Cake For Granddad

So my 'bake a new recipe every week' has rotted like a forgotten tub of baked beans at the back of the fridge.

It doesn't mean I'm not baking - but it probably means I'm making chocolate chip cookies every week because they are quick and I have everything, and I don't need to look at a recipe.....

However, it was a special birthday for Granddad and I am a great believer in birthday cake. Mainly birthday cake with a lot of chocolate and frilly bits.....but I reigned in my desires and recalled the beeline Granddad made to the school fair cake stand and the sultana cake he chose when we stayed with him last.

(As a side note I was very surprised to discover someone might choose the sultana cake over the other more exciting desirable cakes..... sultana cake was always a reliable, tasty, beige tracksuit in the clothes shop of cake stands for me. I mean sure, I'll eat, and love, 13 slices of it before afternoon tea - but I'd never actually choose it over something gooey, shiny, chocolatey...)

So I rocked out my Edmonds cookbook - which is of course the place you go for beige-coloured recipes and anything your nana once made and you are feeling nostalgic about - and I found sultana cake. Being short on sultanas and lacking in almond or lemon essence I half and halfed sultanas and raisins and added lemon zest.

Granddad was pleased.

I made him another one to take home on the plane. (It would appear that it's easier to transport sultana cake that something covered in 25cm of buttercream icing)

Love me, love my baking.

Joining in with Ange

Love you more than a school-fair cake stand xx

Still Baking and A Winner

I've been a bit slack with sharing how my baking challenge is coming along.

Fan's Date Loaf from Ladies a Plate was an absolute hit. I neglected to tell of the dates and so with the thoughts it was a ginger loaf (which it is indeed like) it meant there was no date hating before trying.
Actually last time I made a date-y slice there was a lot of date hate in the comments too - people you are missing out!!

I have also tried one of the versions of ANZAC biscuits from Ladies a Plate. They were suitably chewy which I really like and disappeared rather before I had a chance to take any pictures.

I've also made a couple of incarnations of the Chocolate Cupcakes from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook as well. These ones we called our 'new life' cupcakes for Easter.

There were rather a lot of batches of Hot Cross Buns over Easter and today a Handmade batch of Muesli - recipe here - for some special people who are staying at my place this weekend. (Here's hoping they like muesli - I've given the boys one bowl and told them they aren't allowed any more until after the weekend)

and of course the winner of the wonderful Penny Scallan giveaway congratulations to Laura please watch out for an email from me.

Linking in with Foodie Fun over at Ange's place.

A Valentines Dinner

The Atlas had surgery just before Valentines Day so I thought I'd postpone our Valentine's dinner for a month.

Last year we did our first one and this year I wanted to do something new.

Each couple was asked to submit (independently of each other) the following information

1. A song that reminds them of their partner (The Atlas used these to make a playlist for the evening)

2. A quote, saying, line.... that means something to them
3. The place they were when they realised they were in love with that person
4. A place they would like to take their partner

Over the course of the evening we played a few rounds where people had to match up the couples with the answers, people also had to do a place card for their partner with things they loved about them on one side (just for their partner to read) and the worst pick up line they could think of on the other side.

It was a really nice night and I enjoyed doing some simple decorating and prepping dessert (it was a planned potluck). It's amazing what some candles can do!

We're very blessed to have a good stack of couples in our lives to do this kind of stuff with.
Above you can also see my Tasty Tuesday creation from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook - Raspberry Cheesecake Brownie - mmmmmmm (see the photo under No.1) Oh. So. Right!

And the prize for the winning couple? 'Date Night in a Bag'....

Have you ever been to a Valentines Couple's Dinner - what did you do?

Joining in with Ange

Tasty Tuesday

I often find with recipes that they make soo much less than they say they will

ever made a 'yields 36' and found that you end up with more like 12?

not so with todays recipe

it comes from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook

these are peanut butter and dark chocolate cookies and the recipe is supposed to make 24 but it makes about 40 and they are HUGE - I guess because it's cafe size they make even bigger ones for selling.

joining in with Ange for more yummy goodness

When It's Better Not to Know the Ingredients

and a giveaway....

Smooth and creamy

Lemony and tart

Crunchy, cheese-cakey base

From the 'Back In The Day' recipe book

The Atlas isn't much for sweets but this is his idea of all that is good

It's also one of the recipes where it is better not to ask what's in it while you are enjoying it. Nothing good in here - just ingredients for the soul.

Do you have recipes like that? I have a dark chocolate fudge one that is similar.

Joining in with Ange.

Also thought it might be nice to throw in a giveaway for March I found these gorgeous cup cake cases the other day so I bought them to giveaway - red polka dots and blue gingham

make anyone else what to sing 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'?

Leave me a comment - what would you make in them and who would you invite over to share them?
(Congrats to Laura who won the Feb giveaway I'll email to get your address)

Weekly Recipe and Foodie Fun

Last week I didn't post a recipe I'd completed. It wasn't that I hadn't done one other things just crowded in.

So last weeks cookies from Ladies a Plate - check out the website some of the recipes are on there. Orange cookies sandwiched together with chocolate - mmmm. Note to self although adding orange juice to the chocolate seems like a wonderful jaffa-y idea it might make your chocolate seize.

2nd note to self - they still taste good.

Todays recipe is from the Frankie Afternoon Tea book and comes from Pip Lincolne from Meet Me At Mike's fame. It is chocolate chip cookies. These looked nothing like the ones in the photo - at all - but they still tasted lovely.

 

For more fun with food pop over to Ange's and click on the linky button to see who is playing.

and happy birthday to my lovely mama xx

 

Tasty Tuesday - Hokey Pokey Biscuits

These are another biscuit recipe from the Ladies A Plate book.

 I made the standard version and then tried them with wholemeal flour and chocolate chunks.

We liked them both.

What's your go-to biscuit recipe?

I'm going to check with some of the authors about putting some of their recipes up. Hopefully they say yes :o)

Tasty Tuesday 3

This weeks recipe comes from the delightful book 'Ladies A Plate - the collection'

The Atlas is not very partial to sweet food but he makes an exception for things like Ginger Loaf so when I saw this recipe: Mollie Newell's Ginger Cake I thought he'd like it.

We shared it with some friends and it was very popular with everyone. Nice spice level and moist and light and no icing or embellishment required, a winning combination!

I'm enjoying the challenge of reaching for new recipes rather than making the same old ones again and again.

To see more of what I'm challenging myself on this year try here.