To celebrate baking with Lurpak I’m doing a spot of Brownie Baking
Black Forest Berry Brownies – care to join me??
These are my Nanna’s favourite and I often make her some up and trip round with them – she slices it up and then bobs it in the freezer. I once made these and went to snap a pic on my phone before baking and dropped my phone right in it – I think I’d like to dive in headfirst too!
Anyway, I’m waffling on…You can find the recipe here and it brings me to why I’m regaling you with Brownie stories…
Next week I’ll be doing a Baking Q&A on all sorts of baking and brownies over on the Lurpak Facebook Page
Thursday 17th May 2012 12.00-13.00 if you fancy bobbing over to join us?
Lurpak have teamed up with Last.fm and launched Foodbeats – An online music tool that generates and streams recipe-based playlists to bake (and cook) along to!
So in celebration I have five sets of the following to giveaway to you lovely Pink Whiskers,
A Lurpak tea towel, a limited edition Stuart Gardiner tea towel, 3 Lurpak vouchers and 3 Lurpak bread baking tins!
To enter just leave a comment on this post telling me your favourite bake-along sound track!
Giveaway closes at 4pm Thursday 17th May 2012, five lucky winners will be chosen at random from all the comments received and will be contacted directly shortly after closing.
*************COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED***********
The 5 winners chosen at random from all the entries received are
Claire P, Cardiff
Jemma H, Dorset
Joanne T, Coventry
Lynn B, Nottingham
Susan K, Colchester
All the winners have been contacted directly and will be receiving their prizes shortly!
Ruth x
Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire
I love to bake to anything upbeat that makes me feel happy and full of energy
I like to listen to Sweets for my Sweet lol x
Rolling in the Deep by Adele.
Really pleased to have found your blog, I hope to be a regular visitor
Hot N Cold by Katy Perry – so uplifting
I like to bake with a bit of Olly Murs, he is tasty like my cakes lol
I’ll bake to any cheerful music which I can shake my hips to! (At Christmas, though, it’s traditional Christmas music I bake to as it brings out my inner ‘Nigella’)
i love to listen to girls just wanna have fun. I love to bop around the kitchen … especially when its in the oven and dance with my floor brush, or my son.
I’m usually in such a hurry to get in the kitchen I just make a quick playlist of all my Elton John, Beatles & David Bowie for a good sing-a-long baking session.
Got to be ‘The Searchers – Sugar And Spice’ – (and all things nice…!!)
Hi Ruth,
One of my favourite bake-a-long songs is the Charlie and Lola song ‘We’ve Got a Chicken’ from their sound track album. No prizes for guessing there a small children in the house, who love to help mammy bake!
I love anything by the Foo Fighters! Turn it up loud so I can still hear them rocking out over the sound of the Kenwood mixer!!!!
I love baking and listening to anything a bit cheesy from the 90s. You’ll find me having a singalong to Steps or the Backstreet Boys when I’m stirring!
I have a dedicated Spotify playlist I use for baking. It mainly contains songs which I can sing along loudly too, or dance badly to…
At the moment it heavily features the Grease 2 soundtrack and Wilson Phillips. WIN!
My 5yr old daughter likes to listen to the soundtrack to the film ‘The Guru’ when we bake together! She loves anything Bollywood. Sometimes for a bit of variety we have Duran Duran.
I was baking this morning to Paloma Faith and New York. Whacked up loud and singing along proud! Hope noone could hear me.
Anything relaxing as I find baking a great de-stresser!
Something fun to dance to in the kitchen, like Belle & Sebastian!
I like having the radio on and just singing along!
I like, sweet like chocolate ge
I try to bake at a certain time and that’s usually when my station is on the ‘cheesy but happy’ segment!
I love baking along to David Guetta – ‘titanium’ is my current favourite :0)
I normally listen to the Shrek Soundtrack – particularly DO YOU KNOW THE MUFFIN MAN? haha, it always cracks me up! (:
I love the upbeat It’s raining men. Sort of dates me too.
It’s got to be Crowded House singing Chocolate Cake! a very lively, dance round the kitchen song, with an entirely appropriate title!!!
