses in the top of each, then put on the baking tray and leave to rest for 20 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 200c/400F/mark 6. Dust the dough lightly with flour and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Recently I bought the Lakeland non-stick magic liners and so I used them to line my baking tray. They did exactly what they said and the bread didn't stick to them at all - I will most certainly be using these liners from bread making in the future!

I was really pleased at how my quick breads turned out! The recipe is fairly simple and I would recommend it to everyone. I kept one loaf and gave the other to my parents; I don't really need two loaves of bread! My parents and I shared their loaf of bread while it was still warm, just a little bit of butter and it was delicious! We were all so impressed especially as it was my first time making bread, let alone without using yeast! The bread itself had the smell of scones and it tasted so yummy. I will definitely be making soda bread again!

GBBO Biscuit Week!

This week on The Great British Bake Off it was biscuit week. My favourite week of the whole show! Anyone who knows me well, knows I love biscuits and always have them close to hand, so I was truly in my element for this weeks bake!

The biscuit challenges were.....

Signature Challenge: Biscotti
Technical Challenge: Arlettes
Show Stopper: Biscuit Box with Biscuits

It was SO easy for me to chose what challenge I would attempt - biscotti. I have been wanting to make these for a very long time so Im really glad they popped up on the show.

My biscotti....

Trying to decide what type of biscotti was quite easy. There is no flavour I hate more than almond or pistachios - liquorice is a close second so they were going no where near this challenge. Flicking through my cook books I found a recipe for Praline Biscotti and knew instantly that's the one for me!

The recipe comes from last years cook book released by The GBBO, The Great British Bake Off Big Book of Baking. 

For The Hazelnut
100g Caster Sugar (white rather than golden works best)
100g Unblanched Hazelnuts

For The Biscotti Dough
150g Unsalted Butter
200g Caster Sugar
1 Medium Free-Range Egg Plus 1 Yolk,
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
375g Plain Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
200g Dark Chocolate

1. Start by making the praline. Put the caster sugar and nuts into a medium heavy-based pan. Set over a low heat and let the sugar melt gently, occasionally shaking the pan and stirring gently with a metal spoon. As soon as the sugar has melted turn up the heat to medium and let the syrup bubble away until it turns a chestnut brown - you can stir gently now and then with the metal spoon so the nuts brown evenly. Tip the mixture onto an oiled baking sheet and spread out evenly with the metal spoon. Leave until completely cold and set.

Watch your sugar and nuts like a hawk! I didn't and came so close to burning them! Instead of using an oiled baking sheet, I used a non stick liner - they're so impressive! Nothing sticks to them!! You can pick them up at your local Lakeland store.

2. Break up the praline into chunks. Put them into a food processor and grind to make coarse crumbs with a few larger lumps (you can also chop up the praline with a large knife or bash it up - in a plastic bag - with a rolling pin). Set aside until needed (you can make the praline a day in advance; keep tightly covered).

I chopped my hazelnuts up with a knife, I find it easier to get the correct size this way rather than using a food processor.

3. Heat your oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Put the soft butter into a large mixing bowl and beat well with a wooden spoon or mixer until very creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time.

4. In a small bowl, beat the egg and the yolk together with the vanilla, just to mix, then gradually add to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition.

5. Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and mix in with a plastic spatula or wooden spoon. As soon as all the flour is incorporated, add the praline and work in until evenly distributed. Put your hands into the bowl and bring the dough together in a bowl.

6. Divide the dough in half Line the clean baking sheet with baking paper. Lift one portion of dough on to one side of the sheet. Lightly dust your hands with flour, then mould and shape the dough into a flat brick shape about 30 x 7.5cm and 1.5cm thick. Repeat with the second portion of dough, setting this block slightly apart from the first (to allow for expansion).

7. Bake in the heated oven for about 30 minutes until light and brown and firm. Remove the sheet from the oven and set it on a heatproof surface; turn the oven down to 150C/300F/gas 2. Leave the biscotti blocks to cool down for 10 minute, then slide them, still on the baking paper, on to a chopping board. With a serrated knife cut the blocks across on a slight diagonal, into slices about 1.5cm thick - it will be easier if you use a gentle sawing motion.

8. Line the baking sheet with a fresh piece of baking paper. Set the slices cut side down on the sheet. Return the biscotti to the oven and bake for 20 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and leave until cold. Store in an airtight container for about a week.

