Fairy Cakes || Recipe

Hello Lovelies,

I love baking and one of my earliest memories is making fairy cakes with my mother.  They are such an easy thing to bake especially with children and are also super scrummy.  This recipe I am told was my great grandmothers which is kinda special, so treat it kindly pretty please.

Ingredients:

4oz SR flour

3oz margarine

3oz caster sugar

1 egg

milk or water to mix

Fan oven - 160 C for 15-20 mins

First thing to do is cream the marg and sugar. 
You then need to add your egg and beat  it again with a hand mixer or food processor, I doubled my mixture hence the two eggs.

You will then be left with a lovely smooth mixture, ready to fold in your flour to complete your fairy cakes.

Once you have half filled your fairy cake cases pop them in the oven set your timer then twiddle your thumbs until they are ready.
When your timer beeps at you give them a check, if you can put a skewer into one and withdraw it clean it is ready.
Once they are out of the oven put them on a cooling rack and get cracking with you icing, you can either go wild or be terribly boring like me!  These were whipped up very quickly for last Sundays family tea so that is my excuse for just popping on a smidgen of water icing but i'm sure all of yours will be much prettier. 

A little variation to this recipe is to add well anything but at the moment we are going through an apple phase, so to jazz it up a little grab yourself four apples, then either bake them or steam them until they soften then pop them in a blender with a bit of water and blitz until you have a nice smooth puree. 

The definitely aren't the prettiest cakes in the world and aren't going to win you any prizes in the village fete but they taste scrummy and are very moist (gosh I hate that word!)

They are the perfect naughty treat on a nice sunny day with a big glass of milk.

Yummy!

Has anyone else got any old favourites?

Proper Margarita Pizza

Hello Lovelies,

I adapted this recipe from one of my favourite blogs The Londoner.  I have never found a really great pizza base until I stumbled across this one and as Rosie says "this is the only pizza base recipe you'll ever need.  Once you have made it, you'll soon know it by heart and be able to whip it up in a flash".  It is so simple and quick to make and super yummy.

Ingredients:

500g bread flour plus a tad more for kneading

1 tbsp of salt

1 7g sachet of dried yeast

1 tbsp golden sugar

2 tbsp of olive oil

330ml tepid water

This recipe makes enough for 4 medium pizzas.

If you store it in the fridge it should keep for up to a week. 

    

First thing to do is sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, then make a well in the middle. 

Then grab your self a mixing jug and mix together your water, yeast, sugar and oil.
Then set it aside for a few mins before you pour it into the hollow you have made in the flour.

Once you have poured the liquid in, grab yourself a metal spoon and gently get mixing until it becomes a sticky dough.

Now for the fun part, its time to get kneading, so flour your surface, get your dough and knead it until it is soft and springy. 

When you are happy that your dough is kneaded enough, dust a bowl with flour, pop your dough in and sprinkle a little flour on top.  

You  will then need to leave your dough to prove, you can either leave it for an hour with a damp cloth/tea towel in a warm place, but (do not touch!)  
(Alternatively cover your bowl in cling film and pop it in the fridge overnight, however you need to take it out of the fridge at least half an hour before you want to use it).
After an hour your dough should have doubled in size. 

Now rip a piece of dough off, I tore mine into roughly four pieces then gave it another good knead before, grabbing a rolling pin and rolling out three pizza bases.

As very few of us have snazzy pizza ovens handy, the best way to get that lovely crispy pizza base is to pre-heat your oven to 220 degrees C, then pop in an upside down baking tray on the medium shelf.

While your makeshift pizza oven is heating up you can make your tomato sauce, to make this yummy addition to your pizza you will need:

1 tin of tomatoes

1 tsp of oregano

1 clove of garlic

1 tsp of salt.

You need to first drain your tinned toms so you are just left with the tomatoes, put them your oregano, garlic and salt into a food processor and blitz.  You will then be left with a yummy tomato sauce.   

After rolling it out you want to lay you dough on a lightly floured piece of tin foil.

