Mince Pies

I don't like mince pies very much ... but obviously when it comes to Christmas I will have the odd one or two ... then last year a friend's girlfriend made some lovely pies with a frangipan topping.  Wow! These were amazing and have (almost!) converted me to mince pies!  I was also intrigued by Paul Hollywood's deep mince pies which have chopped apple and satsumas in ... anything to water down the richness of the mince meat is good in my book! So this week I found myself spending an evening in the kitchen making a rather huge batch of pies! 

The frangipan topping is also nice and simple: Cream 200g butter, 200g caster sugar and 200g almonds Add 50g flour, 2 eggs and 2 tbs brandy/rum This made a huge amount of topping so I would suggest for 12 mince pies - half the quantity would be needed. Just dollop a teaspoon on top of your mince pie rather than a pastry lid! Well ... here we are, Christmas Eve! What a lot of festive blogging I have done! Let's hope I can keep it up in the new year! Merry Christmas!!!!

Christmas Cake

I once again used Ruth Clemens' recipe for Boozy Fruit Christmas Cake and left it rather late to marzipan and decorate them! So with the Christmas countdown getting nearer and nearer and with my plan to cut one of my cakes into 8 portions to give as gifts I needed to get a wriggle on!

I'm rather pleased with the results.  I have kept it simple this year.  We have a house full of colds and coughs and I wasn't feeling particularly inspired!

 

Mary Berry's Yule Log

Hands up all who watched the Great British Bake Off Christmas masterclass on Wednesday night?

Here is my Yule log which was so easy to make! Perfect for eating on the shortest day of the year!!

A Family Christmas Gathering & Christmas Mini Muffins

My parents came to visit this weekend and we headed to the Albert Hall for the famous sing-a-long carol concert! It was great fun! After a slight stress with my brother organising and then managing to double book himself (and turning up to the concert slightly squiffy!) we had a lovely time singing all the fabulous Christmas carols and other popular songs! One of the most memorable moments was singing the descant to Hark The Herald ... and my brother singing along in a scary falsetto voice!! Ha ha! Also, doing the mexican wave to Slade's famous Christmas hit was brilliant!

Miss Plum enjoyed herself and lasted until about 30 minutes before the end ... such a good girl!

So, after feeling completely unfestive for most of the month ... a couple of days of baking, card making and writing and Christmas cake decorating - I AM FEELING CHRISTMASSY! (I also had my first snowball of the festive season with my mum last night!)

Last Christmas a friend at work spotted a recipe for Christmas mini-muffins on the BBC website.  I wanted to make them but didn't have a mini muffin tin - but picked one up during the year and made some last week.  I would have taken a photo ... but they have all been scoffed, so you will have to make do with the BBC picture!!  Here's a link to the recipe ... so easy, so tasty! 

 I will be making some more this week!!!

Simple Fairy Cakes

It's been ages and ages since I have had one of those days where I find myself drafting a blog post in my head. It's been so long since I last did a post that I was beginning to think that I had completely lost the bug for it!

Then one day this week I saw a tweet - I think it may have been from the fabulous Thrifty Mrs - or she may have re-tweeted someone else ... But the essence of the tweet was

"what had happened to simple fairy cakes with a dollop of icing and a cherry on top?"

It made me think about everything - how I feel that life had become so complicated and at times, as I face Miss Plum (now 18 months) pushing her boundaries further and further, I just don't know what happened to my nice simple life! Each evening this week I have struggled to get Miss P home from nursery as she refuses to get into her pram. I end up carrying all 24lbs of her to the bus stop and pushing the buggy one handed. I live in London, remember, don't expect much help!

I then spend the evening trying to get her to eat a little snack which generally gets thrown over me!

All quite funny really - but what really topped it off was listening to radio 2 last night and the "Sounds of the 20th Century" focussing on 1994. 18 years ago, and it feels like yesterday ... Oh my god! I am getting OLD!

Anyway, having come to terms with life being more complicated than when I was 17 ... I decided that today me and Miss Plum would bake!

She helped me stir the cake mix and was in charge of chocolate button and star placement! I think she ate more buttons than actually went on the cake!




But here we are ... Simple fairy cakes with water icing and chocolate buttons!

And a few stars ... Are the stars too fancy?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone. Isn't that a pip?

Melt in the mouth shortbread buttons

I was inspired by Retromummy to make a batch of yummy shortbread shaped like buttons!! Retromummy was inspired by the May issue of Country Living - so this idea appears to be bouncing from the UK to Australia and back again!

I'm looking forward to a biscuit with a nice cup of tea this afternoon!

What are you baking this weekend?

Is someone getting married?

Love them or hate them ... it is hard to escape tomorrow's nuptials!

I'm very excited! If we didn't have Baby Plum in tow, I would be tempted to hop on the train into London and have a look! 

The Plums will be celebrating the Royal Wedding with a champagne breakfast at home and then onto friends for a BBQ in the afternoon.  I promised the hostess that I would bring along something Royal Wedding themed ... do you reckon my Victoria Sponge with Berry topping will go down well?

