This is a recipe that has certainly been making it's rounds of the internet. I've seen it in more than one place lately. I have to admit I found it quite intriguing.



I don't normally use cake mixes and in truth there are not a lot of that sort of thing over here in the UK. You can get a Devil's Food one and a Carrot Cake one, both Betty Crocker brand. I've not seen any others, but that's not to say they can't be found.



I was a little bit skeptical . . . a cake with only two ingredients . . .one of which was a cake mix and the other a tin of pumpkin puree. Could this be any good??? Would this actually work???



Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeell . . . it is and it does! I only had a carrot cake mix, which worked very well. The batter will be very thick, and you may think it will never turn out, but it turns out lovely . . . and very, very moist.



The glaze on top is delicious! Todd's eaten two pieces already. Who knew it would be so good???



*Two Ingredient Pumpkin Cake with a Cider Glaze*
Makes one 7 by 11 inch cake
Printable Recipe

Quick, easy and rather scrummy if I don't say so myself! It's a bit of a cheat, but what the heck, once in a while . . .

1 cake mix (I used Betty Crocker Carrot Cake Mix
as that is one of the few kinds we can get over here, but do feel free to use a
white or yellow cake mix if you wish, just so long as it makes a double layer cake)
1 425g tin of pumpkin puree (2 cups)

For the Glaze:
140g icing sugar, sifted (1 cup)
2 TBS apple juice or cider (non alcoholic)
1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice, or mixed spice



Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 7 by 11 inch baking tin and line with baking parchment. Set aside.

Beat the cake mix together with the tinned pumpkin for 2 minutes, using an electric whisk, until light and fluffy. Spread into the prepared baking pan. Bake for about 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool completely before proceeding. (I allowed it to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then turned it onto a wire rack to finish cooling.)

Whisk the glaze ingredients together and then spoon over top of the cake. Delicious!



Over in The Cottage today, a delicious Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup.

I have long held a love affair with jam . . . it is something which I have loved for all of my life, and I am not fussy about which jam it is either, totally loving all sorts of jam . . . although if I had to pick a favourite it would be Raspberry . . . wait . . . Strawberry . . . NO . . . Black Currant . . . umm . . . Cherry . . . BLUEBERRY!

Oh heck, I couldn't pick a favourite if I tried! I love them all.



I especially love desserts which incorporate jam. Jam is something which I always have a lot of on hand . . . so it just makes sense that I would love to bake desserts which use it. Coz . . . I LOVE JAM!!



Ahem . . . sorry about that! Todd loves jam too.



When I was a girl my mother used to make the most heavenly Dessert Squares every Christmas, called Feather Squares. A delicious sponge cake, topped with raspberry jam, meringue and coconut. She never baked them any other time of year and my goodness but we did love them so. I think they were our absolutely favourite Christmas Treat . . . along with her date slices, war cake, fruit cake . . . ahem . . . well, ok, we loved them all!



This delicious pudding is very reminiscent of my mother's feather squares. The jam is on the bottom though in this dessert, and the sponge is baked over top and is stogged full of coconut. There is no meringue. It is simple and easy, and ohhhhhhhhhhhhh sooooooooooooo scrumdiddlyumpously good!!



We loved it. We ate far more of it than we should have . . . we enjoyed every single mouthful. We will eat more tomorrow. ☺ ♥♥♥ (yay!!)



Adapted from a recipe in Rachel Allen's newest book, Easy Meals. (I love Rachel Allen's recipes! Those Irish sure can cook!)

You are gonna either love me to pieces or hate me for this . . . let's face it . . . after today your life will never be the same again.



From this moment on you will never be more than two minutes away from a scrummy, delicous, buttery cake, chock full of lucious chocolate chips.



That's right. Two minutes, or one and a half depending on the strength of your microwave oven.



I know . . . it's a sin isn't it??? (You will need a big mug for this. )



Oh to think that something so beautifully scrummy can be yours as quick as a wink!! It's downright dangerous. But what a way to go!



Put on your fluffy slippers, slip into your robe and get ready for the scrummiest two minute wait of the day! Your world has now changed. You can thank me tomorrow.



*Two Minute Chocolate Chip Cake*
Makes one serving

Chocolate Chip Cake. Two minutes. 'Nuff said!

1 large free range egg
3 packed TBS of soft light brown sugar
5 1/2 TBS plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 TBS softened butter
3 to 4 TBS good quality chocolate, chopped coarsely
(I like to use Green and Black's Organic milk)
1/4 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together in a large mug. Place in the microwave. Cook on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or just until the top centre of the cake is set. Allow to cool slightly. Serve warm with clotted cream, Creme Fraiche or ice cream. Enjoy!

