Chocolate Cake – Tabithas 4th Birthday

So it turns out my good blogging intentions have not been with me the past two months but I have been truly enjoying the summer and a lot of baking has still been going on which is the part that brings me true joy, both baking and eating that is. This cake was one that was truly enjoyed so here is how I made Tabithas 4th birthday cake:

Ingredients

For the cake

• 200g Butter
• 200g Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 100ml Vanilla Yoghurt
• 165g Flour
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 30g Cocoa Powder
• 50g Chocolate Chips

For the frosting

• 150g Butter
• 225g Icing Sugar

For the decoration

• 150g Butter
• 200g Icing Sugar
• 25g Cocoa
• Smarties
• Cadbury’s Chocolate Fingers

 

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 190C Fan
2. Line an 8″ cake tin with baking paper and set aside
3. Then begin by creaming the sugar and  butter together
4. Once smooth add the eggs and yoghurt and whisk until combined
5. Then gradually add the flour, baking powder and cocoa whilst folding in with a spoon
6. Once you have a batter add the chocolate chips and stir in
7. Transfer mix to the cake tin and bake for 25 minutes
8. When the cake is baked, allow to cool
9. Whilst cooling prepare the two frostings by mixing all of the ingredients together until smooth and setting aside
10. Then, once the cake is cool cut in half and place a layer of vanilla frosting between the two sandwiches
11. Then use the chocolate frosting to cover the top and the sides of the cake as this will act as your glue for the decoration
12. I placed the chocolate fingers around the sides first before topping with the smarties
13. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to let it all set
14. It is then ready to be enjoyed

I really wanted to share this recipe with you because I was really proud of how it came out and most importantly Tabitha was really happy with it too!

Chantelle x

Lemon Iced Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

I am baking all the time at the moment, its nice to have that back, my only problem is that I keep baking the same thing (mostly the flapjack from my last recipe) so I need to keep thinking up new things to try, in fact this week I have a very exciting bake for my daughters 4th birthday, it is something I have never tried before so I hope it works and I can share it here! But for now a recipe I am loving and has also been made several times over the past few weeks Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Icing and Sprinkles!

Ingredients

• 140g of Butter
• 140g of Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1tsp of Vanilla Essence
• 130g of Flour
• 10g of Baking Powder
• 150g of Icing Sugar
• 3 tbsp of Lemon Juice
• Cold Water (2-3tbsp)
• Sprinkles

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170c
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl
3. Add the eggs and vanilla essence and whisk until smooth
4. Gradually add the flour and baking powder whilst folding the mixture together gently
5. Pour equally into 12 cupcake cases
6. Bake for 14-16 minutes
7. Allow to cool
8. Once cool make the icing by sieving the icing sugar into the bowl
9. Add the lemon juice and mix
10. Then add the cold water little by little until you have a thick but smooth icing
11. Ice the cupcakes and add the sprinkle
12. Refridgerate for 15 minutes so the icing sets
13. Enjoy!

These are delicious so I recommend them highly, they also look great for a party or gathering and last for a few days so basically there is no reason not to right?

Chantelle x

Flapjack Recipe

I cannot take credit for this recipe, someone on my Instagram shared it in there stories and it looked so delicious I just had to try it and I can assure you that you must now definitely make this too.

Ingredients

• 200g Butter
• 200g Brown Sugar
• 2tbsp Golden Syrup
• 200g Oats
• 190g Flour
• 10g Baking Powder
• 50g Chocolate Chips

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190c and line an 8 inch tin with baking paper
2. Melt the butter, brown sugar and syrup together in the microwave
3. Add the oats, flour and baking powder and mix until combined well
4. Stir in the chocolate chips
5. Cook for 13-15 minutes
6. Allow to cool slightly but cut into slices whilst still warm
7. Then allow to cool fully before removing from the tin

I am SO happy to have found this recipe because I can honestly say it is one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten in my life and I urge you to go and bake it now.

I use vegan butter and dairy free dark chocolate chips in all recipes like this as my son has a milk allergy so this recipe is also vegan!

Chantelle x

Cookie Bar Recipe

We love Cookies, this recipe is an adaptation of my own recipe because simply one day I wanted ookies but could not be bothered to spend an hour baking 4 cookies at a time (the original recipe makes about 20 cookies) so I decided to experiment and made a cookie tray bake, which worked and was delicious and this is how I make it:

Ingredients

• 170g butter
• 100g sugar
• 200g brown sugar
• 1tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 240g flour
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200g chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170c fan and line a shallow baking tin with baking paper
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth
3. Add the vanilla extract and eggs and whisk thoroughly
4. Gradually add the flour and bicarbonate of soda whilst mixing
5. Once combined add the chocolate chips and mix through
6. Spread evenly into the baking tray and bake for 25 minutes
7. Allow to cool before removing from the tin or it will crack
8. Cut and serve

And there you have it, super simple and super delicious, as with all my recipes I use vegan butter for my milk intolerant babe and it works just as well. If you prefer your cookies really gooey I would take them out a few minutes earlier.