Hurrah! Congratulations to William and Catherine!

How will you be celebrating the Royal Wedding?

Lavender Cupcakes

Again, not the best pic - but here are two of the lavender cupcakes I made for the girls at my Baby Massage class this week!

I was a bit dubious at first, but have to admit that they did taste rather lovely!

Naughty Victoria Plum Does Some Baking

I have had to cut down on my baking!

I was baking cakes and eating (most of!) them. This wasn't helping my attempt to lose the 'Mum Tum" (ahem! and the rest!!)

But I love baking soooooo much!

I was given the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook for Christmas - and decided that I would bake some cupcakes to take to my Baby Massage class on Friday morning.

I opted for the 'Black Bottom Cupcakes' ... initially I thought the recipe sounded a bit fiddly...but it wasn't at all. Oh my goodness! Dark choc sponge, with a dollop of cheesecake filling (did I mention the chocolate chips?) topped off with cream cheese frosting ...

D E L I C I O U S!!!

And went down very well with the girls at Baby Massage.

I'll be making the Lavender Cupcakes for next week's class!

Lebkuchen

On 1st December, Ruth over at The Pink Whisk began her Twelve Days of Christmas recipes ...

On the first day of Christmas the Pink Whisk sent to me ....

Lebkuchen

The plan was to make these biscuits and give them to friends as pressies....but I have only just managed to get them done (with a bit of sparkly glitter!) so I will take them home to my parents next week ... if there are any left!

Christmas Cake!

Here's my glittery holly Christmas Cake! The glitter looks a bit yellow in the pic ... but looks all lovely and sparkly in real life!

I had some help with the decorating ...

How are your Christmas preparations going?

Peach Crumble Cake

Having managed to put on another half a stone since delivering Baby Plum in August (don't ask how* - I thought that breastfeeding was supposed to help you lose the 'mum tum'?!) I finally realised that enough was enough and that it was time to go back to Weight Watchers .....

On Monday WW released a new version of their programme "ProPoints" where all the components of food are taken into account, not just the calories and saturated fat. It seems to make sense ... and I am sticking to my 51 points (sounds horrifically high when you are used to being on 18 or 20 points a day!). I'm doing it online at the moment as it is easier for me .... I lost 4 lbs in my first week - am hoping that I manage to lose something this week!

I've got my NCT friends coming round tomorrow for tea and cake so have knocked up a Weight Watchers cake - Peach Crumble Cake. I have never made it before, it looks ... ermm ... interesting! I have recalculated the ProPoints and it is 5 points a slice. Not bad eh?

I thought it looked suitably stodgy for a blustery November day ... I'll post the recipe once I have tried it!

[* living off chocolate digestives for 6 weeks probably didn't help ... and then there is all the cake, cake, cake, cakey, CAKE!!!]

An update from Plum Cottage!

Where does the time go?!

I'm a little behind with my posts as have been busy with Baby Plum and enjoying a lovely 10 days in the country with my parents. Feeling rejuvenated by 10 days worth of fresh country air and my mum's scrummy food ... it's time to stop sitting on the sofa feeling brain dead and start to get on with things!!

First things first ... Christmas Cake!!!

You may remember me making my boozy fruit back in September ... I have been stirring this lovely concoction of fruit and sloe gin since then and finally got around to making the cake! You can find the recipe for the cake on The Pink Whisk blog. This is the first time since I started baking Christmas cakes (back in 2002, I think) that I have not used Delia's recipe ... and sadly, the first time that my house has not been filled with the beautiful smell of Christmas as the cake bakes. Not to worry, I'm sure it will taste divine - and there will be plenty more opportunities for Christmas smells, I'm sure!!

I have also been avidly watching Jamie's 30 Minute Meals (the joys of being at home at 5.30!) and decided to whizz up some frozen yoghurt. Yum Yum and so easy to make.

Get some yoghurt

Get some frozen fruit

A bit of honey

Chuck it into the mixer and whizz up

Delicious!

My eighth marvellous make has been some sundried tomatoes .... not my homegrown ones obviously (yes, still a little bitter about those!)

Last year I had a fabulous family holiday in Venice

While meandering around the tiny streets, over bridges and down dark alleys, I picked up a packet of sundried tomatoes.

They have been languishing in my cupboard ever since!!

That is ... until the day Mr Plum decided to knock up some pizzas!

Unfortunately I didn't realise that we couldn't just bung a couple of the tomatoes onto the pizza! They needed preparing first....which is what I have now done!

In 15 days time we will hopefully have a jar full of lovely tomatoey-garlicy-basilly goodness!

Scones ... not the Paul Hollywood way!

My name is Victoria Plum ... and I am a baking addict.

I KNOW ... Baby Plum is asleep ... so I should be SLEEPING! Everyone tells me this

"are you sleeping when your baby is asleep?"

NO!

I'm a morning person. I always have been. Once I am up, showered and dressed - I want to get on with stuff! Once Baby Plum is washed, dressed and fed ... she is quite happy sitting in her rocking chair which I move into the kitchen if I am pottering around. She is now having a well earned snooze in her chair!