I have an 80′s playlist on my I-Pod that I always listen to when baking or cake decorating – it is known as my ‘kitchen music’
)
It’s mad but … Bumble Bee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97eK_HhF_Ck
Gets me bopping round as I bake
I always have absolute 80s radio on when I’m baking and have a little dance around the kitchen as well!
At the moment I have all the songs from Matilda the musical in my head, especially “Quiet” and “Naughty.” I love to bake along to them and can reccomend anyone to go and listen to them on youtube as soon a they read this.
I usually have Radio 4 on, especially for baking in the early hours, nothing beats the shipping forecast while kneading bread x
I listen to the food programme! Not really music though!
I love to bake to anything I can sing loudly and badly too
I seem to mostly bake when I am alone in the house, so like to listen, and sing along to (badly!) all the cheesy, embarrassing songs that you normally skip past on your iPod. Earth, wind and fire, hall and Oates, rick astley and tavares are just a few that are on my baking playlist!!
Fab giveaway! Ooh I do love to bake with a bit of classical music or opera, I find baking so therapeutic and classical just helps with that chilled out thang!
I have to admit, I tend to have the telly on or my husband in the kitchen talking to me – never really baked to music – does it help?
I like to listen to Beyonce’s ‘Best thing I Never Had’, which might sound ridiculous but it reminds me of a turbulent relationship I escaped a few years ago. My then-partner discouraged me from doing anything I enjoyed (especially baking because he thought I should just cook his tea and nothing else). Since leaving him, I have found myself a wonderful man who loves and appreciates EVERYTHING I bake, and buys me lovely baking treats as gifts.
So when I’m installed in my kitchen, I blast out Beyonce and since with my wooden-spoon microphone, and I always beat the eggs with more gusto!
Many thanks for all your baking inspiration,
Jo
I listen to Radio2 while baking and cooking. Happy baking everyone love Fi xx
I listen to Radio 2 while I bake, happy baking everyone love Fi xx
Great idea for a giveaway
I usually listen to radio, whatever comes fits 
love music pure and simple!
Mumford Brothers or “I will survive” remix by US band Cake (seriously)
I like to bake whilst listening to Adele…my 4 yr old daughter sings along with while we make our cakes.
Absolute 80′s radio is good, keeps the energy levels up!
I don’t listen to music while I bake my favourite listen is The Archers!
I love to listen to Disco Inferno when baking .. and do a big of a jig while whisking stirring and doing the washing up too haha
To be honest I don’t normally listen to anything as I like the peace and quiet whilst I’m baking
I’m with you Jo – peace and quiet is my track of choice but have to say I’m feeling quite inspired by all of these ideas! Xx
Hi Ruth, I like to bake to Black and White Town by Doves, the beat is the perfect speed for whisking to!!
I love baking and bopping along in the kitchen to ‘Lonely Boy’ by The Black Keys! It definitely sets me a great rhythm to whisk my egg whites to, beat my butter and even knead my dough – it’s a completely multi-purpose song, haha! xx
I love Lana Del Rey’s album when I bake…gorgeous looking brownies x
Dean Martin’s “Mambo Italiano”: it’s upbeat and I usually have a little jig around the kitchen!
I love baking & listening to nice old tracks like Summer Breeze from the Isley Brothers
Stir it Up by Bob Marley
Depends wheat I’m baking! If it’s bread it has to be “Come On Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners – great kneeding beat:)
i listen to the Beatles’ Rubber Soul
Anything bouncy, the cheesier the better, early 70′s pop is best.
Anything on my iPod – strangely I have never heard anything on it that I didn’t like. However at the final moment when opening the oven door I am oddly compelled to sing (badly) “If I Knew You Were Coming I’d Have Baked A Cake”.
i love to put barry white on when i am kneading bread, especially a long slow senual one, ‘i’m gonna love ya love ya love ya just a little more babe, i’m gonna need ya need ya need ya…’ no pun intended and my dough always doubles in size. xx
Me – I love listening to Jools Holland “Small World Big Band” album whilst I’m baking Don’t know why but I just love baking to it!
The Archies ‘Sugar, Sugar’!!! Always gets me shaking my spinkles!!!
Anything by Bruno Mars! X
I tune in to capital or real radio and get baking!! Exept one time when i got so distracted by the music i started dancing while i had biscuits in my hand ( the end result was a pile of crumbs and a very sad baker ) !!
