How to Win Work Colleagues (with Blondie recipe)

In my last post I was ranting and raving about motivation and inspiration and jobs and bits.

Well another good announcement about the job which I didn't really want. After a ridiculously busy shift I thought: 
My heart isn't in this job. I'm done with it.
So, I quit. Thats right. Done. Finished. You only live once so why be unhappy about it? 

After a week later, after CV-ing all over the place, I found another job and here I am. 

But with a new job comes new work colleagues. Brand new scary people that you have to work with who already know each others names, and have their own in jokes. It can be pretty daunting. 
So, I could do two things that would make me feel much better about a situation: Stuff my face with Nandos/chocolate/endless episodes of Supernatural or I BAKE!

I decided to make an impression with my baking skills. Nothing wins a group of females co-workers like chocolate cake. Especially if its a Chocolate Cola Cake. Now I've opened the door to getting to know my colleagues better. All done with cake, of course.

However, before I rejoice in my new job, there is a something I would like to say to my former office work colleagues:

•  Chris- You taught me to be firm with really annoying customers and to be experimental with the most strangest food. More importantly, Chris, I wish you all the best with your new husband! Your going to make a fab wife and an awesome mummy one day!
• Hannah- You are just adorable and I loved our little chats and you were seriously missed when you left!
• Lucy H- Lu-lu you are a wonderful cousin and you don't know it because I'm kinda shy about saying it (I don't do chick flick crap) but I have always looked up to you and you constantly inspire me. 
• Ben- What can say? Our 'witty' (used loosely) banter back and forth about 'Bakery Story' or general zombie related stuff. We are officially the most prepared people for a zombie apocalypse. 
• Lucy Madz- Our sneaky shopping trips and 'Fat Fridays' and the general chats about life in general. Its hard to find another kindred (crazy) spirit. Luc, your the sister I wish I had because you are just generally awesome and beautiful. For goodness sake don't change! 

I didn't really get to say a proper good-bye and thank-you for all the good times we shared. Thank-you Ladies! (and Ben)

So as promised I did some baking before I left my previous workplace I made some farewell Blondies and dished them out to my lovely work colleagues. 

Blondies are basicaly the 'anti Brownie' meaning that they are made with white chocolate rather milk or dark chocolate. 

 

Here's that recipe:

Recipe: Makes 18 squares (recipe adapted from Cookies Galore by Jacqueline Bellafontaine)

·       500g white chocolate

·       75g butter, at room temperature

·       3 eggs

·       180g caster sugar

·       180g self-raising flour

·       1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·       (180g macadamia nuts roughly chopped, optional)

Equipment:

·       Baking pan lined with silicone paper

·       Chopping board

·       Sharp knife

·       Heat proof bowl

·       Saucepan

·       Mixing bowl

1.    Preheat oven to Gas Mark 5/ 190c/375f. Grease and base line a baking pan.

2.    Roughly chop 400g of the chocolate and put aside.
I ran out of chocolate and had to use an easter egg that I received but never got around to eating. It was of a pretty 'Hello Kitty' which got smashed to pieces! 

Before

After-Oh the chocolate humanity! 

3.    Melt the remaining chocolate and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cool slightly.

4.    Beat the eggs and sugar together in a bowl and gradually beat in the melted chocolate.

5.    Sift the flour over the mixture and fold together with the reserved chocolate, vanilla extract and nuts if using.

6.    Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until the centre is only just only just firm to touch. Cool in the tin. Cut into squares when cold.

Happy Saturday and Have a Good Weekend

What I Did For My Birthday

Even though I thought on my birthday week that I could take it easy and not lift a single palette knife. Of course, I got drafted and I made two chocolate cola cakes. One for my cousins birthday, which was handed out at work.

and then I made another chocolate cola cake for my boyfriends parents and of course, 'my cake tester' boyfriend.

Oh doesn't that scream chocolately goodness? 

I wanted so badly to make my own birthday cake but I was strictly warned that that wasn't going to happen as I do so much baking all the time, so I needed a break from it. Instead my lovely nan had a cake made for me and my mums birthday.

How cool is that? My mums loves bingo, (she's at that age), so she got a bingo card and I got a cute little cupcake, of course!

I was greeted on my birthday morning with a bunch of awesome presents! 

