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Whether you have a reason to celebrate or not, this salted caramel cake is sure to be a real crowd pleaser.

I wanted this cake to be a little different to something I have made before and I was thinking how I could achieve that without getting too weird or wacky… I had the ‘super’ creative idea of having two different layers of cake, classic chocolate and brown sugar cake. Using the brown sugar cake gave the sponges a richer more caramel taste to the cake – all the caramel tones without all of the added sweetness.

To keep things super simple, I made 4 layers of cake (alternating the different flavours), sandwiched together with caramel Italian buttercream and on the one layer, filled with caramel and fudge pieces (if you add caramel and pudge pieces in-between each layer, the cake won’t be as stable, plus it can make the cake overly sweet and unenjoyable). Coated and finished with the same caramel buttercream, then a caramel drip was added – not forgetting the mini salted pretzels for on top of the rosettes and a small blog of caramel for in the middle of the rosettes (oh and some more mini fudge pieces, optional of course).

This would be the perfect cake for any celebration, especially for those who like a mixture of flavours and even for those who say they don’t – when something is homemade, it can change their mind from the store bought version they’re use to.

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

 

Ingredients:

Brown sugar cake:

250g butter.

250g light brown sugar.

4 eggs.

2 tsp vanilla extract.

250g plain flour.

2 tsp baking powder.

pinch of salt.

 

Chocolate cake:

250g butter.

250g granulated sugar.

4 eggs.

200g plain flour.

50g cocoa powder.

2 tsp baking powder.

pinch of salt.

 

Salted caramel buttercream:

500g granulated sugar.

125ml water.

140g egg yolks.

1 whole egg.

1kg butter, softened to room temp.

 

Caramel for the filling and drip.

Fudge pieces for the filling and decoration on top.

 

Method:

Before you get started on any element of the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep. Start by weighing up all of your ingredients, lining your 8 inch cake tins with parchment paper circles and get any equipment you may need ready, such as a stand mixer and spatula. Don’t forget to preheat your oven t 180˚c/350˚f.

For this cake I’m making two different flavoured cakes with the same method, therefore I won’t give you the same method twice in the recipe below.

To start on the recipe, make the buttercream – which super easy and isn’t the sickly sweet American buttercream recipe you’re use to.

To start on the recipe, grab a small-medium saucepan and place in the water and granulated sugar and mix the two until combined, then place on the hob over a medium-high heat. You want this mixture to reach 121˚c, it takes a short while.

While you’re waiting for your mixture to come up to temperature, you can work on the egg part.

Whisk together the egg yolks and whole egg over a medium-high speed until everything is combined and the mixture is a pale yellowish colour and increased a significant amount.

Once your sugar mixture has come up to 121˚c, you can remove it from the heat and steadily pour it over the egg mixture over a low speed. Once all the mixture has been added, crank the speed upto a high and whisk until you can touch the bottom of the bowl with the back of your hand.

Now that the mixture has whisked together and is cool enough, you can start adding your butter, piece by piece. At first, you may notice the mixture looks quite loose and this is normal. As the butter is added and incorporated, the mixture will thicken and start looking like a buttercream.

Add in the vanilla and whisk until everything has been fully incorporated.

You can now go ahead and add in the caramel, mixing it in until, it’s fully incorporated. Chill in the fridge – this buttercream does seem to firm up a lot, so if you’re intending on using it, I recommend taking it out of the fridge 60 minutes before you intend on using it.

Now that the buttercream is out of the way, you can focus on the cakes.

Start by taking a mixing bowl and placing in the butter and sugar and beating the two together until they are lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency – this usually takes anything from 5-10 minutes, all depending on how warm the butter was and how warm the environment it around you.

Once very well combined, you can then go ahead and give the bowl a good scraping down. This is just too incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in from earlier on, most commonly towards the top of the bowl and the very bottom of the bowl.

Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well in-between each addition – doing this way helps to lower the risk of splitting or curdling the mixture (although, if that happens don’t panic). This is also the perfect time to use the vanilla extract, if you’re using it of course.

You can go ahead and give the bowl another good scraping down, this is to again just incorporate any bits that may not have been fully incorporated in properly.

Now add in the dry ingredients, passing them through a sieve (as some dry ingredients have a tendency to be lumpy), then mix on a low speed to start with, working your way up to a medium-high speed – ensuring the dry ingredients are almost fully worked in and the mixture looks smooth and glossy. If you find the mixture is a little stiff, you can add in a small amount of milk to achieve the perfect consistency. Once the milk has been incorporated, you can stop the mixer.

