From a quick glance at my blog, you might be able to tell that I like berries and fresh, summer fruit… who doesn’t?
Not only are they full of delicious flavour, they are bursting with colour and make a fabulous addition to any baking.
I am a huge fan of using fresh fruit in my buttercream in order to give it that bright yet natural pop of colour. Continue reading
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Whilst I do think February the 14th has become quite the over-commercialised Hallmark holiday, I do adore the sweet little treats that pop up.
Valentine’s Day is about love and for me, love is baking and then sharing it with others.
So… I think I may have been bitten with the cupcake bug. After the chocolate ones I made last night, which I deemed to be a little more on the ugly side even though they were utterly delicious, I decided I ought to make some prettier ones. Pink icing being key, of course. The first flavour combination that came to mind was white chocolate and raspberry, so it was settled. As simple as that.
Over the past few months I have developed an affinity for all things Dutch and so I decided it was about time I ought to bake something native to The Netherlands. There may also have been an element of wanting to impress a certain Dutchman but shhh, that can be our little secret.
After careful consideration, I determined that I was better off starting with roze koeken as they are simple enough, plus I think they are rather cute. Roze koek translates to ‘pink cake’ and you will soon see why.
So, as we all know, the 14th of February is not too far away and that means all sorts of lovey dovey stuff. Personally I am not the biggest fan of it, but for those who are, then you might like this.
This edition came about as I decided that I must do some baking tonight in order to wear in my new apron, and given the up and coming Hallmark holiday, I thought I would take the recipe for regular vanilla hearts and make an adjustment or two.
In my humble opinion, raspberry and lemon has got to be one of the best flavour combinations to have ever arisen. This recipe has the balance between the two pretty spot on; they are not too sickly sweet and have just the right amount of tang.
These cookies are a melt in your mouth treat, and what better way to offer your kisses to several people at once? Everybody wins. These are a perfect with a cup of coffee or tea for a little afternoon or mid-morning treat. How could you say no? (Note: 1 cup = 1 US cup)
In charge of producing something home-made for afternoon tea, I decided to have a peruse through a baking book belonging to my mother. What initially attracted me to these cookies were the cute petal designs of the cookies… so, rather typically, I forgot to actually use a cookie press in order to achieve such a cute design. Thankfully this in no way impinges on the flavour and the end result is delicious nonetheless!
Sandwiched with a thick slab of creamy goodness, these cookies are simply adorable and rather hard to turn down. (Note: 1 cup = 1 US cup)