Gibby Bakes

This might just be my most triumphant bake to date, owed in part to the fact that it's an entirely vegan creation! This a Vegan Chocolate and Salted Caramel Cake! The cake is comprised of four layers of chocolate sponge, is filled and decorated with chocolate and salted caramel buttercream, and is topped with homemade double chocolate cookies and homemade vegan fudge! The drip (which did so much emotional damage to me!) is a salted caramel sauce.  I had to combine elements from a few different recipes to pull this cake together, the majority of which come from Freya Cox's vegan baking book. This book is proving to be something of a vegan baking bible! To start with, I made the sponges following the method for her Black Forest Gateaux recipe, which uses espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavour! The cookies are a take on Freya's Triple Chocolate Cookies, except I couldn't find any vegan friendly white chocolate in shops near me, and had to leave it out. For the bu...

 This is without question one of my dream cakes!  With no plain piping nozzle to hand I had to  use a piping bag with the end trimmed off to pipe these kisses! This cake is comprised of three wonderfully moist apple sponges, containing homemade apple puree for flavour and texture and spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, is filled with homemade apple butter, and is decorated with salted toffee buttercream! All flavours that I just adore! Glowing in the fire light! Although we didn't do anything as a group for Halloween, when Bonfire Night came around we just had to have a little gathering around the firepit, making use of the bar we built last year by having a few drinks and a catch up! I decided to bake this cake to surprise my friends with, and it went down better than I could have hoped for! Whilst this cake is something of a dream for me it definitely didn't come together like one! For a start I've never made apple puree or apple butter before, and whilst both of...