I tried out a couple of new bits and pieces last week. First was a foray into flatbread.

The tortilla recipe from River Cottage Bread is the simplest thing ever. Mix flour, salt and water to make a basic dough. Rest a bit, divide, roll, and cook quickly on a hot, oil free pan.

Despite having no raising agent, they do puff up a lot, so they do need to be rolled out super thin. I’d add a touch more salt next time, but they were tasty. My shaping needs a lot of work though, as these were all very Dali-esque!

Next to Mary Berry’s Baking Bible, where my next few bakes will come from.

Very straightforward cupcakes, using an all in one method, and vanilla butter icing.

I can hear her calling them “rustic looking” in my head…

These were destined for Little Bear’s creche staff room. School is back and they deserve a treat. I thought the dolly mix decorating was appropriate.

Last bake of the week was Honey drizzled cupcakes from the Cake Angels book. Friends were coming for dinner and one of them has severe coeliac disease, so the kitchen needed a scrub down to avoid cross contamination before starting. That was the most time intensive bit!

My parents live in an area that has a lot of beekeepers, so I’m lucky to have a regular supply of proper honey straight from the hive. Every jar is slightly different in colour, texture and taste, depending on what the bees have been eating.

I used butter rather than dairy free spread. I’m a big fan of Doves Farm gluten free flour blend. It subs brilliantly into a lot of gluteny recipes and for me at least, I find that I don’t need to add xanthan gum when I use it. It’s a common addition to gluten free baking to add a bit of stability and stop the bake crumbling apart too easily.

Other than that the recipe was a fairly regular cupcake formula, with a couple of tablespoons of honey added in. It’s a very runny mixture though, and even using a scoop I ended up dribbling batter all over the tin.

A syrup of honey, orange juice, cinnamon and very finely chopped walnuts made while they baked. Very unattractive but tastes mellow and warm.

As soon as the pan came out of the oven, it was plonked on a cooling rack and I got stabby with a skewer.

One Bake Off trick I have learned is to let them cool for a few minutes before layering in the syrup to avoid it all goin straight through the sponge.

No one likes a soggy bottom.

The least messy of them gets a photo!

I left them to cool completely in the tin, to help them keep their shape and to avoid a potentially sticky mess if the warm honey syrup escaped the cupcake cases.

They worked out well, and went down a treat. Quite a dense texture, but it stood up to the large amount of syrup well.

I didn’t love them, personally, but I was very much in the minority on that.