Mince pie pop tarts

As a kid we had family friends that were American, and in the 90's that was worlds apart for irish country bumpkins.

One of the good things that came out of that friendship was all the naughty food habits they had.

American fluffy pancakes, cookies as big as your head all of which they made themselves. But the one fatty treat that was shop bought was the one and only pop tarts...

I can even remember an episode of the Simpsons, where Homer wanted to stack on the weight so he used pop tarts instead of slices of bread!!!! You knew they had to be devilishly delishious. In truth they were kinda crap but i still loved the idea of them.

So for my festive contribution this year i have come up with none other than the mince pie pop tart. Extremely easy to make and unbelievably tasty, once you use quality ingredients. I bought all my ingredients in Aldi as i food shop there every week and i think its hard to beat them on quality and value.

For this recipe you will need:

1 pack of shortcrust pastry 

(For my recipe for shortcrust pastry search perfect pastry)

1 jar of specially selected brandy infused luxury mincemeat

1 medium sized cooking apple (from our orchard garden)

1 egg

Sprinkle of sugar

Pre heat your oven to 200'c

Unroll the pastry on a large baking try keeping the paper under the pastry

With a pizza cutter divide the pastry into 8 even sections

Peal and slice the apple then evenly place the apple onto the centre of 4 of the pastry sections

Next dollop a generous tablespoon of the minc pie filling onto the top of the apple

Now its time to put the lids on our mince pie pop tarts

Uses a fork to crimp the edges of the pop tarts then wash with the whisked egg

Sprinkle generously with sugar then whack them in the oven for 20 minutes 

After 20 minutes as you can see the pop tarts are a gorgeous golden colour, the apple as cooked to perfection. And the pairing of the mincemeat and the apple in a match made in heaven...

Jar cake

I'm By some miracle I had a whole layer of vanilla bean cake left over from my cake orders at the weekend. 

I don't know who was more excited me or my little girls, you see they see these cakes been created and delivered every week but rarely get a bite..

With a whole layer of cake at our disposal the possibilities of endless (well kinda endless depends how enthusiastic the creature is ha)

So while making the girls their dinner and stirring in mad spices into my world famous chilli (fact) I decided that jar cake was to be the cakes destiny....

For this recipe you will need:

Sponge cake

Glenisk fromage frais

Raspberries {I used frozen for the chill factor}

A jar

Pastry cutters 

So begin by getting your jar of choice and measuring a pastry cutter against the rim. It should be slightly smaller than the jar so the cake can slide down to the bottom with ease.

I started layering with the sponge first then a big dollop of the fromage frais (I used the fromage frais for this recipe because of its light taste.)

 In a truly indulgent world id use cream cheese frosting but actually the fromage frais is a perfect combo with the fruit and sponge and a lot kinder on your waist line.

Then add a layer of raspberries and begin the process all over again until the last layer is a ruby red crown of raspberries sitting high out of the jar..

For fun we jazzed it up by alternating layers of iceburgers in the jar which was also a hit...

Enjoy 

Rebecca x 

Blueberry bread

Here is a bread that is perfect for keeping you in the straight & narrow during the week.

To make this healthy bread fun Iv added Glenisks organic Blueberry Greek style yogurt in place of plain Greek style 

yogurt.

For this recipe you will need:

2 cups of ground almonds

1/2 cup of flaxseed

1 cup of Glenisk blueberry yogurt

2 tablespoons of melted vita coco coconut oil 

1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

2 eggs 

Pumpkin seeds

Pre beat your oven to 180'C

Begin by combining all your wet ingredients In one bowl. 

The vivid purple from the yogurt would be fantastic if it stayed in the baked loaf but it will disappear once out of the oven. 

Next combine all the dry ingredients in another bowl.

Using a spatula fold the wet & dry ingredients together then pop in a lined loaf tin.

Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and bake for approx 30 mins. 

Once the buzzer goes on your oven test your bread with a tooth pic, if it comes out clean & feels light when lifted you are ready to rock...

