Review: If I Knew You Were Coming Baking Boxes

So this week a little brown package dropped through my letterbox. It was very slim, but quite heavy. Inside were the goodies needed to make coconut and white chocolate cookies! I like this very much. I wrote recently about my love for little boxes of foodie related goodies that are delivered straight to my house. I've always been a fan of Able and Cole, but this is all about the sweet stuff.

This kit is from If I knew You Were Coming and is basically all the ingredients (bar the fresh stuff), pre-weighed, put in cute little packets and ready to go. You can either buy to a three month subscription, or purchase a one off box whenever the devil you feel like it. You can choose between Marvellous Muffins, Champion Cookies, Summer Selection or Brownies. In each section there are then different flavours. I'll be putting the coconut and white chocolate cookies through their paces.

All I had to add to my box of tricks was half an egg and 55g of unsalted butter, both of which I had knocking around anyway. The recipe card suggests that these cookies should take 10 minutes to make and another 10-12 minutes to bake. I found this pretty accurate, although mine needed a little longer in the oven. I think the trick is to flatten them more than I did initially.

Anyway, the important bit; they were bloody amazing! I ate one as soon as it was cool enough to scoff. This was in the interest of quality control, of course.

I adore this concept. I was able to whip these cookies up whilst our dinner was in the oven, and they were ready in time for dessert.

I'll definitely be using these boxes as gifts in the future. They are ideal for beginners as they are so darn easy, but they are still perfect for even the most experienced baker, as they save so much time.

Now then... when are we doing a bundt kit...?


Disclaimer: I was sent this little box of joy and asked for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to be nice/so greedy. Two snaffled in ten minutes. That settles that then. 

Ginger and Plum Bundt Cake

So my friends were hosting a Chinese night, and as is now customary, I was tasked with baking a themed bundt. After several horrific suggestions from the group (including sweet and sour and prawn cracker flavours), I decided on plum and ginger. It's still Chinese inspired, but not rank! Fish flavoured cakes are out.

The addition of a jam layer ensures a very moist cake, which is sweet and spicy in equal measure. I can highly recommend ditching the lychee vodka and plum wine which may have been thrust into your hand, and replacing it with a nice cup of tea. I found this combination particularly pleasing at 2am. There ain't no party like a 'cup of tea and a bundt' party...

Ingredients:

• 225g butter
• 450g golden caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 350g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 tap ground ginger
• 250ml plain yoghurt
• About 6 tbsp plum jam

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas 3/160 c
2. Prepare a regular sized bundt tin - 2.4l, 10 cup, 10 inch with Cake Release spray and dust with flour. 
3. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. Add the extract.
6. In a separate bowl, measure out the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and ginger. 
7. Pour the yoghurt into a jug.
8. Sift in a third of the flour mix followed by half the yoghurt. 
9. Repeat this until everything is combined. 
10. Give everything a quick mix on a low speed for about 10 seconds.
11. Remove a heaped teaspoon of the batter and mix with the plum jam. Note: this jam is quite loose therefore needs a little help with texture. The batter will stop it sinking. 
12. Pour half the mix into your prepared tin. 
13. Smear over the jam mix- you want a thin, even layer.
14. Cover with the rest of the batter. 
15. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 
16. Leave the cake to cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin.  
17. When fully cool, decorate to your heart's content. Mine just so happens to be Chinese themed, but this is obviously not essential! 

Bloggers: Please respect the fact I am sharing my own ideas and basic recipe. Blood, sweat and many tears have gone into getting this right, so you may enjoy a perfect bundt. If you wish to re-blog a recipe from these variations, please credit my blog and link to this original post rather than pasting the recipe on your own page.

Please see my Creative Commons Copyright information for more details. Thank you.

Afternoon Tea - The Lounge at Manchester House

Manchester House is a legendary place amongst my group of friends, fabled for its outstanding cocktails and one particularly wonderful afternoon in the sun. It's hidden in a pretty standard looking tower block in Spinningfields, but really does boast some of the best panoramic views of the city. Situated on the twelfth floor, The Lounge at Manchester House has a sun terrace with retractable roofs on each corner of the building too, so you can enjoy the sunshine (if it ever happens again). All the dining tables are situated near large windows, which gives the diner a wonderful view of Manchester.

We went for afternoon tea on a day that could not have been more different to our first trip. It was dull and drizzly, our fingers were cold and our hair was windswept. We took the lift to the twelfth floor, and looked in horror at our reflections in the lift mirror, but when those doors opened, everything was ok again.

It really is a beautiful place. After speaking to other people, I think there's a popular misconception that it's just a fine dining restaurant. No my friends, it is so much more than that. Granted, Aiden Byrne and his team are undoubtedly creating some wonderful (possibly Michelin star worthy?) food, but I'd equally consider Manchester House the perfect place for afternoon drinks and snacks, or indeed for afternoon tea.

It was delightfully quiet when we arrived about 1pm. I love a city hideaway where you can escape the carnage of the streets below, and feel like you have a special little spot all of your very own. We were quickly offered drinks, and before we knew it we were the proud guardians of an Aviation and a Raspberry Mojito.

Raspberry Mojito - Bacardi Gold, raspberry liqueur, lime juice, sugar and raspberry purée topped with cloudy apple juice (L): Absolutely delicious. I'm a lover of fruity cocktails, so this had my name all over it. I did have to have a word with myself not just to tank it in two minutes though. They go down very easily.
Aviation - Bombay Dry, Violette liqueur, Maraschino and lemon juice (R): My pal Lee loves a strong cocktail, and the classic Aviation is her all time favourite. Fragranced like parma violets, but with a big old kick from that gin.

The afternoon tea itself is a thing of beauty. No gimmicks, just pure class, and everything at Manchester House is home made. 

Sandwiches (L-R) - salmon, cucumber with dill paste, cheese and pickle, beef and coleslaw on a mini platted loaf, chicken Caesar wraps: A good ratio of sweet to savoury, although we cleared these in record time. My favourite was the beef, mainly owing to that beautiful mini loaf it was served on.

Cakes (L-R) - rose apple macarons, redbush mousse, Lamington cake, chocolate ganache: Oh those macarons! I often find them a bit 'all fur coat and no knickers', but we both agreed these were an utter delight. A crisp shell with a beautifully chewy interior. That Lamington cake was pretty special too.

Scones and Eccles cakes: I'd been thinking about these all morning whilst battling with some work based cack. That home made jam with clotted cream was a dream.

Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Brut Rosé Champagne (L) and Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut Champagne (R): Hey it was Friday, so naturally we were on the fizz. Perfect with afternoon tea and an early dart from work.

Teas - English Breakfast (L) and peppermint (R): Slowly brought us back to the land of the living after our sugar fuelled fun.

What a spectacular afternoon in my favourite city. Not only was the food and drink just perfect, but the service was spot on too. I love this place. Go here for a mid-afternoon getaway where you'll be treated like royalty.

Champagne afternoon tea at The Lounge at Manchester House is £35.


Disclaimer: Lee and I were invited to sample the new afternoon tea menu, however we were already massive fans of Manchester House following our previous visits. We'll be doing this again.