Nigella's Chocolate Fudge cake for Katie!!

We finished off at Halifax with a birthday.

Katie celebrated her 21st on Friday and came to see the play. Her mum, Rachel, is on the board at Northern Broadsides and I'd promised a cake.I had to make it a little in advance so opted for a family favourite that I knew wouldn't let me down - Nigella's Chocolate Fudge cake from her Nigella Bites cookbook.
It went down really well in the interval - all gone!!
We've got a week off now so no cake club this week.

Coffee and Walnut cake with tiramisu cream

Had a lovely long weekend off and really enjoyed a trip to the Union theatre, Southwark to see 'Bells are ringing'. Anna-Jane Casey was amazing (as usual) and it was a really well put together show,produced by Jonathan Russell and directed by Paul Foster. 
Back in Halifax this week at Northern Broadsides home - the Viaduct Theatre and it's great to be here even if it is a little damp and smelly!!!

Coffee cake was requested this week and i've decide to add a twist by sandwiching it together with a tiramisu cream. 
250g butter
250g caster sugar
4 eggs
250g self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tblsps coffee (made strong)
75g walnut pieces

For cream

250g mascarpone cheese
142ml pot double cream
4 tblsps coffee liquor
2 tsps caster sugar
few drops vanilla extract

Make up sponges and cool.
To make cream, lightly whip double cream and then mix together with all other ingredients.
Split sponges and layer with cream.
Decorate top with cocoa and walnut halves.

Tastes really great and the alcohol gives it a bit of a kick!!
Matt, Jos and Mr.Roy thought it was fab!!!!!!

Cherry Bakewell at the New Vic!!

Finished the week in Salisbury feeling very pleased with ourselves - great reviews and houses and we managed to finish the jigsaw that was in the green room of Charles and Di's wedding - only 2 pieces missing!!!

Here it is.
Had a quiet Sunday at home and baked for this week. Couldn't decide which cake to make and then had a brainwave. Mr.Roy in the company was telling me how he was going to Bakewell for Christmas so I decided to invent my version of a cherry bakewell.
First I made the sponges
250g butter
250g golden caster sugar
4 eggs
150g Self raising flour
100g ground almonds
1 tsp almond essence
100g glace cherries, chopped.

Once cooled I sliced them in half and filled with raspberry jam and a thin slice of marzipan and joined them together with almond flavoured buttercream.
Finally I iced and decorated with cherries and flaked almonds.

Gone in 20 mins !!!!!!

Gracie decided she wanted to join in too, so she made some almond buns and they were really moist.
Looking forward to Masterchef the professionals tonight after the show - really getting into it now.

' The Game' cast scoff the lot !!!

Well the chocolate cake went down a treat. Didn't even make it to curtain up!!

Matt made some fantastic chocolate brownies using Jamie Oliver's recipe but added his own special touch with a hint of orange zest.They were delicious - really moist but not too gooey. I have competition!!!!

Everyone managed to force a piece down and all diets on tour have been put on hold.Above are Cath and Jo and Jos and Phil.Managed to take a piccie just before the last piece went.They'll have to wait a week for the next creation.
Play went well last night - a really receptive audience - although I have to knit at the end and when I picked it up off the floor about 10 stitches had dropped off and it all went horribly wrong .I was praying for the blackout sooner!!

Chocolate this week!

Well Cake Club decided on chocolate so I spruced it up with raspberry conserve and fresh cream.
Hopefully it will disappear as quickly as the lemon cake last week.

We move on to Salisbury today so I'm away from home till late Saturday night but not too far to drive.
Caught up over the weekend with some telly and was thrilled that You an Yu went through on Ramsey's best restaurant. It's a fantastic Chinese restaurant very near to my parents at Copster Green near Blackburn and we visit a lot when ever we are up there. They are so welcoming and a wonderful family and the food is to die for. Fingers crossed they do really well in the competition.

Also went to see the 25th anniversary concert of Les Mis at the o2.It's never been one of my favourite shows but as I was given a ticket I decided to go and I'm so pleased I did. It was a brilliant afternoon with amazing voices - particularly Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean and Camilla Kerslake as Cosette.
The best bit for me though was at the end when a lot of the original cast came on Stage including Colm Wilkinson and Michael Ball and sang One day more - just great.
Away in a hotel for me so no cooking or baking till weekend unfortunately. 

Cake Club has started!!

Well, at last had time to bake!!!
Decided Cake Club at the theatre had to start, so arrived with a lemon cake which disappeared very quickly!!

Just basic sponge mix but I add a dessertspoonful of lemon oil which adds great flavour and keeps the cake really moist. Split the sponges and filled with lemon curd and lemon buttercream. Had some jelly lemon slices in the cupboard so used them up - they really take me back to my childhood and cakes my Grandma Holden used to bake.
I've asked the cast of 'The Game' to put in requests for next week's cake so will let you know what the coice for Salisbury week will be!!
Had a lovely time visiting Lorraine Kelly and Phillip and Holly at This Morning.

They all make you feel so welcome and really help plug the play which is going really well and has got great reviews, thankfully!!
Phil suggested I come in to do a cake club for them, jokingly, but I think it's a great idea and would love to do it - so who knows.
Great that he mentioned my Sticky Toffee Pudding recipe that's now used in John Torode's restaurant Smiths after he loved it on Celebrity Masterchef. I'm thrilled but I bet I don't get a credit!!!

Home for a week!!

Having been away from home for the past few weeks , it's lovely to be back in my own kitchen and couldn't resist making a pud yesterday. Our friends, the Jacksons, came over for a takeaway ( didn't get back from Liverpool till the early hours of Sunday morning) and I threw together an old favourite - Auntie Lorna's Cappucino Pavlova!!

As the title suggests, it was passed onto me by my godmother who used to make it every Boxing Day for lunch and it's always been one of my favourites since I was small.
It's so easy - a basic pavlova but with coffee and tia maria added to the cream.
Went down a treat , adults and kids alike ( there's only a small amount of alcohol in it!!)
It was great catching up with everyone having been away for a while.
Looking forward to the new Nigella series starting. There's nothing that I've made of hers that hasn't turned out well!!! Great recipes!
The play is going really well and has had great reviews, which is fantastic.
At Watford Palace this week and move to Salisbury next. ( northern-broadsides.co.uk )
Now we are in a routine I must organise a Cake Club.
Watch out for me on Lorraine tomorrow and This Morning on Weds.