Caramel Crispy Cakes

It's no big secret that I love cake. I really, really love cake and I'm not terribly fussy as to what kind either. Tray bakes, multi-tier, refrigerator and roll...I'm not cake-ist.

This, as you can imagine, can be both costly and fattening but I'm a total sweets addict. I HAVE to have a 'pudding' after my evening meal, even if it's cereal or a yogurt...I need something sweet or I don't feel like my meal has ended. With Christmas approaching and an expensive couple of months with parties, events, hosting family and friends, concerts, a very short city break (squeal) and the big day itself looming, I have GOT to stop buying cake and chocolate every other day. And why am I buying it anyway? I can bake. I made a princess castle for my daughter's birthday for crying out loud, I can handle a dozen muffins.

So, here is a very quick, very easy recipe that requires no baking, a few ingredients and a very sweet tooth; caramel crispy cakes.

You'll need...

3x Mars bars

200g Milk chocolate

75g Unsalted butter

3x Cups of Rice Crispies

Obviously, in the interest of money, get as much as you can own or value branded. Most supermarkets do their own version of all the big name chocolate bars which might work out cheaper, as well as the cereal. Alternatively buy the Mars doubles if you can't get a multipack, it'll save you about 20% on buying them individually.

Start by cutting up your butter and Mars bars, popping them all together in a heat-proof dish. Place that on top of a saucepan of boiling water, stirring as they melt together. Once melted, take off the heat and slowly add the cereal. You might find you need a little more to absorb the buttery, chocolatey goodness, if you do, it's not a big deal. If the liquid isn't absorbed enough, you will end up with a buttery/caramelly residue on the bottom of your cakes which is basically sweetened fat. Not revolting to taste but certainly not a gastronomic delight, that's for sure!

Once you've got your mixture sorted, tip it into a square baking tin (I've found a spring-loaded tin best but a normal tin lined with baking paper will do just as well). Pat down your mixture so that it makes a 'base', using the back of a spoon or a spatula. Make the crispies as flat as possible before chilling in the fridge for about an hour.

Next, melt your chocolate using the same method as you used to melt the butter and mars. Remove your crispies from the fridge and pour over the chocolate, smoothing it out once again with the back of a spoon. It will look very thin on top but don't be fooled, there is more than enough on top of those bad boys as you will see when cut. Chill once more for a further hour (two if you're good at being patient) before removing from tin and cutting into squares to serve.

Voila! Cheap. Cheerful. Scrummy. Quick. Easy. What more can you ask for on an autumnal afternoon? Get the kiddiewinks involved too (don't hog all the spoon licking to yourself)!

Tweet me up your pictures if you have a go!

Clare

Quick and Easy Microwave Sponge Cake

Hello all! Today is my twenty-seventh birthday and so in light of that today I'm going to share my go-to recipe for a quick and easy sponge cake that you can make in the microwave. I use his mainly for a quick pudding, served with custard to keep little tummies happy. I'll be honest, it's not going to win you any baking competitions, but it does well to satisfy a craving or feed desert to a small person.

Apologies for the photos, they are taken from the Cut Out and Keep tutorial I wrote for this about two years ago.

This recipe uses mainly things that you have kicking around in your kitchen cupboards which is what makes it so great. You will need...

- A microwave.

- A ceramic or glass bowl.

- A table spoon.

- A knife.

- 4x table spoons self-raising flour. If you only have plain, the same amount with a third of a table spoon of baking powder also works.

- 4x table spoons sugar. White preferably though a brown sugar sponge is also nice.

- 3x table spoons milk.

- 3x table spoons oil/cooking fat (I use that liquid Flora).

- 1x egg.

- A few drops of vanilla essence. You can replace this with two take spoons of chocolate powder for a chocolates treat.

1.
Gather your items Before placing your flour and sugar (and baking powder and/or chocolate powder if using) into your bowl and mix together.

2.
Add the milk, oil, egg and vanilla (if using) and mix together thoroughly, making sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the bowl.

3.
Once you're sure that it's all mixed together and there's no dry ingredients hiding at the bottom, pop the bowl in the microwave for 2.5 minutes on full (3 if you have a less powerful microwave).

4.
PING! You should be all cooked now and ready to roll. Be careful taking it out of the microwave using gloves.

5.
Score around the outside of the cake using a knife before using a spoon to help tip it out onto a plate or into a bowl before serving as you wish (like I said, custard's pretty tasty).

