My Baker launches new whimsical and magical cakes with delivery within 24-48 hours

My Baker, who sell delicious artisanal cakes made by a network of independent bakers, have launched a brand new children’s cake range of 28 cakes and cupcakes suitable for a party big or small.  Bored of seeing the same cakes at every birthday party? My Baker’s range offers unique and exciting designs that can be delivered in 48 hours (24 at a push), meaning mums and dads who are running around getting the final details for a party can tick one major item off the “to do” list with a minimum of fuss.

And if you’ve any last-minute concerns or questions before placing your order, the team’s “Cake SOS” phoneline is manned 7 days a week, 10am to 6pm.

The cakes, that are always made freshly to order, go beyond your wildest imagination; the range includes a safari cake, a roaaaarsome dinosaur cake, a rainbow cake and many, many more.

By offering such a large range, we’re pretty much catering for every age and every interest, from dinosaurs and diggers to rainbows and unicorns.  We know that the demand for beautifully designed, delicious, freshly baked children’s cakes that can be ordered and delivered across the UK is there.  We are excited to launch this line and can’t wait to see our cakes at birthday parties across the UK’ says My Baker CEO, Mark Sinjakli

Three of the new designs which the team at My Baker are predicting will be most popular include:

The Dinosaur cake; a towering cake made of layers of light sponge, covered with a generous coating of buttercream, and featuring your favourite dinosaur, and even an egg or two.

If you’d rather a more whimsical cake, the Somewhere Over The Rainbow cake is the one for your child. Cutting though the generous coating of sprinkle-covered vanilla icing will reveal six layers of vivid rainbow-coloured sponge, fit for any birthday celebration.

A party isn’t a party without a balloon or two!  My Baker’s Eat Until You Pop cake is adorned with balloons ready to get any party started.  Available in blue, pink, yellow or green buttercream, this cake will add the ‘wow factor’ to any birthday party.

The cakes are available in a variety of flavours including red velvet, vanilla, salted caramel, chocolate and many more, and most can be adapted to suit all dietary requirements. The cakes start from £78 and can be delivered widely across the UK within 48 hours, with next-day delivery available within the M25 as standard. A next day service may even be available in other locations on request (please call to confirm before ordering). For more information or to browse the full range of children’s cakes, head over to the website.

They also have delicious cupcakes which we heartily recommend.

When Dolce & Gabbana does Easter Cakes…

Try the Easter egg alternative from Italy’s legendary luxury fashion brand. Available from www.souschef.co.uk

The colomba cake (colomba di pasqua) is Easter’s answer to a Christmas panettone! This light, buttery cake is made using natural sourdough fermentation methods, slowly proving over 72 hours to produce a fragrant enriched dough.

Sicilian makers Fiasconaro are renowned for their Christmas panettone collaborations with Dolce & Gabbana, and for the first time last year, the Dolce & Gabbana Easter colomba cake was unveiled on the catwalk of designer confections. Now, this unique and highly sought after version of a classic is back for 2022.

The stunning blue and white tins (oh so giftable!) are designed by Sicilian artists, and inspired by the traditional majolica pottery of the island.

Fiasconaro x Dolce & Gabbana Mandorle Di Sicilia Colomba 750g, £34.99
Fiasconaro x Dolce & Gabbana Mandorle Di Sicilia Colomba

The first colomba is flavoured with candied orange peel, orange purée and an aromatic, aged Marsala wine. The dough is studded with Sicilian almonds and crunchy sugar crystals. Each cake is shaped like a dove, to symbolise peace at Easter time (columba di pasqua translates literally as ‘Easter dove’).

Fiasconaro x Dolce & Gabbana Strawberry & Chocolate Colomba with Sicilian Chocolate Spread

Fiasconaro x Dolce & Gabbana Strawberry & Chocolate Colomba with Sicilian Chocolate Spread 1kg, £44.99

This slow-proved sourdough colomba cake is studded with chocolate and swirled with wild strawberry jam. Once you’ve cut a slice of colomba, simply spread with rich, silky Sicilian chocolate spread. A real Easter indulgence.

