Lemon Drizzle Cake & Iced Lemon Biscuits

A light, zezty, moist lemon cake with  sugary sweet lemon drizzle.. lets go!

What You Will Need:
170g S.R Flour
170g Butter
170g Caster Sugar
3 Eggs
1tbsp Baking Powder
2 Lemons ( Zest + Juice)
110g Icing Sugar
Milk - (Just a splash if needed)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Mix together both the sugar and the butter until light and creamy.

Beat egg in a cup and then stir in to the creamy mixture.

Zest the lemons and add ( Personal preference to how much zest you add, but I added about 1 and a half)

Stift in flour, and mix with a metal spoon. You may want to add a spash of milk to get a nice dropping consistency.

Grease and line your baking tin, add mixture and cook for 35 - 40 minutes

When cake is complete, juice the lemon and add icing sugar to the juice and stir

Whilst the cake is still warm , poke small holes in cake and add the drizzle mix.

When the cake is cool you can add a drizzle of some white icing. ( Just icing sugar and water, I havent included the measurements for this as you only need a small amount)

Now for the plain crunchy biscuit and lemon flavoured icing star shapes -

What You Will Need:
100g Butter
100g Caster Sugar
1 Egg (Beaten)
Vanilla Extract
Lemon Extract
275g Plain Flour
Icing Sugar, Yellow Food Colouring, Sprinkles, Shaped Cookie Cutter

Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees

Mix together butter & sugar until creamy. Mix in the beaten egg gradually alongside a dash of vanilla extract.

Sift in the flour. Roll into a dough. Make sure to cover work surface with flour so that it doesnt stick

Cut dough into desired shapes and bake for around 12 minutes ( keep a close eye)

When the bisucits have cooled. Mix up some icing sugar with water to get however much you need and add a small drop of lemon extract. Mix in and then add a tiny amount of yellow food colouring to get a pastel yellow colour. Decorate as you please with sprinkles :)

Happy Baking!

Helen xX

Chewie Chocolate Chunk Oatie Cookies (Egg Free Recipe)

A delicious sugary sweet oatie cookie which is crisp on the outside and soft and chewie in the middle. This recipe requires no eggs, which is handy for those who may be intolerant or who just dont happen to have any in. I made a few cinnamon spiced ones just as a wee experiment and they turned out fab! Close up pictures to follow.

What You Will Need:

125g Butter
120g Light Brown Sugar
100g Caster Sugar
210g Self Raising Flour
70g Oats
2 Tbsp Golden Syrup
Splash Vanilla Extract
Variations - 1 Tsp Cinnamon Or Chocolate Chunks

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees

Mix both the sugars and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add a splash of vanilla extract.

Add 2 tbsp of the golden syrup and mix.

Variation ingredient added here - either the cinnamon or chocolate chunks. Mix.

Add the oats

Sieve in flour and mix with a wooden spoon until it is blended

Roll into small balls and place onto a greased baking tray

Ensure there is enough space between the balls as they will flatten and expand

Bake for around 13 minutes

Leave to cool on wire rack

* Cookies will still be very soft when ready. They will harden up more as they cool, but remember they are meant o have a moist chewie texture*

Cookies with chocolate chunks

Cinnamon Variation

 Happy Baking!

Helen xX

Malteser Truffles & Coconut Truffle Recipe

A no fuss recipe that anyone can throw together in no time at all :)

Malteser Truffles

200g Cream Cheese

350g Icing Sugar

500g Milk or Plain Chocolate (preference)

135g Bag Maltesers 

Splash Vanilla Extract

Cream together the cream cheese and the icing sugar until smooth and add some vanilla extract

Crunch up the matlesers until they are in pieces 

Melt the chocolate in a pan over a low heat 

When the chocolate is melted add the smashed maltesers and mix together

Blend the melted chocolate mix and the cream cheese mix together. stir well.

