Team Honk Bloggers Bake Off - Team Honk 'Baton'berg Cake

When it was suggested that we have a bloggers bake off to raise money for Team Honk Sports Relief I knew I had to take part.

The theme for a bake is sporty, Sport Relief, Team Honk Relay or red nose.

I will admit to a slight panic. Having the twins running round means I do not have the time to do novelty cakes and I am really in need of some practise!

So I got my thinking cap on and tried to come up with a way to come up with a cake that is sports related. I had thought of making a cake with hidden balls inside, or hidden red noses, then I had a bright idea. It was literally a light bulb moment and a cake with a play on words.

I came up with the Team Honk 'Baton' berg cake.

This is what I did...

Team Honk 'Baton'berg Cake

Ingredients

175g baking spread

175g caster sugar

175g self raising flour

3 eggs at room temperature

2tbsp cocoa

100g strawberries, mashed

1/2tsp vanilla paste

Strawberry jam

500g white marzipan or fondant icing if preferred

 

Method

 

Pre heat the oven to 170C (fan)

1 - Mix the spread until it is creamy

2 - Add the caster sugar and mix until light and fluffy

3 - Gradually add the eggs along with a little flour to prevent curdling

4 - Sift in the flour and mix until evenly combined

5 - Once your cake mixture is made weigh the mixture so that you are able to divide equally

6 - Divide the mixture equally into two separate bowls

 

7 - In one bowl add the vanilla paste and mix thoroughly

 

8 - In the other bowl add the strawberries and sift in the cocoa, mix thoroughly

 

9 - Take either a square or rectangular cake tin and prepare it so that you are able to bake both halves together

10 - Measure a double layer of tin foil that is big enough to line the tin plus an additional 10cms

11 - In the centre of the foil fold in half, this will create the dividing section, fold the foil back to create a 10 cms high foil wall

12 - Line the tin with the foil making sure the foil wall is in the centre of the tin, continue to line each half of the tin with baking paper

13 - Add the two cake mixtures to the tin and place in the pre heated oven and bake for 30 - 40 minutes until both halves are baked through

 

14 - Once the cake is ready remove from the tin and leave to cool completely

15 - Once cooled trim the edges and cut each cake in half using a ruler to make sure you have four equal pieces

16 - Generously dust the worktop with icing sugar to prevent sticking and roll out a piece of marzipan which is slightly bigger than the width of the cake once put together, this will be the base

17 - Spread some of the strawberry jam on the base and place a chocolate strawberry piece of cake on one half

18 - Spread some strawberry jam on the middle side of the cake and place a piece of the vanilla cake by its side, the jam will help to keep the pieces together

19 -Spread the top of the two cake pieces with more jam and place the other two pieces of cake on top to create the chess board design

20 - Roll out the rest of the marzipan, cover the cake with a covering of jam and cover the cake with the marzipan

25 - Trim the edges and cut off the two ends so that you have a neat finish to the cake

 

 

 

All of the bloggers taking place in the Team Honk Great Bloggers Bake Off have donated to Team Honk for Sports Relief 2014. If you would like to sponsor us *smiles sweetly* you can do here Sponsor Team Honk thank you x

 

 

I am sharing this recipe with A Mummy Too's Recipe of the Week , Honest Mum's Tasty Tuesdays and Casa Costello's Bake of the Week

 

 

 



Point + Shoot - 22nd - 23rd March 2014

This weekend we have spent both quality time together as a family and quality time as husband and wife.

On Saturday the twins had their first night away from us.

All week we have been quite apprehensive about how it would go. As I have mentioned before Taylor is very much a mummy's boy. This week, in preparation for Saturday, I have let hubby take over getting the children to bed so that he is used to someone else other than mummy.

We nervously took the children to my mum and dads. They had their tea and we snuck out.

We had a little bit of freedom!


It was lovely being "us" again. Being able to give each other 100% of our attention. This is something that we have not had in over 25 months. We enjoyed a delicious meal and a lovely bottle of wine.

Then we got the message that we had been waiting for. The twins were both asleep! We could relax!

We were hoping for a full nights sleep and a lie in. However we were both awake for 7am. After having early mornings for so long our body clocks are in that routine.

