My husband Howard and I know that his mum and my mum love cake. If a slice of cake is offered, especially to my mum, Howard and I know our mother’s won’t say no. My mother in law has asked for an Apple Cider Cake for Christmas. (Watch this blog for the recipe on that cake). It’s made Howard and I now believe that most Nanna’s must enjoy a slice of cake occasionally.
As Howard and I believe that most Nan’s enjoy a slice of cake, I think there must be more people who love cake. Therefore I thought that baking a cake would be a great gift for a Nan, friend or family member this Christmas. Homemade gifts are always well received by my friends and family. With the festive season nearly upon us I think cake is a great way to say Merry Christmas to the people you love.
Do not fear the ‘After Eight’ of chocolate cake is here. To be honest, I have never been a fan of after dinner mint chocolates. They always seem to taste like synthetic, ‘man made’ mint to me. My son Ted has the same opinion so I know I’m not the only one. Ted and I both love fresh mint though and I’m always trying new recipes with this herb in.
Mint is great for the stomach and can help to aid digestion especially after dinner. With this thought in my mind I decided to use mint in a chocolate cake. For the recipe I used fresh mint and it really did taste good. Mint has a number of health benefits. As I just mentioned it can help with digestion but it could can also help with other alignments such as irritable bowel syndrome and colds.
Fresh mint has definitely helped me with the above symptoms and it’s great to eat all through winter to help fight against the cold and flu season. I’m going to try and include it in more savoury dishes soon. For now, this chocolate cake recipe was minty and so yummy. It’s one we will be eating again and we hope you enjoy it too.
Pineapple and Mint Upside Down Cake
The pineapple upside down cake is nearly 100 years old. Upside down cakes were first invented in the 1800s when ovens would not have been common items in the kitchen. Instead, cooks would use a skillet pan to make a pudding or upside cake. In the 1920s, Jim Dole starting producing large quantities of tinned pineapple. To promote his product he sponsored a contest calling for pineapple recipes. It is stated that 2,500 recipes out of 60,000 that were received for the competition were pineapple upside cake.
The company then ran an advert about the popularity of pineapple upside down cakes it had received, the cake then became very popular. The recipe for this delicious cake started to appear in a variety of magazines and cookbooks. I don’t know why, but I’ve been meaning to try this recipe for a while and I’m so pleased I did as it was so tasty. We loved it and we hope you do too.
For those for you that read my blog you will know that I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen. I’m thinking of bringing the spare bed down and setting up camp right next to the oven. Only joking! On a serious note, I have spent a little more time in this area of our home and this loaf is one of the many creations we have loved.
Dried figs and walnuts are a big part of our Christmas celebrations so I decided to try them in this sweet loaf. Walnuts and figs are great foods for helping to promote a healthy gut. They are packed full of fibre and have lots of vitamins and minerals that can help encourage good gut bacteria. As we had a lot walnuts and figs and as I have been spending more time in the kitchen I decided to make this loaf and few other goodies as well. The results were amazing and I just had to share with you.
One sunny Saturday afternoon, many years ago, I came home from my Saturday job to find that my Dad had made Ginger Parkin. It was the first time I had heard of this yummy treat. My Dad told me my Grandfather used to make it. He fancied a sweet treat and he decided to make this one. I was so pleased he did. It was so yummy and I ate a slice as soon as I found out where it was in the kitchen. My Dad did tell me it gets better with age but I decided to ignore that advice and just tuck in. Although it does become more like a biscuit after a few day if you store it in an airtight container. I’ve decided to make this treat for my husband and son.
Nanny’s Horrible Cakes with Choc Chips
When I was a kid my Nan used to like to bake homemade cakes. Nan didn’t really enjoy cooking, she preferred to be in her garden, but what Nan did cook was always yummy. So you are probably wondering why Nanny’s Horrible Cakes? I have explained this in a previous post but for those of you that haven’t read it or can’t remember, here goes. . .
My Nan came round to visit our house one day and I think, she brought her homemade cakes with her. Dad loved to try other people’s cooking and he didn’t refuse cake. When he tasted it he thought they were delicious so asked my Nan what she put in the cakes. I don’t think my Nan could remember so told him she just put anything in.
My Dad, being a very sarcastic man, imagined my Nan sweeping the floor and putting that into the mixing bowl. Then came the name Nanny’s Horrible Cakes and that was what they were known as ever since. My whole family really enjoyed them and we all thought they were delicious. I decided to make a few changes to the original recipe and add a couple of ingredients. It worked well so I decided to share this recipe with you.
5 Cake Gift Ideas are all delicious and they are always very well received by my family and friends. As I have mentioned in this post my mum and mother in law are both cake lovers. All the ingredients in these cakes are freezable so if you can’t make this gift a day or so before giving it you could always freeze it. Plus if you are giving it to a single person they could always freeze what they don’t eat before it goes off. We love all these cakes in our house and we hope you and your friends and family do too. However or whoever you decide to give or share these cakes with, as always, please enjoy.
Googies Kitchen Life 