Recipe Book: Baking with Bailey Ana

Exciting News Alert!!!

So whilst I've been quiet on the old blog front, I have been a very busy bee indeed. At the beginning of this month, I finished the manuscript for my first recipe book, Baking with Bailey Ana.

As  you might imagine, it has been a massive undertaking and like most things that are hard work, it's been very rewarding.

The book is a collection of simple tasty recipes for cakes and other sweet treats that the budding baker can master. There are some appearances from recipes that I've blogged about as well as a ton of new ones.

The book will be released later on this year so please head over to my new website: www.baileyana.co.uk, to sign up on the pre-order list.

You can also see some of my more recent cakes, hear about upcoming classes and generally see what I'm up to these days. Also check me out on Instagram to see my videos where I talk about the process of writing the book and document my journey.

Love & Light

xx

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Ital is Vital... Vegan Cupcakes

Vanilla Vegan & Gluten-Free Cupcake with Vegan Buttercream and Strawberry Slices

Ital or I-tal (/ˈaɪtɑːl/ eye-tahl)  a diet designed to increase Livity (life energy).

Growing up in a Rastafarian household, there was a time that we ate only Ital food. In it's most purest form, Ital food is akin to a vegan diet minus the salt. In truth though, there are variations on the theme, and it is open to some level of interpretation. For me, when I think of Ital baking, I want to make something that anyone can eat, whether they are vegan, have nut allergies, a gluten intolerance or whatever else can steal the joy of someone wanting to eat a tasty cake.

Irie!

It's been a while since I did any, but last weekend, I tried my hand at a bit of Ital (in this case vegan and gluten-free) baking with a simple cupcake recipe adapted from Ms Cupcakes new cookery book - "The Naughtiest Vegan Cupcakes in Town"

Cupcakes fresh out of the oven

In my little bit of experience in making vegan cupcakes, I've discovered that there are a million ways to make them. Also once you get the right ingredients it's actually quite straightforward (my kinda cooking!)

Whilst I perfect my own recipe to share with you guys, check out PETA's website for a cool, step-by-step guide on how to make vanilla vegan cupcakes (Click here).

Some extra vegan baking tips;

• Vegetable shortening use Trex (for the British readers)
• Vinegar means Apple Cider Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar
• Oil means flavourless i.e. groundnut, grapeseed or sunflower oil
• I used gluten-free flour mix instead of the usual self-raising flour
• Work quickly once the liquid has been added to the dry-mix & don't overmix
• Vegan cakes don't last as long as normal ones so they are best eaten straightaway (which is really no problem at all!)

Vanilla Vegan & Gluten-Free Cupcake with Vegan Buttercream and Strawberry Slices - Ital baking at it's best!

Before I forget, the book is an essential item in a baker's kitchen - it's beautifully put together and the recipes are easy to follow. Get yourself a copy! :)

Peace & Love

xx

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African Mask Cupcakes

This weekend I checked out 1:54, the Contemporary African Art fair at Somerset House in London with my mum.

It was MORE than amazing. I was overwhelmed with the amount of amazing art, crammed into one space. The excitement, the pleasant autumn morning, the good company, the beautiful setting of Somerset House and the art made for one of the best days of the year.

That night I came home & got to creating some of my own pieces of African inspired sugar art out of fondant and chocolate. I was like the Mad Professor - completely obsessed! :)

African Mask Cupcake - fondant

African Mask Cupcake - chocolate fondant

Africa

Africa, Beautiful yet unappreciated

Africa, Sahara to the Atlantic

Africa, From Zulu Land to Yoruba Land

Africa, From Nile River to River Niger

Africa, Rain and Sunshine round the year, 

Africa, With her greenery lustre

Africa, With Coolness, Calmness, a Serenity unequal

Africa, Your hospitality and warmth taken for granted

Africa, Raped and left desolate, yet richly blessed

Africa, Your Children scattered all over the World crying for you

Africa, You are simply mine Africa. ~ Segun Rasaki

Peace & Love

xxx

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Tate & Lyle Tasting House

One of the cool things about being a blogger is that I get invited to launches and other events. I'm usually too busy to go along to them but a couple of weeks ago I got an invite to the press night for Tate & Lyle's Tasting House in Central London. 

From the Caribbean room - all edible!

To celebrate the launch of their new range of golden and brown cane sugars, they put together an amazing Hansel & Gretel style house, filled with edible delights, curated by the talented Ms Cupcake and a team of master bakers. You can see more about the house on the Tate & Lyle blog, (click here).

Some of the things I took home!

