Valentine's Chocolate Cake Recipe

Mark and I don't usually do anything for Valentine's Day, we buy each other a card and he usually buys me flowers but that's about it. This year I decided to make him a heart shaped chocolate cake, so I thought I would share the recipe I used with you all. It's really quick and easy, and a cheap alternative for those who can't afford to spend a lot of money on Valentine's presents. I also feel that it is a lot more personal when it's home made :)

I used a recipe by Dr. Oetker, you can find the full recipe here.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

225g (8oz) butter

225g (8oz) castor sugar

4 medium eggs

175g (6oz) self raising flour, sieved

50g (2oz) cocoa powder

For the Icing:

75g (3oz) unsalted butter

175g (6oz) icing sugar

45g (3tbsp) cocoa powder

about 10ml of milk or warm water

This is actually a recipe for a chocolate Victoria Sponge Cake but I just put the whole mixture into my heart shaped tin instead of separating it into two circle tins. I think I got my heart shaped tin from B&M's and I'm pretty sure it was only about £3. I can't remember exactly as I've had it for quite a while. I used strawberries and sugar decorations to decorate the cake but you can be as creative as you like with this :)

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (gas mark 4). Grease and line your tin.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs and if the mixture starts to curdle, add a little flour.

3. Fold in the remaining flour and cocoa powder with a metal spoon.

4. Transfer the mixture into the tin and bake for approx 25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch. (Helpful tip: insert a skewer or cocktail stick into the centre of the cake, if the skewer comes out clean the cake is cooked.) Remove from the oven and leave to cool before turning out onto a wire rack.

5. To make the butter icing, place the butter in a bowl and beat until soft. Gradually sift and beat in the icing sugar and then add enough milk/water to make the icing fluffy and spreadable. Sift and beat the cocoa powder in to the icing and spread over the top of the cake. 

6. Leave the cake as it is or get creative and decorate!

I found that this recipe was really quick and easy to follow and I'm sure Mark will say it tastes delicious :) I hope everyone has a lovely Valentine's Day, let me know in the comments if you try out this cake! 

Recipe | First attempt at Macarons

Okay, so can I just say that I am well aware that these do not look anything at all like Macarons! And they do not taste like them either, haha. But for a first attempt I guess they're okay. I will definitely work on it, and next time I will use a proper Macaron mould as this time I just did it freehand and it didn't work. Also, I didn't use ground almonds because I didn't have any so that's probably why they taste like a meringue more than Macarons. But in any case I thought I would share the recipe with you anyways so you can give them a try! :) I was under the impression that Macarons were really really difficult to make but I found this recipe really quick and simple, even though they didn't turn out to look the way they should, I blame that on the lack of a mould! 

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

70g castor sugar

120g icing sugar, sifted

chocolate spread

Method:

1. Whisk together the egg whites and castor sugar until stiff. You should be able to hold your bowl upside down and the mixture shouldn't move. Go on hold it over your head, I dare you!

2. Add any desired food colouring paste. I used pink but definitely not enough as it didn't show up at all once cooked.

3. Gently fold in the icing sugar. 

4. Pour the mixture into a piping bag or ziplock bag with the corner cut out and pipe circles onto none stick baking paper.

5. Bake at 150 degrees celcius for approximately 20 minutes until the Macarons feel firm and are slightly risen.

6. Leave to cool on the paper and then carefully peel off.

7. Pair similar sized Macarons and add your filling, I used chocolate spread but you can really use anything you like :)

I hope you try this recipe out and enjoy it! I would definitely recommend getting the Macaron mould though, as you can see it didn't work too well for me without one!

