Recent Cake Creations...

Morning foodsters!

So recently I have been ridiculously busy, with last week juggling five different jobs at once! Last week saw The Children's Media Conference, in Sheffield for its 10th year, which was amazing for networking and advice and I will be blogging on Her Uni about it - links to go live shortly!

 The week previous I was busy with last minute cake orders and working through my never end PR and marketing list! I took on a Red Velvet simple, square sponge and a double chocolate 18th birthday cake. Both very happy clients and I had great fun with the sugar-craft modelling!

Milk chocolate sponge with white chocolate ganache filling. Chocolate fondant covering and vanilla buttercream detailing. Everything, obviously, edible.

 Last week I focused mainly on shortening my list and balancing my work load. Below is the cake for Gordon Ramsay's 'have a nice day' book launch, which is an American based, crime thriller. Buy your copy on Amazon today for a truly fabulous summer read!

This week a good friend of mine tagged me in a Facebook repost of this picture, with regards to bespoke crafts and cakes. I thought it was too good not to share and to all you foodies and crafties, who  feel forced to undersell their time and products, show your clients this. If people are wanting personalised, bespoke, one of products, that are unique to them, the price in guaranteed to be higher, to match the higher quality. Shop local, shop luxury.

Keep calm and be kind to your local sellers.

Love, as always, 

RVB 

xo

Harrogate Speciality Food Show :)

After a few years of wanting to go, one year of being away when I received tickets, I finely got to indulge in the Harrogate Speciality Food Show. I had looked at holding a stall there myself, but after experiencing its delights, I now know it is not the place for me, but a great place to pick up on mainstream trends and business success in the speciality food industry. Ps I cannot resist saying look at my cute little ticket (above), so easily excited.

I met a lot of first timers at the show and it was wonderful to see all the young, fresh, talented individuals that are helping to food industry thrive with the 'shop local' schemes. Everyone was so passionate about their field and supportive of the other stalls, working together to create a fantastic atmosphere. There were demonstrations too and we caught the 'make the most' out of food that is past it's best. Always plenty to do with bananas, but unusual and tasty ways to cut down tremendously on food waste, utilising your fridge contents to the best of the ingredient ability, no matter the skill of the chef in hand! See the picture above and below of the delicious treats that were made.

As you can imagine, the sweet stalls took most of my attention and below is a gorgeous chocolate stall. Most of the businesses were looking for wholesale buyers, rather than individuals, which is why Red Velvet Baking was not as well suited, doing bespoke orders, however it was nice to see the range of products out there and to see more artisan and 'homemade'  products are beginning to take the market by storm, as  mass production loses the personalised, luxury feel of products.

As we got horrifically lost on the way to Harrogate, we arrived quite late and I had an order due in shortly after too! We did however, make it in time to see the Dragon's Den style talk, where some of the stall holders presented their products to a chef and several market retailers. It was fantastic to watch and the first guy, with his Greek meze range, from The Olive Branch, was really good and the product tasted very authentic.

Meze style dip or marinade, shame it was on a ritz cracker so flavour was a little lost!

These two ladies, mother and daughter, really touched my heart, being really new to their business, promoting home made marshmallows. Over the past couple of years, marshmallows have really hit it off. I am really not sure why, but when you taste a home made one, alongside a Princes, £1 for a full bag one, you quickly realise that we have been eating them wrong for years! These lovely ladies got criticised for poor branding and quickly learnt that to compete in this kind of market, they have to raise their game. I did swing by to their stall before leaving and offer a few tips on branding, PR and marketing, I just couldn't resist! I do wish them the best and suggest you go find a local marshmallow stockist and try a REAL marshmallow!

It was a fabulous experience and I plan to go again next year, but it is more for finding local sources for good quality chocolate and containers, rather than gaining business for me. I stand by bespoke and personalised and would hate to go national too quickly with RVB, but one day, you never know, I could be coming to a town near you!

Keep calm and shop local.

Love and warm wishes,


Red Velvet Baking

xox

Sheffield 'Star', My Bake is Chocolate Heaven...

Evening my beautiful foodies,

Just a little update about my progress and this week has been quite busy - no change there! I was in the Sheffield Star Style supplement on Wednesday (see pictures below), featuring my Nan's chocolate yogurt cake, which I must say is pretty scrumptious! If you do fancy giving it ago, check out the video I did online at my University kitchen, giving you tips and step by step support in the kitchen.  Chocolate Yogurt Cake, RVB Style.

