tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14311231142998286962024-03-13T15:34:50.673-07:00Delicious DecadenceBecause everyday should be a little bit decadent...Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-51610621410841019092013-01-24T03:24:00.001-08:002013-01-24T03:24:15.850-08:00Maltesers: The lighter way to enjoy chocolate...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
...although probably not if you stick a cake and a large quantity of chocolate buttercream underneath them!</div>
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This is a truly heavenly cake, and, true to my name, is deliciously decadent! A rich chocolate sponge with a hint of maltiness covered in the most divine chocolate buttercream. It has to be tried by all in my opinion! </div>
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The Ingredients for the cake:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JX9Moq2v8y8/UQEUVhKCfhI/AAAAAAAADSo/tFTEkNYr4kw/s1600/87605C89-4C87-4637-8241-64781AB5FB2A.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JX9Moq2v8y8/UQEUVhKCfhI/AAAAAAAADSo/tFTEkNYr4kw/s320/87605C89-4C87-4637-8241-64781AB5FB2A.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Butter, caster sugar, dark soft brown sugar, eggs, Horlicks, milk, plain flour, cocoa, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda.</div>
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In a bowl put the caster sugar, brown sugar, and the eggs, and beat together.</div>
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Next, in a small bowl or mug, heat the butter, milk and Horlicks until the butter has melted and the Horlicks dissolved. The add this into the sugar and eggs mixture and beat in.</div>
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Add the plain flour, cocoa, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda to the mixture and beat thoroughly. </div>
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The mixture will be fairly thick and smooth - pour into two prepared cake cases (around 20cm) and bake in the oven (180) for 25-30 minutes.</div>
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Once cooked (check in the normal way - a cake skewer inserted should come out clean), leave to cool in their tins for a few minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack and leave until completely cold. Once cold make up the buttercream and sandwich the two halves together.</div>
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The Ingredients for the buttercream:<br />
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Icing sugar, butter, Horlicks, and cocoa powder; maltesers for decoration.</div>
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Place all the ingredients into a food processor, place the lid on and blitz until you have a smooth and fairly thick buttercream.</div>
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Spread half the buttercream onto one of the cakes and then sandwich the two halves together.</div>
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Use the remain buttercream to cover the top of the cake.</div>
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Arrange maltesers on the top of the cake in a pattern of your choosing!</div>
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And there you have it! Beautiful!</div>
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As an aside: Apologies for not posting recently but I have been rather busy actually getting my shop ready for opening! Very exciting! I will hopefully do a post here on how it is all progressing, but for now why not use the link at the top of my page to go to my Official Website and find out much more about what's going on!</div>
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You can also follow me on Twitter for regular updates, and you can like my page on Facebook too! Once again there are links for these things at the top of the page!</div>
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Thank you!</div>
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Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
<br />Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-86647986832001089302012-12-19T00:59:00.001-08:002012-12-19T00:59:18.770-08:00Not just your standard cherry cakeMy mum, and indeed so am I, is a huge fan of anything that involves glace cherries, which leads to a great many things being made with them! Coupled with that is a love for anything involving almond, so it is extremely handy that the two things go so well together! A little while ago I did a post involving cherry and almond flapjack, and the list of things I have crated involving the two ingredients is rather long so I won;t put them all down here. This post is for what appears to be a simple cherry cake, but it packs an almighty punch of rich, nutty almond sponge with a zesty lemon kick, punctuated with beautiful sweet, artificially red cherries, and finished with a crunchy sugar top - it is a favourite in the Appleby household, and definitely deserves its own post on this blog.<br />
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The Ingredients<br />
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Butter, caster sugar, glace cherries, ground almonds, plain flour, baking powder, eggs, zest and juice of 1 lemon, and sugar lumps for the top.</div>
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To start, cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until it is smooth and pale.</div>
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Then put the creamed mixture to one side, take the glace cherries and cut them into quarters. You do not need to worry about washing them.</div>
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In another large bowl, place the quartered cherries and add to them a spoonful of plain flour and the ground almonds. For this recipe I grind my own almonds because I feel it adds to the flavour and texture of the cake - this is obviously down to personal choice and if a smoother sponge is wanted then finely ground almonds should be used.</div>
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Mix the cherries thoroughly with the flour and almonds so that they are well covered.</div>
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Leaving the cherries on one side, into the creamed mixture add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.</div>
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Then add the remaining flour and the baking powder and mix well.</div>
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Next, add in the cherries.</div>
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Finally, mix in the lemon zest and juice.</div>
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Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin - the tin used is a round springform tin, around 20cm/8 inches. I use cake release spray, which I absolutely love, but you can just butter and/or line the tin if you prefer.</div>
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Level out the tip of the cake with the back of a spoon or a spatula and then sprinkle the crushed sugar cubes all over the top of the cake. The sugar cubes want to be in a variety of sized lumps, evenly spaced over the top of the cake.</div>
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Cook in the oven for 1-1 and 1/4 hours, when cooked it will have nicely risen and browned, and started to crack on the top.</div>
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And there you have the finished product.</div>
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The sugar cubes are such a brilliant touch because they give the entire cake a crunchy topping without being overly sweet. The lemon in the cake tones the sweetness down also, which is definitely needed because of just how sweet the glace cherries are, and there are lots of them in this cake! It might seem like it is just a standard cherry cake but it is genuinely so much more - I haven't met anyone (yet!) that hasn't tried it and absolutely loved it!</div>
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Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-86983048739682687722012-12-14T16:51:00.000-08:002012-12-14T16:51:11.664-08:00A Christmassy treat #1<br />
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I have been completely absent from the blog for an entire month! I feel this is awful behaviour! I have, however, been ridiculously busy! That is my excuse and I am sticking to it! Life is only going to get busier though it would seem because not only is it the week before christmas but I found out today that I will actually be getting the keys for my new premises on Monday! Very very exciting but also rather stressful!</div>
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Now, next week is not only a week of finishing the christmas shopping, wrapping presents, and making beautifully decadent Christmas treats for family and friends, it is also a week of clearing, cleaning and possibly even decorating! I think there is still a little way to go before the doors will actually be opening to the masses though! However, over the next few months, this blog will be featuring fewer recipe posts and many more posts on the progress of the premises! I've been doing all sorts of grown up things like opening up a business bank account and sending off for business cards! Plus things keep arriving that are addressed to the 'Managing Director'! Just a tiny bit scared! </div>
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As another point, I am also working on getting my official website up and running. You might notice that I have added it as a page at the top, and if you do go for a look, bare in mind it is very much a work in progress at the moment! </div>
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As it is almost Christmas, I thought I would get back to my blog with a Christmas post! Hopefully I'll get a few more up over the week and then maybe after the Big Day itself too! My baking exploits are normally saved for the 27th, when the Appleby family have 'Day-after-Boxing-Day Tea'! Kicking off proceedings is a recipe for an Iced Ginger Cake. It really is a beautiful cake; a light, crumbly sponge with a lovely tangy ginger icing on top. I love using ginger and other spices at this time of year because they just taste and smell so festive! This cake is definitely a perfect christmassy treat!</div>
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The Ingredients</div>
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175g Butter, 175g caster sugar, 3 eggs, 1 tbsp treacle, 2 tbsp ginger syrup, 225g self-raising flour, 1 tsp ground mixed spice, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tbsp ground almonds, 2 tbsp milk, and 70g stem ginger. </div>
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Start by creaming together the butter and caster sugar.</div>
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In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.</div>
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Add the treacle and the ginger syrup to the eggs and whisk.</div>
