White chocolate & salted caramel cake

So that was a bit of a gap between posts, eh? 2014 has already been somewhat bonkers, to the point that food has been about what can be cobbled together in the few hours between getting home and going to (sweet, sweet) bed, rather than something of experiments and long weekends in the kitchen.

White chocolate & salted caramel layer cake // The Dinner BellLetting go of the festive season has been a struggle. Our Christmas tree came down long after January 6th, and the rest of the month saw me gleefully throwing leftover Roses and Quality Street down my gullet and swigging beer while I chuckled at the poor chaps giving up sugar and taking part in Dry January.

But it’s February in a few days, and nothing makes you realise you need to step out of Hotel Chocolat, even if there are bargains to be had, like facing Valentine’s Day as it rushes at you head-on.

Of course, I realised this after I made this cake. It was a multi-purpose delight: a birthday cake, a look-how-strong-my-willpower-is-I’m-not-even-saving-myself-some cake (kidding no-one, I know), and as the last slice was devoured with a cup of tea by a friend, fork in one hand, tissues in the other, a break-up cake.

The cake itself is layers of salted caramel, carried by a simple vanilla sponge and wrapped in white chocolate buttercream, the sweetness offset by the touch of salt. What a way to wave goodbye to January. Continue reading

Salted caramel chocolate layer cake

March and April are always a bit of a family affair.

In the space of six weeks – and this is the just the family we see often – there are five birthdays, two wedding anniversaries and sometimes Easter. In those few weeks, there was wine, and feasts, and games, and more wine. What this also means is many hours of carrying a heavy suitcase around London, hefting it up and down the steps on the underground and dragging it, wheels rattling, over uneven pavements. Continue reading

Christmas gifts: salted caramel sauce

Next up on my Christmas gift to-do list is this salted caramel sauce. Salted caramel has been a big food trend this year and I’m really hoping that continues, if only so that my tummy needs never be without Hotel Chocolat’s salted caramel chocolates (which are probably pretty easy to make, using a chocolate mould and this sauce).0

JarupdatedWhen I was looking for a recipe for it, there seemed to be a lot of fancy temperature measuring and potential burnt sugar. That’s not what you want on a Sunday morning, not at all. It was a case of Nigella to the rescue. The recipe calls for a bit of measuring, a bit of stirring, and a lot of deliciousness. Easy peasy. You barely need a recipe, to be honest.

Click here for more Christmas gift ideas. Continue reading