Calendar Cakes

April's Calendar Cakes Challenge - The Great Village Show

On 23rd April we celebrate St George's Day, which got us thinking about not just English, but good old British institutions. Springtime sees the first of the annual village fairs, fetes and shows. We're thinking classic cakes, British ingredients, preserves, award winning fruit and vegetables and prized beasts! Let your imagination run wild...

This month is a Blog Hop, so feel free to share.

Entry Guidelines: 

• Post your entry on your blog and include the ‘Calendar Cakes’ logo
• Add 'Calendar Cakes' as a label on your post.
• Follow Dolly Bakes and Laura Loves Cakes blogs using the Google Join this Site button.
• Add links on your post to your hosts Dolly Bakes and Laura Loves Cakes.
• Link to your blog from here using the Linky tool below. It's dead easy...
• If you don’t have a blog you can still join in, just share the picture online (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr etc), right hand click on it and copy image URL or link address. Add this to the Linky et voila! 
• If you're on Twitter, tweet us a link to your post @dollybakes and @lauralovesbakes - otherwise we won't see it! Use the handle #CalendarCakes.

Calendar Cakes Challenge Rules:

1. You can enter as many times as you like. Bake to your little heart's content.
2. It can be your own recipe or one you found elsewhere (please just state where you found it).
3. You can use old posts as long as you update them with the 'Calendar Cakes' logo and link back (see above).
4. If you want to enter your bake into other challenges too then please feel free.
5. You must submit by the last day of each month.

March's Calendar Cakes Challenge - Easter Extravaganza

Laura is hosting March's challenge, so here's a note from her...

We know all you lovely bloggers out there produce amazing Easter offerings every year and we'd love you to share them in this month's challenge. We want your Simnel Cakes to Hot Cross Buns to Easter Eggs and everything in between. All entries will then be featured in a round up at the end of the month. Click here to enter.


February's Calendar Cakes Challenge - My Achy Cakey Heart

We love an excuse to bake... What's better than to feed the ones we adore or to spread a little love to those around us? Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to parade your pretty bakes. Hell fire, we'll even allow the savoury sensations you make for your special someone this month...

Think splashes of pink and red, roses, rich ingredients, wine... all made with a twinkle in your eye and a spring in your step...

What?! Hate Valentine's Day? In that case submit food that warms your heart and makes you happy!

January's Calendar Cakes Challenge - New Year New You

Laura is hosting January's challenge, so here's a note from her...

So to kick us off with the first Calendar Cakes of 2013 the theme is New Year, New You! After the excesses of Christmas most people's thoughts turn to a slightly healthier January. So whatever healthy or at least healthier treats you might be making this January we'd love you to join us in our Calendar Cakes Challenge.

Maybe you've been considering making a cake or bake with unusual vegetables, a fruit cake or cake with fruit, a reduced sugar bake or a bake with substituted ingredients...if so then this is the challenge for you. I'll do a round up of all the entries at the end of January.

Click here for the January Round Up at Laura Loves Cakes.

December's Calendar Cakes Challenge - Go Crackers for Christmas!

There is no way on Earth that we were going to choose anything other than Christmas as December's theme! No way Jose! 

This needs very little explanation indeed. What are your favourite festive feasts? It might be something you bake with the children, an old family recipe, something you've created (you clever sausage!) or a recipe from your favourite cookery book. Think of scents like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger or rich fruit and the odd tipple... We want you to enter whatever you enjoy...

So…happy baking, we can’t wait to see what you come up and we’d be delighted for you to join us in our challenge!

November's Calendar Cakes Challenge - Bread, Rolls & Buns

Here's a little note from November's host, Laura...

Well it seems that there is a special day or week for everything these days...and this month is no exception! It is in fact Homemade Bread Day on November 17th, so we thought we'd throw you a little challenge for November's Calendar Cakes... the theme is Bread, Rolls & Buns.

