Flapjack…

I get asked a lot what my journey into baking was. The story is not all together very interesting, I think I just really liked cake and wanted as easy access to it as possible! I don't remember baking very much at all when I was little, for me the kitchen was more of a place for dancing than it was for cooking!

My key childhood baking memories involve one of either two things- apple crumble or flapjack. Apple crumble because we had a large apple tree in the back garden, which I still like to pinch apples from every year when Autumn comes! Flapjack, I guess for its simplicity and the fact it’s relatively mess free! We used a recipe from a very old and worn Delia book, which when I revisited I was shocked to learn didn’t have any golden syrup in! I did try remaking it, but once golden syrup comes into play, there really isn't another way!

This recipe is so simple and so perfectly adaptable for these times. As long as you have equal amounts of the butter/sugar/syrup and then twice as much of the oats you are good to go. So if you are low on sugar and only have say 120g left, that's fine! Just make sure you also use 120g of butter and syrup and then 240g of oats! You may need to change the tin size based on how much ingredients you have! But you will always end up with delicious and oh so homely and comforting flapjack! Enjoy…

Ingredients…

• 200g butter

• 200g sugar

• 200g golden syrup

• 400g oats

Method…

1. Preheat your oven to 160fan and grease and line a square baking tin, roughly 20/20cm.

2. Melt together the butter, golden syrup and sugar in a saucepan over a gently heat.

3. Once everything is fully melted and the sugar is all dissolved, pour into a large mixing bowl with the oats and stir together.

4. Tip into your baking tray and press down firmly and evenly.

5. Pop into the oven and bake for around 30mins until golden brown around the edges.

6. Leave to cool in the tin before lifting out and chopping into pieces- should slice into 16 perfect little squares! Enjoy!

Easter Shortbread…

I bought some cute Easter Cookie cutters last year and totally forgot to use them! So I was determined not to make the same mistake this year. Themed seasonal baking is my absolute favourite to do, I'm heart broken that I can't be at the Easter Markets selling lots of cute Easter treats for you all. However I can't resist baking some for myself, so thought I would share them here with you!

This is a super simple recipe, perfect to make with the kids, use whatever fun shape cutters you may have or go freehand if you don't have any! If you don't have any mini eggs, chocolate chips or very finely chopped chocolate will do just fine!

Ingredients…

• 75g Caster Sugar

• 150g butter

• 225g plajn flour

• 100g mini eggs- blitzed in a food processor into very small bits

Method…

1. Cream together your butter and sugar in a mixer or with a hand whisk until super light and fluffy.

2. Stir through the flour and the mini egg pieces, until fully combined, then with your hands press together into a dough.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough, to roughly ½ cm thick, then use your cutters to cut out each biscuit and place on a greaseproofed baking tray. Repeat with all the dough, then pop onto the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 180/160 fan.

5. Once chilled, place your biscuit filled trays into the oven and bake for roughly 15 minutes, until the edges are just starting to go golden brown.

6. Leave to cool on the trays and then… enjoy!

Cheese Scones…

I'm a sweet tooth through and through, which I am sure you’re all well aware of by now! But even I must admit, there is something extremely comforting and homely about a cheese scone warm from the oven!

This recipe uses ingredients I hope you'll be able to find in your home. Whatever cheese you have in your fridge will do fine, use up any odds and ends- cheddar, parmesan, gouda- go wild! If you don't have any Dijon mustard don't worry, it just helps to elivate the cheese flavour, perhaps try a pinch of cayenne pepper or paprika instead! Let me know if you give them a try! Enjoy…

Ingredients…

• 500g self raising flour

• 2tsp baking powder

• 120g butter

• 200g grated cheese

• 220ml milk

• 1tsp dijon mustard

Method…

1. Preheat your oven to 180/160 fan and pop in a baking tray to heat up.

2. Rub the butter into the flour and baking powder until the mix resembles breadcrumbs, then mix through most of the cheese, reserving just a little to sprinkle on top of the scones before baking.

3. Make a small well in the middle of the mix and pour in the milk and Dijon and stir together.

4. Tip onto a clean worktop and knead very lightly to form a dough.

5. Gently roll out, to about the thickness of your cutter, then cut out your scones. This recipe should make 8-10.

6. Brush the tops with a little milk and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Pop onto greasproof on the hot tray and place back in the oven.

7. Cook for approximately 20 minutes, when they are done, tapping on the base of the scone should make a hollow sound.

8. For ultimate yumminess enjoy warm straight out the oven!

Banana Bundt Cake…

Banana bread is something I usually whip together in a couple of minutes, without too much thought or attention, purely to use up those last few bananas that are over ripening in the fruit bowl. This time, as I have a little more time on my hands, I thought I'd show the bananas a little more love and dedication! I also don’t get to use my bundt tin enough and I always feel there's something a little grand and decadent about a bundt cake! So here follows the recipe for a fancy pants banana bread to fill up a few hours of your day…

Ingredients…

• 170g butter

• 250g sugar- light brown or caster

• 3 eggs

• 380g self raising flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1tsp vanilla extract

• 350ml buttermilk- or regular milk with 1½ tsp lemon juice

• 3 ripe bananas

• 100g dates, chopped and covered with 75ml boiling water and left for 10minutes to soak

• Icing- 30g butter/60g brown sugar/ 1½tbsp milk/ 75g icing sugar

Method…

1. Pre heat your oven to 180/160fan and grease a bundt tin- if you don't have a bundt tin a regular cake tin is fine!

2. Cream together the butter and sugar in a stand mixer or with an electric whisk. Once light and fluffy, beat in the eggs, followed by the mashed banana.