Put in the fridge for around half an hour for the mixture to stiffen up

Once the mixture is a little more pliable, roll into balls and dip into chocolate strands or chocolate flakes.

Put in the fridge for around an hour to set further more

Coconut Truffles (Using same measurements as above)

Cream together the cream cheese and the icing sugar until smooth and add the vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate in a pan over a low heat

Combine the two mixtures and stir well

Put in the fridge for around half an hour for the mixture to stiffen up

Roll into balls and dip in some desicated coconut and put in the fridge to set

*Truffles are est kept in the fridge for freshness*

The best thing about this recipe is that there are lots of variations you can try out. I think next time I am going to try out a rocky road version and a white chocolate, cherry and biscuit one :D

Happy Baking

Helen xX

Easter Treat: Mini Egg & Chocolate Dipped Cookies

Super sugary, sweet soft chewie cookie with crushed mini eggs half dipped in chocolate. The perfect easter treat.. Lets go!

What You Will Need :

40g Caster Sugar

40g Dark Brown Sugar

75g Butter or Margarine

130g Self Raising Flour

2tbsp Syrup

1 Bag Mini Eggs

Splash Vanilla Essence
Melted Chocolate
Sprinkles

Preheat oven to 190 degrees.

First of all, mix together the caster sugar, brown sugar and butter until smooth and creamy.

Add syrup and vanilla essence and stir in.

Put the mini eggs in a bag and crush them with a wooden spoon (some elbow grease is required here, they are pretty hard)

Add them to mix

Sieve 130g of self raising flour and add to the mix.

Stir in flour with wooden spoon.

Next  roll balls of the dough and place onto greased baking tray, no need to flatten as they will do so on there own.

Leave plenty of space between each cookie as they will expand.

Cookies should be left in the oven for between 8-12 mins I usually check the cookies at around 10 minutes and usually they are okay. The cookies will feel soft at first but they will firm up whilst they cool.

Next melt some chocolate in the microwave, I used Cadbury Dairy milk and dip the cookie in, You can use a knife to spread and then pour on some sprinkles before it sets :)

Hope everyone has a nice Easter. I have a tonne of eggs and malteaster bunnies to keep me occupied :D

Happy Baking!

Helen xX

Coconut Cookies

I love, love, love the taste of coconut thats why I have incorporated into my fail safe cookie mixture. These cookies are lovely and crunchy on the outside and have a slightly soft centre, with a sweet coconuty taste. Perfect go go along with some afternoon tea or a glass of cold milk. I found this blue china set in my cupboards, not sure where it is from but I adore it :) Want cookies that are ready in eat in less than 25 mins? Read on...

What You Will Need:

50g Caster Sugar
50g Soft Brown Sugar
75g Margarine
150g Self raising Flour
tbsp Golden Syrup
30g Desiccated Coconut
Splash Vanilla Essence
Splash Milk

Method:

Preheat oven to 190 degrees and grease baking trays

Mix together caster sugar, brown sugar and margarine until soft and creamy

Add Syrup and a small drop of vanilla essence. Then add the desiccated coconut and stir in

Sieve flour and add to mixture, and mix using a spoon

The mixture should be a bit dry so add some milk, until you are able to knead it together with your hands

Roll into balls and place on greased tray, do not flatten. They will flatten in the oven

Bake for 10- 15 minutes, They should be slightly soft when they come out of the oven, but will harden as they cool.

TIP * I used a splash of dairy free coconut milk to add a wee bit more flavour. Its fine to use normal milk though :) I discovered this milk last week and its lush. Its low in calories, free from all the nasties and a good source of vitamins. Its great to drink on its own too. The milk is by the brand Kara. You can check it out here. It should be available in most supermarkets *

Happy Baking!