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In another bowl, mix together the flour and spices.</div>
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Alternately, add a little of the egg mixture and then some of the flour mixture, to the creamed butter and sugar mixture, until all mixtures are completely combined.</div>
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Next, add the ground almonds and the milk, and stir together until you have a smooth mixture.</div>
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Finally, chop the stem ginger into reasonably small pieces and add to the mixture, then mix everything together.</div>
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Spoon into a prepared tin and smooth the surface - note my use of silicone once more! I do always line the bottom of my silicone moulds though. If you don't have silicone, then make sure your tin is well greased/lined. </div>
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Bake in the oven (160/Gas Mark 3) for 45-50 minutes, until the cake is well risen and firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.</div>
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When the cake is completely cool, make up some glace icing with 225g of icing sugar and 1tsp of ginger syrup. </div>
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Pour the icing over the cake - it will be runny so be prepared! If you don't like the consistency add some more icing sugar.</div>
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To finish, decorate the cake with edible gold balls.</div>
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It was enjoyed by all here in the Appleby Household, and I hope it will be enjoyed by my future customers also! If you try making it, I hope you enjoy it too!</div>
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Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-71857175360292001552012-11-15T02:37:00.002-08:002012-11-15T02:37:56.442-08:00Cinnamon and Caramel Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have wanted to make the biscuits in this post for quite a while, but I kept forgetting to buy the toffees or I'd find something else to make and forget all about them! However, this week I finally got round to making them, and I am very glad I did! The biscuit is so lightly spiced and crumbly it is truly divine, and the toffee brings just the right amount of sweetness because it doesn't overpower the other flavours. They go perfectly with my favoured tea of the moment, Chai - I can't stop drinking the stuff! It will definitely be featuring on the Delicious Decadence drinks menu when we finally open - fingers crossed, in fact everything crossed, it will be soon now because we only have a couple of things left to tie up! </div>
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Anyway, enjoy the post!</div>
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The Ingredients</div>
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8oz Butter, 5oz caster sugar, an egg, 1tsp vanilla extract, 10oz plain flour, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp ground mixed spice, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and toffees.</div>
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Firstly, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and smooth.</div>
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Next, separate the egg, and add just the egg yolk (you don't need the white) and the vanilla extract.</div>
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Then add the flour, ground mixed spice, ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.</div>
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Stir everything together until you have a smooth and fairly pliable dough, and then drop spoonfuls of it onto a lined baking tray. Use your fingers to round the drops and flatten them down a bit. Make sure the amounts are well spaced out because they spread when they bake. </div>
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For the toffee part, you need individually wrapped round toffee sweets - one for each cookie.</div>
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After 6 minutes in the oven (190), remove the cookies, and place a toffee in the middle of each one.</div>
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Put the cookies back in the oven for another 8-10 minutes and then remove, at which point the cookies will be a beautiful golden brown and the toffee in the middle will have started to melt slightly. </div>
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And there you have it. The cookies have a beautiful flavour and I think you could just make them as a plain biscuit without the toffee if you fancied it! The toffee remains chewy in the centre and compliments the biscuit well. Well worth a try I think!</div>
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Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-91722786794585101922012-11-14T16:01:00.000-08:002012-11-14T16:01:35.268-08:00Chocolate Post #4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I am a keen member of the WI, as I have said in previous posts, however, I was incredibly bored at last night's meeting. In the programme for the year we were told we would be getting a demonstration on cake decorating, which I was very much looking forward to, but when we arrived at the village hall we found out that our speaker had cancelled on us at the last minute - something our WI seems to have a serious problem with. </div>
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'Oh no', I hear you all cry, 'what did you do?' We got taught how to make chocolate brownies........ </div>
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I was not particularly impressed, especially when the lady (another member of my WI) started talking about this 'new idea' of having a brownie for dessert...and people wonder why younger women don't want to join! On trying the brownie at the end I was even more unimpressed.</div>
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Having gone through this last night, I thought I would knock together a related post, and so here is a brownie recipe I found only recently, but am a serious fan of it! Mainly because it isn't ruined by the addition of walnuts! I can't stand walnuts but I do think brownies need something else in them to lighten the denseness of the chocolate - in this recipe that something is cranberries, which I do rather like. When I found it in a new recipe book I've just acquired I couldn't resist giving it a go and it was well worth it! Just to clarify, I am not now teaching you how to make brownies!</div>
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The Ingredients</div>
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Butter, chocolate, caster sugar, cocoa, eggs, plain flour, baking powder, and cranberries.</div>
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First, put the chocolate and the butter in a medium sized bowl and melt in the microwave.</div>
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In a seperate bowl, beat together the eggs and the caster sugar until pale and smooth.</div>
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Then add the melted chocolate and butter and mix thoroughly. </div>
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Next, sift in the plain flour, cocoa, and baking powder, and combine.</div>
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Finally, carefully fold in the cranberries.</div>
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Spoon into a rectangular tin, once again I am using my much favoured silicone one, and bake.</div>
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Remove from the oven when the top has become crisp and pale, and is beginning to crack.</div>
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When it has cooled slightly, cut it into squares (or as close to squares as you can get) and leave to cool on a wire rack.</div>
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And there you have a beautiful chocolate brownie with a slight twist because of the cranberries. The texture is the perfect combination of crisp on the outside and gooey in the middle, while the cranberries take the edge off the chocolate just the right amount.</div>
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If you're feeling really adventurous, why not try this 'new idea', and serve it warm with ice cream and chocolate sauce for a very nice dessert.</div>
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Oh the hilarity! Enjoy!</div>
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Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-55637622551351128932012-11-09T14:56:00.000-08:002012-11-09T14:56:20.665-08:00Biscuits that taste surprisingly like pancakes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The title of this post pretty much sums it up! Here are biscuits that taste like pancakes! They are maple and pecan cookies with a maple glaze, and they are beautiful, even if they don't look like much! They taste great and thats what matters most with food in my opinion. They don't need any more of an introduction!</div>
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The Ingredients</div>
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Butter, caster sugar, egg, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, plain flour, pecan nuts, and maple syrup.</div>
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Into a bowl put the flour, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda.</div>
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Add the butter and with your hands, rub it in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.</div>
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To this, add the caster sugar and the pecans.</div>
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Next, beat the egg, and add that to the mixture. </div>
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Stir in the maple syrup and mix well.</div>
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Spoon the mixture onto a lined baking tray. Make sure the amounts are evenly spaced because they will spread when they cook.</div>
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Once cooked the biscuits should have spread out and turned a beautiful golden brown. Immediately brush the biscuits with more maple syrup, and then leave to cool before moving to a cooling rack.</div>
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And this is the end result. </div>
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The biscuits are fairly soft and beautifully sweet and nutty. They might not look much but they taste gorgeous!<br />
Perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon on a cold day!<br />
<br />
Kate<br />
xxx</div>
