Happy Baking- Apple Tray Bake

The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree...Well I'm glad it doesn't, other wise I wouldn't of had a chance to bake this beauty!

My housemates girlfriend came to stay last weekend, and bought with her some cooking apples from her dads garden because she thought I would be able to bake something with them! :) (She's too cute!)

I've never actually baked anything with apples in before, that was always left to my Mum (Crumbles and pies were a speciality) so I took to the internet to try and find a recipe that took my fancy. I wanted something cakey, because my motto is that you can never have too much cake. During my searching I stumbled upon a recipe on the BBC Goodfood website for a Dorset Apple Tray Bake (The recipe can be found here) so I thought I would give it a whirl!

I'm really happy with the result, and I really like the sharpness of the apples in lemon juice against the sweet sponge. Yum.

If you fancy it too, then here's what you're going to need to do...

Makes 15 Squares

Ingredients-
450g Cooking Apples
Lemon Juice (Roughly half a lemons worth)
225g Unsalted Butter- Softened
180g Caster Sugar
50g Soft Brown Sugar
50g Dark Brown Sugar
4 Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
350g Plain Flour
5 Teaspoons Baking Powder

Caster Sugar, dark brown sugar, and cinnamon to sprinkle on top- Optional! 

Method-

1) Preheat your oven to 180C and line a baking tray approximately 8 inches x 12 inches with baking parchment.  (I used a deep brownie pan that was this size- The mixture does rise quite a bit when it's baked so try to use a deep tray if you can. If you don't have a deep tray then just leave the baking parchment sticking upwards and it should be fine)

2) Peel and core your apples and then thinly slice them so they are roughly the same thickness. Place them in a bowl and cover with the lemon juice, then put to one side.

3) Put the butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla extract, flour and baking powder into a bowl (You'll need a large one) and mix together until it all comes together and there are no lumps. 

4) Take half the mixture and spread it out evenly onto the bottom of your lined tin.

5) Take half the sliced apples and arrange them flat over the cake mixture so as much of the mixture is covered as possible.

6) Repeat steps 4 and 5 so you have 4 layers- 2 of cake and 2 of apple. 

7) Mix roughly a tablespoon of caster sugar, a tablespoon of dark brown sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon together in a small bowl and sprinkle it over the top of the cake.

8) Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the top of the cake in a lovely golden brown.- Then let it cool in the tray for 10-15 minutes, remove from the tin and enjoy a slice! (Check on your cake after 30-35 minutes- If the top of the cake is quite dark but the inside isn't cooked properly then loosely cover the top with a piece of foil)

The National Bakery School

I started back at Uni this week, and had my first day on Tuesday. It was a bit of a shock to the system after the relaxed summer I've just had and we were thrown straight into recipe calculations and costings for our bread class, as well as being given the schemes of work for the semester.

Our year is split into two semesters, with the first running from September- January and being all practical lessons. 

Tuesday- Bread

Thursday- Confectinary

Friday- Chocolate

The second semester then runs from January-June and is all theory based...We're talking science, healthy and safety, food hygiene, human resources and research methods...It's safe to say I'm more excited about the first semester!

The rest of the week went a little easier, with thankfully no maths involved (I think they're being nice and saving that until the second week) so we had our first confectionery lesson on Tuesday where we got to decorate some biscuits (Check out this little guy...So cute I ALMOST didn't want to eat him!) 

Chocolate on Friday was also a nice introduction to the second year, and we got to make some chocolate lollies...Have I mentioned how much I love my course?

I'm really looking forward to the coming year and we've got some really good products that we're going to be baking! I'll try and post my favourite recipes when I have them, update you with how the course is going, as well as continuing to post some recipes that I've tried at home. 

If I've tempted you at all with all this talk of cake and chocolate and you want to have a look at the course I'm studying then have a look at THIS LINK and it'll give you more information :) 

I'm back...

Sorry for the lack of posts this month, I've been enjoying what was left of the summer! (It definitely feels like winter now...BOO :( ) So it's probably time for a little update

A couple of weeks ago my parents came up to London with friends to do some tourist stuff and see family in Bognor, so we got to spend some time together which is always nice.

Sam and I met them on a Thursday night and we all went to China Town for (surprisingly) a chinese! I've never been before, and I really enjoyed walking up and down the streets, all lined with Chinese restaurants and supermarkets. We picked out a restaurant, ordered too much food, ate too much food and left half a stone heavier, and happy. 

On the following Saturday I went into London early to meet them both for coffee before Dad went back to Bognor and Mum and I embarked on our girly day in London.