Obviously an invite to a house full of cake was not something you're ever too busy for, so I made sure I went! I didn't realise that it wasn't a public event though & I was busy tweeting everyone telling them to get down there - whoops!

Anyways, it was really spectacular & I went home with a bag full of tasty goodies! Check out some of the photos from the evening.

Pillows made from cake (photo courtesy of Mischief PR)

(photo courtesy of Mischief PR)

(photo courtesy of Mischief PR)

A bath full of popcorn (photo courtesy of Mischief PR)

Me tucking into a 5ft long rainbow cake! 

Goodies for my doggy bag!

An edible sugar flower display 

Part of a rug made entirely of meringue

Me slightly overwhelmed with just how much cake there is!

I can't wait to try out the sugars themselves. Watch this space! :)

Peace & Love

xx

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Thank You

Victoria Sponge Cupcakes

A few weeks ago I was in a lovely cafe in Bow called Muxima and a customer noticed me reading a book by Haruki Marakami. We started chatting about his writing style and she said that she had some of his books and was looking to give them a new home. She then left the cafe to go back to her flat & returned with a hardback set of his 3 part novel 1Q84. 

Murakami 1Q84 Books One, Two & Three

I was quite taken aback as I was expecting some tattered paperbacks and I felt a bit embarrassed to take something like this from a complete stranger. I LOVE books so this was a really special treat for me, plus I am a big fan of his work.

Thank you cupcakes

I decided to make her some cupcakes to say thank you. I figured she'd be going back to the cafe at some point (she is a regular), so if I didn't see her again, I could just leave them there for her. As it turns out, she was there when I went in and I think she was equally embarrassed by my gesture!

I found it quite interesting and funny that we both felt awkward when we were shown a kindness. It's a bit like when you get a compliment and you don't really know what to do with yourself, so you just brush it off.

And on to the cakes... These cuties are vanilla cupcakes with a tiny spread of jam, a layer of strawberries and then a generous topping of vanilla buttercream. Delish!

Victoria Sponge Cupcakes

May your days be filled with the giving and receiving of random acts of kindness :)

Peace & Love

xx

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The Unicorn

One sunny morning, I heard what sounded like the silent song of a Unicorn. Intrigued, I followed the melody to the meadows at the bottom of my garden.

And there she stood; a Unicorn, powerful and beautiful and majestic with a big golden horn and a body that glittered with moon dust.

"Could this be really be a unicorn?" I thought.

I was transfixed. I knew it would be dangerous but I just had to be sure. So I stepped a bit closer and shouted, 

"Hello"

"Hello" she said and smiled.

With my heart racing, I smiled back. Slowly, I took another step. 

"May I stroke your mane?" I asked.

"No, but you can touch my tail" she replied as she flicked her tail out far behind her towards me. 

My heart jumped again. I stretched out and touched her tail. Sprinkles of moon dust danced around my eyes and there and then I fell in love. I wanted to get closer, maybe stroke it again, but the Unicorn sensed my thoughts and pulled her tail away with a powerful movement that hurt my hand. 

"Sorry" she said," but I can only be friends with a fair virgin maiden and I will hurt anyone that tries to come near. My maiden has gone away but will be back to be with me soon."

A sharp pain filled my heart for I am not a fair virgin maiden and the Unicorn already had a friend. I went away sad with a scar on my hand. 

Time passed but the moon dust still sparkled on my fingers and my ears rang with the silent calling song of the Unicorn. 

So sunrise after sunrise, I followed the melody down to the meadow at the bottom of my garden. Sometimes the Unicorn was there and sometimes she wasn't. Sometimes we would laugh and sing and dance, and sometimes, for what felt like an eternity, the Unicorn would turn her head and pretend not to notice me while she wept for her fair virgin maiden. Everyday I would leave with a new scar, each one deeper and more painful than the last. Often, I vowed never to go back, but the calling song would grow louder and stronger until I was weak and had to return. The moon dust was spreading around me, it sparkled brightly, urging me to go on. 

I had read that befriending a Unicorn was no easy task. I read that unless you were a fair virgin maiden, if you got too close, they would use their tails to toss you high into the sky & then pierce you in the heart with their horns as you came crashing down.

But my Unicorn never did this to me, instead she sang her silent calling song, and let me stroke her tail.  

"No-one can befriend a Unicorn better than me" I thought. "I'll be the best friend she's ever had".

Things were going well & there was no sign of the fair virgin maiden. The Unicorn stopped weeping & even promised to try not to hurt me when we played. I saw my scars as the price I'd have to pay to get my Unicorn and accepted them without complaining. Besides, the moon dust, (that now covered my whole body), and her silent song seemed to soothe the pain. 