As you can see from my picture I dipped my biscotti into dark chocolate - I felt this really lifts the biscuit by giving it another taste. I also dipped the bottom of the biscuit into the chocolate - not one of the ends (like the traditional method)! This way, with every bite you get some chocolate, for which I personally think this balances out the praline. So....

9. Once the biscotti have cooled, melt the dark chocolate in bowl over simmering water until melted. Gently dip the biscotti into the chocolate to cover the base of the biscuit, let any excess chocolate drop back into the bowl and then place on a wire rack to dry.

A bit of sturdy advice coming from Mary Berry herself... read the recipe twice before you start! Its got quite a few stages so I really recommend reading the recipe a few times.

I have never made biscotti before and I have never done sugar work like that before, so Im learning something new every week with this bake along malarkey! I am really impressed with how my biscotti have turned out - the chocolate has a nice shine - the biscuit snaps well, it tastes bloomin' good! I took them into work and were devoured. I must admit they weren't the most uniform in size but I am so pleased with how they turned out!! Biscotti can have such a variety in tastes and flavours which is why they're vastly becoming my favourite biscuit, I can't wait to bake more of these!

Biscuit week - Im giving myself an 8/10!

GBBO Madeira Cake

he Great British Bake Off is back!  #GBBO

Im pretty sure by the end of the series my waistline will have expanded as this year I am totally jumping on the GBBO Bake Along band wagon and hoping to improve my baking skills along the way!  My fellow colleagues at work are preparing themselves for the long weeks ahead to be my faithful critics, my very own Paul and Mary.

The first episode:

Signature challenge: Madeira Cake

Technical Challenge: Walnut Cake

The Show Stopper: Black Forest Gateau 

For the first bake along I went with the Madeira cake. I chose it as I thought it would be the most simple out of the three...how wrong was I! I used the following recipe from Nigella Lawson.....

• 240 grams unsalted butter (softened)
• 200 grams caster sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
• grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 3 large eggs
• 210 grams self-raising flour
• 90 grams plain flour

You will need a loaf tin (23 x 13 x 7cm / 9 x 5 x 3 inches), buttered and lined.

1. Preheat the oven to 170ºC/gas mark 3/325ºF.
2. Cream the butter and sugar, and add the lemon zest.
3. Add the eggs one at a time with a tablespoon of the flour for each.
4. Then gently mix in the rest of the flour and, finally, the lemon juice.
5. Sprinkle with caster sugar (about 2 tablespoons should do it) as it goes into the oven, and bake for 1 hour or until a cake-tester comes out clean.
6. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool in the tin before turning out.

I made the first mistake - not reading the recipe properly so I totally forgot to sprinkle on the caster sugar in step 5! 

It seemed like a very easy recipe so I was disappointed when the top and sides started to brown very quickly. I even gave the cake a foil hat as it was still raw in the centre. I have a feeling that it might be due to my oven. Its a very old cooker and you have to guess what temperature it is on as it is a thermometer dial. So I think my oven was at a too high of a temperature...im now thinking of investing in an oven thermometer.

In the end, my cake was over baked and you could tell straight away when you cut into it, it was very crumbly. Although it wasn't like eating a mouthful of stale panatone - it still had some moisture in it. I didn't eat any of the sides and threw most of my slice in the bin but my colleagues seemed to enjoy it - or they're just very polite!! 

But on a positive note, I DID have the crack along the top! And I got the balance of the lemon just right! I didn't want the lemon too be too overpowering (like a lemon drizzle) but have enough lemon in it to be able to taste it, so im really pleased with that outcome.

I've never cooked a madeira cake before and I probably wont for quite a long time, I'd rather have a slice of lemon drizzle cake. However, to go along with my madeira cake I candied some lemon peel to go on the top. Now this element of the bake turned out well, I was pretty chuffed with myself because OH MY GOD is it a faff!!!!

I used the following recipe from the Good Food website...

1. Cut the fruit into 8 wedges, then cut out the flesh, leaving about 5mm thickness of peel and pith. Cut each wedge into 3-4 strips.

2. Put the peel in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 mins. Drain, return to the pan and re-cover with fresh water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 mins.

