Cadbury's Roses No-Bake Cheesecake

I'm a little bit obsessed with making no-bake cheesecakes, I started making cheesecakes last year and quickly became hooked as I couldn't believe how easy they are to make. Now that we are all getting into the festive spirit as much as we can during a pandemic, I thought it was about time I made another cheesecake but this time with a Christmas theme, so behold the Cadburys Roses cheesecake. This cheesecake is made up of a milk chocolate digestives base,  chocolate cheesecake and topped with whipped cream and lots of those yummy Cadbury's Roses! To be honest you could use any festive chocolate you like, but I love Roses so opted for them!

Festive Chocolate Orange Traybake

I'm back with ANOTHER chocolate orange recipe...I know, I know....I cant help but get obsessed with the chocolate orange flavour at this time of the year, it's pretty addictive isn't it? I also got to collaborate with Cake Angels* on this recipe, they kindly gifted me some of their sprinkles and royal icing decorations and I think they look so cute and festive sprinkled on top of this traybake. 

Festive & Gourmet Degusta Box Unboxing!

Hey beaut's!

It's that time again....Degusta Box reveal time! If you haven't heard of Degusta Box before it's a food subscription box where you receive 10 to 15 surprise food/drink products a month, some products you receive could be completely new to the market and others could be firm favourites! The box is just £12.99 a month but if you'd like to try one out for the first time you can use my code R5R0F to get £3.00 off, making your first box just £9.99. So if your a bit of a foodie like myself and you love subscription boxes your going to love this beaut's! 

Terry's Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake Recipe

Who's ready for things to get a bit festive around these parts? I know I am, and what better way to kick start the super festive recipes than with a Terry's Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake! Chocolate orange is one of my favourite flavours, and lets face it a Terry's Chocolate Orange is a Christmas essential, their so festive and I think all of us receive one in our Christmas stockings don't we?! This recipe is based off of my Halloween layer cake I made back in October but the quantities are slightly different, so if you fancy giving this one a go just scroll down for the recipe!


Gingerbread Cupcakes Recipe

We've found ourselves in lockdown for the second time this year which means I'm furloughed and off work AGAIN! Although this sucks, it does give me plenty of time to start my festive bakes and cakes seeing as I'm stuck at home again, so I thought I'd kick things off with an absolute classic, the gingerbread cupcake! These taste so festive, there's just something about that gingerbread flavour that makes me feel all cosy and Christmas-y, I've finished them off with a yummy batch of vanilla buttercream and some cute little gingerbread biscuits and I think they look so cute! 

Halloween Degusta Box Review

Hey beaut's!

It's that time again....Degustabox reveal time! If you haven't heard of Degustabox before it's a food subscription box where you receive 10 to 15 surprise food/drink products a month, some products you receive could be completely new to the market and others could be firm favourites! The box is just £12.99 a month but if you'd like to try one out for the first time you can use my code R5R0F to get £3.00 off, making your first box just £9.99. So if your a bit of a foodie like myself and you love subscription boxes your going to love this beaut's! 

Halloween Chocolate Orange Cake - It's Immense

 Hey beaut's!

Chocolate orange is one of my favourite flavours when it comes to chocolate, that zesty addition of orange is just everything, and as Halloween is going to be a little bit different for all of us this year I thought I'd put that epic combination into a delicious 3 tier cake and jazz it up for Halloween! Of course chocolate orange is an epic festive flavour too, so you could use this recipe at Christmas time but just decorate it Christmassy.

Pumpkin Spice Cake Recipe!

Hey beaut's!

It's finally pumpkin season, and if you truly want to experience autumn in all it's glory then baking a pumpkin spice cake is essential. I have to say I absolutely loved creating this cake, I have been feeling a little bit meh this weekend after finding out on Friday that I could be losing my job soon (cheers covid) so combining my love for baking and autumn was sure to cheer me up, and it actually did! This cake is made up of all those delicious autumnal spices plus the addition of pumpkin puree and I finished the cake off with some yummy vanilla buttercream and some cute Halloween sweetie decorations!

Spiced Apple Loaf - A Yummy Autumnal Bake

Hey beaut's!

It's finally October which means I can dust off the spices and do an autumnal, cosy bake. This time around I opted for a spiced apple loaf and wow it's yummy and get's me right in that warm, snugly mood! This loaf has apple and cinnamon within the sponge and the most amazing brown sugar buttercream on the top - which might I add is the best buttercream ever made, the addition of brown sugar is just immense and gives it a slight caramel vibe, oh my! 

Kinder Bueno Cupcakes

Hey beaut's!