The videoing was rather daunting and me and George, my partner, found it a rather tight turn around. However, I have decided to step up a YouTube channel and plan on filming over the summer, for your enjoyment - so watch this space!

 Also, I featured in the 'My Guilty Pleasure' section. Obviously, my beautiful Candy Apple Red KitchenAid is my guilty pleasure and my kitchen's pride and joy. You could say I am one step away from taking it to bed with me! I don't like it being out of sight...

Plans to feature in future articles are in the making, so I will try and let you know before hand, so you can keep an eye out. If you make the cake, feel free to send in pictures (jessicaaleisha@hotmail.co.uk) or comment with your ideas and tips. I would love to give you my recipes, but that would be like giving away my business, but this beautiful cake, replacing butter with oil, natural yogurt and golden syrup, really is a tasty teatime treat.

After a week of poor back pain, I am starting to feel a little more optimistic. The future is always bright, if you look towards the sun :) ...

Keep calm and keep up to date with the daily Red Velvet Baking adventure...

Twitter @redvelvetbaking
Instagram @redvelvetbaking
Pinterest @redvelvetbaking (be nice, I'm new!)
Facebook: Red Velvet Baking

Much love, remember I'm the optimistic elephant ;)

Jessica,

RVB

xox

The Joys of June so far...

Evening my fabulous foodies, or should I say early morning!

More and more these days I'm turning into a night owl, the more work I get, the less sleep I seem to allow myself! BUT...the sun has had his little straw hat on, in the last two weeks, so I have made a little time to catch up with friends and utilise 'lunchtime', as me time. I cannot say I have tanned particularly, mind you!

Although I'm not quite this tiny...never trust a skinny baker ey!

I thought May was manic, but boy was I wrong! June is THEE month, I think, lots of time consuming tasks and tasters of whats to come.

The 1st June saw me off retail work, poorly with sinusitis and debilitating back pain, which sadly still has not gone! And really, nobody has time for that! Having an afternoon to try recover, I could not lay in bed and decided to work in my Pjs, as time is money in one view, but also time is lost, if not spent wisely.

Thursday brought the graduation party of Faye Smith, at Keep Your Fork's Brand Booster Bitesize course, which was fantastic. We shared delicious nibbles, including Jamie Oliver recipe burgers, in bitesize buns, and homemade Bakewell slices. It was a great chance to get to know a lot of the clients I do work on behalf of, but also to network with like-minded, enthusiastic people, willing to support and share ideas. Let's put it this way, I may have a fabulous wedding connection, as a potential chief supplier!! If you're looking for wedding planning in the North, check out Karen at Kurly Bird Events...

Faye, Mel (my new intern!) and I at the Graduation Event.

The following friday I got the chance to support Faye, from Keep Your Fork PR & Marketing, as she was nominated as a finalist for the Sue Ryder Award in business. It was an amazing experience, with over 650 women celebrating female entrepreneurial success and outstanding achievements, so uplifting and inspiring. Although Faye did not win her category, this time, she was still a winner in my heart, supporting and guiding not only myself, but many businesses in Sheffield and afar, helping them to succeed and achieve their dreams. I felt honoured to be invited and cannot wait to submit more entries for others that truly deserve the recognition.

Awards line up :) Faye in the RED!

Speaking of awards, the Guardian's Observer Food Monthly Award are taking nominations and I am greatly pushing to get my blog seen by more readers. I would really appreciate your support and encouragement, as without you guys, I'm just a lonely obsessed foodie! Sharing is caring and I do wish to give it back to you guys too! You can vote for my blog on...http://www.easyanswer.net/observer/ <3

To finish I'd just like to mention that I am featuring in the Sheffield Star's Style supplement tomorrow, with my Nan's famous chocolate yogurt cake! I have videoed myself baking it this evening and hopefully, with a touch of magic from my partner, the edited version will soon be online for you to see me in action!! I'll keep you guys posted.

Ciao for now foodies, 

Keep calm and remember to recognise and reward the worthy :)

Love and warm wishes, 

Jessica

RVB 

xox

Melodramatic May...

