Baking On BIRSt!

As I document all of my baking experiments here on my blog, it felt only right that I too post all the details about my new baking radio show, Baking on BIRSt!

But what is BIRSt, I hear you ask?! BIRSt is the radio station run by us students on the MA Radio Production Course at Bournemouth University and this year we have worked super hard re-branding the station, introducing new shows and getting our name out there. You can check out our website right here.

One of the new shows that we have introduced is a baking show- something that has never been tried before on the station. In each episode we choose a different recipe, voted for by you- our lovely listeners which I bake alongside a special guest. What's more it's dead easy for you to bake along at home as we guide you step-by-step through the process. Simple!

The first episode is live on the site now, you can listen along right here. If you like what you hear then join our Facebook page right here, where you can download the recipes and see pictures of the products we make. You can also vote for and suggest future recipes!

Hot Cross Buns

Finally I've got round to posting this!
And yeah, I know it's a couple of weeks late
But better late than never, right?

I received Paul Hollywood's 'How to Bake' book for Christmas and I have been dying to make the Hot Cross Buns Recipe since I got it, and with it being Easter, there was no better time to have a go!

For the buns:

300ml full-fat milk , plus 2 tbsp more

50g butter
500g strong bread flour
1 tsp salt
75g caster sugar
1 tbsp sunflower oil
7g sachet fast-action or easy-blend yeast
1 egg , beaten
75g sultanas
50g mixed peel
zest 1 orange
1 apple , peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon

 For the Cross:

75g plain flour , plus extra for dusting

 

For the Glaze:

 

3 tbsp apricot jam

 

Method

Bring the milk to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the butter. Then put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a bowl- make sure that the yeast and salt are put at different sides of the bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture, then add the egg.

 

Then it's time to get messy and get your hands in there!! 

 

 

Mix everything together until you get something that looks a little like this....

Tip on to a lightly floured surface and knead by holding the dough with one hand and stretching it with the heal of the other hand, then folding it back on itself. You'll need to repeat this for about 5 mins until the dough is smooth and elastic.

 

 

 

When it's smooth, put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a tea towle and leave to rise in a warm place for between 1-3 hours but no longer or until doubled in size and a finger pressed into it leaves a dent.

Now the tricky bit, mixing the fruit into the dough...!

Tip in the sultanas, mixed peel, orange zest, apple and cinnamon onto the worksurface and knead into the dough, making sure everything is well distributed.

Leave to rise for another hour again in the bowl.

Once the dough has risen divide it into 12 even pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball on a lightly floured work surface.

This might get a liiiiiiittle messy...

Arrange the buns on one or two baking trays lined with parchment, leaving enough space for the dough to expand. Pop in a plastic bad or wrap in oiled cling film and set aside to prove for 1 hr more.

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Whilst the buns are proving, mix the flour with about 5 tbsp water to make the paste for the cross - add the water 1 tbsp at a time, as you may not need it all.

Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses.

Bake for 20 mins on the middle shelf of the oven, until golden brown.

Once thy're out of the oven, gently heat the apricot jam to melt, then sieve to get rid of any chunks. While the jam and buns are still warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.

 And Voila!

They may not be completely perfect- but they were certainly worth the effort.
I found the piping element the most difficult and this was mostly due to the fact that I didn't have a small enough nozzle which meant the paste mixture practically did whatever it wanted!

I highly recommend making these and although they do take up a fair bit of time, they are completely worth it!
Who cares if it's not easter?!

Cookies and Cream Oreo Cupcakes

I must (once again) begin by apologising for my severe lack of baking blogs of late. You probably know my excuse for this, and in case you don't it begins with 'U' ends in 'I' and has 'N' in the middle. Yep. That old chestnut.

Anyway apologies aside, yesterday I had a uni-free day to relax and do whatever I pleased and what better opportunity to do a spot of baking?
I have been dying to make these oreo cupcakes for ages as there seemed to be quite a lot of hype around them so it was only natural that I got in the kitchen to find out for myself!
Afterall oreos; delicious crunchy biscuits + cake; yummy crumbly goodness = makes a whole lotta sense; what could go wrong!?

For the cupcakes

(I doubled this recipe which usually makes 12 and I got 22)

 

200g plain flour
40g cocoa powder
240g caster sugar
3tsp baking powder
80g unsalted butter
2 eggs
200ml milk
2tsp vanilla extract
16 whole Oreo's

 

For the buttercream frosting

 

175g softened unsalted butter
350g sifted icing sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
1-2tbs milk
3 or 4 crushed Oreo's (You can crush them in a food processor,or put them in a bag and bash them with a rolling pin/other suitable object!)

