Recent Bakes

I used to spend weekends baking with my Mum in the kitchen and loved it so much. I picked up on so many little techniques that she used. When you're truly interested and invested in something is when you actually pay attention!

When choosing my GCSE's i chose Food Technology as one of them. And as much as i enjoyed the practicals, i found the theory easy as i felt like i actually understood everything. It was one of the best results i got in my GCSE's as i was never very academic and instead loved cooking and sports!

Nowadays i bake whenever i can. I dont take it too seriously and honestly, I'm not artistic! Im not sure i would be capable of doing this as a career, but i still can't help but feel slight jealously of seeing friends-of-friends small baking business's grow so much.

Here are a few cakes I've baked recently. They have the same basic recipe just with either cocoa powder, coffee or vanilla. 

Chocolate Cake (for my friends 30th)

Victoria Sponge

Coffee Cake

Easy & Healthy Banana Bread

This banana bread is one of my favourite sweet treats that i don't feel too guilty about eating!

I've left in brackets next to the ingredients some alternatives if you'd rather swap or change any.

Ingredients

  3 mashed bananas (well ripened) 

4 tablespoons of honey

2 eggs 

245g self-raising flour (or wholewheat/spelt/coconut/soy/buckwheat/oat flour etc)

1 teaspoon of baking soda

40g melted coconut oil

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or essence

A sprinkle of raisins, chia seeds and chocolate chips (optional)

4 tablespoons of milk (I use semi-skimmed or skimmed but soya/coconut/almond milk would work as well)

Prep

1. Turn on the oven to 170 degrees celsius (gas mark 3)
2. Line or grease your loaf tin
3. If you would like to measure out your ingredients to make the method quicker; now's the time to do so. If not you can measure the ingredients as you go

Method

1.  Whisk together all of the wet ingredients (coconut oil, milk, honey, vanilla, eggs and bananas) make sure they are all combined well
2. Stir in the baking powder and the flour, make sure to fold in gently to keep more air in the mixture. If you have a kitchen aid use this on a slow setting
3. Add in your chocolate chips, chia seeds and raisins

Bake for 30 minutes. The loaf won't be cooked just yet but turn it 180 degrees on the oven shelf so the loaf gets an even bake. The loaf will need another 20 minutes. Keep checking the loaf regularly, if its looking golden brown but the inside isn't completely cooked place some foil over the top of the loaf. 

Tanya Burr cookies

Disclaimer - slightly burnt but still tasty...

I recently made these delicious cookies from Tanya Burr's book. I have baked and made a couple of other recipes from the cooking section of Tanya's book and wanted to make these. 

I followed the recipe for the triple chocolate cookies, but only added white chocolate instead of dark and milk chocolate as well. They are so easy to make and so yummy.

Even with an instagram filter i couldn't hide the burnt white chocolate on top!

I would also like to say how much i am liking Tanya's book. I have been subscribed to her on YouTube for many years now and when i heard that she was releasing her own book i was so excited for her. There is something in the book for everyone interested in beauty, fashion or baking.

Lily Pebble's Chocolate Brookies!

I have recently watched Lily Pebble's vlog which included 'chocolate brookies', i then read the blog post about them which went into further depth about them and included the recipe. Brookies are half way between brownies and cookies, I'm surprised I've never heard of them before! 

Usually when i try and bake things at home it goes horribly wrong because i don't have a key ingredient and I've substituted it for something else, or I'm making up the recipe as i go along! When i looked at the ingredients for the chocolate brookies i was pleasantly surprised as they are all simple ingredients that most people have in their cupboards, and there was just a short list of ingredients that were needed. So for once, i think my chocolate brookies turned out just fine!

For the full recipe and much better pictures go to Lily Pebble's blog :)

The brookies before baking.

First batch out of the oven. (without flash)

Second batch out of the oven! (with flash)

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