Elevenses O'Clock

As many regular visitors to my blog will know I love cake and any excuse to make one or have some I will think of one! I think cake can be eaten at any time of the day really, although obviously for the sake of my waist it is better to only stick to be slice per day at the very least! 

So when I heard that Anchor Butter were busy attempting to bring back elevenses and make it part of of the British public's daily routine once again, I thought what a great excuse to eat more cake!  Anchor want to encourage people to make the time to sit down and enjoy a few minutes rest bite at 11o'clock each day and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with a tasty little snack. 

According to the english dictionary, elevenses means

a drink and a small amount to eat between breakfast and lunch

I know that whenever I used to stay with my grandparents as a child we would almost always be allowed a little elevenses mid morning and it would be a few biscuits, a cake or maybe a warm sausage roll from the bakery in the village where they lived. 

So do you make time for a little elevenses each day? I don't make a conscious decision to have a snack at 11 o'clock everyday but as I usually feel a bit peckish around that time, usually from having been up since the crack of dawn (oh the joys of motherhood!), so I will have a nibble of something sweet to keep me going until lunchtime. My favourite elevenses snack would be a slice of (homemade) cake - I don't really mind which flavour but for the purpose of this feature I made a chocolate sponge and this is how I did it

You will need:

200g caster sugar

200g anchor butter (other butters are available of course!)

4 eggs

180g self raising flour

20g cocoa powder

1 tbsp milk

to decorate

150g butter

190g icing sugar

2 tbsp milk

1 heaped tbsp cocoa powder

chocolate buttons

Method:

pre-heat oven to 180oC/160oC fan

cream together the sugar and butter until pale and creamy

add the flour and eggs mix well

add the cocoa powder and milk and blend well

grease and line 2 sandwich tins

add the cake mixture and cook for 25 mins approx (or until knife comes out clean)

allow to cool completely then add your buttercream (which you make by beating all the ingredients, except the buttons, well together): half for the middle of your cake and the other half for the top

then add your chocolate buttons to the top of your cake and then you have your cake ready for slicing

perfect washed down with a lovely cup of tea :)

So now I have told you my perfect elevenses heaven why not tell me yours? In doing so you could win yourself a full set of Anchor Memorabillia! GIVE AWAY

The set contains everything you need to embrace some elevenses yourself and inspire you to get creative in your kitchen and maybe even make your favourite mid morning treat yourself ! It includes an apron, a cake stand, egg cups, a butter dish and tea towels - ideal!

I have 3 sets of Anchor Memorabillia to give away and all you need to do is:

leave your name and twitter name in the comments box below telling me your favourite elevenses snack

and tweet the following 

I want to bring #anchorelevenses back with Mummy Mishaps and win some memorabilia @JennyPaulin http://mummymishaps.blogspot.com/2012/01/elevenses-oclock.html

for an extra chance to enter please like Anchor's Facebook page (and tell me you have done so)

(you can also follow Anchor on twitter @Anchor_dairy)

Closing Date is Monday 30th January 2012

good luck & thanks for entering x

I was sent a set of memorabilia myself for the purpose of this post. all thoughts on elevenses are my own.

*COMPETITION I NOW CLOSED!*