First stop was Topshop in Oxford Street where we had booked a two hour slot of personal shopping. I didn't even know they did personal shopping until a few months ago, but it was so much fun. The rail of clothes they picked out were all lovely, and it was good to try on things I normally wouldn't go for. I would definitely recommend booking in, especially as it's freeeeee! (If only the same could be said for the 3 big bags I came out with...Oops!)

After a busy morning of shopping (It should definitely be an olympic sport!) we took a short stroll to the Leonard Hotel where we were booked in for afternoon tea. As you know I have a slight obsession with afternoon tea and it didn't disappoint! There were plenty of sandwiches, scones, miniature cakes and tea...Perfect after a hard morning of shopping. 

The day was filled with gossip, girly talk, and advise that only your parents can give, definitely a day I wouldn't mind doing again. 

Next up was a night at the dog races with our house mates and friends from uni. We planned it a couple of weeks in advance and it just happened that the night we planned to go was the night that winter decided to really kick in- I'm talking non stop rain, wind and general coldness. Not the best conditions to take a walk to the race track and then stand outside watching the races all night. Que soggy shoes and a leaking umbrella! 

Since then I've been doing plenty of relaxing, and not much of anything else...Lucky huh?

I'm back to uni on Tuesday, so back to baking in the kitchen! I'll try and keep you updated on how my course is going, and I'll post any good recipes we get to try :) 

Until next time...

Happy Baking- Strawberry Cake

September has come around all too quickly, and I'm still trying to hold on to the last remains of the summer. To me that means venturing out in a dress even though the weather isn't always calling for it. Trying to prolong what little tan I have and of course continuing the summer baking. That's where this little cake comes in.
Strawberries and cream help sum up the summer for me, and I'm determined that one day I'll make it to Wimbledon to watch the tennis with my strawberries and cream. Until then my strawberries will have to come in cake form...So here it is, my last attempt at preserving the summer with my Strawberry Cake :)

Makes 1 7inch cake. Enough to feed about 6 people

Ingredients-
150g Caster Sugar
100g Unsalted Butter- Softened to room temperature
1 Egg
50g Natural Yoghurt (I use Sainsburys basic low fat natural yoghurt)
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
125g Plain Flour
1.5 Teaspoons Baking Powder
75g Strawberries- Cut into quarters *
OPTIONAL- 25g Strawberries cut into quaters to place on top of the cake before baking

*I don't like a lot of fruit in cakes as I think it can sometimes make them a little bit soggy or stodgy. So in this recipe I have only used 75g of strawberries, however if you wanted to add an extra 25g-50g then this is okay :) You can also put some extra strawberries on top of the cake before baking! 


Method-
1) Preheat your oven to 180C and either line a 7 inch baking tin with baking parchment and a little butter.
2) Put the butter and sugar into a bowl and cream until light and fluffy.
3) Add the egg, natural yoghurt, and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture and mix through well.
4) Sieve the plain flour and baking powder over the mixture and carefully mix through.
5) Add the cut up strawberries and mix them through the cake batter.
6) Transfer the mixture to the tin, and smooth out the top so the mixture is level the whole way across. (You can now add the optional extra strawberries on top if you want to- Just scatter them over the smoothed batter and lightly press into the mixture.)
7) Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes- Or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean of crumbs, and the top is a golden brown.
8) Remove from the oven and let the cake cool in the tin for about 15 minutes, before removing the cake from the tin and transferring to a wire rack.
9) Sprinkle with icing sugar, cut yourself a wedge, and enjoy your handiwork and a last taste of summer!

One year ago today...

I said my goodbyes and see you later's. 

I packed the very last of my things.

At 3:30 I left my house and walked down the road to the Quay with Sam.

I was greated by my friends waiting for me, and said some pretty teary goodbyes. 

I got onto the Scillonian, and watched Scilly getting further and further away.

I felt a little bit sad, I felt scared, I felt nervous, but I also felt excited. (And a little bit sick- Dam that boat!)

One year on and I'm no longer sad, or scared, or nervous. I'm happy, and still excited about the different opportunities I have here. 

I've even managed to learn a few things this year...

1) I don't like rush hour- People are rude and grumpy.

2) A cappuccino is no longer a cappuccino, it's now a decaf, extra shot, extra hot, dry, skinny, no chocolate on top cappuccino. 

3) I love baking even more now than I did last year.

4) There is no such thing as festival chic- The magazines are lying to you! There is absolutely nothing chic about the unwashed greasy hair, tent crumpled clothes and wellies that go hand in hand with a festival! 

5) You'll meet people at uni who think in the exact same way as you do...So much so that it's possible you were twins separated at birth.

6) 1:00am is no longer the time you get to go home after a night in the disco...You won't go out till 11:00, you'll probably get home after 3:00 and you'll be tired...Really tired.