So there you have it! Like I said, you won't win a blue ribbon with it but it's quite tasty!

Clare

Bridal Make-up on a Budget

A quick warning, this post contains lots of photos of my red skin, tired eyes and general wonky-appearance. For that, I'm sorry, enjoy!!

Hello! So I couldn't help but notice that a LOT of my Twitter followers (and the people that I follow) are getting married/planning their wedding at the moment. Exciting stuff! I'm a little under a month away from my first wedding anniversary and so I thought that today I'd share with you my 'wedding face'. Being a make-up lover I decided to do my own for multiple reasons; I couldn't really afford to pay someone to do it for me, I know what I like and am very particular, I don't like being touched...the list is quite long, actually...SO I did it myself and here's how I looked on the day...

So today I'd like to share with you a quick how-to on wedding make-up using near-exclusively 'budget' brands, most of which I used on my actual day. The lower end of pricing when it comes to the ol' slap has come along leaps and bounds in recent years and I've got to admit that given the choice between a £3 foundation and a £10 one, I'm going to plump for the £3 one if it's achieving the same results. Remember, it's not about the price of the product, or the name of the brand, it's about how you use it!

Here's a picture of me on the day, apologies for the filter.

Step one.

Once you've moisturised, pop on a primer. Make sure that you're not too quick to start applying over it, give it time to 'settle', I normally use this time to apply some concealer under my eyes because I suffer from really bad dark circles (and have done since I was young).

MUA Professional Primer. Garnier Roll-on Anti-dark Circles in 'light'.

Step two.

Using whichever your preferred method, apply foundation. I've used a 'beauty blender' sponge which you can get really cheap from eBay because I'm not a huge fan of foundation brushes. Often I just use my fingers and buff off the excess with a clean make-up sponge.

MUA Matte Perfect Foundation in 'fair'.

Step three.

I always use pressed powder as I suffer from an awful, shiny nose (much like Rudolf). Using a puff pat it onto your face, paying special attention to any problem areas like my shine. I followed with a bit of Benefit Erase Paste under my eyes again to ensure they really are as hidden as possible and pat on a bit more powder under my eyes to keep it all together. Buff off the excess with a big, fluffy powder brush.

Natural Collection Pressed Powder in 'cool'. Benefit Erase Paste in 'medium' (sample size).

Step four.

Using a two-tone, natural-shade bronzer, add some dimension to your face with a large bronzing brush. I was always told to use a shade or two darker than your colour to achieve a natural look. As I typically use the palest foundation, I opted for the palest bronzer. Use what's best for you, I used to be terrified of bronzing but I'm over that now! Get your lighter of the two shades on your brush, knocking off the excess and starting from the middle of your forehead, draw a number three shape (forehead, cheek, chin) down each side of your face, followed by a quick sweep down the centre, over your nose. Add a light amount more if you think it's not visible enough or buff with a powder brush if too dark. Be sparing, you don't want to look like you're wearing wood stain! Once you're satisfied with that, get your darker shade onto your brush and get ready to contour! Suck in your cheeks to find the hollow and very gently in a circular motion working outwards towards your jawline, apply your darker shade. Buff again if too dark.

Miss Sporty Ooh! Tan So Fine in '001 Sun Kissed'.

Step five.

Apply your highlighter. It's up to you how and where, whichever works best for you, I've applied it to my brow and cheek bones as I do struggle to get a balance where I don't look like an other-worldly being. Apply eye primer on your eyelids so that it has time to settle before you go at it with shadow and fill in your brows. It is really important to get your brows sorted before you start to work on your eyes as they will provide a good guide to the width of your face. I've filled mine in with a brown shadow and then a sharpened eyebrow pencil.

Highlighter in 'Shimmer Kiss' from Artiste Collection. Professional Eye Primer. Shadow in 'Shade 2' from Undressed Pallete. Eyebrow pencil in 'brown'. All MUA/MUA Professional.

Step six.

Unless your wedding has a strong theme, it's important to remember that everyone is there to see you. Your husband or wife is in love with you, not someone covered in make-up so you're better off opting for natural shades for your eyes. Natural doesn't have to be boring. I've used three natural shades in three tones to create a subtle smokiness. Starting with the mid-shade, apply to the middle of your lid working outward so that it softens at the edges. Apply your darker shade carefully to the outer lid working in and blend so that they merge nicely into the socket line and one another. Finally, with the lighter shade, sweep it carefully in from the inner lid to widen your eyes and be sure to blend so that the whole eye flows nicely. Using a white eyeliner pencil, carefully draw along your bottom water line, this will open your eyes up more and make you look more awake (perfect if you've had wedding-day nerves).