Ideally, you’ll give the bowl one final scraping down. This is just to incorporate any bits of dry ingredients that haven’t been fully incorporated.

Split the cake mixture between your cake tins (should be 2 x 8 inch cake tins, spreading the cake batter as level as you can (to ensure a consistent bake). Place into your preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool fully before you even attempt to decorate – I usually make mine the day before I intend on using them.

If you want to use simple syrup – now is the ideal time to make it. Simply place sugar and water into a saucepan and place on the hob, over a medium-high heat. Allow to come to a boil and then simmer briefly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before using.

Trim the tops from the cakes, this will make stacking the cakes much easier in the long run. If you’re using simple syrup, brush it over now.

Once everything has been made and is ready – you can start decorating.

Take your display board/cake stand/plate and smear a small amount of buttercream into the centre of it. Then press it gently into place and top with a generous amount of buttercream, you can then place an alternative layer of cake on top and this time top with buttercream, a layer of caramel (salted, ideally) and fudge pieces. Then proceed with the cake as usual – I don’t have other layers with the caramel and fudge pieces due to stability of the cake, it would become to much of a risk.

As this cake wasn’t for any occasion in particular, I chose to go with a more ‘rustic’ look. I didn’t apple a crumb coat and didn’t care whether you could see the cake underneath, you can always apply a crumb coat, if you want to.

Smooth the icing to get that almost perfectly smooth and then place into the fridge to firm up a little – around 30-60 minutes would be ideal. Place the remain buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.

To finish the cake off, simple heat a small amount of the caramel to make the drips. I use a microwave to gently heat the caramel – not too hot! Place into a piping bag and make drops of varying lengths around the cake. Allow the drips to firm up by placing the cake into the fridge for around 10-15 minutes.

Then you can go ahead and pipe 8 rosettes on top of the cake , ensuring there is no gaps in-between the rosettes, don’t forget to add more height, flavour and texture to the cake – use some mini salted pretzels on top of each rosette.  I like to fill the centre of the rosettes with a generous amount of the caramel and some more fudge pieces.

Chill in the fridge and enjoy! Thats how I make my take on a salted caramel cake – its pretty simple.

That’s all for today guys, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, don’t forget to share this recipe with your family and friends and enjoy it. I’ll be back soon with another blog post and YouTube video, so join me then. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check out my other social’s – Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The YouTube tutorial will be linked down below.

Keeping things pretty simple this week with a batch of blondies BUT not just any blondies, these are salted caramel pretzel blondies – these may just become your new favourite… Don’t believe me? Give them a try for yourself!

These blondies aren’t overly sweet, considering they have white chocolate spread and dulce de leche swirled through them – this is thanks for the salted pretzels but don’t worry, it doesn’t make them overly salty either, which is always a welcome addition.

I know salted caramel is hit or miss with most people but I took some of these into work to share with my colleagues and surprisingly, they went down a treat – an honest shock – so thats why you have this recipe today!

If you’re looking for something quick, easy and straightforward – look no further, I have you covered.

Anyway, let’s gets started, shall we?

Ingredients:

200g white chocolate.

130g butter

160g light brown sugar.

3 eggs.

190g plain flour.

½ tsp salt.

1-2 tsp vanilla extract.

100g white chocolate chips.

 

Topping:

16 sea salted pretzels (the mini bar snack variety).

60g white chocolate spread.

60g caramel/dulce de leche.

40-60g white chocolate chips.

Sprinkles – optional.

 

Method:

Before you get into making the blondies, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by weighing up all of your ingredients, line your 8 inch square tin and preheat your oven to 180˚c/350˚f and get any equipment you intend on using.

Into a bowl, place your butter and white chocolate and melt them in the microwave over 20 second bursts, stirring in-between each burst just until everything has melted and is now smooth and well combined.

Once the butter and chocolate are melted, add in your light brown sugar and whisk it in until fully incorporated.

Now add in the eggs and vanilla extract, all in at the same time and whisk them in until they are fully incorporated – you should notice a change in the consistency of the mixture, this is normal.

Next you can add in the plain flour andsalt, you’re best to incorporate them using a silicon spatula, this is what I find the best to work with. Once you can’t see a trace of the flour/salt, stop mixing, you don’t want to over-mix the batter. The consistency will have changed again and become thicker, which is expected.

This is the perfect time to add in the white chocolate chips, if you’re using them.