More of a bake than a cake but just as delicious! So if you're a bread connoisseur then we'd love to see some of your specialities or if like me you're not particularly au fait with bread making then why not give it a go and see what you come up with. Incidentally November 3rd is Sandwich day...so why not create a delicious sandwich with your bread or roll! ;-)

We'd love to see loaves...sour dough, plaited or just a good old fashioned white loaf. Or maybe rolls are your thing...or how about some sweet buns? You may have been inspired by the recent episode of the Great British Bake Off where the contestants presented Mary and Paul with their version of a regional bun...or have you always dreamed of making a Chelsea or Cinnamon Bun? 

So…happy baking, we can’t wait to see what you come up and we’d be delighted for you to join us in our challenge!

Click here for the November Round Up at Laura Loves Cakes.

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October's Calendar Cakes Challenge - Halloween

Mwah ha ha! We just couldn't resist a Halloween theme for this month's calendar cakes! 

We're expecting some bloody good entries including some treats using your favourite baking tricks. You're all an imaginative bunch but you face some stiff competition. Up for a challenge? Of corpse you are... Witch bake will you enter? I'm sure they'll all be wicked,make no bones about it! Here's some brain food...

• Halloween decoration
• Gruesome colours
• Gross names
• Halloween flavours

Please remember real severed body parts do not constitute a cake, and will therefore be banned. There are laws agains that kind of thing... 

So…happy baking, we can’t wait to see what you come up and we’d be delighted for you to join us in our challenge!

Let your imagination go wild! We're excited to see what you all come up with!

September's Calendar Cakes Challenge - Cupcakes

This September it's National Cupcake Week from the 17th to the 23rd so therefore the theme for this month's Calendar Cakes could only be cupcakes!

I realise this will have some people whooping with joy whilst others may be quietly despairing at the cupcake invasion. However, there really is something for everyone...if you're already a cupcake convert, go mad or if you've spent the last few years steadfastly ignoring the cupcake, why not take this opportunity to give them a go?

Over the past few years whoopies, macarons and cake pops have all made gallant attempts at unseating the cupcake as the cake du jour but to no avail. Apparently a staggering 11.03 million cupcakes were sold between June 2011 and June 2012 amounting to £23.5 million. There are hundreds...nay thousands cupcake recipes out there and we'd love for you to join us for this month's Calendar Cakes Challenge. Here are some ideas and you can find details of how to enter at the end of the post.

• According to the Daily Mail the latest craze in cupcakes is 'Caketails', adding your favourite tipple to your cupcake. Why not try a Caketail?
• A savoury cupcake
• A perennial favourite
• A crazy cupcake that's been lurking on your 'to bake list' for an age but has always seemed a bit wacky.
• Create your own unique flavour combination
• Pretty cupcakes with decorations for a special occasion or just because!
• A savoury cupcake...is there such a thing....or does that make it a muffin?
• We may even accept a good old fairy cake masquerading as a cupcake.

Click here for the September Round Up at Laura Loves Cakes.

August's Calendar Cakes Challenge - British Summertime

OK, I know, I know. Summer is a bit of a damp squib so far... but... hear me out! I decided to pick British Summertime as this month's challenge because we are a nation who makes the best of a bad situation. We love to have a whinge abou the weather, but never let it stop us. We've all been there. The BBQ which fizzled out just after it was lit. The week off work which turns into a deluge. Making the most off the odd hot day and ending up looking like a lobster in order to 'make the most of the sun'. However, we are giving you some artistic license here. Have a think about:

• Your favourite summer treats e.g. ice creams on the seafront or scones packed with cream in tea shops! 
• The sun
• Memories of summer holidays as a child
• Places where you like to visit
• Ingredients from far away countries you've visited e.g. rose scented turkish delight, spiced desserts or sweet treats from across the pond.
• The English country garden 
• Walks in the countryside
• Beautiful seasonal produce (click here for a list!)
• The seaside
• Activities with children

I'm sure you creative bunch will think of more, but that's just a few to get you started. The wonderful thing about Calendar Cakes is all our events mean something different to everyone. We look forward to seeing your wonderful and imaginative entries!

