Happy new year! Top posts in 2016 and baking projects for 2017…

Hope you’re all having a wonderful start to 2017! We can be nostalgic looking back at last year, excited thinking of new experiences to come and hopeful for greater peace, love and understanding. And of course I’m not obsessed with cakes, perish the thought (lol), but I was curious to investigate my year in bakes and which posts were most visited in 2016. The ones above are not actually the top 9, they’re the runner ups – numbers 10 to 18! Those below are the most popular, with over half coming from my basics section!

Here’s the list from my stats so you can see what they are.

It seems people are looking online for instructions to work with basic elements like glazes, pastry and sponges. Interesting! My basics section (which includes some intermediate-advanced techniques) will probably continue to expand and it’s nice to know it might be helpful. For me too, as I’m realising that without this blog I’d have forgotten how to make many things!

Cake plans

Well, planning to continue making cakes!!! 🙂

Here’s a provisional to-make (possibly again) and to-post list – I’m going to tick and highlight the ones I manage to make because that will give me a feeling of achievement! (and give me an idea of what’s left to do…lol):

Japanese matcha green tea and red bean soufflé roll – made Raspberry, matcha and ricotta cream swiss roll cake √
Chinese healthier matcha and red bean rice cakes (like mochi) – made red bean and pineapple mochi √
Melted snowman biscuits (cookies)
French Feuille d’automne in bûche/yule log form
Buckwheat crêpes – discovered Doves Farm glutenfree flour so instead started making lots of waffles like glutenfree chestnut waffles √ (will make a buckwheat crêpes cake one day)
Moroccan chicken pie √
Italian cannoli – made cannoli puff horns version √ (will make traditional cannoli one day)
Italian cassatine (and cooked marzipan)
Kay’s beigli Hungarian cookies
Silvi and Hugo’s cranberry brownies – made some sugarfree and glutenfree brownies instead √
Croquembouche with matcha, red bean or black sesame choux buns (with craquelin) and white sesame nougatine
Citrus or black sesame chiffon cake – made Earl Grey tea, lemon and lavender chiffon mini cakes √
Raspberry mousse entremets √
Ham and cheese bread wreath √
French opera cake (maybe)
etc, etc… !

There’s probably more but that’s enough to start with? In fact might not get round to all of them so let me know if there’s anything you’re really interested in and want to see before 2018! Or before the turn of the century. 🙂 Do you have any suggestions or requests?

There’ll be some healthier cakes or just small slices. I do need to get up the rock.

That was hard work. And it’s my excuse for not posting anything for a little while. I was up a rock. In Alicante. Now I’m on holiday with mum in beautiful Sicily and getting all excited again about their pastries filled with delicious creamy ricotta.

So look forward to seeing you again soon dear reader and next time I’ll post a recipe. Just wanted to say thank you for your likes, comments and just being here and I wish you a wonderful new year. Hope many of your wishes come true and may 2017 be filled with happy baking and eating! 🙂 Lili x

P.S. Here’s the list of top bakes numbers 10 to 18 with the links (from top left corner snaking around):