Pour the blondie batter into your lined 8 inch square cake tin and level it out using your silicon spatula – it may not seem like you need to level it out but to ensure consistent baking, you’re best to do it.

Get your white chocolate spread and caramel/dulce de leche and add dollops around the top of the blondies, then swirl it around the tin using a butter knife (if you think there doesn’t look enough, don’t worry, its swirled and buried into the blondie batter. You haven’t lost anything, its just hidden).

Place into your preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, before removing from the oven to place on the toppings. I like to place around 16 pretzels on top, then in-between the pretzels scatter over some white chocolate chips and fished them with some glittery bronze sprinkles (remembering these are optional).

Place it back in the oven and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean (it should be golden brown around the edges, which is always a good sign.

Once baked and out of the oven, allow to cool fully before you try to cut them. I recommend leaving them in the fridge for at least 8 hours, if you can, this makes them easier to slice and helps them remain perfectly fudgy.

Now they are fully cooled, you can cut them into slices. I cut mine into 9 rather generous squares but you could always cut them into 8 rectangle portions but you cut them to suit you!

That’s all for today guys, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, don’t forget to share this recipe with your family and friends and enjoy it. I’ll be back soon with another blog post and YouTube video, so join me then. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check out my other social’s – Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The YouTube tutorial will be linked down below.

 

Do you like banana bread? You’ll love this chocolate banana bread!

Remember back in 2020 when everybody and their dog was baking banana bread? Well, we’ve moved along ever slightly and made a chocolate variety. It’s the same classic banana bread with a careful combination of cocoa powder and chocolate chips because who doesn’t like chocolate?

Banana and chocolate are a winning combinations, right? I mean, it may be one of those personal combinations that others might not like but I personally think its a winning combo.

You make the banana bread the same way you would any other banana bread but with the dry ingredients, you change the quantity of flour and incorporate a small amount of cocoa powder.

If you like the classic and want to give something else a try, this is the recipe for you.

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

Ingredients:

100g butter, at room temperature.

175g granulated sugar.

2 eggs.

2 bananas, ripe and peeled.

200g plain flour.

30g cocoa powder.

1 tsp baking powder.

50g milk chocolate chips.

 

Method:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by weighing up all of your ingredients, preheating your oven to 180˚c/350˚f and get any equipment you may need ready.

To start on the loaf, take your mixing bowl and place in the butter and granulated sugar. Beat the two together over a medium-high speed until they are fully combined.

Add in your eggs, one at a time, beating well in-between each addition. Once the eggs have been fully incorporated, you can add the vanilla extract and mix until its fully incorporated.

Add in the bananas, mixing until they are incorporated (there will be some bigger chunks of banana).

Give the bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully mixed in.

Now add in the dry ingredients, passing them through a sieve first to remove any lumps. Incorporate over a low speed to start with, working your way up to a medium-high just until a clear batter has formed.

Take the bowl and give it a good scraping down. just to incorporate any bits thats may not have been fully incorporated.

Transfer the cake batter into a loaf pan that has been lined with a loaf liner, levelling it out as best as you possibly can.  Scatter over the chocolate chips and then place into your preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean when inserted into the centre.

Allow to cool and enjoy. This cake will keep really well if wrapped and stored correctly but I doubt it will last that long once you start sharing it, chocolate and banana is a winning combination – thats for sure.

That’s all for today guys, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, don’t forget to share this recipe with your family and friends and enjoy it. I’ll be back soon with another blog post and YouTube video, so join me then. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check out my other social’s – Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The YouTube tutorial will be linked down below.

 

This is probably one of the simplest things to make and hands down, it’s one of the best cakes you can make… It’s the humble lemon drizzle loaf cake.

I know, you’ve probably had this a lot and they all taste somewhat similar but you cannot beat a classic, especially when its as zesty as this one. A basic sponge cake with added lemon zest, a tangy lemon drizzle brushed over and finished with a simple glaze – what’s not to like?

Personally, a loaf is always a good idea. It doesn’t require all the decorating a round cake demands and it doesn’t have any super sweet buttercream coating, just a simple lemon drizzle and glace icing – it’s super simple, no wonder this remains a classic.

This cake along with a coffee and walnut cake (or these coffee and walnut cupcakes) are here to stay, in one way, shape or form.

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

 

Ingredients:

Cake:

225g butter, at room temperature.

225g granulated sugar.

225g plain flour.

1/2 tsp salt.

2 tsp baking powder.

4 eggs.

zest of 2-3 lemons.

 

Lemon Drizzle:

150ml lemon juice.

150g granulated sugar.