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Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-42762606694221204532012-11-08T11:40:00.000-08:002012-11-08T11:40:23.524-08:00Happy Halloween!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So the post itself might be a little late, but I did in fact spend the 31st October baking Halloween goodies! Halloween has never been 'celebrated' in the Appleby household, except for one year (many years ago) when we just happened to be in Salem for the night - spooky! However, I still use it as an excuse to bake, but lets face it I use anything as an excuse to bake! This post is for spiced cupcakes with spiced cream cheese frosting - far too good to give to anyone who is trick or treating! The cupcakes are rich and dark because they contain a large amount of treacle while the frosting is cool and creamy with a slight kick from the spices - the two compliment each other perfectly and make a very satisfying treat on a cold Autumnal day! </div>
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The Ingredients</div>
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Butter, dark brown sugar, treacle, eggs, plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, and ground mixed spice.</div>
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In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until it is pale and fluffy, and to it add the treacle.</div>
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Next, lightly beat the eggs and combine with the butter mixture.</div>
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Gently fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and mixed spice, using a metal spoon.</div>
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Spoon the mixture into paper cases and bake until well risen and beginning to crack on the top.</div>
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Leave the cakes to cool slightly in the tin, and then transfer to a wire rack. When they are completely cool, make the frosting.</div>
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For the frosting: butter, icing sugar, cream cheese, ground cloves, and ground cinnamon.</div>
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In a bowl combine the butter, cream cheese, and spices.</div>
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Then add the icing sugar and beat thoroughly.</div>
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You will end up with quite a runny mixture, so I put it in the fridge for about an hour/hour and a half before I used it.</div>
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Once it has been in the fridge, and therefore thickened up and set slightly more, spread the frosting over the cupcakes, and then decorate. I used Halloween themed cake-toppers, but you could use whatever you fancy.</div>
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And there you have Halloween themed spiced ginger cupcakes with spiced cream cheese frosting - perfect on a cold October night! </div>
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The perfect treat involving very little trickery!</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
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p.s. I had a lot of the frosting left over so I made a carrot cake to use it up - also a very good combination!</div>
Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-78340484656541712312012-11-08T01:36:00.000-08:002012-11-08T01:36:48.871-08:00Yet another post involving apples!<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Firstly let me apologise for the number of recent posts that have had apples as the main ingredient. It hasn't been deliberate or planned I promise! I am quite a fan of apples though as I said in my last post! The item in question is cheese and apple bread, and it is beautiful! When I came across the recipe I knew I just had to make it, and when so many people commented on the photo I posted on Facebook, especially one lovely person in particular who specifically requested I write about it on here, I just felt I had to! </div>
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The Ingredients</div>
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500g strong white bread flour, 10g salt, one packet of instant yeast, 300ml cold water, olive oil (for kneading), 150g cheddar cheese, and 2 apples (Granny Smiths work well).</div>
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In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, and yeast.</div>
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To the dry ingredients gradually add the water.</div>
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Mix together to form a dough and then turn out on to an oiled surface and knead for five to ten minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic.</div>
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Form into a round and place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Leave to rise in a warm spot for 1-3 hours.</div>
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Once the dough has risen, it should be double in size, prepare the apples. They need to be peeled, cored, and chopped into small chunks.</div>
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Do not knock back the dough, but rather shape it into a rectangular(ish) shape - the length should be double the width.</div>
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Cover one half of the dough with the apple, leaving a fairly wide margin round the edge.</div>
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Sprinkle the grated cheese over the apple. </div>
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Fold the dough over to make a parcel and seal the sides. Place the bread on a baking tray, cover, and leave to prove for another hour.</div>
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Once risen for the second time, dust with flour, and then make the holes in the top of the loaf by simply pushing your finger through the dough. Cook in the oven (220) for 30 minutes, until golden brown in colour. When its done, take it out of the oven and serve it - or just eat it all yourself!<br />
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And there you have it. The end result is as gorgeous as it looks! </div>
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The bread is crisp on the outside and fluffy within, and the centre is a gooey mass of rich cheese and sweet crisp apple. </div>
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It most definitely needs to be eaten warm - although be careful not to burn your mouth on the very hot cheese!</div>
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It needs nothing with it, that would just spoil it, so cut it into pieces and enjoy as much of it as you like! Trust me, you won't be able to resist!</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-70103972104682621512012-10-30T03:42:00.003-07:002012-10-30T03:42:29.057-07:00An apple a day keeps the doctor away...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My favourite fruit is definitely apple, but I am quite fussy when it comes to finding the right type. They must be really firm and crisp, and I won't touch red delicious! I just don't like them! I hate it when you bite into an apple and it has that awful powdery texture and taste - absolutely disgusting! I went through a phase of really disliking any form of cooked apple, which thankfully I am now over and so in this post I bring you toffee apple muffins. </div>
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Whoever realised that toffee and apple are a brilliant combination needs a pat on the back! Not to mention the added bonus of cinnamon, which always reminds me of christmas whatever the time of year! These muffins are a really nice change from simply chocolate or blueberry, and have a lovely rich flavour, and a gooey centre thanks to the toffee. Make and enjoy hot or cold!</div>
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The Ingredients</div>
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Butter, caster sugar, eggs, milk, baking powder, salt, plain flour, ground cinnamon, apples, and toffee.</div>
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Line a 12-hole bun pan with muffin cases.</div>
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Melt the butter (just in the microwave) and add to it the caster sugar.</div>
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Then mix in the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.</div>
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The next thing to do is to peel, core, and chop the apples into small chunks, and stir into the other ingredients.</div>
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The toffee needs to be broken into smaller pieces - I used individual wrapped toffees, which I broke up with a toffee hammer (a very useful tool to have in your kitchen drawer).</div>
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Once broken up, the toffee should be kept on one side.</div>
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Put a tablespoon of the mixture into each of the muffin cases.</div>
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Scatter a few pieces of toffee on top and then cover with the remaining mixture.</div>
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Bake in the oven until the muffins are well risen and beautiful golden brown.</div>
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And there you have your muffins! The apple will have softened and the toffee melted in the middle - beautiful.</div>
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They make a lovely dessert if they are warmed through and served with custard and some extra toffee sauce.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-80755312525869088232012-10-29T14:04:00.000-07:002012-10-29T14:50:18.671-07:00Your morning coffee and cake all in one<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Who doesn't love coffee? Well, me, actually! I know, know, the hilarity of the fact that I am opening a coffee shop and I can't stand to drink the stuff! Anyway, many people do like coffee, and while I don't like drinking it, I do like the smell of it and I can quite happily eat coffee cake (well, it is cake after all!), and so I thought I would make some miniature coffee cakes. I've said before that I love things in miniature, but there is just something special about having an entire cake all to yourself rather than simply a slice! Plus they are all the same size so no one can complain about someone having an bigger bit than them! My brother is so annoying for doing that! The recipe is really simple, just a standard victoria sponge with coffee added, and then downsized for your individual pleasure! Enjoy!</div>
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The Ingredients</div>
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Butter, caster sugar, eggs, self-raising flour, and coffee</div>
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Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.</div>
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Add the eggs and beat in well.</div>
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Then add the flour, but don't over mix.</div>
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Finally, make up some instant coffee, as strong or as weak as you like, and stir that in.</div>