Chantelle x

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

I had a craving for peanut butter cookies the other day but I wasn’t in the mood for a full baking session so I had a little Google, I couldn’t find a very good recipe but I saw a couple that I sort of combined in the hope of something yummy. They were fairly simple so thought they would be edible nonetheless, this is the recipe I came up with for Peanut Butter Cookies:

Ingredients

• 100g Sugar
• 120g Peanut Butter
• 1 Egg
• 50g Chocolate Chips

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 170c (fan)
2. Measure the sugar and peanut butter into a bowl
3. Add the egg and whisk until combined
4. Pour in the chocolate chips and mix through (you can leave these out of you don’t fancy them)
5. Use a tablespoon to dollop the mixture on a lined baking tray, leave a 3-4cm gap between to allow for them to spread whilst baking
6. Put into the oven for 12-14 minutes
7. Allow to cool before serving, but eat them a little warm for the best gooey results!

I can confirm that they were delicious and so quick and easy to make too, whenever I am looking for a simple fix to a sweet craving I will be making them again as they were enjoyed by all four of us, i’ve already made them again since.

Chantelle x

Old School Sponge Cake Recipe

Wow, it has been a while hasn’t it? My youngest is now 17 months old and has begun settling in at nursery, here in Stockholm we aren’t in lockdown, so I have been finding a lot more time to bake and as I have been baking I have also been reminded how much I love it and how much joy it brings me which has also led me to revive the old blog. I have kept most of my recipes on here but have been trying to have a bit of an organise because this blog has been in constant use as my own personal recipe book. So before I blather on for too long, here it is my first recipe in a long time and something I am loving a lot: Old School Sponge Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 200g of Butter
• 200g of White Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 1tbsp of Vanilla Essence
• 200g of Plain Flour
• 1tsp of Bicarbonate of Soda
• 1tsp of Baking Powder
• 250g of Icing Sugar
• Lemon Juice
• Cold Water
• Sprinkles

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 170C (fan)
2. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside
3. Then begin by creaming the butter and sugar together
4. Add the eggs and vanilla essence and combine
5. Gradually add the dry ingredients whilst continuing to whisk
6. Whisk until smooth then pour into the baking tray
7. Level the mixture and put into the oven for 20-25 minutes until baked through, I use the bounce back test for this
8. Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool
9. Whilst the cake is cooling you can make the icing
10. Place the icing sugar into a bowl and add a few tablespoons for lemon juice and water, keep doing this whilst you stir until you have a thick, creamy and most importantly smooth icing
11. Once the cake is cooled pour the icing on the top and let drizzle down the side, you can encourage this with a spoon if needed
12. Then sprinkle away

What is the bounce test?

The best way to test if a sponge is cooked is to lightly press the top of it, if it immediately springs back then it is ready to bring out of the oven.

So there you have it, my first recipe in a while and one of our favourites, I actually use milk free butter in all of my baking now so you can also substitute this too if you also have a milk allergic toddler at home!

Chantelle x

 

 

Cheesy Breadsticks – Baking with Tabitha

This week it was back to baking for Tabitha and I, as she is a beginner I thought it was best to stick to tried and tested simple recipes. So I have shared this recipe on the blog before (you can find it here) but I haven’t made them in a long time so decided it was a good one to try for our next baking session as it is pretty simple and involves both mixing and rolling the dough.

Ingredients

• 125g of Flour
• 137g of Cheese
• 82g of Butter
• 1/2 tsp of Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp of Salt
• 1/4 tsp of Black Pepper
• 62ml of Water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C and line a baking tray with parchment
2. Add the flour, cheese, butter, baking powder, salt and pepper to a large bowl and combine
3. Slowly add the water bit by bit to create a firm dough
4. Once combined you can start rolling out the dough on a lightly floured surface
5. I did this by taking a small chunk of the dough at a time and rolling it to a thickness slightly larger than a pencil
6. Repeat this until you have used all of the dough, I would recommend leaving 2-3cm between the sticks when baking as they do spread
7. Then you can pop them in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown

If you are looking for recipes to try out with your toddler than I definitely recommend this one, it wasn’t too messy and was easy to get them involved and learning new skills for both mixing the dough and then rolling it too. Even if she wasn’ entirely happy about the sticky fingers (ironically as usually she revels in getting messy). They certainly were not as uniform as the first time I made them so a few needed cooking for a few minutes longer so make sure you keep as eye on the oven.