Then one day, when I went as usual to the meadow at the bottom of the garden, the Unicorn wasn't there. And I knew that the fair virgin maiden had come back. 

I sat in the meadow and waited, maybe I was wrong and the Unicorn was in danger? Frightened, I called out to the Unicorn and I heard her gentle silent song call back, so I waited some more. Twenty moons passed like this and then she came.

'It is true' she said, 'my fair virgin maiden has come back and I no longer have time to laugh and sing and dance with you. I am sorry but you can never be my friend for you are not a fair virgin maiden.' 

With those last words I tried to run away, but she turned and flicked her tail to get me to stop. It lashed me so hard that I spun around and as she bent her head to look at me, she pierced my heart with her horn. 

I could see she was sad, but she said nothing for that is what Unicorns do. 

Her fair virgin called out so she quickly galloped off to laugh and sing and dance with her. The moon dust flittered away like the butterflies leaving me with only my scars and a pain in my heart.

Sometimes, I still hear the silent calling song of the Unicorn and my scars start to ache, especially the one on my heart. But this time I know to stay away. You cannot be friends with a Unicorn, unless you are a fair virgin maiden.

Peace & Love

xx

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London 2012!!!

You'd have to be living under a cloud to not know that the greatest show on earth is going down right here in London! I have always loved the Olympic games and was ecstatic when I learned it was coming to our city. Since then we've had terrorist attacks, riots, cynics and skeptics but despite it all, we have produced something amazing.

Going to the boxing!

Sport is one of the great unifiers; something that brings people together and lifts our spirits in a way that defies words and logic. You can't help but wish that the good vibes stay, and that the legacy of the games will be the community spirit and not the economy or new buildings.

Two young Japanese spectators enjoying the Mexico vs Japan football game

Enjoying Bolt's victory at the Puma Yard

I've been lucky enough to go to see two events & the atmosphere at both was electric. Even if you haven't managed to get tickets though there is so much going on in the capital, it's borderline overwhelming! I would encourage everyone and anyone to get down to London & get in the Olympic spirit :)

Football!!

One last thing, if you weren't able to get tickets then I would recommend getting some for the Paralympics I've got mine and I can't wait!

Peace & Love

xx

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Cupcake Catharsis

cup·cake ca·thar·sis  
 A delicious technique used to relieve emotional tension, especially pity and fear, as after an overwhelming experience, that restores or refreshes the spirit. It involves carefully baking and decorating a single cupcake to the highest level of skill possible for the person and then eating it, savouring all of the flavours and appreciating the work of their hands.
n. pl. ca·thar·ses 

Do you guys remember the movie called 'Bridesmaids'? When that film came out, everyone (and by everyone I mean about four people), came up to me telling me that I had to see it, that it was hilarious and that it totally reminded them of me.

So without knowing any details about it, I went to go see the film for myself. Basically, the main character in the movie played by Kristen Wiig, and the person I remind everyone of, (pictured above right), is sad, single, has a failed cake business and is a bridesmaid at her best friend's wedding. 

I'm not going to lie, I wasn't overly excited by the comparison. 


Does everyone (those four people at least) think that I'm a failure??? This woman is crazy!! Worst of all though, there was this scene which pretty much made me hate the movie. 


That Cupcake Scene.


The scene where she makes a single, elaborate and delicious looking cupcake, and you assume it's for someone or something and then she just eats it. I decided there and then that I hated her. First of all, you can't make batter for just one cupcake. And second of all, how dare her kitchen look so organised throughout the whole process. It was just horrible!!!! 

It annoyed me so much that I vowed I would blog about it to express my disgust. So the other day, I googled the scene and watched it again. 


This time though, I found it quite beautiful. I also noticed that there was left over cupcake batter and that she was actually tidying as she went along (something I have yet to master). But most of all, I admired her for taking the time to make something beautiful for herself. It was cupcake catharsis.

I've pretty much had an awful week. My son has been ill & I've been up with him for 4 consecutive nights including an overnight stay at the hospital (thankfully he's OK now). To make matters even worse, whilst we were at the hospital my car was clamped. Hundreds of pounds that I can ill afford wasted. 

Filled with pity and a new found respect for the Bridesmaid movie, I seized the opportunity to give this cupcake catharsis a go.


It worked and I feel much better. It didn't give me back my money or sleep but it did focus my energies on love, more specifically self-love.

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. Buddha

How do you show yourself love?

Peace & Love

xx


ps Everyone deserves a cupcake like this at some point in their lives, it is so deliciously decadent, (and by everyone I mean all people to whom this applies)!

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