If your a Kinder Bueno lover then these cupcakes will be right up your street, their made up of a gorgeous chocolate sponge with a chocolate hazelnut buttercream and finished off with lots of different Kinder goodies. You can also mix chopped hazelnuts into the cupcake batter, this really intensifies the chocolate hazelnut flavour, I've made these before and will pop the measurements you need down below, however this time I skipped the chopped hazelnuts as I didn't have any left over but they still taste just as amazing! 

Malteaser Drip Cake Recipe!

Hey beaut's!

I'm back with another recipe today and this one is of the birthday cake I had. Yup, I made myself a yummy Malteaser cake and wow it tasted incredible!The cake is made up of three layers of delicious malty chocolate sponge, filled with a malty buttercream and finished with a chocolate drip and lots of Malteasers and Malteaser buttons! I chose a Malteaser cake as I love my Malteaser cupcake recipe and their always a requested bake by my friends and family so it just had to be a Malteaser cake this year.

August Degustabox Review


Hey beaut's!

It's that time again....Degustabox reveal time! If you haven't heard of Degustabox before it's a food subscription box where you receive 10 to 15 surprise food/drink products a month, some products you receive could be completely new to the market and others could be firm favourites! The box is just £12.99 a month but if you'd like to try one out for the first time you can use my code R5R0F to get £3.00 off, making your first box just £9.99. So if your a bit of a foodie like myself and you love subscription boxes your going to love this beaut's! 

AD - My Birthday + Gift Ideas From Moonpig

Hey beaut's!

Yesterday it was my BIRTHDAY!!! Yay!!! I must admit my birthday felt a little bit strange this year, firstly because it was on a Bank Holiday and secondly theres still a global pandemic going on which still scares the life out of me and I have to admit it's put me off going out a lot still, I'll get there though I'm sure! 

Basic Bakes - Lemon Drizzle Loaf

Hey beaut's!

Today I'm back with the second recipe in my 'Basic Bakes' series. This series will include simple bakes and cakes as well as well known family favourites and I thought today it was time for the Lemon Drizzle Loaf to shine! Lemon drizzle is such an absolute classic and tastes sooo fresh and yummy, it's also a really easy bake and and has quite a small list of ingredients so it's perfect really!

AD - My Dream Kitchen Style

Hey beaut's! 

If I could change anything at all about my home right now, it would be my kitchen. It's small, quite dated and although it's in really good condition still, it could definitely do with a face lift and a bit of modernising. I spend a lot of time in my kitchen too, I love cooking and as you probably know if you read my recipes I'm a keen baker, so I'm always dreaming of my perfect kitchen whilst I bake the day away, kind of if money was no object and the space was bigger, so I thought instead of living my constant kitchen dreams through the Sims (lol) I'd write up a little blog post instead.

Summer Degustabox Review

Hey beaut's!

It's that time again....Degustabox reveal time! If you haven't heard of Degustabox before it's a food subscription box where you receive 10 to 15 surprise food/drink products a month, some products you receive could be completely new to the market and others could be firm favourites! The box is just £12.99 a month but if you'd like to try one out for the first time you can use my code R5R0F to get £3.00 off, making your first box just £9.99. So if your a bit of a foodie like myself and you love subscription boxes your going to love this beaut's! 

Nutella Stuffed Cookies!

 Hey beaut's!

Nutella fans rejoice because today I have the easiest and the most delicious cookie recipe for you! These cookies might be made up of a basic cookie dough recipe but the Nutella stuffed centre is literally out of this world, it honestly turns your cookies from basic to totally bougie! I would go as far as saying this is up there as one of my top 5 favourite recipes as they just taste so bloody good, you have to give these a go!

Raspberry & White Chocolate No-Bake Cheesecake

 Hey beaut's!

It's been a hot minute since a rustled up one of my no-bake cheesecakes so this weekend I thought sod it, so I whipped up a raspberry and white chocolate flavoured cheesecake and I just had to share the recipe with you all. Raspberry and white chocolate is such a winning combination, they just work so well together and really taste amazing in a cheesecake! Theres fresh raspberries and melted white chocolate through the cheesecake which sits on the yummiest biscuit base and is topped with more melted white chocolate, more raspberries and swirls of whipped up double cream, it's the ultimate summer dessert! 

Basic Bakes - Nut-Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes


Hey beaut's!

