The best Battenberg cake - an English classic cake of fluffy checked sponge, sandwiched together with raspberry jam and wrapped in thick almond marzipan. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought it would be more suitable to colour the sponges white and red, finishing with raspberry jam to match the occasion. You can, of course, use apricot jam which is the classic addition. Being a pastry chef in various ...
Read More
This vegan kumquat layered cake is sandwiched with layers of fluffy vanilla buttercream and garnished with dried kumquat slices! It's light, super flavorful, and sure to impress. I spotted some fresh kumquats at my local fruit and vegetable market last week and immediately knew I wanted to use them to decorate a cake! I had this vision of a layered cake with kumquat slices travelling up the side, almost like a ...
Read More
These red velvet cupcakes are a super moist Valentine’s Day must. They are super easy to make and they are topped with a creamy and decadent cream cheese frosting. Let me tell you that I worked like a crazy person to perfect these and finally I nailed it! The cake itself is so fluffy and moist and the cream cheese frosting is the creamiest I have tried yet. There was ...
Read More
I don’t think Christmas is really here until I make my annual chocolate Yule log. People are very often overwhelmed by the process but it is just another fun project with a few steps and rules away from success. This year I thought I will make a twist on the classic and create a black forest Yule log with chocolate sponge, boozy white chocolate whipping ganache(it’s Christmas right?!), amarena cherries ...
Read More
I have eaten a lot of cake in my life (as you can imagine) but carrot cake is still my favourite of all! No other cake has the moisture and delicate flavour of a carrot cake and when you combine it with vanilla cream cheese frosting you really have yourself a crowd pleaser (If you do want to share it with anyone!). As much as I love a good carrot ...
Read More
Cooking and baking had a special place in my heart from a very young age. I always looked through magazines to find special recipes to experiment with. One of the first ever (successful) desserts that I ever made was banoffee pie. My mind was absolutely blown with the fact that you could boil condensed milk for hours and get caramel! As you know by now I love taking classic desserts ...
Read More
As far as desserts go this is a weird one and one you have probably never come across before unless you are well...Greek! Portokalopita is undoubtedly one of my favourite Greek desserts so I knew that it should definitely have a place in my blog. Portokali means orange in Greek and while is not really a pie the addition of phyllo gives it its name. Portokalopita is a deliciously different ...
Read More
I will be the first one to admit that I am no vegan or gluten free! But being in the hospitality industry has meant that it is my responsibility to always try and come up with treats that are accessible to everyone. This banana cake is available every day at our breakfast buffet where I currently work and I can tell you it is a hit! Not only is it ...
Read More
I first made madeleines very early in my career, perhaps 8 or 9 year ago! (God I am old!). Some might say they are tricky but don’t worry with my help , you are just a few steps away from pillowy, soft, scalloped shell looking teacakes. There is a debate whether madeleines are cookies or tiny cakes, but their light and delicate texture definitely categorizes them as cakes. In this ...
Read More
I have very mixed fillings about spending my birthday at home during the lockdown. On one hand I am incredibly grateful that I get to be safe at home with my other half, enjoying my day with my favourite take away and movies!(Animated ones mainly). On the other hand I normally spend my day being completely spoiled, starting with a Michelin star lunch where I would normally get a cheeky ...
Read More