3. Set a sieve over a bowl and drain the peel, reserving the cooking water. Add 100g sugar to each 100ml water you have. Pour into a pan and gently heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the peel and simmer for 30 mins until the peel is translucent and soft. Leave to cool in the syrup, then remove with a slotted spoon and arrange in 1 layer on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Put in the oven at the lowest setting for 30 mins to dry.

4. Sprinkle a layer of sugar over a sheet of baking parchment. Toss the strips of peel in the sugar, a few at a time, then spread out and leave for 1 hr or so to air-dry.

5. Pack the peel into an airtight storage jar or rigid container lined with baking parchment. Will keep for 6-8 weeks in a cool, dry place.                                                                                               

6. To make into a delicious gift, melt the chocolate in a small bowl. Dip the candied orange peel into the chocolate to half-coat them, shaking off the excess. Put them on baking parchment to set, then pack into small cellophane bags tied with ribbon or pretty kitchen string.

See what I mean?! So time consuming! And not to mention I was a bit shocked at the sugar content! But not to blow my own whistle but my lemon candy turned out great! Even passed the GBBO drop test! I've never done anything like this before with sugar so I'm really pleased to have learnt a new skill!

Hopefully next week will be a better week for me....

Chocolate Covered Strawberries and Chocolate Buttons.

I've just moved into a new flat and I had some girlfriends over to celebrate and to have a snoop around. The girls brought a whole load of snacks to see us through the evening and I did chocolate covered strawberries!

They were delicious, and unsurprisingly I bought both the strawberries and chocolate from Lidl. The strawberries were huuuuge and both were really cheap!! Plus they're great for if you have a friend who is gluten intolerant.


1 Punnet of Strawberries
400g Chocolate

1. Break up the chocolate and place in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.

2. Wash the strawberries and carefully pat them dry.

3. Once the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat. Hold the strawberries by the stalk and gently dip into the chocolate. Let some of the chocolate drip off. Once suitably covered, place onto greaseproof paper to harden.

4. Once hardened, place them onto a plate and pop them into the fridge.

Sarah's Tips

Use any chocolate you like. I used normal milk chocolate and it was totally fine.

If you hate cold strawberries, take them out of the fridge and let them come up to room temperature before eating.

You do need to use a lot of chocolate so you can dip the strawberries sufficiently enough. 

Which brings me onto.... I had a lot of left over chocolate and wanted to use it instead of just throwing it in the bin. 

So either using a teaspoon or pipping bag, make little chocolate buttons on a silicon mar. Once hardened, peel each button off the silicon mat and place in an airtight container. It really is that simple!

Okay so I've been really bad at keeping up with my blog. I have quite a few things I want to post - bakes all the way back to February. I promise to post these blogs soon! So be patient...just a little bit more patient!

Jus-Rol Apple Danish

Im still on the Jus-Rol pastry bandwagon and this time I 'made' Apple Danish!

I still can't really claim this is baking - all you do is take the pastry out of the tin and put it in the oven.

I must admit I was a little disappointed with the Apple Danish. The apple sauce REALLY tastes like Apple Sourz shots. I HATE Apple Sourz shots. I feel like im going to be sick (damn my student days!), so this Apple Danish really didn't float my boat. I won't be making these again and I wouldn't recommend them. Although, that is my personal taste - so if you like Apple Sourz then these Danish' are for you!

Once again its a pretty fool proof recipe..

1) Pull the corner of the red label down to the left.

2) The can will open itself, then twist the can to remove the dough.

3) Unroll the dough and separate into pieces where perforated. 

4)Fold two opposite corners into the centre of the pastry overlapping the points by approximately 1cm.

5) Press down firmly to seal and prick wit a fork to secure their folded shape when baked.

6) Place 1 tsp of the apple filling on top of the forked area.

7) Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 12-14 mins or until golden brown.

For a deeper golden colour, brush dough with lightly beaten egg before adding the fruit filling.

For icing, simply mix 4 tbsp of icing sugar with 2 tsp of water and stir well to separate any sugar lumps, allow Danish to cool, slightly drizzle the on top and enjoy! 

Sarahs Tip

As you can see, some of the apple sauce spilled onto the tray, so I just spooned it back onto the Danish. Im pretty sure it spilled over because I didn't press down hard enough - so the pastry really puffed up! Oops!

