Fold in the Flour ...

Gosh, where has the time gone? So how've you been? Good I hope. Great stuff. And Me? Not so much. But getting there. I've been away a while, I know. Lots of things happening. Some not, but hey, that's life. Since we last spoke, I've left my job of 19 years (health reasons), and that seems scary. Mike's job was victim to a reorganisation, so that gave him the opportunity to take redundancy. That seems scary, too. As they say, timing is everything. So in a burst of mid-life shenanigans, we've decided to start our own business. A coffee shop. With a bakery - cakery attached. O. M. G. That seems very freakin' scary! But exciting, too. Hopefully soon, we'll be taking on the lease of a small shop near us. Fitting it out, and then opening our doors to entice hungry shoppers with the delicious smell of good coffee and freshly baked cakes. It's going to be a lot of hard work. I can't wait. But I have to. The legalities, yo...

Over the last few months, I've been trying to get organised around the house. That's included having a mega clear out of 'stuff' . All different kinds of 'stuff' . It's been liberating, but there is still a lot around the house (not that I'm a hoarder or anything ...). So, last week, I decided to weed out the recipes I wanted to keep from a pile of foodie type magazines I'd accumulated. Rediscovering recipes I had forgotten about was fun - and got me back baking again. This cake is adapted from a recipe I found in an issue of 'Baking Heaven' (the original, though, uses blueberries). It's a great big comfort blanket of a cake - billowy sweet sponge which shakes you up whenever you hit a cranberry. (Yes, I'm one of those people that love the tingly taste of Haribo Tangfastics). It's lovely just warm from the oven. A scoop of vanilla ice cream would seal the deal. Cranberry and Orange Cake Ingredients 3...

Grey days deserve roaring fireplaces, comfy sofas, snug slippers, a mug of steaming hot tea, and cake.   An absolutely splendiferous cake.  This is mine. For a cake that contains a mahoosive amount of chocolate, sugar, cream, and cocoa, it balances the flavours perfectly. Moist chocolate sponge, with a fudgy frosting.  It's not overly sweet, but is very rich, so if you are calorie conscious, the merest sliver will satisfy the cravings of the chocolate deprived. If, on the other hand, you're a complete greedy guts, *ahem*, you will still get a significant number of portions out of it (think at least 12). Devil's Food Cake* (makes one 9 inch cake) Ingredients  330g plain flour 90g cocoa powder 1 1/2 tspn baking powder 1/2 tspn bicarbonate of soda 1/2 tspn salt 185g unsalted butter at room temperature 500g (yes, that's 500g!) soft light brown sugar 2 tspn vanilla extract 4 eggs, each around the 60g mark  375ml buttermilk at room t...