Bake, Bake, Bake Off!

The final of The Great British Bake off is fast approaching, and we've been busy cooking up some new fantastic products to celebrate it! From personalised aprons to mugs and plates, there's something for every star baker..

Do you know a Meghan Trainor or Taylor Swift fan who's a whizz in the kitchen? Our kitchen range combining the well-known catchy lyrics and baking emojis will be the perfect gift for them! Each lyric is available on both mugs and plates, and the mugs can be personalised with a message on the back too - make it extra special for the lucky recipient!

We don't think you can ever have enough tea towels, so why not grab one of these (both lyrics available) and add a name to it too! Ideal for a housewarming or "just because" gift for a Great British Bake Off fan!

  Will you be watching the final tomorrow? We'd love to hear who your winner is!

www.ellieellie.co.uk

Bakewell Baking Festival!

It's not your average summer festival, and it's guaranteed not to disappoint! The worlds first baking festival is now in its third year, taking huge vintage inspiration for its stalls and entertainment - including a custard pie fight and mad hatters tea party for the kids! 

Held in the picturesque town of Bakewell, Derbyshire which is known as the "Spiritual home of baking", the festival prides itself on providing "quintessential English fun" for all the family, and its pet friendly, so why not bring the dog along too? As well as the old British favourites, there's delicacies from all around the world to get stuck into.. but don't forget to head to the vintage marketplace too, offering beautiful cake stands and crockery!

To watch demonstrations from professional bakers, visit a doggy deli, decorate some gingerbread and more, head over to the website to get your tickets!

www.ellieellie.co.uk

House of the Rising Bun Cupcakes!

The lovely Laura at House of the Rising Bun sent us over one of her baking cake mixes, and as it was Holly's birthday at Ellie Ellie HQ last week, it was the perfect excuse to get baking and try out the mix. 

The cake mix arrived in a brilliantly packaged box, with a great design and all the information you needed to bake your cake clearly written on the back. Inside the box you have a cake mix and an icing mix, all you need to add is 3 eggs and butter! 

House of the rising bun was founded by Laura Stephenson, who noticed her cupboards were full of ingredients that she had only used once when baking. Her mixes use the best ingredients and apart from the eggs and butter, includes everything you need to bake the perfect cake. 

Our cake was Lemon Poppy Seed, but her other flavours include raspberry and vanilla, double chocolate and vanilla bean! 

I started by following the simple instructions written clearly on the back of the packaging, and my mixture soon looked like a yummy cake mixture, all i had to do was soften the butter and add in their cake mix packet. Simple, no need to add a teaspoon of baking powder or a cup of sugar, it's all done for you. 

Once the cake mix was blended in, i added the eggs one by one, and soon my mixture was ready to put in my cupcake cases and into the oven. 

Once the cupcakes had been in the oven, they came out looking tasty and ready to cool.  

Once they were cool i started the simple task of making my icing, which again just included adding water to the icing mix!

When i finished my icing, i simply covered my cupcakes and added some sprinkles to add some colour! 

Not only were the cupcakes easy to make, but they tasted delicious too. All the girls in the office absolutely loved them and their lemony goodness. 

The cake mix was so simple to use and meant i didn't need to rummage in my cupboards for ingredients i wouldn't ever use again. Rather than buying each individual ingredient for a cake, i think stocking your cupboard with these cake mixes is a much better idea!

Thank you House of the Rising Bun, now to try out the other flavours!  

Christmas Cupcakes!

There is nothing better than getting creative in the kitchen at Christmas and there are loads of ways to cook up a storm with the family this festive season. A great way to involve the kids is to make some Christmas cupcakes. They can decorate the cupcakes how they like, using Christmas coloured icing and Christmas cake toppers. Ellie Ellie’s Vintage Christmas Cake Toppers are perfect for this.

You can use your normal cupcake recipe and decorate with lovely ideas!

Here are just a few ideas to give you some inspiration!

 

 

 

 

Enjoy your Christmas baking!