Three Tiered Birthday Cake

My blog has been pretty quiet for a while now and its all due to a cake I made in February. I haven't done ANY baking since and I've only now gotten round to writing about it. A colleague of mine asked me to make a birthday cake for his wife and I thought 'Sure! That will be fine! Its not that hard to make a birthday cake!' Oh how wrong was I. The cake had four specifications and it had to be:

- A 3 tiered sponge cake
- The top tier had to be a love heart
- It had to be adorned with sugar flowers
- It had to say 'Happy Birthday Tina'

The rest was up to me and here is the final product....

I was exhausted when I finished this cake. So much time and love went into creating it. In total it took me over 2 months to prep, constant colour scheme changes, various chats with one of my colleagues who loves baking and various trips to my local baking shop for tips and ideas!

I had also made my grandads 80th cake the week prior, so for never doing anything like this before, I had really jumped in head first. Just like my grandads 80th cake, I started off with deciding a theme. I have never met this lady and I don't know her personality, so I kept to white icing and pastel colours. Nothing too bold. For the ribbon I went for a pastel green colour, shrinking in size with each layer. Deciding on the colours of the pastels and the ribbon did take quite a long time, as trying to match what powders I could buy, varying size in ribbons and lettering was quite time consuming.

Next my attention turned to the sponge cake. I tried and tested various sponge cake recipes from Mary Berry to Good Food to other baking bloggers views from the depths of the internet in order to achieve which recipe best suited each layer. Each layer was a different size with different cooking times which caused quite a few disasters! I tried to cook the bottom layer as an all in one and then cut it in half. However I found the cake quite dense and stank of egg. So after many and various attempts, once again, Jane Asher's Easy Celebration Cakes book comes to the rescue!

I decided to cook the bottom layer as 2 separate sponges. This method meant the sponge was well risen and light, something that was not guaranteed with the all in one method and most certainly didn't reek of egg! Using the same amount of mixture, for one of the bottom layers, the middle layer was an all in one method in a deep tin. Once cooked, the sponge was cut in half to create the 2 layers. Having a deep tin for the middle layer meant that it had a really good rise. Finally, the top tier only required half of the mixture of one of the bottom layers.

For The Sponge

Ingredients for one sponge:

125g Butter
125g Self Raising Flour
125g Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1) Preheat oven to gas mark 4/180c/fan assisted 160c. 

2) For the first layer of the bottom tier (9 inch tin), grease and line the tin. Put all the ingredients into a food processor or bowl and mix with a wooden spoon - or process on high speed - for about 2 minutes, or until smooth. Pour the mixture into the tin.

3) Cook for approx 25/30 mins. Definitely keep an eye on it from the 20 mins mark. It may only need 25 mins or it could need 35 mins. Once cooked, place on wire wrack to cool.

4) For the middle tier, grease and line the tin and using the same amount of sponge mixture again,  repeat stage 2 and 3. Once cooled, cut the cake in half using a cake slicer.

5) For the second bottom tier (9 inch tin) grease and line the tin and using the same amount of sponge mixture again, repeat stage 2 and 3.

6) For the top love heart tier, grease and line the tin. Half all the ingredients and repeat stage 2 and 3. Be careful not to overfill the tin with mixture- only go to about half way, you will have mixture left over. Even though the tin is considerably smaller, it still needed at least 20 mins in the oven for me - if ever in doubt use a metal poker and place it in the cake, if it comes out clean then its ready. Once cooled, cut the cake in half with a cake slicer.

Now you have your required sponge cakes.

For the Butter Cream

4) Put the butter into a bowl with the milk and mix together. Beat in the sifted icing sugar a little at a time, until the mixture is light and creamy. You can store this in an airtight container in the fridge until needed.Bring to room temperature before using.

6) Spread the butter cream on the bottom layer and then top with jam. Gently place the top layer onto the bottom layer and cover the top and sides in butter cream. Repeat with the middle and top layer. Leave to set - I left mine over night in a cold room.

Assembly

7) Take the butter creamed sponges out of the cold room and let them slightly warm up to room temperature. For the royal icing, I used ready rolled icing from Dr Oetker - my preferred ready rolled icing. Unroll the icing very gently and using a rolling pin, lift it up and gently place it down on the cake. Using your hands smooth down the sides fixing the icing into place. I used an icing smoother/polisher to achieve the sharp clean sides and top, gently apply pressure and work your way around the cake.  Once satisfied, cut around the bottom of your cake. Repeat with the middle layer and top layer.

