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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 8
- 3 min
Greek Moussaka
We're all dreaming of warmer climes, and with the prospect of holidays slipping further from our grasp i thought i'd post one of my favourite mediterranean dishes to give you a virtual boost of sunshine. Rich with garlicky tomato, lamb, aubergine and halloumi. This one pot wonder strangely and deliciously checks both the summer and the comfort food boxes. Here's how..... Ingredients for meat sauce 500g Lean lamb mince 1 400g jar passata 4 large tomatoes chopped 4 fat garlic c
40 views1 comment
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 20
- 3 min
Hot cross honey bunnies.
Who doesn't love a hot cross bun toasted and dripping in butter? These soft tender easter buns are enriched and glazed with honey and look as cute as a button with their little bunny ears, the kids are going to love them! This recipe (although therapeutically time consuming) is perfectly easy to follow so even novice bakers can give it a go. Follow my step by step recipe for perfect easter bunnies. Here's how......... Ingredients 500g strong white bread flour 300 ml lukewarm
27 views2 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Mar 9
- 1 min
Spicy Mexican corn & bean fritters
Tasty, filling and packed with protein, on your plate in 15 minutes using basic store cupboard ingredients, these speedy fritters make the perfect tasty brunch, lunch, light dinner or substantial side dish. Here's how........ Ingredients 100g self raising flour, gluten free flour or gram flour 1 tsp baking powder 80ml milk 1 egg 1 tin red kidney beans 1 small tin sweetcorn 1 teaspoon mild chilli powder 1 tsp chilli flakes 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper h
67 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
- Mar 1
- 2 min
Crispy coconut & lime chicken with mango salsa and curried mango mayo.
The sunniest plate of food you'll have all year guaranteed! Fabulously crisp chicken strips marinated in lime, coconut and chilli and coated in a gluten free crispy, spicy coconut coating. I like to serve with a silky curried, mango mayo and fresh zingy mango salsa for a real sunshine hit! Here's how....... Serves 4 Ingredients for the chicken coating 4 chicken breasts (cut lengthways into 3 strips) 150g unsweetened desiccated coconut 4 heaped tbsp corn flour (or coconut flou
91 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 15
- 2 min
chicken with fennel & creme fraiche
Crispy chicken supremes nestled inbetween soft charred fennel and shallots with a creamy white wine sauce. This dish is as delicious as it is nourishing and best of all its supremely simple to make. Here's how.......... Ingredients 4 skin on chicken supremes or skin on chicken breasts. 2 large banana shallots peeled and quartered lengthways 4 small fennel bulbs quartered (reserve the bright green fennel fronds for later.) 500ml chicken stock 200ml dry white wine 1 tsp fennel
69 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 24
- 1 min
Cullen Skink
Cullen skink is a smoky fish chowder from Scotland, arguably one of the best chowders i have ever tasted and super simple to make too! Serve it up with a huge hunk of freshly baked bread for a hearty meal in itself, or a smaller portion as a starter for your Burn's night celebrations. Serves 4 Here's how....... Ingredients 300g smoked, un-dyed, skinned and boned haddock 300ml veg stock 400ml whole milk 100 ml double cream 6 finely sliced baby leeks 2 large knobs butter 3 medi
19 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Jan 24
- 2 min
Burns night hotpot
If you like Lancashire hotpot you're going to love my Scottish version! juicy lamb in rich gravy with Scottish haggis and pearl barley and a crispy crunchy potato topping. It's a real one pot wonder, a delicious warming meal the family will adore. serves 4 large portions Here's how............ Ingredients 4 bone in Lamb steaks or 8 lamb chops 200g Haggis cut into 2" chunks (this will be roughly 1/2) 1/2 swede diced 4 large carrots diced 2 brown onions sliced sprig rosemary 2
50 views0 comments
Helencooksbakesmakes
- Jan 24
- 2 min
Scottish Cranachan
This is Scotlands answer to Eton mess; I have to say, the Scotts give the English a run for their money on this one! It was originally a celebration of harvest, made following the raspberry harvest in June. This rich dessert of cream and fresh seasonal raspberries is made even better by Scottish oats and whisky. Here's how........ Ingredients for whiskey cream 300ml double cream 1 shot single malt whiskey 4 tbsp honey Raspberry layer 300g punnet Raspberries 1 tbsp caster suga
45 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