Anything 80′s that I can sing along to & remember my youth.!!!
I love having a dance and sing around the kitchen whilst i’m cooking! Only downside is my neighbours kitchen looks onto mine so I am often caught in the act! I like to cook spanish food so then it has to be the gypsy kings, but if i’m baking I prefer a bit of old style madonna or whitney so i can give it a bit of welly ha ha!!!
I don’t have any special music that I listen to. I often end up baking when the house is empty and love listening to Radio 1
I love the Hairspray soundtrack – upbeat and fun to wiggle to whilst baking!
I love to listen to Il Divo! Strange as i never listen to them at any other time. I think the soothing voices brings out my calm, creative side!
I listen to the Glee soundtracks when I’m cooking because they are great to sing along to and generally not intense enough to distract me from the baking!
My favourite bake along tune has to be Journey, don’t stop believing! As sometimes I try to believe that my baked goodies will turn out fab!
I always have one of the radio 1 live lounge albums on the go!
Adele, turned up niiice and loud
Lovely.
Candy Man by Aqua is always fun
I also like to listen to Fruits Candy (a Japanese song used as the ending theme to an anime)
Mine is Kylie Minogue – Spinning Around .
either madonna or mowtown classics!!
these brownies look gorgeous!
For me, it’s anything from 1930s, 1940s or 1950s. Doris Day, Eileen Barton, Rose Murphy or The Chordettes. I put my music on, put on my flowery pinny and I’m transported to a bygone era! *sigh*
I don’t often have music on when I am baking – the whisk makes too much noise!!
But I reckon it would have to be something like the Queen song ‘One Vision’ simply because the final line is ‘Fried Chicken’!!
I tend to put the radio on but I’m terribly fickle… whatever I’m using to listen to music just ends up covered in flour!
I love to sing along to the Mamma Mia soundtrack whilst baking – as long as there’s no-one listening in!
Anything jazzy or rock n roll, and seasonal at Christmas. All time favourite song to bake to is Too Darn Hot sung by Ella Fitzgerald.
It has to be Burn Baby Burn
xXx
When I bake its usually with the children, they deserve the treat time as much as me, so we usually have a selection of wonderful
‘pat a cake pat a cake melodies with a remix of five current buns’ This is fine until we start adding incy wincy spider and londons burning to the pot!! Argh
‘On the road again’ Willie Nelson and imagine that I’m baking to pack a picnic for an adventure…
Anything I can dance around the kitchen to – so usually something loud. I like either Heart FM, or Planet Rock on my DAB! It can be hazardous though, and the flour/icing sugar clean-up can be extensive >:o)
my favourite thing to bake to is Tchaikovsky’s nutcracker, as it keeps me moving knowing what will come next!
I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl by Nina Simone of course! Or anything else by her or Billie Holiday!
Definitely Adele for me!
I’ve got 2 grown up sons at home just now and they both love baking along to Radio 1….they always have the DAB on in the kitchen….my eldest son made a super chocolate cake for his girlfriends birthday last week and it was soooo yummy!I was proud of him,it was all his own work and she loved it too!
If baking chocolate things, soundtracks by Bear McCreary for that dark mood dark chocolate evokes. Otherwise, Stevie Ray Vaughan for all things bright and vanilla-y.
I like to listen to a bit of Take That
Ooooo, I listen to all sorts of things! Depends on my mood and what I’m baking. A bit of rock, a bit of folk, a bit of classical…
One of the best songs i find to cook along to is Strawberry Fields by the Beatles. Or an obvious choice is Food Glorious Food, Who would not get in the mood for baking with that song, truely inspirational.
I love baking with The Killers particularly Mr Brightside blaring out – whilst I sing badly and bop around the kitchen!
I like a bit of peace and quiet when I’m baking so I normally don’t have any music on. My daughter is a big disney fan though so we listen to a disney cd when baking together.
I indulge in a bit of Nina Simone when baking on a Sunday morning
Just can’t beat it!
I usually put Sia Furler on when I bake – love her!
