Tin Can Planters

Things have been kinda quiet over here for the past few months.  Life has been super hectic with Pet Lamb taking priority and this little blog has fell by the wayside.  I do have some exciting news, I'm currently working on a new project, a new blog even, with my best friend and business partner Kay.  The lifestyle blog for Pet Lamb will be up and running in the coming weeks and I'll be spending most of my time posting over there with more of a lifestyle feel.  Don't worry, food will still take a priority but you'll be seeing more stuff like this... Hope you enjoy :)

If you're anything like me a beautiful tin can is something that can not be passed up.  Whether it be filled with food on a supermarket shelf or nestled among china cups and teapots in a junk shop window, I just have to have it.  My collection is growing ever larger so I'm constantly looking for new ways to put them to use.  One of my favorites just has to be tuning pretty old tins into beautiful planters for herbs and flowers!

This really couldn't be any easier, all you need is a hammer, a nail and your favorite tin cans.  Simply give your container a good wash out with soapy water and leave to dry.  Turn your can over so the bottom is facing upwards, using the hammer and nail pierce the base of the can in several places.  These will act as drainage holes so your roots don't rot away.  Fill your pot around half full with potting compost, make a hole large enough for your plant to fit and delicately place your chosen plant into the hole.  Cover with a little more compost and water, just enough to soak the roots.  Pop onto your windowsill and admire your handy work.

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GBBO Showstoppers: Chess Board Cake

Oh blog dearest, how I have missed you.  First of all allow me to explain my absence.  If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you'll understand why I have been so darned quiet. For the last few month I've been the busiest I have ever been in my whole life.  I opened a cake shop named Pet Lamb in the heart of Newcastle with my best friend and partner in crime, this would be enough to keep any normal person occupied but not me.  While pouring all of my heart and soul into my fledgling business I have also been spending every second I had away from the shop writing my book.  To say it's been tough would be a massive understatement but I battled through and I made it through to the other side.  My manuscript is now in the hands of my publishing house and the shop is thriving and growing every day.  I am a very lucky girl indeed!

Now, onto the main event, cake!  You'd think that being a baker by trade I'd be sick of the sight of sponge, I'm not.  Not even slightly, if anything the shop is pushing us harder to keep coming up with new and fresh ideas.  When I was asked if I'd like to receive a copy of the new GBBO Showstoppers book I jumped at the chance.  Show stopping cakes are just what I need for some delicious inspiration.  Upon my first flick through the book this Chess Board Cake caught my eye.  It looked so impressive and so complex but reading through the recipe I was surprised at the simplicity behind it.  

This is the perfect conversation piece that will have people gasping with delight.  Take this darling to a party and you'll have everyone believing your a baking extraordinaire.  Only you will know how simple it really is.

Chess Board Cake
(From GBBO Showstoppers)

Cake:

350g butter, at room temperature
350g caster sugar
3 tsp vanilla
6 eggs
350g self raising flour
pinch of salt
50g cocoa powder
4 tbs milk

Ganache

300g Dark Chocolate

300g Whipping Cream

 

Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C and line 3 eight inch pans with parchment paper. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar together for several minutes until creamy.

Add the vanilla and then the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.

Sift in the flour and salt and fold by hand to combine. Put half the batter in a separate bowl and sift in the cocoa powder and two tablespoons of the milk. Stir in 2 tablespoons of milk in the vanilla batter.

Put the two batters into separate piping bags. Pipe a ring of chocolate around the outside of two of the tins, then pipe a ring of vanilla. Keep alternating until the pans are full. In the third pan start with the vanilla first.

Bake for 22-25 minutes (12-15 minutes for a small cake). Run a knife around the edge of the cakes and invert onto a cooling rack.

To make the ganache heat the cream until near boiling and pour over the chopped chocolate.  Leave for a few minutes then fold the mixture until all of the chocolate is melted and the ganache is smooth and glossy.  Leave to cool until spreadable and use to fill and frost your cake.

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Two Tiered Cake

A few weeks ago we got our first order for a two tiered cake. I read the comment on our facebook page a few times, going over the logistics of two inexperienced with fondant girls making this a success.  After my seventh re read I finally decided to hell with it, lets give this a shot!  If we remain in our comfort zones how are we ever to grow as bakers.  Unfortunately, when taking the order I didn't factor in the fact it was ordered for the same weekend as our biggest fair of the year.  Cue a slightly bald Katie with a fierce twitch in her eye. 