Today I'm back with not only a scrumptious recipe but a new little series I'm going to be adding to my blog called basic bakes! This series will include simple bakes and cakes as well as well known family favourites, so I'm kicking things off with yummy carrot cake cupcakes! Usually carrot cake comes as a full cake, but I wanted to keep things faff free so theres no greasing cake tins or lining with grease-proof paper, as long as you have some cupcake cases your good to go. These are also nut-free carrot cake cupcakes because personally I hate nuts, also so many people have nut allergy's so I think it's essential to have a super tasty nut-free carrot cake recipe to hand. 

AD - Summer Bedroom Inspo

Hey beaut's!

I love switching up my decor throughout the seasons, and Summer is the perfect time to get things feeling lighter and brighter, especially in the old boudoir! So with Summer in mind I thought I'd put together a little post of - mostly easy - ways to update your bedroom for the current season, I hope this gives you a little inspiration beaut's!


Where Are My Foodies At....DegustaBox Reveal!

Hey beaut's!

It's that time again....Degustabox reveal time! If you haven't heard of Degustabox before it's a food subscription box where you receive 10 to 15 surprise food/drink products a month, some products you receive could be completely new to the market and others could be firm favourites! The box is just £12.99 a month but if you'd like to try one out for the first time you can use my code R5R0F to get £3.00 off, making your first box just £9.99. So if your a bit of a foodie like myself and you love subscription boxes your going to love this beaut's! 

Biscoff Lovers Rejoice - Biscoff Brownie Recipe!


Hey beaut's!

It's been a while hasn't it...You might of noticed that the ole blog has had a bit of a face lift, it was time for a much cleaner looking blog and one that I was really passionate about, so you'll be seeing a lot of food and recipe content from now on! I'm kicking things off with a Biscoff bang, yup beaut's,  it's Biscoff brownie time. The brownies start with a crumbly Biscoff biscuit base which is then topped with the most indulgent brownie batter with that yummy Biscoff spread swirled through, I'm actually drooling right now!

Degustabox Review + £3.00 Off Discount Code!


Hey beaut's!

It's that time again....Degustabox reveal time! If you haven't heard of Degustabox before it's a food subscription box where you receive 10 to 15 surprise food/drink products a month, some products you receive could be completely new to the market and others could be firm favourites! The box is  just £12.99 a month but if you want to try one out for the first time you can use my code R5R0F to get £3.00 off making your first box just £9.99. So if your a bit of a foodie like myself and you love subscription boxes your going to love this beaut's! 


Degustabox Review + Discount Code!

Hey beaut's!

It's that time again....Degustabox reveal time! If you haven't heard of Degustabox before it's a food subscription box where you receive 10 to 15 surprise food/drink products a month, some products you receive could be completely new to the market and others could be firm favourites! The boxes are just £12.99 a month but if you want to try one out for the first time you can use my code R5R0F to get £3.00 off making your first box just £9.99. So if your a bit of a foodie like myself and you love subscription boxes your going to love this beaut's! 

The Ultimate Triple Chocolate Cookies!

Hey beaut's!

Like many, during lock down I have been baking like theres no tomorrow, and yesterday I thought it was about time I whipped up a batch of the ultimate triple chocolate cookies! The recipe for these cookies is actually from my old Tanya Bakes book, but I thought I'd re-share the recipe just in case you guys and gals don't have the book and fancy baking some of these cookies for yourself! The recipe is actually really simple and quick which is always a bonus, and it makes 10 of the most enormous cookies!

Degustabox Review + £5 off Discount Code!


 Hey beaut's!

I have a subscription box review for you all today but it's a subscription box with a difference.... it contains yummy food and drink, so say hello to Degustabox*. Degustabox works very much like how beauty subscription boxes work, for £12.99 a month (postage included within the £12.99 price) you will receive 10 to 15 surprise food/drink products, many that are completely new to the market! So if your a bit of a foodie like myself and you love subscription boxes your going to love this beaut's!






The shortlist for this months box is...
Smarties Buttons £1.59 each.
Galaxy Oat Drink £1.50.
Wotsits Flamin' Hot/Sizzling Steak £1.00 each.
Marmite Crunchy Peanut Butter £2.50.
Cadbury Hot Chocolate 30% Less Sugar £2.49.
Naked Noodle Singapore Curry £1.20.
Knorr Stock Pot's 95p each.
Nudie Snacks Broad Bean Sour Cream and Chive £1.59.
Seedlip Garden 108 £3.00 for 6cl.
Homepride Superior Sponge Flour £2.00.
Highball Alcohol Free Cocktails Pink G&T £1.99.
Merchants's Heart Tonic Water £1.30.






