easy banana bread with chocolate spread.

If you haven't made banana bread yet, you've probably seen slices scattered all over your social media. I've no idea how every household has ended up with so many surplus bananas, but when life gives you bananas, I guess you make banana bread. It's a super easy recipe too, where you can use any leftover spread to dot into the mix, as well as any extra nuts to scatter over the top. For this, I made a classic easy banana bread recipe, then using some leftover chocolate spread and some flaked almonds from the back of the cupboard. Adapt fillings and topping as you wish, but always enjoy with your favourite tea or coffee.

earl grey and lemon loaf: cake swap with xameliax.

Today's recipe is brought to you from my lovely blogging friend Amelia, who is a fellow foodie and afternoon tea extraordinaire. How gorgeous does her Earl Grey and lemon cake recipe look? With further ado, I'll pass over to the lady herself...

Hey guys! I'm Amelia from the lifestyle and food blog xameliax.com and YouTube channel xameliax! I love in the middle of England and have an insatiable passion for food and drink, cooking and baking my way through my own kitchen and eating out at a myriad of restaurants across the country. I love mixing new and exciting cocktails and tasting fab wine and I review all sorts of eateries from purse friendly pub grub to Michelin star establishments. 

Like Emily I love a big mug of Earl Grey tea (although I take mine black with a slice of lemon!) and as i've always wanted to give tea loaf a go I thought this would be a brilliant opportunity to get creative! This cake is perfect for whipping up if you have guest coming round for a quick cuppa and will keep in a tin for up to a week or even in your freezer for up to three months so you always have some homemade cake to put out when mum pops round unannounced! 

beetroot and chocolate cake with orange zest cream cheese frosting.

so this was my first attempt at a baking with beetroot for my first clandestine cake club meet! :) the theme was "mind, body and cake" at the loughborough based ccc so i decided to go with something healthy (ish).

so what will you need?

happy birthday chocolate cake.

when i was given this recipe by the mum of one of my best friends (thanks jane, thanks grace!), i instantly knew this would make a brilliant chocolatey birthday cake. a friend of her's came across it in a children's cookery book and swears by it for any special occasion. plus it was a great chance to use my new baking tin. i have to say... it didn't disappoint :)

little lemon easter cupcakes.

so easter is just around the corner and that can only mean one thing in the baking world. finally breaking (or pretending you hadn't already broken) the rules of what you might have given up for lent. luckily i hadn't given anything up this year, so when the lovely people at bakingmad.com sent me some baking bits and asked if i'd try out their easter cupcakes, i jumped at the chance. i took inspiration from two of their recipes and put them together to create these little treats.