HRYC

 A few weeks ago I decided to make a cake. A spiced apple cake. One that I used to bake for office morning teas, with a layer of oats and apple that perched atop a spiced apple cake. I went ahead and made the recipe below. Turns out it wasn't the recipe I thought it was, but it tasted pretty damn great. As promised to a few people, here is the recipe. (no photo, as we ate it too quickly)

Jane's Apple Cake

1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 medium-sized apples
100g butter, melted
1 cup flour
1 tsp each cinnamon and mixed spice
pinch ground cloves (optional - I didn't have any so didn't use it)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (again, I went without)

Grease your baking tin and turn the oven to 180 degrees celsius. 

Measure the sugar and egg into a large mixing bowl. Melt the butter. Peel and grate the apples, then quickly add them to the egg and sugar mixture. Throw in the metled butter. Sieve in the dry ingredients. Stir until mixed, then pour into greased baking tin. If you are adding nuts, sprinkle these on top.

Bake for about 45 - 60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to sit for 5 - 10 minutes before turning out. Serve with cream or yoghurt or nothing at all.

I may not have taken a photo of the cake, but on the same day two of our Saturday Sit & Knit regulars came in wearing the same hat. In different yarns, though! They looked so fantastic I had to take a photo.

Maureen, on the left, wears her Houzuki hat in Green Grey Malabrigo Silky Merino. Lisa made her version from Carmine Vintage DK. Looking good!

We love seeing your finished objects - so please do bring them in to show off!

xx Tash

 Last week's Sat Sit & Knit saw us having a nibble on a lemon curd pound cake. It got me thinking, though: could I make one with the raspberry jam sitting in the pantry?

Hooray! Yes! It worked really well, so here's my recipe, adapted from this lemon curd pound cake from My Kitchen Snippets. Yum!

Ingredients:

115g of butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp lemon zest
1 cup flour
1/3 cup desiccated coconut, plus extra for top
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
raspberry jam

Grease a loaf pan and heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

Cream together butter and sugar until light. 

Add eggs one at a time, beat until well combined.

Mix in the milk and lemon zest.

Add flour, baking powder, salt and coconut. Beat until well combined.

Spread the mixture out in the loaf pan. Using a dessert spoon, add blobs of raspberry jam along the centre of the loaf. Sprinkle extra coconut along the top of the jam.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool and then enjoy with your knitting! We ate it plain, but I think it would be delicious with a bit of cream or yoghurt on the side. 

 Hip hip hooray it's FRIDAY!

Which means it's time for another Weekend Treat. This time round it's 20% off all printed patterns in store....and as they are only stocked in store, to make it fair we'll throw a free tote bag into every order placed online from 5pm Friday 14 September to 9am Monday 17 September.

Hooray!

And because i'm loving the excuse Saturday Sit & Knit gives me to bake, i've got all the ingredients assembled to make this tasty treat...

I hope you can join me in eating it, or i'll be sporting a big fat tummy full of chocolate tart.

 Hip hip hooray! It's the weekend and the weather is looking pretty frightful here in Wellington. 

If you're local, pop out to the shop (avoiding stray tree branches and big gusts of wind) and grab 10% off all Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky yarn. It's big, soft, squishy and a delight to play with. 

I've also just whipped up a batch of Nigella's chocolate brownies (gluten free, hooray!) for Saturday Sit & Knit. 

If you aren't so local, the code 'Weekend Treat' will get you 10% off in the online shop until Monday morning. Happy shopping and knitting! 

xx Tash

 To celebrate our brand shiny new Saturday Sit & Knit sessions, during September we'll be offering special discounts online and instore. 

This weekend, it's the infinitely squishable Cascade 220 Sport...

Enter the code 'Weekend Treat' at the checkout stage of your order to gain the discount, or pop in to see us this weekend. Our inaugural Saturday Sit & Knit is on 1 September from 11am - 1pm - we think a fresh batch of scones and a pot of tea is in order...