Book Review: Bake Me I'm Yours... Christmas

We are now well into December, the tree has just gone up and in our house and that means one thing, it's time to start thinking about baking. 

I do love a christmas baking book, there is just something about the effort that goes into the decoration that makes food extra special at this time of year.

Bake me I'm yours...Christmas is a sweet little compact book containing festive projects for cookies, cupcakes, brownies and sweet treats guaranteed to delight young ones and big kids alike. 

The book is divided into various sections, beginning with a handy page listing tools and equipment followed by the project section, which is divided into Festive Favourites: ideas for large cakes, Tasty Treats: cupcakes, brownies and small treats, Delicious Decorations, and Perfect Presents – further small treats. The projects section includes full page images of what the finished treats will look like, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to complete the decoration.

The next section provides you with all the recipes you will need for the projects, including essentials like traditional sponge cake, chocolate cake and fruit cake, brownies, ganache and gingerbread, as well as recipes for less common items such as sugar paste, flower paste, pastillage and piping gel.

 

The instructions are short, simple and concise, and each of the cake recipes also comes with a useful table that tells you the quantities of ingredients that are needed for the various sized cakes, so you can make any of the projects in any flavour. Extra tips are also suggested throughout under cute little holly leaves. 

The final section covers techniques which offers basic advice on cutting, filling and coating cakes, how to bake cookies successfully, decorating and modelling with sugarpaste, how you can use royal icing, and tips on working with chocolate. 

It may initially seem a little odd to start with the decoration and finish of a project at the beginning of the book, before you are told how to bake it, but having the baking in it's own section does save the recipes repeating each other, you can simply pick out the parts that you need. 

This book isn't overflowing with new information but has just enough guidance and is easy to follow. The accessibility of the book means that it's ideal if you would like to bake some Christmas goodies with the family, as young ones will be drawn to the bright photographs of cakes decorated with angels, and christmas tree bauble decoration cookies. It's also a great book for those that would like to make gifts for loved ones, that are new to baking or intimidated by more substantial baking books. 

It's time to let the baking begin! Merry Christmas!

Bake Me I'm Yours... Christmas is published by David and Charles, RRP £14.99, also available from RU Craft priced at £7.49.

Please note that I wasn't paid to write this review but I was given a copy of the book. 

Merry Christmas!

Sorry the blog has been a bit quiet over the last part of the year, that should all change in the New Year. 
As you can see the Christmas Festivities have begun here! 
Merry Christmas everyone! 

Happy New Year! & Hello 30s - Day 76 - 87

Happy New Year! I hope you are all well, and excited about the year ahead. I have enjoyed a wonderfully relaxed festive period, and I am now attempting to get back in the swing of things. I am about 20 photos behind with my photo project now, Christmas kind of got in the way, so I need to do a serious update, it will be split into two parts. Here is Day 76 - 87.

Day 76:It must have been a computer day, as this is the view from the spare room window, I just thought the sky looked pretty :)

Day 77:It's that bloke with the guitar again. This was our fourth and final InMe gig of the last month, have to say thanks to Lydia for the photo, as I forgot my camera.

Day 78:We put our christmas tree up. It is actually quite late for me, I'm a first weekend in December kind of girl usually, but this was the second weekend! It is only a fake little tree, but I love it, it is fat and really colourful :)

Day 79:Researching bungalows for my parents, they are hoping that the New Year brings them a relocation.

Day 80:This isn't a very exciting image I know, but if you had seen what that corner looked like before I tidied it, you would understand. It took a whole afternoon, just to tidy a corner of craft supplies!

Day 81:
These are the christmas lights inside the shopping and cinema complex in Camberley. We were going to see Harry Potter, and they frown upon you taking photos of films, so I took this while waiting for our friends. It made me feel rather festive, I had made a lot of presents this year, and bought online in advance, so had missed the general christmas hustle and bustle, but there is something quite nice about it all. I loved Harry Potter too, I felt a little let down by the last couple of films, but felt this one had picked up it's game a fair bit.

