HOME BAKING

[angeldelight]

Do any of you do this any more?

Do you cook meals from scratch do you make cakes and pies and puddings etc

I'm out of everything flour etc and can't believe how much it's going to cost to buy everything again ....is it easier to just buy a few cakes instead I ask myself.

I will spend hours in the kitchen making a million different cakes for my lot to demolish it all in minutes :laughing:

So do you bake,if do what do you make?

Do you buy the cheaper flour,fruit etc or do you always stick to a brand name like myself,I guess that's why it's going to cost a fortune?

So what about you ....

Angel xxx

[loocyloo]

i do pretty much all the baking for the biscuits & cakes eaten here!

i like to know exactly what is in them!

i make little fairy cakes - vanilla, choc or raison, flapjacks, choc brownies, carrot or banana cake, coconut cake, scones - cheese, fruit or 'plain', crispie cake/slice with choc or marshmallow or syrup. an assortment of different biscuits/cookies. sometimes a 'big' cake such as victoria sandwich or swiss roll. oh, and meringues!

i make apple/fuit pies & crumbles, making own crumble & pastry. the only pastry i don't make is puff as i really don't have the time or inclination!

i have waffle making ( cooking ) machine and the children love those!

i use value/basic flours and usually stork/baking margerine. (mary berry advises not to use butter! i never took much notice of mary berry before, but now i only have an aga to cook on/in, i'm finding her books more helpful! ;))

most of the time i bake on my own !!! i do bake/cook with the children but its so much faster on my own :D

[PixiePetal]

Love baking :thumbsup:

Sunday I made the usual weekly fruit cake, flapjacks and vanilla cupcakes (still need icing!)

Making white chocolate tiffin this evening and some double choc cookies for DS to have for school on Thurs - it's my relaxation along with cardmaking.

Never an empty tin in this house :D

Love my baking books and fussyelmo and I talk cakes on Twitter! :laughing:

[LauraS]

I love baking! It's easy.peasy when you cheat too :blush: - I have a big mixer and a breadmaker. The basic ingredients aren't that expensive, I buy the cheaper flours (although.not the smartprice one as its a bit lumpy), stork or equivalent in big tubs, free range eggs can usually be found for a pound a box in Asda. Fruit is worth paying more for, I think, as are the specialist flours like for bread etc.

The thing I struggle with is traditional icing, I would love to be able to ice a cake professionally, as I love the twiddly decoration involved in making birthday cakes but can't get the base icing smooth (how do people hide the lumps and creases!). Might add that to my bucket list :)

[FussyElmo]

Love baking :thumbsup:

Sunday I made the usual weekly fruit cake, flapjacks and vanilla cupcakes (still need icing!)

Making white chocolate tiffin this evening and some double choc cookies for DS to have for school on Thurs - it's my relaxation along with cardmaking.

Never an empty tin in this house :D

Love my baking books and fussyelmo and I talk cakes on Twitter! :laughing:

We do dont we :thumbsup:

Love love baking.

Need to get something baked for the kids lunch boxes tomorrow nothing like a homemade cake to brighten up a lunch box :)

I love my stand mixer my dh just treated me to a new one - still walk past stroking it calling it precious.

Im a shopaholic cookbook buying and the amount of blogs I follow - and I have come to the conclusion Im a great britsh bake off stalker as i follow them all on twitter:cool:

Might do the treacle tart later :thumbsup:

[angeldelight]

Do you use cheap flour etc Fussy

I tried it once and my cakes did not taste the same,I love cooking and don't do enough ...could def tell the difference with cheaper ingredients

Angel xxx

[FussyElmo]

I use cheap flour only time we get expensive flour is when its on offer.

I cant taste a big difference. In fact if they were in plain packets I wouldnt know the difference. If i see lumps I sift them out :thumbsup:

[jumpinjen]

Yep, love traybakes with fruit in, fairy cakes, ginger bsicuits my fave at the mo, flapjack, banana and courgette loaf, I buy butter and flour/sugar/eggs from aldi and those are the basics really - not that expensive and yummier and healthier than bought - plain biscuits to decorate and popular too! Go ooooooon, you know you want to! Jen x

[Daftbat]

I do baking with the children and I make crumbles for my own family for puddings. The children love making things and I usually cook from scratch with family meals and as much as possible with the kids although some of mine are so fussy that its easier to buy some stuff!

