Afternoon Tea

Jam Jamboree – Pimp My Jam

This week it’s the JamJamboree, a celebration of all things fruity and jammy that comes in a jar!

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Posted in Afternoon Tea, Ruth's Chat | 1 Comment

Blueberry & Vanilla Battenberg

Blueberry & Vanilla Battenberg

A Battenberg with a subtle nod to the Jubilee – Battenberg goes red, white and blue!

Ingredients:

200g butter, softened

200g caster sugar

4 eggs

200g self-raising flour

90g blueberries

1 tsp vanilla bean paste or the seeds scraped from one vanilla bean pod.

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Posted in Afternoon Tea, Blueberry, Cake, Decorating, Treats, Vanilla | 31 Comments

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

A traditional cake but still one of my favourites, it’s good for feeding the masses too!

Ingredients:

225ml sunflower oil

3 eggs, large

120g golden syrup

150g soft light brown sugar

240g self-raising flour

1½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp allspice (if you don’t have allspice you can just leave it out!)

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Posted in Afternoon Tea, Cake, Cinnamon, Decorating, Ginger, Syrup, Treats | 44 Comments

Chocolate Orange Cake

Chocolate Orange Cake

This is a really unassuming cake, looks like nothing but tastes amazing.

It’s not often my boys ask me to make something in particular but the other half will beg for this cake.   I see some bribery tactics up my sleeve….

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Posted in Afternoon Tea, Cake, Chocolate, Treats | 103 Comments

Chocolate Frosted Traybake

Chocolate Frosted Traybake

Super quick, make it faster than you can say Jack Robinson, no mixer required chocolate traybake.  Tastes blooming lovely which is a shame – I promise it will be gone in next to no time too!

I suppose this is a strange one for me to be posting, I’ll hold my hands up, it’s not my recipe, it’s an old American classic that I converted many moons ago.  

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Posted in Afternoon Tea, Cake, Children, Chocolate, Kids, Treats | 204 Comments

Day 7 – Pastry Spoons

On the seventh day of Christmas The Pink Whisk sent to me…..Pastry Spoons.

Pastry Spoons for Canapes and Nibbles

These make perfect canapes for your dinner parties or posh do’s – well I think they are, if I was a posh girl hosting a score of parties then this is what I’d go for.  

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Posted in Afternoon Tea, Christmas, Pastry, Savoury, Treats, Twelve Days of Christmas | 18 Comments

Day 4 – Parmesan and Poppy Seed Crackers

On the fourth day of Christmas The Pink Whisk sent to me…..Parmesan and Poppy Seed Crackers – perfect for your cheeseboard!

Parmesan and Poppy Seed Crackers

Makes 24 thick crackers.

Ingredients:

300g plain flour

2tsp baking powder

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp onion salt

115g butter

2 tbsps vegetable/sunflower oil

2 tbsps poppy seeds

130ml water

30g parmesan cheese

Begin by adding the flour, baking powder, sugar and onion salt to the bowl of a food processor.  

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Posted in Afternoon Tea, Biscuit, Biscuits, Cheese, Christmas, Pastry, Savoury, Treats, Twelve Days of Christmas | 10 Comments

Toffee Apple Tart

Toffee Apple Tart

So to kick off The Pink Whisk October Challenge here’s my apple recipe for Toffee Apple Tart.

Ingredients:

Pastry

150g plain flour

65g butter, cold

25g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

enough water to combine (2 -3 tablespoons)

Filling

70g fresh breadcrumbs (about 2 slices of fresh bread, blitzed)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2-3 large apples

(unpeeled my apples weigh about 550g, you will need enough apple that when peeled, cored and diced will cover the top of your tart case.  

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Posted in Afternoon Tea, Apple, Pastry, Pudding, TPW Challenge, Treats, Vanilla | 23 Comments

Afternoon Tea – Eclairs – Two ways! Vanilla Choc & Coffee

Vanilla Choc and Coffee Eclairs
Now I’ve done the Choux pastry how to (here) lets see what we can do with them.
Vanilla Chocolate and Coffee Eclairs
Before I give you the low down on the eclairs I thought I’d share a couple of my other tea party essentials.

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Posted in Afternoon Tea, Chocolate, Choux, Coffee, Treats, Vanilla | 10 Comments

How to make Choux Pastry

How to make Choux Pastry

Choux pastry is a really versatile pastry to have up your sleeve, it gives some people grief so I thought I’d do a quick how to before using it in a recipe.

Traditionally used for profiteroles, choux pastry can also be made into a great variety of lovely things, eclairs and gougere included!

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Posted in Afternoon Tea, Choux, How To, Pastry, Treats | 29 Comments