Citrus Side Salad

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

My savoury comfort food has to be baked sweet potato. Rub it with coconut oil, sprinkle on some salt and then let it do its thing in the oven for a good 45minutes (depending on size) at 180-200 degrees celcius. Perfection.

 Yes, Yes, I know, baked potatoes can be incredibly boring - often i crave the simplicity but sometimes they just don't cut it. Sometime you just have to make the extra effort and make them a little more special. That's where my Baked Sweet Potato Fries come in. Deliciously crunchy, soft and sweet with a little paprika kick, these babies are addictive.

Chocolate Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

Cookies have to be my favourite comfort food. Sometimes a good batch is all you need to get you over those hump days.

Damson and Co., Soho

So I'm a little late to the Damson and Co. hype. It's been all over the blogoshphere and food websites for a while now. but it wasn't until a downpour at London Proud the other week saw us dashing into the nearest cosy looking tearoom in Soho.

Minnie Mouse Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

Hello everyone, it's been a while! I'm sorry for the radio silence recently, I hope you didn't miss me too much but I can promise that Bake it Blonde is back and better than ever! So for my first post back I thought I'd show you some adorable Minnie Mouse Cupcakes that I made for my friend Nettie's birthday recently.

Kitchen Challenge: Chocolate Eclairs

It’s time for a challenge. I created this blog as a way to share my passion for baking and cooking with the world, but also to push myself to experiment and try new recipes and ingredient combinations. This month I challenged myself with choux pastry. Pastry is an area in which I feel I can do the basics, shortctust mostly – enough for pies and tarts, but have always been nervous to experiment with. Until now I had associated éclairs and profiteroles as desserts that needed to be bought, not made – I had certainly never dreamed of making them myself.

Rock and Roll

Rock and Roll by bakeitblonde featuring bright purses

Fashion Inspiration: Bank Holiday BBQ

So I know this is primarily a food blog but when I discovered Polyvore whilst reading another blog, I knew I had to create a post.

Its such a great website that allows you to browse mood and inspiration boards, design your own, and shop your finds - all in the same place! I am still new to it but so far I am having lots of fun with this new creative outlet and experimenting with everything they have to offer.

So here's my very first creation, following on from my last BBQ post - what I would wear to a bank holiday BBQ. Really this look works for any relaxed, outside event. I am obsessed with a white and blue colour palette at the minute - so clean and crisp, and I think that the gold studded sandals with the straw fedora give it the perfect boho vibe.

Bank Holiday BBQ by bakeitblonde featuring backpacks bags

I hope to be making a lot more of these but dont worry I wont turn this into a fashion blog! If you do want see the rest of my creations and be kept up to date, follow my Polyvore page: http://bakeitblonde.polyvore.com/

xx

Chicken Cobb Salad

While I love baking all sorts of rich, gooey desserts, every once in a while we all need something healthy. Or at least something which pretends to be. Healthier if you will.

Essential tips for BBQ-ing

We’ve all been there, the sun comes out and of course no one wants to be inside for a second longer than they have to be, let alone cooking away in a hot a kitchen. That’s why the humble BBQ is the perfect way to create simple, tasty dishes with minimum fuss and maximum outdoor exposure.

The Job Interview: Tips for success

As a few of you may have noticed from reading this post I have had a job interview. Now many people think that applying for the job is the difficulty and once you've got an interview then the hard part’s over. Think again my friend. Job interviews are a minefield of good etiquette and implications. What you don’t say can have just as much effect as what you do. It is therefore important to be as prepared as possible so that by the time the interview takes place you can be calm and confident, rather than a nervous wreck.

Flourless Chocolate Cake (Gluten Free)

So I have a little confession to make. I have never baked a gluten – free recipe before. To be fair, I am not gluten intolerant and therefore have had no real reason to, but at the minute I am all about pushing the boundaries and trying new things.

Summer Fruits Hand-Pies

So things have been pretty hectic recently.