July's Calendar Cakes Challenge - London 2012

Calendar Cakes is all about celebrating great monthly events...and what could be greater than the 'Greatest Show on Earth'...the Olympic Games. There really was no other option for this month...so we're looking for your Olympic inspired bakes. There are so many ways to go with this...here are a few ideas to get you started but anything and everything welcome!

• A bake inspired by any of the competing countries.
• Support Team GB...red, white and blue or a British baking classic...spotted dick and custard cupcake anyone?
• A gold, silver or bronze bake
• A bake inspired by a particular sport
• A healthy bake for athletes in training
• The Olympic flame, rings or mascots
• Let your imagination go wild! We're excited to see what you all come up with!
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As we host alternately, July's round up will be over on Laura's blog at Laura Loves Cakes.

Please familiarise yourself with the rules and get cracking!

Please click here for the round up for July at Laura Loves Cakes.

June's Calendar Cakes Challenge - Euro 2012 Round-Up

So folks, here we are! The round up of the first ever Calendar Cakes Challenge. England turned out to be a bit of a damp squib but your entries were fantastic! There's no judging going on here, it's just a bit of fun. Our theme for June was Euro 2012, and asked our participants to think about:

• Football decorations
• The logo
• Pick a country and use it as your theme (see a list of teams here)
• Incorporate food from a chosen European country
• Use colours from a chosen European country

Please feel free to join us for July's challenge, which will be hosted by the lovely Laura from Laura Loves Cakes.

On the very first day of the challenge we received these from Caroline at Caroline Makes. In 2011 she did some fundraising to rebuild a school in Namibia for the Bobby Moore Fund, and produced these little beauties in the process!

Can you guess who make this one...? Self confessed bundt-o-holic, this one is mine. I'd been dying to use this tin for months! This was an orange flavoured bundt cake, with inspiration taken from the old tradition of orange segments at half time for the players.

The next one is Laura's from Laura Loves Cakes. These are lime and vodka syrup Russian doll cakes. I adore them! Such intricate detail on their little faces. Stunning.

This patriotic little number comes from Kate at What Kate Baked. It's a strawberry and vanilla Victoria sponge. It looks amazing with the fresh fruit on top. That wouldn't last long in our house!

The next one is another entry from Caroline from  Caroline Makes and is a French Valrhona chocolate fondant. I love this picture. It just catches the light glistening off the chocolate. Yum!

This one is a Spanish Valencia orange and lemon Victoria sponge by Ros at The More Than Occasional Baker. Lemon is my absolute favourite type of cake!

This Russian Sandwich is from my good friend Dawn at Mummy's Little Peeps. I love the story behind this one! Dawn found the recipe in her grandma's hand-written recipe book and actually remembers eating it as a child. 

These cheeky chaps come from Laura at Laura Loves Cakes. They were made to celebrate England's first victory in the tournament. But a distant memory now...

These meatball and spaghetti cupcakes from Cat Haslam are so much fun! She has used a vanilla cupcake and piped vanilla buttercream on to look like pasta. The 'meatballs' are actually Ferrero Rochers covered in a bit of strawberry jam. Very creative!

Thanks to everyone who got involved for the month of June, we hope to see you all on the July one as well! Don't forget to tell your friends too, the more the merrier!

We would love you to leave your comments below... x

June's Calendar Cakes Challenge - Euro 2012

We British have a passion for football. Whether you love it or loathe it, you cannot get away from it when there's a tournament on! Euro 2012 is being held in Poland and the Ukraine and kicks off on 8th June, running up to 1st July. Everyone can join in, whether your a footy fan or not. It doesn't have to be football related, that's just a starting point.

Here's a bit of inspiration:

• Football decorations.
• The logo
• Pick a country and use it as your theme (see a list of teams here). 
• Incorporate food from a chosen European country.
• Use colours from a chosen European country.