 

You can use as many Oreo's in your frosting as you like, I used 4. It just depends on how you want it to look.

 

 

 

 

Method

·         Preheat the oven to 180 or gas mark and line a cupcake tray with paper cases.

·         Place a whole Oreo into each cupcake case.

·         Sift the flour,cocoa powder,baking powder and salt into a bowl give it all a whisk around.

·         In a separate bowl beat the butter and sugar together until it combines then add the vanilla extract and the eggs 1 at a time whisking them in slowly.

·         Alternately add the milk and flour and bring it all together,adding any remaining flour at the end.

·         Divide between the cupcake cases,covering the Oreo's and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes.

 

·         The cakes are ready when a cocktail stick or skewer comes out of the centre clean and they spring back when touched.

       ·       Set on a cooling rack to cool down completely.

·         Make the buttercream by beating the butter and icing sugar and vanilla together for a good few minutes until it becomes very smooth and fluffy. Add the milk a little at a time if you find the consistency a little too thick

·         Mix in a spoonful at a time of the crushed Oreo's just until you get the pretty cookie speckled look that you're after.

 

 

After you have mixed the Oreo's together with the frosting and the cupcakes have cooled, it's time to pipe the icing onto these bad boys!
This is the part where I had a slight incident... one which got extremely messy.
And if like me, you like making a mess but not clearing it up then I recommend taking notes!

This was the first time I had ever piped icing onto cupcakes as usually I take the route of spooning and smoothing it on and as time went on I began to wish that I had done it that way!

Aside from not realising until I had put the icing in the bag that the piping nozzle does not go on the outside, but infact goes on the inside of the bag (you don't want to know) the main issue was with the size of the crumbs in the icing.
The real problem occurred after I had to EMPTY THE DAMN BAG TWICE  to re-insert the nozzle only to discover that it wouldn't pipe because the Oreo 'crumbs' were too big and kept getting stuck in it.

WALLY.

So, if you do make these (and I highly recommend that you do) make sure when you crush the Oreos that they are the teeniest, tiniest crumbs ever- and that there are no large bits of biscuit, as if any big, naughty Oreo pieces do sneak into your icing your piping bag won't like it and you'll soon understand the mess that I was in.

Once I had wrestled with the icing, I finished them off by topping with half an Oreo and sprinkling them with Oreo crumbs. Deeeeeeelish.

Store in an airtight container for about a week.
Well, that's if they last that long...

The Chewton Glen Hotel

My blogging has been atrocious recently, between assignment work at uni and volunteering at Hot Radio, things have been manic and my poor little blog has suffered.
Again.

As my work load has (slightly) died down, I have decided to grab this opportunity with both hands and write a new little post on my latest adventure. Any of you who read my blof regularly will be aware that most of my 'adventures' tend to involve food and I'm not ashamed to say that this one is no different!

Now, it's well documented that I love a good cake. I love to bake them but most of all I like to eat them. And today as a post-Birthday treat, my wonderful Auntie took me for Afternoon Tea at the Chewton Glen Hotel in Hampshire.
Ever since I moved further south for University my Auntie and I seem to have developed a small habit of gallavanting round Hampshire/Dorchester testing the best hotels in the area for Afternoon Tea.

Today we continued on our Afternoon Tea Tour and I think we found another gem. To say it was 'good' would be an almighty understatement; it was bloody scrumptious.

The Hotel is set in such beautiful surroundings (unfortunately my camera decided to run out of memory space hence why I don't have any pictures- typical!) but the lounge we sat in for Tea looked out onto the croquet lawn and beyond onto the carefully maintained gardens. Despite the mist- it still looked beautiful.

The tea itself was so delicious. A selection of sandwiches; fruit scones with jam and clotted cream and a mouth-watering selection of cakes (which we truly demolished) were presented delightfully, served quickly and scoffed at the same pace... (we waste nothing)

The hotel had a beautiful courtyard and just on the inside of the entrance door lay a row of perfectly arranged Hunter Wellingtons, ready and waiting any guests who wished to take a stroll through the grounds. Only in England.

I highly, recommend The Chewton Glen it's by far one of the best hotels for Afternoon Tea that I have ever been to and I will without a doubt be re-visiting for more tea and cake in the near future or if I'm exceptionally lucky, maybe a cheeky spa day....