Salted Caramel Banoffee Bars

In case you missed it, over the weekend I made this incredible salted caramel sauce. However I soon realised that there was only so much that I could eat with a spoon straight out of the jar. There is a limit, and I reached it. So I decided to use it to make salted caramel banoffee bars. Just look at that gooey caramel centre…

Salted Caramel Sauce

Happy Bank holiday guys and girls!! For once the sun is actually shining and now is the time to treat ourselves. I can’t think of a better way to do this than with homemade salted caramel sauce. I made this a couple of days ago and it has been staring at me from the fridge ever since.

While I obviously recommend eating this out of the jar with a spoon, this sauce is also fantastic drizzled over ice-cream, brownies or quite frankly, anything else your heart desires.

Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

For me, there is little else more comforting that a big bowl of carbs. Pasta may be the obvious choice for a carb-fest but when done right, Risotto can be a welcome break from the norm. In this dish the earthy, woody flavours of the mushrooms are lightened with the crunchy asparagus and makes a wonderfully comforting Spring dinner.

Fresh Raspberry Victoria Sponge

Weekends aren’t proper weekends until they involve cake. I baked this little beauty up on Saturday morning and by Sunday it was almost gone,I may or may not have had a slice for breakfast.

Bank Holiday Brunch

A truly simple, easy-going brunch recipe.
Classic smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, elevated with a creamy, garlic spread.

5 Top Tips To Help You With Your Job Search

I am currently job-searching. It’s not that I was unhappy in my previous job – it just wasn’t for me. I think it’s important in life to identify areas which can be improved on and work hard to shape your life the way you want it.

Easy, Weeknight Chilli Recipe

When the sun is shining, a bowl of chilli might not be the first dinner option that comes to mind. While dinner tables are being filled with salads, the somewhat wintery chilli is often overlooked. Not at my dinner table! I love the comforting embrace that a steaming bowl of chilli can give you, and if paired with salad or tortilla chips it can easily transition the seasons and remain a weeknight staple.

Double chocolate, fruit and nut bark

With Easter coming up, I’m hugely into homemade gifts at the minute - Pinterest I blame you. A little extra effort to give gifts a personal touch that make even the simplest of creations pretty special.

Want it Wednesday: Spring Knits

Spring is finally here. I've said it which makes it official, naturally.When the sun shone through my curtains last weekend I knew it would be the first Spring-wardrobe weekend, I put on my new floral dress and was ready to embrace the season.

Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience World Tour

I have been a Justin Timberlake fan since his curly haired, double-denim wearing *NSYNC days. Naturally therefore, when P text me saying she had a spare ticket for his 20/20 Experience World tour I was beyond excited. There may have been some screaming.

Simple Scones

Is anyone else watching Mary Berry’s cooking show over on BBC1? I’ve been watching it on iPlayer and I have to say, she is wonderful. The passion she has for simple, traditional recipes is incredible and they always manage to look mouth-wateringly good. After watching the episode on afternoon tea, I was inspired to make some scones, plus I still have ton of jam to get through – 5 jars, what was I thinking? It’s a lovely, quick recipe made with store cupboard ingredients – perfect for when you have guests over or just feel like putting your feet up and nibbling on something a little more refined. Serve these still warm with butter, jam and lashings of clotted cream if you’re feeling naughty.

Nailed it.

One thing you guys may not know about me – I have a slight obsession with nail art. Nothing over the top, I prefer a subtle design that doesn’t scream at you but is an extra detail to those who do notice it.

Stationary Saviour

Do you ever see something in a shop and instantly think “I need that in my life. That one object will make me happier than anything else I have ever bought. Ever.” Ok, so a little dramatic perhaps but it comes close to how I feel about my new recipe book.

Perfect Chocolate Brownies

Hello Everyone!! How’s your week going? Mine’s going pretty well, get things done and planning for the weeks ahead, with Easter, Mothers Day and my mum’s Birthday coming up it going to take some serious organisation to get everything sorted. I feel particularly motivated at the moment and I think it may have something to do with Spring being just around the corner.

