Chocolate Orange Cognac Cake - Recipe

A while ago I shared with you a rather lovely recipe for a Gin flavoured cheesecake, well this month I've been getting my bake on and I have another scrumptious recipe to get your taste buds going, introducing my chocolate orange cognac cake.

Individual Coconut Flapjack Recipe

I love a good flapjack. I'm quite partial to one filled with nuts and I would never say no to one covered in yoghurt. I think that is what makes it so nice because the recipe is easy to adapt to your own personal taste. As long as you have the basic ingredients in the cupboard you can quickly knock up a batch in next to no time.

Blueberry and Nut Loaf Recipe

The colder months bring out the baker in me. I love to bake cakes, cookies etc. I'm yet to attempt a pie but I am going to rectify that this year. I think one of the best things to do is eat something you've baked straight from the oven, just something so homely about that. My latest recipe which I'm sharing with you all is a blueberry and nut loaf. Packed full of fruit and fibre it makes a brilliant breakfast or a wonderful accompniament to your afternoon cuppa.

Spooktastic Halloween Recipes

It's nearly time for Halloween so the kids have been requesting to bake some spooktastic cakes and cookies. I thought a nice easy recipe would be for some scrummy gingerbread biscuits, gingerbread for me is one of the foods that seem to go hand in hand with the colder months.

These biscuits are easy to make so make a perfect recipe for the whole family to join in making, including any little ones.

We followed the simple recipe provided on the BBC website, they made gingerbread men instead of anything spooky but this is easily adapted by using whatever cookie cutters you may have to hand.

Layla's Cinderella Inspired Rainbow Cake

So my little monkey turned three a couple of days ago and her request for the day was everything to do with Cinderella. Trouble for me is that I am no professional cake maker so I wasn't sure how to translate this theme onto a birthday cake. Lucky for me I found some lovely personalised cake toppers on eBay so all that was left to do was actually make the cake. I set myself the hard task of making a rainbow cake.

Oreo Cookie Surprise Cupcakes

One thing I really love doing with my girls is baking and even better when we can find new recipes to experiment with. The recipe I'm about to share with you comes from the official Jacqueline Wilson magazine. Now they actually named them coffee & cookies cupcakes but I prefer the name oreo cookie surprise cupcakes.

These cakes are a delight to the tastebuds. With the mix of soft, moist sponge and crumbly, sweet cookie, the textures were made to go together.

Nutty Oat Bars Recipe

There are days when I have next to no time in the mornings and then there are the afternoons where I feel like I'm in need of a nap. Apart from my regular hit of caffeine from my bucket of coffee, sometimes I need something else to either run out the door with or do give me a bit of a pick me up to keep me going with the kids. (where do they find their energy?)

These nutty oat bars which I'm about to introduce to you have a great mix of a salty and sweet taste and because of the oats you are kept full for quite a while which is why they are the perfect on the go breakfast food. And as I've found great for anyone on a diet as you won't find yourself craving more food after eating them.

Ingredients

* 1 cup of rolled oats
* 1 cup chopped salted peanuts
* 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
* 1/2 cup wholemeal self raising flour
* 2/3 cup soft brown sugar
* 150g butter

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Protein Muffins

I think I mention on a weekly basis just how much I love cake and even though I'm trying to be healthy I really can't live without it. So what's better than cake? A healthy cake packed full of protein, that's what!!

My latest recipe combines peanut butter, chocolate and protein oh and banana because fruit definitely means that these delicious muffins are indeed good for you.

Rhubarb Crumble Recipe

I love a good crumble, it is a pudding that reminds me of childhood days spent at my grandparents house. Up until recently I'd never made one myself, either eating shop bought or ones made by my lovely nana. I think in my head I imagined it to be complicated to create a really good one.

This changed when my friend kindly gave me a few freshly grown sticks of rhubarb and of course my first thought was to make a good crumble. Searching the web for recipes, there are so many alternative ways of not only cooking the rhubarb itself but also on how to create a good crumble mix.

Testing My Baking Skills #FloridaTixbakeoff

FloridaTix are turning 10 and of course any birthday celebration needs cake so they set myself and 9 other bloggers the task to create them a birthday cake as part of their FloridaTixbakeoff challenge. Now I'm ok at making cakes and I don't like to blow my own trumpet but I think I'm pretty great at eating them!! However my decorating skills I admit are somewhat lacking.

