WHEN it comes to cake, the bigger the better.
And if lockdown didn’t inspire you to take up baking, then this snap, of a huge chocolate caterpillar, doing the rounds on Facebook, will.
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I spoke to Suzie Lee Arbuthnot, 36, from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, who spent four hours crafting the colossal version of the M&S Colin cake, which baking fans have gone crazy for.
Suzie, crowned Britain’s Best Home Cook this year by Mary Berry, gave me her best tips for budget baking.
VITAL MIX: Make sure your cupboards are stocked with basic essentials. These include eggs, flour, butter, caster sugar, vanilla extract (extract has a more intense flavour than essence), baking powder, baking soda, milk and lemon juice or vinegar (can transform the milk into buttermilk).
Suzie says: “With these you can make everything from scones to biscuits to naan breads.”
SMART SWAPS: Suzie says: “Buying plain flour and baking powder separately is a great way to not waste self-raising flour. For every 100g of plain flour, add ½tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt to make it into self-raising. Meanwhile, plain flour can be used as a sauce thickener and to make goods such as flat breads.”
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SHOWSTOPPING SAVINGS: If you fancy creating a showstopper for a loved one, you don’t need to fork out to make it look professional.
Suzie says: “If it’s for kids, buy a shop-bought plain cake, then decorate it with coloured ribbon and use your child’s cleaned toys as cake toppers.
“If you’re feeling adventurous, use writing icing to decorate. You can also use coloured fondant to place the toys on. For example, green icing makes great “grass” when indented with a fork.
“You can buy letter cutters for a couple of pounds and use leftover fondant to spell out their name on the cake.”
WASTE NOT: Make sure you keep bakes fresh.
Suzie says: “Place crunchy bakes, such as biscuits, in an airtight lunch box with some kitchen roll, which will help to absorb any moisture and keep them from going soggy.
“For cakes, cover up well with beeswax paper or cling film and make sure all surfaces are covered.”
- You can visit Suzie on Insta @suziecookingthebooks and her YouTube channel, Suzie Lee Cooks.
Deal of day
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THE Hot Wheels Double Loop Dash set will make a great gift for Christmas. It’s half-price now at Tesco, down from £35 to £17.50.
SAVE: £17.50
Cheap treat
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PUMPKIN spice bagels are back at Asda until November 4, for just £1.
Top swap
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INSTEAD of paying £44 for the ProCook Gourmet wok, above, on amazon.co.uk, buy the Vivo by Villeroy & Boch Group version, below, for £24.24 on the same site.
SAVE: £19.76
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Shop & save
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BUY two selected 900ml bottles of TRESemme products for £5 at Iceland. I like the deep cleansing edition – £3 on its own.
SAVE: £1
Give this a go…
WANT to craft a giant Colin cake?
See suzieleecooks.com for tips and ingredients.
Suzie says: “It is essentially a giant swiss roll. In my YouTube video I have included a recipe for a smaller Colin cake – as I appreciate that making this exact cake (mine could feed 200 people!) is a little unrealistic for most.”
Giselle’s little helper
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NURSEM has launched its Ultra-Caring Hand Cream to help with dry and irritated skin.
The 75ml cream, made from all-natural ingredients, is available now for £9.99 at nursem.co.uk.
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ALL CHANGE
Universal Credit rule change to help those losing out when paid twice in a month
GETTING A ROASTING
M&S is selling an £8 roast meal deal where you get a joint and two sides
WRAP UP
Home Bargains is selling a weighted blanket to help you fall asleep
ROLL BACK
Asda cuts the price of 62 ‘free from’ items including pasta, milk and bread
SALE AWAY
Wilko launches half price toy sale with 50% off Peppa Pig, Toy Story and Barbie
WARM UP
Struggling energy customers to get more help to pay bills and top-up meters
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Bake Off’s Linda has viewers in tears after she dedicates Showstopper cake to her late daughter
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
