Author: Alphe

[Vegan] Polish Easter Cake – Chocolate Mazurek – Shortbread With Chocolate

Easter is just around the corner, and I’m already looking forward to my annual Easter baking session. Last week, I shared my recipe for a lemon babka cake – light, airy and fluffy like a cloud, with a strong hint of lemon. Today, I’d like to share my recipe for a shortbread with chocolate topping. Shortbread cakes – with various toppings – called “mazurek” in Polish – are traditional Easter cakes in Poland. My recipe has a small twist – a slight coconut note thanks to the use of coconut oil. This cake is loved by my whole family. It’s simple and relatively quick to make, perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. Similar to the famous millionaire’s shortbread, just without the caramel layer.

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DIY Mini Cross Stitch Kit – Spring Chick – Easter Crafts

Happy Monday everyone! Can you believe that Easter is just around the corner? This year is just flying by! I’m still in my cross-stitching era, having discovered the joy of this craft at the end of 2023. This time, I completed a mini cross stitch project featuring a cute little chick inside a basket full of flowers. It felt like the perfect design for Easter and spring, which is now in full bloom. The project was a complete success and I managed to finish it over a couple of evenings.

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Polish Easter Cake – Lemon Babka – Bundt Cake

Today, I’d like to share a recipe for one of the two cakes I make for Easter every year. A refreshing, light and fluffy lemon babka cake. As many traditional Polish cakes, it’s made with yeast – that’s how it gets its airy texture. I recommend using fresh yeast if you can find some (Eastern European shops usually sell it), but I included steps for making this cake with dry yeast instead. It’s the perfect cake for spring, whether or not you celebrate Easter. Since I made it for the very first time many years ago, it’s been one of our family favourites and I make it every year. It requires quite a bit of time and effort, but it’s totally worth it!

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Box Hill Hike, England – Great Hiking Trail Near London

Hiking is one of my favourite activities. Challenging myself with a demanding physical activity whilst surrounded by the sounds and sights of nature is my ultimate medicine and therapy. A long hike away from the hustle and bustle of the city helps me relax and find solutions to any problems. Sadly, the south east of England doesn’t offer many mountainous areas and options for a hike are rather limited – but they do exist, you just need to search well. Today, I’m taking you on a hike to Box Hill in Surrey Hills – a perfect place for a day trip!

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Fit Carbonara Recipe – Healthy, High Protein Alternative

If you’re an Italian and stumbled across this recipe – perhaps best if you look away. The carbonara recipe I’d like to share with you today is a healthier alternative to the delicious classic. If, for whatever reason, you need to control your diet and avoid eating fatty foods but you’re craving a plate of the good old carbonara, then this healthier alternative might be a godsend for you. Whilst it doesn’t taste exactly like the original, it might be good enough to hit the spot. It’s super quick and easy to make and I have it in my weekday meals rota on a regular basis. But of course, if I occasionally crave the real deal – I just go and make that.

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New Year’s Resolutions 2025 – Update After 3 Months

It’s the end of March already, can you believe that? This year is flying by! It feels like I was only setting my New Year’s Resolutions yesterday, and now we’re already one quarter into the new year. As I promised in my original post where I listed my New Year’s Resolutions, I’m coming with a quarterly check-in. Partly to keep myself accountable, and partly because I think it will be interesting to look back on in a few year’s time. And of course, partly in case there’s anyone out there curious to see how other people’s resolutions are going. I set myself quite a few goals this year. Some of them I’m progessing well towards, others – not so much. Let’s go through the whole list.

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9 More Hidden London Gems – Unique Places To Visit

A while ago, I posted a list of 10 Hidden Gems in London. It included some charming locations that aren’t well known amongst tourists, and perhaps some that even locals don’t know about. Today, I’d like to bring you another 9 hidden gems in the British capital. Even if you live in London yourself, there’s a chance that you haven’t heard of some of these, so come and have a read.

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DIY Mini Cross Stitch Kit – Gardening Tools

Last week, we finally welcomed spring. The nature is waking up after winter, and keen gardeners can start working in their gardens. I was looking for a new cross stitch project to work on, and found one depicting a wheelbarrow with flowers and gardening tools. It seemed perfect for the start of spring! I immediately started stitching and despite some slight issues with the yarn provided in the kit, this small project was soon completed.

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Winter In London 2024/2025

Welcome to yet another post where I document living in London throughout the different seasons of the year. Last time, I covered the Christmas period. Today, I’d like to share with you the sights of London in early 2025, as the British capital was slowly coming back to life in preparation for spring. It’s only been three months since the start of the year, but it felt like a lot longer! So, if you’d like to see what London looked like in early 2025 – this post is for you. Enjoy!

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DIY Floral Wreath – Spring Crafts – Felt Flowers

As the days are getting longer, I can feel the spring fast approaching. We’ve been blessed with some sunny days lately here in London – just about time! After all, spring is officially starting later this week. I recently came across a DIY craft kit I had bought ages ago – one for making a floral wreath with felt flowers – and I decided to give it a go. If you’d like to create a similar wreath but don’t have access to the same assorted kit, don’t worry! You can easily get the right supplies individually, and I included some tips for that.

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