#ZOMEETO AT SPONGE & CREAM

In conjunction with National Cupcake Week, I was excited to be invited for the Zomato Meetup (#ZoMeeto!) at Sponge and Cream in Brixton, where the lovely Paulina very graciously welcomed us into her wondrous little kitchen - where all the magic happens!

 We had a bit of a Q&A session with Paulina, previously head baker at Hummingbird Bakery, who explained a bit about her story and how she started up her business.

After much drooling over the scrumptious looking cakes on display, it was finally time to get a taste of them.

All the flavours looked so good that it took me a while before I managed to come to a decision. I settled for the rich German Chocolate Coconut with Praline...or something along those lines - and it sure tasted good! As with most blogger events, we always like to share our food, and thankfully each of us had chosen different flavours. 

The Butternut Squash Dream was one of a kind indeed, made with butternut squash, apples, raisins, and frosted with strawberry marshmallow frosting - and some of you may also be glad to know that it is gluten and wheat free. Another favourite was the (gluten/wheat free) Lembluca cake which was a rich lemon and blueberry cake frosted with lemon frosting, and of course the classic Carrot cake.

Everyone knows the drill when it comes to blogger events, so here are a couple of 'behind-the-scenes' shots...

Photo credits to the lovely Sheepa

Photo credits to the lovely Sheepa

Paulina then demonstrated one of her new recipes, a three-tiered Coconut and Lemon Curd Cake. She had baked the layers and prepared the frosting ready beforehand and we got to observe her whilst she assembled them together. 

To make sure that the top is level, a thin layer was cut off. I gasped as this cut off bit was disposed off (!) - I would have gladly eaten up the leftover bits, but then again I suppose there is only so much cake that one can consume (!)

A thick rim of coconut frosting was then piped around the edges of the cake, forming a wall of frosting. This was followed by the pouring of a large portion of lemon curd in the middle of the cake, and the steps repeated for the second layer.

The top and last layer of the cake was leveled and placed top downwards on the other two layers. The whole cake was then covered with the remaining frosting and finally sprinkled with lots of desiccated coconut.

Add a few slices of fresh lemon disks as decoration, and here you have this stunning looking Coconut and Lemon Curd Cake!

Paulina kindly provided us with the recipe for this dream of a cake, which looks simple enough to follow, but I might just be cheeky and try and suggest to one of my baking friends to give it a go in their kitchen...I have better faith in the pros when it comes to baking.

Next, Paulina talked us through our Halloween-themed cupcake decorating session, as we were just about a month away from the much awaited yearly celebration! She had prepared three different designs for us to replicate. I have never handled or used fondant before, but it was sort of like play-dough so it felt easy enough to play around with - I think that I am generally quite good with my hands...

Okay, so my cupcake decorations didn't quite turn out as well as I was hoping for...and I also decided to go a bit 'freestyle'! Notice my groovy ghost with the multi-coloured spots (picked at fondant bit leftover on the table...) and my cat sitting next to the pumpkin (or rather a standing one but whose legs seemed to have collapsed...). It turned out to be slightly demonic looking I must say - not that I have ever been that fond of cats anyway...

After a pleasant evening of cakes and cupcake decorating, we each got to take home our three 'works of art' - that's breakfast sorted.

Photo credits to the lovely Sheepa

Thank you once again to the Zomato team and Paulina for organizing the event. 
Paulina is also looking to host workshops in a larger space in October, so if this sort of thing tickles your fancy, then keep a lookout for more details and get yourself booked in.

The Cheekster, signing out x

MAISON BLANC SUMMER PATISSERIE

Summer is undoubtedly my favourite season of the year, not only because of the weather, but also the vibrant bursts of colours around that always seem to brighten up my days. On this particular occasion I was very much looking forward to trying out the equally colourful summer patisserie range at Maison Blanc.

Maison Blanc is a French Boulangerie and Pâtisserie that was created in Oxford in 1981, establishing itself as the first authentic pâtisserie and bakery in England. Maison Blanc currently has 14 individual branches which serve a selection of fresh artisan breads, pastries, savouries and pâtisserie.

I visited the St. John's Wood branch on a fine Saturday morning, my empty tummy rumbling and ready for a sweet sugar rush to kick-start the weekend. We were greeted by Ugne at the counter, and ordered our coffees before seating ourselves whilst waiting for the cakes to be served.

This year, Maison Blanc has focused its summer patisserie on the delectable macaron - one of my favourite desserts, and I'm sure popular amongst many others. Maison Blanc have put their own twist on the classic French confection, creating some larger versions - light and crisp meringue domes with smooth and creamy creams in between. My favourite macaron was the lovely pink rose flavoured Ispahan Macaron which had fresh raspberries as well.

