Holiday updates

I love being at home, but sometimes it can be too wonderful because I never want to leave. Mum and I had lots of little plans and we ticked off things we've wanted to do for ages, including having a little shopping trip (of course). We managed to coincide this with a theatre trip to see Wicked with the local 'Welcome Club', the leisure club in our area for the older generation. It was so much fun!! We had a lovely lunch in John Lewis, consisting of a mediterranean-style tartine and a delicious banana and caramel cupcake (a recipe I will certainly be attempting soon!).

Afterwards, I decided to invest my money in some decent products for my skin. For ages I have been complaining about my problem skin, having tried everything to try and improve it. Everything apart from a decent skincare routine, I might add. I know, bad girl. I've bought products in the past and haven't kept up the routine, or have just used them when I feel I need them (which isn't as often as they should be used). Before I returned from France, I started to look in the mirror and see an ill person staring back- I just didn't look healthy. My skin was dry, blemished, and as far from radiant as possible. I had bags under my eyes and looked bad enough that people constantly asked me, "Are you okay? Are you tired?"

Hence the efforts to look after myself. So I went for a skin consultation with the lovely ladies at the Clinique stand in John Lewis who recommended their anti-blemish skincare routine. I purchased the soap bar as my cleanser and also the moisturiser (steps 1 and 3), with the intention of using my current toner and potentially replacing it with the Clinique one in future (step 2). I have been using the products for about 3 weeks, and was told to wait at least a month to start seeing more permanent results. But the first week I was using these saw my skin clear up instantly, it was incredible! It has worsened slightly now, but I expected that, and even then it isn't as bad as in the past. I'll update in the near future to give a proper review of the results.


Meanwhile, I've become a green tea addict and have started to actually like eating vegetables. Shock, horror. I love cakes, and chocolate, and crisps and I generally have a huge appetite so everytime I sit down for a meal, I eat more than your average girl. I never thought eating healthily would be for me, but I tried it and I love it. I think it is something to do with the fact that you know what you're putting in your body is good for you. That makes me a happy girl. Plus, I still treat myself which stops the overwhelming temptation to buy everything in a French bakery when I walk past. Success.

Coffee cake

Being one of my Dad's favourites, I have wanted to try a coffee cake for a long time and I found a perfect (and pretty straight-forward) recipe from the wonderful Mary Berry that drew me into the kitchen. 

I have to say it was successful, despite my doubts. Below is the recipe I followed, plus the link to the original page. I did alter the coffee-flavouring for the buttercream a bit, and I decided not to bother with the four separate layers but it tasted great anyway. The mixture did look seriously runny to me at first, but I decided to put my trust in Mary Berry, and of course it paid off. I was left with a beautifully moist, but suitably airy, perfectly coffee-flavoured coffee cake.

Original recipe here. (even includes a handy aga-cooking guide)

Ingredients-

225g (8oz) very soft butter, plus more for the tins
225g (8oz) caster sugar
225g (8oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 large eggs

4 level tsp instant coffee, dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water

(For the buttercream, if you are doing four layers)

175g (6oz) soft butter
350g (12oz) icing sugar
3 level tsp instant coffee, dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water

Method-

1. Preheat oven to 180C (160C for fan) and prepare two 20cm (8in) sandwich tins.

2. Place all of the cake ingredients into a bowl, apart from the coffee, and mix until smooth in texture. Add the coffee and stir in until all blended (it will look a bit too runny, but that turned out to be fine!)

3. Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for 25-30 mins (according to the original recipe but mine were in for about 35, when an inserted skewer came out clean and the sponge bounced back from the touch).

4. Leave the sponges to cool and make the buttercream. Combine butter and sugar until smooth and then stir in the coffee mixture.

5. Spread in between layers, and on the top if you wish. I dusted with icing sugar because I didn't make enough buttercream to cover the top as well, I'll be making more in future!

6. Eat it and enjoy! Nom, nom.