When I bake bread I listen to classical music. When I bake cakes or sausage rolls I usually listen to 1970s or 1980s music. It just brings me in a good mood and the cakes seem to turn out fluffier for some reason. Maybe it’s the sound waves that makes the cakes go fluffy
I like to listen to relaxing music, can never go wrong with Eva Cassidy album, my favourite is Songbird xxx
I like classical music when I am home alone baking, or sometimes a bit of Dean Martin, or movie scores like “Something’s gotta give”.
I second anything by Adele or some Amy Winehouse!
The track heard on the older tom and jerry cartoons, the lady of the house is often heard singing “Mama’s making shortning shortning Mama’s making shortning bread”
I tend to bake along to my Garth Brooks Cd`s or Andrea Bocelli. I leave my Guns and Roses Cd`s for when i`m driving in my car!!
The album Get Lifted by John Ledgend it is one that i don’t have to forward any of the songs! Hope i win baking bread was my new resolution to try!
Favourite song to bake to at the moment is Electric Dreams, which I sing along too at the top of my voice, and dance with the spoons!
I like: Keep on Churnin (Till the butter comes) by Wynonie Harris. Is fun to listen to, especially when kneading bread and beating eggs!
Hi Ruth! I like to listen to radio 4 when I am baking or cooking, but if they have something dour or depressing on (which seems to happen quite frequently), then I like to listen to a radio station called The Beach that comes from Lowestoft. They have a good mix of cheerful music, and not too many ads.
I love singing along to Robbie Williams’ Swing When You’re Winning, not sure my girls appreciate my vocals but they do love our baking sessions so they put up with me!
There’s lots, I listen to lots of electronic music, SBTRKT, FIschersponer, Rustie, Orbital, Kelis (Flesh Tone), Simian Mobile Disco, and Daft Punk.
I love “Stir it up” by Bob Marley and “Beat It” by Michael Jackson while I sing ” Sugar Pie Hunnibun” by the four Tops. xxx
I bake best to anything by the beach boys, they make me dance and sing while I bake and I think the cakes always turn out better!
I like listening to stuff I’ve not listened to in a while when I’m cooking and baking – last night it was Feeder, Comfort in Sound keeping a banana loaf company!
I like to rock out to meatloaf when I’m baking especially Bat out of Hell
I think I’m only the second chap to post here, and I think my choice will definitely be in the minority. But, for me, I like to clear the house, prepare the kitchen and put on some Iron Maiden, loud. Something like Hallowed Be Thy Name – something to bellow along to and rock-out with. It helps block out life’s little stresses.
This morning it was banana bread and Iron Maiden’s “Powerslave”. Fantastic.
My most ambitious baking occurs during the holidays to the music of the Nutcracker Suite.
I can’t believe no one has suggested Beat It by Michael Jackson yet!!
I love to bake to “Dont Stop Me Now” by Queen
You cant beat a bit of Queen “Dont Stop Me Now”!
I find the kitchen is one of the places in the house that I can just plug my iPod in and listen to whatever I want. It often just ends up on shuffle! Todays baking music will probably just be Switchfoot’s Vice Verses though, as it’s one of my favourite albums, and it takes me back to seeing them live
Thanks for the exciting giveaway!
Helen xx
Anything with a fast happy beat, a bit of Katy perry or Jessie J VERY loud! xx
Surfing USA by the Beach Boys works well for me
Love the look of those brownies – all dark and fruity.
I love all kinds of music but love relaxing music more when I am baking. I love Satie Gnoissienne #1. Just have a listen Ruth, it’s lovely. I love being happy when I bake. I have been sad lately and cannot pick a piece of gumpaste up to create anything. You have inspired me to put my music on tonight and have a go. Have a lovely weekend. p.s. Your book came last week and it’s fab xxx Caroline xx
The Dirty Dancing soundtrack! Need something to get your hips moving when you’re creaming butter and sugar!!
It’s got to be 70′s and 80′s disco! It’s the only thing that gets me through the washing up at the end . . . . .
My favourite thing to listen to when baking is the radio – I listen to Real Radio North East so it’s pretty much anything that can be on. Love it!
) x
i love ‘music to watch the girls by’ a double cd by various artists ,and every track is a ‘sing-whisk-chop- mix-beat-cook-bake-fold-dice ‘a-long’. wonderful music
we love to boogie – t rex from billy elliot, i defy anyone to listen to this and not get up and jitterbug round the kitchen, just make sure no one’s watching !
i love ub40 can’t beat a bit of reggae while baking !