Helen xX

Fudge & Chocolate Pieces

What You Will Need :

100g Margarine
100g Soft Brown Sugar
Small Tin Condensed Milk
2tbsp Syrup
225g Digestive Biscuits
150g Cooking Chocolate, Melted
Sprinkles (Optional)

Method:

Melt margarine, sugar, milk and syrup over a low heat for about 5 - 10 mins, stirring continuously

Add crushed digestives, mix and pour into a greased tin

Leave to set for 2 and a half to 3 hours

When fudge set,  melt chocolate in the microwave and smooth over the mix. Add Sprinkles

Leave to set * I forgot about the chocolate and let it set for too long so the chocolate was difficult to cut, resulting in jaggety edges * & slice.


A quick wee post in between essay writing (zzzz). So much work to catch up on, its just too easy to get distracted though...Made these to perk me up, defo enough sugar in these to keep me going :) Would recommend keeping them in the fridge after you slice them, dont taste the same left at room temperature. Base mix should be slightly soft and chewy with some crunch from the biscuits

Happy Baking!

Helen xX

Vanilla & Strawberry Celebration Cake

I have to admit this was definitely one of the best tasting cakes I have EVER made. I made this cake for my parents 30th Wedding Anniversary... way back in November, only just getting around to posting this, but its worth the wait and worth a try! Got to mention this was my first time using royal icing. Found it a bit tricky at first but practice makes perfect and I may well start incorporating it more into my cake ideas :)

What You Will Need:

Cake:

200g Butter
200g Caster Sugar
4 Medium Eggs
200g Self Raising Flour
Splash of milk
Vanilla Extract

Filling:

100g Butter
140g Icing Sugar
Vanilla Extract
Mackays Strawberry Jam - No Bits ( I find this jam to have the best sweet flavour)

Decoration:

Regal Ice - Ready To Roll by Dr Oetker (White)
Cherries
Jam (To stick the icing to the cake)


Method:

Preheat oven to 190 degrees and grease 2 cake tins

Cream together butter and sugar to form  a smooth creamy paste. Add vanilla extract.

In a cup beat together the eggs and gradually stir into this mixture.

When mixed, add the sieved flour. Fold together with a metal spoon. This is where I like to add some milk to get it to the consistency I prefer. It should have a light dropping consistency.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until light and springy.

* My cake was very light and airy, which made it more delicious. We do not want a heavy cake so do not over beat *

Leave cake to cool thoroughly on a wire rack.

For the icing mix the butter and icing sugar together, until it is completely smooth and creamy. Add a dash of vanilla extract.

Smother this onto one side of the cake sponge and smother lots of jam onto the remaining cake sponge. Be very generous ;) and sandwich both the sponges together

Next you want to either boil or melt the some jam in the microwave until it is a hot liquid. Brush this liquid over the cake

Now for the royal icing, it explains on the package how to use it but basically you take as much as you need ( I used about 3/4) and roll it between your hands until it becomes pliable  Then using a rolling pin roll it out to the thickness you require. Make sure you cover your work surface with lots of icing sugar first (not flour) so that it doesn't stick. When you get your desired thickness, CAREFULLY (!) use your rolling pin and place over the hot jam mix and onto the cake.

Press down carefully and mold to the cake. Cut excess icing off using a sharp knife.

Add cherries using the hot jam to stick them onto the cake

Now enjoy! I seriously loved this cake so much and was really proud of it.

Happy Baking!

Helen xX

Choctastic Hazelnut Slice

This along with rocky road is one of my favourite things ever. This recipe if from years ago when I was still in school and didnt even know rocky road existed (traumatising, I know!) Its the ultimate treat  but it is no friend to the healthy diet but its worth it! here goes..

What You Will Need:

200g Milk Chocolate

50g Butter

175g Condensed Milk

150g Digestives (Crushed)

25g Hazelnuts

Method:

Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt slightly in the microwave. Stir chocolate to help any lumps melt. Note: it should only be slighly melted at this stage

 Add the condensed milk and butter and place in the microwave until it is fully melted. Be careful not to burn the chocolate . A test test is always due at this stage ;)

Stir the mixture to make sure it is completely melted, now add the hazelnuts and crushed digestives

 Now once you have a firmer mixture you want to grease and line a baking tray and spread the mixture evenly into the tray

 Now grate up some chocolate and scatter on top.
Place in fridge to chill for at least an hour and a half










NOW EAT! :D

Enjoy!

