I like to pride myself on being totally honest with you my readers. I hope that you appreciate that. I know that I always appreciate honesty. Especially in cooking.  When I go to a recipe page, and decide to make one of their recipes I trust that what they are sharing works and tests out well.

I am a pretty competent baker. I started working as a pastry chef back when I was 19 years old.  I worked at a very high class hotel here in the Valley.  Then of course I really honed my skills baking for my family over the years and finally went to college in the year 2000.

I pretty much know what I am doing when it comes to cooking and baking. I only ever very seldom have a failure. In fact I would consider it very rare.  Today I had a failure.  A total flop.

I picked out a recipe on Flourist to bake.  A White Chocolate Blueberry Cake. I had really high hopes.  The photograph looked delicious. 

 I confess that I did get derailed after I had mixed all the dry ingredients together, but I hadn't yet mixed the wet. I set it all aside and went to clean the chapel, which I had totally forgotten about! Today was my teams turn.

I finished putting the cake together when I got home. There is no reason that my brief interlude at the chapel should have had any impact on the cake. The real chemistry had not begun when I left.

I did everything right. What I ended up with was a rubbery, overly sweet loaf cake in which all of the blueberries (and I suspect the white chocolate chips) ended up at the bottom of the cake.  It would be forgivable if the cake itself had any flavor or redeemable factors, but it simply does not.

This cake is headed for the bin.  I hate it when that happens. When I waste really good and expensive ingredients on a cake that turns out bin-able.  Sometimes when something like that happens you can blame it on the cook's error.  I am afraid this is not the case today.  And I don't say that to sound conceited.

The only thing I might have done differently in hindsight is to fold some of the flour into the berries.  This might have prevented them from sinking. But it could not have redeemed this cake.  Far too much sugar for one thing. Combined with the sweetness of white chocolate chips and that sickly glaze, this cake was a losing proposition. In fact it was a tragedy.

So, I have nothing new to share with you today. Instead I have decided to share with you some blueberry recipes that are delicious and that I can highly recommend! I hope you will forgive me. 

Dutch Baby with Blueberries & Lime -  I love Dutch baby pancakes. Light and puffy, golden brown. They make the perfect canvas for many fillings, both savory and sweet. This particular version is delicious with sweet/tart fresh berries, lime zested brown sugar, dollops of sour cream and freshly squeezed lime juice. Oh so tasty!

LEMON SANDWICHES WITH BLUEBERRIES & CREAM - This simple dessert is just the ticket to brighten anyone's day! Thick slices of a moist and delicious lemon cake are topped with a rich yogurt cream and a sweet fresh blueberry sauce. Its very similar to a strawberry shortcake in a way I suppose.  Its every bit as delicious and such a simple and easy make.

COCONUT, LIME & BLUEBERRY SCONES - These puff up really nicely, and are stogged full of lovely coconut and lime flavors which go really well with the blueberries. Rich and flaky and perfectly delicious served with some lime or lemon curd! 

BLUEBERRY BLISS DESSERT - A blueberry version of a traditional Eaton Mess, using blueberries, lemon curd yoghurt, whipped cream and meringues. Oh yes . . . some good!  Quick, easy and incredibly delicious. Everything you would expect in a good dessert! 

LEMON & BLUEBERRY TURNOVERS - What is a turnover but a little pie, and these ones are so easy to make! Lemon and Blueberries combined with flaky puff pastry and sweetly glazed. A combination made in heaven!  These are fabulously tasty!  Also a very easy make.

BLUEBERRY CRUNCH CAKE - This delicious cake has a wonderfully moist texture and is topped by a delicious crumble crunch.  This is quite simply a fabulous cake.  For breakfast, brunch or dessert. You choose!  It goes perfectly for all three occasions! 

I'm not sure how many of you know this or not, but I am a Latter Day Saint, or Mormon as we are commonly known throughout most of the world. One of the things that I love most in my cooking life, is being able to have the missionaries over for tea. After having raised five children, and now with just Todd and I living here on our own, my table is far too empty most of the time. There is nothing that makes me happier than having the opportunity to see some young and smiling faces sitting around it, especially when they are hungry.

Young people . . . far away from home and family . . . just ripe for spoiling in a way only a mom can spoil them. It's one of my absolute favourite things of all to do!!



We have two young sister missionaries here right now, and tonight was my first chance to cook a meal for them. One is from Brommieland (near Birmingham) and the other from Idaho. They are such sweet young ladies.

Boys, you can feed until they are full to exploding, and they will come back for more. Young women . . . they can be a somewhat different kettle of fish. I wasn't sure how much they would eat, or if they would prefer a light meal over something heavy . . .



My solution . . . a nice big pot of corn chowder, the perfect meal on a cold and rain swept day . . . served with some cheese and oat drop scones, and then for dessert this tasty crumble traybake.

They loved it, warm from the oven and served up with lashings of pouring cream.



They took the leftovers home with them.

They're my kind of girls!



*Blueberry Apricot Crumble Traybake*
Serves 12 (HA!)
Printable Recipe

This scrumptious cake is deliciously moist with a hidden surprise of creamy yoghurt hiding beneath the tasty fruit and crumble topping. I bet you can't eat just one piece!

