Christmas is coming, The Baker's getting fat!

So it has emerged that I'm a bit of a terrible blogger! Its OK though, I have resolved to change my ways.

A Quick Update: Since I have been absent from the world of blogging I have baked.... Yes, I am a bad person, I know!
It was a vanilla custard tart I threw together..... an IMPROVISATION!!!! I used this pastry, which I had in the freezer (NB. best pastry ever, and so easy to make...AND freezes really well!) and this custard recipe. I rolled the pastry out too about 1/2cm thick and then blind baked it for about 20 mins (bear in mind I IMPROVISED this recipe, so do the same yourselves!)
When the custard was done I realised it wouldn't set so I melted down two leaves of gelatine in a TINY bit of hot water, so it turns into a gel then I whipped that, plus a small carton of extra thick double cream into the custard.
I have to say, one of my best improvisations ever! (that's including my short lived career as an improvisational dancer!)

So anyway, to business.  I've decided to go Kirstie Allsop on Christmas, and I will photograph, video and document everything I do here! From Thanksgiving with the Lovely Emily to Christmas with me, the Mrs and co. I'm going to ATTEMPT (attempt!!) to hand craft all of my friends presents.
It all starts here people...with 43 days till Christmas, It's all to play for!
Wish me luck!
BB

The Day Emily Came To Bake...

So now we've covered how it all began, let's skip ahead a bit..
Recently I had my friend Emily over for our first ever 'Baking Day'.
What happened next was one of the most fun days of my life so far. Meeting your baking soulmate isn't like falling in love and meeting your life partner...There's no sexual attraction, no flirting and definitely kissing goodnight (or good morning!). Bear in mind Emily is  a very happily married heterosexual woman and I am a very happily engaged homosexual female, but when we bake together, its like flour fuelled telepathy!
We ended up baking 36 Chocolate Chai Cupcakes, 2 Pans of Levi Roots' Jamaican Pecan Rum Chocolate Brownies, one very large Chocolate Ginger Cheesecake (my own tweaked version) and an open top Apple, Pear and Cranberry Pie. It was a brilliant day and I wholeheartedly recommend baking with friends!

Emily brought me this gorgeous recipe for the Chocolate Chai Cupcakes...Unfortunately the site she got them from, Smitten Kitchen, doesnt seem to have the recipe anymore so I'll post it here...You really have to try these, especially coming up to Christmas (They're really nice with plain buttercream and a little cocoa for dusting):

INGREDIENTS:

Chai Spice Mix:
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cloves
3 tsp ground cardamon

Cake:
110g Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tablespoon Chai Spice Mix
225g Unsalted Butter
200g Caster Sugar
70g Dark Brown Sugar
4 Eggs
235 ml Butter Milk (or semi skimmed soured with 1 tsp lemon juice and left for half an hour)

METHOD:

• Preheat the ove to 180c
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and add the chai spice mix.
• In a separate bowl cream together the butter and both types of sugar until its light and airy (best to use an electric whisk for this part, unless you have the arm muscles of a greek hero!)
• Melt the Chocolate in a heat proof bowl (Emily swears by the microwave for this but I'm a traditionalist and always use a bain marie)
• Add the eggs one at a time to the butter/sugar mixture and make sure they are combined completely before adding the next one (Again, use and electric mixer!)
• Add the COOLED melted chocolate to this mixture and whisk well.
• Now add 1/4 of flour to the chocolate mixture and fold well. Follow with roughly a 1/3 of the buttermilk and fold again. Repeat this process until all of the flour and buttermilk are gone.
• Set out your cupcake capes in a can pan (if you're using silicone cases or a mould then just make sure to put them on a baking tray!
• Fill moulds approx. 2/3 full so that when the mixture rises it doesn't spill over the edge!
• Bake at 180c for about 15 mins or until a skewer (or the like) can be inserted into the middle and pulled out cleanly.
• ENJOY!

Just a Quick note...If these cakes fall in the middle a bit post baking, don't worry, Just cover them with butter cream and eat away, they'll still taste wonderful!

Thats all from the frontline of baking today, Hope you're all having a great week!

And So It Begins With A Dirty Mixing Bowl...

This blog is dedicated to baking, and those that truly understand what it mean to make delicious things with flour, eggs, sugar and butter.

 I guess my love of baking all started with a mixing bowl my mother handed too me. I think I must have been about 3 years old, because I distinctly remember standing on a plastic crate given to us from the pub down the road. This bowl held no magical properties, It was not self washing, It couldn't be trusted to babysit a child and It certainly didn't know how to walk the dog. It did however contain manna from heaven, Or at least what passes as manna from heaven when you are 3 years old...

In reality it contained what I now know to be Victoria Sponge batter (that links to the exact recipe my mother uses. I like to replace the Jam and Cream with a ginger buttercream and a little orange marmalade...trust me on this one!) When I realised that this glorious tasting mixture was made from simple flour, eggs sugar and butter I set aside the mixing bowl and insisted that my mother showed me exactly how it was made.

After that first incident, you would often find me in front of the oven at any given time, watching in awe as something sticky messy and glorious tasting (the various cake batters I demanded to taste over the years) turning into smooth, pale and then golden brown delights.

Soon i was making my Own creations. Some were truly spectacular (the inspired idea of putting Smarties into cupcakes instead of chocolate chips) and some not so (Marmite and chocolate sponge...DO NOT TRY THIS!)

So that pretty much brings us to now. Aged 24 I live with my fiancee and we have a gorgeous kitchen. Its not huge, but by no means is it a broom cupboard. It is from here that I will be trying all manner of things and letting you know wether they should be re-created or disintegrated. 

Any and All suggestions welcome, and Happy Baking!