Cranberry & White Chocolate Couronne

I don't do much bread, but when I do, I try to make it as much like cake as possible. This sweet golden crown of glazed dough is stuffed with the wonderfully tasty and perfectly complimentary flavours of cranberries, macadamia nuts, apricots and white chocolate. It is fruity, sweet, moist, crunchy - and unlike a lot of fruit loaves, it actually tastes as good as is looks. As far as bread goes, this is a sweet tooth's delight and is great for any occasion, at any time of day.

Cherry and Almond Cake

Cherries are currently on offer in the supermakarkets, so what better time to make a cherry cake than with the luxury of real cherries! If you can't find them though, tinned cherries will do just fine. This cake is loaded with chopped and toasted almonds and is really nice as a desert as well as snack. In the recipe you will see that there is an option to add cherry jam into the sponge to create a marbled effect, now I haven't tried this yet but I think that this touch will make the cake extra special. The glaze on top makes it look good enough for a patisserie window (and also stops all the nuts from falling off!)

Lemon & Blackberry Slices

A layer of lemon pastry, a layer of jam, a layer of frangipane with seasonal blackberries stuffed all over it, not forgetting a generous sprinkling of delicious crunchy almonds.

These slices are light yet have just the right amount of decadence to fill that "I need cake" hole. They'll also fill your house with a wonderful lemony scent.

...Now my husband always complains that I put too many nuts on my cakes, but I just can't get enough of them! You can make it as nutty or as un-nutty as your taste buds require.

Raspberry Bakewell Tart

My mother is so thoughtful. She posts me magazine clippings of recipes a week prior to coming to stay "Thought you'd like this one Rosie", then upon arrival sits there secretly hoping that I will bake it for her. Well this time I did and I am so glad. Raspberry Bakewell Tart, it looks posh doesn't it? Surprisingly, this was my first attempt at making my own pastry. Why I had been using pre-made pastry cases I don't know. DIY (or BIY - bake it yourself!) is undoubtedly so much yummier.

Ooey Gooey Apricot Cookies

Apricot and Almond Cookies, completely delicious. So gooey. I doubled the recipe... twelve is definitely not enough.