1 420g tin of apricots, drained well
8 ounces softened butter
8 ounces golden caster sugar
8 ounces self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 large eggs, beaten
2 TBS milk
150g pot of lemon yogurt
8 ounces blueberries
For the Crumble:
1 ounce softened butter
3 heaped dessertspoons self raising flour
3 heaped dessert spoons demerara sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon



Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/375*F. Butter a 9 by 12 inch tray bake pan. Line with baking paper and butter again. Set aside.

Make the crumble by rubbing all the crumble ingredients together until crumbly. Set aside.

Weigh the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, eggs and milk into a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Spoon into the prepared tin, leveling the top. Bake for 25 minutes, or until almost set. Remove from the oven and immediately spoon the yogurt over top. Scatter the fruit over top of the yogurt and then top with the crumble. Return to the oven and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes until done and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Serve warm and cut into squares, with some pouring cream, or cold as a tea time or picnic treat.

I wanted to share these quick and easy dinner rolls with you today. Not only do they go together in a flash, but they are very simple to make and incredibly delicious!

One thing we always have lots of in the larder is jars of jams and preserves. I don't think I could live without a variety of them on tap for me to use in various ways . . .



Sometimes in the evenings when we are watching the telly and feel a bit peckish, we will have a treat of hot buttered toast spread with jam or marmelade.

We just adore freshly baked scones with cream and strawberry jam. Can you imagine a Cream Tea without strawberry jam??? It's totally unthinkable!!!

A moist Victorian Sponge is just not the same without a thick layer of raspberry jam in the middle, although I do enjoy lemon curd once in a while, but . . . can you still call it a Victorian Sponge without the jam?




I also love to bake biscuits that have jam in the middle.

Soft and tender molasses jam jams are so lovely and tasty with a hot drink in the middle of the afternoon. My mouth starts to water just thinking about them . . .

Oh, and don't get me started to thinking about lintzer cookies, all buttery and crisp and filled with . . . raspberry jam . . . their tops all sweetly dusted with icing sugar . . .

That white powder on the upper lip's a dead giveaway isn't it? There's no denying you've been raiding the tin . . .



One of my favourite things of all though . . . is . . . raspberry shortbread.

O-H-M-Y-G-O-O-D-N-E-S-S!!!!!

That crisp short textured buttery base . . . topped with sweet raspberry preserves and then . . .
that buttery crumble topping. Can anything on earth possibly taste any better??? I think NOT!

Let's just skip having tea all together today. We'll just settle for dessert



*Raspberry Shortbread*
Makes 12 to 16 wedges
Printable Recipe

Picture sweet buttery melt in your mouth crunch, stogged full of delicious raspberry preserves and you have these delightful shortbread biscuits. These are a real favourite around here.

16 ounces butter, at room temperature
4 large egg yolks
400g sugar
560g flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
350g raspberry jam, at room temperature
70g icing sugar, sifted

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. You will need a 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom or you can just use a 9 by 13 inch baking pan.

Cream the butter until soft and fluffy with a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a food processor. Beat in the egg yolks. (alternately whiz them for a few seconds in the food processor until combined) Stir together the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter/egg yolk mixture, mixing just until incorporated and the dough comes together. (Do the same in the food processor, blitzing it several times until a dough forms) Divide the dough in half.

Press one half of the dough evenly into the bottom of the tart tin, or the baking pan, pressing it down to compact it slightly.

With a spoon or spatula, spread the jam evenly over the surface to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the dough all the way around. Take the remaining half of the dough and crumble it evenly over top of the jam, covering it completely.

Bake in the heated oven until it is lightly golden brown. This should take between 30 and 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and dust with the icing sugar. Cool on a wire rack before removing the sides of the pan. Cut into wedges with a serrated knife to serve. (If you have used a baking pan, just cut into squares.) Store in a tightly covered container. This keeps very well.

I love bread for breakfast . . . muffins, tea breads, pancakes, waffles and tasty little gems like this recipe here today.

Delicious Cherry Granola Breakfast Buns.









*Cherry Granola Breakfast Buns*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

Buttery drop scones, filled with cherry preserves and granola crumbles, and then glazed with a delicious vanilla drizzle. Yummo!

280g plain flour (2 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 TBS caster sugar
3/4 tsp salt
8 TBS butter, melted
225ml of cold buttermilk (1 cup)
cherry fruit preserves
1 crisp granola bar crumbled (I used Nature's Valley honey and oat)
to glaze:
2 heaped dessertspoons of icing sugar
milk
vanilla



Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and sugar. Stir together the melted butter and cold buttermilk. Stir this into the flour mixture. You should have a somewhat sticky dough of dropping consistency. Drop this mixture by heaped tablespoonful's onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space inbetween for spreading. You should get 12 mounds.

Using the back of a wet teaspoon, make a shallow hollow in the centre of each. Drop a scant teaspoon of cherry preserves into each hollow. Sprinkle some of the crumbled granola bar over each.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until browned on the bottoms and golden on the tops. Remove from the oven. Allow them to cool for a few minutes.

Whisk together the icing sugar along with a few drops of milk and vanilla, to make a drizzable consistency glaze. Drizzle over top of the breakfast buns. Serve while still warm. Store any leftovers in an airtight container. Reheat briefly in the microwave before serving. (Not too long as you don't want the jam to get too hot, about 15 to 20 seconds should do the trick.)