It’s been a while since I last shared a recipe. I haven’t baked much in the last year – or since I was back to working full time after furlough – and most of the (few) cakes made recently have been of the cheat’s variety: packet-mixes. Don’t get me wrong, very handy for a quick,… Continue reading Banoffee Granola Flapjack
Tag: Baking
How to Cheat at Baking
One of my favourite recipe books is Delia Smith’s How to Cheat at Cooking, first published back in the 1970s. The main point of the recipes is about making packet-foods or ready-made components taste “home-made”. Or, at least, not like they’ve just come out of a packet. It’s about adding or combining flavours from actually… Continue reading How to Cheat at Baking
Easter Baking: Crème Egg Brownies
I’m not actually much of a fan of crème eggs. Too sickly sweet, I find. But a few weeks ago I was really wanting some brownies and I thought it’d be fun to have a go at crème egg brownies. Unfortunately, Mrs Crocombe doesn’t have a recipe for brownies, so I had to resort to… Continue reading Easter Baking: Crème Egg Brownies
Cooking with Mrs Crocombe: Victoria Sandwich
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s this: Always Start Simple. With this in mind, the first recipe I thought to try from Mrs Crocombe’s recipe book was for her Victoria sponge. It’s the sort of cake for which I’ve several recipes, and I have all the ingredients already in the cupboard… Continue reading Cooking with Mrs Crocombe: Victoria Sandwich
Recipe: (Almost) According to Hummingbird: Blueberry Muffins
In a time of crisis, one of the best things to do is to get baking. If nothing else, it’ll use up those things of baking powder and bicarb. that’ve been sitting in your cupboards since forever, and are long out of date. Or is that just me? Anyway, these are excellent breakfast muffins. Or… Continue reading Recipe: (Almost) According to Hummingbird: Blueberry Muffins
The Countdown to Christmas
When I was growing up, we didn’t get our Christmas tree until the weekend before Christmas. These days, it goes up a bit earlier. If M had his way, it’d go up as soon as they come into stock. We compromise: I usually come home at the beginning of December to find one in place… Continue reading The Countdown to Christmas
Recipe: (Almost) According to Delia: Spiced Cranberry Cakes
The first time I made Delia's spiced cranberry cakes I substituted with lingonberry jam, because I had a jar in my cupboard and, looking at my notes, I must have been on some random substitution experiment, because it wasn't the only deviation. As far as I can recall, they tasted sufficiently cake-like - there are… Continue reading Recipe: (Almost) According to Delia: Spiced Cranberry Cakes
(Almost) According to Waitrose: Apple and Fudge Muffins
Since our wonderful British apples are in season, and so deliciously so, I'm finding what recipes I can to use them in. Alongside eating them, obviously. But Bramley apples can be a bit sour sometimes for eating. Not that that's stopped me before. This recipe, one of those from a Waitrose recipe-card, is wonderfully seasonal,… Continue reading (Almost) According to Waitrose: Apple and Fudge Muffins
Fairy Cake Living 