I like to listen to Robbie Williams or James Morrison
@daisyangel1
My fav bake along tune is Mr Blue Sky by Electric light orchestra <3
Lovely giveaway- it would have to be Riot on an Empty Street by Kings of Convenience. Very relaxing baking music! x
Olly Murs, Bruno Mars, Adele, Maroon 5. I singalong if there is no one else in the house and the windows aren’t wide open.
You’re the one that I want, from Grease. It makes me move a bit faster.
I like to zone out and really focus on my baking, so I find Classic FM on the radio to be the best soundtrack for me! On the other hand, I think FoodBeats is an awesome idea and would definitely open me up to listening to new music..because when you bake, you don’t have time to be fussy about music!
I love baking to a bit of perfect pop, like the Lightning Seeds song Sugar Coated Iceberg!
i dont have a favourite song as such but always have Radio 4 on whilst baking.
I like to listen to happy music, I think happiness definately improves the quality of your baking, also its good for me and the kids to have a boogie while we’re cooking! X
Cooking in our kitchen always starts with Eliza Doolittle…….then a bit of Ed Sheeran………then Bruno Mars……..and finishes off with Adele!! With 2 cooking mad girlies in the kitchen with me we need several albums on loop 2 sing and bop along to (whilst hubby has escaped sailing!) . X.
My children singing ‘The Wheels on the bus’ very loudly – or something similar – as I try to concentrate on weighing and measuring!
I am someone else who likes peace and quiet when baking. It is when I can hide out in the kitchen, so perhaps some relaxing classical music for me.
Hello Ruth I love baking with my ipod on shuffle with a good mix of 60′s soul, mowtown and a good sprinkling of Elvis
Go to be the sound track to mama mia
Usually have Scuzz or Kerrang on Sky in the lounge (metal head here!) BUT do love some cheesy pop when I’m baking cakes and I love Build Me Up Butter cup. Allows me to have a little dance whilst mixing! Love your blog Ruth. x
It has to be The Foundations with Build me up buttercup and perfect for baking with Lurpak
love to bake when 2 1/2 yr old daughter banging on saucepan lids making her own music so much fun
I love to listen to Katy Perry when I’m baking… Firework is my favourite!!
I generally listen to a Syndey radio station as it was my favourite station when I lived there.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who sticks on Absolute 80s when I’m in the kitchen. It does always seem like the best songs come on just as I need to turn the mixer/whisk on though. Means that baking that should take about half an hour ends up taking all afternoon! Although I do have a Christmas playlist for when I’m making anything Christmassy, including making my Boozy Fruit mix (pink whisk recipe of course) in September.
I like to bake along to Lady Antebellum, my favourite American Honey.
I like to listen to anything by Madonna – Papa Don’t Preach is a favourite.
Waterloo by ABBA.
one of my fave’s! x
I’ve a bright pink digital radio for the kitchen, so when I’m up early at 6am baking scones before the school run for the church coffee morning, I like to listen to Radio 1 (a chance to hear current but not too outlandish music so I’m keeping up with my 10 yr old).
OMG just logged onto foodbeats and got’The La’s – There she goes’ EPIC – think this will be my new Radio 1 replacement !!). I love listening to random music choices rather than choosing my own tracks as I’d just stick with Adam & the Ants
I like listening to BBC Radio 1 or Keane while baking. It helps kneading to a beat.
When Love Takes Over by DJ Max Rodriguez – starts off gently then the beat turns into a good whisk action and when the final bake is served to family and friends, the love really takes over!
I love making cakes and cake pops, and I always do it for my familys’ appreciation! I love Fedde Le Grands so much love to give and David Guetta with Chris Willis Just a little more love. I shake my booty in time to the beat and whisk my mix and sprinkle my sugar strands and if someone cares to come and sing or join in then they get to lick the spoon, BUT if my hubby is at home and he plays his keyboards for me to help make kitchen magic then he gets the bowl
Its usually a nursery rhyme Cd to keep my little boy entertained. He is 22 months old and loves getting into lots of mischief
Foster the people- pumped up kicks, having a little boogie in the kitchen. Also makes the washing up a little more bearable!