The best victoria sponge

All I'm going to say is that this looks good, but it tastes even better!

For the sponges

- 175g margarine

- 50g butter

- 225g caster sugar

- 4 eggs, beaten

- dash of vanilla essence

- 225g self-raising flour

- dash of milk 

For the buttercream

- 150g unsalted butter

- 225g icing sugar, sifted

- 2 tbsp hot milk

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- raspberry jam

- strawberries

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180 degrees and grease and line two cake tins.

2. Cream the butter/marg and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Gradually whisk in the eggs and vanilla essence, then sieve in the flour and stir in the milk to create a creamy mixture.
4. Pour the mixture evenly into the two cake tins and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool.

5. Meanwhile, to make the buttercream, simply whisk all the ingredients together until light and smooth.
6. Once cool, turn the sponges upside down and spread the jam on one side, and some of the buttercream on the other.

7. Sandwich together and leave for around 10 minutes.

8. Spread the remaining icing on the top of the cake (generous amount!) and top with some strawberries in a decoration of your choice!

Enjoy :)

Jubilee cake and cupcakes!

Most of the cupcakes are filled with raspberry jam so resemble mini victoria sponges (perfectly British for the Queen's Jubilee!), and both the cupcakes and the cake are topped with delicious vanilla buttercream. I am aware that the fruit flag pattern on the cake isn't exactly what the flag looks like, but I didn't have enough blueberries to do triangles or any raspberries for the diagonal lines so I just did what I could... I made these with my friend Leah, and it was so much quicker and more fun baking with someone else! We didn't have any red, white and blue sprinkles, but the union jack cupcake cases make up for it, and multi-coloured sprinkles still look cute. This is a really easy recipe to follow, so give it a try and make someone smile this bank holiday weekend :)

Makes 8 cupcakes and one small sponge

- 125g soft margarine

- 125g caster sugar
- 2 medium eggs, whisked
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
- 125g self-raising flour, sieved
- 1/2 tsp baking powder

For the buttercream:

- 150g unsalted butter

- 225g icing sugar

- 2 tbsp hot milk

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings and decorations

- few spoonfuls of raspberry jam

- sprinkles

- strawberries and blueberries

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees, line a muffin tin with 8 cupcake cases, and grease a small rectangular oven-proof dish or tin for the sponge.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually whisk in the eggs, vanilla essence, flour and baking powder until there is a smooth batter. Spoon into the cupcake cases (about 2/3's full) and pour the remains into the greased dish.

3. Bake in the oven for around 12 minutes for the cupcakes, and slightly longer for the sponge. Leave to cool on a wired rack.

4. Meanwhile, make the buttercream by whisking together the butter, sugar, milk and vanilla essence until smooth. Set aside.

5. To fill the cupcakes with jam, I used a cupcake plunger which removes the core of the cake. However, you can use a knife to do this it just takes a little longer.

6. Fill the centre with raspberry jam. If you want, you can put the sponge tops back on or leave it as it is.

7. Spread both the cake and cupcakes with the buttercream, use sprinkles and/or fruit to decorate and voila.

Enjoy :)

Pineapple and spinach smoothie

I know it doesn't sound or look particularly appetising (hence the snazzy bit of pineapple on the side trying to improve it...) but don't turn your nose up at it until you try it! It honestly does taste pretty good, although you have to like the texture of smoothies to enjoy this. I usually opt for really sweet, berry smoothies, and although this does contain berries, it isn't as sweet as I usually prefer. Having said that, I will definitely make this again as I love the tang the pineapple gives, and I love knowing how nutritious it is - perfect if you're having a detox day. It sounds weird, but you really can taste all the ingredients individually, yet they taste delicious together. I got the idea of putting pineapple and spinach together from Jordan's workout DVD, believe it or not - her nutritionist makes a juice with those 2 main ingredients, alongside tons of other fruit & veg.

Ingredients (makes 1 large glass)

- 2-3 heaped tbsp natural yogurt

- 80g frozen strawberries & blueberries (or any berries)

- 2 rings fresh pineapple, cut into chunks

- big handful of spinach

- few splashes of water (depending on how thick/runny you want it)

Put the yogurt into the blender first with the berries and blend. Add the pineapple, spinach and water and blend until smooth. Taste and add more of anything if necessary.