8) Gently place each tier on top of the other and place a ribbon around the edge. Fasten at the back with pins, gently pushing them into the cake. Try and get the pins in a nice neat line going down the middle back of the cake.

Decoration

9) Time to decorate. Obviously decorate the cake in which ever way you want. But I started with the 'Happy Birthday Tina' lettering on the middle layer. I cannot pipe at all, so using plastic letters was the next available option. I bought mine from Cake Craft World. Using edible glue, I glued each letter to the cake. I started with 'Birthday' as that was the focal point in the middle of the cake, once I had that glued down I moved onto 'Happy' and 'Tina'. These are definitely fiddly but with some patience I got there.

10) Next was the sugar flowers. Cut off some paste and using a small rolling pin, roll it out. It should be unbelievably thin to the point you can see through it. Using various moulds and cutters, mould your flowers. I used moulds for the Hydrangea flowers and Petunia flowers. You can get them easily online or down your local baking shop.

11) For the moulds, once the paste has been rolled out, using the cutter, cut the flower out, place it onto the mould and press the mould together. Voilà, you have a flower! It really is as simple as that and you don't have to be arty farty to do this!

12) Place the flower onto a foam pad, to allow it to get some body and shape. Once dried, colour your flowers. I used powder for mine. Don't forget, if your making flowers, you NEED to make leaves! Otherwise the cake looks really odd! Plus the leaves bring in extra colour and more dimensions. For this cake I made lots and lots of flowers/leaves as I wanted to be able to pick and chose flowers on the day, plus you have extra if there are any breakages. I think I broke around 5 on the day, which wasn't many, but having so many flowers and leaves prepared really took the stress off.

I used cream coloured paste as the plain white paste is really quite stark. The sugar flowers started at the top right of the cake, along with a butterfly and swirled round to the bottom. Once again, I used edible glue to stick the flours to the cake. Sticking them to ribbon is quite hard, you have to hold the flowers there for quite some time.

Once you have the flowers attached, your cake is done! Time for  a cup of tea!

Im so very proud of myself for making this cake. Im not a particularly creative or arty person so I was genuinely surprised at myself!! Although, for a number of days afterwards I told my family and colleagues that I am not baking anything for a while! It has totally put me off!! Which is true It has been over a month since I've baked anything.I am thinking about getting back into baking especially with Easter arriving soon! Who knows, watch this space...

Sarah's Tips

It took me 2 days to make this cake, so don't do this in a rush. The first day consisted of making all the sponges, smothering them in butter cream and jam and then allowing them to set over night. Just baking the sponges took a crazy amount of time to do! The second day consisted of placing on the royal icing and decorations.

On the third day I transported the cake to work. I put it in the foot-well of the passenger side of my car, in a cake box (buy these at your local baking shop) and wrapped a blanket around it. I also took a spare butterfly, flowers, leaves, a paintbrush and some glue, just in-case anything broke on the journey. Thankfully the cake was totally intact!

Have everything absolutely ready. While my first sponge was in the oven, I weighed out everything else for the other 3 sponges! That way I wasn't wasting time constantly re-weighing everything. I also started making the mixture just as the previous sponge in the oven was nearly done, so when that sponge came out the oven another tin went in!

If you are wondering why I baked 1 sponge for the bottom layer, then the middle and then the second sponge for the bottom layer. It was all about time, while the middle sponge was in the oven, I was washing up the bottom layer tin.

If you are struggling to cut your sponge in half with the cake slicer - using the imprint from the slicer, take a bread knife, slice a few centimetres in to get you started, then continue with the cake slicer

For those of you who have a ThermaPen, the correct temperature for a cooked sponge cake is 95 to 98 degrees. You cannot test it when the sponge is still in the oven or by the oven door, you need to move it completely away to get an accurate reading.

If your sponge cake, particularly the heart tier, looks somewhat volcanic, no worries, just cut the top of the sponge off until its nice and flat.

I found on my trial run, the top heart shape tier wasn't so heart shape looking. So using a knife I cut a bigger 'V' into the top of the heart.

