The royal wedding countdown is on! To celebrate the forthcoming royal wedding, Tate & Lyle Sugars have launched a “Let Them Eat Cake” campaign, to get the country eating wedding cake. They are hosting a wedding cake exhibition and a baking competition where you could be in with a chance of having your own cake displayed at the exhibition!

The two first place winners will have their cake created by a top cake designer and be on show at the exhibition. In addition, they will be invited to attend the show, and also win a course voucher ,worth £125, for a Squires cooking course. This is a one-day course at Squires Kitchen’s International School in Farnham, Surrey. They will also be given a copy of one of their new baking guide books. To enter, simply go to 'Let Them Eat Cake' website for more information.


I've long been a fan of Tate & Lyle sugars. You mightn't think that there is much difference between one sugar or another, but . . . call me crazy if you will . . . I think that there surely is. I like the Tate & Lyle sugars the best. I prefer their packaging over all the others, and I love that they promote Fair Trade. In celebration of the upcoming Royal Wedding ,they have put out a special Edition of Icing Sugar, To Have and To Hold, and they, very generously, sent me a package to use to bake something tasty to help celebrate the upcoming festivities!



One thing that I really love about this great nation is the way they throw their hearts and souls into all these special occasions!! All up and down the country on the 29th of April ,people will be celebrating the Royal Nuptials with Street Parties, Barbeques, Garden Parties, Tea Parties . . . whatever way they can come up with, to help to celebrate this wonderful event, and wish the newly weds good luck! Britannia Bunting will be spread from the North to the South , and from the East to the West! Hooray to Wills and Kate! May they be truly happy.

I, for one, am really rooting for them! I think it is truly a love match and they are a lovely young couple. I wish them all the best in the world!



We will, of course, be tuning into and glued to our Television to take in all of the wedding from beginning to end (our invitation having been lost in the post of course!) and then I think afterwards, weather permitting, we will be enjoying a lovely little Garden Party to toast the young couple.



I'll spread our outside table with a pretty cloth, and lay on some punch and pretty finger sandwiches, perhaps some sausage rolls and a pork pie or two, and other finger foods and goodies . . . a veritable Garden Party Feast fit for royalty!



I may have one big cake, or I may just bake a bunch of these pretty little Garden Party Fairy Cakes that I came up with to use some of that lovely icing sugar Tate & Lyle sent me. Aren't they cute??? I was going to do something in red, white and blue, but you would be hard pressed right now to come up with anything red, white or blue to decorate your cakes with. They've all been scooped up and sold out, but perhaps I can use some fresh red and blue berries on the day, which might be nice.



In the meantime, I think these fairy cakes fit the bill perfectly, with their cute little flower basket shapes,( thanks to my little brioche roll tins,) a delicious green tinted butter cream and a sprinkling of little blossoms on the top.



Definitely Royal Wedding Garden Party fare, don't you think??? (They would be great for Easter too!) Buttery, rich and really vanilla-ee!! Oh so scrummy yummy!!



*Garden Party Fairy Cakes*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

Pretty little fairy cakes, flavoured with vanilla, topped with butter cream and then decorated according to your fancy!

4 ounces softened butter (1/2 cup)
4 ounces caster sugar (1 cup plus 1 TBS)
2 large free range eggs, beaten
4 ounces self raising flour (1 scant cup) sifted
2 TBS milk
1 tsp pure vanilla

For the buttercream:
3 ounces of butter, softened (6 TBS)
8 ounces icing sugar (2 cups) sifted
2 TBS milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla

Decorations and sprinkles as desired.

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter and flour 12 pretty cupcake molds, or use as I have done, 12 brioche roll tins. Set on a baking sheet and set aside.

Using an electric whisk, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, a bit at a time until well combined, adding a TBS of the measured flour if the mixture begins to curdle. Fold in the flour. Stir in the milk and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Divide the batter between the baking cups equally. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until well risen, golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Remove from the oven. Let cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

To make the buttercream, measure all the ingredients into a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth and creamy. You can add a drop of colouring if you wish to tint it. Spread some on the top of each cooled cake and then decorate with sprinkles etc. as you wish.

If you are in a baking mood please do check out the We Love Baking page on Facebook by Tate & Lyle. It's wonderful and there's always something delicous baking there! It's one of my favourite pages!

 Living here on the doorstep to Wales, we are very cognizant of the fact that today is St David's Day. 

 March 1st, every year, is the feast day of Saint David, the Patron Saint of Wales, a national day of celebration in the land of sheep, daffodils and leeks since the 18th century!  

    

I thought I would bake a tasty little tidbit to honor the feast day in a special way . . . you know, I do love my tasty tidbits . . . and feasting on them just goes down so well with me. 

    

I picked this tasty little recipe from a little book I picked up in Wales one time at a little tea shop, called Welsh Teatime Recipes.

It is filled to over brimming with a lovely and tempting selection of breads, scones, biscuits and cakes from this wonderful little country, and one of my favourite places on earth, I might add!

   

 Who wouldn't love Wales, with it's beautiful sing song accent, weird and wonderful place names.

All those wooly cotton boll sheep, beautiful rolling hills, crystal clear streams, and brilliant history, not to mention . . . ahem . . . Tom Jones!

    

I have no idea why these are called Cheesecakes, coz there isn't a scrap of cheese in them. Aux contraire mon frere! 

 They are tasty little tartlettes . . . flakey short crust pastry, filled with tasty raspberry jam, and topped with a light cake batter and baked until the pastry is crisp and the cake all light and puffed.

 

Oh they were so scrummy with my cup of lemon ginger tea . . . but I do confess . . . the North American in me was screaming for a tiny bit more . . . and so what could I do??

   

 I topped them with an additional little puff of vanilla butter cream, not traditional I know . . . but what's a girl to do!! It rocked. Need I say more???

   

  *Welsh Cheesecakes*