Jammy Biscuits with Duerrs Jam

A few weeks ago the lovely people at Duerrs got in touch and asked if I'd like to sample their jam. I'd actually seen their jam in the supermarket a few weeks previous but as I really only use jam for cakes (I'm a peanut butter lover when it comes to toast) I tend to stick to the same brands for ease.

I was very excited to receive my Duerrs care package which was packed with jam and marmalade and as my husband loves marmalade he was over the moon. They sent me marmalade, blackcurrant jam and strawberry jam.

Butlins Skegness - our family adventure!

A few weeks ago me and my little family took a family holiday to Butlins Skegness. A LOT of people have asked my opinion on various elements of the holiday so I thought I'd share our family review of our fun time away - it's a detailed review so in Miranda style 'bare with! bare with"

Peanut butter layer brownies

I'm hoping this recipe concludes my blogging obsession with peanut butter EVERYTHING. I absolutely loved making these brownies and they really hit the spot when I needed my peanut butter fix but thankfully Reese's peanut butter cups/bars/bites are readily available in the UK now so I think I need to divert my baking attention!

These brownies were made using my standard brownie recipe and topping it with a layer of creamy peanut butter filling. I used crunchy peanut butter this time around but I'd try and use smooth next time and maybe add some bite in the form of pretzels or nuts on top?? Hmmm, maybe my peanut butter fetish hasn't subsided...

A few recent cakes and bakes

Regular readers of my blog will notice I've been a bit quiet of late - one skill I have yet to master is time management and as a result my plate has been a little too full recently!

Rather than rush a few blog posts I have on the backburner, I thought I'd show you a few of my most recent cakes which might explain where some of my time has gone.

As you can see, business is booming! More and more clients are coming back for my 4th year is business and their cakey requests are a pleasure to work with. If I had a to pick a favourite I'd struggle...

Don't forget, you can see more of my work on my website here - Star Bakery. I'm off to Butlin's for a week long break with my boys, I am beyond excited and can't wait to report back on my return.

Skegvegas here we come!

My new favourite cookbook - Baked in America

Hurrah! It seems that I was FINALLY unsubtle enough that my husband got around to buying me a cookbook that has been on my wishlist for waaaay too long. Ok, so my only *teeny tiny* gripe is that I would have lovvvvvvved a signed version (which you can buy via their website) but that gives me an excuse to hound the guys at Outsider Tart for an autograph next time I'm in London...

For those of you who are fans of American baking (and yummy cakes in general) then this is a cookbook worthy of a place on your ever expanding bookshelf. Background; the two David's run a bakery in London called Outsider Tart and whilst I haven't had the pleasure of visiting it yet, all of my cakey friends who have visited RAVE about it. They make and create a whole host of American food and this cookbook pulls together a few of their recipes for you to recreate at home.

Easter Colours Rainbow Cake

Easter in our house means kitchen cupboards filled with chocolate eggs and treats of every description. We always plan a family easter egg hunt at home for the boys and whilst we don't like to go overboard and buys toooooo many chocolate eggs, we do like to have little prizes they can win throughout the day which helps to stagger their sugar intake.

I wanted to make something a little different this year  and I had some leftover cake batter so I decided to use my pastel colours and create an alternative easter rainbow cake.

Caramel apple crisp

I love apple crisp (or apple crumble to my UK readers). Throw in a healthy dose of cinnamon and I am crumbly sugar coma heaven. The thing is my husband makes a darn good crumble so it's a dessert I don't get the chance to try out very often.

I've been pondering a version using caramel for a little while now and I managed to try it out last weekend. It was a little wetter than I'd anticipated but I think it's because I used tinned caramel instead of making my own. When I make it again I'll make my own caramel as I'm sure it'd be even more decadent and rich.

Peanut butter cups chocolate cake

Have you ever woken up with a recipe in your mind that is literally bursting to get out? It's like the baking fairies have left you a little inspiration to get you going in the morning.

Well I had one of these moments a few weeks ago. I also knew my mate Kate was getting pretty darn fed up of being VERY pregnant (at nearly 10 days overdue) so I decided that this cake might just cheer her up. As it happens, she blames it for curing her potential labour pains a few hours later but hey ho - Billy did eventually arrive later that week :)