Helen xX

Lazy Girls Shortbread

I named this the lazy girls shortbread as it only requires 3 ingredients and not a lot of effort... but tastes delicious! Variations can be made such as adding chocolate chips or spices but I am just going to share the basic version to show that baking doesn't have to be difficult at all :)

What You Will Need:

125g Unsalted Butter (At Room Temperature)
55g Caster Sugar
180g Plain Flour

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees

Beat together the butter and sugar until smooth

Stir in sieved flour to form a dough

Cut into rounds, using a cutter and place onto a greased baking tray. Each round shound be approx 1cm thick

Sprinkle some more caster sugar onto each round

Bake for around 10- 15 mins  in the oven until they are golden thus depending on how big/thick you have made them (Best to keep an eye on them so that they don't over bake)

Cool on a wire rack and EAT!

See... told you it was simple! ;D

Happy Baking!

Helen xX

Savoury Cheese Scones: Scone Sunday Part 2!

The second part of my "Scone Sunday" recipe :) In the last post I shared a recipe on how to make sweet cherry scones but here I'm going to share how to make some savoury cheese scones, which are delicious! There is a slight variation on the basic recipe i used last time..

What You Will Need:

225g Self Raising Flour
Pinch Of Salt
55g Butter
50g Cheese
150mls milk

*OPTIONAL* 25g caster sugar ( I personally like to add this just to take out some of the bitterness, don't worry it wont make the recipe go too sweet)

Method:

Preheat oven to 220 degrees

Mix together the flour, salt and sugar (optional) and rub into fine breadcrumbs

Grate the cheese, and stir in

Make a 'well' in the centre and add enough milk to make a soft dough, using the knife to mix

Knead gently on a floured surface and flatten to 2cm thick

Use a cutter to cut the scones into rounds

Bake for 10 to 12 mins

Enjoy!

Helen xX

Cherry Scones : Scone Sunday!

Today I will be sharing two variation recipes on a sweet scone and a savoury scone (click here). Fair enough to say I am a scone addict and unfortunately they aren't the healthiest of snacks..but we dont care haha. Firstly I am going to share my cherry scones as personally they are a favourite of mine. Amazing with some butter and jam :) and that all important cup of tea ;)

yum!

What You Will Need:

200g Self Raising Flour
50g Caster Sugar
50g Butter
100ml Skimmed Milk
50g Glace Cherries


Method:

Preheat oven to 220 degrees

Sift flour into large bowl

Rub in butter til the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and add sugar

Add the cherries

Make a 'well' in the centre and add enough milk to make a soft dough using a knide to mix

Knead gently on a floured surface and flatten to 2cm thick

Use a cutter to shape scones

Bake for  10-12 minutes (remember to keep checking!)

Happy Baking!

Helen xX

Fudge, Ginger & Cinnamon Cookies

Sooo one morning before college this week, I ran out of some ginger cookies and the craving was too much to bare;) so I made these super easy cookies to have with my cuppa in less than 20 mins...

What You Will Need:

50g Caster Sugar

50g Soft Light Brown Sugar

75g Butter

2 Tbsp Golden Syrup

150g Self Raising Flour

Fudge pieces ( As many as you like)

1.5 tsp Ginger

1.5 tsp Cinnamon ( I added a tad more)

Method:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees

Cream together caster sugar, light brown sugar and butter

Add the 2 tbsp of syrup and stir in

Now add the cinnamon, ginger and fudge pieces and stir in

Sieve in self raising flour

Mix together with wooden spoon

Using your hands, roll the dough into balls and slightly flatten on a greased baking tray and put in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes

Remember to check on the cookies so that they don't burn or get too crisp, we want them to be crisp on the outside and softer in the centre :)

*I apologise about the rubbish lighting in the pictures. I didn't anticipate this to be a blog post as it was so last minute but as they turned out well I decided to share :)*

Enjoy!

