sugar-free SWEETNESS

Hope you're all enjoying the start of another week...it's gorgeous weather here today, the girls have been cartwheeling and forward rolling for hours this morning...
Here are a few pics (if I can upload them...) of pure sweetness from these past couple of days.

smiles from Mama...

little Miss J enjoying taking care of the horses...

little Miss A tending to her Fairy Garden...

Tea and cake with Sis and Tam...I changed the recipe a little from the traditional Apple cake I make for my Dad's B-day last year...I will post later....PROMISE!!! It's hazelnut and Macademia apple cake.

Sunset is sweet here...we can treasure the views with all the deer grazing every evening...

I'm SO happy I have been able to FINALLY post some pics...and whilst they were loading...I cleaned the entire kitchen!

Patience...that's all I needed...haha...

what sugar-free sweetness has entered you day today???

Until tomorrow...

HUGS

Char.x.

Danish apple and prune cake...

it's been a really Scandi day today....just got back from Ikea...having bought some frames(for xmas pressies to go inside!), Swedish chocolate(yum),and a few little gifts for the girls...so cute!
Ikea is SUCH a great place for stocking fillers AND breakfast...hot plate of bacon,beans,hash brown and scrambled egg...1 British pound(no wonder the line-up was ridiculously long)! BRILLIANT!...a definite must...because it's hard to shop on an empty stomach.
So...this is the Danish Cake which I made for Melody's evening out the other day...
VERY simple...and absolutely deeeeeeelish...
Try it and tell me what you think. I think it's the perfect coffee cake for an afternoon with friends.

Here's the recipe...I got it out of one of my Mum's collections of recipes(she loves to collect...so funny,I could sit for hours going through her cupboards and drawers and never get board!).

DANISH APPLE & PRUNE CAKE

For the Batter:
140g butter
200g caster sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
85g self-raising flour
115g ground almonds
125ml milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp boiling water
1/2 tsp baking powder

Other ingredients:
8 stoned prunes,chopped
115g shelled walnuts(I used hazelnuts)
2 tbsp sugar
2 green apples cored and sliced
3 tbsp sugar
ground cinnamon
butter

Cream together all the ingredients for the batter in a food processor, running it for 10 seconds. Run a spatula round the bowl and process for another 5 seconds. pour into a well buttered 10inch/25cm round cake tin.

Place the prunes on the batter. Spoon over the walnut and sugar mixture. Arrange the apple slices on top of the nuts.
Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees C/375 degrees F for 45 mins.

Sprinkle the surface with sugar and some cinnamon. Dot with butter and bake for another 20-25 mins until a skewer runs clean(I think I kept mine in for 10 minutes too long...waiting for the skewer to run clean...but I think the cake needs to be slightly gooey, I suppose it's a personal choice though)...cool in the tin, and ENJOY!

Hope you like it...you really don't even notice that there are prunes in it...I loved it.
Until tomorrow.
Char,On

it felt like yesterday...

It was wonderful seeing all the girls last night...they were all pleasantly surprised by their watercolours.
The above duck was for Chloe's little Lola...who is coming up to 7 months.It was Chloe's Birthday yesterday too...HAPPY BIRTHDAY Chloe.

This one was for Leesa, she IS probably THE funniest girl alive...she could be a stand up comedian!

Harriet the cat...who really didn't look like Mel's Harriet...but wasn't really too upset about it...as Harriet is old and leaves lovely treats for Melody around the house.

Melody made a wonderful dinner...stuffed chicken wrapped with bacon and stuffed with Camembert Cheese...with potatoes and a fresh bean salad. YUM!!!

and last but not least, Elly's Elephant...Elly the traveller...

They hadn't changed and 9 years went surprisingly fast, but felt like yesterday!

Hope to see them all before I go back to the COLD Country...apparently my man said that it had snowed 6 inches...

How's the weather where you are?

Char,On