We’ve just launched our very own  recipe book and it’s available to buy now!

The cookery book, entitled British Baking in 2012, celebrates the nation’s favourite recipes from the ultimate Victoria Sponge cake to Sticky Toffee Cupcakes and Sausage and Chuntney Rolls. And of course, as you’d expect from Baking Mad.com there’s plenty of top tips and advice to help you achieve your baking best too.

So if we’ve whet your appetite for some Great British baking why not pick up a copy of our new book to add to your collection. Available from Sainsbury’s supermarkets, our book costs just £2.99 and can also be bought as part of a 3 for 2 promotion along with some of our favourite baking brands such as Billington’s and Nielsen Massey. Go, on treat yourself! What are you waiting for?

Just click this link to download your coupon today:

Click here to get your Billington’s coupon

Enjoy

Baking Mad x

Taste of London

There was a big ‘yipee!’ from the Baking Mad kitchen when we heard that Taste of London was back on this Summer!

The fabulous foodie event which takes place at Regent’s Park between 21st-24th June is a great way to celebrate world class cuisine,  as more than 40 of London’s top restaurants come together for the most gastronomic and glamorous grazing session yet. Old Taste favourites and hot new restaurants alike will be joined by a boutique food market of 200 premium brands and artisan producers, chef demos and foodie entertainment for this four day alfresco spectacular.

Create your own perfect tasting menu from the likes of Michelin-starred Le Gavroche, Gauthier Soho and Pollen Street Social; take your taste buds on tour with foodie offerings from Peru, Brazil and Malaysia, as well as our dedicated Taste of Thailand section; and be entertained watching chefs take on the challenge of the Weber British BBQ Championships, or enter the amateur competition for yourself if you think you have what it takes.

With all this plus a whole programme of wine tastings, book signings and chef demos, Taste is one foodie fest you really mustn’t miss out on.

Treat yourself to 2 standard tickets for £38* – a saving of £19! Simply click here, or call 0871 230 7132 and quote BAKING38. (Offer valid Thursday & Friday sessions only.)

*Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras. Booking and transaction fees apply. Offer applies to Thursday and Friday sessions only. Saving is calculated on the door price. VIP and other ticket types available from tastefestivals.com/london.

Here at Baking Mad.com we know that the difference between a good recipe and a really great one is using the best quality ingredients available and when it comes to sugar this means Billington’s unrefined cane sugars. Tried and tested by the Baking Mad experts, Billington’s sugars give your baked treats a superior flavour and rich colour, compared to other brown sugars which refine out rather than lock in the natural molasses of sugar cane.

So go on, pick up a pack in your Sainsbury’s home baking aisle today, we promise you won’t go back!

And now Silver Spoon Create have made it even easier to get that Great British look with the introduction of their brand new Red and Blue Coloured Ready to Roll icings. Perfect for modelling and covering cakes these special edition icings are sure to offer plenty of baking inspiration for the Royal celebration.

The new coloured icings are available in Sainsbury’s now and we’ve already been busy experimenting with them in the Baking Mad kitchen. What do you think to our glorious Union Jack Victoria Sponge cake?  If you want to recreate the look at home simply visit the recipe page here and don’t forget to download our Union Jack template too!

Happy baking! xx

We’ve teamed up with the organisers of Cake International to offer a pair of tickets to 10 lucky Baking Mad fans for their brand new show at the ExCeL, London Docklands from the 27^th – 29^th April 2012. 

This fantastic show will be bringing the best in cake decorating and baking to the London region for the very first time and visitors to the show will be treated to the latest cutting edge products and techniques from a huge variety of exhibitors from across the UK and abroad.

But that’s not all! Jo Wheatley, winner of the Great Bake Off will also be at the show giving her top tips and advice for baking success. We just can’t wait!

For a chance to get your hands on a pair of tickets become a fan of BakingMadUk on Facebook and upload a picture of your best decorated cake or cupcake between 2nd-6th April. Everyday we’ll be choosing our favourite two entries and sending the winners a pair of tickets each.

Can’t wait to win? Call the ticket hotline now on 01425 277988 or go to http://www.ichf.co.uk/ for more information.

Terms and Conditions of Entry

Acceptance of the terms and conditions is a condition of entry.

To enter the competition, you ‘like’ the BakingMadUk Facebook page and upload a photo of your best decorated cupcake between 2nd-6th April 2012.

This competition is open to UK residents only aged 18 or over and excludes any person whom in the competition Organiser’s reasonable opinion, should be excluded due to their involvement or connection with this competition.

