BLONDES HAVE MORE FUN

Salted Caramel Blondies

being a "blondie" myself, I embarked on an ever so sweet and sticky mission to bake a batch of blondies to eat. I've always wanted to use salted caramel in something and here I was presented with the perfect opportunity. A gooey glaze of salted caramel peanuts and a springy spongy cake to envelop it came initially from a recipe that Prunelle Grise made one day when I was round. The recipe came from a gorgeous French book titled Un Gouter a Londres. 

Why not buy it and try your hand at some francais at the same time? 

HONEYBUN (WELL, LOAF)

Honey & Walnut Loaf

last weekend, I went to a wedding and stayed in a very cosy B&B where the owners were bee-keepers. Having sampled their own home-made honey for breakfast, this weekend I wanted to bake something simply sweet, so I chose a Honey & Walnut Loaf.

Still warm from the oven, I served this up after a Sunday roast with dollops of whipped vanilla cream - the perfect end to a truly relaxing weekend.

I substituted caster sugar for soft dark brown sugar to give the cake a caramel flavour. Give it a go yourself and mix in light brown or muscavado sugar instead. Pecans are also a great alternative to walnuts. 

JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE

Strawberry Tart

strawberries are a classic British fruit to be eaten on a hot summer day; both refreshing and juicy, they can be whipped up with cream, meringues or in this case, a creme patissiere. Pour une jolie femme francaise, j'ai fait cette gaterie pour son anniversaire aujourd'hui. C'est une surprise merveilleuse! 

Make a sweet pastry and add in some almonds for flavouring, then whisk up your creme patissiere (perfect for those that aren't over keen on cream!) and top with the very best strawberries you can find! 

BUNDT

Spiced Bundt Cake

inspired by the window display of The Cafe Royal at the bottom of Regent's Street of bundt cakes in all shapes and sizes, I altered a spiced pound cake recipe to make my own.

Delicious with an afternoon cup of tea, this bundt cake is both moist and has a slight crunch to the outer edge. I added lemon zest instead of extract, 100ml of yoghurt instead of milk and missed out the cloves..