Note: You can make as many servings of this as you want, but cook each one individually.



I could not resist. I ate the whole thing. Myself . . . the eating did take a bit longer than two minutes as I wanted to savour every . . . single . . . bite. Sigh . . . What can I say. I am a bad puddy tat! =^..^=



I'm cooking Perfect Corn with a Basil Lime Butter over in The Cottage today.

Sometimes you have a craving for a cake and nothing else will do . . . it has to be a cake, and that's . . . that!



I baked us a tasty Walnut Cake the other day because I wanted cake, cake . . . cake. I love walnuts. I'm like my dad in that way. He loves walnuts too.



His favourite ice cream has always been Maple Walnut . . . so is mine, but alas . . . the only way we be getting that over here is iffin we makes it ourselves! Not a problem!



We'll make some of that another day . . . today we wants cake, and what we wants, we gets!



Oh my but this is tasty . . . chock full of lovely walnuts and iced with a creamy buttercream icing. DO toast the walnuts first for even more flavour.



The Canuck in me was just itching to add some maple flavour . . . but the purist in me held her back.

Enjoy! I did.




*Iced Walnut Cake*
Makes one 8 inch cake
Printable Recipe

The perfect teatime cake.

225g of butter, softened (1 cup)
225g of self raising flour (2 cups), sifted
1 tsp baking powder
225g soft light brown sugar (1 cup packed
75g of finely chopped toasted walnuts (3/4 cup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBS treacle (molasses)
4 large free range eggs

For the buttercream:
75g softened butter (6 TBS)
1 tsp vanilla
175g sifted icing sugar (1 1/2 cups)

Toasted walnut pieces to decorate

Preheat the oven to 1600*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Butter and line two 9 inch round shallow cake tins with baking paper. Set aside.

Place all of the cake ingredients into a large bowl. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes with an electric whisk until smooth. Divide the batter equally amongst the prepared tins, smoothing out the top.

Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and the top springs back when lightly touched.

Allow to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the buttercream, beat all the ingredients together with an electric whisk until smooth and fluffy. Place one cake layer on a plate. Spread with half of the buttercream. Top with the other cake layer and spread the remainder of the butter cream over top. Sprinkle with toasted walnut pieces.



There's a delicious Pizza baking in The Cottage today, where I'm sharing my special recipes for a lovely crust and my own special secret pizza sauce! (A secret no more!)

What a lovely week we have had weatherwise. I have so enjoyed all the sunshine and warmth. A true Indian Summer week, the likes of which I have never experienced over here before. It's been a real treat! We've been out and about most days, which is also a real treat!



Almost as much of a treat as this tasty cake that I baked up yesterday afternoon! I had some berries in the fridge that I had bought the other day and wanted to use up . . . and decided a tasty cake was the best way to do it!



We love almonds and we love berries . . . the two together are heavenly. Especially when combined in a cake which is blissfully moist and buttery . . . and yet light at the same time . . . and absolutely stogged full of sweet/tart berries.



I chose to use blackberries and raspberries this time, but either one is lovely on their own, as are blueberries, or even all three together. Currants are also very nice. I love the crunch of the flaked almonds on top . . . it adds a wonderful texture.



You could have this with cream of course! We had it plain . . . but I may have another piece later on with some cream . . . and why not! Life is for living! (And I did rather do a lot of walking today!)



*Autumn Berry & Almond Cake*
Makes one 9 inch cake
Printable Recipe

A real family favourite. You can use any berries you have in any combination you like, alone or a mixture. I love to use raspberries and blackberries.

140g ground almonds (1 2/3 cups)
140g butter (2/3 cup)
140g caster sugar (3/4 cup)
140g self raising flour (1 1/4 cups)
2 large free range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g of berries, fresh or frozen and defrosted (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 TBS flaked almonds
Sifted icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch deep. loose bottomed cake tin and line the bottom with paper.

Cream together the butter, ground almonds, sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl until evenly mixed together. Spread half of the mixture into the prepared tin. Top with the berries. Dollop the remaining half of the batter over top and roughly spread it out as best as you can. (I wet my fingers and use them. This seems to work best) Sprinkle with the flaked almonds.

Bake for 50 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin. Dust with icing sugar and cut into wedges to serve.



Over in The Cottage today you will find some tasty Chili Chocolate Strawberries. Tres, tres . . . scrummy!