I always have visions in my head as to how I want my finished cakes to look but honestly they never come out looking how I imagined them but I'm not one to turn down a challenge so I've given it my best shot.

We were each sent a little hamper of baking goodies to help us with our creations this included icing, edible glitter and a madeira cake mix.

Creme Egg Chickpea Blondies

I'm sure it isn't possible seen as Easter has been and gone but if you happen to have any Creme Eggs left over you can use them in this scrummy recipe for chickpea blondes, of course you can always make them without the creme eggs, this will make these delicious slices of cake less calorific but no less tasty.

The blondies themselves are wonderfully healthy, high in protein and fibre because of the included peanut butter and chickpeas, a great example that healthy foods can be flavoursome.

There is no butter, eggs or flour involved in this recipe so it can be adapted to be vegan too.

Easter Biscuit Baking

Ok ok, I know Easter has been and gone but the girls got some lovely Easter cookie cutters over the holidays but we were late in using them however I couldn't not show you their final efforts as I myself (yes I may be biased) was impressed with the results.

Apple, Cinnamon and Flaxseed Muffins

I love cake. It is no secret but since trying to stick to healthy eating it just seems to call to me more. But worry not, there are so many healthy recipes out there that I don't need to take cake off of the menu!! My latest offering is a muffin that is both full of favour and full of dietary benefits.

Flaxseed is both high in protein and high in fibre so the perfect ingredient to add into your diet. It can mixed in with cakes, smoothies, porridge, the possibilities are endless.

Making a Book Birthday Cake

Everyone likes birthday cake right? And it sometimes becomes 100% better when it is made especially for that person. My eldest daughter recently requested that I make her a birthday instead of buying one from the shop. The problem being that I am not an expert baker and I was worried that it would end up a sponge disaster but I impressed myself. I didn't make a master piece but I'm proud enough that I wanted to show it off.

Elise is a huge book worm so I chose to make her a cake that resembled a book.

Sweet Chilli Sausage Rolls Recipe

I love a good sausage roll but sometimes it can come across as a bit boring, it doesn't have the wow factor that other foods have. I confess that I've never made my own sausage rolls before but having looked at different recipes, I decided that it wouldn't be that hard so below is my twist to the classic pastry food.

Sharing Flora's Potato and Herb Bake Recipe

There is nothing better than settling down with a big plate of comfort food on a rubbish weather day. I normally opt for a good stew or cheesy beans on toast but I when I spotted Flora's recipe for potato and herb bake, I just had to have a go at making it, so I thought it was only fair that I share the recipe with all of you.

I Should Have Been On The GBBO

The Great British Bake Off may be over for this year but that doesn't stop the rest of us from baking. I personally think I should have been on the GBBO for amateurs.

Aldi recently set some of us lovely bloggers a bake off challenge of our own.

Using some Aldi's Home Baking SpecialBuys and core ingredients, I had to pick a recipe from one of the many used on the GBBO show this year, I opted for the Fruity Swedish Tea Ring which Richard cleverly made.

Now this isn't something I've made before and I'm not lucky enough to own a freestanding mixer or a proving bag for that matter but I gave it my best shot….

Chocolate & peanut Butter Banana Bites Recipe

This week I had a few bananas which needed using up. I decided to make banana cupcakes, as you'll see as you carry on reading, these cupcakes got transformed into something slightly different along the way…..

Jam Filled Muffins Recipe

I haven't done any baking in a while but seen as I am on a mission to empty all my cupboards ready for moving, I decided making cakes would certainly clear some space.

What I made depended on what ingredients I had left and in the end I decided on some simple muffins, but plain muffins aren't any fun are they so I thought why not fill them up with jam…..

Ice Cream Bread Recipe

So it may be Summer right now but the weather is so changeable that it doesn't always seem appropriate to be eating a freezing cold ice cream.

However this doesn't stop the kids from asking for them.

There isn't really a good substitute for ice cream so the next best thing, ice cream bread.

Now I know you're all thinking I'm mad right now but it really works and the best thing, you only need two ingredients.