Enjoy :)

Strawberry, peach and yogurt trifle

 This is a delicious snack or dessert that is healthier than it looks! I named it a trifle purely because of the way it looks - it doesn't contain sponge, jam or whipped cream unfortunately, but it is a perfect substitute if you don't want to be so naughty or spend lots of time putting together a dessert. Although I made this with plain, natural yogurt, the syrup from the tinned peaches sweetens it so it doesn't taste bitter or bland. The fresh strawberries compliment the peaches well - the colours also make this look amazing! I topped it with full fat crème fraiche because it was all we had in the house, but opt for reduced fat if you want it to stay healthy. Do not be sceptical of a healthier dessert - this will seriously satisfy your sweet tooth! If you are craving chocolate you could grate some dark chocolate on top, or melt it to drizzle over the top. Don't forget that the tinned peaches in syrup will be quite high in sugar so don't be fooled in thinking this is perfectly healthy. The glass I used was quite big so I had half as a snack and am saving half for dessert later. It was hard to resist eating it all at once I must admit...

Fills 1 large glass

- 1/4 tub of low fat natural yogurt (I used Sainsbury's less than 2% fat probiotic natural yogurt)

- 1/3 tin of sliced peaches in syrup

- 5 or 6 strawberries, sliced

- small dollop of crème fraiche

- dark chocolate, grated or melted (optional)

1. Stir some of the peach syrup into the yogurt in a separate bowl to sweeten.

2. Spoon some yogurt into the bottom of a large glass, layer 2 or 3 peach slices on top. Spoon another bit of yogurt over the peaches. Top with some sliced strawberries. Repeat again.

3. Dollop some crème fraiche on top and garnish with some chopped peach and strawberry - delicious!

Enjoy :)

Extremely chocolatey, chocolate finger cake

 I made this cake for my friend Mia's birthday (hence why the below pictures say Mia on the cake). I altered a chocolate cake recipe from Lorraine Pascale's Baking Made Easy book (will link at the bottom of the post), and it has worked out really well. It didn't rise as much as I had hoped but once you spread on all the chocolatey buttercream it increases the size, and I love the towering effect that the chocolate fingers have, like a crown on the cake. I used the double chocolate cadbury's fingers to make this cake even more rich and indulgent - a perfect treat for chocolate lovers. The sponge was moist and dense like a brownie, and perfectly complimented by the rich chocolate frosting and crunchy fingers - absolutely delicious! It is also really versatile as you can use whatever you want to decorate the cake. Piling on fruit such as strawberries or raspberries, in the middle would look very classic and add lots of bright colour. You could also top it with marshmallows, or more chocolate such as malteasers, or just decorate it with sprinkles or tons of candles!

Serves 10-12
- vegetable oil
- 125g butter, softened
- 75g margarine
- 150g caster sugar
- 50g golden caster sugar
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 140g self-raising flour
- pink of salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- dash of milk
- 2 packs of cadburys double chocolate fingers
Buttercream
- 150g butter, softened
- 400g icing sugar
- dash of milk
- 75g dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly


1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees/gas mark 4. Line an 8 inch cake tin with baking paper, and brush with the oil.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar, add half of the eggs and half the flour and beat well. Add the rest of the eggs, four, cocoa powder , salt and baking powder. Beat for a few minutes until smooth and combined. I always add a dash of milk at this stage to make the mixture more smooth and creamy.
3. Dollop the sponge mixture into the prepared baking tin and bake in the oven for 30-50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean after being inserted into the centre of the cake. Leave to cool in the tin.
4. Meanwhile, to make the buttercream, cream together the butter and icing sugar until smooth, add some milk (optional), and the melted chocolate and stir well until combined and smooth.
5. Once the cake is completely cool, remove from the tin and spread the buttercream generously on top and on the sides of the cake.
6. Gently push the chocolate fingers vertically into the sides of the cake. The decorations are now completely up to you - have fun with it!

Enjoy :)


Happy Birthday!

I modified the recipe for the 'I can't believe you made that' cake in Lorraine Pascale's above cookbook! I changed some ingredients and quantities, and used different decorations. I would recommend this book as even if the recipe isn't exactly to your taste, it provides lots of ideas and inspiration. And it isn't just a book about cakes and other sweet treats, it also has recipes on savoury baking - bread, pies, roasts etc.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Baking-Made-Easy-Lorraine-Pascale/dp/0007275943/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334145605&sr=8-1