NEW HOUSE VICTORIA SPONGE

So we have moved into a new house! Exciting stuff but it does come with some issues such as getting used to a new oven. Baking can be such an exact science so it's very important to get accustomed with the workings of a new oven before working on more challenging bakes. For the first cake of our new home I went back to thee classic bake, the Victoria sponge. I'm pleased to report that our new oven is a gem and the sponges came out great so I spread one with jam and whipped cream before sandwiching them together for a little treat after dinner.

STAR CINNAMON SINGAPORE (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

I wouldn't normally recommend food which you can pick up in a food court but then again I had never been to Star Cinnamon until recently. We stumbled across Star Cinnamon in the basement of the Bugis Junction shopping centre on our way home from visiting the Gardens By The Bay in Singapore and we couldn't help but be enticed by the wonderful cinnamon buns on display. We just had to try some so we stood and began to make our selections. What a hard choice this was going to be!

MATTY B'S AMARETTO BAKEWELL TART

The time has come for me to update my recipe for my my signature bake! My Bakewell tart!  This tart is one of the reasons I started writing this blog as people kept asking me for the recipe! It has the crumbliest almond flavored pastry, an Amaretto frangipagne and toasted almonds on top. The addition of the Amaretto adds a beautifully sharp boozy almond taste to the tart that makes it defiantly one for the grown ups.

MATTYB'S GREAT BRITISH CHRISTMAS CAKE

It's Christmas Eve ladies and gentleman! You know what that means; it's time to ice your Christmas cake ready for the big day tomorrow. When I said I was preparing my cake in October a couple of guys in work looked at me like I was crazy but if you make your cake early and then soak it with the booze of your choice once a week until the 25th, you'll have a fantastically boozy fruity treat to serve as part of your Christmas spread and if you're anything like us, enough leftover to last till new year! Marzipan, icing and apricot jam at the ready? Lets go!

THE RETURN OF THE COCO-OATY BARS

Many months ago I made these delicious oaty bars as an alternative to my Fab And Fabulous Flapjacks. I decided to revisit them this weekend as, after all my tray bake tales recently I was feeling a bit caked out. Last time I made them with strawberry jam however, this time round I had a jar of lime and mint curd from Scarlett and Mustard and it complimented the coconut mixed in with the butter, flour, oats, sugar so well that I had to revamp the recipe and share it with you all. These bad boys have gone up another level and you are going to love them!

CLASSIC VICTORIA SPONGE

When it comes to classic bakes, it doesn't really get anymore classic than the Victoria sponge. Named after Queen Victoria, this bake consisting of two sponge cakes sandwiched together with jam and cream can be found on most afternoon tea menus across the land. It's one of the most simplest recipes out there but it takes practice to really perfect. Once you do, then you have the perfect cake recipe in your back pocket that you can whip out at short notice when there is an urgent need for cake.

RAMONA'S MA'S BREAKFAST BARS

I dedicate this recipe to my old work buddy Ramona and her ma! Ramona left our work recently to head off to Australia (lucky girl!) and before she left she gave me a jar of jam that her mother had made and sent to her from Germany. It was such a nice gift that I wanted to want to use it in something special and these breakfast bars seemed like the perfect time. By adding the jam to a mixture of oats, coconut, sunflower seeds, egg and cashew butter, you can create this fabulous breakfast treat.

ORANGE, ORANGE, ORANGE AND MORE ORANGE CAKE

I'm no marmalade fan. Something about the taste of it just doesn't appeal to me whatsoever so I've

never been able to partake in a traditional marmalade cake. That was until I discovered Robinson's squeeze orange fruit shoot jam. It's an orange jam that actually tastes like oranges! Well this was a revelation for an my first thought was "I have to make an orange flavored cake with this" and golly gosh it was yummy. Not only is there jam inside but also orange juice, zest and candied peel so if your not a fan of orange this really isn't the cake for you!

"BLOW YOUR SOCKS OFF" CHILI JAM

Having been getting my preserving groove on this week with my Deli Dilly Chili Pickles I'm proper on the no waste train. Faced with a bag of mini red chili's with no chance of using them before the use by date there was only one road to go down; make a batch of chili jam. It's so simple to do, prevents you wasting chili's and the end product is a chili jam that certainly does pack a punch. When I first tasted it, it really did blow my socks off! Be warned, this is not a jam for the faint hearted so spice averse folk stay well clear!

MATTYB'S MANGO CHUTNEY

The Christmas jam and chutney marathon continues but this time with something new. Having stumbled across Nigella seeds whilst perusing around Spice Mountain's stall at Borough Market I snapped them up with thought of trying out a mango chutney this year. Great on a cheese board or with that turkey curry you make with your leftovers, it's another fab homemade gift you can dish out this Christmas time that will really put a smile on the face of your friends and family.

"JAM JAR EMPTYING" BISCUITS

I'm a bit of a jam hoarder. I'll buy a nice looking conserve to use in a bake and then end up with about 3-4 jars in the fridge with tbsp of jam in the bottom which would never be enough to fill a whole cake. This recipe for jammy biscuits is brilliant for using up these bits and bobs as you only need a small about of jam for them and keen bakers should have the rest of the ingredients knocking around for a spontaneous bake. Lets be honest; you would well rather have a biscuit over a slice of toast wouldn't you? Thought So!

MARVELLOUSLY MARBLED BOOZY BAKEWELL CAKE

There is always time to bake anything the fabulous flavors of the cherry bakewell. This time my inspiration came from a delicious jar of morello cherry jam I picked up from the Castle Bakery in Beaumaris whilst taking a week away in Wales. The marbling effect is so easy to achieve and as it's an all in one recipe it will take you 15 minutes tops to prepare and an hour in the oven and voila! You will have a gorgeous looking loaf cake with the most minimal of effort. It's a winner all round.

DAMSON DELIGHTS

Damsons are a fruit I'd not even heard of until two weeks ago. Now that I'm more immersed in foodiness I like to see what's in season and they are apparently due to be. Then by a strange coincidence when in the Llanberis slate museum gift shop this week (random I know!) I spied a jar of damson jam and thought it was sign. I snapped up a jar and used it in this recipe for some sweet puff pastry treats that are so quick to make you can have them in your gob in just over 1 hour.

ZINGY MELTY MIDDLE MUFFINS

 

I'm not really one for cracking out a cupcake/muffin. For one they can be a bit of a disaster for me taste why and secondly I've never been any good at fancy decoration. However with a new passion fruit and lemon curd I needed to try out and some recipe I thought I'd give these bad boys a go and you know what? They turned out to be quite the yummy both in taste and on the eye.

LULLY LEMON AND RASPBERRY RIPPLE TARTLETS

 

I love using lemon in my baking. Hands down its my favourite dessert flavour. That beautiful sharp and zingy lemon taste is too die for. I also love making my own pastry. Crumbly and delicious homemade shortcrust is always miles ahead of shop bought. So I combined the two along with some fresh raspberries, raspberry jam and toasted almonds for these lully little lemon tartlets. The perfect way to round off any meal.

FIGGY ROLY POLY BICCIES

 

When talking about classic puds, one that will always come up is the Jam Roly Poly. My nan used to make a cracking one and serve it with lashings of custard. Yum! What what about classic biscuits. Well I'm sure the fig rolls would be mentioned by a lot of people as well. So here is my mash up of the two. Vanilla dough filled with fig jam and baked into these bite sized gems. Two classics together to create a new one!