As 2017 draws to a close, I thought I’d take a look back at my most viewed posts throughout the year. It’s been a year of extravagant cakes, decadent tarts and edible gifts and some of my favourite food photography to date!
So kicking off proceedings, spot five is filled with my Pistachio and Raspberry Financiers.
Financiers are one of my absolute favourite cakes, especially when flavoured with pistachio. Head to the post for a full lesson in their origin, their name will suddenly make sense once you do!
They are so moreish and stay SO moist from the ground almonds. The fresh raspberries in the cakes give such a good tart kick, and mean you have to eat them all fairly quickly…you can thank me later!
Next up is a classic Bakewell Tart – which I’m so glad made the top five because its suchh a good tart!! The crisp pastry, the tart jam and the almondy frangipane topped with flaked almonds is just the dream! And it always bakes well, its a classic for your repertoire.
Staying with the tart theme, in third place is my Pear and Frangipane Tart. A signature bake for me and always highly requested in my household! The pears are poached before baking in the tart, so they are super tender but still add a really nice texture to the tart. There’s frangipane and flaked almonds galore again – I’m glad we’re all in agreement at how yummy it is!
Runner up for 2017 is my Raspberry and Almond Layer Cake. I actually made this back in 2016 for my mum’s birthday. I wanted to combine her favourite flavours but also keep the decoration quite fun and almost childlike! It turned out one of the tastiest cakes I’ve ever made. The combination of ground almonds and fresh raspberries makes it SO moist and so flavourful. The swiss meringue buttercream keeps the cake feeling light too, meaning you can have a bigger slice!
Now we come to the winner, the most viewed post of 2017 (and 2016 coincidentally!) are my Viennese Whirls. They’re absolutely a worthy winner and are a favourite in my house too! I really think I’ve perfected this recipe, making the whirls the perfect pipeable consistency that when baked aren’t claggy but aren’t too crumbly either. The tart jam and sweet buttercream combines perfectly, and makes them so moreish. Definitely a winner in my eyes 🙂
So now I thought I’d share my personal favourite recipe from 2017 which issss, dun dun dunnnn! My Brushstroke Layer Cake!
The brushstroke pattern was all over Instagram this year and I just think it’s SO beautiful! I really enjoyed trying my hand at it, especially as its wayyy easier than it looks. And tasty as its just chocolate! I made this for my sister’s birthday this year, last year I made her my Buttercream Flower Wreath Layer Cake so god knows how I’m gonna top both next year!? I actually had a bit of a nightmare making this, but you can read about that on the post, as all turned out fine in the end 🙂
So there we have it, 2017 has been a pretty great blog year for me. I’ve been really happy with the recipes I’ve created and photos I’ve taken! Seems we all love almonds too, with 4 out of the top 5 containing almonds in some way!
So heres to 2018 and Happy New Year all!