Fiona Cairns’ Christmas Baking Tips

Forward Planning – Lists
I am a great believer in making lists, and part of Christmas for me is planning my baking, writing lists and enjoyable hours in the kitchen. You can’t start early enough and this way you really cut the stress in half. Choose a few of your seasonal favourite recipes, maybe factor in a couple of new ideas which have caught your eye. Think about how much time you have, don’t be over ambitious and remember to know your skill limitations.

20_Penguin Fairy Cakes

Store Cupboard
Read through the recipes and check your store cupboard. Stock up on the longer life ingredients you might require such as dried fruits, nuts, sugar, flour and spices.

13_Tree and Holly Fairy Cakes

Freezer
The deep freeze does come into its own for Christmas. Unbaked goods especially can be stored and baked off freshly as required – little and often.
Clear space and ensure you have plenty of freezer containers with lids, labels, foil, freezer bags etc.

8_Penguin Cake

Baking Ingredients – Prepare
The temperature of your ingredients when baking is so important. Remove butter at least a few hours, or even the night before from the fridge. Stand uncracked eggs in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes or so if chilled.

Fresh Bakes – Anytime
I always make a big batch of gingerbread men and festive shaped shortbreads (stars, hearts and Christmas trees are my favourites). I roll the dough, cut the shapes out and layer with silicone paper and store in large containers in the freezer. Defrost and bake a batch when required, your family and guests will be so impressed. The house will have a delicious aroma too. Some cakes e.g. chocolate cake freezes especially well, although freeze buttercream separately. Chocolate ganache is best freshly made.

7_Parcel cake large 6inch

Enjoy
Why not arrange a “Christmas bake in day” or an afternoon with a few friends or family members. I do this every year with a few girlfriends it gets us into the festive spirit and its great fun.

Bake Ahead
The Christmas cake, pudding and mincemeat can be made as early as October and the earlier they are made the better they will taste.

Edible gifts
Delight family and friends with beautifully packaged little boxes of gingerbreads, seasonal biscuits, a Christmas cake, batch of cupcakes, or a jar of mincemeat. Start collecting and recycle ribbons little boxes, bags etc. I do this all year so by Christmas I have a wonderful assortment.

4_Holly Wreath 8inch

Christmas cake
A traditional rich fruit Christmas cake is not for everyone, children often don’t like it. Bake a delicious chocolate cake, cupcakes or roulade too, or light airy meringues, or even a tropical fruit pavlova as alternatives.

Cheat
If you really don’t have time (or the inclination for that matter) why not buy a cake. It could be iced or un-iced, add a little booze, perhaps a fabulous ribbon, a few candles, a bundle of cinnamon sticks, candy canes or deep red and white roses for decoration.
Do remember a simple design is often the most effective.

 

Fiona Cairns has a delicious selection of cakes available from Waitrose.com. You can find out more about her at www.fionacairns.com

 

 

 

The Best Christmas Food

We have been getting very lucky at Frost. And very fat too. Just so we can review the best Christmas treats for you. Here it is: the most mouth-watering gifts this Christmas.

Cakes from Paul paulbakerychristmaslog paulchristmasbakery paulbakery
Christmas Igloo Cake £19.95

snowigloo

Super sweet and made for children. Adults will love it too. Serves 6-8 people and looks too good to eat. Made with light chocolate sponge, smooth white and dark chocolate mousse with a lining of hazelnut craquant, vanilla cream and covered in a thin layer of white chocolate. Divine, just divine.

 

Bûche Amande Abricot £28.95

An alternative to a chocolate cake, this is delicious and refreshing. Fruity and full of flavour. Has edible pearls of gold, loaded with semi-candied apricot pieces and a nutty almond crunch and then wrapped in a light and fluffy sponge with smooth vanilla and almond mile mousse. Stunningly delicious.

