Flapjacks... Chocolate, coconut & vanilla yumminess

This is for my very good friend Moira who really loves these whenever I bring them over !!

Chocolate, coconut & vanilla Flapjacks

You will need a swiss roll tin (38cm X 25cm) lined with parchment paper.  Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.

wet ingredients:
350g butter
2 tblsp golden syrup
175g soft light brown sugar
1tsp vanilla extract

dry ingredients:
75g plain flour
375g oats
75g desicated coconut

Topping:
250g plain chocolate or milk chocolate - or sometimes I do half & half which is nice.

Method:
Put all wet ingredients into a saucepan on a medium heat until all melted together. Bring to a simmer and stir until mixture is a smooth golden sauce.
Add to dry ingredients and mix well until the ingredients all come together.
Pour into the swiss roll tin and press really really well into the tin with the back of a spoon or a palette knife until it's all compressed really well (takes about 3-5 mins to do it properly) TIP: This will give you a lovely easy to cut piece of flapjack that doesn't crumble too much.

Bake in centre of oven for 20-25 mins, but keep an eye on it - it can burn very easily in the last 5 minutes.  Remove from oven, allow to cool completely.
Melt chocolate in a bain marie for the top and smooth over the top - spreading evenly out to the edges.  Allow to cool completely.  Cut into 25-30 squares.  (it will keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks) I sometimes freeze in batches in zip lock bags for lunchboxes during the week - if they last that long!!!

Good old James Martin to the rescue - I went shopping yesterday for a "star wars" cake for my (almost) 8 year old and we're in the shop looking at all the cakes and he says... "but Mammy why are we buying a cake when you're cakes are the best"... so we came home and I made the trusty chocolate cake from James Martin Deserts book (one of the best desert cookbooks around)... and a chocolate buttercream frosting....

Topped with Black sugar fondant and some space dust.  Let the lego Star Wars battle commence....

AND the 8 year olds party!!!

Medovnik (honey cake) or sometimes called the Royal cake in Prague....

Blimey, this was a tricky cake.... I've been waiting for a reason/excuse to make this cake since I tasted it almost 10 years ago in Prague.  It's an absolutely unique taste, not to sweet, not too cakey, not too anything... just about a perfect cake - every mouthful is a dream on your tastebuds...

OK, so a friend of mine keeps bees and makes honey and is entering the beekeepers association competition with her honey this weekend in Rathgar.  There is a honey cake section so she suggested I make a honey cake with her honey and we could enter it into the competition.... so as it takes almost 3 days to make... here it is, all ready for it's debut on Saturday.... fingers crossed for it!

my Brother's 40th birthday cake

So I hadn't made this Chocolate Orange Truffle cake since my brother got married 8 years ago... eh, WHY not, it's bloody gorgeous... anyway I thought his 40th would be an ideal time to dust off the recipe again....

Being around in the 80's I thought he might like the pac-man theme....

Lemon buns with truffle frosting very fancy for kiddies party!

LEMON buns with Truffle frosting for my nieces birthday party..... YUMMY

So nice to make sweet girly cakes !

Best Granola EVER

Makes about 1.5kg.

125g butter 

150ml honey

1tsp vanilla extract

500g rolled oats

50g pecans chopped

150g hazelnuts chopped

75g pumpkin seeds, 75g sunflower seeds, 50g golden linseeds (there is a 4 seed mix in tesco, I use half a bag), 

100g desiccated coconut

300g mixed dried fruit ( dates, figs, raisins, sultanas, dried cranberries, chop the larger fruit).

Preheat oven to 170. 

Put butter, honey and vanilla into small saucepan and melt gently. Mix the oats, nuts, seeds and desiccated coconut together in a large bowl. Pour over the melted butter mix and stir really well to make sure all the dry ingredients are evenly coated.

Divide the mixture between 2 large baking trays and spread in an even layer. Bake in the oven for half an hour turning every 5 mins, watch it doesn't burn around the edges.

Remove from oven and leave to cool on trays stirring them every few minutes as it cools.

Once totally cool, transfer into large bowl and stir in choice of dried fruits. Put into airtight container and it will last at room temp for about two months. (it won't last that long 

girly zebra cake

So my niece was 6 yesterday and here is her "girly zebra cake"......

Zebra Cake.....

