Raspberry and Blackcurrant Curd

After the hubby built the fruit frame a couple of years ago each year we have had more and more berries to harvest. This year is no exception. I do normally make jam but this year wanted to make something different and something a bit more versatile. So I decided to make a curd. We all love the creamier texture of a curd and it is perfect spread on hot toast, warm, fresh bread, scones and it ideal for a meringue pie!

Next week I have got a summer meringue pie recipe to share but before I do I thought that I would share with you how to make the basic curd. This curd can be the basis of so many different bakes and recipes. So expect to see more recipes that use this curd as I am sure that we will get a lot more berries over the season!

This is what I did...

Rhubarb and Ginger Cake with Kenwood kMix

If you follow Hijacked By Twins on Instagram you may have seen that I have got a new piece of kitchen equipment. If not, let me show you my new toy...

When I received an email a few weeks ago from Kenwood asking me if I would like to try out their legendary kMix stand mixer to say that I was excited is an understatement. I love to bake and already had a Kenwood Prospero machine which was a fantastic addition to the kitchen but as soon as I saw the kMix I knew that it was going to be even better. Since my childhood Kenwood food mixers have been a part of everyday kitchen equipment. My mum and grandmother had them when I was growing up so I always knew that I would have one too.

Kenwood have a stylish kMix range of kitchen products that come in a variety of colours so you know that they are going to fit right in. When I unpacked the kMix the first thing that I noticed was the slim design. Having a kitchen with limited worktop space, with the Prospero I did struggle and had to keep the mixer in the cupboard. But with the kMix's compact design I am able to keep it out on the worktop without losing valuable room. The first time that I used the mixer I was amazed by how powerful the motor is but also how quiet it is. This is a mixer that can be used without disturbing the peace. Another feature that I love about the kMix is the huge glass mixing bowl. The large bowl means that you can prepare even more, it really does give this machine the added edge, plus watching the ingredients come together is so therapeutic! So far I have been nothing but impressed with the design, quality and standard of this food mixer and I am looking forward to sharing with you a series of recipe posts that demonstrate how truly versatile and invaluable this item is!

Sugar Free Stewed Rhubarb and Ginger Compote

I love rhubarb season and having three mature rhubarb plants in the garden there is always plenty to go round. We always enjoy stewed rhubarb, it is such an easy way to use up a great harvest. But I am not keen on the amount of refined sugar that is used. Rhubarb has quite a bitter taste when it is cooked without the sugar. This got me thinking as to how I could stew rhubarb using only natural sweeteners. It took quite a few tastes, adding more ingredients but I finally got a balance between the sweet and sour flavours and have got a healthier stewed rhubarb.

This is what I did...

Mary Berry's Bakewell Tart

Last weeks Great British Bake Off was all about pastry. The technical challenge was a Bakewell tart. I love traditional Bakewell tarts so could not resist making one.

So I found Mary's recipe on BBC Good Food and got baking!

For this weeks Bake Off post I have used some great ingredients from Aldi. Like other produce from Aldi they are all at prices which you simply cannot go wrong with. There are also many baking products that are available at Aldi on their Special Buys. Their The Pantry range consists of various different flours, sugars, food colourings, nuts, dried fruit, baking chocolate and many other items to help you bake. Baking is such an enjoyable pastime and one that does not need to cost a great deal. Last week I even found some jam sugar which has come in handy as we have got a lot of raspberries to harvest!

This is how I got on making Mary Berry's Bakewell Tart...

Swiss Style Muesli Cake and Degustabox July Contents

It is Degustabox time again! With some of the contents from this months surprise box I have made a
delicious cake. But before I tell you about my cake let me tell you what came in July's Degustabox.