This month we have a 'Hello Spring' themed box and me and my boyfriend have been loving it, we are chocoholics so we couldn't wait to dive into the Smarties Buttons which are delicious by the way, and the Galaxy Milkshake made with oat milk...wow, it's amazing! Also the new Wotsit flavours are immense, my favourite is the Flamin' Hot, their amazing! I'm looking forward to experimenting with the new Knorr stock pot flavours and seeing what I can come up with as they sound lovely! There's also plenty of drink options in this months box which is always a bonus, I love trying drinks I'd NEVER pick up in store.

If you like the look and sound of Degustabox you can grab your first box for just £7.99 with the code R5R0F HERE.

nopin
*This post contains gifted items from Degustabox, all opinions are my own!

Super Basic Easter Cupcakes To Make While On Lockdown!

Hey beaut's!

It's been a while...about 3 weeks to be exact and that's all down to the horrendous situation we are all in! The place I work thankfully closed it's doors a week and a half ago, and although that means I'm temporary out of work until the store re-opens I'm just so glad I can stay home and keep as safe as possible! Making sure we all stay at home can be boring but it's absolutely essential right now to protect our NHS and ourselves, so something fun you could do alone or with your kiddies is bake!
The recipe I'm sharing today is pretty basic (plain sponge and chocolate buttercream) and is made up of the simplest ingredients which hopefully you'll already have in your cupboards at home, I bake a lot so I do always have a stash of ingredients in my baking cupboard and the Easter mini eggs I already had as I was planing on doing lots of Easter recipes for you guys, but that's not worked out as I'd hoped so I'm using up the bit's and pieces I'd bought already! 

What You Will Need For The Cupcakes - Makes 12
125g butter
2 free-range eggs
125g self raising flour
100g caster sugar
25g light brown sugar
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
splash of milk

What You Will Need For The Icing
150g unsalted butter
300g icing sugar
15g cocoa powder
2-3 tbsp milk
Any Easter treats you have to decorate.

How To - Cupcakes
1. Firstly pre-heat your oven to gas mark 4 /180 and line a muffin tin with your cupcake cases.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whack in your butter and both of your sugars and cream together, then pop in the rest of your cupcake ingredients and mix until smooth with a hand whizzer or standing mixer. If the mixture is a bit thick then add a splash of milk to loosen things up.
3. Pop a heaped tablespoon of the cupcake batter into each cupcake case and bake in the oven for around 16-18 minutes or until the top of the cupcakes are springy to the touch, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool.

How To - Icing
1. In a large bowl, beat the butter until it becomes smooth and silky, then start adding the icing sugar and cocoa powder slowly to avoid the dreaded icing sugar cloud and mix again until combined. If your buttercream becomes thick just add in a tablespoon of milk at a time until you get the perfect consistency.
2. Pipe or spoon the icing on top of the cupcakes and decorate how you wish, I used up some Cadbury Mini Eggs and some Smarties Orange Eggs for mine.
 And there you have it, a simple yet effective bake which can be adapted if needs be, if you don't have any light brown sugar then just add an extra 25 grams of caster sugar or vice versa, if you only have light brown just use that. If you only have plain flour that's fine too but you'll need to add some baking powder!

Do let me know if you give these a go beaut's!

nopin

Galaxy Enchanted Eggs Cupcakes Perfect For Easter!

I bloody love Galaxy chocolate, so it's quite shocking that I haven't created a bake or cake with the yummy stuff yet, well until now I should say! Yup, today I am bringing you a scrumptious yet easy Galaxy chocolate cupcake recipe decorated with those pretty rose gold Enchanted Eggs to add an Easter feel! The cupcake itself is just a regular chocolate cupcake but it's been spruced up with chunks of chopped up Galaxy bar within it, it's so yummy and perfect for any chocoholics out there!

What You Will Need For The Cupcakes
125g butter
2 large free-range eggs or 3 medium
100g self raising flour
25g cocoa powder
125g light brown sugar
100g Galaxy chocolate chopped up into chunks.

What You Will Need For The Icing
150g unsalted butter
300g icing sugar
15g cocoa powder
2-3 tbsp milk
2 bags of Galaxy Enchanted Eggs to decorate

How To - Cupcakes
1. Firstly pre-heat your oven to gas mark 4 /180 and line a muffin tin with your cupcake cases.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whack in your butter and sugar and cream together, then pop in the rest of your cupcake ingredients (apart from the Galaxy) and mix until smooth with a hand whizzer or standing mixer.
3. Chop up your Galaxy bar into chunks, these can be as big or as small as you like then gently fold them through the batter.
4. Pop a heaped tablespoon of the cupcake batter into each cupcake case and bake in the oven for around 16-18 minutes or until the top of the cupcakes are springy to the touch, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool.

