Fold in the Flour ...

It's grey and dull in Cardiff today, both literally and metaphorically. That end-of-festivities feeling is hitting hard, with the looming anticipation of returning to work in a couple of days. The new year brings promise, but at the moment it hasn't fully seeped through. One of the promises I've made myself this year, though, is to break out of some of the bad habits I've fallen into over the last few years. That includes neglecting some of the things that truly bring me enjoyment. One of those is my love of baking, which went on a much needed, but lengthy, hiatus after we closed Sweet - our coffee shop - in 2018.  After we opened in 2015, we soon discovered that there were a number of key favourites in our cakes and bakes that people asked for time and time again. This Lemon Mess Layer was one of our regulars, along with a simple Victoria Sponge, Coffee and Pecan Layer, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brownies,  and Salted Caramel Shorties. As the mood took me, I supplemented

Gosh, where has the time gone? So how've you been? Good I hope. Great stuff. And Me? Not so much. But getting there. I've been away a while, I know. Lots of things happening. Some not, but hey, that's life. Since we last spoke, I've left my job of 19 years (health reasons), and that seems scary. Mike's job was victim to a reorganisation, so that gave him the opportunity to take redundancy. That seems scary, too. As they say, timing is everything. So in a burst of mid-life shenanigans, we've decided to start our own business. A coffee shop. With a bakery - cakery attached. O. M. G. That seems very freakin' scary! But exciting, too. Hopefully soon, we'll be taking on the lease of a small shop near us. Fitting it out, and then opening our doors to entice hungry shoppers with the delicious smell of good coffee and freshly baked cakes. It's going to be a lot of hard work. I can't wait. But I have to. The legalities, yo

Sometimes, the simplest things are the best. Nothing fancy. Just something fairly plain, made with love. Something that sometimes gives back to you in ways you least expect. But you're probably thinking, this is only a cake, after all. I should explain. I was surprised by how much Sam enjoyed this cake.   Given that he has now launched headfirst, it seems, into his toddler  days, getting him to sit in one place for longer than a minute or two is an achievement in itself. Yet he was very happy to clamber up and sit snuggled on the sofa with me, sharing a slice. A few precious moments stolen from an otherwise hurly-burly kind of day. And that made it really special.   Although I have made loaf cakes before, the results have been a bit hit and miss. I don't know why. The last one I tried (Primrose Bakery's Lemon Drizzle) I simply binned, as although I followed the recipe exactly, something happened and it just didn't turn out right. It sank di

Is it really June already? Has May been and gone? Oh, God. I feel a bit like John Lennon when he told Yoko that he was only going out for a packet of fags. It seems that time is getting the better of me at the moment. There just seems to be too much to do and not enough time to do it. Anyway, I hope you've all been having a great time - especially as we seem to have had a bit of summer at last. So after my impromptu break, I managed to get back into the kitchen today and tried my hand at some new recipes. This one is a gorgeously moreish layer cake. It uses spelt flour and toasted, ground hazelnuts to give a lovely, nutty taste to the sponge which is lifted by the tang of lemon zest. I used a cream cheese frosting to balance out some of the sugar, and as you can see, the top is loaded with fresh, juicy blueberries.   I really loved the combination of flavours. Very nice with an afternoon cuppa. Hazelnut, Lemon and Blueberry Layer Cake ( adapted from 

I really love this cake. I mean really love it. So much so, it's my new best friend. It's like sunshine on a plate. The citrussy aroma tempts you while the sultry lemony pucker hits you full in the mouth. And who can resist anything with 'Limoncello' in the title? The mere mention of the word transports you to to the Sicilian sun. It's one more reason I have to thank Random Recipes for getting me to delve into my cookbooks. This month's challenge had a bit of a twist. Dom, of Belleau Kitchen (who runs the challenge) created a Randometer thingummy-bob to test us. You had to enter how many cookbooks you owned, and then it would generate a random number. You counted along your shelf to that book, and then entered the number of pages, to generate another number and so find your Random Recipe. The gods must have been looking favourably on me this month, as I ended up with this gorgeous lemon cake, from Peggy Porschen's 'Boutique Baking

There is something about a muffin.   That fluffy, soft interior with a slightly crunchy top.   They're a bit of rough ...   They don't need the spangly bling of a cupcake.   They stand on their own and say 'I am what I am' (cue Gloria Gaynor).   And these? 'Lemon again?' I hear you say. Absolutely! And this time with Blueberries, too! Definitely the ace.     These muffins are a lovely little treat, full of lemony flavour and bursting berries. With a crunchy topping of demerara sugar. Easy to whip up, your taste buds will thank you for them.   They are best eaten on the day you make them though, or you'll still get the flavour but the crunch will have softened. Lemon Blueberry Crunch Muffins Ingredients (makes 12) 60g softened unsalted butter 150g golden caster sugar 1 lemon (washed if waxed) 2 medium eggs, lightly beaten 275g self-raising flour 1/2 tspn bicarbonate of soda 125ml buttermilk

You may recall that I've said before that I love lemon cakes. I've done a few now, and judging by the popularity of my Luscious Lemon Yoghurt Cake post, so do you, too. Sometime ago, I bought a jar of lemon curd intending to use it as a filling for cupcakes. At the time I was just going to top them with lemon buttercream. I've been so busy recently, though, I never got around to making them. Then, I had a re-think after buying a magazine I saw in my local supermarket recently. Cupcake Kids is part of the Cupcake Heaven series, and while the recipes are aimed at children, there were lots to interest me, too, including one for lemon meringue cupcakes. I didn't want to use the cupcake recipe, as I wanted to use my own, but I thought I'd try the meringue method they used, as it looked pretty simple. These cupcakes have a lovely soft, fluffy sponge with the lemon curd giving a sharp centre, beautifully offset by the meringue. I've got to say that I was