First of all, I knocked-up a pretty little (read: big) birthday cake for nan. It's not a Hummingbird recipe (blasphemy!!), but it was pretty so here are a couple of pics...
This was the first time I have made such dainty little flowers... they didn't turn out how they looked in my head, but, still, I was more than happy with the end result.
Anyway, on to more important matters - the desserts! I wanted to do a cheesecake - my first Hummingbird cheesecake! - so opted for the Lime and Chocolate one. I figured the ladies of the family would be happy with the chocolate, and the lime meant we could pretend it was one of our five a day.
I'd read on the Hummingbird's Facebook page that some people had had some issues while baking the cheesecake. You wrap the cake tin in tin foil and place that into a large baking tray, then add water. Bearing the Facebook warnings in mind, I made sure the tin foil was double-strength and there were no gaps! Plus, I didn't add quite as much water as was recommended, just to be on the safe side.
I think it turned out ok! I split the cheesecake a little when transferring it from tin to pretty plate, but it was nothing a bit of grated chocolate didn't mask (baker's secret!).
Next up, I wanted another fruity recipe so went for the blueberry crumble loaf. I was a bit worried about this one - I'm not a fan of blueberries so wasn't sure how many of my family would be. I worried needlessly - this one was a massive hit!
I loved how the blueberries gave the loaf mix a pretty tinge of purple as I gently stirred them through.
I couldn't bring myself to brave the berries and try to loaf, but I did steal some of the crumble topping... I'm now a convert - all future crumbles by moi will feature chopped pecans!
What a lovely weekend, and a great excuse to try out some new Hummingbird recipes :)
wow and yummy! Love the little pink flowers, they look great
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, many a water bath nightmare has ensued. I'm a convert to Lakeland's parchment lined foil. Ideal for bakers, especially lining tins and tray bakes.
ReplyDeleteLovely cake! The flowers are very pretty. That cheesecake sounds fantastic. I haven't made anything from the Hummingbird book for a while, I'll have to dig it out.
ReplyDelete