On Sunday morning we went and collected the children early as Joseph had volunteered to take part in the church family service that the school takes part in. They were doing a mothering Sunday reading, which was lovely to see. I even came home with some beautiful daffodils.

After church we went home and hubby pottered about in the garden between the rain showers and I baked bread and spent time with the children.

This was a lovely weekend. We had the best of both worlds. Family time and time out!



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I am sharing our weekend with Snowing Indoors Point + Shoot

Weekly Meal Plan - Week Commencing 24th March 2014

Last week was a success. I cooked all but one of the meals that I had planned.

When I wrote our weekly meal plan I had forgotten that we were having our first child free night and we were treating ourselves to a meal for £10 from Tesco and a bottle of wine!

We have now completed our first week of The Guardians Live Better Challenge.

How I view waste food has completely changed since taking up this challenge. If I can help it nothing goes in the bin!

The only food that has been thrown away is what the children haven't eaten. To try and stop further waste I am going to reduce their portions but have some extra if they want seconds. If we have had any leftovers they have either been used in the following days meals if possible, frozen or the children have eaten them the next day.

I have made a delicious Chocolate Orange Bread and Butter Pudding with some leftover homemade fruit bread and brioche.

All of our vegetable peeling have been going down the garden to our compost bin and the chickens have been enjoying leftover vegetables!

We are now going into week two and hope to reduce waste even more this week.

This is what we will be enjoying this week...

Week Commencing 24th March 2014

Rosemary Pulled Pork

This is a piece of pork shoulder that I have cut slits along and stuffed in fresh rosemary. I will be serving the pulled pork with roasted root vegetables and butternut squash.

Pork Lasagne

I am going to use leftover pulled pork to make a different style of lasagne.

Tuna Pasta Bake

This is last weeks meal that I did not cook, so it will be made this week instead.

Bangers and Mash

I bought some new sausages from the market last week to try. This week we will be trying the beef and tomato sausages with good old mash and vegetables.

Chicken and Haggis

I froze some leftover haggis after burns night so I will be using it this week to stuff some chicken breasts.

Chilli Con Carne

I got some lovely fresh chilli's in my vegetable box this week so what better way to use them than in a chilli con carne.

Have a great week x

 

I am sharing our weekly meal plan with At Home With Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday 

 



17th March - 23rd March 2014 - One Picture Everyday for One Year

I can't believe how quick the weeks are flying by!

The days have been colder and more like our "usual" weather but this hasn't stopped the children wanting to be outside.

Here is our week in pictures...

Monday 17th March 2014

Monday was spent, as normal Mondays are, cleaning round after the weekend. Whilst we were down the garden with the chickens I started looking at all of the plants and trees that are starting to come back to life. I was pleased to see the buds on the cherry trees. I love seeing these trees in bloom!

Since the twins had the dreaded sicky bug their appetites have not been the same. However on Monday this took a turn for the better! I bought them some new sectioned plates and have started to separate their foods. I have found that they are enjoying their food a lot more like this. This enables them to taste each food individually and mix if they want to. I did meatballs in a tomato and vegetable sauce with pasta. Isabella had a whopping 3 servings while Taylor had 2. It is lovely to see them eating better.

Tuesday 18th March 2014

 

I love watching the twins playing together. They have started playing a lot more roll play games. On Tuesday evening I sat and watched as Isabella set out a little tea party and called over to Taylor "Come on Taylor, tea party!". They both laid down and went on to eat and drink with their play food. This gave me an idea for a lunch time treat!

Wednesday 19th March 2014



  

Wednesday I took a lot of pictures and it was impossible to pick just one! We had a lovely day! We started the day by going into town and going to the market to stock up on meat. After we had had a walk round town and got what we wanted we came home. After their game the evening before I thought it would be fun to do them a tea party lunch which they thought was great!

After lunch it was dry so we had some garden playtime. They always love playing in their playhouse and on Wednesday they discovered alternative ways of getting in. They both thought it was hilarious to climb through the windows and were giggling uncontrollably!

Thursday 20th March 2014






When I got home from shopping on Thursday I was welcomed to the destruction above. The weather has certainly turned. We live in a village and have open field at the end of the road. This, for us, is perfect and we love the country lifestyle. However, as we are at the end of the road we are open to all of the winds that come in off of the fields. It really does howl around the house and garden. The greenhouse was originally against the wall.



