One year on...

Wow, today my blog is a year old! I can't believe i've now been baking and blogging for a whole year! And so to celebrate I thought I would post up the birthday cake I have just made! Happy one year Birthday to Mrs B's Baking! Anyone for some cake?


I feel that my baking has vastly improved since a year ago. I can't believe, when I look back at all the photos how many things I have actually baked in a year and how much of it we have eaten! It's been so much fun. There have been times when I have considered giving up blogging but then I'm always baking and messing around in the kitchen so I may as well post about it! Thank you to everyone who has read it and left me comments, it's so really sweet of you all.

One of my favourite moments and highlights of my blogging year was when Channel 4 mentioned it last Christmas on their website. They were talking about christmas baking in the blog world and mentioned my blog which I was amazed at! I told all my family and friends! hehe!

I love baking treats and things for people and everyone who comes to visit hubbie and I in London always arrives to freshly baked goodies of some kind! One of my favourite things is spending time pottering around the kitchen or reading baking books! One day I would love to set up my own little cake business from home making and designing wedding cakes - it would be a dream! Until then I can just enjoy pottering!

I wish I could send everyone who reads my blog a big slice of this cake! It is a madeira cake with home made black currant jam and then I covered it in swirls of buttercream and finished it with a sugar pink rose! Can I tempt anyone for a slice? Can I? Can I? :)


Thank you once again everyone for your kind comments and all the tips. I love reading all your blogs and comments and blogging wouldn't be half as much fun without you all! Here's to the next year... x x x

Raspberry and Pine Nut bars

These are a delicious treat for summer picnics and outings! I think many people have been baking these recently as I have seen them pop up on many people's blogs! They are quick and easy to make and perfect to take with you on country walks throughout the holidays.

You need:

200g/8oz plain flour
200g/8oz porridge oats
250g pack butter, softened
175g/6oz light muscovado sugar
finely grated zest of one lemon
100g pine nuts
250g/9oz raspberries
Preheat the oven to 190c/gas mark 5 and butter a shallow square tin.

Place the oats, flour and butter into a mixing bowl and rub together until it forms coarse crumbs. Mix in the sugar, lemon zest and three quaters of the pine nuts and once mixed well compress the mixture together so that it forms large sticky clumps.

Place about 3 quaters of the mixture into the tin and press it down lightly. Sprinkle the raspberries over the top and then the rest of the mixture over the top of the rapsberries. Finally scatter the remaining pine nuts over the top and press down lightly.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes until it looks a pale golden colour. Cut into 12 slices while still warm and then leave to cool in the tray! Finished!

I'm very excited today as a few days ago I signed up for a sugarcraft course at the college near where I live. I start in September! So watch this space for some lovely sugarcraft creations! :)

Chocolate Madeira Cake

For my husband's birthday I made a chocolate madeira cake. It was delicious. I used chocolate buttercream for the filling and then covered the outside with chocolate icing! It was gone in no time!

To make the chocolate icing you will need: 30g/1oz of melted butter, 2 tablespoons of hot water, 2 tablesponns of sifted cocoa powder and 125g/4oz of sifted icing sugar.

Combine the melted butter with the 2 tablespoons of hot water and 2 tablespoons of sifted cocoa powder and stir it until it forms a smooth paste. Add the icing sugar and stir until well combined and smooth! I then used a palette knife and dolloped the icing on the top and sides and then swirled it around. It tastes divine and I really recommend this icing as a quick and easy way to cover a chocolate cake. My husband loved it!




Anyone for a slice?!