Are you ready for Easter? This year it seems early on in the year so it may catch you by surprise.

I really love Easter, it means spring is officially here. Bring on the country walks through fields of baby lambs, flowers starting to appear in the garden and we can start to plan a lovely summer ahead.

Easter bank holiday is a great chance to have a nice long weekend with family and friends and stuff yourself on chocolate of course! Get your table in ship shape and ready for all the family coming over on Easter Sunday with my new collection exclusively available at Debenhams. The range is all the key pieces you need such from the essential bunny egg cup (be quick these sold out very quickly last year) to the stunning bunny cake stand. As well as a few gift ideas too, a gorgeous tea for one the perfect hostess present if you are going somewhere else for Easter lunch or a very beautiful bunny money box which is a great alternative gift to chocolate for the grown up kids.

Bunny Money Box

Bunny Cake Stand

Bunny Toast Rack, £8

This cake is perfect to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this week (17th March).
It's a gorgeously sticky, rich and totally delicious cake which reflects the look of a freshly pulled pint of Guinness with it's dark body and fluffy creamy topping. Give it a go with the recipe below it will be very popular with friends and family!

You'll need...

For the cake...

250ml Guinness                  

250g Unsalted Butter (cubed) 

75g Cocoa Powder 

300g Caster Sugar

100g Soft brown sugar 

1 x 142ml sour cream 

1 tbs bourbon vanilla extract 

2 medium eggs 

275g plain flour 

2 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 

For the topping...

300g Cream cheese

150g icing sugar

125ml whipping cream 

To make...

Preheat the oven to 180c 

Butter the sides and bottom of a 23cm springform tin then line the base with baking parchment. 

Firstly, place the butter and Guinness into a saucepan and melt the butter into the Guinness gently over a low heat until the all butter has melted. Combine the caster, soft brown sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl (no need to sift the cocoa), then whisk these into the Guinness and butter mixture in the pan. While this mixture is cooling, place the sour cream, eggs and vanilla essence into a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Now add the the Guinness mixture to the sour cream mix and whip gently until incorporated. Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into the bowl and beat until all ingredients are combined. Pour into the prepared springform tin and bake in the centre of the preheated oven. Bake for 45 to 60 mins. The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean when put into the centre of the cake, cool in the tin until cold (it may crack a little and sink slightly in the middle but this is fine).

For the topping, whisk the cream cheese and then sift in the icing sugar a little at a time, add the cream and whisk gently until mixture is fluffy. Frost the cake with this mixture until it resembles a lovely pint of Irish goodness.




Cake stand exclusively from my collection at Debenhams