The Great British Bake Off has sadly ended (what did you all think of the result? It was such a close one!) and the weather is becoming a little crisper, so what better to do than have a baking frenzy!
Around a month ago I asked all of my lovely customers and Ambassadors to suggest flavours for our 2018 monthly specials, and we were completely inundated with comments and emails suggesting all sorts of weird and wonderful combinations!
Excited to start baking, I headed back to my cosy country kitchen, surrounded with sacks of flour, masses of Belgian chocolate and armed with wooden spoons and spatulas. When I first began my business, it was always inventing and testing recipes that I loved the most. My family wouldn’t see me for days on end as I would be up at the crack of dawn all through till the early hours surrounded by sponges, tray bakes and buckets of melted chocolate. When I finally perfected my now famous Gooey Chocolate Brownie it was the most amazing feeling, I forced every member of my family to have at least 2 slices to celebrate, they didn’t say no!
Recipe development isn’t always smooth sailing though. When I first decided to create monthly specials for all of our subscription customers I researched all flavour combinations I could find and set to work. I was used to the suggestions of cakes using vegetables like beetroot brownies or courgette cake, but did you know there are cakes that use a tin of tomato soup, and one made of mashed potato? Safe to say I stuck to my trusted ingredients. The only major mishap is when I was testing the blondie recipe we used for the July special and I added everything except the flour. I didn’t even notice that the mixture was far too runny to be a cake and baked it any way. Out came trays and trays of the flattest cake I have ever seen, more like a pancake than anything! Even though the taste wasn’t too bad, some cakes just can’t be fixed, no matter how much icing or chocolate you smother them in. That was when I realised I shouldn’t bake half asleep at 1 am and forced myself off to bed.
Although, it seems I only learned half a lesson; I didn’t leave out any ingredients this time but I just couldn’t resist staying up late mixing, baking and taste testing all these exciting new recipes. After days and days of retreating to my little home kitchen, I have come up with almost 20 delicious specials I really think you are going to love. Thank you so much for any one that suggested a flavour, and keep your eyes peeled, I may just have used yours!
These brand new recipes will only be available online if you are signed up to our subscription service which you can pause or cancel at any time. As a thank you for inspiring me and giving me a chance to get back to my favourite place, the kitchen, why don’t you enjoy a little treat from us with 10% off your first subscription box with code RRSUB10.
I can't wait to see what you all think!