Recipe | Zesty Lemon Cupcakes

Hi guys! Surprise surprise I have been baking again! Today I have made some yummy zesty lemon cupcakes. I was browsing through Zoella's YouTube videos and came across this one that she did for Mums Eye View and thought that I would give it a go. The recipe is actually an Asda one, so really easy to follow and very simple. You should all give this recipe a go, because its so simple and so tasty none of you have an excuse not to! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yv_c8ayf8s

http://recipes.asda.com/Recipes/zesty-lemon-cupcakes

What you will need:

125g self raising flour

1 level tsp baking powder

125g butter, softened

125g castor sugar

2 large free-range eggs

226g icing sugar

1 unwaxed lemon (I used Jif lemon juice)

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Line a 12-hole bun tray with cupcake cases (not fairy cake or muffin cases). Sift the flour and baking powder together into a large bowl. It's important to measure the baking powder accurately – use a measuring spoon and run your finger across the top to ensure that it's level.

2. Make sure the butter is soft (a bit like mayonnaise) but not melted. Add the butter, sugar and eggs to the flour.

3. Add the finely grated zest of an unwaxed lemon and beat with a wooden spoon until well mixed (I used an electric whisk as I don't have substantial muscles to stand and beat it!). Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and beat again for 1 minute.

4. Put the mixture in the paper cases, making sure they're all about the same size. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Cool on a wire rack.

5. Make the glace icing by sifting 225g icing sugar into a bowl and add 6 tsp lemon juice. Stir and add another 1-2 tsp lemon juice, a few drops at a time, until you have an icing that will coat the tops of the cupcakes. Use a spoon to add the icing to the cupcakes.

6. Decorate with finely shredded lemon zest. (I used other fun stuff to decorate)

Can we please just take a moment to appreciate how cute these cupcake stands are!!

Handy tip: I found that the icing was a bit too solid to spread over my cupcakes so if you wet a knife and use that to spread the icing over the cupcake it softens the icing and makes it much easier!

Double Trouble | Recipes

And by double trouble, I mean double trouble for my hips! I've been baking again and I never think of the effects it has on my waistline I just love baking! I've made a three tier chocolate cake (PHWOAR!) and what were supposed to be cookies but look more like big blobs of chocolate (or more like something naughty a dog does). Maybe I will leave it for other people to eat.....maybe! 

As always, I thought I would share the recipes with you so you can give them a go if you like :) 

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

For the sponge:

225g self-raising flour, sifted

225g margarine, softened

225g castor sugar

55g cocoa powder

4 large eggs

55ml whole milk (I'm a rebel and used semi-skimmed)

a pinch of salt

For the icing:

350g unsalted butter

250g icing sugar

200g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped (I used cocoa powder)

1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (150 for fan oven). Grease and line three 7" cake tins with greaseproof paper. Prepare and measure all the ingredients.

2. Combine all the ingredients for the sponge and beat together for 2-3 minutes until smooth.

3. Divide the batter evenly between the 3 tins and bake for 20 minutes until risen. Remove from the oven and let the sponges cool in their tins for 10 minutes. 

4. Turn out onto wire racks to finish cooling; peel away any paper that is stuck to their bases.

5. Melt the icing chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted, then remove from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.

6. Beat the ingredients for the icing in a bowl until fluffy. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Place one sponge on a plate and spread a third of the icing on top. Sandwich the second sponge on top and spread the top with half the remaining icing. Sit the final sponge on top and spread the remaining icing on top.

I then decorated mine with heart haribos and because I had baked this cake for my husband I used fondant balls to write I Love You because I do love my husband :) 

DELICIOUS!

Cookies (Lumps of chocolate)

Ingredients:

110g plain flour, sifted

75g unsalted butter, chilled

55g icing sugar

55g cocoa powder, sifted

110g dark chocolate chips (Asda was sold out so I used chocolate buttons)

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1. Measure and prepare all of the ingredients. Combine together the icing sugar, cocoa powder, flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Rub the butter into this mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. 

3. Add the egg, dark chocolate chips and vanilla extract and mix until a stiff dough forms.

4. Gather up and roll into a sausage shape with a diameter of 8-10cm. Wrap in greaseproof paper and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. (I completely missed out this step so maybe that's why my cookies didn't really work haha)

5. Grease and line 2 trays with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160 for fan oven). Use a cutter to cut out 1cm thick cookies from the dough. Arrange on the trays and bake for 12-14 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool further. 

