Baking a Rainbow Cake

Hello everyone! I watched a vlog by Zoella in March of her birthday and she had a rainbow cake. It was then my goal to make a rainbow cake so I called over my friend and we set to it not expecting it to turn out as well as it did. I thought I would share the recipe with you all because it was so much fun to make! This recipe makes 6 layers (one for each colour!) I also did mine with gluten free flour but you can use normal flour :) So grab a friend, an apron and lets get baking!

You will need:

• 300g self raising flour
• 300g margarine
• 300g granulated or caster sugar
• 6 eggs (free ranged!)
• 2tsp baking powder
• 2tsp vanilla extract
• whipping cream (for inside)  

Preheat your oven to 180 (fan oven) Gas Mark 4.

 


Step 1:
I am always one for the 'all in one' method but if you have baked cakes before and have found a different method better for you then use that. But I just put all my ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisked until light and creamy.










Step 2: Separate your mixture into 6 equal different bowls (one for each colour!) And carefully add your colouring into each mix. Be careful! Some colourings can be stronger than others and you don't want to end up with the wrong colours. 

Step 3: Once you have your desired colours then grease 6 round baking tins or line them with baking paper. Then spoon your mixtures into separate tins and pop them in the oven!













 Step 4: Whilst your cakes are in the oven for aprox. 15 - 20 minutes (if you have a small oven you will have to do them in two batches) you can get to making the butter icing.

You will need:

• 175g icing sugar
• 75g butter (room temp)
• a dash of milk

Weigh out the icing sugar and sieve it to rid all the lumps. Once all nicely sifted slowly, add the softened butter and beat in with a wooden spoon. This is always quite a work out ;) Afterwards you should end up with a lovely creamy butter icing. You can always add more icing sugar and butter if you prefer thick icing. 

Step 5: If your cakes are still in the oven then grab another bowl and pour out your whipping cream. Then use an electric whisk (or a hand whisk if you prefer) to whip the cream. You have to be careful here as whipping cream is very easy to overdo. Whip until the cream is light, thick and stiff. At this point grab your cakes out the oven and place them on a cooling rack. 


 Step 6: Once your cakes are cool and you have taken them out of the tins then it is time to construct your rainbow cake. Start off with purple at the bottom and use whipped cream between each layer and work your way up through the rainbow. Purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. 

Then grab your butter icing and start gently covering the cake. I started by covering the top with a flat spatula then used a piping bag for the edges. This gave a nice rippled effect on the sides. You don't have to cover the whole cake but I thought it would be nice because then there is the element of surprise when you cut open the cake. And to finish it off what more could you want then a good sprinkling of Hundreds & Thousands. Go crazy!

Thank you for reading this post! I have wanted to do this post for a while but I haven't because I'm not an expert baker but it was so fun making this and tasted delicious! I hope I have inspired you to make your own rainbow cake and I hope you are all having a brilliant week.

Love, Scarlet x

You can do it!

Hello again! Okay so this is a thing a lot of people struggle with. Whether it is getting out of bed in the morning or starting your growing pile of homework, it is an obstacle you have to overcome. So here are a few tips to help you boost your motivation.

1. Lists, lists, lists...

You may of heard this thousands of times from other people but honestly just writing one simple To Do List can help. Just the feeling of ticking something off is great, right? Having a list book or even a specific notebook can help this. When you have a list in front of you at the start of the day it just makes the end even more achievable. 

2. Turn off all social media.

I know crazy, right? Today we live in a generation where social media is a massive part of our lives. I am guilty of just sitting on my phone; scrolling though twitter, instagram, facebook. Admittedly, yes, isn't it so much more fun scrolling through feeds curled up on the couch than sitting at a desk and writing an 1000 word essay? It may be easier to not do it but if it's revising or homework, you are going to HAVE to do it sometime, better now than the night before. 

3. Make a space.

Having a special place you can sit down to work at is important. If you sit slouched on your sofa or bed doing homework you won't be in the right mindset. Have a desk or table you can sit at comfortably and make that desk pleasant to sit at; maybe decorate it with nice pencil pots, photos, fairy lights, sticky notes.

Thank you for reading this post. I feel myself sometimes just sitting, waiting for something to happen when really I should just do it. And maybe if your heart really isn't in something then don't do it. Or maybe schedule it for another day. I hope you are all having a brilliant week and for all of those that just went back to school, I hope it went well and I wish you all the luck for this year. I know it can be terrifying having to face it again after a beautiful, long holiday but I believe in every single one of you.

