Welcome to
Cook Make Bake
Welcome and a big hello from me!
I'm Helen, a passionate home cook living in lovely Lancashire with my husband Fraser, Tessy the Lakeland Terrier and about 25 English white park cattle.
I'm so glad you're joining me to Cook some sumptuous dinners,
Bake mouth watering breads and cakes,
and Make everything from pretty pink lemonade to creamy hummus!
This is a real opportunity for me to share my successes in the kitchen, culinary tips, cheats and show you how to make extraordinary food look and feel effortless to prepare.
I enjoy taking the mystery out of seemingly impossible recipes, and giving you the confidence to try some new and old recipes. Soon you'll be cooking up a batch of crisp danish pastries, making a silky hollandaise and cooking the perfect steak!
One of my real joys is having a house crammed full of friends and family, sitting around the kitchen table with delicious food and the sound of laughter.
I love having the opportunity to let you into my pandoras box of foodie passions, and hope you enjoy trying some of my failsafe recipes.
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Helencooksbakesmakes
- Jun 27
- 2 min
Hummingbird cake
This cake really is as pretty and as delicious as it sounds! Moist with plenty of pineapple and banana, textured with coconut and pecan pieces, then speckled with flecks of raspberry. If all that isn't delicious enough its smothered in a zesty orange and cream cheese frosting. Ok, this isn't a classic hummingbird cake as it has the addition of raspberry and coconut, but in my opinion it really is all the better for it! You've probably guessed from the main flavours that this
47 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Apr 2
- 3 min
Overnight brown butter cinnamon rolls
Freshly baked cinnamon rolls just got super easy! Forget thinking you need to be up with the lark to enjoy these browned butter beauties. Simply prep the night before and enjoy the fluffiest most deliciously sweet rolls within an hour of rolling out of the sack. Here's How.......... Ingredients 500g strong white flour 7g (1 sachet) instant dried yeast 75g butter 2 eggs 100g soft brown sugar 220g milk (lukewarm) 1 cinnamon stick 1 tsp fine salt Filling ingredients 250g soft b
109 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Mar 4
- 3 min
Cherry Bourbon & brown sugar pie
The deep south flavours in this cheeky cherry pie are going to make your heart sing! Rich dark cherries brought together in a syrupy, boozy sauce of bourbon, brown sugar, honey and vanilla. All encased in a crisp semi-sweet pastry. Although this looks like quite technical pastry work, it really doesn't have to be. You can simply pop a pie top on and it's good to go. Feel free to use ready made pastry if you want the most instantly delicious pie known to man (I won't judge you
27 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Mar 2
- 2 min
Salted peanut and banana bake
This is such a quick and easy bake, has the perfect balance of salty and sweet and makes brilliant use of those brown bananas languishing in the fruit bowl. I realise every man and his dog has had a go at banana bread / cake over lockdown... this one however is on another level! Here's how...... Ingredients 200g self raising flour 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter 80 mls whole milk 200g butter 200g dark brown soft sugar 3 large eggs 2 very
125 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Feb 23
- 2 min
Carrot, orange & rosemary Cake
This moist carrot cake is not only incredibly easy to make but tastes completely divine. I've added subtle hints of rosemary and orange to add an extra layer of grown up flavour. To make it extra special it's been topped with a fresh orange blossom cream cheese frosting and crisp candied carrot curls. Here's how... Ingredients 250g self raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 150g soft brown sugar 150ml sunflower oil 50g chopped walnuts 200g carrots grated coarsely 3 medium eggs ze
219 views1 comment
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Feb 20
- 2 min
Stuffed Baklava cookies
I adore the flavour of Baklava (filo pastry with pistachio & honey) but I'm not keen on the texture, to me filo should be super crunchy. I do however love cookies.....who does'nt? so i've pinched all the best bits from a classic baklava and crammed them into the softest cookies you can imagine, then drizzled with delicate orange glaze and sprinkled with chopped pistachios! Something tells me you're going to enjoy this one. Here's how......... Ingredients for the cookie dough
17 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Feb 5
- 2 min
Gluten free blood orange & rhubarb cake
This actually started life as simply a good gluten free orange and almond cake, but with the abundance of forced rhubarb in my kitchen it seemed like the opportune time to experiment... and I'm glad i did. With very few ingredients and literally no baking skill required you can create this wonderfully moist cake/torte. Here's how........ Ingredients 300g ground almonds 300g caster sugar 6 large eggs 200g chopped rhubarb 2 large blood oranges (regular navel oranges are fine to
24 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Feb 5
- 2 min
Rhubarb & pistachio frangipane tart
Yay! it's the season for forced rhubarb, the colour of this short season rhubarb is unbelievably intense and the flavour is... well, very 'rhubarby' indeed! Please don't feel that you have to recreate the intricate design on the top of this tart, I won't lie, it nearly broke me and i have patience in abundance. A simple lattice design will look equally as beautiful and impressive, after all the colour is the star of the show. I've teamed this with a layer of clementine marzip
63 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Jan 28
- 4 min
Brown butter & star anise Madeleines
Madeleines are essentially little french teacakes, with a crisp shell and a light airy centre. I've tweaked a classic recipe with the addition of browned butter; giving them a rich but gentle nuttiness. A brown butter glaze, star anise and roasted hazelnuts places these beauties in another league entirely. These glorious high tea treats have long been associated with being tricky to make. This couldn't be further from the truth if you follow a few of my simple troubleshooting
15 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Jan 21
- 2 min
Giant apricot & ginger muffins
When making muffins, gloriously big really is best. These beauties, although huge are delicately light and fluffy, dotted with squidgy apricots and topped with a crunchy ginger crumb. Perfect with your breakfast coffee. Heres how....... The key to a giant muffin is to work quickly, there's active ingredients in here that you'll notice, once combined has a life of its own! Get organised by weighing out all your dry ingredients, and all your wet ingredients, prepare your muffin
32 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Jan 15
- 2 min
Beginuary cookies!
