#cakesolveseverything

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Ceremonial armour set I've been working on for a while now, finally got it finished (this is from a few weeks back, it's taken me a while to post), but here ya go.

Thank you @cakesolveseverything for photography and company up a very cold hill :)

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White Chocolate Cheesecake

After a few days at home over Easter to unwind and recuperate, whilst being completely spoilt and indulged by family, after a crazily busy term I snuck in a lovely long weekend catching up with friends before venturing back to Bath.

The first glimpse of spring seemed to arrive over the weekend and I happily basked in the sunshine - OK it wasn't that warm but I did take my coat off! With the warmth of the sun of our backs we went of a meander around the countryside, playing hide and seek (never too old!) in the ruins of this old house and having a good old natter. 

   We returned back home to the comforting smells of a roast in the oven, which had filled the rooms whilst we were out. A glass of wine and feast of slow cooked Moroccan spiced lamb with salads and pitta bread followed by a white chocolate cheesecake and strawberries was the perfect ending to a sunny spring like day. 

White Chocolate Cheesecake 

150g Digestive Biscuits - crushed (Gluten Free)

125g Butter

600g Cream Cheese

125g Caster Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla extract

3 Eggs

250g White Chocolate

Preheat oven to 170C

Gently, melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water, set aside to cool

Melt the butter and add the crushed biscuits, mix together and press down into a 20cm spring form tin. Place in the fridge.

Whisk together the cream cheese, caster sugar and vanilla extract.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Place a couple of tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture into the melted chocolate and stir (to make both mixtures an even temperature) then add all of the chocolatey mixture into the cream cheese and fold until fully incorporated. 

Pour into the tin and place in the oven for around 40 minutes, it should still be wobbly in the centre. 

Turn the oven off and open the oven door, allowing the cheesecake to come to room temperature (this should stop it cracking - unlike mine!!)

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Almond, poppy seed and orange loaf

I found myself wide awake at 3:30am, staring at the ceiling. After a brief spell of tossing and turning, getting frustrated that I was awake at the most unreasonable hour, I decided enough was enough I just had to get up and do something, anything. I staggered downstairs, put on the oven and baked an almond, poppy seed and orange loaf, without even registering what I was doing. It was potentially a slightly balmy thing to be doing, but at least I got to eat cake for breakfast in the sunshine...which kind of made up for the early morning start! 

Almond, poppy seed and orange loaf

100g Butter

100g Caster Sugar

2 Eggs

50g Ground Almonds

50g Self-raising Flour (Dove's Farm Wheat and Gluten free)

1tsp Baking powder

1/2tsp Bicarb

1/2tsp Xanthan gum

75g Chopped Almonds

50g Poppy Seeds

Zest and Juice of 1 large Orange

Handful of Flaked Almonds

Preheat oven to 180 and line a loaf tin

Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, incorporate the eggs one at a time.

Finally, fold in the dry ingredients and zest of an orange.

Pour into the loaf tin and top with a handful of flaked almonds then bake for  around 30minutes until golden brown and springs back to touch.

Whilst still warm from the oven, pour over the juice of an orange and leave to cool.

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Rose and Pistachio Cupcakes

I think yesterday I was suffering from a touch of the 'post exam blues'. It's a strange concept feeling a bit flat after they are over, but so much of your time, energy and focus has been directed into something for weeks and then it is over. Suddenly you have so much time on your hands, to do all of those things that you had been longing to do whilst revising but now none of the energy to do!! An empty day, not quite knowing how to fill and a brain that won't yet switch off, ruminating over the 'what if's' and for some bizarre reason longing to read. 

This strange state I was in may have explained my 'crying over spilt milk' moment when the battery on my weighting scales gave up mid bake. However, 'every cloud has a silver lining' and all that jazz...so my scales 'disaster' meant that I finally got to use this beautiful milk bottle measuring cup set from Anthropologie. I am not really a cups kind of baker - i have always worried that they are not accurate enough (not that I'm a perfectionist!!) although I may now be converted - it is certainly an easy way of baking and these measuring cups are just so gorgeous I loved using them, rather than just gazing at them!