Once I had done the butter cream, I put all the sponges into my cold conservatory overnight. This allows the butter cream to harden and set, making it more likely to stick to the royal icing without moving around too much.

Don't worry if your royal icing looks messy around the bottom - the ribbon will hide it!
Equally, if you have any blemishes with the icing, don't place that section as the back of the cake! I accidentally tore some of my icing so I placed that section to the right hand side and covered with flowers! They'll never know!

Which brings me to cut your nails! I nicked my icing with my nails on my grandads 80th cake. So for this cake I cut my nails really short so I couldn't tear the icing!

Put the cake layers on top of each other BEFORE you put on the ribbon and let it sit there for 10 mins. I didn't do this, I put my ribbon on each individual layer and then stacked the sponges... this meant my cake had a slight muffin top!!!

You can make the sugar flowers up to 2 months in advance - keep them in a container, however air must be able to get in. Do not put them in an airtight container as it will cause them to go soft - the total opposite of what you want to happen! I made my flowers within 2 weeks or so prior to the day the cake was made. I also made a surplus amount so when I was decorating the cake I had a choice - plus I broke about 5 flowers on the day, so its always good to have spares! When choosing the theme and colour scheme for the flowers, play around with the different coloured powders. I used more than 1 colour/shade on each flower/leaf and extra sparkles.

Do a full trial run! You need to work out the theme, colour scheme, sponge sizes, sponge cooking times etc. It is incredibly time consuming so leave yourself a lot of time and a chance to to a whole trial run!!!

Grandad's 80th Birthday cake.

So it was my grandads 80th birthday last week and I was asked to make the cake. As terrified as I was at the time, I said yes! I was very excited and yet nervous because I wanted it to be absolutely perfect.

The first thing I did was was pick a theme. I knew about 10 to 15 people were going and the biggest tin I have is a 10 inch circular cake - so that saved the debate on round or square. I wanted to keep it somewhat simple so this was not going to be multiple tiers! Just the one cake will do! Then came the colour scheme, I went for silvers and royal blue plus anything sparkly! I didn't want the cake to be overcrowded so I opted for a cake topper, 'Happy Birthday' writing and of-course the necessary candles. My grandad doesn't drink so no small bottles of champagne were going to appear on this cake! It was going to be simple yet effective and I'd like to think it was!

My friend kindly gave me Jane Asher's 'Easy Celebration Cakes' for Christmas and oh my god, it has been a godsend!! Both the sponge recipe and the butter cream recipe  come from the book and from now on I will always use the butter cream recipe. It is the best one I have tried so far.

Sponge Recipe 

375g Soft Butter
375g Caster Sugar
375 Self Raising Flour
5 Eggs
3 Teaspoons Baking Powder

Butter Cream Recipe

200g Butter
1 Tablespoon Milk
300g Icing Sugar, Sifted

1) Preheat oven togas mark 4/180c/fan assisted 160c. Grease and line the single 10 inch tin.

2) Put all the ingredients into a food processor or bowl and mix with a wooden spoon - or process on high speed - for about 2 minutes, or until smooth. Pour the mixture into the tin.

3) Cook for approx 1 hours 15 mins until golden brown and coming away from tin.Once cooked, place on wire wrack to cool.

For the Butter Cream

4) Put the butter into a bowl with the milk and mix together. Beat in the sifted icing sugar a little at a time, until the mixture is light and creamy. You can store this in an airtight container in the fridge until needed.Bring to room temperature before using.

Assembly

5) Take the single sponge and cut it in half to make 2 sponges. If need be trim the top of the cake to make it even - if needed. Now you have your sponge and butter cream.

6) Spread the butter cream on the bottom layer and then top with jam. Gently place the top layer onto the bottom layer and cover the top and sides in butter cream. Leave to set - I left mine over night in a cold room.

7) For the royal icing, I used ready rolled - preferably Dr Oetker. I tried the Tesco own rolled icing and it was much thinner and tore a lot easier. Even though the Dr Oetker ready rolled icing is £3.80 a pop, I would never use anything else. It is really good quality royal icing. Unroll the icing very gently and using a rolling pin, lift it up and gently place it down on the cake. Using your hands smooth down the sides fixing the icing into place. I used an icing smoother/polisher to achieve the sharp clean sides and top, gently apply pressure and work your way around the cake.  Once satisfied, cut around the bottom of your cake.

