A New Creation...

Yesterday was another day of celebration! It was my darling husband's birthday...and also the 60th birthday of a good friend, so we combined the two into one joyous evening!

I decided to create a cake...a new one, worthy of the occasion. And this is what I came up with...



Almond Vanilla Praline Cake....
It was a light almond sponge, kept from being the least bit dry with a generous brushing of almond syrup, with a whipped vanilla white chocolate frosting...the almond brittle finished it off beautifully, I think.



It was a fitting finish to a wonderful evening...the best kind, shared with good friends and beloved ones!
I wrote the recipe down, too....so that I can share it sometime....

Wishing you a beautiful day xo

Recipes for a Happy New Year

After my last (long ago) post, I promised you the two most requested recipes...and so, at last, here they are!
Firstly, my own favourites, Cheese Scones...I have adapted the quantities for US measures as well as metric, so as long as you use only 1 or the other ( not a mixture of both! ) they should work fine!




To make 12 x 2" / 5 cm scones

Preheat the oven to 220c / 425f and line a baking sheet with parchment

225g / 2 cups self raising flour
1tsp baking powder
220g / 1& 3/4 cups grated extra mature cheddar cheese
60g / 1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1egg cracked into a measuring jug, beaten and made up to 150ml / 2/3 cup with whole milk

Put the flour & baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and, using the tips of your fingers, rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs...



Add the cheddar...



And mix through, using a fork or round bladed knife...



Pour over all but a tbsp of the egg & milk mixture and lightly mix, again using the fork or knife, until everything begins to 'clump' together...



Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. *TIP* Because I can't bear scraping dough off my glass work top, I cover it first with several sheets of cling film/ plastic wrap. Then I simply roll it up & throw it away afterwards with barely any mess!
Knead very lightly to form a soft dough. I don't roll my scone dough, as it knocks out too much air...so I simply pat it into a round approx 1"/ 2.5cm thick...



Cut out as many rounds as you can, re-patting the dough as necessary and place them about an inch apart on the prepared baking tray.



Glaze with the reserved tbsp of egg/ milk mixture...



And bake in the hot oven for about 12 mins, rotating the tray halfway through to ensure even cooking. The scones should be golden brown, well-risen, and slightly oozing cheese when done! The bases should be a lovely colour too...



Cool on a wire rack...but cheese scones are really best eaten warm! They will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container. I recommend warming them through before eating...this brings out their extreme cheesiness! Fabulous accompanying a bowl of soup, but I love them on their own for breakfast, too.

The second recipe is for Sticky Parkin. This keeps extremely well...in fact, it really should be made about a week before you eat it, then kept in an airtight tin or box to mature and become really sticky! This makes it brilliant for camping trips or hikes too.

When I was taking the pictures, I was making double the following recipe, so don't worry if you think your mixture looks less!




Preheat oven to 160c/ 325f
Line a 23cm / 9" square tray or brownie pan with non- stick baking parchment



250g/ 2 sticks butter
110g / 1 cup (packed) light brown soft sugar
55g / 2 tbsp black treacle
200g / 3/4 cup golden syrup
120g / 1 & 1/4 cups porridge oats
200g / 1 & 3/4 cups self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp whole milk

In a large saucepan, gently melt together the butter, sugar, treacle & syrup...



Don't allow to boil, and when melted and smooth remove from heat.
To make oat flour, put the porridge oats in a food processor...



And whizz until finely ground...



Put this, together with the self- raising flour, the baking powder and all the spices into a large bowl..



And stir with a wooden spoon to mix. Next, pour over the melted ingredients...



And mix well...I use a balloon whisk for this, as it eliminates any large lumps of flour...beat in the eggs, followed by the milk and scrape into the prepared pan...



Bake for approximately 1 hour, again rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time. The parkin should be slightly risen, dark brown and glossy when baked, and it should spring back when lightly pressed with a finger in the middle...



Cool in the tin. You can store it as a whole, or cut into pieces before doing so...



If you eat it too early, it will still taste delicious but may have a slightly dry texture.
Parkin is also delicious served warm ( you can microwave for about 45 secs on high) and eaten with cream or ice cream as a pudding.

So there we are!! Sorry that it has taken me so long to post these...I hope it's worth it and that you give them a try and enjoy them!

A very happy 2013...hoping your year has started deliciously!

Xo