Sweet Treats

Sunday was spent watching Formula One and then at another family gathering saying goodbye to my cousin who leaves for a six month sabbatical to Australia on Wednesday. But before all that I'd cooked up a batch of raspberry cream sweets.

Why? Because we're organising a Christmas fayre / cake sale / Christmas jumper day at work on Friday 13 December for Save The Children. It's their annual Christmas Jumper Day where you wear your best (or worst) Christmas jumper, pay £1 to take part and donate the money to Save The Children. We thought we'd go one better and sell cakes as well as have raffles. So far so successful. Thanks to Linda we've had around 35 prizes donated from various local businesses and crafty businesses on Facebook. It's really amazing. One prize includes a 4 night stay in a holiday cottage in Aviemore. The voucher is valid for 18 months too! Quite remarkable isn't it.

Anyway, the cakes. So I'll do my usual Mars Bar cake, coconut balls and i thought I'd try peppermint creams too. Put them in nice wee Christmas bags, sell em for a pound maybe.

I decided that as well as peppermint creams, I'd try strawberry creams. Couldn't find frozen strawberries on their own so opted for raspberries. I boiled and simmered them until they'd broken up and were a thick luscious sauce. Strained them through a sieve (a muslin cloth would've been for easier and less time consuming).

Boiling and straining

To my cream paste I added a few teaspoons of the raspberry sauce and mixed it again. I then rolled out the paste and used little cutters to make the star and heart shapes.  I chilled the shapes for a little while then melted some chocolate i had laying around and dipped ht shapes in.

So i didn't have a lot of chocolate left over. The ones i sell won't look so messy. Still taste great though

Pretty easy really. Pretty messy too. They taste pretty good but I'll add more of the sauce next time, whichever flavour I decide on. They'll keep for a few weeks on an airtight container but I'll make my batch for selling in the week of the fayre.

So if you're free on Friday 13 December and are in the area, come along, buy cakes, have a cups, win raffle prizes. Go on.

Angela x

Bucket List - Autumn Winter Edition

You all know about my bucket lists from previous posts, don't you? If not have a look HERE and HERE for a catch up.

I decided that I like the idea of these lists and i'll post them every few months so that you can keep me on track, or shout at me to do them. This is the autumn/winter edition so it'll be themed as such.

1. Beach walks. Yes. In the winter. Bracing wind and crashing waters to blow the cobwebs away.
2. More movies. I think this will always be on the bucket list no matter what season it is. You can hide away from the rainy weather in the cinema and enjoy hot fudge sundaes. What I really want to do is have a movie where we spend all day watching movies, two perhaps three. If you fancy that holler at me!
3. Seeing a Banksy in real life. This could be do-able after Christmas. I feel another little London break is needed. I'm searching for cheap deals now. Actually that's a lie because i'd go back to the same fab hotel I previously stayed at, The Hoxton. 
4. Keep getting fitter and leaner. This is pretty much still on track. This winter i will not sit and eat all the Christmas sweeties. Okay.
5. Wear my little black dress. Surely there has to be an occasion out there that will give me an excuse to take that dress from it's storage rack and throw it on? I have my beady eye on a killer pair of hot pink shoes to go with it too. Woot. 'citing!
6. Do more baking and cooking. I'm actually quite a good baker. I just never sit still long enough to be able to bake stuff. I love Pinterest and people are always posting easy recipes for meals and cakes. Starting with caramel apple bites! Perfect for Halloween.
7. Go on a date!! *scared face* I know, I know this is a strange one. I haven't been on a proper date for a while. A long while. So I'm hoping this autumn/winter will be known as Angela's date season. If you know any suitable candidates, you know where to send them! 

I'll leave it at that just now. Plenty to be getting on with. What about you? What's on your Autumn/Winter bucket list? Spill!

Angela x

Cupcakes!

Today I made my very first ever cupcakes. From my new Hummingbird Bakery cook book. I mixed everything by hand as I don't own any electrical baking equipment. Boo! Oh how I would love to own a nice candy apple red Kitchen Aid mixer. I really, really would....

Pre oven

 Post oven

So yes, I got the ingredients in, bought a muffin tray and set about cooking up a storm in the kitchen. When I say a storm what I really mean is 12 cupcakes and 5 little mini ones, I had extra mixture. The mix tasted just like it used to in the olden days when my mum would bake cakes. I licked the spoon and the bowl at the end and everything. Yum. My aunt came in half way through to give me my birthday card and a Thornton's Easter egg with Princess on it! aaww nice. She took away a cupcake so that's why there's a space in the big tray.

I wish I could share them with you. I haven't tried one yet as i'm saving them for my birthday. Tomorrow. Yes that's right. It's my birthday tomorrow!!

Angela xx

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