One entry per person only. Entries from agents/third parties are invalid.

Entries must be received no later than midnight (GMT) on Friday 6th April. Entries received after this date will not be entered.

The prize is sponsored by Cake International. The prize is one pair of tickets to the event between 27th-29th April, not including transport or accomodation. The prize is non-transferable. There is no cash alternative.

Winners will be chosen by Tuesday 10th April and will be notified via email by Friday 13th April. If the winners cannot be contacted within 10 days alternative winners will be selected.

It is a condition of the entry that the competition winners agree to be available for, and participate in, any public relations activity arranged by the Organiser.

The Organiser’s decision in all matters relating to the competition is final and legally binding on all entrants and no correspondence will be entered into. The Organiser reserves the right to alter, amend or foreclose the competition without prior notice. Should events occur that render the competition itself or the awarding of the prize impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the Organiser, the Organiser may at its absolute discretion vary or amend the promotion.

Entries not submitted in accordance with the rules, illegible, incomplete or altered will be disqualified.

I hope you have been enjoying the amazing weather which we have been having all this week  – what a difference the sunshine makes, if only it could last!  The terrace at Cake Boy has been filled with happy and smiling customers – we all hope it lasts for the Easter weekend.

Talking of Easter, I am escaping back to Brittany to see my family.  It is going to be great to catch up.   I am staying at a new boutique hotel which has just opened -  http://www.trimen.fr/ I grew up being  fascinated by the hotel in it’s former life – it was a big mansion and I used to say to myself “one day I will be rich enough to buy that house!”.  So it’s funny that I will be staying there. 

I will find time while I am at ‘home’ to pop-in and say hello to my mentor Herve Le Grand and the team the Patisserie where I did my apprenticeship all of those years ago.

This week I launched the Eric Lanlard Afternoon Tea at the 5-star Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel –  just off London’s most fashionable shopping district –Sloane Street.

It is a great partnership to have with such an iconic hotel.  The inspiration of the Afternoon Tea is travel through the flavours, tastes and scent of the Middle East and I have called it Reves d’orient.   It is served in the hotel’s gorgeous Chinoiserie restaurant lounge and if you are visiting London and want to meet friends for a delicious afternoon tea, it’s a real treat and you can book by calling 020 7 235 1234.

We are going to be releasing our next set of dates for the cookery school classes at Cake Boy since the summer schedule is almost full.  It proves that people really are BakingMad.  The autumn schedule will see new classes added that will include some pastry classes but also some savoury baking to tie-in with my soon to be published book – Tart it Up!  So watch this space for new dates…

We run private classes for special occasions like such as hen, birthday and corporate days, etc, but yesterday, I ran for the second time a private class for Teens Unite.  The charity was set up by the lovely Karen Millen.  They look after teenagers who are suffering from cancer.  As well as looking after the teenagers they involve their family by organising days out.  The visit to Cake Boy was one of them – it was great fun –  it was nice for all those teenagers to be able to discuss their issues amongst each other whilst making cup cakes.  They were able to talk freely with people of their own age group.  A very positive day and it is a pleasure to be involved with such a well-run charity.  I’m sure that they will be back – hopefully very soon.

So Monday will be the last episode of the current series of Baking Mad With Eric Lanlard. I know you are all going to miss your daily fix of sweet Baking at 12.05pm  but no need to panic just yet because the show is still available to watch on 4OD.  So there is plenty of time to re-watch your favourite episodes or watch ones that you have missed.

I am working on few new projects in the coming months and I can tell you we will be back on your screen very soon with even more exciting recipes and programmes.

Wishing you a very Happy Easter or A JOYEUSES PAQUES !!!! as I will be saying in France!

Gros Bisous

Eric xx

They’re looking for keen bloggers who love to bake to enter their favourite luxury recipe to win a chance to feature in the new edition of Macmillan Cancer Support’s Little Book of Treats 2012.

The book will be on sale in M&S Cafes  throughout August and September and 100% of the proceeds will go towards people affected by cancer.

The recipes should be -

- Innovative and exciting with a touch of  luxuriousness
- Easy to replicate with everyday kitchen utensils and easy to source ingredients
- Visibly pleasing to the eye with a ‘wow’ factor
- Taste great!

Indulgent Chocolate and Cherry Brownies

The winning recipes will appear along with your name and blog in the book. They will be tested by a home economist and photographed professionally. The runners up will be featured on Macmillan World’s Biggest Coffee Morning website throughout August and September 2012.

