Dreamy Creamy Carrot Cake

I love CAKE it is delicious and the best thing about making your own? You get to taste along the way!

This simple recipe is quick and yields delicious results! 

Remember to persevere even when it reaches is sloppy middle stages because it turns out beautiful every time!

Ingredients

200g light muscovado sugar

• 175ml sunflower oil
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 140g grated carrots (about 3 medium)
• grated zest of 1 large orange
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp grated nutmeg (freshly grated will give you the best flavour)
  

Method

• Preheat oven to 180C. 
• Oil cake tin and line with baking parchment. 
• Into a large bowl add:  oil and eggs. 
• Stir in the grated carrots and orange rind.
• Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then sift into the bowl.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40- 45 minutes.
• Buttercream: butter and icing sugar with 2 drops of vanilla essence and mixed until
• creamy.
• Decorate with leftover walnuts.

For original recipe click here.

On top of Europe

For my Mum's birthday this year we took her to the tallest building in Europe, The Shard.

The day began with flowers and gifts, and being the wonderful woman she is, there were many! 

Then we got all dressed up and headed into central London. My not-so-little baby brother looked so grown up.

...how time flies...

First we went for lunch at Sushisamba, a restaurant over looking the city that combines Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine and every dish is a work of art!

 Slightly different from the Peruvian food we've eaten previously...

The views were spectacular, the food delicious and the company was even better!

Then we took a walk in the sunshine to The Shard for even more breathtaking views of the beautiful city!

And of course, we ended up in McDonalds!

All in all a wonderful day ending with one very happy birthday girl!! 

'Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!'

Dr. Seuss

Turning 21...

So it's finally happened, I am 21 and the only things I'm too young for include bus passes and asking 'youths' to give up their seats on the bus...

Remember being 5 and a half?...
Then it was: 'I'm 18 till midnight'...
Then people start sticking to their mental age... 'I'm 40 but still feel as though I'm in my 20's'...

People see getting older as a bad thing, when in reality it's an accomplishment! Every year that passes you are exposed to a multitude of experiences from making new friends to visiting new places. If the worst thing about progressing through life is a fear of it ending because its just so great, then in fact, that is the greatest thing of all! 
Expectations that people have for themselves and other people about where they should be, and what they should be doing and feeling at that specific age is insanity! If I choose to spend a Monday evening in my onesie making jelly, then I should be able to do just that without thinking I'm 'too old'. 

My day started with my mum driving 3 hours from London with 30 balloons, an inflatable dear and a massive cake. We then went to Bournemouth beach for a lovely day in the sun! On the way back to Southampton we stopped of at 'our beach' and I decided to go for a swim! Luckily the beach was fairly empty, so I only received confused and shocked looks from one couple by running down the beach into the waves in my underwear at 6pm on a chilly March evening! I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful mum!

An excellent opportunity for 'YOLO' (if ever there was one...)

'

'Since people are going to be living longer and getting older, they'll just have to learn how to be babies longer.'

Andy Warhol

The Wild Wide Web & Daffodils

My FIRST Blog Post

YAY I've made it to the 21st century!

I still haven't decided what my blog is going to be about... it'll probably end up being a string of random and slightly doolali facts, photos and recipes... so here is my favourite poem to start us off!

Southampton Common in Spring

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils. 

William Wordsworth

This is me... hello!

About Me

Well hello there!

Welcome to my blog, my name is Ali.

I was born and raised in London, I am a 23 year old aspiring scientist.

My blog is a mixture of baking, adventuring and crafting so have an explore and follow if you like what you read!

Most importantly, I have a child, her name is Gina and she is a white west highland terrier, she is the love of my life (sorry Tom)!