In usual Pet Lamb style we split the jobs so we weren't too burdened with the task. Kay baked the two layer cakes and delivered them to my house for decoration.  Thank god for ready rolled fondant icing is all I can say!

I followed the instructions for decoration in Baking Made Easy by Lorraine Pascale and it turned out to be quite a simple task.  Sure there's plenty of room for improvement but for a first attempt I'm pretty proud of what we accomplished.  Especially considering our kitchens are currently coated in cupcake batter and buttercream.

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Valentines Cupcakes

Today my Sunday has consisted of lounging in my pyjamas, discovering a new found love of tea with soy milk and mocking up some lovely little Valentines cupcakes for Pet Lamb. 

How's your Sunday going?

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Strawberry Ice Cream Cupcakes

Lordy lordy have I been busy today.  The eve of the Newcastle Eat Festival is finally upon us and kitchens all over the North East have been churning out delicious treats, and mine is no exception! I've been baking away since 8.30am and finally I have downed tools for the evening and treat myself to a well deserved cup of Earl Grey.  Phew!

One of my many, many projects for the day is something I've been meaning to make for a long time now.  I did try once before and well, let's just say it didn't quite work to plan..... After my last attempt I have been a little nervous of making these adorable treats, especially for a Pet Lamb event when every failure costs money.  But, since we'll be one of many cupcake companies this weekend, I threw caution to the wind and gave the Ice Cream Cupcake another chance.

Aren't they just so damned cute?!  I just keep opening the box and gazing upon their sweetness.  Wanna know how to make them?  Well read on...

Strawberry Ice Cream Cupcakes
(Adapted from the primrose bakery)

110g butter
125g plain flour
150g self raising flour
225g caster sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
120ml milk
2 free range eggs
12 flat bottomed ice cream cones

Frosting:
110g butter
350g icing sugar
2/3 tsp milk
A few drops of red food colouring
1tsp strawberry flavouring (don't worry about getting the real stuff, you want that synthetic taste to give an authentic strawberry ice cream flavour)

First preheat the oven to 180C or 160C fan assisted and line a muffin tray with flat bottomed ice cream cones.

Cream together the sugar and butter till light and creamy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition. Sift together the two flours into a bowl and add the vanilla extract to the milk.

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the batter alternating with 1/2 of the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.  Fill each cone 3/4 full of the batter making sure not to over fill as the mixture will rise and bubble over the sides.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.

One cool make the frosting by combining the butter with the icing sugar.  Add the milk, spoon by spoon until you achieve the correct piping consistency.

Add the food colouring, the strawberry flavouring, fill your piping bag and ice away :)

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Cupcakes, again?

I love cupcakes, not to eat mind you, oh no! I've never had much of a sweet tooth and cake has always ranked pretty low on my tea time treat list. There's just something about those adorable little cakes that make me so happy. I adore to bake them, peaking through my oven door to see how they rise, the way they make my house smell as they're cooling by the window and most of all, I love to decorate 'em. Armed with my trusty piping bag and nozzle I can swirl away till the cows come home. This is one of the reasons I enjoy Jeepers Peepers Burlesque night so much, it gives the Pet Lamb girls a chance to flex our decorating muscles.

This month we had a movie theme to work with and boy did we have a hoot! We had lists of flavours as long as your arm, each more elaborate and amusing as the last. Malteaser Falcon, Chocwork Orange, Cornelius Fudge Brownies, we had them all!

My very favorites were, of course, the horror themed cakes. If you know me, you know I like my gore ;)


I made these cakes especially for all you Twihards out there! Love at First Bite Twilight Cupcakes. Just a plain old vanilla cupcake filled with raspberry jam and bitten by everyones favorite vampire.


And here we have Ginger Snaps for Cupcakes. In hindsight, I probably should have called these Team Jacob Cakes, I mean, everyone should be Team Jacob!

Now, I'm off to bake yet more cupcakes for the upcoming Spring Show this weekend. High Ho!

