ONE OF YOUR FIVE A DAY IN JUST ONE BITE!

Who can resist the allure of a perfectly pink macaroon, a gleaming jar of marmalade, or the sweet gritty promise of a square of fudge!! Love the local markets! We all still find it pretty much impossible to walk past a local market without being tempted by the home-made offerings on display so why don't we bake it ourselves! The hassle, the mess, the ingredients, the time but the fun, the smell, the pride, the taste, the flavour are all elements we can't ignore.

Easy fun recipes whatever you decide to bake rest assured that the rewards for creating it will be far greater than the effort you put into making it! Support and help local markets if you're not going to bake it or make it yourself!

EAZY PEAZY - TOFFEE APPLES

One of your five a day in just one bite!

12 small red or green apples

12 x 8" long wooden sticks (available in craft shops!)

880g caster sugar

250ml water

80ml Glucose Syrup (Available in Brennans www.brenco.ie)

(Colour droplets red or green to enhance / Optional!)

1. Line two baking trays with baking paper

2. Wash apples under cold water, stand on a wire rack until dry, do not be tempted to rub with cloth!!

3. Push a wooden stick three-quarters of the the way through each apple from stem end

4. Combine sugar, water, glucose & colouring (if using!!) in large , saucepan stir over a low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, boil uncovered for about 10mins or until it reaches 145C/300C on sugar thermometer, or when cracks when dropped into a cup of cold water.

5. Remove from the heat, allow bubbles to subside, tilt pan slightly to one side and carefully dip an apple in toffee, twist slowly to coat.... if dipped too quickly you'll get air bubbles!

6. Twirl apples around a few times over pan to drain excess then place on prepared tray and leave to set!

WASTE NOT WANT NOT!

ONCE YOU POP!........

Get ready to experience cake as you've never seen it before! Once you pop you can't stop... cake pops that is! Cake pops, cupcake pops, cake balls and bites call it what you will, they all have something in common... crumbled cake mixture, cake filling & covered in chocolate or a special candy coating.

It's great for getting rid of those excess cake crumbs!! Forget about cake truffles say hello to cake pops!

Crumble your cake and mix in flavoured buttercream or ganache until throughly combined, sticky enough to form balls . After rolling the cake balls by hand place on a wax-paper covered baking sheet. Chill for several hours to settle, you want the cake balls to be firm but not frozen.

At the moment I'm useless for quantities because its hit and miss, it really is a matter of using up what cake crumbs and cake filling you have left over and making the most of your unwanted scraps! You can dip in chocolate milk or white and get creative!

I can't take credit for this genius idea! This is all thanks to www.bakerella.com visit her web for more inspiring ideas or better still buy her book!

VICTORIA SPONGE BITES!

VANILLA CUPCAKES

Prepare to become very popular at work! Not for your brains, not for your beauty but for your buns!!! Cupcakes to say the least bring a smile to anyone and here is a wonderful recipe.

Preheat your oven to 180

Makes about 18 - 20

200g Caster Sugar

200g Self -Raising Flour

200g Butter

4 large eggs

1tsp baking powder

(All above ingredients at room temperature!)

• Beat the living daylights out of the butter and sugar for at least 10 mins so the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
• Gradually add one egg at a time and after each addition scrap down the bowl.
• Lastly slowly stir the sieved flour and baking powder into the mixture until incorporated. Spoon mixture into the tray filling the cases 2/3 up and watch those beauties rise!
• Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or a little longer depending on your oven!

IRISH TEA BRACK

6oz/110g Sultanas

6oz/ 110g Raisins

2oz / 55g cherries - quartered

7oz/ 200g soft brown sugar... Siucra of course!

8oz/ 225g Self-raising Flour

1/2 pint / 300ml cold tea...... BARRYS TEA IF YOU'RE FROM CORK!

1 egg, free range if possible, beaten.... not the chicken but the egg!

1 level teaspoon mixed spice

Soak sultanas, raisins, cherries in cold tea overnight.... Make a brew for yourself while you're waiting!

