Chocolate Finger & Maltesers Birthday Cake

I decided I would make a birthday cake for my Mum's birthday tomorrow. This is how it turned out - 

Although Mum said only a little cake - I turned out to be massive! Enough to feed an army - hehe! Basically, it is a chocolate & beetroot cake in both layers smothered with a chocolate butter cream to stick chocolate fingers on and the ribbon holds them in place, then finally adding chocolate maltesers on top!

Cherry & Chocolate Brownies

So after trying the chocolate & cherry brownies using the Sainsbury's recipe, I decided to make some more cherry & chocolate brownies as they were so tasty when I made them previously - with added chocolate chips and fudge pieces too... They were very yummy - the fudge went soft and chewy. 

This time I also used fresh chicken eggs I was given by one of my friends. 

I would definitely make these brownies again but I think I would add even more chocolate chips and more fudge this time too. I also made some chocolate brownies, using the same recipes but without the cherries and they were delicious and chewy too - a big hit!

Cherry & Chocolate Brownies

Due to all of the cherries that had grown on our cherry tree - I decided to try Sainsbury's recipe for Cherry & Chocolate Brownies which turned out really yummy! I did change the recipe a - I changed the amount of cherries to more but I left the rest the same. 

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

I made some vanilla cupcakes with vanilla icing coloured blue, then coated in desiccated coconut (dyed blue with food colouring); with white chocolate buttons, milk chocolate chip for eyes - I also then cut a slit in the icing adding a cookie in the 'slit' of icing. 

Homemade Chocolate Bourbons

As it is the school holiday, I made some Chocolate Bourbons. I made chocolate biscuits and filled with a thick chocolate buttercream. They were very nice, but I think they need to be refrigerated next time for the buttercream to harden as it all squished out - but they were delish, even if I do say so myself (as well as being very messy!)

Chocolate & Beetroot Cake Hedgehogs

As it is half term and I have really wanted to try making a cake hedgehog for a while, I just had to have a go... 

They turned out well I thought for a first attempt - I would definitely make them again, but next time I do, I need to make sure I make 3 times the recipe of Chocolate buttercream so the buttons sit in better. 

Everyone who had a slice said it was very tasty and I thought it was very tasty too! I would definitely make again! (I also named them, on the left is Henry and on the right is Harriet!)

'Wilton' Chocolate Chip Softies

 These are Wilton Chocolate Chip Softies and I got the recipe from their website.

These are much like cookies but are baked in a Whoopie Pie tin and taste a cross between a cookie and a cake filled with Chocolate Chips.

Parsnip & Maple Syrup Cake

This is a Parsnip & Maple Syrup cake. The cake has ingredients such as parsnips, an apple, maple syrup and it should contain pecans, but I forgot to add them! Oops!

I was very nice and the two sponges are sandwiched together with Maple Syrup icing.  

This cake was made for my sixth assessment in my Cooking & Baking 101 class I am taking. 

Christmas Cake 2012

This is a photo of my Christmas cake that I decorated in 2012. I used different ready rolled icing for the topping and just coloured them to what I needed. Once I had finished decorating my cake, I sprayed it with 'Silver Shimmer Spray' to give it the sparkly effect. I used extra on the cheeks to make them look kind of rosy. 

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Today, I made Sweet and Sour Chicken for our tea! It was made with Uncle Ben's sweet and sour sauce; onions; peppers; pineapple. I served it with rice and lemon verbena. I moulded the rice in a pot and it stood in the middle of the bowl and then the chicken was served around the rice like a ring! And if I must say so myself - It was delicious!!

3 Layer Chocolate Trifle

Last night I made a 3 Layer Chocolate Trifle. It was made up of a McVities chocolate cake, whipping cream and 2 chocolate Angel Delight packets, oh and I mustn't forget the milk & white chocolate buttons!!

Well basically, I just mashed the chocolate cake at the bottom of the bowl, and then whipped the cream and then placed that on the top and then whipped the Angel Delights (it went everywhere!!!) and then smashed the buttons.

Here is the picture of the chocolate trifle but unfortunately the picture of the layers didn't come out - it was all blury!!

2 Course Meal

I made a two course meal and it consisted a main meal and a dessert, the courses were made for four people.

Main: Tuna & Vegetable lasagne with salad and a warm bread roll.

Dessert: Strawberry and champange jellies with clotted cream ice cream and whipped cream served with shortbread 'wafer' fans.

Here are a few photos of the meals:

Summer Fruits Pavlova

Wow, doesn't time fly as this Summer Fruits Pavlova I made was actually made on the 22nd of May 2011. But time just flies. Well anyway, this Pavlova is made from home-made meringue and then some vanilla cream and topped with summer fruits that I defrosted from the freezer. Here's a photo of the finished Pavlova.

3 Course Meal

Hello Everyone, I'm afraid I don't have any photos of the meal I cooked but I'll tell you what I made. Well for starters I made 'Crispy poached egg with asparagus' and for main I made 'Rib-eye steak with sauté potatoes, peas and a herb butter' and for dessert I made 'Floating islands with a vanilla custard'. I have to say it was lovely and after eating it all I was full.

Coffee & Walnut Cake

Back Again... Today I've made a coffee & walnut cake for my Grandad's birthday tomorrow. It was very easy to make and the recipe is easy to remember. The cake was crispy on the outside and soft in the middle - A perfect textured cake!!

Tuna Salad

Dad loves his salad and when ever he has one it's usually made by me. But I make different designs nearly every time I make a salad - once I've made a face and another I've made different patterns but today I just felt creative and decided to make it like this, (Pictures above). The salad is made from tuna & sweetcorn, lettuce, onions etc drizzled in olive oil.

Mojito Cupcakes

And again using my new cook book - The Humming Bird Bakery. I made these cupcakes for my Mum as she loves Mojito's. But these are basically sponge, but with Mojito in them, bit of mint and lime and I just topped them with little milk chocolate hearts and lime. But again I didn't bake them today - I baked them Monday but again I forgot to post them.

Cherry Cupcakes

And Again using my new cookbook - The Humming Bird Bakery, I found some very nice Cherry Cupcakes. I made these for my Dad as he loves cherries. Its just chopped cherries in sponge and then the icing on the top is just a simple almond butter icing and it's just topped with a cherry. But I didn't actually bake them today I made them Monday but I just forgot to post them.

Spiderweb Cheesecake

It's taken me a while to upload but I actually baked it on Monday. Its was actually quite easy to make - I have to say it was very tasty. When I started to do the spider-web on top I thought it was going to go wrong but it turned out well. I got the recipe out of my new cookbook - The Humming Bird Bakery cookbook.

Chocolate & Vanilla Cheesecake

Using the ingredients I had in the fridge, I made a Chocolate & Vanilla Cheesecake. I found a recipe a few days ago on a Philadelphia pot and decided I'd give it go but I added my own twists as it was meant to have mango in it and I'm not a fan of mangos, and it was meant have just white chocolate but I added a mix of both and I added vanilla too, which wasn't on the recipe. But I also added mixed chopped nuts on the top and made a pattern on the top too (I felt creative). I served it will double cream (lighted whipped), raspberry coulis (I sqaushed the raspberries in a sieve myself), and strawberries. But I was pretty simple to make, and it turned out well, considering it was the very first cheesecake I have made.