This is one of my favourite tea time loaf cakes. It's moist and delicious, even if . . . no matter how many times I make it I have not ever been able to keep the jam in the middle . . . and you know how much we like jam in this house!!



For some reason it always sinks to the bottom, but no mind . . . it's scrummy anyways!
The crumb is very moist and the jam sets it off just perfectly.
You don't have to use black currant jam either . . . you can use strawberry, or cherry, or blueberry. Heck, I've even used Lemon Curd, which is fantastic as well!!



If you want you can dust the top with some caster sugar instead of the icing sugar, or you can even leave it out all together.



Try cutting it into slices and placing them in a bowl, topping with some ice cream and then a bit of the same flavoured jam warmed up and spooned over top.

Absolutely splendiferously scrummy yummy!!! Nom! Nom!



*Lemon and Black Currant Swirl Cake*
makes one 2 pound loaf cake
Printable Recipe

I wish I could figure out how to keep the jam swirled into the cake, but nevermind, it tastes fabulous nonetheless!!

6 ounces butter, softened (3/4 cup)
6 ounces caster sugar (generous 3/4 cup)
3 large free range eggs
7 ounces self raising flour (1 3/4 cups)
1 ounce ground almonds (1/3 cup)
the grated zest of one unwaxed lemon
4 TBS black currant conserve
Icing sugar to serve

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*C/ gas mark 4. Line a 2 pound loaf tin with nonstick baking parchment. Set aside.

Place all of the cake ingredients, with the exception of the conserve, into a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for several minutes, until smooth. Spread into the prepared tin and smooth the top over. Place the conserve in a line down the centre of the cake and swirl it a bit with a round bladed knife.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before turning out onto a rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Note: for some reason the jam always sinks to the bottom. I let the cake cool upside down so that it kinda moves back into the cake if you know what I mean. I wish I could figure out a way to stop this from happening!



Over in the Cottage today, a delicious Pineapple Slaw.

Oh, and I'm also talking about Elevenses in a guest post over on Picture Britain today! Hop on over for some more deliciousness!!

Remember this picture from last year??? Yep! It's that time of the year again, the Toddster's Birthday! He is like a good cheddar that just gets better and better with age. He is 73 years young today and doesn't look a day over 63, seriously! It must be all that TLC I give him!

Last year I baked him a delicious Buttermilk Spice cake, which he truly enjoyed, but that really isn't his favourite cake.



Every year I ask him what kind of cake he would like and he always says fruit cake, and so I have fruit soaking in some brandy at the moment so that I can make him one of those, but I also made him his second favourite of all cakes, a Cherry Almond Cake.




It's a delicious family type of cake . . . a teatime cake . . . a buttery rich cake that is chock full of candied cherries and almonds . . . with a scrummy ribbon of marzipan running through the middle of it.



Oh, this cake is just perfect for celebrations of any kind . . . wonderful for tea parties . . . luncheons . . . and birthdays. (Well, if you're a Todd at any rate. I'd still pimp for a chocolate fudge cake myself.)



It's a great cake though and everyone who shares a piece of it loves it. It's not as pretty as a traditional type of birthday cake, but it's what the Toddster wants and so it's what the Toddster gets.



I don't know what I'll make him for supper . . . he has only one request . . . that it not be pasta.



*Cherry and Almond Cake*
Makes one 8 inch round cake
Printable Recipe

This is a delicious family/teatime type of cake. It's dense and buttery and chocker block full of delicious cherries and almonds.

8 ounces butter, at room temperature (1 cup)
8 ounces golden caster sugar (1 cup plus 2 TBS)
4 large free range eggs, beaten
8 ounces self raising flour (2 cups)
8 ounces glace cherries, chopped (1 cup)
4 ounces ground almonds (1 scant cup)
2 to 3 drops of almond extract
9 ounces marzipan (a generous 1/2 pound)
2 ounces flaked almonds (1/2 cup)
sifted icing sugar to serve (optional)

Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F. Butter a deep 8-inch round baking tin and line the base and sides with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the eggs, a bit at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the flour one third at a time. Fold in the cherries, ground almonds and almond extract, mixing all in until evenly combined.

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared tin.

Roll the marzipan into a 7 1/2 inch round. Lay this on top of the batter in the tin. Spoon the remainder of the batter over top.

Smooth over the top of the cake with the back of a spoon and then sprinkle the flaked almonds evenly over top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, covering with foil after the first hour if it appears to be getting too dark. The cake is done when it shrinks away from the sides of the tin and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

Optional: Dust with icing sugar to serve



Over in the Cottage this morning there are some delicious Chicken Fried Pork Chops!