This evening I have got a friend popping round after work. This is a treat! I don't often get people popping in ... one of the downsides (one of the many!!) of living in London, I suppose. All my friends are spread out all over the place so to meet up with them takes weeks of organisation, cancellations, reorganisations ... you get the picture!

So, I thought we could have "high tea" ... so have baked two batches of scones (fruit and cheese) and thought we could have these with bagels, sandwiches and fruit cake. And tea of course.

After making the Sugar Crusted Fruit Scones from The Pink Whisk - I have to say that I didn't really like the sugar crust....so I thought I would have a look at Paul Hollywood's Scone Recipe ... I have never seen such a lengthy and detailed scone recipe! Scones are supposed to be a simple tea time treat ... you shouldn't have to read an essay of a recipe to make them!! So, I went back to my trusted scone recipe. Yum Yum!

The recipe for my cheese scones can be found here

Talking of tea ... did you hear today's "A History of the World in 100 Objects" it was very interesting and I recommend catching it on the iplayer while it is on there. The history of that quintessentially English past time of drinking tea ... with tea from China and India, sugar from the West Indies ... the only "English" element was the milk!

Have a listen now!

52 MMMC Week Five: My Best Ever Cup Of Tea Cake!

Here it is ... perfectly risen - no sunken middle or peak this time! Made for friends who had trekked all the way down from Hull with their (gorgeous) 2 year old to visit us and Baby Plum.

You can find the recipe here

52 MMMC Week 3: Sugar Crusted Fruit Scones

Having watched The Great British Bake Off I was intrigued by the "Sugar Crusted Scones" ... I LOVE scones, but don't think in all of my many afternoon teas that I have ever had a sugar crusted one ... and my fail safe recipe does not include this crust either ...

So, off I went to The Pink Whisk and tried out Ruth's recipe ... my first mistake was to assume that the recipe made 9 scones (the recipe I always use does ...) so the scones turned out a little small (the recipe should make 6). And, to be honest, I'm just not sure about the sugar crust ....

With crust, or without crust - what kind of scone do you prefer?

52 MMMC Week 2: Scrummy Coffee Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

Baby Plum and I have started to get a "sort of" morning routine going ... when she takes her early morning nap, I have an hour to get into the kitchen and do a bit of baking!

So, here it is ... week two of my Marvellous Makes Madness Challenge ...

another cake ... Coffee Cake with Chocolate Buttercream.

Mmmmm Mmmmm

You can find the recipe here

I made this cake to take to the first postnatal meet up of the friends I made at the NCT class. It went down very well! I think I will make another carrot cake for the next one!

Boozy Christmas Fruit

Well, I managed it! I popped Baby Plum into her bouncy chair, moved her into the kitchen, stuck Mumford & Sons on and made my Boozy Christmas Fruit!

The recipe is from The Pink Whisk and I have adapted it to include my homemade Sloe Gin rather than brandy. The fruit is now stashed away in a tub ready for daily stirring before the next stage of the recipe.

My first Christmassy thing done!

Ditching Delia ...

It is that time of year again ... the time when people start thinking about Christmas.

It is at this time of year that I start to think about making my Christmas Cakes. Yes, that's plural ... I like to make cakes as presents for friends and family but ... as I am not working this year, I don't have the need for as many homemade gifts for work colleagues ... so will just make the one cake this year....and I always use my trusted Delia Smith cake recipe.

Well, not this year!!

This year I have decided to try a recipe from The Pink Whisk - Ruth is posting this recipe in two parts. The first part is "Boozy Christmas Fruit" which will take 6 weeks of soaking and stirring. The second part will then be posted. I think that I will be soaking my fruit in my homemade sloe gin, rather than brandy.

Have you made your Christmas Cakes yet?

The 52 Marvellous Makes Madness Challenge Week One: Carrot Cake

Having had my first week at home on my own with Baby Plum I have decided to join in with The Thrifty Mrs's 52 Marvellous Makes Madness Challenge! Yes, maybe a little crazy ... do I not have enough to do looking after a 4 week old baby?

We have had a good week ... Monday was a bit stressful and I cried when Mr Plum went off to work. The week has improved, apart from a minor meltdown on Thursday when Mr Plum made a mad dash home at lunchtime to check that I was okay! (I was, just had had a morning of Tesco Delivery, NPower Boiler Service and Crying Baby ... a bit much for me!)

But ... I did manage to knock up a carrot cake on Thursday morning while Baby Plum was having her early nap (before "The Meltdown") ... so, I thought that I would incorporate it into the 52MMMC! You can read about the challenge in more detail on the Thrifty Mrs Blog ... but the general gist is that you make something (anything!) every week for a year ... there you have it, the 52 Marvellous Makes Madness Challenge!

I LOVE carrot cake ... but have never, ever made one myself! I had visions of having to peel loads of carrots and it being a bit of a faff ... actually, it wasn't too bad at all! I used this recipe.