HOW TO: Make Cake Pops!

It looks like August is the month for birthdays (in my family anyway) which means lots of birthday cake! For my sister's 30th, she threw a big birthday bash earlier in the month, and I made these sponge pop cakes for everybody to tuck into! I'm not 100% sure if this counts as a 'recipe', as the majority of ingredients are the same as any other cake! I guess I could just a call this a list of instructions? Enjoy, x 

First step, bake a sponge cake - you can use a plain sponge recipe (4oz casting sugar, butter, flour, 2 eggs and some baking powder), but I used a basic sponge mix from the supermarket which needed just 1x egg and 1 or 2 spoonfuls of water - a lot easier & probably a lot cheaper if you do not have the ingredients at home already (which I didn't)! Once the mixture has been made, spoon it into a greased container and cook into the sponge is bouncy and golden!

Step 2 - Once cooled, break up the cake with your hands until it looks like crumble; then add in a couple of tablespoons of ready-made icing mixture (enough to make the sponge stick together, without it being too wet). Grab a small handful of the mixture and roll it into 10-12 suitably small 'cake ball' sizes.

Step 3 - Poke a cake pop stick into the ready-made icing and then into each individual 'cake ball'. Once completed, freeze all cake pops for 15 minutes. This is just to ensure that all sticks are firmly set in the cake pops!

Step 4 - As the pop-sticks are freezing, melt the cooking chocolate for icing. I melted the chocolate in a glass bowl over some very warm water (not boiling) but you can also microwave it! DO NOT ADD WATER TO YOUR CHOCOLATE AS IT MELTS... (I learnt the hard way) This will make the chocolate separate and unusable. 

Step 5 - Once your chocolate has melted, dip each cake pop into a glass of melted chocolate - be careful when moving the stick around - too much swirling cake make the stick become loose. Now apply any sprinkles / decorative extras that you have on top of the melted chocolate. 

Step 6 - leave to dry by placing the sticks into a cake pop stand, and if you don't have one of these then a colander should be just as good. Once set, place the pops in a clear wrapper and tie up with ribbon to make the treats look extra special!

Wa la, you're done!! You should have 10-12 identical and tasty cake pops that have a moist sponge and are covered in chocolate :) Would I make these again? I received a lot of compliments after my first batch, which is always nice, and yes my cake pops looked very cool! I made a coffee, and double chocolate flavour, so you can mess around with the ingredients, but I probably wouldn't make these again as its A LOT of work & money!! Fairy cakes are just as cool & probably go further! 

Have you made cake pops before? Maybe you have a different recipe that you'd like to share? If so please feel free to add a comment. Alternatively, if you have an idea for another blog post id love to hear about it below.

Thanks for reading,

Yvette Marie xo

 

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Tutorial: How To Make Your Own Lip Scrub

Last week I posted a review of Lip Glams Original Balm to kick start my 6x lips special - I can't say enough how important it is to take care of your lips, so I thought this would be the perfect time to blog about an awesome lip care product :) As everyone knows I'm a big fan of saving money and having a go at some DIY items, so below, I've listed some ingredients that you will need to make your own Sugar Lip Scrub! Just 2 items are required, and they should all already (hopefully) be in your cupboards! Enjoy x

Ingredients:

- 1 TBSP of brown or white sugar (I prefer brown)

- A dash of honey or olive oil (Just enough to make the sugary mixture stick together)

- A teeny tiny drop of vanilla (Optional - makes it smell yummy)

- Food colouring (Optional -makes it look fun and colourful)

Now mix together all of the ingredients! This should leave the mixture with a perfect consistency, and it's as simple as that! I've read online that some people crush the sugar down to make an even smaller grain, but this is obviously down to individual taste.

Apply the scrub onto your lips once a week (twice at the very most). If you have any dead skin then this will definitely help! Once the dead skin has loosened (if this applies to you), leave the scrub on for another minute and then wipe off the mixture with a damp cloth. Apply lip balm after use, and your lips should now be super smooth!

If this one isn't for you, then have a look around online as there are hundreds of recipes available (experimenting with different flavours & ingredients), but hopefully, at the very least, I've provided you with some inspiration!

Please feel free to comment if you found this tutorial helpful...Maybe you've tried to make your own lip scrub and have a fun recipe that others can try!?

Thanks for reading,

Yvette Marie xo

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Turtorial: Homemade Face Masks

Hi everyone, last week I mentioned in my skincare routine post that I use Mask of Magnaminty from Lush; And whilst I do love this product, it can be a tad on the expensive side so below I've listed 3 of my favourite homemade facemask recipes! If you're on a budget, this is a great idea and so cost effective! Have a dig around in the kitchen cupboards, and enjoy x

1. Oatmeal Facial Mask -

Combine a TBSP of finely grounded oatmeal with a TBSP of plain yoghurt, and then add a small drop of honey into the mixture. Once all ingredients have been added, apply a thin layer to your face and leave to set for 10-15 minutes. Finally, rinse with warm water. This should give you a quick pick-me-up and leave your skin not only looking better, but also feeling it!! Apply moisturiser after for the best results!

2. Honey, Cinnamon and Nutmeg Face Mask -

 First, mix together 1 TSP of cinnamon and 1 TSP of nutmeg. Now add 2 drops of honey, and you're ready to go! Ingredients can obviously be adjusted to suit, but I find this combination works best. I usually leave this facemask on for 15 minutes, however, at the first sign of irritation wash off! What are the benefits of this face mask? Honey acts as a natural antioxidant, soothes skin and fights acne caused by microbes! Nutmeg reduces redness and inflammation caused by acne, and cinnamon can plump the skin by bringing oxygen and blood to the service. Cinnamon also unclogs and opens the pores by removing excess oil from the skin's surface. This mask is great for lightening blemishes, and reducing the appearance of scars. Although cinnamon is great, it can also cause major irritation and even an allergic reaction on the skin, so I would advise doing a patch test beforehand.

3. Ice Cube Facial Massage -

Ok so this isn't exactly a face mask, but I guess it can be described as a facial?! I recently read about a routine that I wanted to share with you, and now that it's the beginning of summer, this is the perfect time of year to try it out! Simply wrap ice cubes in a paper towel and massage your face in a circular motion for 1-2 minutes just before bed. Although this doesn't sound very pleasant, ice has a long list of benefits and can do wonders for your skin! Here is a list of just some; Minimise pores, control oil production, smooth complexion by easing the appearance of wrinkles, fight acne, promote blood circulation and help heal blemishes. There are plenty of ingredients that you can also include to suit your skin type too:

Dry Skin? Add Mint 

Oily Skin? Try adding sage

Wear make-up every day? I do! Include a TSP of olive oil to the water before freezing. The oil will nourish and smooth your skin.

Top Tips -

- Always wash your face, and remove any make-up before applying face masks to receive the best results!
-  Some ingredients mentioned may cause irritation, so always do a small test patch before applying it onto your face.
- If big oats aren't for you, grind them down so the mixture is a lot finer.

- When adding honey, run the spoon under a hot tap beforehand. It makes it a lot easier to pick up and drop off the liquid.
- Place a strainer in your sink to catch the oats when they've washed off.

Please feel free to comment if you found this tutorial helpful, or if you have any suggestions for future blog posts!

Thanks for reading,

Yvette Marie xo

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