3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then alternate between adding the flour and the buttermilk, roughly in thirds, until fully mixed together.

4. Finally stir through the date mixture before pouring the batter into your tin.

5. Pop into the oven for 50mins- 1 hour, until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.

6. Allow the cake to cool before tipping out onto a board.

7. To make the icing- melt the butter with the brown sugar and milk, then simmer for a few minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool and then beat in the icing sugar until you get a good icing consistency.

8. Drip/drizzle/drape the icing over the top of the cake, as much or as little as you like and scatter fudge pieces on top- or of you prefer any chopped nuts work well too. Allow the icing to set a little and then slice up and enjoy!

Monkey Bread...

Sweet, soft and sticky. Delicately spiced, nice and nutty and what’s even better… it’s classed as an appropriate breakfast food!! Monkey Bread originated in Hungary but today is probably most popular and well known in America. This may be why, if you are reading this in the UK, you may still be very confused as to what Monkey Bread is! Hopefully by the end of this post you will be blissfully aware of all the delicious joy it has to hold, and be on your way to the shops to buy the ingredients to make it yourself.

Monkey bread gets it name from its pull apart nature. It is made to be eaten with your hands, moreishly and in my opinion without any need for manners or personal etiquette! Dive right in, get your hands sticky, and enjoy! On a technical level, this delectable treat is comprised of balls of dough, rolled in melted butter and spiced sugar and stacked up in a bundt tin. Sounds good right?! So get ready to treat yourself to a delicious breakfast, brunch, snack, dessert… whatever time of day, I can promise you this is one bake that will not last very long in any house! Enjoy!

Ingredients…

For the dough-

• 550g strong white flour

• 200ml milk

• 80g butter

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 sachet fast action yeast

• 50g light brown sugar

• 2 eggs

For the filling-

• 120g salted butter

• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp ground mixed spice

• 220g light brown sugar

• 150g pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

For the icing-

• 100g icing sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Milk

Method…

1. In a saucepan on a low heat, warm the milk, vanilla and butter until the butter has melted.

2. Mix together the flour, sugar, yeast and salt.

3. Allow the milk to cool a little before beating in the eggs, then pour the liquid mix into the flour. Mix to combine, forming a sticky dough. Leave for a few minutes before kneading. This can either be done by hand or with a dough hook in an electric mixer. Knead for around 10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Pop into a large greased bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave until doubled in size- depending on the warmth of the room this should take from 1-2 hours.

4. Now it's time to (Avengers) assemble! Melt the butter and then in a sperate bowl mix together the sugar and the spices. Grease a bundt tin with butter, then spoon 2 tbsp of the butter into the base of the tin and sprinkle in around 3 tbsps of the spiced sugar.

5. You now want to divide your dough into individual balls, roughly the size of a 50p. You should get around 60-70 pieces from the dough. With each piece, dip in the melted butter, then coat in the spiced sugar. Layer the balls in the bundt tin, with an occasional sprinkling of the chopped pecans dispersed throughout, leaving just a few to sprinkle on top once baked.

6. Once all the dough is in the tin, pour over any remaining butter and sugar. Cover with clingfilm and leave to prove again for around an hour.

7. Meanwhile heat your oven to 160 degrees fan.

8. Once the bread has risen nicely it is time for the oven! Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, until golden brown.

9. Leave until the tin is cool enough to touch, then turn out into a serving plate. Stir together the icing sugar, vanilla and enough milk to make a thick but slightly runny icing. Drizzle over the top with a sprinkling of pecans to finish off and voila! A delicious monkey bread awaits you… dive right in and enjoy!

Happy Birthday!

Louise's Cakes is officially 1 year old! It has been a whole year since I decided to take my passion for cakes and turn it into my full time job. And what a year it has been! I have been learning every day as I go, in terms of all things business as well as all things cake! It has by no means been a year of smooth sailing but the impact it has had on my life has been huge and so rewarding.

I've loved the vast array of bakes I have made this year. From Gruffalo cupcakes to elegant Wedding Cakes, Jungle Book and Lion King cakes to pretty Cake Pops! Not to mention the hundreds of trays of brownies, cornflake tarts, cupcakes and cookies for my market stalls!

Now it is 2020 and this year I am hoping for more of the same, to continue growing and spreading the Louise's Cakes name! I shall be doing many more markets around Sheffield so you can all stock up on some goodies. If you don't already, follow my Instagram to keep as up to date as possible so you'll never miss a market! As it's a new year and resolutions are flying about every where, I shall as ever make the bold claim that I shall blog more in 2020 ( I promise I will try!) So be on the lookout for more recipes and food musings coming your way (hopefully) very soon…

Enjoy!