 

Glace Icing:

70-100g icing sugar.

small amount of water

 

Method:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. Start by weighing up all of your ingredients, preheating your oven to 180˚c/350˚f and line your loaf pan with a loaf liner or a strip of parchment paper.

To start on the recipe, grab a bowl and place in the butter and sugar and beat the two together until they are lighter and fluffier in colour and consistency (around 5-7 minutes should be the perfect amount of time).

Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well in-between each addition. If the mixture starts to scramble or separate – don’t worry. This happens due to the amount of moisture you’re adding into the mix, slowly add the eggs and mix well in-between each addition, allowing each egg to fully incorporate.

Go ahead and give the bowl a good scraping down, just to incorporate any bits that may not have been fully worked in from earlier on.

Then add in the dry ingredients, passing them through a sieve first, just to remove any lumps that may be in the dry mixture – don’t forget to add in the lemon zest as well.

Mix everything together over a medium-low speed to start with, working your way up to a medium-high speed, adding a small amount of milk (only if needed).

Once your cake batter is made, you can go ahead and grab your loaf pan – lining it with a loaf case or a strip of parchment paper. Now fill the loaf tin with your cake better and level it out to ensure consistent baking – transfer into your preheated oven and bake for around 40-45 minutes or until a tester comes out clean when inserted into the centre.

When there its about 5 minutes left to the baking time, make the lemon drizzle. Into a mixing bowl place granulated sugar and lemon juice, whisk together until the sugar is dissolved in the mixture, set aside until needed.

As soon as the cake is baked, take a pastry brush and generously brush it all over the top of the loaf – this will soak into the cake and bake it taste even more delicious. Allow the cake to cool down fully before you attempt to finish the cake.

Just before you want to decorate the cake, you’ll want to make the simple glaze. Take the icing sugar and add a small amount of water and mix together until you have a thick but spreadable consistency.

Take your loaf and remove the loaf case/parchment paper. However you’d like, drizzle over the icing and allow to set then enjoy.

That’s all for today guys, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, don’t forget to share this recipe with your family and friends and enjoy it. I’ll be back soon with another blog post and YouTube video, so join me then. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check out my other social’s – Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The YouTube tutorial will be linked down below.

This week I’m showing you how to make the best ever raspberry brownies – dense and fudgey with a slightly truffle like texture, what’s not to like?

These brownies are honestly so good – they contain 3 different types of chocolate, unsweetened, dark and milk chocolate. The combination of the different chocolates really helps to make these brownies so decadent – the way a brownie should be. Dark, indulgent and decadent, these brownies are perfect alone but when partnered with raspberry, let me tell you.

Raspberry and chocolate work so well together, granted its not quite strawberry BUT it works so well together. The tartness from from the raspberries really compliments the chocolate and works really together. It’s not the well known combination you may like but trust me, it may become your new favourite!

For the chocolate elements of this recipe, I used products from Cocoa Runners Don’t forget to check them out, if you’re interested!

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

 

Ingredients:

200g Butter.

50g Milk chocolate.

50g Dark chocolate

100g Unsweetened chocolate.

100g Plain flour.

50g Cocoa powder.

3 Eggs.

300g Granulated sugar.

150-200g raspberries, fresh or frozen.

 

Method:

Before you get into the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work first. Start by preheating your oven to 180˚c/350˚f, place a saucepan with a small amount of water onto the hob over a medium heat, weigh up your ingredients, line a 8 inch square tin with parchment paper and get any other equipment you may need, such as a stand mixer and a silicon spatula.

To start, take a heatproof bowl (one thats big enough to fit on top of the saucepan of simmering water) and place in the butter, milk chocolate and dark chocolate. Place the bowl over the heat and allow to melt, once you can see it melting, you will then want to stir the mixture until it’s smooth and no traces of a single ingredient can be seen. Once you’ve achieved this, set aside, allowing it to cool down bit before you use it.

Now you can go ahead and take a medium sized bowl and sift in the plain flour and cocoa powder. Once sifted into the bowl, you can take a whisk and just combine them a little further – set aside until needed later on.

Into a large mixing bowl (I sued my stand mixer and mixing bowl), place the eggs and sugar. Whisk them together until they are lighter in colour and consistency- it should be a pale yellow-ish colour and is smooth in texture.

Turn the speed to a medium and gently pour in the melted chocolate butter mixture, then once it’s incorporated, mix for a short while afterwards, just until it’s fully incorporated.

