Friday, 30 March 2012

Swanmore Market

First of our Markets at Swanmore today, for those who don't know the area it is a beautiful Hampshire village with 3000 inhabitants a butchers, village shop and post office. Also a Primary School and Senior School making it ideal for all age groups to live and visit.


There is a hub of activity in the village
  • Regular coffee mornings
  • Am Dram group
  • Christmas Fair
  • Summer Fete
  • Many support groups
  • Youth Club
  • Luncheon Club
And much more

I feel very privileged to live here.
Enjoy your day and love your surroundings.

Wednesday, 28 March 2012

Beautiful days

What fantastic weather , aren't we lucky, could do with a bit of rain though I suppose.

Sunday, 11 March 2012

Baking...

Mr Dinosaur cake completed and one 4 year old very happy, this one was very challenging and time consuming not sure that me and novelty cakes are one but I will always give it a go.
He has a rich chocolate cake body and tail then I ran out of chocolate cake so legs and head are a madeira cake, covered with chocolate buttercream (that took longer than I thought). Rollout sugarpaste covered his whole body this was tricky with all the nooks and crannies with a bit of persuasion it worked, you have to make any indents,creases and marks then before icing dries. The spikes down his back where made in advance from a flowerpaste (which dries harder than the cake covering ideal for this sort of work). Once all is dry then its the shading and character building (using edible cake powder colours vaste ranges available and a small soft paint brush). Eyes and teeth piped on with royal icing.


Tested a Pretzel recipe out and really liked it so will be selling that at our Friday market I've worked them out to cost 80pence each which I think is fair. I think various toppings will go down well, Sea Salt, Cinnamon Sugar, Parmeson, Poppy Seeds are my choices so far. They are very chewy and delicious.
Pretzel Recipe


It's a good get out in the garden day today so this is just a coffee break, time to go.

Have a Lovely Day
x


Thursday, 1 March 2012

Have Your Cake & Eat It

This cake is yet to have some fresh flowers on the top, I will have handed it over by then, hope she sends me a photo with them on.


Plain white basic iced cake  that's the bit I find most stressful trying to drape this sheet of delicate rolled out icing without it creasing or ripping always so grateful when it works.

Two essential bits of equipment some icing wrapped in clingfilm used to smooth out the icing on cake and a spirit level to make sure cakes sits level.