8) Time to decorate. I placed a royal blue ribbon around the bottom which instantly started transforming the cake. Next I placed the cake topper in the middle towards the back. This enabled me to place the writing in a crescent moon shape with an '8' and a '0' candles in the middle. I topped it off with a sparkler each side.

I don't have any pictures of the actual cake on the day - as I was the one who presented it. However I do have pictures of my trial run cake - which looked exactly the same except for the 80 candle - they were old ones we had in the cupboard. For the actual cake, we bought new blue sparkly candles!

The picture directly above is the actual cake on the day - as you can see - much better '80' candles!! We also put on a few other blue candles around the edge. The sparklers worked really well - one each side was enough  as they were quite powerful!

Sarahs Tips
Both the sponge mix and butter cream mix will change colour when ready. They will both change to a much lighter colour so keep mixing until you achieve that.
I used a cake cuter to cut the cake in half - an absolute essential to achieve the perfect cut. I borrowed mine from a friend but you can easily buy them in stores or online. They're like a giant cheese cutter!
I used a whole jar of jam for the centre.
When covering the cake do not go mad on the butter cream -a light covering will do. If you put too much butter cream on, you will have a very hard time with the royal icing - trust me.
Don't worry if your royal icing doesn't look so neat around the bottom when you've cut it, just use a ribbon to hide it!
If your royal icing tears then gently apply pressure and stick it back together - use a little bit of water if needed as a glueing agent. Then very gently with your finger stroke the tear until it is smooth.
A cake topper is a fantastic item to transform your cake! I bought mine online from Icing On The Cake at http://caketoppersonline.net/ The cake topper was absolutely beautiful and handmade by a lady called Alison. Once placed into the cake you can then spread out the stars as you wish - giving the topper some body.

Most importantly, the best advice I can given is DO A TRIAL RUN! I have never cooked a 10 inch cake before - the first time I cooked the sponge for the trial run it was a total disaster - it sank in the middle!! It sank quite badly and it had an egg stench - Jane Asher's recipe suggested 6 medium eggs, so for my second trial run I decided to only put in 5 eggs which worked - the cake stayed risen.

My second issue was the royal icing. I have had a lot of practice recently with royal icing - the Christmas cake and a three tiered birthday cake (which will be my next post) and for those cakes it was successful...however for this cake it went a little wrong!!! I put on too much butter cream. And then some of the icing tore and thinned out and then my fingernail nicked a bit of the icing and every time I tried to patch up the icing more butter cream spilled out. I got a little bit stressed out...and had to leave the room for a breather. I wanted the icing perfect  and it wasn't going that way... When I came back my dad did his best plastering techniques on the cake and actually fixed the hole. Eventually with the both of us, the icing looked respectable. Thank goodness the ribbon was quite thick! It hid a few blemishes!

A trial run lets you play around with colours and themes. I decided to use sparklers - on the trial run we lit one and realised they were quite powerful so one each side would do. Plus these sparklers had been in the cupboard for quite some time and had gotten damp so they took forever to light, so new sparklers were needed. I bought my ones from my local baking shop and they were totally safe for cakes.

I cannot pipe to save my life. So for the lettering I used small plastic letters. They're fantastic for for anyone who like me, can't pipe. They give a really professional finish with minimal effort. Just arrange them as you wish and using edible glue stick them to your cake! I got mine online from Cake Craft World :  http://www.cakecraftworld.co.uk/shop/products/id/cbp51.htm

Im pretty sure my grandad was really pleased with his cake! I must admit it did taste pretty good. You can't go wrong with a good sponge cake!

Jus-Rol Cinnamon Swirls

I can be such a lazy baker. Ever since being introduced to Jus-Rol baking products I have fallen in love with them... and my laziness has reached a whole new level. Last time I made their chocolate croissants, this time its the turn for cinnamon swirls! I LOVE CINNAMON SWIRLS. And my laziness is so great I didn't even cut the dough... my mum did! All I did was arrange them on the tray and then make the icing.

You literally cannot go wrong with this recipe...Simple, easy and delicious. They even provide the little pot of icing sugar for you! I've decided from now on I will stock these DIY cinnamon swirls in my fridge, they are so quick and easy to make and perfect for those days when unexpected friends drop in. 20 mins later you will have warm and yummy cinnamon swirls fresh from the oven, sitting on the table for your guests to enjoy. A new firm favourite for me.