Next you can add in the sieved dry mix, then fold it in using a spatula or metal spoon, just until the dry ingredients and raspberries have been incorporated. Try your best not to over-mix at this stage.

Add the brownie batter into your lined cake tin and bake in your preheated oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes or a tester comes out with a few crumbs on.

Then cool in the tin until they are fully cooled. To make the texture and flavour even better, place in the fridge for as long as possible – this is probably the best recommendation I have when making good brownies even better

Now they are cooled and ready, slice up into 8 bars or 16 bitesize portions, whichever is best for you!

That’s all for today guys, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, don’t forget to share this recipe with your family and friends and enjoy it. I’ll be back soon with another blog post and YouTube video, so join me then. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check out my other social’s – Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The YouTube tutorial will be linked down below.

Well, I’m keeping things as simple as can be this week with a batch of my almond flapjacks. They’re not like the other recipes that you find online, they have the dense and chewy consistency you know and love but packed with natural almond flavour.

I have literally taken my simple flapjack recipe and adapted it to make this almond version, which is perfect for those who like or love almond. I have incorporated the almond flavour through almond butter from Pip & Nut and ground almonds (almond flour), I opted against almond extract as it always tastes a little artificial (even the best brands taste artificial when used in the wrong quantity). If you really want to elevate the almond flavour, feel free to add a small amount into the recipe.

I’ll be honest with you, these flapjacks aren’t overly healthy. They contain brown sugar, golden syrup and butter – all of which aren’t great for you but of course, all treats can be enjoyed guilt free. Indulging once in a while won’t hurt, even if you think so – it’s okay to eat and enjoy your food.

As mentioned above, I have used plain almond butter, which helps to add a natural almond flavour and creaminess to the flapjacks, which is not something you’d associate with them usually. It’s not an overwhelming creaminess, it’s subtle but there enough to make a noticeable different. Traditionally, they don’t. have any sort of coating or topping but these ones have a cheeky almond butter and white chocolate spread topping – this is just to further enhance the almond flavour and add another flavour profile.

If you’d like to check out what Pip & Nut have available check out your local supermarket or the website.

Anyway, let’s get started, shall we?

 

Ingredients:

Flapjacks:

350g Oats.

50g Ground almonds

75-100g Blanched almonds, roughly chopped.

175g Butter.

175g Light brown sugar.

175g Golden syrup.

50g Almond butter.

 

Topping:

150g Almond butter.

75-100g White chocolate spread.

50g Blanched almonds, roughly chopped.

 

 

Method:

Before you get started on the recipe, you’ll want to do some prep work. I like to start by weighing up all of my ingredients, lining my 8×8 inch square cake tin with parchment paper and grab any other equipment you may need such as a mixing bowl, spatula and saucepan. You may also want to preheat your oven to 180˚c/350˚f.

To start on the recipe, you’ll want to grab a large mixing bowl. You can go ahead and add in all of your oats, the the ground almond and blanched almonds, mixing everything together until they are well combined.

 

Take a medium saucepan and place in the butter, golden syrup, light brown sugar and almond butter. Place the saucepan on the hob over a low-medium heat and just leave it for around 60 seconds, then you can start to stir it constantly until everything has melted together and become smooth. The mixture should be clear, meaning you can see a single trace of a single ingredient.

Now you can go ahead and pour the melted mix over the dry mix, giving it all a very good stir together. You want all of the oats to be coated in the melted mixture, this will only help to make them taste as yummy as possible.

Grab your lined cake tin from earlier on and add in all of the oaty flapjack mixture. Spread and level out the mixture as best you possibly can.

Place the tray into your preheated oven and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a nice golden brown colour all over with slightly darker edges.

Once out of the oven allow to cool down fully before you attempt to finish them off.

This is optional but I’ll be adding a layer of almond white chocolate to finish the cooled traybake.

For the topping, gently warm together almond butter and white chocolate spread, stirring together until they are fully combined.

Pour over the top of the flapjacks, spreading to all of the corners, ensuring theres a good coating all over the flapjacks – you shouldn’t be able to see any off the flapjacks from the top. Chill in the fridge until the topping has firmed up to the touch.

Whenever you’re ready, you can slice them up. How you do this is completely up to you – I went with 8 rectangular bars but you can go with 9 more square portions, it’s really up to you.

That’s all for today guys, I hope you enjoyed. If you did, don’t forget to share this recipe with your family and friends and enjoy it. I’ll be back soon with another blog post and YouTube video, so join me then. In the meanwhile, don’t forget to check out my other social’s – Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The YouTube tutorial will be linked down below.