Summer Spaghetti…

I have always been a pasta person. No matter what is wrong, I can always take comfort in a big bowl of delicious pasta. I have been known to order pasta as both a starter and main course when out at an Italian restaurant, and I feel no shame for it! Pasta to me is the ultimate comfort food and my jaunts to Italy this year have managed to only increase my love.

I have noticed a slight switch in my pasta cooking style since my trips earlier this year. Simplicity has suddenly become key. As few ingredients as possible, as fresh as possible and the result is as delicious as possible! Spaghetti with a touch of olive oil, a bit of garlic, a few chilli flakes and suddenly you have an incredible meal to satisfy any pasta cravings!

This dish how become a weekly classic in the Louise’s Cakes Kitchen. It is so quick and easy to throw together but the end result is so tasty and feels like such a treat! Enjoy…

Ingredients…

• 150g spaghetti

• 1 red onion, chopped

• 75g Chorizo, chopped roughly

• 10 Cherry tomatoes, halved

• Pinch chilli flakes

• 2 garlic cloves

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• Fresh Basil

• Parmesan

Method…

1. Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees fan and bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.

2. Throw the onion, chorizo, cherry tomatoes, garlic, chilli and oil into a large roasting dish and pop into the oven. Roast for about 25-30 minutes, until the chorizo is crispy, onions softened and the tomatoes have roasted down nicely.

3. Meanwhile cook your spaghetti. The main thing I learnt from my Italian adventures this year, is the importance of al dente pasta! It makes so much difference when the pasta has a bit of bite! So make sure to test your pasta regularly. Drain your spaghetti as soon as it is ready and preserve about a mug full of the cooking water.

4. Once everything is roasted nicely, bring your dish out the oven, make sure you give everything a good stir and then add a splash of the pasta water to create a bit of a sauce. Throw in your spaghetti, grate over a generous amount of Parmesan and toss everything together nicely.

5. Finish with plenty of fresh basil and an extra sprinkle of Parmesan, for luck! And tuck into a deliciously large bowl of spaghetti! Enjoy…

I've had a slight case of bloggers blog so apologies for a lack of posts of late! Plus in this heat, I have been attempting to limit my oven use to orders only, which means I haven't had the chance to do much experimental baking! But I promise to do better and bring you more yummy recipes and food musings soon! In the mean time, if you enjoyed this post please feel free to share!

Renishaw Hall and Gardens...

My next market is fast approaching!! I will be at Renishaw Hall Food & Craft fair this Sunday, 18th! I will be selling lots of delicious sweet treats, including decadent brownies, delicious cupcakes, moreish cookies and much more! Would love to see some familiar faces!

Sunday 18th August from 10:30am

With over 30 stalls selling an array of fantastic local produce and craft items, from delicious, homemade cakes and chutneys, to hand crafted cards and jewelry; the Renishaw Hall Food & Craft Fair is a date for the diary! Browse the stalls set up in the historic Stables Courtyard. https://www.renishaw-hall.co.uk/whats-on/

When in Rome...

Eat, eat, eat! And that is certainly what I did! 5 days of Pizza, Spaghetti and Gelato, what more could you possibly want! If you are in any way hungry, I would maybe grab yourself a small snack, or come back to reading this when you have a slightly fuller stomach! I don’t wish to be the one responsible for extreme hunger pangs!

Rome has been top of our travel list for quite a while, in part, of course for the food but also for the combined years we have both spent playing Rome Total War! So it is fair to say, our days were spent browsing all the ancient Roman sites and then all the menus of the local trattorias, Food wise, it is hard to say everything we ate wasn’t the highlight! But I will do best I can and force myself to pick out the top 3!

Pasta, of course, has to be one of them. We tended to alternate and do pizza for lunch and then pasta for dinner or vice versa- we were walking close to 30,000 steps a day, the carbs were needed! As good as the pizza was, my heart is made of 80% pasta, so the winner was always going to slightly obvious. I was most excited about trying the traditional Roman dish Cacio e Pepe, a exceptionally simple dish comprised of just spaghetti, black pepper and Pecorino Cheese. It sounds almost too simple to be good, but of course as most Italian dishes do, I was proved wrong and it was its simplicity which made it so very delicious, Creamy from the cheese with the heat of the pepper and the perfectly al dente spaghetti- a must try if your planning a trip to Rome!

Number 2, unsurprisingly, Gelato. I got through my fair share of scoops of the deliciously smooth and creamy Italian delicacy. Flavour highlights, of course pistachio, tiramisu and a tart but delicious Raspberry.

Thirdly, the Sicilian Cannoli. I struggle to find the words that can match my joy at finally tasting a proper Sicilian Cannoli. I have only ever had, what I now realise were very poor counterfeits. I feel the expense of the whole holiday was worth it purely for those embarrassingly few moments it took for me to devour the giant shell. I would walk and swim my way back to Italy for another one. Or if anyone knows of anywhere selling them closer to home!!

This will be mainly a photo style blog, as when it comes to Rome, I feel a picture really is worth a thousand words…