• Seabrook Crisps Limited - Seabrook have released some limited edition flavours. I received a bag of their Lattice Food Heroes with chorizo flavours created in collaboration with Three Little Pigs.
• Jordan's - Swiss Style Muesli is so much more than just a breakfast. I have used this muesli in today's recipe.
• Bahlsen - Choco Leibniz milk chocolate snack packs are lovely little treats that are perfect to pop in your bag when going out!
• Brookside - These Acai and Blueberry flavoured dark chocolate treat were a new product for me and one that I love! The dark chocolate balls contain a lovely fruity centre. They are good for you as well as a treat!
• Itsu - Edible seaweed is an Asian delicacy and one that I am keen to try. These crispy seaweed thins can be eaten as they are or added to a dish for extra flavour and texture.
• Sarsons - Sarsons, the vinegar experts, have recently released their very own Balsamic vinegar. This vinegar is lovely paired with extra virgin olive oil for dipping sour dough.
• Orkla Foods Sweden - These sweet pickled Swedish gherkins are so good! I love pickles and gherkins and was not disappointed with these. You can see them being used in my recent Team GB post.
• Cracker Drinks Co - Cracker Drinks' Pineapple, Coconut and Lime drink is made with natural fruit juices and contains no added sugar or artificial sweeteners. This juice goes perfectly with gin to create a quick and easy summer cocktail style drink!
• Nestle Rowntree - Rowntree have given the classic fruit pastilles a make over with their new Infusions. They have three new delicious infusions of orange and grapefruit, raspberry and pomegranate and apple and elderflower. This bag of sweets has been hidden away from the kids, they are mine!
• Alo - I recently tried an Aloe Vera drink while I was in London and really enjoyed it so I was pleased to see this drink. Aloe Vera has so many health benefits, the list goes on and on. You can read more about this drink here.
• Qcumber - The hubby recently tried Qcumber drink when we were eating out and we both loved the cool refreshing taste of this drink.
• Rejuvenation - In the past I have received other flavours of the amino acid enriched spring water, Rejuvenation. So I was pleased to see a new flavour arrive this month. The Spanish Orange flavour is so refreshing and perfect for a hot summers day.
• Berrywhite Ltd - Each can of Berrywhite organic drink counts as one of your five a day. All ingredients are natural and they add no artificial preservatives, no added sugar or fruit extracts.

Now onto the cake! This is what I did...

Summer Berry, Mint and Arbikie Kirsty's Gin Jam

Over the last few weeks berries have been a huge part of our daily diets. This is all thanks to the bumper harvest of soft fruits that we are having. So far we have enjoyed fresh strawberry and mint porridge, homemade cordial, berries with meringues and plenty of berry topped cakes! Having the extra berries this year has even got me making preserves again so as to not waste any.

I recently made a softer jam to what I usually make. This was inspired by a River Cottage Fridge Jam recipe that I had found in my trusty River Cottage Handbook about Preserves. These are a treasured collection of books that I have found to be full of information about preserving foods, growing vegetables, using herbs, keeping chickens and of course contain some fantastic recipes!

I decided to make a fridge jam as they contain about half the sugar of regular, thick set jam. So it is simply a healthier option for a jam. But fridge jams are also fantastic additions to bakes and desserts like trifle! Yes, I will be using some in a cake, so keep an eye out for a future fridge jam cake recipe!

This jam also has an optional added extra. This recipe made three jars of jam. I made two plain summer berry and mint jam but with the final jar I added something special to give the jam an added kick of flavour. I added some of the deliciously floral Arbikie Kirsty's Gin that we found while on our last holiday in Aviemore, Scotland.