Evening my wonderful Foodie followers,

I hope you all have managed to make the most of the minimal sun May has offered this year, but both bank holidays at least were warm!

At this beginning of the month, 5th May, I turned my back on my teen years and embraced the years ahead, as a twenty year old. Scary thought, but the blossom in my front garden is beautiful! (See behind my head...)

 As it was MY birthday, I made chocolate fudge cake, as it's my ultimate favourite. I trialled some delicious Quark mixed cake pops and covered in ganache; perfection. I cored the cake and filled it with mini chocolate cupcakes, sprinkled with glitter and edged the base with caramel curls. My tasty little birthday treat, for myself! I did share it though, I'm not that selfish!

I got some fabulous presents, which were mainly, funnily enough, food related. Even my family understand my obsession. I got some topsy turvy tins, Red Velvet Cupcake wine, a new cupcake caddy and a gorgeous Le Creuset dish, of the boyfriend. Oh, and don't let me forget my NEW cake airbrush gun! My pink Dinkie Doodle, alongside my nerdy gifts,  including Alice in Wonderland psychologist essays.

I celebrated my birthday with family. My parents surprised me with a trip to a gorgeous Thai restaurant in Leeds, Thai Edge, after a Pink Princess champagne cocktail in Harvey Nichols. We finished the evening in the Skybar overlooking Leeds, two rather drunk ladies and too rather amused men.

The food was fantastic, soft lobster in noodles, thai green curry; just scrumptious. Everything was beautifully seasoned, lots of spice and full of flavour. I will definitely be going back!

 Above you can see the 'famous', as my mum would call it, Creme Caramel cocktail special, which was a pretty amazing drink. Smooth and silky on the palette and deadly alcoholic! I tried a pomegranate daquiri to finish too, see below. It was mind blowing-ly strong, yet subtly sweet, with a hint of sour lime. What better way to celebrate.

Apologies for the delay in my post, I have been a little ill these last few days with sinusitis and busy with a new influx of orders, the latter being slightly more exciting! I have applied to write for an online culture based magazine and have been working on my business model and developing new ideas. So much in the pipeline, so little time for a busy bee.

For now, not forever..

Love RVB xo

Quarky Product Launch!

Evening foodies!

Sorry for the delay with this post, time just disintegrates, I swear! Better late than never though and this is sure worth reading.

Last Thursday I was invited to the launch of a fantastic, versatile product called Quark. You may have heard of Quark before, some of you may have even eaten it, but the quality and texture of The Lake District Cheese Co. Quark is in a whole new food heaven.

I was so excited for the launch, as I have used Quark in the past and it was my first official product press launch. I took a day off my ever busy schedule and went down to London, first thing, to be greeted with a sea of warm faces, a glass of cava and Quark baked breakfast muffins. Nothing quite tops that!

 Press pack goodies!

 The beautiful Baker Brothers did a fabulous demonstration, showcasing the fabulous product. With original flavour, lemon and a velvety vanilla, the possibilities are truly endless. 

Recipes including Quark flatbreads, carrot cake, cake frosting and salad dressings. I even got to try the cheesecake and some delicious soup. With only 19 calories, in comparison to philadelphia's 132, including being naturally fat free, Is this a miracle or what?

Over the coming weeks I will be experimenting with this fantastic new ingredient, available in most major retailers, trialling the product in healthier recipes and home cooking, although I could actually just eat it out the tub! Why not reduce the fat and calories, increase the protein and still enjoy great flavour? Win all round if you ask me!

Another few products I bought whilst in London, were the Clearspring Green Nori flakes. This fabulous sea vegetable is crammed full of health boosting vitamins and can be added to any dish, replacing the need for salt. Delicious and healthy.

Also, I bought some Agave syrup to trial on my cake products! Although I love my luxuries, having a sweet tooth and a desperation for a smaller waistline means drastic measures. I cannot and will not compromise flavour, but I will try and create perfection, with a little help from natural sources!

I'll be online shortly, having had a hectic week and with it being my birthday weekend, everything is all up in the air. Please get in touch if you have trialled any of these fabulous products, especially the delicious, creamy Quark and I shall be giving you some top tips and recipes, to really spice up your home kitchen cooking.

Keep calm and Quark up!

RVB xox