Challenge #8 Bakewell Tart

 My mac has died and so my blog updates are a little behind :-(. I'm having to use my phone camera instead of my SLR because it's easier to upload onto my borrowed PC. Anyway! This week I made bakewell tart mmm. We had dinner at the in laws and I was in charge of puds.  I've just started a new job - as a baker in a lovely coffee & cake shop in Chester and the lady who I bake with made bakewell tarts this week and they looked so good that it was an obvious choice for this occasion.  So step one was make pastry...

I used my friend Jen's kitchen, she had invited some of us round for a girlie film - so I baked whilst Bridget Jones was on in the background. Good times. Next step spread raspberry jam onto the pastry base...

Step three...make almond sponge...

Step four spread batter onto jam and pastry base and sprinkle flaked almonds on top. Then bung in the oven...

180 degrees for 25mins. Jen's oven has a light that actually works - what a novelty.

Ta daaaa

Le Creuset 7-oz. Petite Tart Dish - Cherry - Le Creuset Stoneware (Google Affiliate Ad)

Challenge #3 American Apple & Apricot Cake

 This cake was yummy and my favourite so far from Mary Berry's Baking Bible. I'm not usually a fruit cake fan but I'll make this an exception!  

The main ingredients were cooking apples, dried apricots, almond essence & flaked almonds on top.

The batter consistency was really unusual - it mostly consisted of massive lumps of fruit - I wondered how it would end up turning into a cake.

Before

 

After

And the result....D loved it and ate it all but J didn't like the fruit bits :-). I really commend it - it's really nice.