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Once again, I am showing my love for Lakeland, by using their miniature sandwich tin. I am a serious fan of it! If you don't have one you could probably make them in a standard bun tin. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin (I have fallen in love with cake release spray!), until about two-thirds full, and bake in the oven (180) for about 20-25 minutes.</div>
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When done, the cakes should have risen nicely and be a lovely golden brown colour. </div>
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Remove from the tin and leave to cool. They need to be completely cold before they can be turned into sandwiches.</div>
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For the buttercream, beat together butter and icing sugar, and then add more instant coffee. I make the buttercream much stronger than the cake itself, so you have a light cake with a rich creamy filling!</div>
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Cut the cakes in half and spread one half with buttercream and then sandwich them back together.</div>
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I then finished the tops off with more buttercream and added a pair of chocolate coffee beans.</div>
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And there you have it!</div>
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Beautifully light and fluffy, and, like most of the things I make, incredibly moreish! Not a particularly good thing! But, lovely all the same!</div>
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Will be writing again soon so keep an eye out!</div>
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Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
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<br />Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-61805522822996638132012-10-19T17:11:00.002-07:002012-10-19T17:11:55.334-07:00Bored of apple crumble...?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've said it before and I'll say it agin, I love a good pudding! Now that we are very much into winter (although we have been there most of summer anyway), and the days are getting colder and shorter and the nights darker, a pudding becomes a necessity in my opinion! In some cases, if not most, the traditional puds are the best, the crumbles and the treacle tarts, the syrup sponges and the hot chocolate fudge cakes. A good pudding with custard is one of the perks of this horrifically cold weather, along with snuggly jumpers and faux fur scarves! </div>
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But what happens when you get fed up of the same old puddings? What about when the stodge and the custard has just got a bit too much? Well, if you're anything like me (which I don't think anyone is because I am rather oddly unique!) you go looking for something new to try. This post is just that, a new pudding, or if you rather, a dessert. It uses apples, a good winter standby, and brioche, which makes it much lighter than many traditional hot desserts, and comes with a not-too-sweet caramel sauce. It is quick to make and really doesn't take much effort, but produces a beautiful warming finish to any meal at the end of a long, cold day.</div>
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The Ingredients</div>
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Dessert apples (such as braeburns or similar - I used Jazz apples simply because that is what we always have in), slices of brioche, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, pecans, and apple juice.</div>
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You need a slice of brioche and an apple per person. Start by chopping the apples into wedges and removing the core, but do not peel them.</div>
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In a frying pan, on a medium heat, melt the butter.</div>
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To the butter add the brown sugar and cinnamon, and stir in.</div>
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When it has become a slightly thicker consistency, add the apple wedges to the pan, and gently move them round to coat them in the caramel sauce.</div>
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Leave on the heat and stir occasionally, but keep an eye on them. The sauce thickens considerably and starts to bubble, but don't let it burn.</div>
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While the apples are cooking, chop or break up the pecan nuts into smaller pieces ready to add to the apple and caramel at the end.</div>
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Also toast your brioche so it is nicely done on each side. Make sure you don't burn it - burnt brioche will completely overwhelm the rest of the flavours in the dessert!</div>
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As I previously stated, you need apple juice for this recipe, but you can also add some form of alcohol if you wish. I chose amaretto because it is by far my favourite alcoholic drink, but rum would work well also. Using alcohol is completely optional, if you don't want to just replace the 2 tbsp of alcohol with extra apple juice.</div>
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Add the apple juice and alcohol, if using it, and stir through, and then add the pecans, and stir again. Leave on the heat for a further minute or two, make sure the apples wedges are nicely coated, and then serve.</div>
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Spoon the caramel apple mixture onto the toasted brioche in equal amounts, and enjoy!</div>
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The apples retain a slight crispness on the outside but then melt in your mouth when you bite into them, while the caramel sauce isn't overly sweet because of the addition of the apple juice (and the alcohol). The pecans provide a crunch, and the brioche soaks up the sauce and complements the apple perfectly. </div>
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So if an apple crumble doesn't make your mouth water, why not try using apples for something a bit different! Trust me, its worth trying something new, after all, the old favourites will still be there when you want something a bit more traditional again.</div>
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Bye for now!</div>
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Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-83213883909448638612012-10-19T14:34:00.000-07:002012-10-19T14:34:12.809-07:00mmm...xocolata!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This post is a little bit different to the others I've written, but I thought it would be quite fun to change it up a little bit! Take a break from a baking post!</div>
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I was away in Barcelona for a few days last week and so I thought I would report back on my trip. Now I've never been a massive fan of Spanish food, mainly because my only residing memory of said food was from a trip to Lanzarote when I was about 10 or 12, which, needless to say wasn't particularly good! Other memories of that holiday include very smelly camels, a pretty bad apartment block, trekking down streets in the boiling hot sun trying to find the best price on a game boy and Pokemon game, and my brother burning the soles of his feet at a water park! A memorable holiday all round! My point is, that I wasn't particularly excited to go to Spain! However, going back at the age of 22 with much more refined taste buds (and a much more open mind!) I have to admit I was a serious fan of the food, which ranged from traditional tapas to burgers to Syrian (my personal favourite!). I intended to take photos of all the lovely food I but that didn't happen! It all looked far too good I suppose and I ate it before I had a chance to remember to take a photo! </div>
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You might therefore be wondering what this post is about! </div>
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Well, while in Barcelona, my mother and I went to the Museu de la Xocolata - I can't lie, I love chocolate, always have, most likely always will! Bit of a problem I suppose but one I can live with! Now I am sorry to the people of Barcelona, but their museum isn't a patch on Cadbury World, but, what I did love were all the sculptures that had been made out of chocolate! Now these I took plenty of pictures of, and I want to share them with you in this post! I apologise in advance for the quality of some of the pictures but the sculptures were all behind glass so some reflection couldn't be avoided!</div>
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Our tickets were bars of chocolate! Love it!</div>
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White chocolate Gorilla - picture taken just for my brother really who has always had a thing about monkeys...</div>
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One of many Asterix and Obelix sculptures.</div>
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Tom and Jerry - avid Barcelona supporters don't you know!</div>
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Another Asterix and Obelix sculpture - I just liked the hair and the small dog!</div>
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Bull fighters - obviously, we were in Spain!</div>
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Gaudi's famous Lizard statue recreated in chocolate.</div>
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Love Tintin!</div>
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Spongebob and Patrick</div>
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Quite possibly my favourite one, the house from 'Up'.</div>
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Some more Tintin</div>
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Bambi; no other explanation needed!</div>
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Giant Mini Mouse</div>
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The Barcelona Skyline - also one of my favourites.</div>
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A copy of a streetlamp from La Ramla, the main street in Barcelona - I just loved the delicacy and intricacy of it.</div>
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Smurf!</div>
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The Sagrada Familia - almost as impressive as the real thing!</div>
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Chicken Little</div>
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George and the Dragon</div>
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Love the detail of the slain dragon - especially the tongue sticking out!</div>
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And finally, a chocolate bear that looks really rather realistic!</div>
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So there you go, a selection of photographs of the awesome chocolate sculptures from Barcelona's chocolate museum. If you're ever in Barcelona go and take a look for yourself because there are many more than this (some of my photos were just too awful to use!) and they are well worth seeing in the flesh because they really are very impressive. The people that made them all have genuine skills!</div>
