Foodie Fridays with Eckle's Delights

Hi everyone! Happy Foodie Friday 🎉 I’m Jesse and I run a small baking business called Eckle’s Delights. I started Eckle’s after deciding that my everyday job in finance wasn’t where my genuine passion was. So back in 2018 I took the dive and became self employed.

I originally started small, making customised cupcakes and small brownie trays. But now my main orders are for personalised occasion cakes and postal desserts, which include brownies, cookies and cake by the slice. I was terrified of the thought of exposing my mediocre home-made cupcakes to family and friends, never mind local cake consumers! And never in a million years did I think I would have a website or even be writing a BLOG. But proof is in the pudding (pun intended): Keep on Baking!

Running a small business is always challenging and this has allowed me to overcome confidence fears and self doubt! It was during the first national lockdown in March 2020 that I had to adapt my business and FAST. This is where I realised focusing more on postal desserts, which increased customer base and my creativity, this was a way for me to reach more customers and my loyal local orders.

Lockdown for the third time round has me feeling sad for so many businesses in my field; especially those wanting to expand and grow with store fronts. I admire everyone coming together in these trying times and their determination to keep on going. I keep positive through all this by supporting others where I can and use the down time to spend time with my family, especially my little boy who is enjoying this lockdown more than I expected. Like his mummy he loves a lie-in 🤣.

I think Boost is a fantastic initiative! Home-schooling is challenging and something most parents never thought they would have to do. However, Boost has a parent guide to help you support your child’s learning, taking the pressures of “getting it right” away. It’s like having a mini teacher over your shoulder giving you support each time the home-school starts. During this time I can’t imagine anything better for parents, on top of all the other worldly pressures. And for those parents that worry they might not be doing enough or just need some more activities for the kiddies, the boost box is that perfect extra school supply!

To make home-schooling a little more fun I have got some baking recipes below which are perfect for all the family and can be educational and yummy too:

Choc Chip Bar

• Ingredients

• 160g Caster sugar

• 125g Baking Spread

• 1 Egg

• 1/2 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

• 285g Self Raising Flour

• 100g Milk Choc Chunks

• 100g White Choc Chunks

Choc chips can be used or largely chopped

Chocolate pieces

Directions

• Heat oven to 180c and line foil 12 x 7 tray with grease paper

• Put choc chunks to chill in the fridge or the freezer

• Add both sugars to a bowl, mix and grind down any lumps

• At room temperature add in baking spread and mix until combined

• In a separate bowl whisk the egg and vanilla lightly

• Add the egg to the sugar and butter until combined

• Sieve in self raising flour and fold until the batter is thick cookie dough

• Add in chilled chunks and fold

• Spread batter evenly in a foil baking tray

• Pop in the oven on a middle shelf and bake for 15-18 mins until light gold

• Let cool and then refrigerate before slicing

Cookies and cream cake

Ingredients

• 200g Castor sugar

• 200g Self raising flour

• 200g Baking Spread

• 4 Eggs

• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

• 250g Oreos (Smashed)

• 100g Milk

• 200g Icing Sugar

• 100g Butter

• Any or no milk can be used

Directions

• Heat oven 180c and line 2x6 cake tin with grease paper

• Place Oreos in a a plastic bag and crush - not too small as this will shrink in the oven

• Add sugar, sieved flour to a bowl and mix well

• In a seperate bowl whisk the eggs and vanilla lightly

• Add the egg to the sugar, flour and butter

• Using the egg bowl add crushed oreos and milk. Stir and fold into cake batter

• Evenly pour batter into baking tins

• Pop in the oven on a middle shelf and bake for 20-25 mins

• In another bowl beat butter then gradually add icing sugar

• Mix until smooth and creamy

• Check if properly baked using a knife, when you lift the knife out it should come out CLEAN

• Once cooled remove from cake tin and trim off the tops

• Cover one of the cakes with the butter icing and sandwich with other cakes

For more recipes head over to www.ecklesdelights.co.uk. Enjoy and have a lovely weekend!