2 large eggs
1 cup sugar (use American cup sizes)
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
100ml club soda
1/2 cup vegetable oil
{2 tblsp cocoa powder & 1 tblsp hot water}

• whisk 2 eggs in a bowl.  Add in cup of sugar and whisk until smooth and pale in colour.  Whisk in vanilla extract and then the vegetable oil.  Add baking powder into the flour and sieve into egg mixture alternately with the club soda until all whisked in. 
• In separate bowl mix cocoa powder and water to a paste.
• Half the egg mixture and mix the cocoa paste into one half.
• Using disposable piping bags (mix is quite runny) pipe alternately into an 8" oiled lined springform sandwich tin - see photos.
• bake in 170 degree oven for 35 mins, reduce heat to 150 for another 10 minutes.
• Cool on wire tray.

Piping bags at the ready !

 

Oisin's 6th Birthday cake....Volcanic prehistoric island....

My baby turned 6 today and had a great party with all his pals.... we looked at pictures of dinosaur cakes for inspiration and he chose one with a volcano... OK, I thought, I can manage a volcano... so with the help of google and my hubby taking the kids out to play for the day, I managed to get the volcanic dinosaur island made!!!

 Chocolate Fudge cake inside.... Volcanic Prehistoric Island on the outside......

Gingerbread house 2013

Managed to squeeze in Gingerbread house this year again... always seems to be last minute but the boys love decorating it on Christmas Eve..... they did a great job this year my two kitchen helpers/cake decorators....

~AND THE BEST PART??? DEMOLITION......

YUMMY Christmas Tea Time with my gal pals this morning xx

Mocha Cake with Coffee Buttercream frosting and chocolate curls... it was a first time bake and was really tasty with our cuppas.  The coffee buttercream frosting (for all you Irish people) was identical to the superquinn coffee slices icing.... you all know you want one!!! YIKES waistband expanding and still a week to go to the big day!!!

Wellington Squares (posh twix as my Hubby calls them).... CAUSING A STIR !

I fancied making some caramel yesterday and remembered a GREAT wellington square recipe and since posting a picture this morning a few friends have asked for the recipe.. they seemed to cause a stir (scuse the pun, caramel requires lots of stirring.... bad pun hahaha)
Anway, here's my tried and TRUSTED recipe - they freeze pretty well too because believe me you will NEVER eat the whole batch!

Makes (24 decent squares (picture is marked out as 24 - or 48 fingers -they're rich so fingers are nice with a cuppa!)

Shortbread base:
350g self raising flour
225g butter
110g caster sugar

Caramel:
225g caster sugar
225g butter
5 tblsp golden syrup
1 tin (397g) nestle condensed milk

Choc top:
300g good quality choc (milk or dark) I usually use 200g dark and 100g milk (kids prefer that!)

Preheat oven to 180.  Rub butter flour and sugar together until resembles fine breadcrumbs and press FIRMLY and evenly into swiss roll tin (25cm X 38cm X 4cm) - I line with parchment paper so the base doesn't stick when I'm cutting out later.
Bake for 20 mins until golden. 
Caramel: melt butter in a heavy saucepan over a low heat.  Add sugar, golden syrup and condensed milk and stir continuously for 40-50 mins.... (u can make a cuppa to keep you happy while stirring!)p
It will change colour a few times... golden brown when ready but test by dropping a little blob into a bowl of cold water, it should firm up.  Pour over cooled pastry base and allow to cool (overnight is good)... Melt choc over pot of steaming water in a bowl not touching the water and pour over the top, smooth over evenly and allow to set... cut into squares w sharp knife... ENJOY XX

Cake Pops

Fiddly.... don't know why people are crazy about them... I much prefer a traditional type cake that you slice... lollipops should be on sticks NOT cakes... but I know kiddies love them as they were eaten like hotcakes at Christophers' party.....

My 2nd little boy's 2nd birthday cake....he loves fireman Sam!! so this is our version of the coolest firetruck!  We had a firework from Bulgaria on top, was fab .....

cute cupcakes

My sister in law bought me this little cupcake set of holders and decorations.... so cute and really turn simple cupcakes into something special!  Thanks Lucy!

girly birthday cookies

I made these a while ago for my nieces' birthday party in the park.   I had never done "flooding" cookies before so wanted to try it out... not the best first attempt but they tasted good :)