The twins certainly made me smile with their cuddle game! They kept shouting "cuddle" at each other, then ran up and hugged. It was so sweet and shows their close bond!

Friday 21st March 2014

 

The hubby got a mushroom growing kit for Christmas. He finally got it going 3 weeks ago. Everyday we have been looking at it and to be honest we were giving up on getting anything. Then on Friday Joseph came running out of the room shouting excitedly "a mushrooms coming, look!" Here it is, our first mushroom, hopefully more will come along too.

Saturday 22nd March 2014

 

The twins have a new favourite programme. Disney's Sheriff Callie keeps them so quite! So while we were getting ready on Saturday morning they both went in Taylor's cot and we put Sheriff Callie on the Kindle and they were mesmerised! There aren't many time when they are this still or this quiet I just had to capture it!

Saturday mornings are me and Joe time. Joseph goes swimming so we have a bit of us time. The music goes on in the car, we have a sing and Joseph has all of my time! He is growing so quickly!

Sunday 23rd March 2014

 

My Silent Sunday picture is this beautiful little flower that is growing in one of our tubs. The only problem is that neither of us can remember what it is! So if anyone knows please tell me!

Have a lovely Sunday and a great week x

I am sharing my Project 365 with The Boy and Me

I am also sharing The Week That Was Captured with Make Do and Push







Silent Sunday

 

          

 

Word of the Week - Attachment

When I started to think about what my word of the week would be I kept coming back to the same word.

That is...

ATTACHMENT
 

 

This word is for my little man, Taylor.

 

Taylor is and always has been a mummy's boy.

 

Please don't get me wrong, I love Taylor being a mummy's boy and the attachment is on both sides.

I have always, up until this last week, got Taylor to sleep. He would not go to his daddy or anyone else.

 

Now that the twins are 25 months old we have started to try and get them to go to sleep in their cots instead of being cuddled to sleep as we have done until now.

 

I did the same with Joseph. I cuddled him to sleep until he was two and a half and he always came into bed with me until he was three. I did say that I wouldn't do this with the twins. But I find that cuddling the babies to sleep is a great bonding time and a time that I have treasured. However, they are getting older and I know that we need to change how we do the bedtime routine.

 

We started putting the twins in their cots but Taylor just would not go to sleep for me. He did everything that he could to play, make me giggle and just would not settle for me. He'd lay in bed and sing, shout "Mummy, where are oooo?", blow raspberries, play hidey boo, anything to not go to sleep!

 

However for hubby, he does mess around but after he has been told to stop he does!

 

So we swapped twins. I took over getting Isabella to sleep while the hubby took Taylor.

 

However, me just being in the room, made Taylor want to play and do anything to get my attention.

That is why hubby suggested that I take a step back and let him get them both to sleep.

 

Isabella has got it cracked bless her. She will lay down and get herself to sleep.

 

Taylor is the difficult one!

 

The first night he sobbed and sobbed and shouted "Mummy, Mummy, Mummy". It broke my heart to say good night and walk away. But I did. I stood at the bottom of the stairs and was in tears, my heart was pulling me to go back but my head was telling me not to.

 

The cord was being cut even more. My baby is growing and not really a baby anymore. I miss the babies that they were but am loving the toddlers that they are becoming.

 

Over the last week, the crying has got less and getting them to sleep is getting quicker. It has got easier for me too. I do still stand at the bottom of the stairs listening when I hear him cry but I do feel happier that he is settling easier.

 

Tomorrow is another big, no not big, it is a HUGE step for the twins, and the hubby and I.

 

The three children are going to my mum and dad's for the night.

 

The twins have never had a night away from us since they left hospital after being born and being in NICU for 12 days.

 

This will be the first night that someone else has put them to bed and they have not been with us. I know that the hubby and I are probably worried and nervous over nothing. I am sure that the twins will be fine. Luckily my parents only live down the road, so just in case we are needed, we are not going out, but will have a nice meal and a bottle of wine at home. We are just hoping that they settle and that we can enjoy a full nights sleep and a lie in!

Even though the bedtime attachment is not like it was, my little boy still remains a mummy's boy and always will be! (I hope!)

 

 

I am linking this post up with The Reading Residence Word of the Week head on over to see what word sums up their week and what other bloggers have said.