Lemon Cream Macaron

Ispahan macaron

Blackberry Mac-nifique Macaron

Tarts are another one of my favourite desserts, and both of these looked rather pretty and tempting. The light pink hues of the lemon hibiscus tart can initially be quite deceiving, but as you bite into it you will then taste the sourness and acidity of the lemon which cuts through the sweetness. Strawberry desserts are perfect for summer, and the tarte aux fraises also had pistachio, which I love.

Lemon Hibiscus Tart

Tarte aux Fraises

The cupcakes were nice and moist, topped with swirls of sweet frosting - zingy lemon cream centred Lemon Curd Cupcake, fragrant strawberry buttercream topped Strawberry Cream Cupcake, and chocolate sponge based Choco Berry Cupcake.

Lemon Curd Cupcake

Strawberry Cream Cupcake

Choco Berry Cupcake

We were definitely on a sugar high by the end of it, and requested for our leftovers to be packed away in takeaway boxes for later on. 
A fine selection of sweet indulgent treats which are ideal for adults and children alike.
Maison Blanc's summer patisserie is now available in their stores as listed below:

Burford
Chichester
Chiswick
Farnham
Fulham
Guildford
Hampstead
Henley
Holland Park
Muswell Hill
Oxford
St. John's Wood
Winchester
 

Website:  www.maisonblanc.co.uk

AND...more delicious news...
To celebrate the increasing trend of customers adopting the French tradition of dunking their croissants into tea, coffee and hot chocolate, Maison Blanc have created three new divine dunkable croissants: Pistachio Croissant, Red Velvet Croissant, and the classic Chocolate Croissant.

What's better is, Maison Blanc are running a competition where you have the chance of winning dunkable croissants and hot drinks for two at any Maison Blanc Cafe.
All you have to do is share your favourite #LeDunque moments at @MaisonBlancUK.
The competition ends on July 10th 2015.
So start getting creative and get dunking! - you know you want to.

The Cheekster, signing out x

THE CUPCAKE & MACARON TOUR OF LONDON

Cupcakes and macarons...how could I resist!

All the weekend slots were fully booked but I managed to take the afternoon off after work on a sunny Friday.

Little did I know that I was going to be the only person who signed up for that day...guess everyone else was at work!

Thankfully I had a friend who joined me at the last minute...making the walk less awkward. What is usually a 20-person tour, turned out to be more of a chilled walk with just the two of us and our own private tour guide.

The tour included 7 tastings on the go.

| The Cupcake Bakehouse | 

Founded by former model Lorraine Pascal who left the catwalk in pursuit of the perfect cupcake.

I had the cherry crumble which was recommended - crumble and cupcake mmm...

Using mainly British ingredients, there was nice balance of lovely moist sponge and icing.

 

| Ladurée |

One of the top premier sellers of the double-decker macaron, and one of the best known macaron makers in the world.

Stylish and irresistibly plump and moist bite-sized macarons.

 

 

| Sweet Couture |

A boutique bakery that's famous for its mouthwatering handmade cupcakes.

Hand baked and decorated using the finest ingredients and no preservatives, they also have a range of treats free-from wheat and gluten.

 

 

 

| Hummingbird Bakery |

Known as London's Magnolia bakery, the Hummingbird Bakery is an American-style bakery founded in 2004, the Soho branch being 1 of 5 branches in London.

The concept was developed by Tarek Malouf who developed as he saw a lack of places in London to enjoy the taste of the truly authentic American-style baking.

Each branch has its own kitchen and team, serving a full range of American-style baked treats and desserts, freshly baked using the same ingredients and techniques as those used in home baking.

 

| Yauatcha |

Michelin starred and known for its contemporary dim sum.

The macarons were much larger than average - the salted caramel macaron was one of the best that I've tasted with a great balance of sweetness and saltiness.

Forgot to take a quick snap at Patisserie Valerie, for which Madame Valerie opened her first patisserie in Frith Street, Soho in 1926. With more than 50 cafes around England, they serve a delicious variety of hand-made cakes, gateaux and patisseries, made using traditional recipes.

I had the pistachio macaron - much smaller in size compared to other places, and pretty average tasting.

| Fortnum & Mason's |

The final stop, with the most impressive display counter - so many colours and flavours, I wish I could have tasted them all!

I chose the Kir Royal because...it's Kir Royal, and such a pretty bright pink colour! Yes, I am a really girly girl.

 

Happy and high on sugar, it was a pleasant little tour around London's finest culinary artisans and dessert boutiques. 

With no slow walkers and stragglers to slow us down, we finished in less than an hour, giving us some time to wind down in the afternoon. 

I'll definitely be popping back to a few of my favourites for more sweet treats!

The Cheekster, signing out x