Aldi's best budget bake - Tiramisu cupcakes

Having been invited to take part in a food blogger challenge to celebrate Aldi Specialbuys Home Baking range which are on sale from Sunday 15th March 2015, we each received a hamper containing some of the range of kitchenware that would be on sale in store, along with a voucher with which to buy our ingredients.

Spurred on by the contents of my hamper, I chose to make some Italian Tiramisu inspired cupcakes and duly nipped out to Aldi to buy my ingredients: Eggs, self raising flour, caster sugar, butter, ground almonds, icing sugar, soft cheese, Amaretto, chocolate sprinkles and cupcake cakes. From my store cupboard I added almond extract and a splash of milk along with some coffee.  Here is how I made them:

For the Cakes (Makes 12):
4 Large free range eggs
140g Self raising flour
200g Caster sugar
200g Butter, softened to room temperature
80g Ground almonds
5ml almond extract
30ml milk
For the icing:
50g Butter, softened to room temperature
50g Soft cheese
250g Icing sugar
20ml Espresso (or very strong) coffee
15ml Amaretto
1 tub Chocolate sprinkles

1. Preheat the oven to 190℃.
2. Line a 12 hole cupcake tin with cupcake cases.

3. Place a large bowl onto your scales and add your eggs, reset the display to zero, then weigh in the flour, caster sugar, butter, ground almonds, almond extract and milk.

4. Using an electric mixer, thoroughly mix your ingredients together until light and fluffy.
5. Divide the mixture between your cupcake cases, making sure not to overfill the cases more than ¾ full.
6. Bake on the centre shelf of your oven for 15-18 minutes until lightly brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cupcake comes out clean.
7. Remove the cupcakes to a cooling rack and leave until cold.

To make the icing:
8. Place a large bowl on to your scales and weigh in the butter and soft cheese.
9. Remove the bowl from the scales, and using your electric mixer, beat these two ingredients together until fully combined.
10. Place the bowl back on your kitchen scales (reset the display to zero) and weigh in the icing sugar.
11. Measure in the espresso coffee and the Amaretto.

12. Starting slowly to prevent a huge dust storm of icing sugar, combine the icing ingredients together.
13. When the icing sugar is fully combined into the butter, soft cheese, coffee and Amaretto mixture, increase the speed then beat for 5 minutes until pale in colour, and light and airy in texture.

14. Spoon this into a disposable icing bag fitted with a star shaped nozzle (I used a Wilton 1M nozzle).
15. Pipe the icing onto the top in spiral pattern.
16. Sprinkle generously with the chocolate sprinkles.

17. Put the kettle on. Make yourself a coffee. Grab yourself a cupcake and enjoy your creations!

From my hamper I chose to use:
12 hole cupcake tin £1.99 This is a lovely and deep, teflon coated, non stick tin. What makes it even better is that you can put it in the dishwasher after you've used it! Always a bonus in my eyes being someone who hates washing up and tries to avoid it/delegate the task at all costs!

Slimline Electronic Kitchen Scales £6.99 These have an easy clean, stainless steel finish, are lightweight, slim and have an LED display.  They're powered by an easily available CR2032 battery (which is included). Not only do they weigh in both imperial and metric weights, but they have the added feature of being able to weigh fluid ounces or millilitres of both milk or water at the touch of a button; truly functional and cook friendly.  With the added 'tare' function, you simply weigh your ingredient out, press the button to return the scales to zero and weigh out each additional ingredient in the same way.  Again, this really does appeal to me as I can weigh all my ingredients out in one go and into one bowl; saving washing up!

Double Oven Gloves £2.99 Part of a co-ordinated range of matching products, these are 100% cotton with a 100% polyester filling.  They're a generous 18x92cm in size and more than big enough for the largest of hands whilst not being too large for little hands like mine. The hanging hook allows you to keep them handy near you oven and they're washable too.

Party Butler cake container £4.99 The ideal solution to storing and transporting your cakes, snacks or pizzas.  It's make from temperature resistant plastic which means you can easily clean this in the dishwasher (bonus!) It's the perfect size to store 24 decorated cupcakes, whilst the two integrated, fold down handles, mean that you can easily carry your bakes to share with friends and family.


I also received but haven't yet used:
Train silicone baking case £3.49
Measuring Jug Digital Kitchen Scale £6.99

The hamper and contents were provided to me free of charge from Aldi UK.  I was also provided with a gift voucher with which to purchase my ingredients to create my #BestBudgetBake recipe.

Aldi Wines

Thanks to Aldi's PR company, I was recently sent a box of wines and beers to review.  The box included:

Grapevine Tempranillo Ganache Rosé fron Spain.

Toro Loco ('Crazy Bull') red from the Tempranillo grapes.

Cabernet Sauvignon Carmenere from Chile.

Freeman's Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

Bavaria Beer from Holland.

Having now turned 18, my son was able to help review the drinks this time and poured himself one of the well chilled bottles of the Bavaria Beer, whilst pouring the other bottle for his dad.  They both enjoyed the drink while sitting in the garden on a sunny Saturday afternoon. My husband says it's got a lovely clean and fresh hoppy taste which he'd certainly go out and buy more of ready for warmer days to come!  Hopefully we'll we haven't quite seen the last of those days and may get a couple more before the season is out!

I went for a glass from the chilled bottle of Rosé.  A perfect drink for a lady, don't you think?  So cool, calm and collected and such a pretty colour too!! It's a crisp, clean tasting wine that's light and fruity on flavouring.  A thoroughly refreshing glass of wine, in my opinion.

