Yellow plum almond cake

I've been at home with a migraine for a couple of days after a long day travelling to Belfast and back for work. I decided I needed some baking therapy to try and soothe my headache! A punnet of shiny golden plums led me to try making an almondy cake made with plum purée and decorated with sliced plums. What better comfort food?

Blueberry, lemon and almond soured cream cake

I made this for a meal with our friends Cath and Gregg.  My recipe is adapted from a BBC Good Food recipe, but I added ground almonds and lemon to the recipe.  It's lovely and light, and really delicious!

Pomegranate, ginger and Old Jamaica muffins

Tomorrow night we're off to an engagement party for our friends Ben and Matt. Since it's Valentine's Day next week, I thought I'd make some heart-shaped muffins using my new silicone heart muffin mould (I found a John Lewis one in a discount store for £2!).

The recipe I created used half a bar of Cadbury's Bourneville Old Jamaica rum and raisin chocolate and a couple of packs of pomegranate seeds.  (If you're using whole pomegranates, the best way to remove the seeds is to score the fruit into quarters, and pull it apart in a bowl of cold water - the seeds will sink to the bottom and the flesh will float so you can scoop it out.)  A bit of grated orange zest and some crystalised ginger minced in a mini blender, and hey presto - UNBELIEVABLY delicious Valentine's muffins!

I decorated them by dipping them into melted Bouneville plain chocolate and sprinkling them with pomegranate seeds and diced crystallized ginger.  They may just be the prettiest muffins I've ever made...

White chocolate coffee cookies

These cookies are made with instant coffee powder, straight into the dough without diluting with hot water.  It melts a little in the baking, and the smaller the granules the better - although you still get a little pop of coffee hit when they're baked!