Slow Cooker

For a while now my mother has been using a slow cooker.  Just recently she has been showing me the benefits of using a slow cooker!

I can not believe the things you can do in one. From of course casserole to puds , cakes and even bread... Pretty much anythink! 

I think I need to do some experimenting. . . . 

With a little help from my mom - I think I will refer to her as 'mother bee'... That will make her laugh, no doubt.

So over the coming weeks and months.. I will be uploading my interesting finds! 

Birthday Cake's (Part 1)

For a while now I have wanted to learn how to cake decorate. Yes I can bake cakes, especial cupcakes. But I have always wanted to learn how to truly decorate cakes. I remember watching my mom bake and make some really amazing cakes.. From Chocolate Tanks ( which she made for my brothers birthday one year) to mushroom house cake (which she made for a friend of hers), the list goes on. . . . . .


The attempt

The first week in August I decided it's time to start learning.... So I started of with modelling clay to practise - don't worry none of it went on a cake...lol!!!  Once I got use to modelling different things... I thought it was time to give it a go and plus it was my mums Birthday the next day - I know pressure was on!

At first I planned to make a ladybird cake!  Not sure why,  just fancied doing a Ladybird.  I started off pre-heating the oven and sorting out a glass bowl for baking the cake in.  Then I made up a Victoria sponge mix and poured the mix into the glass bowl and popped it into the oven to cook. 

Normally when I bake a cake it takes 35 to 45mins to cook........ Sadly to say this wasn't the case! Nearly an hour past and the cake wasn't cooked in the centre :(  Not all was losted, as I carefully tipped out the cake onto a baking tray and then put it back into the oven.

While the cake was in the oven finishing cooking.... I tidyed up the kitchen and then started on making another Victoria sponge mix to go into a round cake tin, I had also lined already.  While I was making the last cake mix up I decided maybe to scarp the Ladybird idea! 

By the time I made the last cake mix up and popped it into the tin, the other cake in the oven had finally finished cooking.  So out came that one and in went the last cake to cook! 

Then I tidy up the kitchen again, while I was doing this the first cake was cooling on the cooling rack.  Once the kitchen was tidyed I started on making the vanilla butter cream.  After making the butter cream, I place it into a tub and popped the lid on.......... By then the last cake had finished cooking... 

Again I tidyed up the kitchen - my kitchen is tiny so I have to tidy up as I go...

By the time I had finish tidying up, the cakes were both cooled down and was ready to together with butter cream and strawberry jam with some more butter cream!  Then it was the fun part the decorating....

This is what I made

The cake above is what I end the end!!

The cake above went down soo well with the family that I made another one a normal Victoria Sponge!



My Birthday

The next cake I made was for my birthday in mid October ...   Again I used a Victoria sponge mix for the cake and lemon butter cream.  I also love marzipan so I put some marzipan over the top of the butter cream. 

Then I got the white icing and cut it in half and coloured one half yellow with food dye. The other half I put to one side.  The half that I dyed yellow rolled out and covered the cake, and then with the left over yellow icing I mixed a bit of orange colouring. To make the colour for the wings, I planned on a Owl (as I love woodland animals).  I cut the wings and stuck them on with a bit of water. Then I made some pink icing for hair - not sure why I want to put hair on him/her I just did.  Anyhow I finished the cake of with a beak and eye's! 

This is how the cake looked!

I'm not sure if the cake looks like an Owl, but I do know it was again another hit.  Most of my friends and family got a bit of cake.. One aunt was a bit up-set as she didn't get a bit.. She lives the other side of town! 

A few day later the same aunt had told us how my lil cousin is into Angry Bird.  It got me thinking again about a while ago I had been thinking about making an angry bird cake.. So here is my first attempted of an Angry Bird cake... 

Again I laced the cake with marizpan as my lot loves the stuff...  I also sent a picture of the cake to my aunt.  I am now just waiting to hear what they think! Fingers cross they will like.. 


Please let me know what you think? 

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Or leave me a message on here!! 

Millionaire Shortbread

Today I decided to make some Millionaire Shortbread.  That my family loves, so much! I learnt the recipe from my mom!!! 

Which you can also find the recipe online for Millionaire Shortbread.

I firstly broke up the biscuit's (you can use any biscuits) and then added some melted butter and mixed well til all the mixture was well mixed (butter all over biscuit's). Once I got the mix how I wanted I poured it into a tin and squash the mix, so it was even all over, then put it into the fridge.

Next I measure out the sugar and butter and added that to a saucepan. Once the sugar and butter had melted I opened a tin of Condensed milk and added that also to the saucepan....  I mixed until every think came together.  You always have to wait til, it looks like Lava or witches brew!!! 

Then I got the biscuit base out of the fridge and poured the hot Caramel over the top! I then put the tray back into the fridge to set

While it was cooling and setting. My mom as always taught us to tidy up after our self's.
So once I done the cleaning up, it was time to melted some chocolate. Yeppie!! I got the saucepan and added some boiling water from the kettle.  I then popped a glass bowl over the top.. This is the fun bit, I started to add any milk/dark chocolate into the bowl, once that had melted. It was time to pour it on top of the caramel and then I popped it back into the fridge... 

Again, I tidy up and then it was time to make the white melted chocolate. I (you) use the same way as the other chocolate. To melt the white chocolate once that had melted it was time to get the Millionaire Shortbread out of the fridge, and to pour the white chocolate over the top... I always loves making the swirl's... 

Made it look pretty

Once the Millionaire Shortbread was nearly set I cut it up into pieces and then pop it back into the fridge. This is how it looks once set!!