Happy 5th Blog Birthday & Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all. Hope 2015 brings you everything you wish for and more. It's been an amazing 2014 for me and I hope 2015 will be even better. Today is my blog's 5th birthday which is really hard to believe as time has just flown by. I honestly never thought that my blog would be what it is now when I first started writing it on 2nd Jan 5 years ago. 

I had an afternoon tea party on 1st Jan to celebrate the new year. I baked everything myself and I will be sharing some of the recipes over the next few posts. 2 of my guests had birthdays in the next few days so I baked a birthday cake which is also to celebrate my blog's birthday. One of my guests is gluten intolerant so I made a gluten free cake so everyone could enjoy the birthday cake. It's a take on a black forest gateau which is one of my favourite childhood desserts. 

I made Nigella's Chocolate Olive Oil Cake which is one of my favourite gluten free cakes. There is morello cherry jam and a generous helping of freshly whipped cream followed by canned cherries in the middle. It's topped with a chocolate ganache and fresh cherries. The cake is wonderfully moist and chocolatey and the cherries pair well with the chocolate. The fresh cream in the middle helps to cut through the rich chocolate and the jam added extra sweetness. 

I am off on a short holiday and will be back next week with more recipes. Happy New Year again!  

Cherry and Coconut Bundt Cake

Back in Feb this year, I was invited to attend a French Glace Cherries Masterclass. It was great fun and I discovered new recipes using French glace cherries. They contacted me recently to ask if I was interested in entering their competition by creating a recipe using French Glace Cherries as the star ingredient. It takes about 10 days to make French Glace Cherries where the fruit's natural water content is replaced by sugar. They use natural fruit and vegetable juices to give the cherries different colours. These cherries retain their flavour, shape and texture throughout the baking process. 

I started thinking about flavours that pair well with cherries. Almond and chocolate immediately sprung to mind but I wanted something a little different. I decided on a cherry and coconut combination even though I'm not a huge fan of coconut. I was going to add chocolate to the mix but decided less is more and I really wanted to highlight the cherries in this bake. After lots of thinking and experimenting, I came up with this cherry and coconut bundt cake with a cherry jam filling and a cherry glaze on top. 

The bundt cake looks stunning on its own and this particular shape called for a glaze. My glaze was quite thick  but I think it still achieved the desired effect. The cake was moist and you get a real hit of coconut. The cherries were evenly spaced throughout the cake which ensured that each slice had some cherries in it. I particularly liked the jam layer in between which was supposed to be in the middle but ended up near the top during the baking process. I gave J the cake to take to work and the feedback I received was 

• Very moist sponge
• Jam and cherries work well 
• Not too sweet which is nice, not overpowering 
• Nice to have a good cake that's not reliant on butter cream or icing 
• Tastes just as good the day after 

The lovely people at French Glace cherries have kindly agreed to offer one of my readers a selection of French Glace Cherry goodies which includes a branded timer, kitchen scale, an apron and samples of French Glacé Cherries. For your chance to win, just leave a comment saying what you will use the cherry samples for and a winner will be selected at random. Prize is only available to UK residents. I will contact you via the comment section on this blog and announce the winner after the closing date so please remember to check back on 3rd September to see if you are the lucky winner. Another winner will be selected if the first winner is not contactable after 72 hours. 

The closing date is 12 midnight GMT 2nd September 2014. 

I hope this cake will qualify for a few blog challenges this month.

Tea Time Treats hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage and co hosted by Jane from Hedgecombers. The theme this month is Picnic Food and Picnic Treats. This cake will be perfect for a picnic as it's easily transportable and can be eaten with your fingers. Plus it will impress everyone at the picnic :) 

Celebration Cakes & Bakes hosted by Mummy Makes Cakes as this is a stunning cake worthy of any celebration. 

 Recipe of the Week hosted by Emily from A Mummy Too.

Cook Blog Share hosted by Lucy from Super Golden Bakes

 lovely french glace cherries - red and purple variety 

 I tossed the cherries in the dessicated coconut 

 add a layer of batter 

 followed by a thick layer of jam - be careful not to touch the sides of the tin with the jam 

 cover with remaining cake batter 

 making the cherry glaze 

 fresh from the oven 

 you can see all the cherries dotted around 

 with the glaze 

 you can clearly see the jam layer 

An original recipe by bakingaddict

For the cake
250g butter
400g plain flour
330g caster sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
250mls coconut cream
100g dessicated coconut
4 eggs
192g french glace cherries
370g (1 jar) berry & cherry jam

For the glaze
100g glace cherries
1/2 - 3/4 cup of water
2 tablespoons of caster sugar (or to taste)

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
• Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. 
• Mix in the flour and baking powder.
• Add the coconut cream and dessicated coconut. 
• Cut the glace cherries in half, rinse in cold water and dry thoroughly. 
• Place the dessicated coconut in a small bowl and toss the cherries through the coconut.
• Add this to the cake mixture and stir by hand. 
• Pour 1/3 of the batter into the bundt tin.
• Place a thick layer of jam on top making sure not to touch the sides.
• Top with the remaining cake batter.
• Bake for approximately 50 -60 minutes (it's a large cake!) or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 
• Allow to cool completely before decorating. 
• To make the glaze, place the cherries, water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the sauce thickens and the cherries soften. You may need to add more water or more sugar depending on consistency and sweetness required. 
• Place the mixture in a blender and blitz until smooth.
• Sieve the mixture through a medium sized drainer to get a smoother glaze. 

Addendum 3/9/14
The lucky winner selected at random is Kate from the Gluten Free Alchemist - Congratulations!