Shadows from Accessorize 'Lovely Day' Pallete. Avon ColourTrend Pencil Play eyeliner in 'white'.

Step Seven.

I wear eyeliner pretty much everyday, I'm a big fan and I couldn't imagine my wedding day without that eye definition that I use all the time though my usual liquid liner was going to be too much. Instead use a soft black pencil along your upper lash line and halfway along your lower lash line. Then smudge using a small brush. I set the liner by going over it with a fine brush (you could use the tip of an applicator) with the middle shade, this softens the liner and stops it from looking too dramatic. Then apply a couple of coats of your favourite mascara.

MUA Professional 3-in-1 Extreme Contour Liner in 'black' . Collection Killer Curves Mascara in 'Ultra Black'.

Step eight.

Now that you know how your eyes are looking, you can apply your blusher accordingly (if you apply your blusher before your eye make-up, you have nothing to compare it to and run the risk of looking over flushed). For day-to-day I tend to only apply blusher to the apples of my cheeks, however here I've spread a little further for a more mature look.

Collection Blush in '02 Bashful'.

Step nine.

For the final touch, line your lips in a nude/natural shade using lots of little strokes to 'feather' the line as opposed to one continuous srtoke. Soften with a cotton bud if you think it needs it. Fill in your lips with a subtle, natural shade.

17 Lip Liner in 'Rose Blush'. Collection lipstick in '13 Satin Bow'.

And you're done! Here's the before (wearing only moisturiser and lip balm) and after.

I hope you like this little tutorial, I uhmed and ahed over whether or not to make it a video or not. Still unsure if it would benefit. What do you think?

Clare

Quick and Easy Veggie Wraps

I'm not a vegetarian, in fact I regularly describe myself as a 'hardcore carnivore', it's not often you see me without meat at a meal.

That said, I do enjoy vegetables and a light lunch is just what is needed in these horrific temperatures, so here's my super quick and easy veggie lunch wrap...

To make four wraps, you'll need the following:
- Half an onion, sliced.
- Half a courgette, sliced.
- Handful of mushrooms, sliced.
- One red (or any colour) pepper, sliced.
- Houmous.
- Four tortilla wraps.
- Some oil or alternative.

I prefer to roast my veggies but for the meal pictured I actually fried them because I was baking at the same time. If you're roasting, I normally do it around 180c (gas mark 4?) for fifteen-twenty minutes. Pre-heat the oven and sprinkle your roasting pan with your oil (or I use that liquid Flora stuff) and toss in all of your sliced veggies. Slide your vegetables around a bit to make sure they've had a good coating, add more on top if you think it needs it. If I'm cooking for adults, I'll add some salt and pepper but if my toddler is eating, I just sprinkle some pepper lightly.

Once they're all cooked, take them off the heat and warm our tortillas as per your usual method or the instructions on the packet. Spread your houmous onto the middle of each wrap before adding your mixed veg on top. Now it's time to fold!! There's lots of ways you can fold a tortilla wrap, when making this dish I typically make four folds so that I end up with a rectangular parcel-type wrap. To finish it off, I pop it under the George Foreman grill for a minute to help keep it together before cutting. You could use a griddle pan as an alternative.

And that's it...really simple and basic but oh so tasty!!

Do you have any quick, go-to lunch choices?

Clare

Five Things - Bananas

Moo and I LOVE bananas...I know they're not for everyone (one of my best friends is literally terrified of them...not sure why, I'd understand if they moved independently...) but I think they're oh so tasty.

Unfortunately Moo has a bit of a love/love-less relationship with them and some weeks I end up with a couple of extras. Now, my husband is the sort of person that thinks nothing of tossing a couple of brown bananas away. He hates them and they're only a few pence, get them out of the kitchen before the new grocery shop arrives. Nooooooo!! Don't do that! I can ALWAYS find a use for an over-ripe banana and here are my top five...

1. Banana Cake.

My personal favourite. Because in case you hadn't noticed...I love cake. Here's my go-to recipe for a tasty banana cake with cream cheese frosting. It makes a great loaf or single-tier cake, or twelve lovely cupcakes! You'll need...

-125g unsealed butter/margarine.

-125g light brown sugar.

-150g self-raising flour.

-1tsp baking powder.

-2 eggs

-1 banana mashed until smooth (if it's chunkier it's not a big deal but it will make the cake more moist).