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Cupcake fun

Lordy lordy, am I cupcaked out! And the way Pet Lamb is going there isn't an end in sight. I've been baking solidly for about 2 weeks now, baking, freezing, frosting, selling. It's a never ending cycle, but I've never been happier! Plus, this week marks a huge milestone in my life, but more on that later ;)

This week I've been doing some more experimenting with vegan baking, but this time I've combined elements of two special diets to create these not only vegan, but gluten free beauties. Flavored with a drop of almond essence combined with the classic vanilla, I'm sure these babies won't just appeal to celiac's.


Next on the menu is every Geordie's favorite drink, magicked into a beautiful cupcake! That's right, a Brown Ale Cupcake! I can't bring myself to say Newcastle Brown Ale as they've gone and moved the brewery to Yorkshire, heathens! I don't half miss the smell of the hops drifting over the river come brewing day. Sigh. If I had the patience I would have doodled the Newcastle sky line upon the blue starts, but the last of my patience was spent icing next Sundays SMS challenge :p


Gluten Free, Vegan Cupcakes (adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)

1 cup soy milk
1/3 canola oil (I used veg oil)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup gluten free flour blend ( Doves do an excellent blend)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 175C and line a tray with cupcake papers.

In a large bowl combine the soy milk, oil, sugar and extracts. Mix to combine then add flour blend. Its important to mix the batter very well, remember there is no fear of over beating as there is no gluten to make the cake tough.

Fill liners little over 3/4 full as these cakes won't rise as much as a traditional cupcake.

Bake for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Let cool completely before frosting.

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Double Melissa

I've been naughty, very naughty indeed! I've neglected my poor Sweet Melissa cook book and more importantly, I've neglected my dear Sweet Melissa Sunday ladies. *Hangs head in shame* I do apologise my sweets, how can I ever make it up to you? I know, how about a double header, will that make you smile? I thought so ;)

Now that's out of the way let me tell you why I've been such a lazy bones. Firstly, and most importantly, I've been a poorly Katiecakes. Sore throat developed into a cold, cold developed into a chesty cough, chesty cough developed into a chest infection, you know how it goes. So I've been holed up in my teeny little house going stir crazy. My passion for all things kitchen went out of the window and I sat on the sofa eating nothing but take away's for a week and a half. Poor me! But, I'm all better now thanks to a fist full of antibiotics every day and I'm itching to get back into the kitchen.

Firstly, I'd like to say sorry specifically to Rosy of Rosy Lips and Lavender. I feel dreadful for missing your pick last week. I did bake along, I just never got round to posting those delicious red velvet morsels of nomminess! Well, I say delicious, I never actually got to eat one. I baked last weeks choice for an Alice in Wonderland themed event for Pet Lamb and decorated them like wee toadstools. Boy were they a hit! So thumbs up to Rosy, the punters couldn't get enough :D



Now, for this weeks choice Spike of Spike Bakes picked the perfect desert to follow absolutely any Valentines feast, easy chocolate mousse. I mean, who doesn't like chocolate mousse? And talk about easy, I was overjoyed with how simply the recipe came together, especially as I'm currently in the process of making a beef wellington and didn't really have the time for an overly complex desert. Hurrah for ten minute mousse!



Don't forget to have a peek at my fellow SMS girls! Now, I'm back off to see to my wellington. Happy Valentines my lovelies!

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Make and Mend

2010 is the year of the lamb. Not really, but it certainly is the year of Pet Lamb Patisserie, the cupcake company I run with a friend. Last weekend we were asked to do the Make and Mend Market in Newcastle, a great medley of handmade, vintage and incredibly original stalls all ran by like minded people! My very favorite was Paperfaerie, one of our lovely Craft Mafia sisters who specialises in modifying old books into amazing and unique sculptures. Gotta get me one of those.

The market was a roaring success leaving us sold out by 2pm! Unfortunately, I had to leave early due to illness but my partner in crime handled the baying crowds just fine without me :)

Here's a few of my very favorite treats from the market...

Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes, went down a storm with dairy eaters and vegans alike.

The sweetest cupcake that ever lived. A marshmallow filled cake with marshmallow frosting.

The Elvis! The star of the Star and Shadow Cinema! A chocolate chip banana cake topped with peanut butter frosting.

Vanilla cupcake topped with vanilla butter cream and a lovely valentines fondant heart!

Rocky Road! Because everyone loves Nigella's Rocky Road!

And don't worry, you purest among you. Pet Lamb do offer a selection of pastry based products including lemon and filled fruit tarts. They're just harder to transport to markets and such ;)

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