Friday 2 September 2016

Baking Round Up

Well, it's been a while since I sat down to write a blog post. Lots has happened since I last blogged including buying a house with Stevie Feathers and finally flying the comfy home nest. I now have a little kitchen of my own to bake in which means I can make lots of mess without getting in anyone else's way!

Tuesday 19 April 2016

Banana Milkshake Cake

The last week in March is always a busy week in the Harden's family for birthdays with my Dad celebrating his on the 30th and my brother on the 31st of March. Naturally, each occasion needs cake! For Dad's cake I took inspiration and recipe from the Primrose Bakery cookbook which I got for Christmas. One of Dad's favourite things to drink is a big glass of banana milkshake so with a little tweaking their strawberry milkshake recipe would be perfect choice for my Pops. The sponge recipe for this cake uses only egg whites rather than the whole egg and also has yoghurt in it which meant the the finished result was very light and moist. The remaining slices are now in the freezer for Dad to have at a time when he choses most likely warm with custard.


Saturday 16 April 2016

Slimming World Brownies

Today's post is a little different to my usual high calorie treats. Back in September I joined slimming world and since then I have lost 3 stone 5 and counting. Since this time there has been a steady decline in the amount of baking I have done because everyone at home is trying to be good and the temptation to have a spoonful of mixture is far too high.

Last week, our wonderful slimming world consultant Rich ask group members to review some of the slimming world recipe books. Instantly I said that if there is a dessert one that's my cup of tea and surprise surprise there is!


So this is the first of a few posts I will do focusing purely on slimming world baking and dessert making with my views on whether they match up to their full fat cousins. I might even have a go at making some of my own slimming world friendly recipes for the keen bakers and pudding eaters, like me who are also trying to watch their waistlines!

If you don't follow slimming world then you don't need to be too concerned about how it fits in to the healthy eating plan however just briefly women are allowed up to 15 syns a day whilst men can have up to 25. Syns are attributed to foods that are generally a little bit 'naughty' (sorry Rich, know that this word isn't usually used) such as chocolate, crisps, sweets, alcohol and ready made sauces to name but a few. So, when deciding what treats to have you should, to stay on plan, tally up the syns and make sure you don't go over. Slimming world recipes are adaptations of 'normal' recipes that makes a few subtle substitutions for healthier alternatives. If you want to know more, you can find your local group on the slimming world website.

Anyway, back to the recipe...