Love, Scarlet x

The Autumn Tag

Hello you beautiful people, I hope you are all having a brilliant Sunday! Today I am bringing you the Autumn Tag. This is a collaboration with the wonderful blogger Nia Ffion who is only just starting out as a blogger so I want everyone to go and check out her blog and give her some love and support. Her blog is a beauty, fashion and lifestyle blog. She also has a beautiful YouTube channel which I definitely recommend checking out too.

Nia's Links:
Blogger: niaffion.blogspot.co.uk 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAraw8WjsckX54SPnDnxq_A/videos
Twitter: @smartsuggs

Anyway without further ado on with the post!

For Autumn what is your...

Favourite thing about it? 
For me Autumn is all about the transition from Summer to Winter. I love how the nights get darker, the trees turn beautiful colours and Christmas is on the horizon. In the evenings you can snuggle up, have a hot drink (tea or hot chocolate) and watch annual autumn shows like Strictly Come Dancing and The Great British Bake Off!

Favourite drink?  
A cup of tea is my all time 'go to' drink.

Favourite candle? 
I absolutely love the Black Cherry candle by Yankee Candle. It is a lovely 'not too sweet' smell and reminds me of dark evenings in Autumn.

Favourite lipstick? 
I am not one to always wear lipstick so I usually shy away from the beautiful berry shades and stick to my Rimmel Kate Moss 038 which is a perfect nude colour.

Go to moisturiser?  
I always use the Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Moisturiser as it is perfect for my skin and I use it all year round. 

Go to colours for the eyes? 
I tend to stick to browns/bronzes because I find they suit my eyes the best.

Favourite band or singer?  
I haven't been loving a particular band recently but I have been listening to soundtracks of some of my favourite films e.g Paper Towns or The Fault in our Stars

Favourite outfit to wear?  
In Autumn I like to stick to black skinny jeans, with a baggy grey jumper maybe paired with a tartan scarf and then my old burgundy converse which I love to bits. If it's cold I may put on a beanie or slouchy bobble hat.

Autumn treat?
I wouldn't really say I have an autumn treat but I do like to have more baths in Autumn since the colder weather. I always love to get a Lush bath bomb too as they are gorgeous!

Favourtie place to be?
My favourite place to be would either be in the woods near my house with my camera as the colours there are amazing in the Autumn. Or it would be in my house in front of the fire watching a film with a cup of tea. 

Thank you for reading this post! I hope you are all as excited for Autumn as I am and thank you Nia for collabing on this post with me, be sure to check her answers out.

Love, Scarlet x  

Little Things To Make YOU Happy.

1. Making playlists on Youtube of your favourite things.

 Whether it is a music video or just your favourite video of your idol, make it so when you are feeling down you can just press play and fall into a world full of all your favourite things and forget about the thing that is bringing you down. I always make playlists like this and then I can look back after a couple of months and get reminded of all the little things I loved. You also have to remember that it doesn't have to be recent videos either, they can be really old songs or something that triggers happy memories. 

2. Writing lists.

 Lists aren't just there for organising things, I write them all the time just to clear my mind. Maybe write a list of things you are looking forward to or things that are making you feel sad so you can put them in perspective. Having a special notepad or a book that you can write them down in can help as it makes them more precious. Paperchase is a great store to purchase stationery items as they are all beautiful designs and not too on the pricey side. 

3. Having a folder of happiness.

 I find Pinterest a great website to gather up pictures that I love and to present them in a board which I can then easily access whenever I want. You can pin pictures of anything; people who make you happy, food, music & bands, places in the world, artwork and photography. If you wanted something more personal or you don't have Pinterest then make a file on your phone or computer of photos that make you happy or photos that trigger happy memories that you have taken yourself. Then if you ever feel down then all you have to do is open the file, put on some of your favourite music and browse through the file reminding you of happy places and memories. 

4. Call a friend.

 This is so important. If you are ever feeling down or upset, you should never have to do it alone. Just call or text a friend and talk it through and if you don't want to talk about it, arrange to go shopping or have a sleepover just something to take your mind off things. You will be surprised how much better you will feel after a good day out with friends or family, just have a laugh and push the negative aside.

5. Treat yourself.

 Now and again we all have to treat ourselves. Whether it is a big, bubble bath or just buying a desired mascara you have wanted for ages, it still counts. You always have to remember to treat yourself, it is a vital thing! You, yourself, are a human being and we can't wall work constantly for 24/7 so make sure you make time for yourself. Me time; watch your favourite musical, paint your nails neon orange, make an extra large hot chocolate, grab every blanket and cushion you can get your hands on and build a fort, curl up and read an 1000 page novel. No one is stopping you. 

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you are having a brilliant week and you just have to remember you are a human being, you can't take the whole world in one day. 

Love, Scarlet x