On one of our journeys we discovered a quaint little shop that has whiskey and gin from floor to ceiling. The Whiskey Castle at Tomintoul became a favourite shop to stop by. It is like no other shop, you immediately feel at home and in the company of friends it is so welcoming. While you are there if there are any drinks that you would like to taste, and they have a bottle open, you are welcomed to try it. It was here that I spotted Kirsty's Gin from Arbikie. It was a new distillery to me and as it had my name I just had to taste it. I immediately fell in love with the floral notes of lavender that come through. All of the botanics that are used in Arbikie Kirsty's Gin have been grown on the estate. It is grown, distilled and bottled on the one estate and is a true farm to bottle product. Even the water that they used is mountain filtered water that has come directly from their underground lagoon! We love finding products that are more unique and away from the mass produced products that you can find anywhere and everywhere and Arbikie is just that. Arbikie also produce Potato Vodka which is Scotland's first potato vodka, Chilli Vodka and they even have some Arbikie Whiskey that is currently sleeping in a variety of bourbon, sherry and red wine casks!

Back to my jam recipe with an added kick. The gin goes perfectly with the soft, summer fruits and makes this homegrown jam extra special!

This is what I did...

Fresh Strawberry and Mint Porridge

As you will probably know we are having a bumper harvest this year of soft fruits. So I am using them in as many different dishes as I can. Today's recipe is now a favourite of mine. There is nothing more satisfying than going down the garden in the morning to pick fresh berries and mint for breakfast.

This is what I did...

Strawberries and Cream Cake

This year we have grown a lot of fruit plants to go in the fruit frame that the hubby built. Having the fruit frame has saved the fruits from the birds and has meant that we have had a lot more to harvest this year. The other week we had a so many strawberries to use and I knew that I wanted to used them in a bake.

This deliciously moist cake is full of juiced strawberries, maple syrup and raw honey, so not only are you getting some of your five a day but it is also made without using refined sugar!

This is what I did...

Rhubarb Sponge Pudding

What better way to use rhubarb than in a pudding. It goes perfectly in a warm pudding that can be served with custard!

This recipe idea came from my Spiced Apple Pudding. I find that fruit and sponge are a perfect way to have the best of both worlds It pleases people that want pudding while pleasing the cake lovers too! This recipe is a fantastic way to use any fruit that is in season.

In this recipe I am using freshly harvested rhubarb from the garden. I have stewed the rhubarb as per my basic Stewed Rhubarb recipe.

This is what I did...

A New Twist on a Classic Cake

I am constantly trying to come up with new twists on the classic cakes that we love. Especially when it means I can use what we have grown.
Over the weekend hubby pointed out to me that we had an abundance of courgettes both read to eat and in the process of growing. So I got my thinking cap on and tried to think of a new way that we can enjoy this versatile vegetable.
I was thinking of flavours that courgettes like to be with. I came up with the usual courgettes and mushrooms, courgettes and onions and courgettes and potato. But this was nothing different for us.
I have seen in the past recipes that use courgettes and lemons.
This got me thinking, the one classic cake that we love is lemon drizzle cake, how would a lemon and courgette cake taste?
I made my lemon drizzle cake mix and added 150g of grated courgettes to give it the twist!
I have made these as cupcakes and I am going to make a cream cheese icing to put on the top once they have cooled.
They have just come out of the oven and they smell delicious!
Mmmm can't wait to taste them!
If they are good I will post my recipe and pictures. If I don't post about them again you know that they did not taste as I had planned!

A Successful Cake

This afternoon I have tried a new cake recipe. As I am all for using home grown fruit, vegetables and herbs I am constantly putting on my thinking cap and trying to come up with new ways to use what is in our garden. At the beginning of spring we planted some lavender which is starting to flower. When hubby told me that we should trim the lavender to promote growth I got thinking and thought of a way to use some of the fragrant lavender instead of just throwing it in the compost. I would use it in a cake!
So I found a recipe for a lemon and lavender cake and with a few Kirsty adjustments I came up with a lemon drizzle cake with lavender.
Baking this cake I really was not sure how this cake would taste as this is the first time that I have used lavender in baking. But I have got to admit that this has to be up there with my best cakes. It was so moist with the added lemon juice and whenever you had a bite with some lavender in you got a fragrant after taste. Everybody had seconds and some even had thirds (hubby and my dad) so for me that says it all.
This will definitely be a cake that I will be making again.