Easter Chocolate Cake Recipe!

I made this cake a few weeks ago when we had family round and everyone loved it so I had to post the recipe! I was really worried people wouldn't like it but they ended up taking extra home with them so I think it went down well. It was just a basic chocolate cake recipe which I have made quite a few times and I added mini creme eggs to the top as we had some in at the time. I think this would be a perfect cake for Easter, you could put whatever you want on the top, mini eggs would be good, or mini malteser bunnies but it's completely up to you.

Ingredients:

225g margarine

225g caster sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g self raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

30g cocoa

2 tbsp milk

100g dark chocolate

For the Ganache:

200g dark chocolate

100g milk chocolate

300ml double cream

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line two baking tins and set aside. 

2. Before I made a start on the cake, I made the ganache as it needs about an hour or two to thicken in the fridge. Break the bars of chocolate up and put into a bowl with the double cream. Put this bowl over a pan of boiling water, make sure it doesn't touch the water. Leave to melt, stirring occasionally. When it is all melted together, transfer to a jug or bowl, leave to chill in the fridge. 

3. For the cake, cream together the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix. 

4. Now add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa and milk then mix until combined. I actually left the milk out as I forgot but it didn't make a difference. Add the melted chocolate and mix again.

5. Divide the cake mixture between the two cake tins and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. When they are done, leave to cool on a wire rack. 

6. When the ganache has thickened and the cakes are cooled you can put them together. I put some of the ganache in the middle of the cakes and then more on top. This is when I decorated it with the mini creme eggs. I just sliced the creme eggs in half so only ended up using 5.

Let me know if you give this cake a go! It is so good and I'm sure everyone you know will love it!

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My Favourite EVER Shower Gel - The Body Shop Passion Fruit...

The Body Shop Passion Fruit Shower Gel is one I have been purchasing for quite a while now and as the title says, it really is my favourite ever!

Shower gels are shower gels, they make you smell nice and feel clean. I like them and obviously use them but I don't often find any that I think deserve a blog post, apart from this one. I'm about half way through this bottle and I am desperate to get some more before I run out, I just love it too much but I do have a feeling they don't sell this anymore. I have been looking on the site and can't find it! I don't understand why they get rid of the good ones. I haven't seen the blueberry body butter for a while either which was also a favourite so I think that has been discontinued too! I'm genuinely sad about this. 

I honestly can't explain how good this smells, nice and fruity but not too sweet. I can smell it on me after I've used it for a good few hours and it makes the bathroom smell so good. I have always loved everything the Body Shop sells, aswell as their shower gels, I love their body butters, god knows how many of those I have gone through over the last few years. I love how soapy and bubbly the shower gel goes too when you use it. 

I'm aware this blog post might be a little weird, its just me confessing my love for a shower gel. I really hope they bring this back if it has gone, I hate it when you have a favourite of something and then they go and get rid of it. 

What's your favourite thing from The Body Shop?

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A Real Techniques Brush That Has Changed My Life...

I have been using the Real Techniques Buffing Brush for a few weeks now and it has changed everything! I don't know why I hadn't started using it sooner, it's so worth a blog post, it's that good!

I got this brush in the Real Techniques Core Collection. I wasn't really sure which Real Techniques brushes to start with so I went with this so I had a few choices. I had originally been using the foundation brush to obviously apply my foundation but then one day I just used this and I really haven't used any other brush for my foundation since then. I noticed straight away how much better my skin looked and how it felt. Sometimes with foundation brushes you can get streaky lines and sometimes it just doesn't blend very well like this one does. 

It's just amazing and I can't see myself switching to another brush any time soon. What brush do you use for foundation? Have you tried any of the Real Techniques ones?

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Shopping in London - Whole Foods, Lush, Hamleys and Superdrug

If you saw my post last week you will know we went to London recently and I mentioned that I had bought a few things while I was there. I wanted to do a separate post showing what I got as the other would have just been ridiculously long and most people would have lost interest if it had gone on any longer.

So first of all, I was so excited to find a Whole Foods in Piccadilly Circus! I have been wanting to go to one for so long but obviously there are none near us. They had so many healthy foods which I wanted to try but I just didn't know where to start. One of the things we got was some assorted truffles which were amazing. You only got 3 in the box but they were all made of natural ingredients and I can't even tell you how good they were. So much better knowing they were healthy too! I'm going to have to try and make my own because I don't know if I can wait until we next go to London to get more! We also got some Clippers Organic Sleep Easy Infusion Tea. I'm yet to try this but I think tonight I might have to give it a go. My sleeping pattern has actually been good good over the last week or so but it is so easy for me to slip back into the routine of not going to sleep until about 4 in the morning so hopefully these will prevent that.

Obviously while we were there we had to find a Lush. We went past one on Regent Street which had 3 floors I think. I ended up leaving with 5 bath bombs, I definitely wanted more but I think 5 will last me a few weeks! I got Blackberry, Granny Takes A Dip, Sex Bomb, Big Blue and Sakura. The Blackberry bath bomb is one of my favourites so I can't wait to use this! I also love the Sex Bomb one too, it makes the bath a lovely pink colour! The other 3 I haven't tried before so I can't wait to see what they're like. 

While we were on Oxford Street we went into the biggest Toy Shop, Hamleys. There was about 5 or 6 floors and I have never seen so many toys. We ended up getting a few things from there for Georges brothers, they had so many sweets! I also had a look round Superdrug while we were there, I desperately needed some new nail polishes so I picked Rimmel Glitter Bomb Disco Fever, Rimmel Salon Pro Celestial Metallics Grey and Maybelline Color Show Pink Boom. I have to say so far I am really not impressed with the Maybelline Color Show or the Glitter Bomb. I have both on now and the glitter just doesn't spread out. You have to put loads on to get any out but then its too thick so it won't dry! And the Maybelline just took ages. It needed a good few coats and it ended up been quite streaky and a little messy. I'm looking forward to trying the Salon Pro so hopefully that will be better. I forgot to take a picture but I also got a Rimmel Lasting Finish Blush in Pink Rose. I am so glad I got this! I love it, you don't need too much at all and it gives a lovely peachy colour. 

George bought me some lovely Boots while we were on Oxford Street from Next. I had pumps on and as I mentioned in my last london post, I couldn't walk basically. I found some comfy boots and I love them! They're different to anything I already have and I have been wearing them everyday! One of the last things I got was this book, The Girl On The Train. I had heard about this and as we were going on a train it seemed quite apt. It seems different to anything I have read before so I am planning on relaxing and starting this later on today!

We had such a good time and I really hope we can go back again soon! For now I'm looking forward to Manchester at the end of the month!

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