The red Toro Loco is a full bodied, fruity red with loads of body.  Perfect to enjoy with a meal or just on its' own. Totally enjoyed by himself as he's my red wine drinker in this house.  A glass, poured and savoured whilst chilling listening to music is his idea of a relaxing end to the working day.

Cheers!  Here's to opening the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Sauvingnon Blanc.

The wines and beers were sent to me free of charge by the PR company representing Aldi.  I was not under any obligation to review the products sent to me, favourably or otherwise.  All opinions are those of my husband and myself.

Easter cocktails, mocktails & chocolate?

The clocks have changed to British Summer Time which means the days are getting longer, the nights are getting lighter and the weather is getting warmer. This weekend sees two bank holidays in celebration of Easter, giving us a long weekend, so what better way to enjoy and celebrate than with a cocktail, a mocktail or a drink with friends and family? (Not forgetting enjoying some chocolate of course!).

Aldi sent me a hamper full of goodies with which to celebrate the season.

A dark, rich Pinot Noir (£4.49) which went beautifully with our lamb roast on Sunday.

A lovely, creamy white chocolate Easter Bunny that I couldn't help but nibble on as I took my photos (oops!)

Another nibble on the bunny's ears and I was ready to assemble all the ingredients to prepare a cocktail from their dark Hopking Rum (£9.99) and the Cocobay Caribbean White Rum & Coconut blend (£4.99).  Shaken (not stirred) with some ice and fresh double cream in my new cocktail shaker. Wow! What a combination.

For those that don't like either cocktails or spirits, why not try a bottle of their Orchard Cider (£0.99) served cold and poured over ice for a refreshing, longer drink? Or a glass of cold, fresh sparkling Chardonnay (£6.99).

However you celebrate the Easter season; I wish you & your family good weather, good friends, happy families and amazing memories. Cheers!

The Aldi hamper and contents was sent to me free of charge from their PR company.  I was under no obligation to review the contents.

Aldi Wine Review

There's nothing better than being sent a bottle of wine, other than being sent 4 bottles of wine that is! Thanks to Aldi's PR company, that's exactly what I was sent; two bottles of red and two of white to review.

Aldi has long been a 'go to' place to buy our wine and I know several of our friends rate their wines highly too, so it was lovely to be sent 4 different ones to try.

The first to be opened was the Bordeaux Supérieur 2011 at £4.99 a bottle. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes from the Bordeaux region of France.  Hubby is the red wine drinker in the house and found this to be both richly fruity and well rounded; a perfect accompaniment to a roast beef dinner, perhaps. Though it's equally enjoyable after a long day at work.  The tasting notes detail this wine as having the aroma of raspberry & blackberry with spicy notes and a tannin structure. 

The white I chose to open first was the Chardonnay from the Limestone Coast of South Australia at £5.99 a bottle. This was a 2013 What Food/What Wine winner that they matched with a Chicken Korma. In my opinion, it's certainly a light, crisp and well balanced wine which is very drinkable when nicely chilled, with your feet up & relaxing after a day in the office. What comes across initially from this wine are the flowery scents followed by a light fruity taste. The tasting notes actually tell you that these come from honeysuckle, white peach and pineapple.

It's my birthday this Sunday, so, as I'm sure you can imagine, a glass or two will be enjoyed with family and friends and a toast raised to the generosity of Aldi and their PR company who kindly sent me these wines to review.  I'll let you know how we find the Rioja at £6.29 and the Sauvignon Blanc-Viognier at £5.99.

These wines were sent to me free of charge by Clarion Communications; the PR company for ALDI UK. I was under no obligation to provide a favourable review of the products that I was sent. The opinions stated are those of myself and my husband.

Port & Wensleydale with Cranberries

When the busy build up for the Christmas season seems to take away your days in the blink of an eye. When the endless round of shopping, cleaning, cooking and (for some) working over the Christmas season seems to consume your waking hours and all of your energy. The early morning awakening with excited children, desperate to see if Santa has made his visit, not to mention the preparation that goes into cooking the gargantuan proportioned dinner that we all seem to indulge in. No sooner is the 'big day' over with than preparation begins to herald the start of the New Year. Whether its preparing for a party at home, or getting ready to join friends and loved ones, or very simply having a quiet night at home surrounded by those closest to you.

We all seem to eat more of the things that we would only ever eat once a year, like chocolate for breakfast perhaps, or pâté, chutney, and Stilton.

This year I was kindly sent a bottle of Aldi Fletcher's Fine Ruby Port and a truckle of their Wensleydale with cranberries to try. These have been expertly paired by Master of Wines, Sarah Jane Evans. With all the hubbub of Christmas and the New Year, as well as me working over the festive period, we decided to leave our treat until everything had settled down and we could sit peacefully together and really enjoy it.

So, with yesterday being my husband's birthday, the wax was peeled back, the crackers brought out, the cork was popped and the glasses were filled. We put our feet up, put a DVD on & sat together to finally relax, bring in 2014 and to toast the year ahead.

We are partial to a glass of Port in this house but had never tried Aldi's before.  We found it to be a dark ruby in colour and compliments the colour of the cranberries. The rich, smooth flavour of the Port is a perfect match to the creamy, crumbly Wensleydale. I would thoroughly recommend a bottle of this, and at £6.29 it can more than hold its own against the more expensive brands. The cheese is flavourful, creamy & crumbly. It's certainly one that should adorn your cheese board, at any time of the year!

To 2014 and the year ahead. May it be a healthy & happy one for you all. Cheers!

The bottle of Port and the truckle of cheese were sent to me free of charge from Aldi's PR company. I was not under obligation to either publish a post or to provide a favourable review of them.