i've been spending

This may turn out to be my most boring post to date. Here goes. Today I've been shopping for Secret Garden Party essentials. Mugs were my main aim for the day and having done my mug research I settled on Ikea as the cheapest mug around. So there it was that I headed to buy a load of them. As I arrived, the big Tesco next door drew me in and low and behold, there were mugs in abundance for a whole penny cheaper. Every Little Helps and all that. And - bonus - they looked nicer too. Straight up and down, nothing fancy about them, the kind of mug I like to drink my tea from.

I cleared them out of their stock of mugs and went on my way. Today's purchases also included napkins, tin foil and (the one I am most excited about), some big cookie jars that, once filled, will look ever so pretty on the stall.

Ok, most boring post ever, but for the sake of a very exciting event. I wrote mug 6 times in this post. 7 times. Here are some of the world's most boring photos to match....

fit for a billionaire

In honour of my friend's birthday, this weekend our flat hosted a party. Guests brought tapas dishes until we could fit no more in the kitchen. We ate, we played loud music and we danced. And at some point amongst the preparation I found time to make a birthday 'cake' - my replication of the aforementioned Starbucks 'salty caramel square'. I took it one layer at a time and the result was a much richer, more decadent version of the classic Millionaire's Shortbread (a Billionaire's Biscuit perhaps?) With a golden syrup, biscuit and butter combo of a base, a creamy caramel layer with biscuit and pecans, all underneath a topping of milk chocolate and more pecans, this makes for a treat suited to those who prefer them sticky and sickly. 

I would also like to take this opportunity to celebrate my new baking tool. A hand held blender is without a doubt the most used gadget in my kitchen and so it was inevitable that the life of my £5 Tesco Value one would eventually come to an end. Its replacement comes in the form of this rather more attractive Dualit version, complete with retractable power cord, 5 speeds and dough hooks. It's sad, but I'm excited.

a mother's day market

Today was market day. It was also Mother's Day and I combined the two by spending the day selling cakes with my mum. Well, with my sister to be more precise, but my mum popped in for a cup of tea and some cake. Lots of cake, as gifts. In fact, she was my best customer, taking home six cupcakes in a box "to freeze for when I have guests". Biggest seller today was the carrot cake. No surprise there, it's always a winner and will definitely be featuring heavily at Secret Garden Party. Other big hits were a couple of new recipes I tried out, including muesli bars (not nearly as healthy as they sound) and millionaire's shortbread with salted caramel. The salt in these is very subtle but goes so well with the super sweet caramel. Mums will love it so I've included the recipe below.

I branched out from cakes this week and also made a few cards to sell. My sister has been busy sewing together some gorgeous little hearts too which made a great addition to the stall.

millionaires shortbread

225g plain flour

85g caster sugar

315g butter

397g tin of condensed milk

4 tbsp golden syrup

1 tsp Maldon sea salt

200g plain chocolate

Set the oven to 170C

1. Mix together 200g of the butter, the flour and the sugar until it is has a sandy consistency.

2. Press the mixture into a baking tray, using the back of a spoon to compress it. Prick with a fork and bake for 5 minutes at 170C. Turn the oven down to 150C and bake for a further 30 minutes or until the shortbread is golden brown.

3. Meanwhile, make the caramel by melting the rest of the butter, the golden syrup and the condensed milk in a large saucepan over a gentle heat. Once it reaches boiling point, simmer for 10 minutes, stirring continuously to prevent it from burning.

4. When the shortbread is completely cool, layer the caramel on top and sprinkle over the teaspoon of sea salt. Put in the fridge until cool.

5. Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and pour this over the caramel to create the third and final layer. Leave to cool completely and cut into bars. A long process but totally worth it!



SGP

 

A few months ago on a dreary Sunday afternoon, I came across an online application form for market stall space at Secret Garden Party. I filled it in with very little hope of actually being successful and forgot all about it. This week, I received an email inviting myself and my cakes along to the festival. When I read it I nearly fell off my chair. Excited does not even come close to how I'm feeling. So it is that I shall be taking a truckload of cakes and a small team of friends down to a sunny (hopefully) field somewhere in Cambridgeshire for 4 days of trading. I am already counting down the days until July 21st (101 to be exact). During that time I have a great deal to think about. My main concern is not which cakes to make but how many (with a capacity of 25000 this is a slightly larger affair than my usual markets). How to store 50 plus cupcakes is also a slight worry. Practicalities aside however, what I am most looking forward to is dolling up my stall for the SGP crowd. I have already been having thoughts about flowers in vintage teapots and garlands made up of of tiny teacups hanging from the marquee. My little stall is getting bigger...

birthday cupcakes

Yesterday I spent the morning baking and decorating 24 cupcakes for my friend. It was her daughter's 4^th birthday party, hence the dolly mixtures and jelly beans. Half vanilla, half chocolate, all with a swirl of cream cheese icing. Here they are, all boxed up and ready to be collected. I improvised the chocolate icing by stirring in some melted Lindt dark chocolate. I've included the recipe here. It's also perfect for sandwiching a chocolate sponge cake together. 

chocolate cream cheese icing

300g icing sugar

50g butter

125g cream cheese

50g dark chocolate, melted

1. Beat the icing sugar and butter together with an electric whisk.

2. Add the cream cheese and the melted chocolate and continue to beat until the icing is soft, light and fluffy.

dissecting a starbucks

I have been busy dissecting this Starbucks cake. My friend spotted it the other day and has set me a challenge to replicate it for her birthday. It's official title is 'Salted Caramel Sweet Square', I presume due to its layer of salty caramel, sweet biscuit base and chocolate topping. And it's a square.

So I have been carefully picking this little slice apart. I will begin at the bottom. A basic biscuit and butter base, much like you'd have on a cheesecake, so that's easy enough. Next is a layer of caramel. I can't say I could taste any saltiness in it, but I like that idea so I'll add a pinch to mine. Interspersed amongst the caramel were tiny biscuit balls and pecan nuts. Nice touch. The top was a layer of drizzled chocolate and scattered pecans. Out of interest, I looked at Starbucks' website, where a list of ingredients for their Salted Caramel Sweet Square included carrageenan and palm kernel oil. Yum. They also state that this cake is "topped with a layer of pretzels", but I looked hard and couldn't find one. 

In conclusion then, this bar is very much like the classic Millionaire's Shortbread, but with added salt (apparently), biscuits and nuts. Not much to dislike there. I'll let you know how I get on....  

hello spring

Today is the first day of Spring. There is cherry blossom on the trees, you can leave the house without a coat, sit outside a cafe without wanting to hug a heater. It's not dark when you leave work, festival line-ups are announced and thoughts turn to holidays in the sun. There are snowdrops and lambs in the fields, and chocolate eggs on the supermarket shelves. 


I spent the eve of the March Equinox in London. My friends took me to Columbia Road flower market, where we browsed the most beautiful little shops and ate calamari and king prawns out of paper cups. We stopped for coffee and noted the intensity of the sun on our backs. Here are some of the best things that I saw.