 

From http://www.paul-uk.com

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christmastruffles

Prestat, chocolatier to Her Majesty The Queen have launched some amazing Christmas chocolate gifts.

Snowman Bauble - Snowball Coconut Truffles £6.95

Father Christmas Bauble – Gin Truffles 60g
£6.95

Very wow. Delicious and VERY alcoholic. Hic.

Father Christmas Bauble – Gin Truffles 60g £6.95

Snowman Bauble – Snowball Coconut Truffles
£6.95 

So unbelievable tasty. Hard not to eat them all at once.

Christmas Chocolate Box (210g) £16

Christmas Chocolate Box (210g)
£16

Impossible to choose a favourite. These are absolute decadence. Each one as delicious as the next.

From Selfridges.com and ocado.com

Shloer Celebration White Bubbly

Shloer Celebration White Bubbly £2.99
This was a particular favourite of our editor as she is pregnant at the moment: alcohol-free white bubbly. It tastes great and gives the joy and sociability of a glass of wine without the alcohol. Shloer Celebration is an alcohol-free bubbly served in a celebratory-style bottle with a popping cork to add extra sparkle and theatre to your special occasions.
The Celebration range comes in two delicious flavours made from sparkling grape juice. Shloer Celebration White Bubbly has a crisp and full bodied flavour, using the very best in white grape juices to create the perfect glass of fizz – no alcohol required! Best served chilled.

RRP £2.99 | 75cl bottles | Available in tesco.com, sainsburys.co.uk, ocado.com and asda.com

 

The Garlic Farm Boxing Day Essentials

£12.95

the garlic farm boxing day essentials

Great sauces from The Garlic Farm, all delicious. This Boxing Day give some extra love to your leftover grub. Vamp up your ham, Coronate your cold turkey and Marmalade your Manchego. Three essentials for your post Christmas feasting. Vampire Relish, Coronation Sauce and Onion Marmalade all in a lovely jute bag for the perfect gift.

 

What’s your favourite?

 

 

Wicked Cupcakes By Luisa Zissman Book Review

Cupcake fans rejoice. On the 17th July 2014 Luisa Zissman’s Wicked Cupcakes! book is released. Thankfully we got an advance copy and have reviewed it for you. Read on.
wickedcupcakeluisazissmanbookreview

There are tons of amazing cupcake recipes in Wicked Cupcakes! and even a selection of low-fat cupcakes recipes, tips and tricks on how to make and decorate your creations. The book covers everything about making cupcakes, starting from the mix, flavourings, buttercream, hand made decorations, lining tins and how to deal with disaster.

A few of my favourite recipes are the indulgent chocolate, apple crumble, cookie and cream, pink champagne, jelly shot, pina colada, Pimm’s Layer cake, ice cream cupcakes…actually I need to stop now. The list will get too long. If you love cupcakes, buy the book. It is full of brilliant ideas and great tips. Highly recommended.

Luisa Zissman shot to fame when she became the runner-up in the 2013 series of the BBC’s The Apprentice. A baker by trade, Luisa has been running her hugely successful St Albans cake shop, Dixie’s Cupcakery, since 2011. It is her mission to show the world that you don’t need a lot of time or complicated ingredients to create show-stopping cupcakes like hers.

In true Luisa style, her cupcakes are bold and brassy – a treat for the eyes as well as the tastebuds. Whatever the occasion, she has a cupcake that’s the perfect fit: cocktail cupcakes for a girls’ night in; ooh la la cupcakes for romantic liaisons; Dixie cakes, which are perfect cakes for busy mums to cook with their kids; vintage cakes for a stylish soiree and quirky cupcakes with unusual flavours, such as the genius Love Me Hate Me Marmite and Chocolate cupcake.

Packed with helpful advice on how to make and decorate your cakes, Luisa’s book will put the fun and sparkle back into your kitchen!

Wicked Cupcakes! is available here.