Cherry and Almond Cake

Recently, I was sent a lovely selection of products from Opies to review.  I looked on their website for recipes and came across this cherry and almond cake. It's a classic combination and one that I knew would be a crowd pleaser. It's a simple recipe but I managed to burn it as I didn't keep a close eye on my temperamental oven! Fortunately, the cake still tasted fine. It has a lovely texture and the juicy cherries in the middle are particularly delightful. The cocktail cherries would also be lovely in a cocktail!  

 small range of Opies products - look out for more recipes in the future 

 

 coat cherries in a tablespoon of flour 

 adding the cherries to the cake 

Recipe from Opies website 

Disclaimer: I was sent a selection of Opies products for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. 

Yorkshire Tea Biscuit or Fat Rascal

This month's AlphaBakes which I am hosting is the letter Y. I looked through my cookbooks as usual to look for inspiration. Yoghurt was the only choice in most books until I came upon Yorkshire tea biscuit otherwise known as a fat rascal. It originated in Yorkshire and is similar to a scone in taste and ingredients. The Fat Rascal is a bestseller at the ever popular Bettys Tea Room in Yorkshire, a place I've never visited but would love to particularly for the food! 

I used a recipe from the Hairy Bikers in the end instead of the recipe in my book as I wanted to use ingredients I had to hand. Most recipes call for a mix of currants, raisins and sultanas but this recipe asks for mixed dried fruit. It's also the perfect recipe to use up leftovers from Christmas. The recipe was simple and straight forward and was fairly quick and easy to make. It expanded a lot in the oven and I wonder if this is the reason it's called a Fat Rascal! 

I was really surprised at how tasty these were. I'm not a huge fan of fruit cake and I have to say I wasn't sure how these would taste but it was delicious. It tasted like a light fruit scone and I loved the hint of citrus and spice as well as the crunch of the almonds. The tin was empty at the end of the day so I'd say that everyone else enjoyed it too! 

I'm entering this to AlphaBakes which is hosted by myself and Caroline from Caroline Makes. The letter this month is "Y". You can use the letter Y as the name of the bake/dish or as the main ingredient. 

It also fits in nicely with a few other blog challenges this month. The Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... The theme this month is spices and this recipe contains ground cinnamon and nutmeg.

 Cooking With Herbs hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage. She has chosen the theme citrus this month and this contains the zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon.

Four Seasons Food hosted by Louisa from Eat Your Veg and Anneli from Delicieux. The theme this month is Virtuous Food and I'd say all the fruit and nut in here makes it virtuous. Plus it's not terribly sweet. 

 Tea Time Treats guest hosted by Jane from The HedgeCombers and run by Karen from Lavender and Lovage. The theme this month is eggs, eggs, eggs! I have to send it to them as Karen has a fat rascal in the logo picture below and has a delicious recipe on her blog.

 I thought they looked really pretty before baking 

 And then they expanded massively! I'll have to make the Betty's signature face next time.

 yum! 

Recipe is from BBC Food - The Hairy Bikers

I followed the recipe exactly and made 14 Fat Rascals. 

Double chocolate, hazelnut and cherry muffins

Late last Sunday I felt like baking something. It was getting late and I didn't want anything overly complicated. I looked through my cookbooks for inspiration but nothing really caught my eye - the recipes were either too fussy or I didn't have the right ingredients to hand. I looked in my fridge and cupboards for inspiration. Earlier in the day, I'd bought some soured cream as they were on offer and that's how this recipe started. I wanted to use the soured cream so immediately I thought of a chocolate cake or muffin. I decided to make muffins as I didn't have to make frosting. I was recently sent a selection of baking goodies including chocolate chips from Dr Oetker to use so a chocolate chip muffin was forming. I also found a bag of hazelnuts so I added these in.  At the last minute, I added chopped cherries on top so it looked festive. 

I was really pleased with how these muffins turned out - it was moist and chocolatey and I loved the taste and texture of the roasted hazelnuts (which I left whole as I was too lazy to chop them). The cherries were a nice touch and added a little sweetness to your first bite. 

These muffins are really quick and easy to make. No special equipment required and the washing up is done whilst the muffins are in the oven. I think they look quite festive with the cherries on top. You can also add a drizzle of white chocolate for the extra wow factor. 

I'm entering this to Made with love Mondays hosted by Javelin Warrior. 

And to Tea Time Treats hosted by Kate from What Kate Baked and co-hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage. The theme this month is Festive Food Gifts and I think these would be a great alternative to traditional Christmas cake and cupcakes. 

I'm also sending these to the Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... The theme this month is Quick and Easy so these fit perfectly.

And to Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes and co-hosted by Laura from Laura loves Cakes. The theme this month is Jingle Bell Rock.

And to Treat Petite hosted by Stuart from Cakeyboi and co-hosted by Kat from the Baking Explorer. The theme this month is Happy Holidays and I think these are perfect for any holiday.

And to Four Seasons Food hosted by Anneli from Delicieux and Louisa from Eat your Veg. The theme this month is Party Food and these muffins would be perfect for any party.

 adding chocolate chips to the flour mixture 

 adding roasted hazelnuts 

 mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients 

 decorate with chopped cherries on top 

 yum! 

Recipe adapted from 1001 Cupcakes, cookies and other tempting treats

250g plain flour
25g cocoa powder
85g light muscovado sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
100g plain chocolate chips
100g white chocolate chips
100g roasted hazelnuts
300mls soured cream
85g butter, melted
Chopped cherries (optional)

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Roast hazelnut in the oven - approximately 6-8 minutes or until fragrant and golden brown. 
• Set aside to cool.
• In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
• Stir in the chocolate chips followed by the roasted hazelnuts.
• Place eggs, sour cream and butter in a separate bowl and mix well.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Be careful not to overmix.
• Add chopped cherries on top for decoration. 
• Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Allow to cool completely or eat warm if you prefer. 

With thanks to Dr Oetker for the chocolate chips used in this recipe.