Day 82:One of Lydia's presents was Coconut Ice, we gave here a whole box, but unfortunately there was a whole plate left over, oh no! ;)

Day 83: After all the practicing, I finally created a tin of rather lovely Turkish Delight. I was really quite proud, then what did it go and do? That's right, it snowed, so my mum never got it :( , so I had to give it away to people instead.

However, now that I am practically a Turkish Delight pro, I will make my mum some more for when we go to visit :)

Day 84:Snowman! I would like to claim I made it, but I didn't, I could just see it from my window. Every time we have snow I remind myself that I really need to get myself some suitable footwear for snow, so I can go out and play in it :)

Day 85:Lydia's final present arrived for her 30th birthday. With all the snow and post delays, I was thinking it would be hopeless, but it arrived, and the postman received some of that turkish delight for making me very happy.

Day 86:I spent the day baking cakes - yes most of the day. Yes, it is supposed to be blue.

Day 87:We took Lydia's birthday cake, presents, and christmas presents round to her house.

It was the biggest rainbow cake she had ever seen. Lee May Foster from Bonbi Forest had made such a cake, and posted a photo on her blog, and when I saw it, I knew that Lydia would love it, and I had, had it in mind ever since. Thank you to Lee May.

Even I was a little impressed by it, I am all cake baked out now though!

Next update to follow very soon!

Hello 30s - Day 44 - 54

This is another huge update!

Day 44:
I had been sorting out the kitchen cupboards, and had found lots of left over bits and pieces, so decided to make some bird cakes. Here they are hardening up in the fridge.

Day 45:
I decided to get a bit experimental with polymer clay, I want to start making some more pendants. This was my first attempt, although the second and third were much better :)

Day 46:
More experimenting with polymer, those sugary colours make it look good enough to eat right?

Day 47:
The first of the christmas presents are wrapped. I was seeing my friend Liz, as she was over from Germany, so I thought I would get myself organised, and have her presents ready so I didn't have to risk losing them in the post :)

Day 48:
Empty bottle... We are trying to save money at the minute, so rather than buying a bottle of wine, we decided to drink what we already had in the house. This was the strawberry vodka we picked up at the food fair in Cockermouth :)

Day 49:
Goodies arrived for me to play with!

Day 50:
I don't actually find myself sanding that often, but when I do, it feels like it is all I ever do. There was the usual sanding of skin from fingers - ouch!

Day 51:
This was me planning my trip into London, I always take my trusty map book with me in case the tube is down and I have to rely on buses or something. As it turned out it was an easy walk and I didn't need it, but I like to be prepared.

Day 52:
There has been lots of amusement this week for myself and Ollie the cat, created from a piece of pink ribbon. There were some better shots, but I felt this really captured the action.

Day 53:
Boyfriend really does make the best venison, bacon, cheese and onion relish burgers! :)

Day 54:
I have started some graphics work for a christmas concert, I am currently trying to work out out to make lengthy carols fit onto one page - eek!

Congratulations on your Weddin...ahem...belated first Anniversary

It feels like I have abandoned this poor blog, I just don't seemed to get round to it at the minute, I even missed out on Folksy Friday last week, even though I had planned what to do :).

I have been making and planning, and as always desperately trying to get myself organised. I have started makes for christmas, ordered materials for cards, and tried to organise my stock.

More importantly I have finally got a wedding present sorted for my friend Rachel - it should probably be noted that she celebrated her first anniversary one month ago :). It should be in the post today, I had trouble trying to package everything, resorting to making my own box for some things, I hope she likes it :)

Folksy Friday - Is that you Santy Claus?

I know, I know we are still in August, but with listings lasting 6 months, christmas goodies are popping up on Folksy all over the place. This week I have been sitting thinking about what creative christmas treats I could create, so it was nice to have a browse, and get into the festive spirit :)

Feel free to click on an image, it will take you right to the appropriate Folksy shop :)