7) There's being skint, and then there's being student skint...The two are on a completely different scale.

8) Having to decide between buying tea bags or food is never a fun choice.

9) September, January and April are my favourite months because my student loan comes in.

10) A picnic in the park is one of my favourite ways to spend a summer afternoon.

11) I still miss the sea- No amount of dirty river water will ever take it's place.

12) I want to go to Cadana.

13) Eventually I want to have my own bakery, and a recipe book.

The Big Feastival

Sam and I have just got back from a bloody good weekend in the Cotswolds at the Big Feastival. The weekend was lovely- Plenty of amazing food, music, drinks and sunshine to keep us happy.

This was festival food at its finest, gone were greasy burgers, soggy chips and overpriced noodles, and in their place were original flavours, good portion sizes, well cooked, well priced grub! Perfect!

There was something for everyone at the festival, and it was set up to be family friendly, with more attention paid to the camping facilities and providing a good atmosphere. 

We wondered around and around the main field trying to deicide what to eat on our first night, only to go right back to the entrance and the first place that took our fancy in the "Street food alley". We had some really lovely food, from vegballs, pulled pork rolls, and burrittos, to pies, spinach and feta croissants and cheese straws.

Towards the back of the field was a host of smaller tents selling their produce from olive oil to popcorn...And cheese...So much cheese! I think we visited every cheese stand at least three times so Sam could stock up on samples...Cheeky!

We heard music from Rizzle Kicks, Basement Jaxx, Kt Tunstall and The Feeling amoungst many others. In fact the only part of the weekend I can fault was the camping, and that was purely down to us! Because we don't have a car we decided to try and take as little with us as possible, so save us lugging everything on the train. A great idea in theory. But rather than cutting down on cereal bars, crisps, and biscuits (Which really weren't needed) we cut down on pillows, and sleeping mats, so what we ended up sleeping with was a sleeping bag...nothing underneath us apart from the tent, and the only pillow like object we had was a towel...Lovely...Or not! It's a good job I'm carrying some extra cupcake weight at the moment otherwise this would of been seriously uncomfortable! As it was we were both dying to get into our bed this morning!

Note to self: When going to a FOOD and music festival, don't take food...Take foam mats, pillows, and even a chair or two!

Even so, sore backs are now forgotten and we've decided we're going to go again next year :) YAAAAY!!

Happy Baking- Malteser Cupcakes

It's been a little while since I've baked any cupcakes and my stomach was telling me it was time to change that! I wasn't completely sure what I wanted to bake so I had a look on the internet for some inspiration and found a lovely little recipe for malteser cupcakes on the bbcgoodfood website. I've changed it around a bit because I thought it needed a few changes and I'm really happy with the result- As was my boyfriend!...These little fellas didn't stay around for long!

**Sorry for the quality and lack of photos!- I took some really nice ones, but the colour on my camera was playing up so they came out really strange :( **

Makes 12-16 Cupcakes, depending on the size of your case.


Ingredients-

For the Cupcakes-
200g Unsalted Butter- Softened
100g Caster Sugar
10g Soft Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1/4 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
200g Plain Flour
3 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
Generous Pinch of Salt
100ml Milk (I use Skimmed but any should be fine :) )
120g Maltesers

For the Icing-
I used my favourite butter icing recipe, which is from the Hummingbird Bakery recipe book!
500g Icing Sugar
160g Unsalted Butter- Softened
3 Tablespoons Milk
1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Maltesers for decoration

Method-

For the Cupcakes-
1) Preheat your oven to 180C and line a cupcake or muffin tin with cases, then put to one side.
2) Add the softened butter and both sugars to a bowl and cream together until they are lighter in colour, and look a little fluffy.
3) Add both eggs and the vanilla extract to the creamed mixture and carefully mix together.
4) Add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl and carefully stir together- Be careful not to over mix at this stage.
5) Add the milk to the mixture and mix it through the mixture to loosen, before adding the maltesers and giving one last stir.
6) Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until roughly 3/4 full- Trying to make sure an even number of maltesers goes in each one if you can.
7) Put them in the oven and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the top is a light golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8) Once baked, remove the cases from the tins and let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack while you make the icing!

Butter Icing-
1) Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl and add to it the butter, milk and vanilla extract- Start mixing the mixture using a folk.
2) When the mixture has come together with an electric whisk (Or a lot of arm power) for 3-5 minutes- Or until the icing is a really pale colour and nice and fluffy.

Decorating-
The butter icing can either be piped onto your cooled cupcakes or spooned on and smoothed down- Let your imagination run wild! I think it looks lovely to finish the cupcakes off with either a couple of whole maltesers or some chopped maltesers :)...Yum!