Sherry and Cherry cake

Another of Dan Lepards cakes.  Anyone would think he was paying me.  This is a sherry and cherry cake only without the sherry.  Very nice and moist.  Shame the sugar on top just sank in so no crunchy topping.

Marbled chocolate crumble cake

I finally got round to trying one of Dan Lepard's sweet recipes.  Once again an easy to make recipe which tasted pretty good too.  Although I must admit we ate this still hot from the oven, so I have to assume it tastes as good cold (but I guess the chunks of dark chocolate wouldn't still be melted then).  This cake would make a wonderful hot pud with ice cream.  

Cinnamon and raisin loaf

I've been at it again making bread, this time Dan Lepard's cinnamon and raisin loaf.  I just can't help myself his recipes are so easy.  This bread came out so well.  Smells amazing and tastes pretty good too.  This is the sort of thing I would be proud to give people as a present.

Gingerbread Traybake

Back to Mary Berry's traditional cakes this week.  A gingerbread traybake with crystallized ginger in the icing.  A good, tasty, filling cake.

Spelt and ale loaf

I seem to be working my way through Dan Lepards breads at the moment.  Today's is his spelt and ale loaf which worked very well although it was stickier that his other recipes on the last knead.  The ale doesn't come through too strong and it was a lovely soft bread.

I really must move on to some of his sweet treats.

Honey wholemeal cake

And finished with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's honey wholemeal cake, which was super easy to make, but it hasn't sunk.  No that is me not reading the instructions which suggest you leave the cake to cool in the tin for a little bit and then remove it, rather than trying to flip it over with a fish slice while still steaming.  Still it tasted wonderful while still hot; it would make a good hot pudding with custard.

Wholemeal loaf

This weekend turned into a bit of a wholemeal celebration.  It started with this lovely wholemeal loaf from Dan Lepard (he really is a bread god).  It was easy to make and tastes so much better than the wholemeal bread you get in the shop.

Lemon curd marble muffins

For Christmas I didn't just get Dan's book, I also got River Cottage Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.  But I hadn't had a chance to try anything out until now.  I decided to have another attempt at muffins, in this case lemon curd marble muffins, and although they haven't come out as the biggest muffins ever they have risen and they haven't flattened and I am very pleased.  

Banana caramel cream pie

Rather than spend way too much on average food for Valentines night we decided to stay home and make ourselves a special meal.  We agrees that while I would be in charge of the main, 'im outdoors would do pud. He chose Dan Lepard's banana caramel cream pie which we both really enjoyed.  I think it tasted like banana fitters.  Thanks love.

Carrot soup and white bread

Home made white loaf (Dan's recipe again) with home made carrot soup using home grown carrots, onions and garlic (made and frozen last summer).  Doesn't get any better than that for lunch on a cold snowy day.

Coconut Cubes

This week I've made Coconut Cubes.  They consist of a lemon sponge with raspberry jam spread on top which is then covered in desiccated coconut and decorated with a half cherry.  A very tasty moist cake from the Gorgeous Cakes recipe book by Annie Bell.  Her recipes really are gorgeous although some of them are a little too fussy with the decoration for my liking - I can't be doing the glitter on something I'm going to eat.  

Flapjacks

This week I've made flapjacks.  These are great for when I'm really busy, which is going to be more often now as I start my next Open University module in a couple of weeks time.  They are so simple to put together - you just melt everything together in a saucepan then bake in the oven for 25 minutes.  The best bit is you can freeze them so I've made a large batch now and then for the week when I have an assignment to write these just need to de-frost and they are ready to go.  The recipe was given to me by a lady I used to work with, thanks Hilde. 

Victoria sponge

It is my birthday this week and as is tradition baked a cake to take into work with me.  

So often these cakes are chocolate monsters, so I decided mine should be a nice light Victoria Sponge filled with raspberry jam and butter icing.  This is one of the easiest cakes that I know how to make and always gives a good result.  If work don't like it, then I know someone who will.  

White bread

After the success of last weeks double cheese and chive bread, I thought I'd have a go at a simple white loaf, which is the same recipe just without the cheese and chives.  Once again it worked like a dream.  Dan Lepard really is a bread god.  I wonder what his cakes will be like?

Double cheese and chive loaf

I've tried making bread before and never really had a satisfactory out come.  But for Christmas I received Dan Lepard's Short and Sweet, the best of home baking, and thought I should have another go.  Dan says its all about the length of time you leave it to rise, not about the kneading, so I had a go at this double cheese and chive loaf and was very pleased at the results.  

The last couple of loafs I made were sticky right up to the end and were hard and didn't taste so good.  This time I had a loaf that had stopped being sticky after the first knead and is soft and full of air.  And not only that it was so easy to make.  I'm really looking forward to trying his other recipes.