Sunday Afternoon Shortbread

If you're at a loose end this afternoon, why not get baking? Whether you are chilling with friends, attempting to keep the kids entertained or finding yourself on the sofa watching back-to-back Midsummer Murders wondering if you are becoming a bit bland..then roll up your sleeves and make something nice.

We love biscuits. Bourbons, Custard Creams, Nice, Malted Milks, Hobnobs or even the humble Digestive (chocolate of course) we are big fans. A nice brew/ biscuit combination provides the happiest 5 minutes you can have- have a bash at this Shortbread recipe and test our theory.

 Ingredients;

• 300g butter, softened
• 140g golden caster sugar, plus 4 tbsp
• 300g plain flour
• 140g rice flour

Firstly, pop the butter and 140g sugar in a food processor and whizz until smooth. Tip in both the flours and a pinch of salt, then whizz until mixture comes together (wizz = great word).

Using your hands, roughly spread the mixture out in a 20 x 30 x 4cm baking tray. Cover with cling film and smooth over until there are no wrinkles. Place in the fridge, uncooked, for at least 30 mins.

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Remove cling film, then lightly mark the shortbread all over with a fork. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar, then bake for 20-25 mins. Leave to cool in the tin, then cut into 24 thin slices.

Your Shortbread will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week = 7 days worth of happiness. Enjoy!



Recipe & photo courtesy of the geniuses of Good Food Magazine

The Ultimate Summer Treat- Frozen Berry Parfait

Perfect for that after dinner treat, or even with a glass of pink lemonade on a sunny afternoon; this great alternative ice cream is sure to be a winner! 

Ingredients-

• 400g raspberries
• 300ml double cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 egg whites
• 100g golden caster sugar

Start by lining a 900g loaf or terrine tin with clingfilm. Blend 300g of the raspberries to a purée then sieve, using a nylon sieve. Keep the rest of the raspberries whole then whip the cream and vanilla extract to very soft peaks.

Next pop the sugar in a pan with 11/2 tbsp water. Heat very gently until the sugar dissolves then turn up the heat and boil for 2 minutes. Whilst the sugar is boiling whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. You pan should now be filled with a syrup, start to pour in a thin stream onto the egg whites, whisking all the time! Keep whisking until the meringue has cooled completely.

Then fold the meringue into the cream bit by bit. Divide the mix between 2 bowls. Add the raspberry purée to one bowl and fold it in, then chill.

Pour the plain mixture into the bottom of the tin, then carefully push in the remaining berries. Freeze for 1.5 hours then take out and add the chilled raspberry flavoured mix. Freeze for at least 3 hours or until you want to serve. Take out of the freezer 20 minutes before serving.

The recipe serves eight people so perfect for summer dinner parties, or of course to keep in the freezer to indulge in when you fancy! 

Check out the full recipe here.

Bake it! Rhubarb Custard Tea Cake Recipe

As you can imagine, this was a pretty exciting discovery with the Ellie Ellie girls. We are all avid bakers and are always on the look out for something a bit different; its Lindsay's turn to bake this week and we can barely contain ourselves! Will be eating this by the wedge, with a nice cup of tea on Monday!

tweet us a photo of your cakey masterpiece @ellieelliecouk

Campfire Cupcake Recipe - Perfect little treat for Father's Day!

We just had to share this recipe as it brought back so many amazing memories of huddling round a bonfire toasting marshmallows! These bite sized cakes make a perfect 'little something' for Dad's this Father's Day, especially if he fancies himself as a bit of an outdoors type!

Campfire cupcakes complete with scrummy toasted marshmallows! Oh the memories!

Here's what you'll need-

140g light muscovado sugar
100 self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
50g cocoa powder
3 eggs
125ml vegatable oil
3 tbsp milk
30g milk chocolate chips
Pack of mini marshmallows

12 bun baking tray
12 bun cases!

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tip the sugar, flour, cocoa and baking powder into a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil and milk, then stir together with the dry ingredients until well combined. Add the milk chocolate chips. Place cupcake cases into a 12-hole bun tin. Divide the mixture between the cases, then bake for 20 mins until risen and cooked through. You can now leave to cool and store for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
2. Just before serving (either warm from the oven or cold), arrange marshmallows over the tops of the cakes. Heat grill to medium and pop the cakes under it for 30 secs, watching all the time, just until the marshmallows are lightly browned. Remove and eat straight away (as if you could wait!)