These soft gooey cookies were born from a need to clear all the post Christmas goodies. Really its just a pretty fantastic basic cookie dough that produces soft chewy thick cookies. I added a few handfuls of chopped celebrations and chopped brazil nuts to purge the cupboards of naughtiness but you could add smarties, choc chips and any kind of fruit or nut you like.... Get imaginative! yields about 15 cookies. Here's how........ Ingredients 300g plain flour 1 tbsp cornflour 1
81 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Jan 13
- 3 min
Indulgent dark chocolate and hazelnut praline tart.
Decadent, silky salted dark chocolate ganache with crunchy hazelnut praline and a sweet toasted Swiss meringue.....Sounds complex right? I'm going to show you how easy this little showstopper tart really is, and uses minimal ingredients! Makes approx 10 slices if you work in stages on this it really couldn't be simpler. the only bit to bake is the pastry case. If you prefer to use a shop bought one i'm not going to judge you! Ingredients for the pastry case. 170g plain flour
26 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Jan 2
- 1 min
Pear ginger & oat cake
visually this is amazing, one perfect sliver of sweet pear in every slice. Warm with fresh and ground ginger and just this side of healthy with almonds and oats. This is perfect with a cuppa but equally delicious served as a pudding, warm with custard or ice cream. Here's how.... Ingredients 100g self raising flour 100g ground almonds 40g rolled oats 100g caster sugar 100g dark muscavado sugar + extra for sprinkling 200g softened butter 100ml milk 3 large room temp eggs eggs
39 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Dec 30, 2020
- 2 min
Sticky toffee rum puddings.
comforting and indulgent, these dinky little puddings are soft and moist with a silky toffee sauce and a boozy kick of rum. They are super quick to bake and freeze brilliantly. recipe makes 8 darioles or 2 mini bundt tin trays here's how...... ingredients for the puds 220g stoned, finely chopped dates 40g chopped sultanas 4 tbsp dark rum 2 tsp vanilla essence 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda. 100ml boiling water 100g softened salted butter 140g muscavado sugar 2 tbsp dark treacle
23 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Dec 26, 2020
- 2 min
Lemon & Raspberry tart
If you're full to the brim with currants, spices and all things Christmas then this might just be the refreshing pud you've been craving. Crisp sweet pastry encasing a soft velvety but sharp lemon mousse-like cream with raspberry conserve, topped with pops of fresh raspberry. Here's how....... Pastry ingredients 170g plain flour 100g butter 1 egg yolk 40g caster sugar Filling ingredients 130g caster sugar 100ml lemon juice 160ml double cream 2 large eggs 4 egg yolks zest of 1
16 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Dec 2, 2020
- 2 min
Cranberry, pecan and clementine Babka
If you want to get your GBBO game on, then give this festive babka a go! It’s surprisingly easy to make and tastes of pure Christmas. Sweet enough to nibble on its own and not so sweet that you couldn’t enjoy with a hunk of salty cheese. Here's how.......... Ingredients 300g strong white flour 7g yeast 5g fine salt 30g sugar 70ml whole milk 2 eggs beaten 90g butter cubed and softened 5 tbsp cranberry sauce Good handful roughly chopped pecans Zest of 2 clementine’s 1 tsp mixed
53 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Nov 21, 2020
- 2 min
Dark chocolate & Horchata panna cotta with almond brittle.
This is a real 'impress your guests' dessert; rich and creamy with flavours of dark chocolate and Horchata. What's Horchata? if you've never heard of it or haven't tasted it you need to! A dense sweet milk made from tiger nuts (not really nuts they're tubers) it has a unique and delicious taste described differently by everyone who tastes it.... strange huh? I taste pistachio or almond others taste cinnamon, whatever flavour you perceive its always a good one. This is a two l
17 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Oct 30, 2020
- 2 min
10 minute Tiramisu
If you’re looking for a super quick thoroughly luxurious dessert you can whip up in 10 minutes, and impress the pants off your allocated 5 dinner guests then look no further. This knock spots of those shop bought synthetic tasting ones and takes just minutes to rustle up! All you need is a few good quality ingredients, no cooking involved! Ingredients 250g Mascarpone cheese 150ml double cream 400ml strong coffee (I like Tully Brothers) 8 tbsp amaretto liqueur 3 tbsp icing sug
18 views0 comments