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Hope you've enjoyed this post and haven't minded a break from the norm! My next posts will be back to recipes as alas there is still no more news on the business :( keeping my fingers crossed that something will happen soon!</div>
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Bye for now!</div>
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Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-14590077373497244712012-10-02T16:52:00.001-07:002012-10-02T16:52:33.219-07:00Happy DaysI have never kept my obsession with shoes a secret from anyone - I was introduced to someone at a party once as 'the one with all the shoes'! I own over one hundred pairs and I just can't help buying more! Quite simply, I love shoes! However, I have another obsession, and this one, very few people know about.<br />
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I am obsessed with Lakeland - as I would imagine many keen bakers are - in a serious way; I am not able to go into the shop without buying something. I refer to Lakeland as the shop that sells items you never knew you needed until you buy them and then don't know how you ever managed without them! So many of the things I use when I bake have come from Lakeland, and so when I saw the item I used for the edible delight written about in this post, I couldn't resist!<br />
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As you might know from reading previous posts, or from twitter and facebook, there has been bad news in the Delicious Decadence camp. However, after a prolonged stint of tears and anger, I have decided that I will not be beaten! Therefore, this post is one of smiley faces - quite literally...<br />
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Smiley face biscuit cutters from Lakeland! How could anyone resist, let alone someone with an obsession as awful as mine!</div>
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The biscuits themselves are fairly unimportant in the grand scheme of things - I just needed a uncomplicated recipe that would work to make these adorable sandwiches - and so it is a simple recipe of butter, caster sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, salt, and plain flour.<br />
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Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat together well. Then stir in the flour and a pinch of salt with a wooden spoon, to form a soft dough.</div>
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It is advisable to put the dough into the fridge for abut 30 minutes before using. I didn't do this because I was trying to save time and later wished I had! The dough is extremely soft and needs time to firm up. When it is firmer, it is simply a case of rolling it out on a well floured surface and cutting out the shapes! Obviously you can use this dough with any cutters and just make plain biscuits.</div>
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Bake in the oven (180 degrees centigrade) for about 8-10 minutes, keeping a really careful eye on them so they aren't over done. They should be a nice golden colour when ready.</div>
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I am happy to admit that some of the biscuits didn't turn out perfectly, as you might be able to tell from the picture above, and this was down to me not chilling the dough and it being far too soft for the first batch of biscuits.</div>
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With the ones that turned out perfectly (the majority did!) I chose to sandwich them together with some seedless raspberry jam and vanilla butter cream.</div>
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Aren't they just the cutest things?! </div>
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I am blaming Lakeland for my ever decreasing bank balance! They keep producing items that I simply have to own! Always handy at christmas though! </div>
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But, even if you don't have these biscuit cutters, you should still spend some time making homemade biscuits with any cutters you do have. It is rather a fun way to spend a day! Plus, you get to eat them afterwards!</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
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<br />Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-89646501050262088292012-09-28T08:43:00.001-07:002012-09-28T08:43:14.570-07:00Chocolate Post #3So I thought there might be some really good news to report in this post, but unfortunately that is not the case. In fact there is only bad news :( massive set back has occurred! I received the sort of news that makes you want to curl up in bed with lots of chocolate! So at least the chocolate post is appropriate! <br />
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Who doesn't love cupcakes? A light fluffy cake topped with smooth creamy frosting - why wouldn't you love it?! So, if you haven't already guessed, this chocolate post is for chocolate cupcakes, with vanilla frosting. (Just as an aside, I am not trying to take credit for this recipe, it was taken from a recipe book! I am just giving my version of a good recipe!)<br />
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The Ingredients:<br />
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Dark chocolate, butter, brown sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, bicarbonate of sugar, baking powder, salt, and plain flour.</div>
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First off, melt the chocolate in the microwave - slowly so as not to burn it. The set aside.</div>
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In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until it is smooth and pale.</div>
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Separate the eggs and in another bowl, beat the egg yolks for several minutes, then add to the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.</div>
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Pour the slightly cooled chocolate into the rest of the mixture and mix well.</div>
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In a jug, measure out the milk and add to it the vanilla extract. In another bowl, mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and salt.</div>
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Add a third of the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture.</div>
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Then add a third of the milk mixture.</div>
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Carry on alternately adding the flour and the milk mixtures until they are all combined.</div>
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In yet another bowl (!) whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.</div>
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With a metal spoon, add the egg whites to the main mixture and very carefully fold in.</div>
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Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases so that they are about two thirds full and then place in the oven to cook for 20-25 minutes.</div>
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Take out of the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack. </div>
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When they are completely cold, the frosting can be made up (butter, icing sugar, milk, vanilla extract) and put on the cakes. Finish with a decoration of your choice.</div>
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Beautiful! </div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-54067569179884491782012-09-27T01:33:00.000-07:002012-09-27T01:33:14.062-07:00Chocolate Post #2The second of my chocolate posts is for a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.<br />
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As you will know if you have read my 'about me' section, or simply if you know me, I am a member of the Women's Institute. For my birthday, mother Appleby found me a WI cookbook, which includes recipes for vintage tea parties and older recipes taken from WI cookbooks from WIs all over the country. This chocolate cake was originally in the 1969 Northumberland Federation cookbook, and as my WI is within the Northumberland Federation it made sense to try making it. I am really rather glad I did because it is absolutely gorgeous! It is a beautiful, light, chocolate sponge topped with silky chocolate icing that simply melts in your mouth.<br />
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The Ingredients:<br />
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Butter, caster sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, boiling water, baking powder, vanilla extract, and plain flour.</div>
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First, put the cocoa powder into a large mug or small bowl, and add to it the boiling water. </div>
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Mix into a thick paste and then set aside to cool slightly.</div>
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In a large bowl cream together the butter and caster sugar until pale and creamy, and then add the vanilla extract and then the eggs one at a time.</div>
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Next add the flour and baking powder, and mix thoroughly. </div>
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To this mixture add the chocolate paste and mix everything together.</div>
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Spoon the mixture into a rectangular tin (silicone once again! Obviously if it isn't silicone it needs to be greased and/or lined) and smooth the top with the back of a spoon to try and get as even a surface as possible.</div>
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Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until well risen. Let the cake stand in the tin for about 10 minutes and then turn out and leave to cool on a wire rack until it is completely cold and therefore ready for icing.</div>
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For the icing, melt dark chocolate in the microwave and then stir into it solid butter so that it melts, and then double cream. The icing should be smooth and glossy.</div>
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Spread the icing over the top of the cake straight away - it might seem really runny but it won't run off the sides of the cake so just go for it!</div>
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Finish the cake with a decoration of your choice. The first time I made it I used pink pearly decorations...</div>
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...and the second time (made specially for a WI meeting) I topped the cake with milk, dark, and white chocolate stars and hearts!</div>
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This cake truly is beautiful - it pleased the ladies of Otterburn WI so it must be good!</div>
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Just as a tip, I keep the cake in the fridge because of the double cream in the icing. </div>
