Mental Health Awareness

If you type into Google 'Health Magazine' I can guarantee that 99.99% of the pictures that pop up on your screen will be of half naked bodies with incredibly toned abs (trust me, I just searched it). To me this is a problem. Despite living in an ever changing world where certain topics are apparently becoming less of taboos and health is at the forefront of a lot of people's lives, it appears that mental health still isn't gaining the recognition and acceptance that it deserves.

There still seems to be such a stigma about mental health because people can't identify with it. It's not tangible. You break a wrist and everyone rushes over to sign your cast but you suffer from something in the mind and people rush away from you. We accept emotions like grief because we can identify with them but those emotions that we cannot identify with we turn away from and scowl upon. This needs to change.

This is why I encourage everyone to open up about mental health, reach out to loved ones and challenge the stigma we have in society! #MentalHealthAwareness

Image Source = Ester Marie Doysabas via Unsplash

Local Produce – The Benefits and Uses

The importance of buying and using local produce and how you can incorporate this into your baking...

Why is it important to buy produce locally?

Local Produce Is Fresher - often when you buy produce that has been picked locally it will have been picked not long ago meaning it is super fresh.

Local Produce Is Tastier - if the fruit and veg you are eating has been freshly picked then it is likely that it will taste better!

Local Produce May Even Be Healthier - over time the vitamins essential for health can deteriorate in fruit and veg. Therefore, the fresher the produce, the healthier it is.

Local Produce Is Good For Reducing Food Miles - of course local food still needs to be transported however, it travels a vastly smaller distance than imports from across the world. HINT: a food mile is 'a mile over which a food item is transported during the journey from producer to consumer, as a unit of measurement of the fuel used to transport it.'

Local Produce Supports Farmers - by buying and using local produce, farmers are supported and skills are kept alive which may be crucial in the future.

Local Produce Supports Our Economy - buying locally ensures money continues to circulate in the local economy which aids local farms and businesses.

Other Benefits - reduced packaging, reduced waste, trying something new, meeting new people, best ingredients and great value!

How To Buy Locally

Buying locally may seem daunting and difficult however it really doesn't need to be! Easy ways to buy locally are to research farm shops near you, pick your own (or even grow your own) and go to farmer's markets. Or keep an eye out in supermarkets for in season fruit and vegetables that are grown in this country.

Ways To Use Local Produce

Some easy ways to use the produce you buy are to cook/bake seasonal dishes. You can use fruits in homemade jams and pies for example, and both fruits and vegetables in chutneys. Also, there are so many meals that include vegetables such as ratatouille, meals with vegetable side dishes, vegetable lasagnas and so on. You could even use fruit in a dessert such as a crumble or pie.

Visits From The Easter Bunny

With Easter quite literally around the corner I have been in the kitchen with every spare moment I have (in between days full of revision and running around doing errands!). I wanted to put up a recipe for an Easter cake a couple of weeks prior to Easter, however, life appears to have gotten on top of me. I am planning on making a Simnel cake tomorrow but in the meantime I have been able to bake both Easter biscuits and Easter cupcakes. Today I have decided to share how I made the cupcakes as they are a super easy last minute treat!

You Will Need-
175g Butter
165g Caster sugar
3 Eggs
40g Cocoa powder
125g Self raising flour
1 tsp Baking powder
2 bags of mini eggs of your choosing.
The oven needs to be pre-heated to 180 degrees Celsius.


Method

In a bowl beat the butter until it becomes creamy and then add the sugar and beat again until combined and fluffy.

One by one add the eggs into the mixture and mix together until combined.

Once the eggs are combined with the butter and sugar add the cocoa powder, flour and baking powder and then fold together.

Fill the cupcake cases evenly and put in the oven for about 15 minutes, each oven is slightly different so keep an eye on them to make sure they don't get over or under baked. The cakes are done when they are springy to touch and a skewer comes out clean.

After the cakes have cooled you will need to make the icing. I don't like to use measurements for icing because I tend to end up with too much and it goes to waste so I do this bit by eye. Put about half a stick (roughly 125g) of butter (it is best to use real butter here as opposed to margarine because this will give the best consistency and taste) in a bowl and beat until creamy. It is best to do this when the butter is at room temperature otherwise you will be mixing it for ages and I prefer to use a hand whisk to make it extra smooth and it is also quicker to use! Once the butter is creamy, add icing sugar until you like the taste of the icing, for me this usually ends up being the exact amount I need because the quantity will depend on how much butter you use. Once the icing is mixed to suit your taste and is a pipe-able consistency. Split the icing into two bowls and add cocoa powder to one to make chocolate icing. If the icing is too stiff at any point throughout this process, add a dash of milk. Now using a flower nozzle in a piping bag pipe the icing onto the cupcakes, white icing on one half and the chocolate icing on the other half. Now add mini-eggs to your liking! I added 3 smarties eggs on each one (there were no mini-eggs in the shop but I ended up loving the brightly coloured ones).