 I wasn't thrilled with all of my presents... I got some anti-wrinkle eye cream...I'm twenty-something but I think someone was trying to give me a hint there.

 However, one of my coolest cards was a beautiful Snow White card from my friend Sofia, who I made a birthday cake for. I love Disney so this was the best card! My present was inside the card...and the surprise was when I opened the card...

 Yups I'm totally going on a Ghost Bus Tour! OMG!! Thank-you Sof!!!
One of my other passions is anything scary, anything horror and ghosty. So it's not just all about cakes. 

Another one of the most beautiful cards I got, nearly moved me to tears. It was from my friend Naomi, all the way in Dubai, who I miss terribly. (Check out the Good luck cupcakes I made for Naomi here!)

 It really shocked me to see my face plastered all over the card! It looks wonderful but what made me smile was the message:

 Even the back was personalised! Thank-you Naomi, this card moved me to tears. Please come back soon!! We all really miss you here!

I was also lucky enough to spend time with my family and my boyfriend. We went out for a meal and even went out for bingo! I didn't win however. But I had an excellent birthday. 

I would like to thank everyone for my gifts, cards and for the wonderful memories. Closing this post here's a picture of one of my favourite foods, which I had the day after my birthday: Crab on Fries from Ventnor Haven Fishery on the Isle of Wight. 

These are some amazingly tasty chips!
Bake On!

Decadent Chocolate and Cola Cake

Cola and chocolate cake is not one of cakes that come to mind when I think of when I fancy an afternoon sweet treat. But I thought, what the hell, it's Friday after all.

I baked it, iced it and tried it. 

Oh my cakey kitchen goddess, this is one smexy cake!

I had a little bite for my lunch break and was in such a blissful chocolate state that I was late afterwards! It's got all the best ingredients. Cola, chocolate and marshmallows! I would suggest that you bake it for a birthday treat, or a catch up with friends. Or you can do what I did. Take it in for some very hungry office workers and watch it disappear! 

Recipe: The Cake

·       250g self-raising flour, sieved

·       225g butter, at room temperature

·       290g brown soft sugar

·       2 eggs

·       2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·       250ml cola

·       125ml natural yogurt

·       30g cocoa powder, sieved

·       1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, sieved

·       200g mini marshmallows

Recipe: The Cola Icing

·       90ml cola

·       110g butter

·       3 tablespoons cocoa powder

·       250g icing sugar

·       A bag of cola sweets to decorate

Equipment:

·       Bowl x 2

·       Electric hand-held whisk

·       Sieve

·       Scraper

·       Saucepan

·       Wooden spoon

·       Deep baking tray lined with silicone paper

Step 2. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, and bicarbonate of soda together in one bowl.

     1. Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 4/350f/180c. Grease and line a big tray.

     2. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, and bicarbonate of soda together in one bowl.

     

Step 3. Creamed sugar and butter mixture.

 3. Cream sugar and butter together in a separate, until creamy. Add the eggs one at the time and then add the vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.

Step 4. the cola and yoghurt mixture

    4.  Mix the cola and natural yoghurt together in a smaller bowl. Until it looks foamy and gross. (I know it looks awful but trust me it works.)

    5. Pour 1/3 of the cola and yoghurt mix into the creamed butter and sugar, then mix in 1/3 flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda mix. Add another 1/3 of the liquid mixture, mix again and then add an additional 1/3 flour mixture. Do this a third and final time so that all of the flour and cola mixture is incorporated into one bowl.

Step 6. Add the marshmallows

   6. Add the mini marshmallows and stir in with a scraper.

Step 7. Into the tray it goes.

Step 8. Cool on a wire rack

   7. Pour the cake batter into the prepared tray and bake for 35-40 minutes. Once baked leave in the tray for about 15 minutes and transfer carefully, to a wire rack.

Step 8. Add the cola, cocoa and butter in a saucepan.

 

Step 8. Bring to the boil and keep stirring

   8.To make the icing, put the cola, butter and cocoa powder into a saucepan, until the butter is melted. Bring to boil, stirring constantly.

   9. Sieve the icing sugar into a big bowl and pour the chocolate butter mixture into it.

Step 10. Spread that icing!

  10. Whisk until all of the icing sugar has been incorporated.  Leave the icing to thicken in the fridge. Once the cake and the icing have both cooled spread the icing over the cake and decorate with cola bottle sweets.

Bake on!

Penny