This post is sponsored by Kenwood World UK.
The items have been gifted for me to test and review but all views and opinions are my own.
This Mother’s Day I am reflecting on two very special women in my life who I have to thank for my love of all things baking. My Nan, who’s recipe for Apple Crumble will be passed on as a family heirloom, and my Mum who was our superhero growing up and wowed us with her incredible birthday cakes. These homemade and heartfelt cakes each year taught me that no matter how big or small the bake, the effort is what matters, and it has such a huge impact on the recipients day.
For Mother’s Day, there’s no better way to celebrate than with a delicious baked treat, and right now as we’re spending more time indoors, it’s the perfect opportunity to get the kitchen stand mixer out.
But before we get into what to bake, let me tell you what makes a great kitchen stand mixer.
The ever popular kitchen mixer is a staple for any kitchen, especially those that see lots of baking.They transform the way you bake and make whipping up mixture for a cake, creating amazing meringue and kneading bread dough a quick a simple task.
SPEED
A great mixer will have at least 6 speeds to mimic the different levels of beating required for certain bakes. As some bakes only require a gentle fold, the better mixers will include a folding speed.
BOWL
Owning a standing mixer is a dream for batch baking and so the bowl capacity is an important feature to look out for when purchasing. Some can be relatively small at 3.3 litres, but more commonly they can average at about 4-5 litres. The best of the bunch offer 6-litres which is the perfect size for baking large quantities. If you only plan on baking in small quantities you’ll still be better off in a large bowl thought as the space helps contain all the ingredients so they don’t all fly out when the mixer beats. Ever experienced a flour tsunami?
Regarding their material, the bowls are usually made from stainless steel or glass. Either work well as they help contain the temperature when required. I personally prefer stainless steel though purely on an appearance basis.
MULTI USE ATTACHMENTS
Almost all mixers come with three attachments as standard; a wire balloon whisk for whipping mixtures such as egg whites for meringue, a beater hook for cake mixtures, biscuits or icing and a dough hook for kneading bread.
The good sized attachments will be large enough to reach the bottom of the bowl so that even if there is a small amount of mixture in there (such as one egg white) it still has no issue whipping it up. This is the same for beaters and the wider the beater the better.
STYLE
I’ve purposely put this point last as it should be the last thing you consider when purchasing a kitchen mixer. Naturally of course these days our first thoughts turn to whether it’s “Instagrammable” or not, but really it’s a complete waste of time investing in something if all it’s going to do is sit on your counter top looking pretty and doesn’t offer you what you need.
That being said once you’re clear on what we’re looking for, of course you’ll want to select something attractive.
The beautiful Kenwood Mary Berry Chef Elite is a kitchen classic that doesn’t disappoint in both appearance and all of the featured points above. It’s the perfect investment for both first time bakers, and those who have enjoyed baking for years and brand new special edition colour way which was designed in partnership with Mary, has been made neutrally so that it works well on any kitchen counter. I absolutely love it as it matches my new kitchen colours perfectly! The Kenwood Chef Elite is fun and easy to use so confident bakers can jump straight in and go big with a statement showstopper, whilst a novices can get to grips with it’s easy functionality and bake something simple yet delicious.
For Mother’s Day I opted for the latter as I wanted to focus on flavour over flamboyance. My mum is quite partial to a Gin or two and growing up I have a fond memory of her eating Grapefruits for breakfast so I set my sights on a Gin and Grapefruit Poppyseed Drizzle Loaf. This is really a bake made with her entirely in mind and it’s as delicious as it sounds.
More about the Kenwood Mary Berry Collection
The Kenwood Chef Elite (399.98) is one of three mixers in the special edition Mary Berry Collection.
The Chefette (£85) which is designed for cake mixing, is perfect for those who want a hands-free machine but may not have the space for a large standing mixer in their kitchen. I tested this out in the Autumn with my Fig, Hazelnut and Chocolate cake.
The Hand Mixer (£31.98) is the perfect entry level mixer for any baker. It’s as light as a feather and provides an impressive 5 speeds and a pulse function making it perfect for almost any bake. It also has integral tool storage with clips that hold onto your beaters and hooks so you never have to rummage through a kitchen drawer ever again.