I love this bread toasted with a sneaky spread of real butter or a tasty dollop of peanut butter..

Enjoy

Rebecca x

When only ice cream will do

Well we are in full swing of birthday season in our house. Both are "Childers" are born on the 11th, Lottie in May and Lillie-B in june. 

Iv to bring my A game big style as these kids watch me make cakes for clients every week. So you know yourself I couldn't present them with a Vicky sponge and think I'd get away with it...

This year I made lottie a giant doughnut cake filled with jam as she just loves doughnuts 

Then this week was Lillie-Bs big day and I kept asking her what cake she desired and to my horror she kept requesting the most random cakes. So my creative license took over and I made what she loves more that's princess dresses ICECREAM!!!

Here is the recipe for this Willy Wonka style cake

For this recipe you will need:

1 litre of vanilla ICECREAM

1 litre of chocolate ICECREAM 

16 kitkat style bars

1 pack of double choc Oreos 

1 packs of smarties 

1 7" cake pan

Let's begin, before you start these steps take the lids off the icecreams and let them melt a tad

 line your cake pan with baking parchment at the bottom and on the sides

Then line the inside of the cake pan with the bars making sure they stack side by side

Next bash up 7 or 8 Oreos with a little sprinkle of water and press down on the base of the pan. It doesn't need to completely cover the base Iv added this layer as an added bonus to the bite

Scoop out the chocolate icecream with a spatula and spread it evenly in the cake pan then pop in the freezer for 10 minutes

Now scoop out the vanilla icecream and spread on top of the chocolate icecream. This amount of icecream should level off perfectly with the top of the kitkat bars

Lastly decorate with the remaining Oreos and smarties. Feel free to add any of your favourite sweeties..

Enjoy

Rebecca x

Millionaires shortbread

These are the perfect companion if you are out and about this Easter, wrap them up in baking parchment and tie with some ribbon.....

or just scoff in front of the tv either way their delish.

For this recipe you will need:

Shortbread:

1 cup of plain flour

3 teaspoons of corn flour

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup of packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup of butter (I used slightly softened butter & it turned out perfect)

1 tablespoon of really cold water 

1 egg yolk

Gooey caramel:

 1 can of condensed milk

1/3 cup of real butter

2 tablespoons of golden syrup

1/2 cup of light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Luscious ganache:

1 2/3 cups of chocolate (I used a mix of 70% & milk)

1/3 cup of fresh cream

Start by pre heating your oven to 160'c. Then in either your food mixer or by hand mix all the dry ingredients of the shortbread together making sure there are no lumpy bits left. 

Next add in your butter and whizz together until it resembles a fine crumb, then lastly add in the water and egg yolk and watch the shortbread dough come together.

I used a 1lb loaf tin lined generously with baking parchment and I found the back of measuring cup when floured was the perfect tool for patting down the dough,

Bake the shortbread for approx 22mins

While the shortbread is in the oven get cracking with the caramel. Now this caramel differs from the salted caramel on my blog as I find this one sets so much better whilst the other stays runny (perfect for drizzling on anything).

In a medium sized pan on a medium heat add in all your caramel ingredients and stir stir stir until the butter has melted and the brown sugar has dissolved. Once both those ingredients have accomplished that place a sugar thermometer in the pan. 

Carefully increase the heat all the while been on the ball that the mixture does not burn on the bottom.

Keep stirring the mixture as it thickens then take off the heat once it reaches 205'c, then set aside.

I let the shortbread cool for 15mins or so before I poured on the caramel, I then popped the loaf tin in the fridge to set for 20mins.

The last step of the recipe is making the ganache, you can either make this in a Bain Marie or in the microwave at 30 second intervals. I opted for the latter.

Pop both ingredients in a microwave friendly bowl and blast away I only did two to three goes stirring really well in between blasts.

Take the loaf tin out of the fridge and pour on the ganache then spread out evenly (I used a pallet knife).

