Hummingbird Of A Birthday!

As it was Hubby's birthday recently, it was only right that he had a special cake for the occasion. Yes I should have probably dusted off my (retired) baking skills for my lovely Hubby, but instead we decided a treat was in order, in the form of the Hummingbird Bakery! And what a treat it was...I would have quite enjoyed a sleepover with the cakes!!!

With so much choice, it was difficult to decide on just a couple of cakes, but I must say the choices were very right. I opted to try the Red Velvet Cupcake for starters, I have literally fallen in love with a cupcake!!! I have eaten other red velvet cupcakes before, but none of them have tasted as delectable as this...I wanted more! Hubby had the Frosted Brownie to begin with, but it was the Chocolate Malt Cake that he ooohhh and ahhhhh over.

We also sampled the Brownie Cheesecake and Rainbow Cake (yes we went all out for his birthday!!!) But our minds kept drifting back to the Red Velvet and Chocolate Malt....Even though it wasn't my birthday, it definitely felt like I was indulging like it was my birthday! ;-)

I think another visit is definitely a must....!

For The Love Of Cake!

I had the pleasure of enjoying the ultimate in cakes this weekend... A slice of strawberry gateau (see above), from the highly favoured Patisserie Valerie. A quick stop at a service station whilst on a road trip, brought me into contact with this beautiful delight of a cake (what a lovely surprise!) In all honesty I don't think the photo does it justice, but I wanted to tuck into it so much, I couldn't be bothered to improve the lighting etc..!

I find it very rare these days to find a place that make / provide cakes that honestly take my breath away, but I was definitely all smiles when I laid my eyes on their selection! :-)

Cosmotion At The Gala!

When I was invited to a local worldwide food buffet for some friends' birthdays at the local Cosmos, I got slightly excited at the thought of the vast dessert buffet range this place homes. I'm not a big fan of all you can eat buffet places, but normally think this one is okay because it offers a range of dessert options, other than the usual gateau and ice cream options, that many other buffet places offer. HOWEVER to my disappointment, I quickly learned that dessert buffets like these and all you can eat establishments of this kind should not be entertained at peak times (weekends). Whilst there were some options, many things had run out (namely the Creme Brulee, that wasn't replenished for at least an hour!) And the cakes that were laid out had seen better times, as no one was really managing the section. As the restaurant has a strict dining time limit during busy times, I only had time to peruse the dessert buffet once, whilst bumping into many other diners a long the way. Overall it was an experience I won't be in a hurry to repeat!

Bad food experiences haven't stopped there! I was recently also invited to night of bingo with friends, though I was HUGELY hesitant, we had vouchers that promised a free meal and dessert from Gala Bingo. Never one to turn down free cake, I went along and was pleasantly surprised when my fish and chips arrived. It was all of good size and potion, and didn't taste too bad at all. HOWEVER I then ordered the chocolate brownie for dessert, and I cannot tell you my disappointment once again when it arrived!

The fact that the brownie was the size of a tablespoon, and there were berries and ice cream on the plate that were bigger than the brownie, just plain shocked me. I wasn't expecting a mammoth piece, but being just slightly bigger than "bite-size", didn't cut it either. Needless to say, the bingo dining experience won't be seeing me again in a hurry. 

Bring on the restaurants that are true cake / dessert connoisseurs!!!!

A Ruby Of A Cake & Blackforest Retro!!

It got to lunch time the other day, and I got that familiar urge for cake! But not a "Let's eat lunch, then have cake urge." Just a "Let's forget lunch and go straight for the cake!" As I was having lunch with a friend, I thought it probably wouldn't be appropriate to have lunch at a cake parlour, so we went to a local cafè in Hoxton called Ruby, so she could have something of the savoury kind too! Once I laid eyes on their Banoffee Pie - I was in love!!!!!! That was lunch sorted...it was one of the best Banoffee Pies I have ever tasted (and I've sampled a few in my time of cake!) Can you also believe that the slice you see taken in the picture was actually my ENTIRE slice (no sharing thank you very much!)

