Baking Mad!!

I think that this last week I have gone a bit baking mad!! With it being half term my usual routine has disappeared out of the window (and taken a long holiday in outer mongolia). Having all 3 children at home (plus husband so that makes 4!) means that I haven't had much opportunity to have any 'me time' so I resorted to making lots and lots of goodies (it's a bit like being given parole - as everyone wants to eat what I'm baking so they leave me alone to get on with it!! HOORAH!)

I started the week with some rather disappointing Blueberry Muffins. I'm going to have to admit defeat with these muffins now - it's the third time I've tried to make them and they never ever come out right. I followed that with some chocolate chip cookies - they turned out quite well (well they disappeared pretty quickly so they must have been good!).

Next day I turned out a pretty good, even if I do say so myself, Banana cake - I just love banana cake as it reminds me of when I was growing up. My parents were greengrocers so we often had fruit left over and banana cakes were a speciality. I use a different recipe to my mum (mostly because I keep forgetting to ask for her handwritten copy!) but it tastes just as good.

We had visitors on the Sunday so I decided to make a Key Lime Pie. It's not something I've made before but I thought that it would be a good desert for children and adults alike. I was right - yum yum yum

Next, while the children and men went out for a walk in the pouring rain I opted to stay at home and make something nice for their return (please don't think that I was being particularly altruistic as it was just the best way I could think of of avoiding the walk!!). The Buttermilk Muffins were a success - hugely bad for you as I didn't have buttermilk so substituted it with double cream - but they are oh so delicious. Needless to say they didn't last the afternoon (no one admitted to having more than one though!!).

Monday I made another banana cake just for good measure. Everyone loved it (it's so nice to be appreciated for doing something well - it doesn't happen often!) It also made a great desert (as I had forgotten to make a 'proper' one!).

Tuesday we had more visitors so I tried out my skills at making a fruit cake - turned out well as did the cookies I made!!!! But but but before you get carried away with visions of how my baking always turns out well - learn from my experience...stop while the going is good....

As I had been having such a successful few days in the kitchen I decided to whip up a birthday cake for my husbands birthday. I chose a chocolate cake as I thought it would be easy and the children would appreciate it! I made it and baked it and it looked good. However later in the evening whilst i was looking at the cake (still in it's tin) I realised that it had cracked down the middle and inside it was, shock horror, NOT COOKED AT ALL!! hmmm not exactly what I had planned.

Needless to say Wednesday morning saw a very early trip to Tesco's to buy a chocolate birthday cakes - hmm can't believe I've just admitted to that!!

My baking madness has now slowed down as I think that I may have overdone it over the last few days......mind you I've found a recipe for a chocolate courgette cake that I'm dying to try out....

All of my successful recipes are available at www.mumswhobake.co.uk