Next day preheat oven to 180C/350F or .... gas mark 4

Add remaining ingredients to the fruit and tea mixture and stir. Put into a 2lb loaf tin lined with greaseproof. Bakes for about 1 1/2 hours. Keeps well in an airtight container but not very long in my house! Serve with a cuppa cha and your feet up!

(If you want to go posh you can use Earl Grey to give a perfumed flavour to your brack , that, je ne sais pas! or play around with all the flavoured teas that are available you can beat a cup of Barrys!)

CHOCOLATE TRUTH!

Chocolate is natures way of making

up for Mondays! Thanks to a twitter

buddy (@chocolatetruth) for this

wonderful tweet!

What better way to start my week with

a scrumptious chocolate cake, rich and

sticky!

I came across this recipe by starting with

my endless library of chocolate books one

being Green & Blacks chocolate recipes.

This recipe is called the 'Inmates Chocolate Cake', named for

obvious reasons!! Maybe it was a chocolate cake to die for!!

This cake is brilliant for kids to make as it's very straight

forward and not complicated and you really don't need a mixer!

CAKE:

500g plain flour

500g caster sugar

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

150g cocoa powder

150ml buttermilk

150ml vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

7floz water

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F gas mark 4. Butter and flour the

baking tins. (2x20cm /8" cake tins with deep sides ) or play around

with one 8" deep square or 9" deep round tin

Sift all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients and whisk using a mixer or with a

strong arm! for about 3 minutes.

Bake for 35-40 mins (longer for single 8" deep sq or 9" rd sized tins)

Leave to cool on a wire rack. Once cooled. sandwich together

with apricot jam and pour over chocolate glaze! or fill with your

favourite filling served with a dollop of cream!

Ok, Ok, so I'm rubbish at a blog!! I love cake but what I'm hooked on is basking in the joy of simply giving people something yummy , plus your family and close friends are your best and most forgiving test kitchen!

How great to have willing guinea pigs to test out your recipes!! so here it goes!... every Monday no repeats, no low fat anything just to learn new techniques, recipes and have fun baking and experimenting but, only on a Monday!

I can just about juggle everything, chief washer upper, school runs, cracking eggs for a living, housekeeping, the list is endless, but I normally take Mondays off (ironically to catch up on paperwork and missed calls) over the weekend but I never have time for me, so now on a Monday my 'ME TIME' will be cracking eggs and working through recipes that I would love to try but never seem to find the time . Monday is also the day you look forward to the least!

There's something about baking a cake that makes everybody happy!! I may not promise a daily blog but once a week is worth a shot!

OMG! I can't believe I thought blogging was easy! Please take it easy on me I'm a blogging virgin! It only took me two weeks to feel the pressure of not writing on the blog! Holy cow how do all these people have lives! not to mention Twitter accounts, facebook, businesses to run and juggle family life...hmmm maybe they don't!

Anyway back to muffins! My quest to find the fluffiest muffin...I have tweaked so many red velvet recipes my kitchen looked like a scene from Fargo with my mixer nearly giving up the will to live!

I've tried Cake Boss, Magnolia, Rachel Allen to name just a few , red velvet is the Dolly Parton of cakes, rich and tacky but much loved all the same!! Experimenting is the only way to find your true recipe!

You need to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince! xx T

Muffins and more...

I am now officially on a crusade to make the fluffiest, yummiest muffins ever!!
I feel like an extra on "Julie and Julia" and I'm working my way through my ever expanding library and soon to become ever expanding waistline, all in the line of duty!!
My first experiment will be the ever popular red velvet muffins, finished with whipped Italian meringue topping, needless to mention, I will have willing volunteers kicking and screaming into my kitchen.
Pictures speak louder than words, so I'll post a photo of my endeavours so you can drool at my brilliance!!! Modesty is my strong point.
Enough chit chat, I've a bun in the oven with my name on it!!
Mmmm.... Muffin.
xx T