Get baking - Chocolate and Banana Bread! Perfect Easter Recipe.

Looks good, huh?

Here's what you'll need:

• 100g plain chocolate
• 150g unsalted butter , softened
• 175g golden caster sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1 level tsp baking powder
• 25g cocoa
• 2 large banana peeled and mashed 

For the streusel topping:

• 25g unsalted butter
• 2 generous tbsp plain flour
• 1 level tbsp demerara sugar.

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line the bases of 2 x 450g loaf tins with baking parchment. To make the streusel topping, rub the butter into the flour, then mix in the demerara sugar and chopped pecans. Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a small glass bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until smooth and remove from the heat.
2. Cream together the softened butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the egg, beating well between each addition. Sift together the flour, baking powder and cocoa and fold in using a large metal spoon. Add the mashed banana and chocolate and mix well.
3. Divide the mixture between the 2 tins and top each with the streusel. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a rack, then wrap in baking parchment or foil.

Easter Cake Recipe- Sweet, cheap, easy and guaranteed to slap a few smiles on a few faces.

Easter eggs?! Esshhhh, Cliché.

I think we can do a little bit better then a mass produced Easter egg this year guys! We’d like to share with you an age old recipe...maybe one of the best recipes of all time.  The humble Chocolate Cornflake Cake, Easter style!

So easy to make they’d be a great afternoon activity with the kids, or if you’re feeling particularly charitable why not make them for your partner in crime? Definitely win you some brownie points (pun alert).

Our recipe allows for 12 little cakes- they’ll take you about 30 minutes to make (2 minutes to eat) and don’t even require any baking! Brilliant!

Ingredients

    225g plain chocolate, broken into pieces
    2 tbsp golden syrup
    50g  butter
    75g cornflakes

    36 mini chocolate eggs (or a few packets, to you and me!)

Grab yourself a cupcake tray and pop in your cake cases. The chocolate then needs to be melted in a bowl, along with the golden syrup and butter over a pan of gently simmering water, (do not let the base of the bowl touch the water otherwise all hell will break lose). Stir the mixture until silky smooth. Take off the heat and then begin to softly fold in your cornflakes until all the cereal is nicely coated in the mixture!

 Divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases and then add about 3 chocolate eggs into the centre of each. Pop in the fridge for about an hour until they are completely set and VOILA! The yummiest scrummiest (if not easiest) little treats around!

 Great idea if you're purse is a bit light but you still fancy spreading some Easter love.  Share them with friends, family or even office pals (chocolate smells suspiciously like a ticket to your boss's good book to us!)

The Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake- Perfect ideas for Mother's Day

If you want to show your mum a bit of love this March 10^th, but are a bit strapped for cash, why not get your chef hat on and bake her some beautiful, scrummy cupcakes?!

We found a great recipe for ‘The Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake’ on thefrostedcupcakes.blogspot.co.uk

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean

1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

 2 large eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup full-fat sour cream

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon pure (not imitation) vanilla extract

2/3 cup whole milk

Working by cups is so much easier than weighing everything exactly (and means less washing up at the end!)

Combine everything in a bowl and mix until you get a runny kind of batter, then fill cupcake cases half full with the mixture.

Bake for about 15 minutes on a medium heat, and check on them- they are done when a toothpick comes out of a cake without batter stuck to it. (That can be your tester one- chef’s privileges!)

Make sure they are a nice golden brown on top too.

Pop them out onto a cooling rack, and after a few minutes you can frost and decorate to your heart’s content, try a pink butter icing and edible pearls and flowers for a cake that will look almost too good to eat!

To compliment your delicious cakes perfectly, how about our Polaroid Vintage Letter Tile ‘Yummy Mummy’ Card ?! A beautiful floral card that any mother would love! It can even be personalised at EllieEllie HQ and be sent straight to the recipient. (oooh we’re so good to you!)  

Find it here.