My cake escapades didn't stop there this week...I also went to the local Beefeater restaurant with a friend, and being that our last meal there was such a disappointment, this time we were eating there on Beefeater (as a goodwill gesture - thanks!) As well there being an improved service, the food was tasty, and when I saw Blackforest Gateau was on the menu, I couldn't turn down a classic favourite. Though in appearance it wasn't quite the defrosted masterpiece I remember from childhood, it definitely hit the spot in taste, and took me right back to the nostalgia of christmas treats - well done Beefeater!

Chocolate Festival - Choctastic!!!

Stopping off at the Chocolate Festival this weekend was a must for any chocoholics or anyone with a unhealthy obsession for sweet treats. Whilst there was plenty to learn and see at the various workshops and tasting sessions, there was also plenty to sample and purchase to curb any chocolate or sweet craving.

I made it my mission of the day to take part in "The Best Brownie Ever Trail", which included sampling various brownies from different vendors and then rating my favourite (hard I know!) There was a clear winner for me at Batch Bakery, who served up 'The Elvis Brownie', which included some of my sweet favourites, bananas and peanuts (heaven in a bowl).

As a VIP guest, I also had the pleasure of spending some time at the Chocolate Spa (yes I thought this could get messy!) But in fact it was actually the opportunity to have some chocolate eye make-up applied (no I didn't want to eat my eyes afterwards!) And my Mum (my partner in crime for the day), had a chocolate hand massage, which smelt divine!

The amount of chocolate at each stall was unimaginable, I didn't know chocolate could come in so many forms, and we were helped to take it all in with a free glass of presecco and cheeky shots of chocolate baileys! With so much on offer, it was difficult to limit your choices and purchases!!! But it definitely was a worthwhile trip for any chocolate or sweet lovers in search of something slightly different! Well done Hubby for thinking of me on this little adventure! 

Cupcake Flowers - Look Good Enough To Eat!!

Whilst I haven't been blogging, cake has never been far from my thoughts or mouth!!!

I just celebrated my first Mother's Day which turned out to be a perfect day! And what made it even more special, was I got to celebrate it with my own Mum, so after years of buying her the complimentary flowers etc..I came across this little beauty!

Cupcake flowers!!! :-) Being a fan of all things cake, I couldn't resist this little beauty!

Easiest Cake Recipe Ever (Promise): Bakewell Cake!

Bakewell Cake

It feels like I haven't been on here in forever! But as I have been struggling through the joys of 1st trimester pregnancy sickness, cake has pretty much been off the menu until this weekend! Yes my sweet tooth made a welcome return and said cake is needed urgently! As I still have a energy level of zero, I thought baking could be a problem, then I remembered I could make a Bakewell cake, which would take minimal effort, but taste absolutely divine! It really is a matter of mixing all of the ingredients together and letting the oven do the rest.. Here's the recipe for anyone that needs a quick impressive cake for any occasion!

You will need a 22-24cm spring-form cake tin for this recipe

• 150 g butter, softened
• 150 g caster sugar
• 150 g self-raising flour
• 150 g ground almonds
• 2 large free range eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 tsp raspberry jam
• 1x 150 g punnet raspberries
• 50 g flaked almonds

Similar to Bakewell Slice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 2. Line the cake tin with baking parchment.

Using a food processor or an electric whisk, blitz or whizz the butter, sugar, flour, ground almonds, eggs and vanilla extract. Plop half of the mix into the lined cake tin and smooth out.

Now, dot the jam, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, all over and scatter with the raspberries. With the remainder of the cake mix, drop dollops over the fruit to cover but don't worry about the holes, just use your fingers to spread it about a bit.

Scatter the flaked almonds over and bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

It can last for a few days if you store it in the fridge!

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