Bake a cake and be happy

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There is something relaxing about switching off, putting on your apron and baking a cake.

Yes, we know you can buy them for pennies in the shops, but making a batch of muffins or baking the perfect sponge is one of the most satisfying ways of spending Sunday afternoon and eating your creations is pretty special too.

We are big bakers here at Pure Beauty and today we are sharing a couple of our favourite tea time treats with you.

We have taken the traditional pink and yellow Battenberg and put a twist on it. This chocolate and orange version looks complicated but it is simply two flavoured sponge cakes cut into strips and wrapped in glorious marzipan.

Ingredients:
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
225g caster sugar
225g butter, softened
4 large free range eggs, beaten
2 tsp finely grated orange peel
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp cocoa powder mixed into a paste with 1 tbsp hot water
4 tbsp apricot jam, warmed
450g good quality marzipan

To start, pre-heat your oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl then add the sugar, butter and eggs and beat until the mixture is pale, smooth and creamy. Divide the mixture into two bowls then fold the orange rind and juice into one and the blended cocoa powder into the other.

Spoon the mixture into two separate square cake tins and level the surface, make sure they are greased and we go for an 18cm tin.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cakes are risen and firm to the touch.

Cool for 5 minutes then place on a wire rack and leave to totally cool.

Trim the edges from each cake then cut each cake into four even-sized strips. Use a little of the jam to sandwich two of the chocolate strips of cake with two of the orange strips and this will create one chequered effect cake – it looks pretty fab!

Roll out half the marzipan on an icing sugar dusted surface and create an 18 x 30cm rectangle. Brush the top of the cake with jam and press this gently onto the marzipan. Brush the other sides of the cake with jam and wrap marzipan around all of the cake and crimp along the top edges of the cake with your fingertips – have a clean cloth ready for sticky fingers.

Repeat to make a second cake and serve with tea.

If you are more of a cup cake kind of kid, then how about these lemon drizzle beauties? For a dozen you will need:

175g unsalted butter, softened and at room temperature
175g golden caster sugar
175g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
3 large free range eggs
2 tablespoons of lemon curd
If you want to add the topping, you will need:
100g granulated sugar
The juice and grated zest of one, organic lemon – they taste the most zingy – and slices of lemon to decorate

To make you will need to preheat your oven to 180C / Fan 160C / Gas Mark 4 and line a 12 hole muffin tray with paper cases.

Put the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and eggs in a bowl and whisk until pale and creamy then gently fold in the lemon curd.

Put the mixture into the muffin cases and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cakes have risen and are golden brown.

Whilst the cakes are baking, mix the granulated sugar and lemon juice and zest together and drizzle a little on each cake a couple of minutes after they have come out of the oven, put a slice of lemon on each one, then leave to cool so the topping goes crisp and enjoy at any time of the day.

Got a recipe you love? Send it our way and we might share with everyone else.

Team Pure Beauty

Eating for Beauty

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alpha lipoic acid, anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, avocado, beauty, cocoa powder, coconut, coconut oil, collagen, Decleor Lift Wrinkle Filler, Decleor Protective Hydrating Milk SPF30 Body, Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Booster, diet, dry, dryness, eating, fish, flaxseed, food, full, fullness, hyperpigmentation, oily, omega-3, plump, polyphenols, pomegranate, sallow, skin, SPF, sun

Keeping your skin in great condition doesn’t have to be a full-time job, providing you follow a targeted skincare regime for your skin type. There are also things that you can do from within to help your skin to look its best, such as adding certain foods to your diet. Here, we take a look at what you should be eating, based on your specific skin need.

Acne

Acne responds well to increased doses of vitamin A because this is the thing which helps to regulate the life cycles of your skin cells. In acne, dead skin cells combine with sebum to form the comedogenic plugs which look unsightly. Foods such as sweet potatoes, apricots and mangoes contain all the vitamin A you need, which you can combine with using Dermalogica Clear Start Breakout Clearing Kit to keep breakouts under control.

Hyperpigmentation

Hyperpigmentation usually happens to slightly older skin and can give your skin the appearance of being aged before its time. Foods which are green, such as broccoli and kale contain high levels of alpha lipoic acid (ALA) which is a potent fat-and-water-soluble antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, keeping hyper-pigmentation at bay.

Dryness

Using a moisturiser such as Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Booster to combat dryness is a no-brainer, but sometimes dryness has an underlying dietary cause which can be tackled, too. Often, dryness can be caused by a lack of essential fatty acids and omega 3 in the diet, so adding things like nuts, oily fish, coconut oil and avocado will help your skin immensely.

Lacking plumpness

Free radicals in your system can dull your skin reduce collagen production, which will leave your skin looking sallow and lacking fullness. Adding berries to your diet is a good idea to combat this as they contain antioxidants which will ward off any nasties, while a good plumping cream such as Decleor Lift Wrinkle Filler will target any deeper lines which may have formed.

Sun exposure

We all know that too much sun isn’t good for us, but that doesn’t stop us from wanting to get out in the warmth and soak up a few of those rays while they last. Adding more polyphenols to your diet will actually increase your skin’s natural defences against harmful rays, which will help your sunscreen to do an even better job, so adding pomegranate, cocoa powder and flaxseed is good if you plan on a spot of sun-worshipping.