Helen xX

Chocolate Fudge Rocky Road

Out of all the things I like to make, rocky road is by far my favourite. I absolutely love it, there are so many varying recipes. I have never tasted a batch of rocky road either bought from the supermarket or made by someone else to have the same universal taste. The version I am sharing with you is a little more rich as its based around a chocolate fudge recipe.



What You Will Need:

350g cooking chocolate
1 (397g) tin condensed sweetened milk
2 tablespoons butter
Crushed Digestives (as many as you like, depending on how rocky you like your road ;D )
100g marshmallows
50g glace cherries, chopped


Method:

Break up the chocolate and place into microwavable bowl, melt slighly and add in the condensed milk and butter.

Melt in the microwave on full power, opening often to stir it and to make sure it doesnt burn, which can happen all too easily if you dont keep an eye on it

When the chocolate fudge mixture is ready add the crushed biscuits, marshmallows and cherries and stir in. Add as many as you like, you can also add other ingredients such as nuts, maltesers m&ms, fruit pieces, white chocolate chips :)

Place the mix into a greased tin and place in the fridge for at least two hours

Slice the rocky into bite size pieces and enjoy! mhhm <3

Happy Baking!

Helen xX

Quick Coconut & Cherry Macaroons

I LOVE coconut cherry macaroons. They really do taste amazing and only take a few minutes to prepare and bake so I thought I would share :)

What You Will Need:

110g Desicated Coconut
75g Caster Sugar
2 Egg Whites
Cherries

Method

Preheat oven to 170 degrees

Combine coconut and sugar together in a mixing bowl

Whisk egg whites in a separate bowl, until they double in size and form a peak

Add coconut and sugar to the whisked egg whites and fold in

Make medium sized round and flatten slightly

Place half a cherry on the top

Bake for 6 - 10 minutes

Happy Baking!

Helen xX

Custard Creams

I'm not a big fan of the normal custard creams that are already made and packaged in the supermarkets, but these are totally different! :D Much more tastier and creamier. There is also something more satisfying knowing that you have made them yourself. Keep reading to find out how to make them..

What You Will Need:

Biscuit-

150g Margarine/ Butter

50g Icing Sugar

150g Plain Flour

50g Custard Powder

Filling-

50g Icing Sugar

25g Margarine/Butter

Splash Vanilla Essence

Method

Pre- heat oven to 180 degrees

Lightly grease baking tray

Cream together margarine and sugar

Sieve in flour and custard powder

Knead well on a lightly floured surface

Roll out and cut into shape with a cutter

Bake for 10 - 15 mins, until golden.

Once the biscuits have cooled you can prepare the buttercream filling.

Simply, cream together the butter and the icing sugar and the vanilla essence til it has a smooth and thick consistency. Using a knife, spread the mixture in-between two biscuits nd sandwich together. Dust with a little icing sugar.Enjoy!

Helen xX

Melt In The Middle Mars Bar Cupcakes

 A yummy chocolate cupcake recipe with a twist!

I adore chocolate, cannot go a day without it..how sad haha but I was looking around my cupboards for something I could add to the cupcakes to make them just a little bit more interesting. Then I came across ye old trusty Mars Bar. Mars Bar has been a bit of a favourite of mine when it comes to baking. I have already done a post on Mars Bar cookies and will be doing a post in the near future on Mars Bar Cheesecake. But for now here is my take on Mars Bar cupcakes... Happy Baking! :)

What You Will Need:

                                     

                                     

Cakes -

Castor Sugar 100g 

Margarine 100g

Self Raising Flour 100g

2 Eggs 

Splash Vanilla Essence

Cocoa powder (roughly 25g)

2 snack size Mars Bars

Icing-

Icing Sugar 75g

Margarine 25g

Cocoa Butter 

1 Snack Size Mars Bar

1tea spoon Milk

Method

Pre-heat oven to 190 degrees

Cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla essence and stir in.

