It finally felt like spring this weekend as we enjoyed pretty much uninterrupted sunshine. We made the most of it by spending lots of time in the garden, cleaning the toys and pots we want to take with us when we move. Bizarrely this was the weekend that the toddler finally decided to wear his wellies. For the last couple of years he has refused to wear them. We’ve read Peppa books, talked about jumping in muddy puddles and pointedly walked around puddles in the park. Do you want to know what changed his mind? It was pretty simple. I…
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The weather was unbelievable today – grey, overcast, snow and even a hail storm. Is it really the beginning of April? This morning we had to go out as the toddler had a hair appointment. Little Sis got her first hair cut too, one quick snip across her fringe and she can see again. When we were home with the front door shut firmly behind us we started baking. We needed a sweet treat so turned to our favourite, classic butterfly (or fairy) cakes. They are simple to make but look and taste great! Just in case you want to…
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Today the toddler turned 3. We just gave him a couple of presents to open before nursery, unfortunately one of them was a Buzz Lightyear which went off before it was opened, rather giving the game away! He was totally spoilt with some Disney Cars for his collection, a train for his train set, and a wooden bike. His name was read out on cBeebies and he was only a little bemused by the home made Lightning McQueen pinata. We made a special rainbow layer cake which was fun to make, if a little time consuming. Fortunately the weather was…
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Are you doing anything special for Mothers’ Day this year? We’re hoping to visit our local Farmers’ Market before enjoying a family lunch at the local pub. I thought I would make something special for afternoon tea using Whitworths baking sugars – traditional Queen Cakes. Queen cakes for Mother’s Day The recipe for Queen Cakes is quite simple. You will need: 110g unsalted butter 110g caster sugar 2 eggs 110g self raising flour 60g glacé cherries How to bake Queen Cakes Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, add in the eggs, then fold in the flour. Add…
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I’ve tried to make something a little different this week with Whitworths sugars – I’ve baked a heart inside a cupcake. I used a favourite recipe to make a chocolate cake batter which I cooked in a square tin. When it had baked and cooled I cut out small hearts using a cookie cutter. I then placed each heart in a cupcake case and added a generous dollop of vanilla cake mixture around each one. When they were baked and cooled I iced each one with yummy vanilla buttercream. A delicious surprise in each one and perfect for your Valentine!…
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I’ve teamed up with Whitworths again to bring you some New Year cheer! Fed up with snow and rain? Read on! January is a tough month- what with the post-Christmas and New Year blues. To lift your spirits throughout January they’re launching a New Year competition, encouraging fans to get back into the kitchen and do what they love, to bake! Each week in January one lucky follower will have the chance to a win a bespoke Whitworths goody bag, including the full Whitworths for Baking sugar range. The competitions will run from Saturday – Friday and the week’s winner…
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The toddler really surprised me the other day. We were painting with cookie cutters and he knew what a heart shape was. He always surprises me with the words he knows but it has meant Valentine crafts are a little easier to explain. We’ve been busy preparing for Valentines Day. We’ve already made our own cards with a heart stamp and been baking with vintage Valentine cookie cutters too. I was recently contacted by MakeBake, who sell all kinds of wonderful sugar craft supplies as well as cake baking and decorating equipment. They were kind enough to send me a…
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We were recently offered a Nurture Box. Each box includes a mixture of practical, fun and development products which, where possible, are organic and eco-friendly too. They offer a monthly subscription box aimed at parents with children aged 0-3 years, containing 4-5 products (one of which is for the parents) which are tailored to the age of the child. Nurture Box is about helping parents discover the best products and brands for their children. To ensure that the products are all of the highest quality and in keeping with their ethos, all products are stringently tested and vetted by a…
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Was Father Christmas good to you? I must have been a good girl last year as he was very nice to me. I received a years’ subscription to Ancestry which will really help me with my family history research. I want to capitalise on the creative writing course I did at the end of last year so I’m going to make time each week to work on it. I was also given a subscription to Mollie Makes. I think it’s rather expensive for a magazine but I do love reading it and now I won’t feel guilty about spending the…