How To

How to Make Pineapple Flowers

 

How to make Pineapple Flowers

How beautiful do these look?  

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Posted in Cake, How To, Treats | 12 Comments

How to Make an Easter Chick

How to make an Easter Chick

How cute is this little chickie?

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Posted in Children, Chocolate, Decorating, Easter, How To, Kids, Sugarpaste, Treats | 8 Comments

How to Bake a Basic White Loaf

How to make a basic White Loaf

Taking it back to basics, baking is a simple as loaf of bread.  But it’s only simple if you have a recipe that works.  You know I’m not keen on the whole bread making thingy and that’s down to multiple failures – dough that finally springs into action after being in the bin for a day and a half!  

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Posted in Bread, Egg-free, How To, Rolls, Treats | 30 Comments

How to make a Rainbow Cake

How to make a Rainbow Cake

This is a really simple surprise to rustle up for a birthday cake – I made this one for Dylan’s (one of my boys) birthday recently.   Having seen, and tasted, a great deal of things the boys are now quite difficult to amaze.  

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Posted in Cake, Children, Decorating, How To, Kids, Treats | 158 Comments

How to make Puff Pastry

It’s not complicated but it does take a bit of organising in advance.  I do use shop-bought puff pastry and generally have some in the freezer.  Making your own is quicker than the time it takes to defrost some

(and it’s not difficult either)

This version of puff pastry is referred to as rough puff pastry, the idea being that you only get 75% of the rise that you would get with traditional puff pastry – getting technical there!

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Posted in How To, Pastry, Ruth's Chat | 18 Comments

Ultimate Pizza Dough

or ‘the boys make pizza’

Ultimate Pizza Dough

Ingredients:
450g strong white plain flour
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 ½ tsp dried active yeast

300ml warm water

Makes two medium pizza bases or garlic bread.

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Posted in Bread, How To, Kids, Pizza, Savoury, Tomato, Treats | Tagged , , , , | 12 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

How to make Sugar Roses

How to make Sugar Roses

I know a fair few of you wanted me to blog how to make the blush roses I used on my traditional cake in The Great British Wedding cake, so here it it….. how to make sugar roses.
You will need:
White  Sugar Florist Paste (SFP)
White fat such as Trex
Small rolling pin
Rose petal cutters or a small round cutter
Ball tool
Foam pad
Water and paintbrush
Empty egg box
Sugarflair blossom tint powder – Rose
Large powder brush

Here are some handy product links:

Sugar Florist Paste (SFP) is the key to really great sugar roses.  

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Posted in How To, Sugarpaste, The Great British Bake Off, Wedding | 42 Comments

How to make a Cupcake Bouquet

How to make a Cupcake Bouquet

The perfect gift for Mothers Day – making a cupcake bouquet is really easy….let me show you how.

You will need:

Cardboard
6 x 12″ cake dowels – Squires Kitchen Dowels – Squires Kitchen
Scissors
Hot glue gun

Greenery for the bouquet
Wire, string or ribbon

Brown paper

5 or 6 x Cupcakes decorated with your choice of design Recipe here

How To:


Start by preparing your cupcake supports.

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Posted in Cake, Cupcakes, Decorating, Gifts, How To, Mothers Day, Treats | 50 Comments

How to Make Perfect Macaroons… (Macarons)

How To...Macaroons

Macaroons – The French type, (said with a French accent of course) are notoriously tricky little blighters and reduce lots of us to tears.
You might have seen me make them on The Great British Bake Off for the Petit Four Tower. 

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Posted in How To, The Great British Bake Off, Treats | 242 Comments