Now you can eat the cupcakes and enjoy!
Have a wonderful Easter.
Lucy x

A Lemon and Raspberry Mother's Day Cake

As last Sunday was Mother's Day in the UK it was a perfect chance to make a cake (it was also an opportunity to make my grandma's birthday cake because after afternoon tea on her birthday we knew we would all be rather full!). After a long time deliberating over what to make I finally settled on a lemon and raspberry cake. I had been planning to make a naked cake for some time and decided this was definitely the look I wanted to go for and the decoration went from there. After making these decisions it was time to hop onto Pinterest for some inspiration and here is the finished product...

So without further ado, here is how I made this cake.

Ingredients You Will Need
For the sponge
-340g unsalted butter, softened
-340g caster sugar
-340g plain flour
-3 tsp baking powder
-6 large eggs
-The zest of 4 lemons and the juice of 1

For the icing (here are the measurements of the original recipe however, you can make the icing to your personal preference) -150g raspberries
-250g unsalted butter, softened
-750g icing sugar
-Splash of milk
-Food colouring

Decorations (again this is down personal preference)
-Flowers
-Macarons
-A dusting of white chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180oC / 160oC Fan / Gas Mark 4 (I tend not to use fan for cakes however, it is up to you). Grease and line three 20cm sandwich tins with baking parchment; it is best to do this first in order to do the boring bit first. If you only have one or two tins you will need to do the baking in batches.

Beat together the sugar and butter with an electric whisk/stand mixer until they are light coloured, smooth and creamy. I did this for 5 minutes which seems like a long time but is recommended. Beat in each egg thoroughly, one by one. If the mixture starts to split, just add a tablespoon of flour and continue beating – this will bring the mixture back together.

Add the flour and the baking powder and fold into the mixture using a silicone spatula or metal spoon, making sure to mix any flour that ends up at the bottom of the bowl. Be gentle to not knock out all of the air you have just added.

Fold in the lemon juice and zest, and then divide the mixture evenly between the three tins; my mixture divided into roughly 3 lots of 466g. Smooth out the surface of the sponge mixtures and bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes (keep an eye on it from 20 minutes), or until a skewer comes out clean when poked into the center of the sponge.

Remove the sponges from the oven and leave to cool on wire racks.

To prepare the raspberry icing take 150g of the raspberries and force them through a sieve with the back of a spoon into a large bowl. Add the butter and beat with the raspberry juice using an electric hand whisk until soft. You may want to start off using a fork to avoid raspberry juice flying everywhere. Gradually add the icing sugar and continue to mix, adding a splash of milk if you need to loosen the mixture.

How I assembled the cake-

Place the first sponge on the cake stand, board or turntable. Fill a bag with a 1/3 of the icing and use a large round nozzle to pipe ‘blobs’ of the icing around the sponge. Place the second layer on top and gently press down but make sure not to ruin the shape of the icing underneath. Refill the piping bag and repeat the piping pattern on this sponge. Take the third sponge and ice the last third of the icing onto the top smoothing it down to make a neat finish. Carefully place the final layer on top of the cake.

Now that the main body of the cake is assembled it is time to decorate. Place fake flowers onto the center of the cake using a small bouquet type shape to go in the middle. I bought fake flowers from a specialist shop. You can use real flowers however, be careful where you source them from as a lot of florists and flower suppliers will have sprayed the flowers meaning they could be harmful. Around the flowers place macarons, placing them upright on the icing. I made these macarons myself (I will do a separate post about how to make them) however, shop bought macarons will do the trick just fine too. Place single flowers in between each macaron, pushing them in gently so that they blend with the other flowers.

Using any remainder icing to secure them, place macarons about the base of the cake and grate white chocolate over the entire cake to finish it off.

And there you have it, one beautiful mother’s day cake (suitable for many other occasions!). Please feel free to ask me any questions in the comments below.

Enjoy! x

A Viennese Valentine

With Valentines day quickly approaching (how are we well into February already?) I have often found myself scrolling through Pinterest looking at all things love. When I came across Viennese Biscuits I thought these would be the perfect Valentines treat. Whether they are to share with family, fiends, your loved one or simply just a way of showing love to yourself, these melt in the mouth, crumbly biscuits are a delicious treat!

So with no further ado, here is the recipe!

Ingredients you will need

.200g unsalted butter, softened (it is best to use real butter to get the crumbly finish)
.50g icing sugar
.2 teaspoons vanilla extract
.200g plain flour
.2 teaspoons cornflour
.1/2 teaspoons baking powder
.100g milk chocolate
.Milk as necessary

Method

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius/325 degrees Fahrenheit/gas mark 3.

Place the butter and sugar into a freestanding mixer and beat together until pale and combined. Now add the vanilla extract and mix again. Once combined, add the flour, cornflour and baking powder (sifting if necessary) into the bowl and mix thoroughly until the mixture comes together.

Add milk as necessary until the mixture is a consistency that you can pipe but make sure it doesn't become too soft as this will ruin the Viennese biscuit. Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a medium-large nozzle and pipe roughly 10cm-long fingers or any shape you may prefer. Hearts or roses are sweet for Valentines. Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until pale golden.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Melt the chocolate and stir until smooth. Once the chocolate has cooled slightly dip each end of the Viennese fingers into the chocolate and set aside to harden.

Baker's tip! I found putting the piped fingers in the fridge for 10 or so minutes before cooking them helped them to keep their ridged shape.

If you decide to make these, enjoy!

Lucy x

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Photo Credit - Brooke Lark.