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Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
<br />Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-46698003464598091562012-09-26T01:49:00.001-07:002012-09-26T01:49:21.899-07:00What a tart!I actually wrote this post on my phone whilst sat in my brother's flat in London on a very wet and cold Sunday but I am only just getting round to finishing it and putting it up. It was my first time in London in over a year, which is a bit strange as normally I would have been down far more regularly. Me and my mum went to see Top Hat (I am a huge fan of musicals) and it was fabulous! I am a huge fan of the actor Tom Chambers who plays the leading role, which was the main reason for wanting to see it! I saw him in White Christmas on Christmas Eve two years ago and was lucky enough to meet him afterwards and he is a lovely guy! Spent about 15-20 minutes chatting to him! Anyway, this story has nothing to do with the post but thought I'd tell it anyway, it links to being in London! While in London we went to Wahaca, which was absolutely amazing! I have some random food allergies so I thought it might be a problem but it wasn't at all. Everyone should go because the food is gorgeous and so different and original to anything else out there - it is just a shame there are no restaurants outside of London!<br />
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Anyway, this post features a bacon and cheese tart I made a few weeks ago. I've been building up my savoury repertoire because I will be serving savoury things as well as sweet when I finally open the doors of Delicious Decadence! It went down well in the Appleby household, which normally means it isn't too shabby! The mother has even asked me to make it again!<br />
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The first thing to do is to make your pastry. Now I was one of those people that was scared of pastry up until the WI (once again!) came to the rescue. I now have a pastry recipe I use for everything and it couldn't be simpler to make and use. All you need is plain flour and margarine (not butter!) and a small amount of water, 40ml to be precise. You mix everything up together and there you have it. No fuss and no mess! What's more, this pastry can be kneaded and played around with as much as you like, it won't spoil! Plus there is no need to grease the tin you use because it will not stick! You can't get much better than that!<br />
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So, make up your pastry, roll it out on a lightly floured surface, and line a good sized loose bottom flan dish. Add baking parchment and baking beads to the pastry case and blind bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Then remove the beans and parchment and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside while you make the filling.<br />
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The Ingredients for the filling: streaky bacon, cheddar cheese, onion, eggs, milk, butter (melted), and black pepper.</div>
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Start by frying your bacon until it is nice and crisp. As I have said before, I always use my George Forman for this sort of thing. Once it is crisp, break it up into medium size pieces and set aside.</div>
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In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and melted butter together and season with black pepper.</div>
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Fry the onion in a large frying pan until soft and slightly browned.</div>
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Put the bacon pieces and onion into the pastry case and then cover with the cheese.</div>
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Pour the eggy mixture over the top and place in the oven to bake for 40 minutes, until it is set and golden brown.</div>
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And there you have it. </div>
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Enjoy hot or cold as a summer salad or a wintery treat with baked beans! Perfect!</div>
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Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
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p.s. If you are enjoying the blog why not let me know about it by commenting on one of my posts or following me on twitter where I am happy to chat. I welcome feedback so let me know what you think!</div>
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Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-48662678793756423472012-09-18T15:03:00.000-07:002012-09-18T15:07:42.839-07:00Custard isn't just to put on your pudding!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I am quite a fan of a good pudding with lots of custard - I don't think anything can beat it on a cold night! So, when I found the recipe for these little custard biscuits, made simply with custard powder, I couldn't resist making them! They are sweet and crumbly, and because they are so small you don't have to feel bad about having more than one! And trust me, you'll want more than one!</div>
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The Ingredients:</div>
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Butter, icing sugar, plain flour, vanilla extract, and custard powder.</div>
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Put the butter (softened), icing sugar and vanilla extract into a bowl and cream together.</div>
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Add the flour and custard powder and mix well.</div>
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Put the mixture into a piping bag with a large star nozzle. (I love this contraption! It holds the piping bag so that the mixture can easily be spooned in. One of the best things I've ever got from Lakeland!) </div>
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Pipe the mixture in small amounts onto a lined baking tray, leaving a decent amount of space between each biscuit.</div>
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Add sprinkles (or any form of decoration, maybe sugar flowers) to the biscuit dough before baking and then place in the oven.</div>
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And there you have it. I made these with red, white, and blue sprinkles because I was feeling all patriotic! Enjoy with a cup of tea to be suitably British!</div>
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Kate</div>
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xxx</div>
Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-26004956264688158832012-09-17T14:34:00.001-07:002012-09-17T14:34:35.322-07:00A few recent things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A picture post of some of the things I've baked recently!</div>
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Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing and Milk, White, and Dark Chocolate Decoration</div>
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Poppyseed Plait </div>
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Mozzarella and Pesto Puff Pastry Tartlets</div>
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Malted Milk Whoopie Pies with Vanilla Cream</div>
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Mocha Madeleines </div>
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Orange and Almond Cake</div>
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Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing and Pearl Decorations</div>
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Bacon and Cheese Flan</div>
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Chocolate and Cherry Macaroon Slice</div>
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Miniature Lime Syrup Loaf Cakes</div>
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Vanilla Hearts</div>
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Classic Cherry Cake with Sugar Lumps</div>
<br />Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-4376375840029034902012-09-17T12:34:00.000-07:002012-09-17T12:34:09.300-07:00Chocolate Post #1I am a lover of chocolate and I'm not (too) ashamed to admit that fact! Therefore, I thought I would do a few posts that are all to do with different things I have recently made that all feature chocolate very heavily!<br />
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The first one is Chocolate and Raspberry Mousse with fresh raspberries. I made it on Sunday night for the first time and it was really rather good even if I do say so myself!<br />
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The Ingredients:<br />
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Dark chocolate, condensed milk, double cream, salt, raspberry liqueur, and raspberries.</div>
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Start by melting the chocolate in the microwave - be careful not to let it burn.</div>
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Pour the condensed milk and cream into another bowl, and add a pinch of salt.</div>
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Whisk the mixture until it thickens. The whisks should leave a ribbon when they are lifted out of the bowl, so don't over whisk!</div>
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To the cooled chocolate add a third of the cream/condensed milk mixture and stir it all together.</div>
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Then very carefully spoon the chocolate mixture (in at least 3 batches) back into the cream mixture and gently fold in.</div>
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Then add the liqueur and mix in gently. </div>
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Spoon the mixture into glasses (in this case three) and put in the fridge for about an hour.</div>
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When the mousse is ready to serve, whisk some more double cream for the top. I left it quite runny, just as personal choice!</div>
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Spoon some raspberries onto the top of the mousse.</div>
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Cover with the cream.</div>
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Then I finished them off with a bit of chocolate powder.</div>
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And there you have it, a beautifully sweet and boozy chocolate mousse!</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mBzIrnnBP9A/UFd3NkwFE6I/AAAAAAAAAtI/y-gkQyW6E2g/s1600/AAC2AE73-31EE-4C00-93B0-E2FA563E6E2E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mBzIrnnBP9A/UFd3NkwFE6I/AAAAAAAAAtI/y-gkQyW6E2g/s320/AAC2AE73-31EE-4C00-93B0-E2FA563E6E2E.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
An extremely tasty treat, and as I made it with Elmlea and light condensed milk, it was healthier than some things! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