Pre-heat your oven to 180c/gas mark 4 before mixing together your butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, flour and eggs. Yes, just whack it all in there!! Mix it all thoroughly until nicely combined and then add your banana, mixing in until its nicely combined. Now's the time to pop the mixture into your greased tin or your cupcake cases. Bake for about 20 minutes (varies slightly depending on what you're cooking) until its golden brown and firm to the touch. Bingo! Banana cake!! It's not the most earth-shattering recipe, it won't win any awards but I love it. The flavours aren't so complex that younger children will be put off also. If you wanted a more complex favour, you could try adding ground almonds and/ground mixed spice.

For the yummy cream cheese icing you'll need...

-80g unsealed butter.

-40g cream cheese.

-200g icing sugar, sifted.

-1tsp vanilla extract (or flavouring ;))

Cream the butter and cream cheese together before gradually adding the sifted icing sugar until it's 'light and fluffy'. Add the vanilla and mix in before chilling for at least 30 mins. This will make quite a bit of icing, keep it refrigerated if you have excess (and make carrot cake the next day).

2. Smoothie.

Strawberry and banana smoothie? In this weather? Yes. Please!! Toss your banana with a handful of strawberries and a splash of apple juice into your blender and whizz it up. If it's too thick, add a bit more juice. Lush and refreshing, one is never enough!

3. Shampoo.

I have been doing this for literally years. I was a Brownie when I first made it so that really should date it for you.

Mash up your banana (do it really, really well...use a blender if possible as trust me, you do not want to spend hours combing chunks of banana out of your wet hair). Add to the banana mash a desert spoon of vinegar and the yolk of one egg. Mix it up and slather it on your hair. I normally leave it on for fifteen minutes or so before combing it through and washing it out in the shower. I follow it up with a nice conditioner just in case of any lingering vinegar smell. It is a very nice treat for the hair.

4. Milkshake.

Yes, I know...similar to the smoothie but not the same so we're going to roll with it!

Plonk your banana into the blender with three-quarters of a glass of milk (or soya if you're intolerant to dairy like me) with a couple of cubes of ice and whizz to make a nice cold milkshake. You could substitute the ice cubes for ice cream if you fancy something creamier.

5. Exfoliator.

Add mashed banana (it doesn't have to be as smooth as for shampoo or cake) and add some brown sugar as an abrasive to make a handy exfoliator that's good for fake tan, dry skin, rough lips, hard feet and peeling sun burn. If you or your children are sensitive to chemicals in toiletries then this is a great shout as it contains only two natural ingredients. It's super cheap, too!!

Yes. I do really do all of those things on a reasonably regular basis. I hate waste.

Do you have any go-to uses for an over-ripe (or even a rotten) banana?

Clare

Oh...his banana hatred didn't stop him from eating my last slice of banana cake on Sunday night while he was up late for the wrestling.

Doughnut.

French Toast Recipe

Mmmm...French toast (or eggy bread if you're not a bit of a plum like me)...

There is nothing better or quicker, whether you have it sweet or savoury, I've never met anyone that doesn't like it in some manner. My personal favourite is unsweetened with salt and pepper, my daughter prefers it sweetened a little but plain.

Here's my super-easy recipe for a quick and easy lunch for little ones one year and over...

You will need;
- Bread. One egg will normally do two slices of bread, more if you're using shapes.
- An egg. Whisked.
- Milk. Just a splash.
- Sugar and/or vanilla. To sweeten. A pinch of sugar/dash of vanilla.
- Oil/butter. Whatever you use in your frying pan.

Start by cutting your bread. If I'm feeling lazy or rushed I will simply cut a slice into fours diagonally (triangles) and do it that way but normally I will use a cookie cutter to make it into fun shapes. More often than not, a heart shape. For really young children try cutting off the crusts and flattening the bread using a rolling pin. This'll make it easier for little fingers to pick up and and pop in little mouths.

Now it's time to make your eggy mixture. Whisk your egg with the splash of milk so that it's less milky than you would make scrambled egg, then add your chosen sweetener, making sure it is well mixed.

Simply dip your bread pieces into the mixture whilst you heat a frying pan with your butter or oil. Fry on a low to medium heat until all of the egg is thoroughly cooked. Leave to cool to a suitable temperature for your child and voila! French toast! I usually serve Moo's with a but of salad and maybe some cold, cooked meat like ham or turkey.

If you have any variations on this, please let me know!

Clare