The Best Mars Bar Cake Recipe!!

Sorry for the late blogging this week, I haven't been at the peak of health, but I'm back now and bringing you a recipe!

From childhood I have been a fan of Mars Bar Cakes, everyone usually makes them slightly differently but they're always over the top sweet and incredibly moreish. So today I'm bringing you my favourite Mars Bar Cake Recipe (My Mum's!)

What You'll Need

4 Mars Bars
4oz (100g) Margarine
4 oz (100g) Rice Krispies
9oz (225g) Milk Chocolate

Step 1

Melt the margarine and Mars Bars together, if you are very careful you can do this in a pan directly on the heat, otherwise put the mixture in a bowl above a pan of boiling water.

Step 2

Add the Rice Krispies and stir carefully until they are evenly coated. Put the mixture in a square tin (about 10" square) and put in the fridge to cool for about 2 hours.



 
Step 3

When the cake has cooled melt the milk chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water and stir until smooth. Pour over the cake and with a flat knife or spatula spread out evenly. Put back in the fridge for about an hour.

Step 4

Remove the cake from the tin by sliding a knife around the edges, turn upside down onto a board and tap the bottom of the tin. Cut into fingers or squares and enjoy!

Autumn Watch

Keeping on my theme for the week, Autumn Watch starts this evening on BBC Two at 8.30pm. Time to start hunting for nature in your garden, making bird feeders and preparing for the season ahead.

It's also the time of year when I start wanting to eat comforting food whether savoury or sweet. My husband jokes that I'm trying to put on weight for winter, in reality the large jumpers and big fluffy coats means we're probably all a little less self conscious.

Our garden has been full to the brim with blackberries (or Brambles as my Dad calls them). I love this simple way of using them to decorate cupcakes. Just pipe a little cream, pop on a fresh blackberry and ta da you have a really yummy cake!

The dark evenings also drive me to revive hobbies that had fallen by the wayside during the summer months. Currently my knitting needles are getting a work out, keep your eyes peeled as this is to do with an upcoming tutorial!

From a work point of view we're gearing up for the festive season with new products, old favourites and more. We have launched another new craft kit online this week, our Cupcake Badge!

Tea For Two

When I get the time one of my favourite indulgences is to stop in a gorgeous tea shop for a cake and a relax. I was recently visiting one of our gallery stockists in Chesterfield when I noticed a cafe called the Northern Tea Merchants. To say it's a tea and coffee lovers paradise would be an understatement. The walls are adorned with quotations and the shelves are stacked with related delights to really wet your appetite. The smell of coffee beans wafts through the air and everything is beautifully packaged in gold. My tea was wonderful as was my slice of traditional victoria sponge. I will definitely be visiting again soon.

More information can be found on their website http://www.northern-tea.com.

One of my all time favourite teashops used to be Greystone's in Leek. Whenever I went there it felt like I'm walking into somebody's front room for tea and cake. Of course this is probably due to the fact that the room used to be the front room of a 17th century building. The owners have now taken semi retirement and no longer serve tea in their front room at Greystone's. Fortunately they have taken on a new 16th century building called Time For Tea in the centre of Leek.

The new cafe also serves as a showroom for one of the owners Roger, who repairs antique clocks. In good weather there is a small walled garden to sit in, otherwise there are two beautiful rooms where you can relax.

If customers are interested in the history of the cafe there is a file all about the Parker family who originally built the building. The son Thomas Parker was born in the building in 1666 and in 1718 he became Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. He was also a poll-bearer at the funeral of Sir Isaac Newton.


Like the Northern Tea Company the tea here is made with tea leaves (not bags) and there are several varieties to choose from. For me though it is the cakes that stand out, I think they are the best I have tasted anywhere.

If you're in the area I fully recommend a visit to either of these teashops.