As an aside, I am going to make sure my recipe page is up to date with all the things I've done posts on so far, so please consult it if you want to make anything!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Also, please follow me on twitter if you're interested in anything I'm doing and you'll get to know more about me! If you want to ask me anything/tell me anything then please do! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hope you keep reading!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
<br />Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-78722280383610644682012-09-13T14:30:00.001-07:002012-09-13T14:30:32.324-07:00Who needs posh macaroons?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When someone mentions the word macaroon these days, we automatically imagine the beautifully crafted and awfully expensive creations of the French, and yet by doing so we miss out on a whole range of other lovely treats that fall under the header macaroon.</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
Now if you don't like coconut you aren't going to like these at all I'm afraid! It is coconut, chocolate and cherry macaroon slice, and it is a wonderful chewy treat - perfect for lunch boxes as many cookbooks like to say!</div>
<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OdeTRBiqQLI/UFJLfI0RF1I/AAAAAAAAAlg/u_Nm9aHaQaU/s1600/2E0C120A-076A-40B9-A950-61B81AFB2D31.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OdeTRBiqQLI/UFJLfI0RF1I/AAAAAAAAAlg/u_Nm9aHaQaU/s320/2E0C120A-076A-40B9-A950-61B81AFB2D31.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Ingredients:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HR_nSlFLt0Y/UFJFOalL7sI/AAAAAAAAAfY/u34usA0tLsI/s1600/3C8FD951-A20D-4F8D-9697-729D3523E5AD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HR_nSlFLt0Y/UFJFOalL7sI/AAAAAAAAAfY/u34usA0tLsI/s320/3C8FD951-A20D-4F8D-9697-729D3523E5AD.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Egg whites, caster sugar, chocolate chips, glace cherries, coconut, and plain flour.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The first thing to do is separate the eggs - egg whites are crucial for the meringue of a macaroon but the yolks aren't needed - you could keep them for another recipe if you want though.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B03y8_VdsHM/UFJFOTdLDUI/AAAAAAAAAfY/IvkirN1h8gE/s1600/719A4288-6251-4020-BD23-851414F963E5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B03y8_VdsHM/UFJFOTdLDUI/AAAAAAAAAfY/IvkirN1h8gE/s320/719A4288-6251-4020-BD23-851414F963E5.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks have started to form and then gradually add the caster sugar, a little at a time.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Once all the sugar is whisked in (you should have a really silky smooth looking mixture that stands in stiff peaks), add the chocolate chips, coconut, cherries, and flour.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TVlNvwhXPkM/UFJFOeMti9I/AAAAAAAAAfY/grRk8uMfnIQ/s1600/F9D4ACFB-7280-4991-96E9-F95961BC57C0.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TVlNvwhXPkM/UFJFOeMti9I/AAAAAAAAAfY/grRk8uMfnIQ/s320/F9D4ACFB-7280-4991-96E9-F95961BC57C0.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Mix it all together so the mixture looks like it does below.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pkbmmnd_kjE/UFJFOegEPrI/AAAAAAAAAfY/hFOJ3Jy2gVM/s1600/5111BD0B-41AD-403C-B0FC-6EB980CF9008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pkbmmnd_kjE/UFJFOegEPrI/AAAAAAAAAfY/hFOJ3Jy2gVM/s320/5111BD0B-41AD-403C-B0FC-6EB980CF9008.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The tin required for this should be shallow and rectangular - a swiss roll tin is perfect. Make sure it is well-lined with baking parchment - leaving plenty over the sides so it can be removed easily.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NpfgvBz2M-0/UFJFOS_vaDI/AAAAAAAAAfY/2A6h7tQ3vnQ/s1600/169E9041-1113-4F06-8668-215FDC829CCF.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NpfgvBz2M-0/UFJFOS_vaDI/AAAAAAAAAfY/2A6h7tQ3vnQ/s320/169E9041-1113-4F06-8668-215FDC829CCF.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Cook in the oven and remove when it is starting to brown.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
When it is cold, melt some more chocolate and drizzle it over the top.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UsdMKKSe_QM/UFJFOb7_pfI/AAAAAAAAAfY/qATp_hOjeRo/s1600/DF196742-A4EA-404E-BC29-2B4B4A3641FD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UsdMKKSe_QM/UFJFOb7_pfI/AAAAAAAAAfY/qATp_hOjeRo/s320/DF196742-A4EA-404E-BC29-2B4B4A3641FD.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Cut into pieces, serve, and enjoy!</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AVhDJ-t4WLA/UFJLfPjwT9I/AAAAAAAAAlg/LR5s-ecLi2k/s1600/20665332-4825-4640-9F24-D4CE6F806253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AVhDJ-t4WLA/UFJLfPjwT9I/AAAAAAAAAlg/LR5s-ecLi2k/s320/20665332-4825-4640-9F24-D4CE6F806253.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kXE5iZv-q9U/UFJLfPnZ-LI/AAAAAAAAAlg/IDG45h3TVXI/s1600/FC0731A2-A0C9-4033-8155-45F44760ED32.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kXE5iZv-q9U/UFJLfPnZ-LI/AAAAAAAAAlg/IDG45h3TVXI/s320/FC0731A2-A0C9-4033-8155-45F44760ED32.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-10009476090222615402012-09-13T13:26:00.000-07:002012-09-13T13:38:16.314-07:00Ginger and Lemon - a perfect combination<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I’ve been away from my
blog for quite a while now, so I thought I had better get back on top of
writing posts! I seem to have been busy but I’m not entirely sure what I’ve
been up to! There is still work to do at my mum’s business premises so that has
kept me occupied (my dad caused a flood last weekend, which needed to be sorted
out!), and more importantly my lovely and beautiful friend Rach (finally)
returned from the Dominican Republic and so she has been keeping me busy what
with trips to Weatherspoons and a wedding (lots of fun!) – I can’t complain I
suppose! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Now I realise I
started this blog in order to report on my progress in setting up my own
business but as there is nothing currently to report I shall carry on with a
few more posts on some of my new/favourite baked items! As soon as something is
going on (which fingers crossed will be the case very, very soon!) you
wonderful readers will be the first to know!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">So, on with the cake…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">My mum is a massive
fan of anything that involves ginger and therefore one of her favourites is the
cake in this post – sticky ginger cake with lemon icing. It is a beautifully
dark and rich cake that is complemented perfectly by the cool, citrus icing
that covers it. It is perfect with a cup of tea on a horribly cold day! </span></div>
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</div>
<br />
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<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Ingredients:</div>
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Butter, brown sugar, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, treacle, golden syrup, eggs, milk, bicarbonate of soda, and plain flour</div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Put the butter, sugar,
golden syrup, treacle, ginger, and cinnamon into a large bowl and place in the
microwave to melt it all together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
In a separate bowl
beat the eggs, and then to them, add the milk and the bicarbonate of soda
dissolved in water. Pour this mixture into the melted butter mixture.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Next add the flour and
combine thoroughly.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Once again I am using
a trusty rectangular silicone mould, which doesn’t need greasing or lining, and
the mixture can simply be poured in.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Cook in the oven at 180 degrees centigrade for around 45 minutes to an hour, and then leave to cool before icing.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
The icing is a simple mixture of icing sugar, lemon juice and water. It needs to be fairly thick so it can be spread over the top of the cake.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
And there is the finished product (also shown at the start), all ready to eat and enjoy!</div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hopefully people will come back and read my posts again! Sorry for being away! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-27137793564454975802012-08-21T04:34:00.000-07:002012-08-21T04:34:07.344-07:00A brilliant breakfast treat!If you've been keeping up with my blog you might have noticed that I have quite a sweet tooth! A lot of my posts so far have involved cakes and biscuits! Well I do in fact also make savoury items (see also my previous post on bread) and I thought I would share with you one of my favourites!<br />
<br />
Bacon and Cornmeal Muffins - one word: yummy!<br />
<br />
The Ingredients:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Cornmeal, bacon, butter (melted), baking powder, salt, eggs, caster sugar, plain flour, and milk.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I suggest the first thing you do is cook the bacon. I have a rather trusty George Foreman, which gets used for these sorts of things! Obviously a frying pan or standard grill works just as well! Once it is cooked leave it to cool and start with the muffins.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In a bowl put the cornmeal, plain flour, caster sugar, salt, and baking powder, and mix everything together.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
In a seperate bowl (although I used a mug!) measure out the milk and add to it the melted butter and the eggs.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and combine thouroughly.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Chop up the now cooled bacon into small pieces and add to the muffin mixture.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Spoon the mixture into prepared muffin tins and cook in the oven</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I foolishly forgot to take a picture of the finished product! When cooked they are beautiful golden muffins that are an excellent breakfast treat! Serve warm and spread with butter for absolute perfection!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
xxx</div>
Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-91857742631842687442012-08-14T02:37:00.000-07:002012-08-14T02:37:18.901-07:00Nothing beats fresh breadI have the Women's institute to thank for my love of bread making. Up until last summer I had never made bread in my life - not kidding! It seemed such a daunting thing to do! But then in August I went to the WI cookery school at Denman College in Oxford, and realised that bread is not a thing to be scared of! Our lovely tutor Sue gave us an amazing recipe for cheese tear and share rolls, and ever since making them, I have been on the look out for bread recipes that are both easy and quick, but also taste gorgeous!<br />
<br />
This post contains two different types of bread, both simple and exceptionally tasty!<br />
<br />