January In (very few) Pictures

January. The beginning of a new year, and a cold one at that! We may only have been in 2013 for one month but if i's anything to go by I know that this year is going to be busier than any other. So much so tha it seems that I've even been too busy to take photos this month; only just managing to put together one frame!

However, my 2013 couldn't have had a better start as two days after moving back down to Bournemouth for the new term I found out that after applying with a friend I was going to be on Feet Up Friday with Greg James on BBC Radio 1- HELLO DREAM COME TRUE! Definitely the most surreal day of my life so far and I certainly didn't want it to end. After that, the rest of January seems kind of dull and it wasn't long before the January blues kicked in, but nothing a manicure couldn't handle! I decided to experiment a little and tried a little pink ombre fade, which you can check out in more detail here. I have been feeling so experiemental that I even made my own yorkshire pudding for the first time ever, they were't a complete disaster but still not as good as mum's! The rest of the month has been filled with copious amounts of Hot Chocolate (I highly recommend the ones at Patisserie Valerie) which has sufficiently helped coping with learning a new editing software named SADIE, who just for the record no one on my course has a good relationship with yet! Hopefully that will change! Balancing work and play has been so tricky that even when I try to relax, the radio times manages to crop up, thank goodness for my most needed new Diary (thanks Dad), but getting me a P.A. may have been a better option...no?!

The Boys Are Back in Town

1. Topshop moto lacey jean- £53

2. A&F distressed jean- £59

3. Current/Elliott pink cropped- £125

4. J Brand aiden jean- £130

5. River Island distressed - £45

6. Current/Elliott classic boyfriend- £140

7. Mango- £33

 

 

 

Yes, you heard correctly, the rumours are true, the boys are officially back in town as the boyfriend jean makes a come back for the Spring/Summer season. And they're set to be huge. 

 

That's right girls, kiss goodbye to squeeeeeezing into your skinnies and look ahead to throwing on a loose, comfy and potentially ripped-to- shreds alternative. Ahhhhh I can feel the relief already! Jeans are of course a staple. So this means that it's completely justified to give our wardrobes a little spring clean by investing in a (few) pair(s) of must-have boyfriend jeans, yes? oh good, that's what I thought...

 

However, I have to admit that as much as I love jeans, jean shopping is my absolute least favourite. There are so many different brands all with a different fit, feel and COST and to be honest  it's always tricky to know where to start. SO, in an attempt to help you fellow jean lovers out I have wittled down some of the best boyfriend beauties that are currently in stores- some are a little pricier than others, but all are perfect as a little jean-update to welcome in the new season. Wear cuffed with a pair of killer heels, neon tee and blazer and BOOM! there you have an updated spring look!








 

Ooooooooh for Ombre!

With all this dreary, cold and well, just generally horrid weather we've been having of late we can hardly be blamed for wishing the spring season to hurry a little quicker. I mean all this slush and ice is just snow good- is it? Sorry... couldn't help myself! But snowy puns aside, the weather hasn't been all that inspiring recently and well quite frankly, I don't think I'm the only one to admit that like the climate, I've been feeling a little dull and dismal and I'm beginning to feel like I need to inject a little colour back into my life.

Usually in this sort of situation I would dig out a pretty coloured, summery top, pop on my shades and off I would go. However, all I really want to do is hibernate beneath my thickest woollen jumper and curl myself up under a blanket. So, what better way is there to put two fingers up to the weather and inject some brightness into our wardrobes than through our nails. Boys, you might want to sit this one out.

I am a huuuuuges lover of nail art as most of you will probably already know and I love nothing better than having a little experiement now and again. In order to brighten things up a bit I decided to finally have a go at the ombre nail trend. It's one of the only nail art trends that I haven't tried so it was only natural to at least have a go and I think it went fairly well.

Recently I've been wearing lots of red, dark purple and raspberry pinks so this week I opted for a bright and bold pink to blend into my baby pink base.

I applied a coat of Nails inc 'Air Street' as a base, it's brilliant if you have really dry brittle nails that are prone to breaking or peeling (like mine) and I fully reccommend it-it's definitely the best I've ever used. I quite often wear it by itself without a colour on top to try and help my nails and I have definitely noticed a difference. Apply one coat a day over three consecutive days then remove and reapply like this for as long as you can and I guarantee you will start to see your nails strengthening. The baby Pink shade is 'Tendresse' by Chanel and as you can probably see, I certainly got my moneys worth as it's not far from finished! I used this as my primary colour- giving my nails two coats before applying the fading colour pon my tips. In this case I used 'striking' by Jessica.