[CharB]

I love my bread maker I have it on almost every day :) I make fresh loaves, bread buns for homemade burgers, homemade pizza dough and tear and share bread, naan bread and a fruity malt loaf and still lots of recipes to try. A loaf costs me 30p and stays fresh for 2 days and longer for toast. The children like making mini hedgehog rolls :)
Charlotte

[cathtee]

I back with the lo's and use the cheap stuff as when they are cooked and cooled they disappear so not point paying expensive:D

[tashaleee]

Im another one that loves baking... would much rather bake than buy from a shop.... just on the lookout for a few new recipes now and things that travel well to school as bored of my usual recipes :laughing:

[FussyElmo]

Im another one that loves baking... would much rather bake than buy from a shop.... just on the lookout for a few new recipes now and things that travel well to school as bored of my usual recipes :laughing:

What books have you got and do you follow blogs. Can suggest some if you want :D

[Pixie dust]

How do you all find the time? I love baking but there aren't enough hours in the day!!!!

[funemnx]

I love baking, when my own children were little I made almost everything they ate from scratch. Bread, biscuits, cakes, puddings and all the dinners, it was a hobby as well as necessity (we were very poor!).

Nowadays, I bake for family birthdays and friends (just made grandson a Spongebob Squarepants cake) and also with the little ones here.

I tend to use name brands and real butter in butter icing for my own family or when I'm selling a cake and the value ingredients when it's just for the lo's. To be honest, I can't tell the difference in the flour at all and the baking margarine from Tesco gives good results so I use these a lot. I have used value mixed fruit and find it gives a better result if you soak it in something first! :thumbsup:

[Maza]

I bake with the LOs as they love it. One of my fondest childhood memories is licking the spoon/whisk clean after baking with my nana. We bake all sorts and last week we made blueberry pie linked to one of the books we were reading (Where's my Teddy? I think it was called). We were going to go and eat it in the woods like they did in the story, but we couldn't wait that long!

I don't use economy range stuff but don't get mega expensive stuff either. When I make playdough I use the cheapest flour and salt I can find!

[mrs robbie williams]

made a quiche for the first time, did the pastry was much easier than i thought just flour, butter and water then the filling, i did spinach, mushrooms, cheese and salami (ran out of bacon) having it tonight with new potatoes and salad very proud of myself :D:D

[Cammie Doodle]

Love baking, do it lots and lots , always experimenting latest fav is apple cinnamon cupcakes :) Made plum crumble last week . Had visitors from Australia here on Thursday and when I put out sandwiches and cakes, our friend said Oh I was hoping you had baked I dream of your cakes :blush:Bless his heart (he is 77) I used to make him scones years ago.
Dont cook as much as I used to, not as much fun cooking for 2, loved cooking for lots of people

[Monkey26]

I bake cupcakes/biscuits with the little ones regularly, they love it and so do I :D

I also make occassion cakes for family and close friends; so far this year a builders one for my dad's 50th, a batman one for my other half, a NZ rugby shirt for closest friend 30th and two hen night cakes.

I often use shop own name flour and whichever butter is on offer :) xx

[Monkey26]

The thing I struggle with is traditional icing, I would love to be able to ice a cake professionally, as I love the twiddly decoration involved in making birthday cakes but can't get the base icing smooth (how do people hide the lumps and creases!). Might add that to my bucket list :)

Smooth base icing... You need to crumb coat the cake before laying the icing :thumbsup: xx

[linzi133]

OK you bakers (im a baker when I have the time)

I used to have a fab chocolate cake recipe that used oil instead of butter. But I lost it and I haven't been able to find one like it!

CAn anyone help! please!!!

[primula]

I love to bake too! my fav is lemon drizzle cake with a lemon curd and mascarpone filling! yummy. I tried making bagels once a bit of a disaster!

[FussyElmo]

OK you bakers (im a baker when I have the time)

I used to have a fab chocolate cake recipe that used oil instead of butter. But I lost it and I haven't been able to find one like it!

CAn anyone help! please!!!

Heres some

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/6652/naughty-chocolate-fudge-cake

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/easy_chocolate_cake_31070

I made treacle tart today and it was delicious :thumbsup:

[linzi133]

mmm thank you!

I'll enjoy trying these out!

[PixiePetal]

I love to bake too! my fav is lemon drizzle cake with a lemon curd and mascarpone filling! yummy. I tried making bagels once a bit of a disaster!

never made bagels before and after watching them on GBBO I don't think I will bother! too much faff :rolleyes:

Day off tomorrow so shopping and baking for me then :)

[mushpea]

I prefer to do my own baking cause i know what goes in the cakes etc, I bake all the ususal cakes and tray bakes plus my own bread although I cheat with a breadmaker, I also cook from scratch, we have our own allotment which helps keep the cost down.
I buy the shops own brand flour and stork marg, dont use butter as its to expensive.