Mmmmm..

The girls were having a night in to catch up and I saw this as a perfect opportunity to make something naughty but nice to eat - I mean, what better excuse is there?!

Me and my friend Rachel searched the internet and decided on this chocolate cake! We already had most of the ingredients so decided to head to the shops and find some yummy treats to decorate the top!

Ingredients:

For the Chocolate Sponge:

175g Self Raising Flour

2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

1 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

150g Caster Sugar

2 Egg Beaten

150ml Sunflower or Vegetable Oil

150ml Semi-skimmed Milk

2 Tbsp Golden Syrup

For the Coating and Filling:

75g Unsalted Butter

3 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

175g Icing Sugar

Splash of Milk

What to do:

1. Turn the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Grease two sandwich tins and line with baking paper
3. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Add the sugar and mix well
4. Make a little well in the centre of the mixture and add the eggs, oil, golden syrup and milk. Then stir with an electric whisk until nice and smooth
5. Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for 25-30mins (during this time put the kettle on and have a cuppa :)!! )
6. Once the cake has risen, take it out and leave to cool  

Now for the butter icing:

1. Beat the butter in a bowl until soft

2. Gradually sieve in the icing sugar and mix in along with the cocoa powder

3. Add a splash of milk and keep doing so until the mixture becomes spreadable

4. Once the sponge has cooled, spread the icing between the two layers to hold them together and then     smother all over the top

5. You can then add any extra toppings you want to decorate!! (the fun part!)

Tada!!!

Posh Cheesy Chips!

Sweet Potato Chips with Melted Goats Cheese

Cheesy chips (and garlic sauce!) are usually how I choose to finish a tipsy night out but today I decided to try and create my own healthier version!

Sweet potatoes and Goats Cheese are two of my favourite foods and complement each other so well! These are really easy to make and are a good alternative snack to those you get in the chippy.

You will need:

• Sweet potatoes (1 per person is about right but depends how hungry you are!)
• Goats Cheese (again you can crumble on as much or as little as you want!)
• 1 Calorie Olive Oil Spray
• Salt and Pepper to season

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius

2. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into chip like shapes - or you could even make wedges!

3. Put the sweet potato into an oven tray and spray a few sprays of olive oil so that all of them are covered

4. Season with salt and pepper to your liking

5. Put in the oven for 20-25mins (time to cook will depend on how thick your chips are)

6. Crumble the goats cheese over the top and then pop back in the oven till it has melted to your liking. I went for 10mins

7. Enjoy!!! :)

Blueberry and Greek Yoghurt Breakfast Muffins

With the new Great British Bake Off series having recently started, I have been desperate to get back into baking again. I found this recipe from Donna Hay's website and just had to have a go myself. These blueberry muffins would be perfect as a 'grab and go' breakfast!

I managed to make 12 muffins from the recipe below, but I do like my muffins big!

You will need:

• 375g of Self Raising Flour (Sifted)
• 110g of Caster Sugar (And a little extra to sprinkle the tops before baking)
• 3 Beaten medium Eggs
• 180ml of Vegetable Oil
• 140g Low Fat Greek Style Yoghurt (note: does not have to be low fat)
• 30g Rolled Oats (And a little extra for sprinkling)
• 1tsp Vanilla Extract 
• 150g of Blueberries (I used fresh ones but frozen will also work) 
• A few extra blueberries to nibble on whilst the muffins are baking 

Ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Mix everything together in a big bowl ( I recommend adding the dry ingredients first, then your wet ingredients and finishing with the blueberries)
3. Spoon the mixture into 12 muffin cases
4. Sprinkle with Sugar and Rolled oats
5. Pop in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown

Ready to bake!

Bon Appétit!

My Space

 I've been having a bit of a room re-vamp this summer and it's almost there - just need a new bed! I love the crisp white walls and pastel floral patterns! It really has brightened what was a dull room! I didn't buy any new furniture as a lick of paint can really go a long way...and if not then we can call it 'shabby chic' ey!
I'm trying very hard to keep it all tidy (tidy room, tidy mind!!)

This cute little fairy hangs from my chandelier right over my bed - I like little bits and bobs like that hanging in my room!

This is one of many owls I have in my collection haha. I always change the message on it, usually to something uplifting and optimistic! I had to change this before taking the photo because I was recording my weight on it - not something I want on the internet!

Don't you just love re-discovering a song you used to love but had forgotten about?! Billy Myers' Kiss the Rain came on in a pub where I was having dinner and I couldn't wait to get home and play it over and over and over....until I ruin it for the next few years!!