The Perfect Tea

 Buongiorno bakers, I think I should start by saying Ciao as right now I am in ITALIA!!! & it’s not just a holiday i’m on either. I’m here to stay for 5 months on an exchange programme which only means one thing…… a lot of italian food to come! (you can also follow my journey at casaalmare.me 😉 ) So before I headed off, as a final goodbye to my family and family friends, we hosted at tea party at our house. I was prepping all week to ensure that everything was just perfect and it couldn’t have gone any better. I decided to bake 5 items for the table which were: apple, cinnamon muffins, a banana coconut loaf, melting moments ;), hedgehog slice and the star of the show- my rhubarb, walnut, white chocolate crumble cake (deep breath). Alongside the bakes on the table was a vibrant seasonal fruit platter, a platter of vegetables, dips, salmon, bagels and other little condiments. Oh and I almost forgot there was a giant tub of Neapolitan ice-cream (with cones) which the kids absolutely lapped up! 

As I decided to bake soooo much I thought it would be too long to put all the recipes and instructions in this one post. I will post the recipes on the blog all in good time but today I will just be sharing the pictures and memories, as well as some tips on what I believe makes up the perfect afternoon tea 🙂

It took a lot of time and thought on designing the menu for the afternoon and even though it was really nothing fancy I enjoyed putting the effort in and seeing great results.

I just knew I would be making my very trusted muffin recipe and I thought the combination of apple and cinnamon would be exciting to have. They looked amazing all stacked up and dressed in there oh so cute muffin cases!

Now moving on to the banana, coconut loaf- another interesting combination but it’s rich flavour and moist inside was heavenly. I decorated the loaf with raisins and banana’s and if I do say so myself: it looked sensational!

 So moving on to the biscuits… melting moments of course. This time I cut them into abstract shapes decorated them playfully for a touch of silliness. 

Hedgehog slice was such a hit with the chocolate fanatics. They were fudgey and delicious and looked very inviting sprinkled with coconut and scattered on top of each other.

For the centre piece and my personal favourite I baked a (big breath) white chocolate, walnut, rhubarb, crumble cake! It was so yummmyyy I could eat it all day every day and it was definitely the guests favourite of the afternoon.

My top 3 tips for a successful tea party would be:

1. Play around with interesting, tasty flavour combinations to keep the experience exciting and not just the boring, old traditional treats.
2. Try and make a variety of sweets, so that all your guests will be satisfied whether they are chocoholics, nutty for nuts, fruit fanatics, cake eaters, biscuit munchers, loaf lovers, silly about slice or mad about muffins!
3. Finally make everything as colourful and vivid as possible. Remember we eat with our eyes so make it as ravenous as you possibly can.Go wild with your decorations and have fun!

So there you have it, the recipe to my perfect tea. I must say the food was so spectacular however just being surrounded by my loved ones is what made the day so special. I hope this was helpful for any of you out there planning a relaxed and delicious party in the future.

Love, Suz 🙂 ❤

Grannys famous chocolate cake

So again this week i just had an itch to bake. The whole week just revolved around me really, and i mean really wanting to bake. So when thursday afternoon came and i had finished my math test and had no homework it was the perfect opportunity 🙂 YAY finally. So i didn’t have to think about it, i just knew i wanted to make a simple 2 layer chocolate cake! Yummie in my tummie 🙂

And what better cake to make then my grannies famous chocolate cake, adored by my family and friends.  Easy to make and even easier to eat, trust me i know.

First beat the egg whites until stiff with 1 teaspoon baking powder.

Then in a sperate bowl beat the yolks and boiling water until light and fluffy.

Sift the dry ingredients and add it to the egg yolk.

Then add oil and beat very well :0

Fold in whites and mix by hand

 

 

 

 

 

 

And all thats left is to grease a baking tin and bake the for approximately 30 minutes on 180 degrees.

Then take it out and leave it 2 cool before icing.

Oh and how could i forget the best, and in my opinion the most important step? you have to lick the bowl!

Now to stick the 2 layers together, Yay the fun part, so you have to put a thick layer jam (i prefer strawberry) on both sides. And then take one side and put it on top of the other. Waala

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

5 eggs

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 oil

1 cup self raising flour

1 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

3 table spoons coco

 Now for the icing. delicious and dairy free.

250 grams icing sugar     –    250 grams margarine   –    4 table spoons cocoa

Beat all ingredients until there are no lumps and ice the cake to your delite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have fun and enjoy,

Lots of love

Sandy

 x

 

Classic Chocolate Cake

Today’s post: The Classic Chocolate cake. Occasion: A Birthday of course! Yesterday my family and I celebrated Dad’s Birthday with chocolate… lots and lots of chocolate. But the best chocolatey treat to delight our taste buds was this simple and sensational cake! Decorated just the way I like it (with even more chocolate)!

Preheat the fan forced oven to 180 degrees, grease a bundt cake tin with some butter and then we’re ready to get started!

For the cake mix combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, milk, butter and the egg. Then beat with an electric mixer until all the ingredients are well blended. Then pour mixture into the cake tin and bake for 30 minutes.

Now that your cake is baking away in the oven why not get started on your chocolate butter cream? Bring water in a pot to the boil. Then place Cadbury baking chocolate (milk, dark, white- whatever you want!) in a heat proof bowl and pace on top of the pot allowing the chocolate to melt but not burn. 

Once you have your smooth melted chocolate to the perfect consistency, take it off the heat and allow to cool slightly. Then add milk, butter and vanilla extract and To da! Your Icing is complete Just place in the fridge now whilst your cake finishes to cook.

Finally it’s time to take out your beautiful cake. But before the real fun (decorating) begins you’ll have to wait at least 30 minutes whilst your cake cools. 

When your cake is cool take it out of the mould and take the icing out of the fridge. 

Now is the time to get really creative! You can play around with your designs and your equipment. To make my super birthday cake I used piping bags, a black icing pen, some silver sugar balls and topped it off with some colourful birthday candles!

Ingredients (makes one big family cake):

Cake:

• 1.5 cups of Self Raising Flour.
• 1 cup of sugar.
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder.
• 60ml milk.
• 0.5 cup of melted butter.
• 1 egg.

Icing:

• 220g Cadbury Baking chocolate (of your choice).
• 60 ml milk.
• 2 tbsp butter.
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract.

And there you have it! A Classic chocolate cake enjoyed with the whole family, something a little special for a memorable occasion. 

Love, Suz xx

Easy Peasy Pancakes

This whole week i was just craving pancakes. I was craving them so much that all i felt like eating was those tasty beauties. So what better to do then have a bunch of friends over Saturday night and fry up some super sensational pancakes? Yummo!

And if your friends don’t like to wait don’t fret! All you need is this easy peasy pancake recipe. And this radical recipe is as easy as can be. All you need is One egg, One cup milk and One cup flour.

Mix the flour, egg and milk together and Cook them in a pan and that’s all there’s to it

This recipe is just the basic recipe but feel free to add in little treats like, chocolate chips (my personal favourite addition) also banana slices and sprinkle’s  are also perfect for a colourful surprise.

Spreads and things to go on top ,

Nutella (of course)

penut butter (yummbo)

maple syrup 

Ice cream 

Or really just any of your personal favourites 

Go crazy, get creative and enjoy

Sandy