Georgous Cakes - part 4

This week I made Vanilla Cupcakes and a Marble Cake with Butterscotch Cream.
Both came out very well although my 'blue' icing seemed to come out more green.
The cupcakes are decorated with Dolly Mixture, so I had a bit of a mission early in the week to find some that were gluten free.  I ended up using Monmore Confectionery who have a selection of gluten free sweets.  I love the look on 'im outdoors face when he finds something nice that its safe to eat and tastes like the original.

The marble cake should have been cooked in a ring tin, but as I don't have one I made two sponges then stuck them together with butterscotch cream and drizzled melted chocolate over it.
I'm very pleased with how they came out, lets see how they last the week.

 Verdict:

Vanilla Cupcakes: These were ok and lasted the week well although the dolly mixture started to go a bit weird.  Nothing that special.

Marble Cake with Butterscotch Cream: 'im outdoors said this was his favorite and it wasn't big enough.  Got a little dry towards the end of the week but otherwise lasted well.
 

Georgous Cakes - part 3

This week I made Truffle Cupcakes and Birthday Angel Smartie Cake.  The angel cake does mean I'm skipping through the book, but my food delivery sent me two pots of mascarpone last week so I needed a cake to use the extra one up. (the first one was mixed with the lemon curd to make the filling for last weeks lemon cake.)

My cupcakes once again rose well, but they're a bit too chocolaty for my taste.  'im outdoors seems very happy.  Hopefully they will both last the week well, although the smarties are already starting to loose their colour into the frosting.

Verdict:

Truffle cupcakes - a bit too chocolatey for me, but 'im outdoors loved them and they lasted the week very well.

Birthday angel smartie cake - Had to be kept in the fridge and the smarties went weird, but tasted really good and lasted the week really well. 

The Loch Ness Marathon - part 4

 

Look what arrived today!  A package from the Salisbury District Hospital Stars Appeal team, which included a certificate, a letter and a lapel pin.  

Having run the Loch Ness Marathon to raise money for their Burns Unit a couple of weeks ago, I'd sort of put it to the back of my mind, so it was a massive surprise.

It was so nice to hear how much their appreciated the time and effort I'd put in and I include the letter here as I think everyone who sponsored me deserves their thanks as well.
The certificate will sit in my study where I can see it to remind me of what I've accomplished.  The pin is already on my bag, the perfect reminder.

Gorgeous Cakes - part 2

This week it was my mum's birthday which seems the perfect excuse to make a Towering Alaska from my Gorgeous Cakes cook book.  But I also made a Rich Lemon Curd Sponge for 'im outdoor's lunchbox's and Banoffee Cupcakes.

I made the lemon cake as two separate sponges again to make sure they would rise - which they did perfectly.  The lemon curd filling is so good he's been eating the spare on toast! 

The cupcakes came out well too.  And I had to make 2 batches as there was too much mix!  She recommends decorating them with a 'chocolate heart' but I just cut up a bunch of Curly Wurlys and used them instead, which seems to have gone down well.

The Towering Alaska was amazing and my mum loved it, but it is the kind of cake that has to be eaten as soon as it's made.  Within an hour of putting it together the jam was sinking into the sponge and the meringues were dissolving into the cream.  However it tasted amazing and no one cared that it looked like a right mess.  'im outdoors finished it off for super, as always, happy to help tidy up.


Verdict:
Towering Alaska: Very tasty but needs to be eaten as soon as its put together.

Rich lemon curd sponge: Very tasty. Had to be kept in the fridge but kept very well over the week.
 
Banoffee cupcakes: Not very bananay, and dried out well before the end of the week.  Bit disappointing.

Another Laptop Sock

Last year my sister asked me to knit her a cover for her work laptop.  It came out well and she was very pleased.  However she's just got herself a new job and her new laptop is much bigger than the one she had and now the cover doesn't fit.  'Could I make her a new one?' she asked.

With some of the King Cole Glitz Chunky in platinum wool left over from last time I made a start.  This time I knitted it in the round and as it was a bit bigger I decided to add a little decoration - some cables down the front.  It took a few goes to get the pattern right, but I'm very pleased with the end result.  I think she was too, lets just hope it fits.

Note:  I've just been sent a photo and its a perfect fit! Hooray!
 

Gorgeous Cakes - part 1

Look how faded the edges are from being on the window sill!

I love to bake and 'im outdoors loves to eat cakes so this all works out pretty well.
I have quite a few cook books but seem to always end up cooking the same old stuff, so with no more Saturday runs (unless I want to) I've decided to work my way through one of my favorite books - Gorgeous Cakes by Annie Bell.

Today I made a classic victoria sponge with whisked white chocolate buttercream for 'im outdoors lunchbox this week, and some lemon cupcakes for snacking on when he gets in from work. 
As he's a coeliac it does mean I have to tweak the recipes a little so I use gluten free flour and I tend to add xanthum gum which means I have to add a little extra liquid, normal in the form of milk, too.  And instead of cooking the victoria sponge as one big cake I made two smaller cakes as I know a big one won't rise as well.  I might have also ignored the call for sugared flowers to decorate the cupcakes.

I haven't made either of these before - I normally stick to Mary Berry's victoria sponge recipe, but they both came out really well, which was a nice surprise as my cupcakes don't normally rise.
But of course the proof really is in the eating and 'im outdoors will get the final say at the end of the week.  Did they transport to work OK? Did they still taste good a week later?  Should I make them again?    


Verdict:
Lemon cupcakes: They tasted like lemon french fancies.  Lasted quite well but a little damp by the end of the week.

Victoria sponge with whisked white chocolate buttercream: Quite nice, but the buttercream didn't really stand out.  Lasted the week well.