Gibby Bakes

An absolute classic, the recipe for this Bakewell Tart is one I fondly remember learning during Food Tech lessons when I was probably in year 9! Whenever I make this recipe it always makes me think of my Food teacher, who was also my form tutor. I used to absolutely adore this subject at school, and this teacher is certainly up there as one of the people who inspired me to get baking! I used to make this recipe so often, however as I began to make this tart less and less and the recipe began to slip from my mind, and I needed to get it written down! Years later (last week in fact), I rediscovered my old Food Tech folder with this recipe inside, and decided it deserved a rerelease worthy of Speak Now (Taylor's Version)!  A thick layer of cherry jam! When it came to reinventing this tart, there wasn't a great deal I actually wanted to change. This recipe quickly became my Dad's favourite when I brought it home, but since I've been practicing new skills recently I thought ...

April 29th isn't just a date referenced by Taylor Swift in High Infidelity. April 29th also happens to be my birthday!  This year I was feeling a little down about turning 24. 24 feels like a naff age where nothing is really happening... not quite early 20s, your late-teen years are well in the past, but you're not ready to admit you're into your mid-20s either. I couldn't even properly celebrate my birthday on the day, even though it was a Saturday, as I had work really early on Sunday morning.  I needed a way to cheer myself up, and seeing as an espresso martini is my favourite cocktail I decided a coffee and vodka themed bake would do the trick. I'd been trying to crack the case where pavlovas are concerned for a while now, so I also decided another pavlova was the way forward.  Espresso Martini Pavlova! In the past, the pavlovas I've made have been based on French meringue. This meringue is arguably the easiest to make. By whisking egg whites until they form...

It's been almost a month since I've posted anything! I've still been making time to bake, but I just haven't been making the time to sit and write about them! Then it was my birthday, and then it was my best mate's birthday, and time just kept on slipping away... A bank holiday though means I've got the perfect opportunity to sit down and get some much needed writing time in! And something I've been desperate to share with you all are these Vegan Death By Chocolate Cupcakes! Vegan Death By Chocolate Cupcakes! At work a couple of weeks ago we had a belated Eid lunch, where we all brought in something homemade to contribute to a buffet. And when I tell you these absolutely stole the show I'm barely exaggerating. Vegan chocolate fudge cake cupcakes, filled with vegan chocolate ganache, and decorated with vegan dark chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream combine to make the perfect celebration cupcakes. The Swiss meringue buttercream takes a little extra effor...