  Last night was the perfect way to 'snap me out of it' and pop a smile back on my face. Beth hosted an incredible food filled mezze buffet evening...everyone bringing a creation to add to the food laden table. So with a glass of wine in one hand and a plate pilled high in the other, I finally relaxed, my brain switched out of work mode and I had a good old giggle (Tahini anyone?!?). In keeping with the 'Mezze' theme I baked rose and pistachio cupcakes as my contribution to the evening...

Rose and Pistachio Cupcakes

1 Cup Flavourless Oil

2 Cups Caster Sugar

3 Eggs

1 Cup Plain Yoghurt (I used Greek Yoghurt)

3 Cups Self Raising Flour (Dove's Farm Wheat and Gluten Free)

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 Cup roughly chopped pistachios + extra for decorating

Rose Flavoured Turkish Delight

Preheat oven to 180C

Line a 12 hole deep cupcake tin

Beat together the oil, sugar and eggs until pale and aerated (about 5 minutes of whisking) 

Mix in the yoghurt

Finally incorporate the flour, baking powder, xanthan gum

Stir in the pistachios

Half fill each cupcake case with the mixture then pop a piece of Turkish Delight into the centre of each cupcake and squidge it down into the centre of the cake, pop a bit more of the batter on top to completely cover 

Bake for around 25 minutes until golden brown and springs back to touch

Set aside to cool

Rose Buttercream

250g Butter

150g Icing Sugar

4 tbsp  Essence of Rose water

Cream together the butter and icing sugar

Add in the rose water a tablespoon at a time, tasting after each incorporation until you reach the strength of flavour desired....every rose water will differ in strength, add to much and it will taste like soap! 

They are really lovely without icing too...would be lovely with a coffee for breakfast!!

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Carrot Cake

I have funny little ways of knowing when my stress levels are beginning to creep up that invisible scale! One of which being that my beloved and adored childhood cuddly toy begins to appear snuggled up in bed with me at night.

I may be 22 but I am not ashamed to admit that nuzzling up to rabbit (I know...I wasn't a very inventive child in terms of naming him!!) instantly fills me with that childhood warmth and security that only your favourite toy can do. My love for rabbit as a child has been considered, on occasions, as extreme by my family! It was once suggested that I should have him sewn into the underside of my wedding dress when I one day get married!!

This rabbit love has expanded into a quirky love of all things bunny related...from cuddly toys to nick nacks. I practically have a rabbit warren the number of rabbit stuffed toys i've been given over the years. Even just looking around my room its accented with streaks of rabbit related decor! 

            So with deadline season upon me and rabbit becoming a firm fixture in my bed, I thought that it would only be appropriate to indulge in carrot cake to get me through this deadline doom. So here is my #rabbit carrot cake...

Carrot Cake

150ml Light Olive Oil

150g Light Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

150g Self Raising Flour (Dove's Farm Gluten and Wheat Free)

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum

2 tsp Mixed Spice

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

200g Peeled Grated Carrot (around 3 medium carrots)

150g Raisins or Sultanas (or a mixture!)

100g Walnut Pieces

Zest of a small Orange

Zest of a Lemon

Preheat the oven to 180C

Line two sandwich tins

Peel and grate the carrots and set aside

Beat together the oil, sugar and eggs until pale and bubbly(!)

Add the flour, baking powder, bicarb, xanthan gum, mixed spice and cinnamon and combine

Finally add the grated carrot, raisins/sultanas, walnut pieces, orange and lemon zest and mix together

Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for around 25 minutes or until it springs back to touch

Leave to cool

   Cream Cheese Icing

300g Cream Cheese

85g Icing Sugar

Mix together until smooth

Once the cake is cool, place the bottom face down smother with half of the icing and then place the other cake on-top, cover with the rest of the icing.