Choco Bites Recipe

I love baking so much, and there's nothing I love more than whipping something up spur of the moment so its crucial for me to always keep my cupboards stocked up with all my baking essentials! Today I've made some Choco Bites, they were so quick and easy to make and pretty much everything you'll need will be in your cupboards! I got this recipe from Chantelle over at The Girl In The Tartan Scarf. I love her blog, so you should definitely check her out :)

Here's the recipe..

Ingredients:
150g Butter
150g Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 tbsp Milk
1/2 tbsp Golden Syrup
75g Cocoa Powder
75g Self Raising Flour
100g Milk Chocolate, Walnuts, Icing Sugar or any toppings you like! (I used chocolate spread as I didn't have any chocolate in the house, for once!)

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (gas mark 4).
2. Cream butter (left at room temperature) and sugar.

3. Add the eggs, milk and golden syrup and whisk.
4. Sift the flour and cocoa powder and fold it in.
5. Line tin with dampened baking paper and pour mixture in.
6. Bake for 25-30 mins until risen but still should feel moist.
7. Once ready, leave to cool.
8. Melt the chocolate. (I used chocolate spread)
9.Slice your cake into mini slices and dip into the melted chocolate.
10. Sprinkle with your chosen toppings!
11. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

This has to be one of the easiest recipes I have ever done! Have fun :)

Homemade Strawberry Lip Scrub

Hello!

In December I was in the shop Lush and came across their lipscrub range and although I was super tempted, the prices they were for a tiny little tub, I was just not willing to pay. So I went on my way and completely forgot about it, until recently. My lips have been dry the majority of my life, whatever time of the year I just always seem to get horrendously bad skin everywhere. Lips, hands, face, legs, everywhere! To be honest, my dry skin hasn't really bothered me until quite recently and I just seem to really hate it, especially on my lips because lipstick and lipgloss just looks awful on my chapped lips. So I have been using lip balms quite frequently which have really been helpful but I just felt like I needed a little bit more, which is when I started thinking of the lip scrubs again. So I looked on Lush, still too expensive. Ebay, even more expensive! Etsy, well let's just not go there. I thought to myself, how hard can it be to make? I knew they were just made out of sugar and some other stuff but I didn't actually realise just how very simple it was to make. It took me 5 minutes max! I am not joking. And cost me roughly £3 to make in total because most of the stuff you need to make it, I had lying around my house anyways.

So here's how I did it...

What you will need:

Sugar, castor or brown

Olive oil

Aloe Vera juice or fresh (optional)

Natural flavouring (I chose strawberry)

Food colouring (Optional)(I chose red to match the strawberry taste)

Vaseline (Optional)

Small mixing bowl

Small container to put your lip scrub in

Really all you need to make this product is sugar and olive oil, everything else is just an added extra. Before I start, I just want to say that this is completely just a trial and error recipe and its all about personal preference. This is how I made it, but you can totally just play around until you end up with the lip scrub you feel is best for you. 

First what I did was poured one teaspoon of aloe vera and one and a half teaspoons of olive oil into my mixing bowl. Then I added one teaspoon of the strawberry flavouring, I think next time though I would add less of this as it turned out to be quite overpowering. I then added a whole lot of castor sugar! I'm not sure how much in total I used, like I said its all trial and error. What you want is after you've mixed it together for your lip scrub to be quite solid, you should be able to hold your mixing bowl upside down and for no product to fall out. Next, I added the red food colouring until it was the colour I wanted it to be, then I added a small amount of Vaseline. I added the Vaseline just to add to the colour and also to add to the conditioning treatment of the lip scrub. Then mix until all the ingredients are completely incorporated. Once its of the consistency that you require, you can put your lip scrub into your container. If the mix becomes too much of a liquid consistency add more sugar, if it becomes too thick add more olive oil.

And voila! It really is that simple, and most of the ingredients, you will already have in your home! I hope you try this out, and let me know how you get on!

Ignore my horrible freckly face. This is my lip scrub on. Whats great about it is that after you've finished exfoliating, you can either wash your scrub off or eat it! Mine tasted so yummy and left my lips feeling so soft and hydrated :)