Jubilee Cream Tea Cake

It has been nearly a month since I have done any baking for my blog. I have been pretty busy the last few weeks... I had great success raising over £250 for the charity, Restless Development, doing the Live Below the Line challenge. We then went down to Cornwall for a little holiday and had a lovely time. We had lots of sunshine and yummy food. I love it down there! Being inspired by Cornwall and the Queen's Jubilee, I found the perfect recipe to bake. A cream tea cake: giant scone base, whipped clotted cream, strawberries and blueberries! We had quite a few cream teas in Cornwall and this giant version is just like the mini treat, very YUMMY! I love this recipe and can't wait to make it again, you should definitely try this one out!

Recipe inspired by BBC GoodFood

Ingredients:
175g butter, chopped
250g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
50g golden caster sugar
150ml whole milk, cold
Lemon juice, tiny squeeze
Egg, beaten for glazing

For the topping:
150g clotted cream
50g golden caster sugar
Splash of vanilla extract
200g strawberries, chopped
200g blueberries
1 tbsp strawberry jam

2.

Steps:
Preheat oven to 220C/430F. With a spatula, quickly mix the chopped butter with the flour, baking powder and 50g sugar, then add the milk and lemon juice, and mix together until you have a butter-speckled dough. Knead the dough a few times on a floured surface. Roll out to a circle, press into a lightly greased 20cm sandwich tin, then brush the top with the egg and scatter with a little extra sugar. Bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden, then transfer to a cooling rack. While the scone is cooling, toss the strawberries and blueberries in a bowl with a little sprinkling of extra sugar and the jam, then set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the clotted cream until stiff with 50g sugar and a splash of vanilla extract. To assemble the cake, place the scone base on a serving plate, spread the cream over, leaving a slight edge of the cake showing, then pile the saucy berries on top.

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Muffin Monday: Strawberry Almond Muffins

I can't believe it is March already, and I can't think of a better way to start it then a wonderful Muffin Monday recipe. The original recipe 'Hazelnut Plum Muffins' is from Women's Weekly and I decided to change it slightly. I'm not a huge plum fan so replaced it with strawberry and thought almonds would compliment the strawberry flavor better than hazelnuts.  They turned out wonderfully moist and I really enjoyed the flavor, not overly sweet, just right for a little breakfast treat. 

Muffin Monday is an initiative by Baker Street. A culinary journey of sharing a wickedly delicious muffin recipe every week. Drop in a quick line to join her on her journey to make the world smile and beat glum Monday mornings week after week.

Recipe
Inspired by Women's Weekly
Ingredients:
90g Butter, melted
375g Self Raising Flour
55g Ground Almonds
150g Caster Sugar
250ml Milk
1 Egg
Strawberry Jam

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 180C and line a 12 hole muffin pan with muffin cups.
2. In a large bowl, combine butter, flour, ground almonds, sugar, milk, and egg. Mix until all the ingredients are combined.
3. Put a tablespoon amount of muffin mixture into the muffin cups and make a well in each muffin. Spoon in a rounded teaspoon of jam and top with another tablespoon amount of muffin mixture.
4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

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Strawberry Lime Mojito Loaf Cake

I recently did a product review and I wanted to make a recipe that could use the product I was testing out.  Last month, I made a Clementine Basil Mojito Loaf Cake and wanted to try it  out with different flavours. I decided that I wanted to use strawberries and thought it would pair well with the mojito flavours. It tasted great!! I loved it and the smells whilst making it were really nice. I preferred this one to the citrus one I made last time, you could really taste all the flavours separately yet mixing altogether in your mouth. I can't wait for summer and mojito drinks in the sun, ready for warm weather now!

Recipe
Inspired by Barefoot Kitchen Witch
Ingredients:
Finely grated zest of 2 limes
10 mint leaves, finely chopped
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tsp strawberry juice concentrate
1 cup strawberries, chopped
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
For syrup:
3/4 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup rum
1 Tbsp strawberry juice concentrate
5 mint leaves, finely chopped

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Butter a 8" x 4" loaf pan and set aside. 
2. Combine lime zest, mint, and sugar in a bowl and rub with a back of a spoon to release oils in the lime zest and mint and set aside.
3. Combine flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. 
4. Mix the butter into the sugar mixture on high speed until light and fluffy. 
5. Add 1/4 cup lime juice and 1tsp strawberry juice concentrate, followed by eggs. Beat until smooth. 
6. Alternating between the flour mixture and the milk, blend these into the mixture in the bowl. 
7. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan, place on middle rack in the oven and bake for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
8. While the loaf is baking, combine the syrup ingredients until sugar is completely dissolved. 
9. When the loaf comes out of the oven, pour the syrup evenly over the top. Let the loaf cool in the pan for an hour before removing.

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