Isn't making crispy cakes the ultimate culinary childhood ritual?! And at Easter time I see my Facebook feed flooded with lovely shots of chocolately fingers and mini eggs, in sticky, delicious nests. The most ordinary recipe that can tempt almost everyone!

But I fancied something more grown up for Easter this year. Raspberries for eggs and rich dark chocolate. The easiest way to mature this simple recipe is to lose the paper cake cups. Use a metal muffin baking tray and set the cakes in the freezer for half an hour, before transferring to the fridge. Then pop them out with a spoon and serve on a nice cake stand. Goodbye kids birthday party, hello afternoon tea ;)

Ingredients: (Makes 12 cakes)

• 100g bar dark cooking chocolate
• One generous handful of granola
• 60g fruit & nut mix - raisins, dried blueberries, pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons of golden syrup
• 2/3 raspberries per cake
• a pinch of chilli flakes
• crushed meringue to sprinkle 

Melt your chocolate slowly or it will burn! Break your bar into even small pieces and melt in a bowl over a steaming pan of hot water on the hob or for 30 seconds at 900W in the microwave at a time. Stir gently but consistently to help the chocolate melt evenly. 

Add your granola, dried fruit and nuts and a pinch of the chilli flakes. Stir together until every piece is coated in chocolate. Add 2 tablespoons of golden syrup and mix together. Dollop in equal portions into your baking tray, top with raspberries, add a sprinkle of crushed meringue and extra chilli flakes if you are brave! 

Set in the freezer for half an hour then transfer to the fridge for another half an hour. 

Eat. 

What is your absolute must make for Easter? I am determined this year to branch out on my cooking skills other than melting chocolate!

Happy Valentines night! How do you fancy a Red Velvet Caketail?!

I love the idea of caketails, and the boys are currently going through a red velvet cake phase. (I know we are about 2 years late to the Red Velvet craze!)

Cocktails just make me think of celebrations and we love Valentines! The house is full of cards, oh yes, we do family Valentines, little cards of appreciation rather than outpourings of romance and I adore it. When my Grandpa died, every year we sent my Granny a card on Valentines Day and it's a tradition that has just stuck.

So here's to a new tradition of a new cocktail recipe each year!

Ingredients: Serves One

• Ice
• Single measure of Vanilla Vodka
• Single measure of Chocolate liqueur
• 3 measures single cream
• Splash of grenadine syrup
• Red food colouring

For the glass rim:

• Buttercream frosting
• Red glitter sprinkles

Using your finger, spread the buttercream frosting around the rim of the glass. Tip a handful of sprinkles onto a plate and slowly dip and roll the edge of your glass into the sprinkles. You can do this in advance if you are making these for a larger number.

Pour over ice the vodka, chocolate liqueur and single cream. 

Add the grenadine and stir. Add a few drops of food colouring, add as much as you want to get the desired red colouring. 

Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Blogging has meant I have met a whole host of incredible people. Some of which I now count as firm friends.

The blogging community is a wildly creative place, and sometimes it feels like people's talents are never ending. I am completely inspired by the bloggers and stylists I follow, none more than Kirsten Butler, The Little Wedding Helper. 

I have had the pleasure of getting to know Kirsten over the last year and I feel like if we lived just down the road from each other, we'd be popping in and out, chatting over cups of tea, yummy treats and playing styling and snapping all day long!

Shooting with Kirsten is a ridiculous amount of fun. It doesn't feel like work! So we decided a while ago we need a Winter, 'Just for fun' day! Pomegranates, wooden textures, beautiful hand painted stationery and cake. Giant, berry laden, naked cakes.

Here's a peek from our few hours of faffing!

I love playing with natural light, and as the sun went down I took the opportunity to capture the beautiful cake in dusk light. Right by the window in a mini set up.

Happy Friday everyone! Happy snapping, happy faffing!