Oaty Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are soooo good! Try them! Now!

Taken from Tamasin Day Lewis’s Kitchen Bible. I got 21 cookies from this batch.

Read Full Post »

Peach Cobbler

This recipe was discovered as a way to get rid of 2 tins of peaches that had been staring at me everytime I opened the cupboard. I didn’t buy them. In fact, I don’t think I have ever bought tinned fruit – I just don’t get the attraction. But I decided that these 2 tins of peaches had been ignored for long enough and I went on a recipe hunt on the interweb. I also had never eaten, nay seen, a peach cobbler before so I had no idea what to expect.

Read Full Post »

Chocolate Sandwich Birthday Cake

A great people-pleaser this one. Not alot of effort for something that looks and tastes chocolatey and yum and ideal for a birthday celebration. The cakey layers are lovely and moist and really chocolatey thanks to the melted chocolate and cocoa. The chocolate butter icing is also delish, though my handmixer-holding hand was getting quite weary by the time it was done. Someday I will have a proper (KitchenAid) stand mixer…sigh…someday..  🙂   It’s another Rachel Allen recipe, from her book ‘Bake’.

Read Full Post »

The Classic Sponge-Off: Rachel

I always consider sponge cakes alot of bother to make. I think this dates back to several Junior Cert home economics disasters. But now I feel it’s time to step up and perfect the classic victoria sponge. To do this properly, and to be fair to all celebrity chefs, it’s only right to give them all a whirl so we can make a delicious, informed decision.  First out of the blocks, it’s Rachel Allen and her take on the ‘Basic Sponge Cake’ in her wonderful book, Bake.  So here we go.

Read Full Post »

Pumpkin Cake

So I bought a huge pumpkin on impulse in the supermarket.  By the time I had struggled to the car with it I knew I had no idea what I was going to do with the damn thing. I had pumpkin pie a couple of weeks ago (gift from OH’s mother) and I just couldn’t face a big pot of orangey-yellow soup. Pumpkin cake? Yay! Very similar to carrot cake in consistency, and the topping is just yum!  In fact, when I baked this I was immediately asked to reproduce it for an aunt-in-law’s work party. So, I’m not lying, it really is that good. We’re going to try this one step-by-step, see how it goes. Recipe adapted from one on bbcgoodfood.com.

Read Full Post »