Then all you have to do is smear your dough with a layer of tomato and your toppings of choice, I love mozzarella and pesto pizza, especially when it is made with fresh pesto (remember the recipe), but sadly at the moment I can't eat nuts or seeds so pesto is a no no.  Instead I opted for some fresh chopped tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella a yummy substitute.   

Once you have chosen your toppings lift the foil on top of your upside down tray and put it back in the oven for 10-12 mins until (it may vary slightly depending on your oven).

Then voilà you have a yummy guilt free pizza, enjoy! 

Prairie Charms Blog Series // My Jewellery

Hello Lovelies,

This blog series is brought to you by the UK based handmade jewellery and accessories company Prairie Charms, they are kindly offering all my lovely readers 35% off by entering 'JEWELS35' at the checkout. 

1) Describe your jewellery style in three words.

Classic, Simple and feminine

2) What was the first bit of jewellery you ever purchased, (if you purchased it yourself why did it stand out to you?)

 The first piece of jewellery I ever purchased for myself was this sterling silver bracelet from Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, I bought it in Spain when I was about twelve along with some matching studs which have long since been lost, probably down a plug hole!  I went through a stage of loving her jewellery when I was younger, we have a house in Spain so it's a place I visit frequently and while at boarding school I had a lot of Spanish friends who always had stationary and jewellery from the quirky brand.  I can't really remember exactly what I liked about it when I bought it, but now I love how dainty it is, it's actually a child's bracelet so isn't as loose as it once was but I still wear it along with a collection of other bangles.

      

3) What is your most meaningful piece of jewellery?

I would have to say my most meaningful piece of jewellery is a russian wedding ring that I wear on my little finger instead of a signet ring, it's really special because my mother has one and she had mine made for me.  

4) What is your jewellery style or do you own an eclectic mix?

I love stacking bracelets, I have four that I never take off, then bangles and bracelets that I add on top every morning.  I am pretty samey with my necklaces and rings I wear the same necklace everyday and switch between gold or silver rings, I would have to say I am definitely most adventurous with my bracelets adding a splash of colour to my favourite silver bangles.

5) What is your favourite type of jewellery? (Rings, necklaces, bracelet, earrings, or something else?) and is there a type of jewellery that you've never got on with?)

This is a hard one, I would probably have to say rings, I love having pretty things on my fingers, but bracelets are seriously close I love that you can mix and match.  I would have to say earrings are the one piece of jewellery I don't really love, I only own three pairs, some sterling silver hearts with little diamonds in the center, some large pearls and some small gold hoops.

6) Who's jewellery bow would you love to raid?

This isn't so much a persons jewellery box, but I loved the jewellery from Downton Abbey so I would love to raid a jewellery box from the the 1920's.

7) Silver or gold? Are you somebody that despises the other or will you settle for a wide variety of colours?

I personally love both, I definetly have more silver jewellery as I have received lots from friends over the years, but as much as I love my everyday silver bangles and necklaces hand me a piece of gold jewellery and I am a very happy bunny.

8) How do you store your jewellery?  Do you put it in a jewellery box or have it displayed for the world to see?

I keep all my jewellery in the boxes they came in, on my dressing table it's not very glamorous but does keep them safe, a lovely jewellery box is on my wish list though!

9) Do you own any heirloom jewellery?  If so, what is it and from whom?

Yes I do, my favourite of all of the pieces are a gold necklace and a diamond ring, from my Grandmother.

10) Who are your favourite jewellery brands and which piece of jewellery are you looking to add to your collection next?

It depends on what I am looking for, I love Cruciani and Mae Movement for something fun and colourful, but I also love finding silver bangles and bracelets in antiques arcades as you know every Tom, Dick and Harry aren't going to own the same thing!  When it comes to jewellery brands I own a few Pandora rings which I love as they were all presents from family and friends but the piece of jewellery I am lusting after at the moment is a wishbone necklace by Katie Mullaly, I love wishbone jewellery, I have one on a necklace with lots of charms but this one is giant and it needs to be in my life!