Creme Brulee Cupcakes

How to Enter

To enter e-mail info@bakingmad.com with the title ‘Little Book of Treats‘ in the subject header. Include the following in your e-mail:

- Recipe title
- Recipe ingredients
- Size/how many portions
- Recipe method
- A picture
- Your full name
- A link to your blog

Competition closes on the 25th April 2012, click here for the terms and conditions.

To take part in Macmillan Cancer Supports World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, follow this link to register your event – coffeeregister.macmillan.org.uk/2012/register/

• Acceptance of the rules is a condition of entry and entry instructions form part of the rules. Your personal data will be held by Silver Spoon.
• This competition is open to UK residents only aged 18 or over and excludes any person whom in the competition organiser’s reasonable opinion, should be excluded due to their involvement or connection with this competition.
• No purchase necessary for entry.
• One entry allowed by each entrant only. Entries must be made personally. Entries from agents/third parties are invalid.
• Entry indicates acceptance of the terms and conditions.
• Entries must be received no later than midnight (GMT) on 25th April 2012. Entries received after this date will not be entered.
• The winners and runners up will be selected under independent supervision by the 27th April 2012, and will be notified by e-mail by the 11th May 2012.
• The prize is that your submitted recipe appears in The Little Book of Treats, a recipe book created by Silver Spoon and Macmillan Cancer Support. The prize is non-transferable. There is no cash alternative.
• The runner up recipes will appear on Macmillan Cancer Supports World’s Biggest Coffee Morning website. The prize is non-transferable. There is no cash alternative.
• It is a condition of the entry that the competition winners agree to be available for, and participate in, any public relations activity arranged by the Organiser.
• The Organiser’s decision in all matters relating to the competition is final and legally binding on all entrants and no correspondence will be entered into.
• The Organiser reserves the right to alter, amend or foreclose the competition without prior notice.
• The Organiser reserves the right to amend submitted recipes if deemed necessary.
• Professional photographs of winning recipes will be taken in the style most suited to appear in the Little Book of Treats,  no correspondence will be entered into.
• Silver Spoon will have full ownership rights to all professional photos taken of the competition entries.
• Organiser: Silver Spoon
• Events may occur that render the competition itself or the awarding of the prize impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the Organiser and accordingly the Organiser may at its absolute discretion vary or amend the promotion and the entrant agrees that no liability shall attach to the as a result thereof.
• Entries not submitted in accordance with the rules, illegible, incomplete or altered will be disqualified.
• The promotion and the website are subject to English law and the jurisdiction of the English courts.
• Silver Spoon and any associated or subsidiary company and their agents or subcontractors in any way connected to this site make no representation that the materials contained within this website are appropriate for any country outside the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, not that they comply with any local laws relating to advertising or this type of promotional activity.

One recent baking adventure of mine has turned out to be something that I will remember for the rest of my life. It started on a cold autumn day, when I received an email from a good friend of mine saying that she had seen information about a TV show looking for amateur bakers and had thought of me. I clicked on the link a read about an opportunity to take part in a new series of Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard.  If successful, I would go to Eric’s cake shop in London, Cake Boy, and compete in a mini bake off with two other people. 
I quickly filled in the application form, and then before I knew it I was taking cakes to a casting in London.  The crew kept in touch but it was not until the middle of January when I got the email to say that they would like me to take part. I had just over a weeks notice to decided upon and practice making a cheesecake! I was pleased it was not macaroons that I had to make, but cheesecake…I can’t say I have baked it a great deal.  Well, this was certainly about to change! During that week I made so many cheesecakes that I even starting dreaming about them.  But all the practice was totally worth it as I was very happy with my final decision, and as you will have seen on the show today, I won!!!  

For me winning was just amazing. I knew I could bake, but to be picked as the best by Eric Lanlard has just meant so much to me. The masterclass was fabulous. I learnt a great deal from Eric and just to be part of the fun for longer was great.  It will truly be something I won’t forget.  I’ll be telling my grandchildren and great grandchildren if I’m lucky enough! I even got to say hello to Nigella Lawson, who had just popped by to see Eric.  Starstruck?  Maybe just a bit!

If you would like to try making my trio of cheesecakes, the recipe can be found on my blog here. along with more chat and pictures from the day.  You can also keep up with all my current baking adventures by following me on twitter @Homemadebyfleur. 

Right, I’m off to bake a cake