And as it's Easter I adorned my millionaires shortbread with mini eggs & malteesers then popped it all back in the fridge over night. 

If you do add the mini eggs & malteesers be mindful that it can be tricky to cut the shortbread into uniform slices but as I was cutting them in cubes it worked out perfect...

Enjoy

Rebecca x

My raspberry pinwheels

Sometimes you got alive dangerously, I read a fabulous quote the other day from Richard Gere and you know what they are words to live by.

So as a result my raspberry pinwheels came to life.

For this recipe you will need:

1 sheet of puff pastry (I have a recipe for my own puff pastry on my blog and it's super easy and divine)

1/2 a pack of cream cheese

1/3 cup of caster sugar

16 raspberries the bigger the better

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Icing sugar to dust

Begin by pre heating you oven to 220'c

Unravel your puff pastry and cut four even squares out of it using a pizza cutter, the cutter makes this a speedy job.

Then on the corners of the squares cut the pastry 1/4 of the way in. Put the pastry aside and get stuck in with your filling.

Mix the cream cheese well to achieve a smooth consistency then one by one add in the vanilla, sugar and lemon juice. 

To each pastry square add a dollop of the cream cheese in the centre then slightly spread out.

Add four raspberries to each square then taking a corner of each of the pastry squares turn it in to the centre, pressing it gently onto the cream cheese which will act like a glue!!!!!

Once all the squares have been fiiled dust generously with icing sugar and pop in the oven.

Bake for 20-25 mins you want to achieve I rich colour on the pastry to ensure it is fully cooked all the way through as the cream cheese will add alot of moisture to the centre...

When fully baked and slightly cooled dust again with icing sugar and detour with a hot cup of tea!!!

Yum

Enjoy

Chocolate in the morning

Chocolate in the morning I hear you say how naughty.....it's true I had chocolate for brekky this morning but hear me out, I was still playing by my mid week rules with this smoothie.

Instead of cocoa powder I used unsweetened cocao powder.....results DELICIOUS 

For this recipe you will need:

2 blackened bananas

1 cup of crunchy peanut butter

1 cup of almond milk (I used unsweetened)

3 teaspoons of cocao powder

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (don't even think about the essence Crap)

1 scoop of cookie dough protein powder (optional)

This is so simple. In your blender pop everything in and whizz away. This makes the perfect portion for one but if you have company just double the dose of goodness...

Enjoy

Rebecca x

Not so spongey bread

Here is a lovely alternative to a normal loaf of bread, unfortunately for me I have an intolerance to wheat. How hilarious is that when all I fantasise about is cakes and bakes and everything in between...

So I said to myself, Bec try stay away from wheat during the week and sure if you HAVE to eat cake 

(for the blog of course it's always for the blog) maybe keep it to a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

This bread recipe took a few attempts to master as the ratios had to be spot on to eliminate that shocking spongeness that comes with gluten free breads. It's fab toasted or not so toasted ha!!!!

For this recipe you will need:

1 1/2 cups of ground almond

1 cup of ground flaxseed

1 cup of high protein yogurt (I used Glenisk high protein yogurt or their Greek style)

2 table spoons of olive oil

1 table spoon of white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

4 large eggs

Pre heat your oven to 180'c. In a large bowl whisk your eggs then add in everything else bar the vinegar and baking soda. In an egg cup combine the baking soda and vinegar, once completely mixed and bubbly pour into your sloppy bread mixture and mix well with a big wooden spoon. It is the combination of the baking soda and vinegar that will give this bread its light texture as it will help it to rise.

Line a loaf tin with grease proof paper and dollop in the bread mix, pop it in the oven and bake for 30mins.

I love this bread with lashings of real butter and some jam or a smear of mayo and heavenly smoked salmon. Or what about a sneaky dollop of Nutella!!!! I'm just saying just because it is a guilt free bread doesn't mean you can't be a little naughty with it..

Enjoy

Rebecca x