1) Preheat the oven to 200c or 180c for fan/gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking parchment. Pull the corner of the red label down.

2) The can will open itself, then twist the can to remove the dough.

3) Using a knife, slice the rolled dough into 6 equal slices.

4) Place the slices on a tray lined with non-stick baking paper.

5) Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 11 - 14 minutes or until golden brown.For a glossy appearance slightly warm 2 tablespoons of apricot jam and brush on top of freshly baked swirls, allow to cool slightly, then drizzle the icing on top and enjoy.

Icing Preparation

1) Empty the pot with icing sugar into a bowl, add 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of water, stir well to separate any sugar lumps. 

2) Allow cinnamon swirls to cool slightly, then drizzle the icing on top. 

I cannot give you any tips on this recipe...you really can't go wrong with it!!! So Enjoy!!

Sultana Scone Ring

On the 11th January I posted my New Years baking resolutions. I am glad to say I am still keeping it up through the help of Paul Hollywood's British Baking. The first bake was from the South East of England and was delicious Kentish Huffkin Rolls.

The next stop on my bake around Britain of course had to be Scotland. 25th January is Burns Night (I only remember the date because its exactly a month after Christmas) and my mums side of the family are Scottish, so what more of an excuse to chose Scotland was there?! My mum already had dinner sorted, so I started flicking through the recipe section for Scotland and tried to find a nice quick and easy afternoon treat.  I stopped at the Sultana Scone Ring and thought 'Yep, you'll do!'

Now this is truly delicious with a spread of butter and a cup of tea. A perfect afternoon treat leading up to The Burns Night Supper. Slightly cooled once taken out of the oven but still warm enough to melt the butter. This will make anyone feel happy and warm on a winters day.

Paul says 'Scone rings are traditional in Scotland and the North. In the past they would have been made from oatmeal or barley, both of which thrive in Scotland. Shaped into a round and marked into triangles for baking, these scones retain moisture well and are particularly soft and fluffy when pulled apart.'

Recipe

250g Strong White Bread Flour
A Pinch of Salt
40g Unsalted Butter
40g Caster Sugar
60g Sultanas
1 Medium Egg, Plus 1 Egg To Glaze
2 Tsp Baking Powder
125ml Milk

1) Heat the oven to 220c/gas 7/fan 210c . Line a baking tray with baking parchment.

2) Put 225g of the flour into a bowl with the salt. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, sultanas, egg and baking powder and mix gently with a wooden spoon.

3) Add half the milk and keep turning the mixture gently to combine. Add the remaining milk a little at a time, bringing everything together to form a very soft dough. You might not need all the milk.

4) Dust a work surface with the most of the remaining 25g flour. Tip the dough out onto it and sprinkle the rest of the flour on top. The mixture will be wet and sticky. Fold the dough in half, then turn it 90 degrees and repeat. Do this a few times until the remaining flour is all incorporated and you have a smooth dough. It will also introduce air into the mixture, which will make the scones light. If the mixture is too sticky to handle, dust your hands with flour. Try not to overwork the dough.

5) Form the dough into a rough circle about 2.5cm thick and lift it onto the lined baking tray. Mark it into 8 triangles, cutting deeply through the dough so the knife touches the baking tray.

6) Brush the top of the dough with beaten egg to glaze and bake for 20 mins, until the scones have risen and golden brown.

Sarahs Tips

The salt really does lift the flavour of the scone ring so don't leave it out!

I didn't use all my milk - add a little at a time as you can't take it back.

I had absolutely no problem kneading the dough on my work surface. It wasn't overly sticky or wet (be careful with the milk), so if you follow the recipe you should be fine.

Paul recommends that if you have a fan oven then to reduce the temperature about 10 to 15 degrees - I put my oven to 210 degrees.

My scone ring isn't a perfect circle but I don't care - it enhances its rustic charm!

Don't be scared cutting into the dough to make the eight sections - really go for it! It joins back up when baking but still creates the 8 sections.

I think I should have left my scone ring in the oven for a few minutes longer but due to the egg wash, it turns the dough quite dark. Don't feel intimidated about the dark colour - otherwise you might take it out of the oven too early - leave it in there, it is not burnt!