GBBO week 9 – madeleines

Before I start, let me just get this out of the way: Yes, they are supposed to be madeleines. Light, delicate, lemon-scented sponge cakes with a distinctive scalloped decoration on one side, and a pregnant bump on the other. My version have none of the above. I did think the instruction to ‘pour the batter […]

GBBO week 2 – sandwich biscuits: cobnut and chocolate viennese biscuits

Once again I enjoyed the new series of Bake Off – ultimately the format is winning out, regardless of whether the new presenters are still finding their feet. I am becoming a big fan of Prue (can I be honest? I never really loved Mary Berry …), and Noel and Sandy are growing on me. […]

GBBO week 9 – lemon fondant fancies

Okay I know I have only just posted my tudor pie (chicken and leek with hot water crust – delicious), but I am catching up before the GBBO ends tomorrow (sob, end of an era as who knows how it will be reincarnated on Channel 4?). For patisserie week there were the options of savoury […]

GBBO week 8 – chicken and leek pie with hot water crust

I can’t say that Tudor week on the Bake Off was one of my favourites – I cannot stand marzipan so didn’t fancy much that the GBBO crew made for week 8, so my only option really was a pie. That’s not a bad option, to be fair, and to meet the Tudor theme I made […]

GBBO week 3 – plaited loaf: cheese, tomato and pesto couronne

The latest edition of Bake Off involved delicious bread – possibly one of my favourite things ever, but sadly something which  makes me fat: because once I start eating the stuff I literally cannot stop. Mmmmmm, lovely bread. Anyway, the options this week were chocolate bread, which sounds utterly amazing but there’s no way Andrew […]

GBBO week 1 – apple and rum drizzle cake

It is August 2016 and the Great British Bake Off is back for another year. And not only that, the Great Bloggers Bake Off is also back, so I’ll be participating in Jenny’s challenge each week and making one of the Bake Off bakes. If you want to join in (you don’t have to be […]

GBBO week 9 – patisserie: cream horns

Cream horns are the kind of thing I used to be given as a treat when I was little – a posh and indulgent cake from the local bakery. Sugar-encrusted puff pastry filled with whipped cream is a simple thing, but done well it’s a thing of beauty. Cream horns in themselves are not complicated: […]

GBBO challenge week 2 – Biscuits: oat shortbread Welsh dragon box with cat-shaped bourbon biscuits

I do love biscuits. My favourites, in no particular order, are chocolate coated malted milk biscuits, chocolate coated digestives, hob nobs, and boaster cookies. If we’re talking homemade then I love custard creams and shortbread (I don’t like shop-bought versions of these unless the shortbread is the proper buttery stuff), my nutella-stuffed chocolate chip cookies […]