The first is Pesto and Olive Soda bread. I love soda bread because it is such a cheat bread! No yeast or proving involved! A recommendation for anyone who wants fresh bread without it taking too much time. I love this recipe because it takes a standard soda loaf and gives it some extra pizzazz!<br />
<br />
The Ingredients:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
White bread flour, Wholemeal bread flour, Bicarbonate of Soda, Salt, Buttermilk, Pesto, and Black olives.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Into a large bowl sieve the white flour, then the wholemeal flour (adding back any bran from the sieve), then add the bicarbonate of soda and the salt.</div>
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Measure out the buttermilk and add the pesto to it.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients.</div>
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Chop the olives into fairly small pieces and add to the rest of the ingredients.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Mix everything into a dough and knead into a round. Cut a fairly deep cross into the top of the loaf and place in the oven to bake for 30 to 35 minutes.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
And voila! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The end result is a crusty, sumptuous loaf that you will not be able to resist! Plus it hardly took any time at all!</div>
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<br />
<br />
The second is a White Seeded Loaf. While it does require time it isn't difficult!<br />
<br />
The Ingredients:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
White bread flour, yeast, salt, sugar, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower oil, and hot water. (Also milk and extra seeds for the top.)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Combine the flour, sugar, salt, yeast and seeds in a large bowl.</div>
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Make a well in the centre and add the oil and water.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Mix it to a soft dough - it might be quite sticky so have extra flour on hand. Knead the dough for around 10 minutes, until it is smooth. Place in an oiled bag (e.g. a ziploc) and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in size (around an hour).</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Once the dough has risen, knead it again to knock out the air, then shape into a round and place on a lined/greased baking sheet. Using a sharp knife cut three deep lines across the top of the dough.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Then cover the dough (a tea towel is a good thing to use) and leave to rise again for about another hour, until it has doubled in size once more.</div>
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Brush the top of the dough with milk and scatter the extra seeds over the top, then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden. Once out of the oven allow to cool.</div>
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And there is the second loaf. Beautiful, soft white bread with crunchy seeds. Perfect toasted too!</div>
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So there you have two lovely loaves! Bread is nothing to be scared of so why not try making some even if it isn't something you would normally do!</div>
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Loving everyone's support so far, thank you very much! Hope you all keep reading and enjoying!</div>
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Kate </div>
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xxx</div>
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P.S. I promise I will get recipes up on the recipe page very soon! </div>
Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-41065886356696129182012-08-12T16:39:00.001-07:002012-08-12T16:39:23.428-07:00Summer's Here!Well, maybe not in weather form, depending on where you are in the world, but it is in cake form! Even if it is absolutely chucking it down outside the cake in this post will cheer up any dull day! So, if you are curled up on the sofa inside, this cake will make everything seem better!<br />
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The cake in question is an orange cake - a soft, subtle sponge, sandwiched together with buttercream, and finished off with icing and orange zest. Upon finding this recipe in one of my many cookbooks I was instantly struck with the urge to make it! It is truly beautiful and (oddly enough for cake) extremely refreshing.<br />
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So if the rain is getting you down, create your own sunshine and make this beautiful orange cake!<br />
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The Ingredients:<br />
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Butter, golden caster sugar, plain flour, eggs, and oranges. (Plus some icing sugar for later on.)</div>
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Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add the zest of one orange and mix together.</div>
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Next add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. </div>
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Finally, carefully fold in the flour - don't over-mix!</div>
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Spoon the mixture into prepared round cake tins (once again I am showing my love for all things silicone!) and make them as even as possible - no one wants a lopsided cake!</div>
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Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until nice and golden, and then leave to cool slightly before removing from the tins and allowing them to cool completely.</div>
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When the cakes are cold, make up the buttercream. Whisk together butter and icing sugar, and then add orange zest (half an orange) and 15ml of orange juice - you want the buttercream to remain fairly thick.</div>
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Spread the butter cream over the lower half of the cake...</div>
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...and sandwich the two halves together.</div>
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Then make up the icing for the top of the cake by mixing orange juice with icing sugar.</div>
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The icing should be thick but still runny so it can be poured over the cake and able to run off down the sides.</div>
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Once the icing is on, finish the cake off with some freshly grated orange zest and there you have it!</div>
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Doesn't it just make you want to smile and think thoughts of sunny days! </div>
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As a bit of a tip, I keep this cake in the fridge. It makes it into more of a gateau and becomes a perfect pudding because it is so refreshing!<br />
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Hope you keep reading!<br />
<br />
Kate<br />
xxx</div>
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<br />Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1431123114299828696.post-44124256011937146932012-08-09T01:46:00.000-07:002012-08-09T01:46:05.370-07:00Roses are Red...well in this case they are pink!It has been a little while since my last post - things have been rather hectic in the Appleby household over the last few weeks! My mother also owns her own business and has been moving premises after ten years in the same place and her new premises have taken quite a lot of work to get into a decent shape and there is still work to do! As a result I have been busy with a paintbrush and a screwdriver! Thank god I'm not trying to sort my premises out at the same time! Anyway, here is the first post of the new month and hopefully I will have more time to go back to regular posts!<br />
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I am a complete and utter girly girl! My favourite colour is pink, I love soppy romantic books and films, I think life should resemble a Disney movie, and shoes are my downfall! I am a walking, talking cliche basically! If I can find a reason for something to be girly-fied then it has to be done!<br />
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From cases for my electrical gadgets to my nail varnish you'll find it is pink, glittery, flowery, or all three! Therefore, if I can make my baking pink, it will happen! When I stumbled upon these beauties, I couldn't resist making them straight away! Therefore, I give you Rose Biscuits. They take time and patience but are so worth it because the end result is a beautiful crumbly biscuit with delicately sweet icing.<br />
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The Ingredients:<br />
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Butter, golden caster sugar (although I actually had to use normal caster sugar as I ran out!), rose water, plain flour, an egg, baking powder, and a pinch of salt.</div>
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Cream together the butter and caster sugar.</div>
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Add to this mixture the egg and the rose water and combine thoroughly.</div>
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Gently mix in the flour, baking powder, and pinch of salt and form a dough. If it appears to be too sticky to roll out add a small amount of extra flour.</div>
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Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge to chill for one hour.</div>
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When the dough is ready to be used, get out your boards, rolling pins, and a round cutter of about 5.5cm.</div>
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Make sure the surface is well floured as this is quite a soft dough to begin with, and roll the dough out to the thickness of 5mm.</div>
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Cut out as many disks as you can from the dough, constantly gathering and re-rolling the dough.</div>
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Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, until they are crisp and golden.</div>
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When they are cooled mix up the icing using icing sugar, hot water, rose water, and pink food colouring.</div>
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Sandwich the disks together with the icing and then use it to decorate the top. Finish each biscuit with a piece of crystalised rose (or another decoration if you prefer).</div>
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And there you go - beautiful and delicate biscuits that go perfectly with a cup of tea.</div>
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Hope you enjoyed this post!</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Kate</div>
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xxx</div>Delicious Decadencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12207197242231098985noreply@blogger.com0