Once you know the rules or techniques of any subject you can break them, or adapt them to your requirements. It’s with this in mind that I have created the posts below. I want to understand what techniques to use when baking a cake for example. I also want to understand the ‘why’, not just the ‘how’. How to make a Madeira cake is one question, but why does a Madeira cake have more flour in it than a Victoria sponge and what impact does this have on the final cake is the type of question I answer in the posts below.
5 quick tips to transform your food photos - Do you cook delicious food only to find your photos don’t do it justice? I feel your pain, I’ve been there. Here are 5 quick tips to transform your food photos – making the food look as good as it tastes. 1. Step back
7 tips for a stress free kids birthday cake with fondant icing - 7 tips for a stress free kids birthday cake with fondant icing. How to keep your cool while also creating a stunning cake for your little ones birthday. A few weeks ago for JP’s third birthday, Dave and I made a three tier digger cake. I’ve written previously on icing a cake with fondant icing...
Can you freeze flapjack? How to make flapjack chewy or crunchy. Pistachio, almond and cranberry flapjack recipe - Can you freeze flapjack? Having tried it out, I can tell you, yes you can freeze flapjack. Wrap them in cling film and then pop them in a sandwich bag and they will be great when you defrost them. How long do flapjacks last in an airtight container? For two weeks – assuming you can...
Changing the baking tin shape in recipe – round to square/rectangle – square/rectangle to round - How many times have you opened a baking recipe book and found the recipe you want to cook, to then open your cooking tin draw and discover you don’t have the right sized cooking tin? You have a round tin and the recipe demands a square tin. It seems to have to me all the...Chicken thighs or breast? Chicken skin? The ultimate roast chicken and other ideas - Which are best chicken thighs or breast? How do you get crispy chicken skin and what’s the best way of roasting a chicken? These questions are all answered in this post. (The links in this post are affiliate links which means if you click through and buy the book I may receive 4% of the...
Creamed coconut, coconut cream, coconut milk – what is the difference and how to make one from the other? - Last week I published a recipe for coconut and cardamom rice pudding. I had some lovely feedback. A friend sent a video of his 18-month old saying that the rice pudding was yummy. My Dad decided to make it for the old peoples lunch club that he cooks for. 16 elderly people enjoyed it with...
Creme Fraiche, Sour Cream, Yoghurt, Buttermilk and All Those Creams – what are the differences and how to use them - Why will single cream curdle if you boil it, but double cream won’t? What’s the difference between crème fraîche and sour cream? How is buttermilk made? I’ve been reading and surfing to answer these questions and here is what I’ve found. Crème fraîche, sour cream, yoghurt, and buttermilk are all produced by taking milk or...
Food Photography Training with William Reveall Level 1 - I recently flew to London to be a student for a day on a William Reveall Food Photography course level 1. Since creating this blog, I’ve become increasingly hooked on food photography and that combination of presenting dishes I have created through the best possible pictures. To date I have improved my technique by reading...
Granulated sugar, caster sugar, icing sugar, muscovado, demerara or light brown sugar: what’s the difference, which is best and what are their properties - I’m making peanut butter, chocolate and caramel cookies. I have so far had four attempts. I’ve been reading about different sugars and the results they give. I want to share with you what I have discovered about different sugars. White sugars White sugar has had all the molasses removed from it, hence it’s colour and...
How much do eggs weigh? - If I’m making a Victoria sponge, a Madeira cake or even a fruit cake, I find it useful to know exactly how much eggs weigh. I searched high and low on the internet for this information but I couldn’t find it anywhere. So I have weighed individually the contents of three of each of the...
How to make salad dressings - I have my standard salad dressings that are favourites. For instance, I often use this easy salad dressing recipe and then I’ll swop lemon juice for vinegar, reduce or leave out the honey, or use a different mustard depending on the salad I’m serving. But I wanted to understand more about what was going on...Icing a cake with fondant icing - A friend was asking Dave recently about tips on making her toddler a birthday cake. She wanted to make one that would look like her daughter’s favourite TV character. As they talked about creating novelty cakes, cutting, shaping, mixing colours, rolling out and customising fillings and toppings, I realised that between us, Dave and I...
Italian, French or Swiss meringue – what are the differences and which should I use when? - Italian, French or Swiss meringue – how are these meringue different and which is best to use when. Below is an overview of each method and which is best suited for different uses. My grandmother made beautiful meringues. Crisp on the outside, tacky on the inside, they were a beautiful light peachy colour. She passed...
Lumpy icing or frosting, how to fix it and my favourite cream cheese icing - Lumpy icing or frosting is easy to make but with this quick fix it’s no problem! Save yourself from having to start again with this simple solution. Jump straight to how to fix it | Jump straight to recipe I’ve been on 3 different holidays over the past two weeks hence the lack of blog posts....
Storing spices and the best spicy potato wedges - The best way of storing your spices to help them live long and pungent lives and a delicious spice rub for potato wedges. Take me to the recipe. Back in March before Baby G was born I had high hopes for decluttering the house. This was a formidable task – it was far too...
The perfect crumble. 10 tips to make the best plus my favourite – caramelised apple and banana crumble - A crumble is the perfect everyday pudding. Here I share my top 10 tips to make the best crumble you have ever tasted and my favourite – caramelised apple and banana crumble.
THE PERFECT SCONE: 8 tips to make the best, plus my favourite recipe. - Some years ago I became obsessed with baking perfect scones. Light, airy scones topped with clotted cream and jam were my idea of a great afternoon treat, and still are. I’ve spent some time perfecting my technique and here are eight tips I’ve collected over the years from different sources. ● If your recipe calls...
Victoria sponge or Madeira cake? - What’s the difference between a Victoria sponge and a Madeira cake? If I want a light, moist sponge covered in lots of royal icing, which cake should I use? If I want a cake that I can cut bits out of and then cover in butter icing, which is best? These are the questions I...
Why cakes sink in the middle and what you can do about it – Madeira raspberry and cream cheese cake recipe - In this post I explore why cakes sink in the middle and what you can do about it so you can still enjoy your cake. I also share my simple but delicious Madeira raspberry and cream cheese cake recipe. Jump to why cakes sink | Jump to recipe A few weeks ago we were off...