Flapjacks

Sticky, Chewy...

As part of my ever yo-yo-ing diet, I am trying to steer clear of wheat based carbs. Not so much because I am a teensey bit intolerant (not as much as some friends are, but enough to make me want to experiment with my best loved recipes)

Oats are a fabulous and tasty way of replacing toast with porridge at breakfast time so, of course, being me, I decided to make a sweet treat to keep things interesting for later in the day. 

This recipe is not so great for those of us on a slimming diet, but is fantastic for the tastebuds. And I avoided reaching for toast, which is what started this whole thing off in the first place!

I replaced caster (superfine) sugar with light brown musgavado sugar but you may like super-sweet, I like mine just sweet. 

250g butter, plus extra for greasing
250g sugar light brown or caster
175g golden (corn) syrup
500g jumbo porridge oats 

Preheat the oven to 180^o C

Grease a 20cm square cake tin
Melt the butter on a low heat in a saucepan, add golden syrup and sugar and stir in
Add oats and stir well.
Take off the heat and pour into the tin and press down firmly

Bake for 20 minutes and golden. Don't let the colour get too dark as the sugar caramelises and your flapjack will become brittle or harder to chew. It sets more as it cools down. 

Cut into pieces before flapjack cools completely. 

Serve with a massive cuppa

https://www.facebook.com/Cupcakesandkeepsakes

Flapjack Recipe

Flapjacks

Sticky, Chewy...

As part of my ever yo-yo-ing diet, I am trying to steer clear of wheat based carbs. Not so much because I am a teensey bit intolerant (not as much as some friends are, but enough to make me want to experiment with my best loved recipes)

Oats are a fabulous and tasty way of replacing toast with porridge at breakfast time so, of course, being me, I decided to make a sweet treat to keep things interesting for later in the day. 

This recipe is not so great for those of us on a slimming diet, but is fantastic for the tastebuds. And I avoided reaching for toast, which is what started this whole thing off in the first place!

I replaced caster (superfine) sugar with light brown musgavado sugar but you may like super-sweet, I like mine just sweet. 

250g butter, plus extra for greasing

250g sugar light brown or caster

175g golden (corn) syrup

500g jumbo porridge oats 

Preheat the oven to 180^o C

Grease a 20cm square cake tin

Melt the butter on a low heat in a saucepan, add golden syrup and sugar and stir in

Add oats and stir well.

Take off the heat and pour into the tin and press down firmly

Bake for 20 minutes and golden. Don't let the colour get too dark as the sugar caramelises and your flapjack will become brittle or harder to chew. It sets more as it cools down. 

Cut into pieces before flapjack cools completely. 

Serve with a massive cuppa

https://www.facebook.com/Cupcakesandkeepsakes

Jubilee Glee

Once every so often, you get the chance to celebrate something big, and this year it is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Ten years ago, my mum was in the procession down Pall Mall and as we watched on, we celebrated with ribbons on sticks which looked amazing by the way, all the way down the Mall.

This coming bank holiday weekend, I have decided to embrace all the celebrations with gusto! You should have seen me during the Royal Wedding last year, I was telling my, then, one year old all about happily-ever-afters already!

So, regardless of television adverts milking the party element to it, I will be excited to be living in England celebrating our Queen and making the most of that fairytale feeling and i hope we can all get to a street party, even i its not our own.

I will be at Bicester Avenue Big Lunch on the 3rd (Sunday) with some jubilee themed cupcakes and treats.

I hope you are feeling the Jubilee Glee too! More on Facebook

Lucy x

Oxford Bake Off

When I found out that the judges for The Oxford Bake Off included Benoit Blin, is Chef Patissier at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons in Oxfordshire and Kate Shirazi, a baker whose book, Cake Magic, I had been given as a gift about two years ago, I was excited and nervous. 

Shirazi, whose recipes  I had turned to many a cold winter's evening for comforting cookie recipes were down to earth, so I naturally felt a little comfort in that fact but the sheer thought of these professionals merely eating what I had created was a privilege in itself, let alone them judging me winner for Cupcake Connoisseur and overall Star Baker! 

Wedding Cake Finished

I completed the Oxford School of Sugarcraft's Tiered Wedding Cake course a few weekends ago and decided that, since it was for a two tiered cake, I would add a third tier to make it more 'wedding-y'. There wasn't the time, during the two days, to learn to stack and decorate weddings cakes AND add the third tier, so I did it at home.

Website Refresh

www.cupcakesandkeepsakes.co.uk 

is having a bit of makeover. And we will soon be selling our product range on Etsy.com. Its an American based website which sells things in the UK too. This is the next phase! Ok, Luce, calm  down and have (another) cup of tea.

We're moving to Bicester, so it makes sense to update all the information on the website and bring you a little more when it gets re-launched in July.

I'm super excited about the new house and it will be a cake making paradise! With my very own light and airy space ot take pictures and work in the evenings. I can't wait to show you what I've been working on, mum too (keepsakes) and will be posting my wren blacka nd blue bird mini cake How To soon

Love, hugs and chocolate biscuits xxx

Objects of Desire

Pretty things are nice, I've decided.

I thought I'd take the time to show you the Cupcakes and Keepsakes current surroundings in pictures. Its mum's house, so its really the Keepsakes' point of view you're getting this from. Don't worry, she said it was OK.

Don't worry, there are fruit bowls with actual fruit in. What can I say, we're magpies. Attracted to anything shiny

More sparkly stuff

The Big Man

Oh gosh, is that the time?! I use this clock even though its set five minutes fast. I think they moved the minute hand to avoid being late. Its powers as a time saving device are yet to be proved

 This is my Roberts radio, which I mostly have on when I'm at home on UCB Radio. I listen to Scott Mills on my way home from my part time job but I'm not so keen on Radio One DJs in the day and this seems to fill my ears with good things while I bake or wash up.

I've left the cellophane on the handle for when we move into the new house in Bicester. Geek.

There were no toffees in this when we bought it. Not sure what state they'd be in if there were. Mum found it in an antiques shop in Yorkshire. I love old retro kitchen stuff. Tesco have tried to replicate stuff like this, but the originals always win.

A pretty jug for when the queen comes round for tea.

Mum's love of form and colour influences her handmade creations.

This is a corsage brooch with a handmade ribbon rose.