How To - Icing
1. In a large bowl, beat the butter until it becomes smooth and silky, then start adding the icing sugar and cocoa powder slowly to avoid the dreaded icing sugar cloud and mix again until combined. If your buttercream becomes thick just add in a tablespoon of milk at a time until you get the perfect consistency.
2. Pipe or spoon the icing on top of the cupcakes and decorate how you wish, because I wanted to make these Easter themed I used the new Galaxy Enchanted Eggs because they just look so freakin' pretty, but you could also use squares of the Galaxy bar or Galaxy Minstrels if it wasn't Easter time.
And there you have it, super yummy Galaxy cupcakes that are so easy to make and will look amazing on your Easter table this Easter! I will warn you, these are quite sickly and definitely for the chocoholics out there, my Nephew absolutely loved them and polished 3 off in one day (little piggy), one was definitely enough for me though he he!

nopin

How To Keep Your Home Warm For Less


There’s nothing worse than getting up in the morning or coming home from work to a cold home. It’s quite frankly miserable to have to wear multiple layers and wrap up in blankets in your own house. While it may seem like an endless battle between keeping your home cosy and trying to keep a lid on your energy bills, there are a number of simple tricks that can make a huge difference to your home’s temperature without breaking the bank! 

Here are some top tips for heating your home and saving money at the same time… 

Curtains 
If you don’t have curtains around your home currently, having them installed is one way to help insulate your rooms. They can be used to your advantage to keep heat in and stop cold air from getting in. Keep your curtains wide open when its sunny to allow the sun and heat to stream in, and firmly shut in the evenings to insulate the warmth already in your room. 

Investing in some long and thick draped curtains that go right to the floor and reach the ends of your windows will ensure no heat escapes or cold air enters underneath. Curtains are a useful temporary solution for homes that may have older window panes or doors with cracks where draughts can creep in.

Smart thermostats 
Another tip is to make the most of advances in boiler and central heating technology. Smart thermostats can be found in many homes across the UK and you should make the most of this. Smart thermostats can be programmed to turn on at certain times of the day or can be triggered by temperature so they kick in or turn off once your home hits a certain temperature. 

Most new boilers nowadays will come with a smart thermostat that can be controlled via a handy app on your phone. BOXT are leading providers and installers of combi boilers in the UK, offering top of the range Worcester Bosch and Vaillant boilers to homes and businesses. Their top priority is customer service and they are renowned for having boilers installed with minimal hassle, as soon as the next day. 

Don’t believe the old wives tale that leaving your central heating on low for longer periods of time is more economical. You should only use your boiler when it’s needed by setting it to come on around half an hour before you get up in the morning or arrive home from work. Doing this means your home is cosy as soon as you walk in but also allows you to avoid overspending on energy bills by having your boiler running constantly. If you have pets, you may want to set your thermostat to turn on for a short period in the middle of the day to make sure your home doesn’t become too chilly for them.

Keep your radiators clear 
Next, try to avoid blocking the heat from your radiators with any furniture. Radiators may not be the best looking items in your home, but placing sofas or other pieces of furniture in front of them will leave you spending more than necessary to keep your home warm. Leaving clothes or towels hung on your radiators to dry will also mean they absorb the heat that should be keeping you warm. Try to keep the areas around your radiator as free as possible to allow the heat to flow freely.

Insulate water tanks and pipes
If your home doesn’t have a combi boiler installed like most do these days, you should try to keep your water tank and pipes as insulated as possible. Minimise the amount of heat lost from your tank by using specially made insulation jackets and make sure your tank is installed in a space that isn’t prone to draughts. 

Pipe lagging can also make a difference by preventing heat from escaping on the journey from your boiler to the radiators around your home. Foam lagging can be found in any DIY store and is easy to fit. 

Draught-proof your home 
If you live in an older or period home, draught-proofing is essential to stop your energy bills from going through the roof. Check around your floorboards, window panes, door frames and more for any cracks or gaps where cold air can creep in. There are plenty of DIY options for preventing draughts like floorboard filler, rubber window seals, under-door draught excluders and more. You will notice a difference in the overall temperature of your home by stopping any pesky draughts from finding their way in. 

Heat reflectors
A final but still important tip for keeping a warm home for less is to place thin sheets of foil behind your radiators. This reflects the heat produced by your radiators into the room, rather than letting it hit the wall and be absorbed. 

nopin

*AD - This is a collaborative post.