   

If you would like to take part in further episodes of this blog series e-mail hello@prairiecharms.co.uk or tweet @Prairie_Charms

Are you a blogger and would like to take part in the Project Blogger Collaboration?

  

Scrummy Tomato Soup

Hello Lovelies,

I love soup especially tomato soup, it is my go to lunch when I want something filling.  Although there is nothing wrong with shop bought soup there is nothing as yummy as homemade, and this tomato soup is super scrummy and so easy to make.

Ingredients:

6 tomatoes 

1 carrot

2 onions

S+P

1 clove of garlic

1 litre of veg stock

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sugar

To start you need to dice all of your veg, then heat your oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, carrot and garlic, then cover and gently cook for 10 mins.  

Add the sugar S+P and tomatoes and stir and cook for another 5 mins.

Add the stock, bring it to the boil then simmer for 10 mins, then take off the heat and liquidise until smooth.

Then serve your soup with a hunk of bread or some cheese biscuits.

Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch // Review

Hello Lovelies,

I have had this tinted lip balm knocking about my handbag for a while now and just haven't got around to reviewing it.  Maybelline Baby Lips balm in Pink Punch (£2.99) is supposed to be a tinted lip balm with 8 hour hydration.  These balms aren't heavily pigmented like the Revlon lip butters, they instead are a balm with a sheer colour, Pink Punch and Peach Kiss being the most pigmented of the bunch.  Pink Punch is a cool toned almost bubblegum pink but when applied to my lips it takes on a much more pastel tone.

I personally like the texture of this balm, it is quite thin and just glides over my lips without that greasy feeling that some balms give, however I have heard mixed reviews as some people feel they just sat on their lips without hydrating them.  I don't think it lives up to its 8 hour hydration, I would say 3-4 is pretty accurate as after that I feel the need to reapply.   

 I don't think these lip balms are revolutionary, and I can definitely think of lip balms that I would probably purchase over this, however I like the packaging, the fact that it is tinted and most of all that it contains SPF 20.  They are a nice addition to the high street beauty aisle and for £2.99 they are a bit of a steal.  

Victoria Sponge

Hello Lovelies,

The trusty Victoria Sponge is the quintessential English cake, it also happens to be my favourite.  So as my little step brothers were over yesterday I knocked up a cake for tea. I'm not trying to insult your intelligence as I know Victoria Sponges are hardly a tricky cake to make but as I was in the baking mood and had my camera handy I thought I would pop up the recipe. 

Ingredients:

3 medium free-range eggs,
175g self raising flour,
175g caster sugar
175g unsalted butter, softened
(1/2tsp of baking powder if using a food processor),
1tsp vanilla extract,
raspberry/strawberry jam,
200g icing sugar,
75g unsalted butter,
3-4 tablespoons water

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C, then it's time to get baking. 

First you need to beat the softened butter and sugar with an electric hand whisk or food processor until the mixture is light and creamy. 

Next beat your eggs and vanilla with a fork, then gradually add it to the butter/sugar mixture beating well after each addition.

Next sift the flour on to the mixture and carefully fold it in with a large metal spoon.  

Once you have folded in the flour, being careful to keep the air in divide it into two tins and spread evenly.
Do not open the door before the 20 mins are up, but keep an eye on them.
Once cooked they should be a light golden brown and the tops should spring back when gently pressed & you should be able to spear them with a skewer and pull it out clean.
If they're not quite done give them another 5 mins.

Leave to cool on a rack, then once they are completely chilled you can start to fill them (we didn't too many hungry horaces in this house).

Once you have slathered on your favourite jam, in our case some strawberry "Bonne Maman" you can but on your icing.

75g soft unsalted butter

200g icing sugar

3-4 tablespoons of water

Put everything in a bowl and mix until you have smooth butter icing.  Smooth your icing on top of your jam and pop on the top of your cake, then give it a dusting of powdered sugar.