Once these coats have dried, I then used a makeup sponge to fade the colours into each other. I found that the best way to do it is to paint some of the lighter colour on the sponge and above or below it paint on some the darker colour. A little goes a long way so you don't need to go crazy. Line the colours on the sponge up with your nail so the lighter colour on the sponge is above the light colour on your nail and the same with the dark colour. The next bit is a bit messy and wee bit tricky- you need quite a light hand, but then start to lighty dab the sponge onto your nail with the darker colour at the tip and gradually move the sponge up and down your nail. It doesn't take much to blend- as the colours tend to blend together quite naturally themselves.

This is the end result- finished of course with a couple of clear topcoats from none other than Barry M. There is definitely a knack to it, not quite sure I have it sussed- so there will be many more attempts to come!

BBC Radio 1: Feet Up Friday!!!!!

It's official. It's actually happened. My dream has come true (well part of it at least). I've been to RADIO 1!!! I repeat, I'VE BEEN TO RADIO 1!!!!! And in case you can't tell, I still can't believe it.

Anyone who knows me will be well aware of my ambitions to work at Radio 1 and my admiration especially for Greg James and his show so when an opportunity arose to be part of the show I jumped at the chance to apply! As an MA Radio Production student for me, this wasn't just a chance to have 5 minutes of fame on the radio, but a chance to see the studios, meet the team, ask loads of questions and gain as much knowledge of the station as I could during the time I was there- something that I wasn't going to get a chance to do any other time.

So, myself and my close friend Steph applied to take part in Feet Up Friday, a weekly feature on the show where two teams are invited to compete with each other for audience votes in order to win a half an hour slot on the show to play a selection of our own songs. We applied before Christmas and being unsuccessful we were more than ready to apply again in the new year and low and behold we were actually successful this time! I got the call to say we had been selected and just when I thought we had got it, I was told I may have to wait for an hour to find out if we were definitely going to be on the show and after an excruciatingly nervewracking 40 minute wait I got the call back! WE WERE GOING TO RADIO 1!!! As if that wasn't good enough, we were about to be the first Feet Up Friday team to see the new studios at New Broadcasting House. Needless to say it was INSANE!

Excited as ever we travelled to London, navigated our way through the tubes and at 3pm it was time to make our way to BBC Headquaters and Radio 1 reception and I tell you for one, you can't bloody miss it! Our day had barely even begun and no word of a lie, I stepped in the door of Radio 1 and who came strolling towards me....none other than, Scott Mills!! From that moment, I knew it was going to be a day that I would never forget!

We were collected from reception and taken up to the studios through the radio 1 corridor which was filled with huge photo canvases from BBC Radio 1's Hackney Weekend and where pictures were absent, the walls had been signed by guests who had popped in. Pretty cool to say the least. We were taken to the green room where we sat to fill out some forms and generally take half and hour to take in what was happening. We spent the majority of our time in the studio with Greg and when we weren't in there we were relaxing in the live lounge which is right next to his studio with a massive window so we didn't miss a thing! During the day we got to meet several producers all working on different shows, all of whom had found a different way into the industry and a different route to Radio 1 giving me plenty of motivation to keep going with my ambitions to one day work there! As if that wasn't enough, 1Xtra presenter Sarah-Jayne Crawford popped out during her show to say Hi, Becci from Scott Mill's show gave us a wave, Gemma Cairney ran past, Charlie sloth strolled in and Matt Edmonson was chillin' on his laptop. So obviously just a standard day at the office!

Anyway, I'll stop the name dropping and cut to the chase and show some of the photos...

Greg and Headmistress Laura in the Stoooooodio

Had to be done. Greg is obviously impressed...

Doing his thaaaang

My brownies bring Greg James to the yard! (Sorry Greg)

New Broadcasting House

Us with Greg!

Our day at Radio 1 was simply amazing, can't quite believe I was actually IN the studios! I learnt so much about how everything works and who does what and when to the extent where I can imagine where Greg and his team are standing, what they're doing and the layout of the studio when I'm listening.

Now I've been there myself, got a feel for the building and met some of the people working there I am now beyond determined than ever (and I was pretty determined before) to make sure that one day I will be walking back through those Radio 1 sliding doors not as a guest or a competition winner, but as an employee.

Radio 1....I'm coming for you!

Homemade Mince Pies

For me Christmas is the perfect opportunity to do some seasonal baking and this year that is exactly what I did! Mince Pies are my ultimate Christmas snack and so I decided to make my own mincemeat and pastry and having only made my own pastry a couple of times before I decided to just go for it and well, hope for the best! 

