A fresh bag of coffee - my review!

I'm a fan of coffee, not as much as my husband mind,  but I think my American genes give me an inbuilt appreciation for all things coffee related.

And I think I speak for most people when I say there is nothing more disappointing than a bad cup of coffee! Especially if the smell of a cup promises caffeine laden glory but the taste delivers a watery disappointment...

Oreo marshmallow krispy bars

Oreos make everything better. It's an undeniable fact. The UK seems to be catching up with their oreo-loving American cousins and I see more and more things creeping onto our supermarket shelves that are Oreo or cookies and cream flavoured. AND THIS MAKES ME HAPPY.

My boys are no exception to the rule that kids love Oreos and I like how easy they are to add to any recipe as they hold their shape well and are instantly recognisable. My only pet peeve is when someone put an oreo on top of a cupcake - I learnt the hard way people, your oreo WILL go soft as it absorbs the buttercream so don't do it! There's nothing worse than eating a unintentionally soft cookie...

Banana cake with cream cheese frosting

This banana cake changed my life. I'm a born and bred banana bread lover and thanks to my Mums incredible recipe I never knew this love could be challenged. Until this recipe came along...

Banana bread is stodgy, comforting and best served warm from the oven slathered with butter. But this cake is light, moist and keeps well for 3 days or so, the perfect tea time treat!

Mars Bar crispy cake bars

Housekeeping first - Did you know you can now Follow my blog with Bloglovin? It;s my new favourite thing to replace Google Reader!

Now onto baking - I have an utter obsession with tray bakes and bars right now, I think it's the ease of throwing them together and the fact I can wrap them for the kids lunchboxes that's appealing to my motherly nature. My pinboard is FULL of tray bake bar recipes that I'm itching to try out!

Now, Mars Bars - I'm actually relatively new to the idea of using mars bars in crispy cake recipes and what a genius idea it is! All the caramel, chocolate and nougat melts beautifully into a gooey sticky mess which pairs so well with the rice krispies and it makes for such a quick sweet treat.

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!