As always we would love to here if you tried out the recipe and if you have any suggestions for what we can try next!

Chantelle and Tabitha x

Iced Cupcakes – Baking with Tabitha

Since moving to Stockholm, whilst being heavily pregnant, our social calender has not been what it once was so I have been looking for creative ways to keep Tabitha entertained and also feel like I am teaching her something in the process. So this week I decided that we should try to bake together, it is something that I thought she would like to get involved in, she loves getting her hands dirty, and I have missed since she came along so it just makes sense to incorporate the two. We had so much fun and it was surprisingly not stressful at all so I thought I would share it with you.

Ingredients

• 100g of Butter
• 100g of Sugar
• 100g of Flour
• 1teaspoon of Baking Powder
• 2 Eggs
• 130g of Icing Sugar
• 6tablespoons of Water
• Sprinkles (to decorate)

Method

1. Start by preheating your oven to 200C (fan)
2. Then cream the butter and sugar together in a bow, I started this bit before letting her take over as it requires some elbow grease
3. Add the flour and baking powder and mix until crumbly
4. Add the eggs and whisk until your batter is smooth, again here I finished this off so it was the right consistency
5. Then pour your mixture into 12 cupcake cases
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes
7. Once baked, remove and allow to cool
8. Whilst the cupcakes are cooling you can make your icing by mixing the icing sugar and water
9. Then spread evenly over your cupcakes
10. Finally add the sprinkles and allow to set before eating!

They came out VERY flat, Tabitha clearly needs to develop her whisking technique, but they were still yummy, I mean come on, its cake and icing why wouldn’t it be yummy. It is definitely something that we will be doing together more often and I hope to share what we make with you.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions on what we can make/do?

Chantelle (and Tabitha) x

Chocolate and Walnut Cookie Recipe

As promised, here is the second recipe for the cookie I made before Christmas, Chocolate and Walnut Cookies:

Ingredients

• 250g of Plain Flour
• 1/2 tsp of Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp of Salt
• 170g of Butter
• 200g of Brown Sugar
• 100g of Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 200g of White Chocolate Chunks
• 200g of Walnuts (crushed up)

Chocolate and Walnut Cookies

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 170C
2. Line a baking tray with baking paper
3. Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside
4. In a bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar and caster sugar
5. When smooth beat in the eggs until light and creamy
6. Mix in the flour mixture gradually and combine together
7. Finally add the chocolate chunks and walnuts and mix through
8. Spoon dough onto the baking tray – I used a heaped tablespoon for each – do not flatten
9. Make sure that each cookie is a few centimetres apart to allow for baking as they will spread
10. Bake for around 13-15 minutes
11. Once cooked take out of the oven and leave on the baking tray to cool

If you are a fan of cookies, these were also really yummy, the best thing about these recipes is that you can actually freeze the batter too. Just roll it into a tube and wrap in cling film, then when you want a cookie of 5, just cut it into slices and bake as above, isn´t that just a genius idea?

It was really nice to be baking again, I really need to find time to do it more this year, maybe I will get the baby involved too! Is there anything you would like to see me do? As always, let me know in the comments.

Chantelle x

Double Chocolate Cookie Recipe

Just before Christmas it was my Husbands birthday, normally I like to surprise him with a cake, however, this year it was not going to be that simple. My toddler is not a great assistant in the kitchen and so I would need him to watch her whilst I baked. So I thought I would leave it up to him to choose what he wanted for his birthday and he chose cookies:

Ingredients

• 200g of Plain Flour
• 50g of Cocoa
• 1/2 tsp of Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp of Salt
• 170g of Butter
• 200g of Brown Sugar
• 100g of Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 400g of White Chocolate Chunks

Double Chocolate Cookies

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 170C
2. Line a baking tray with baking paper
3. Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside
4. In a bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar and caster sugar
5. When smooth beat in the eggs until light and creamy
6. Mix in the flour mixture gradually and combine together
7. Finally add the white chocolate chunks and mix through
8. Spoon dough onto the baking tray – I used a heaped tablespoon for each – do not flatten
9. Make sure that each cookie is a few centimetres apart to allow for baking as they will spread
10. Bake for around 13-15 minutes
11. Once cooked take out of the oven and leave on the baking tray to cool

I made these and one other type of cookie, I will share that recipe next week, totally almost 70 cookies! It would have actually been quicker and easier to bake a big cake I think. Although I liked the impact of how that many cookies looked in the tin. I thought the other combination of flavours that I made would be my favourite, however I was pleasantly surprised with how these turned out, they were really delicious.

What is your favourite type of cookie? Let me know in the comments.

Chantelle x