Beat eggs in a cup and gradually add to the mixture and mix together

Next, sieve in the cocoa powder, I used 25g as a guide as usually I just wing it :P

Mix in the cocoa powder and sieve in the flour and use a metal spoon to fold in. Add a splash of water to the mixture to give a  dropping consistency.Chop up Mars Bar into chunky slices to place in the middle of each cake.

                                                 Now, whilst spooning the mixture into the cake cases only add a small first, then add the Mars Bar chunks and cover the cake batter                                         Make sure it is covered completey.

Repeat this for all the cakes and bake in the oven for around 15- 20 minutes.Make sure you check on the cakes at around 15 minutes so they don't burn :)

For the Icing cream together the icing sugar and butter and add a 1 to 2 teaspoons of the cocoa powder (depending on how chocolaty you want it) stir together then add the tea spoon of milk. If the mix is too runny add a little more icing sugar and if it's too stiff just add a little more milk. Place chopped up chunks of Mars Bar on top for decoration :)

Result :)

gooey centre

This recipe makes around 12 cupcakes. I decorated a few with just dusted icing sugar as they are very chocolaty.

Enjoy!

Helen xX

Chocolate Truffles & Milkybar Marshmallow Crispies ( Quick Treats)

Just thought I would share  some ideas for some quick tasty treats that dont require a lot of time or skill. I made these last night, for some guests coming over and I'll admit they went down pretty well.. ;)

Chocolate Truffles

What You Will Need:

50g Icing Sugar
50g Margarine
6 Digestives (crushed)
1 Small bar Dairy Milk ( 6 blocks)
1 teaspoon cocoa
Splash Vanilla Essence
Chocolate Sprinkles

Method:

Cream together the icing sugar and margarine and add the splash of vanilla essence

Melt Chocolate in the microwave in short bursts and stir until it has completely melted

Add the melted chocolate and the teaspoon of cocoa to the buttercream mixture and stir in.

Crush the digestive biscuits and add to the mixture and stir

Roll chocolate in small balls and coat with chocolate sprinkles or you can grate chocolate and dip it in that.

Put in fridge to set for about 30 - 45 minutes until they are the right consistency.

STORE TRUFFLES IN THE FRIDGE AT ALL TIMES.

This is very important as if u dont, it will alter the taste and they dont taste as pleasant at room temperature!

MilkyBar & Marshmallow Crispies

What You Will Need:

Family Bar MilkyBar (100g)
Marshmallows ( as many as you like)
Rice Krispies
Sprinkles
Cake Cases

Method:

Melt the Milkybar in the microwave

Chop up marshmallows so they are smaller, then melt slightly in the microwave for 10 secs

Combine two mixtures

Add Rice Krispies and stir together

Scoop out mix and put into cake cases and chill in fridge for at least half an hour

Simples! :)

I also recommend keeping these in the fridge too!

Enjoy!

Helen xX

Choc Chip Shortbread

Really Simple Yummy Chocolate Chip Shortbread!

What You Will Need:

225g Plain Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
225g Butter
100g Caster Sugar
125g Chocolate Chips
Splash Vanilla Essence



Method:

Pre- heat oven to 160 degrees

In a bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar til its light and fluffy and add a splash of the vanilla essence

Sieve in the flour and baking powder, then add the chocolate chips

Scoop dough into balls and place on a baking tray, flatten slightly  or alternativley like i did i roll out he mixture and used a heart shaped cookie cutter.

Make sure there is plenty of room between each biscuit

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until a light golden brown colour

Remove from tray and place on wire rack to cool and sprinkle some more sugar on top :)

Enjoy!

Helen xX