Gibby Bakes

The next part of my autumn spice journey comes in the form of these Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes! Don't get me wrong, the autumn spice isn't the main attraction here, but it features prominently enough for me to count it as one of my signature autumn bakes!  The cakes! Carrot Cake is one of my absolutely favourite flavours, and honestly if you say you don't like it you just have a bit of growing up to do! These cupcakes are flavoured with orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, obviously feature grated carrots, but also contain walnuts and dried cranberries for a little sour hit amongst the sweetness! Less is more with the  decoration here, showing  off the piping! These cakes, like the Vegan and Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, are topped with a vegan cream cheese frosting. Cream cheese frosting is another favourite of mine, and to make it vegan is something of a triumph! Simply using vegan butter and vegan cream cheese makes a stunning frosting. From the practice vegan ...

Recently I've become aware that my baking has placed a heavy emphasis on cupcakes and other "cakey" bakes, which of course there is nothing wrong with! However, I'm keen to try out a variety of different bakes to develop new techniques and find new flavours. So when I stumbled upon Bake Off's Chetna Makan's recipe for this Indian Potato Raised Pie I knew I had to give it a go!  Although capybaras might have nothing to do with India, I couldn't resist  using my cute cookie cutter for decoration! I've only made hot water crust pastry once before, back in January when I made a Garlic, Tarragon and Mushroom Pie! I was surprised at how easy I found making the dough then, however I remember that I didn't roll the dough out quickly enough. With hot water crust pastry the trick is to work quickly whilst the dough is warm and pliable after the just-boiling water and melted fat is added. This time I knew to move faster.  Upon closer inspection you can see  w...