Last weekend was the first time this year I have been able to relax, with helping Patch move house various trips to the country and to Brighton – see here - and sorting out my own life it was a welcome change to plan to relax and enjoy the sunshine. You’ve got to make the most of it as we all know that it won’t stick around very long.

Anyway, on Saturday morning I decided that an indulgent its-ok-because-I-deserve-it weekend was nothing without an equally indulgent treat to go with it. I got out my recipe book and finally decided on these chocolate brownies. Now I know that the title claims ‘Perfect Chocolate Brownies’ but don’t be put off, I don’t blame you for being hesitant -a brief scroll through Pinterest and you will find hundreds of recipes claiming to be ‘Perfect’ or ‘The best’ but believe me these really are.

I can say this with 100% certainty due to the fact that no matter how many tweaks and changes that I try to make, I always prefer the original. I am not ashamed to say that this is not my recipe, all glory should be directed towards Hummingbird Bakery for these beauties.

The perfect mixture of a chewy, slightly crisp crust that cracks slightly when bitten into and a dense, gooey, fudgy chocolate centre that is the epitome of any brownie. Best served with ice cream (I chose raspberry sorbet as that what I had, but a high quality vanilla would go great here as well) and slightly warm from the oven.

What you’ll need:

• 200g dark chocolate
• 175g unsalted butter
• 325g caster sugar
• 130g plain flour
• 3 eggs
Icing sugar or ice cream to serve

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 170 celcius (325F)

Weigh out your chocolate and butter and melt them together over a saucepan of water. A gentle simmer is enough here as you don’t want to burn the chocolate, just melt it.

Give it a quick stir and your butter and chocolate should turn beautifully glossy and smooth like this:

Mmmm just look at that chocolate, silky and enchanting...

Once you’ve torn yourself away from scooping up the melted chocolate and letting it drizzle off the spoon in a come-hither fashion, you’re going to need to add the rest of the ingredients.

Add your sugar, 3 eggs and the flour into your chocolatey goodness. The end batter is quite thick so it is best to incorporate the ingredients into small stages – I stirred in the sugar, then the eggs and then the flour in three separate stages in order to ensure it was mixed well and there were no pockets of flour lurking within.



Spoon into a buttered baking tray (mine was 33 x 23 x 5cm) and let it bake in the oven for 30-35mins. You want to bring it out when the bottom third of a toothpick comes out clean, mine took 30mins. This will ensure that your brownies are beautifully gooey when cooled. Once you take it out of the oven, let the brownies rest in the baking tray for 5-10minutes and they should release easily.

Cut into thick slabs and serve to hungry friends. Believe me the smell of freshly cooked brownies brings them from far and wide.

This recipe made 8 very large brownies, which I later then cut into 4 to make cute little bitesize pieces for a BBQ we had that afternoon.They went down a treat!

xx

P.S. I’d love to see if any of you try these
– post your pictures on twitter and don’t
forget to tag @bakeitblonde so that I can see!

The Great Escape

It was time for a break. The buzz of Christmas seemed like a far off memory and waiting around for Spring to shine through the clouds was becoming exhausting. Everything pointed to a weekend away and for once England delivered; Brighton called and we answered.

We hopped on a train and before we knew it the beach was stretched out before us, welcoming us like an old friend into his warm and sunny embrace. We walked along the shore, chatting and feeling the stress of the city melt away until the sun went down.

We stayed at the Grand Hotel and after a luxurious night’s sleep I sauntered down for breakfast overlooking the sea and a hot stone massage in the spa.

Feeling energised and rejuvenated I headed out on my next mission – chocolate. I couldn’t go to Brighton without visiting Choccywoccydoodah.

Their name preceded them and I wasn’t disappointed. An Aladdin’s cave filled to the brim with delicious chocolaty goodness formed into exquisite works of art.

Say hello to this little guy, I named him Albert. Doesn’t he just look like the most adorable, wise old man in puppy form?

After a sun-filled afternoon exploring the labyrinth of shops that Brighton had to offer we finally tore ourselves away and boarded the train back to reality.

A wonderful beach side break and home in time for dinner, a rather perfect way to spend a weekend.

xx