For the Mincemeat
I made my own mincemeat and clever old me has left the recipe at home in Northampton... However, you can buy some really good pre-made mincemeat in most supermarkets which makes the job a lot easier!

For the Pastry 

• 350g Plain Flour
• 75g Lard
• 75g Butter

 Method

1. Make up or mincemeat or make sure your pre-bought packet is at the ready.
2. Make up the pastry by sifting the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and rubbing the fats into it until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. 
3. Then add just enough cold water to mix to a dough that leaves the bowl clean. Leave the pastry to rest in a polythene bag in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
4. Then roll half of it out as thinly as possible and cut it into two dozen 3 inch (7.5 cm) rounds, gathering up the scraps and re-rolling. Then do the same with the other half of the pastry, this time using the 2½ inch (6 cm) cutter.
5. Now grease the patty tins lightly and line them with the larger rounds. 
6. Fill these with mincemeat to the level of the edges of the pastry. 
7. Dampen the edges of the smaller rounds of pastry with water and press them lightly into position to form lids, sealing the edges. 
8. Brush each one with milk and make three snips in the tops with a pair of scissors. 
9. Bake near the top of the oven for 25-30 minutes until light golden brown. Cool on a wire tray and sprinkle with icing sugar. When cool, store in an airtight container. 

Below is a little guide as to how everything turned out- I always find it really helpful to have images to go by when I'm baking so thought it may be helpful.

Cutting the rounds

TIP: Don't fill the cases too full or the mincemeat will seep out all over the place!

The finished Result!

(Slighty Pink) Red Velvet Cake

Once I returned home from university for the holidays, as well as being more than ready for a well needed three weeks of relaxation I was also ready to get baking. First on my list was an American classic, red velvet cake. I first tried one a few months ago and once I had tasted it, I finally understood what all the fuss was about. Despite being warned how difficult they are to make, I was not going to rest until I had at least attempted it once- and I'm (kinda) glad I did as apart from being slightly pink, It went quite well.

I found this recipe to be much sweeter than the original cake I had tried and I later discovered that sometimes it works better to use a little bit of lemon juice in the icing to give it a little bit of zest and make it a little less sweet which I think it needs.

Fancy a go? Here's the recipe....

Red Velvet Cake


For the Cake:

• 60 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 150 g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 10 g cocoa powder
• 20 ml red food colouring (preferably Dr. Oetker Red Food Colouring)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 120 ml buttermilk
• 150 g plain flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1½ teaspoons white wine vinegar

For the Icing:

• 300g icing sugar, sifted
• 50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 125g cream cheese, cold

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.
2. Put the butter and the sugar in a bowl and beat (using a wooden spoon although it says an electric whisk) until light and fluffy and well mixed. Turn the mixer up to high speed, slowly add the egg and beat until everything is well incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, red food colouring and vanilla extract to make a thick, dark paste. Add to the butter mixture and mix thoroughly until evenly combined and coloured (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula).
4. Turn the mixer down to slow speed and slowly pour in half the buttermilk. Beat until well
   mixed, then add half the flour, and beat until everything is well incorporated. Repeat this process until all the buttermilk and flour have been added. Scrape down the side of the bowl again. 
5. Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until you have a smooth, even mixture. Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the salt, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Beat until well mixed, then turn up the speed again and beat for a couple more minutes.
6. Spoon the mixture into greased tins and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean. Leave the cake to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
7. Beat the icing sugar and butter together with an electric mixer on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.
8. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed.
9. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny. When the cake is completely cold, spoon half the cream cheese frosting between the layers and the rest on top.
10. You may have tons of frosting left over but luckily frosting freezes particularly well so that is what I have done with mine for future cupcake baking.

December In Pictures

Trips to Corfe Castle in the winter time. My favourite yearly task of putting up the Christmas tree and decking the house with decorations and lights. Drinking hot chocolate and scoffing homemade mince pies. Dancing the night away with Annie Mac and my favourite girls. Starting the day with morning hacks in the winter sunshine. Humorous and festive beer bottles that can't help but bring a smile to your face.

Baking red velvet cake and coating it in the sweetest cream cheese icing. Keeping out of the rain in my trusty barbour jacket. Festive nail art to welcome in the season. The pretty lights of Oxford Street. Winchester Christmas Market and its unique stalls in an idyllic setting. Cheeky early Christmas presents despite the warnings on the tag! Snuggling up with a cup of tea in my best new mug and the best Christmas film. This is what Christmas is all about.