Blackberry Cupcakes ~ Seasonal Stuff :-)

It's well worth making the effort to use in season ingredients because...... 1) Superior taste 2) It's cheap/free 3) Doing your bit for the environment.

Banana Daiquiri Cupcakes ~ My entry for Augusts British Cupcake Challenge 2011

So I was searching the net for a fun cupcakey style something to give me an excuse to keep baking ~ this is due to my hubby getting fed up of me baking for no reason and, as he puts it, "crapping up the kitchen!!" Anyway I got a bit bored so checked out my flickr page (yes I am on flickr). I was looking at cupcakey groups and found the British Cupcake Challenge 2011. At the beginning of every month they give you some ingredients and you have to create yummy tasting/looking cupcakes, post the picture of the finished cupcakes to the group, then wait to be judged at the end of the month!!

Lemon Cupcakes

They called him Mellow Yellow!!

This is the second half of my nieces birthday cakes.

This is how this pretty little monkey is made...

Lemon Sponge ~ makes 12
150g butter
150g caster sugar
150g self raising flour
2 large eggs
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp lemon juice

• Preheat oven to 180/gas mark 4.
• Line 12 hole muffin tin with 12 cases.
• Cream the butter.
• Add sugar and mix on low until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time making sure the first is fully incorperated before adding the next.
• Add the lemon juice.
• Add the flour and baking powder and mix until just incorperated.
• Fill cases 2/3 full and bake for 20-25 mins.
• When baked take out of tin and leave on cooling rack until completely cooled.

Lemon Frosting
100g butter
300g icing sugar
4-5 tbsp lemon juice

• Cream the butter.
• Add the icing 100g at a time, mixing in fully before each addition.
• Add the juice, mix.
• When juice is incorperated put the mixer on medium for 3 mins.

Frost as desired, I did a swirl and sprinkled with pink sugar.

ENJOY

xx Kat xx

p.s This is the finished cake stand :-)

Old Favourite - Coffee & Walnut :-)

It was my father-in-law's birthday on 10th so I made him his favourite cake, Coffee & Walnut - well actually I made two and had leftovers so made some cupcakes too :-)

These are the two cakes... I apologise for the poor icing technique!! This is my first attempt at frosting an entire cake (confectionery course is desperately needed methinks!!)

The sponge on these beauties is amazing!! Really Walnutty with a definite crunch to it....perfect in my book :-)

Here's how.....

Walnut Sponge makes 1 cake + 6 cupcakes or 24 cupcakes
250g butter
250g caster sugar
250g self raising flour
4 large eggs
200g walnut pieces
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup semi-skimmed milk

• Preheat oven to 180/gas mark 4.
• Grease and base-line 2x 20cm sandwich tins.
• Cream the butter on low.
• Keeping the mixer on low mix in the sugar.
• Put the walnuts in a hand-held elec chopper and chop until fine (almost powder) don't worry if there are larger pieces at the top - these add to the texture of the finished sponge - just make sure they're no bigger than a mini smartie.
• When butter and sugar mixture is light and fluffy add the eggs one at a time, making sure one is fully incorperated before adding the next.
• Add the vanilla.
• When the vanilla is fully incorperated sift in half the flour and baking powder, take the bowl off the mixer and fold this in gently by hand.
• Add half the milk and fold this in.
• Repeat with the rest of the flour and milk.
• Add the walnuts and fold in gently until evenly distributed.
• Fill both sandwich tin 2/3's full.
• Place in the over for 25-30mins - if you move them too early they will sink in the middle.
• When baked, place tins on cooling rack for 10mins, then take the cakes out of the tins and place on racks to cool completely.

If you have any batter left over throw some cupcake cases in a muffin tin and fill them 2/3's full until all the batter is used, I got 6 :-) - place these in the oven for 20 - 25 mins.

Coffee Frosting
200g butter
600g icing sugar
1 tbsp semi skimmed milk
4 tbsp very strong coffee (to make the coffee, pour 1/4 cup boiling water into jug, add 6 tsp coffee granules, mix and set aside to cool)

• Cream the butter on low.
• Add the icing sugar 100g at a time.
• Add the milk and the coffee and mix on medium speed for 3 mins until light and fluffy.

This makes enough to ice your cupcakes too :-)

Et Voila!!

Oldie but a goodie!! NOM NOM NOM

ENJOY

xx Kat xx

White Chocolate Cupcakes

Cake Recipe - makes 12
150g caster sugar
150g butter
150g self raising flour
1tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk

1st attempt Red Velvet Cupcakes, with Raspberry Buttercream & jelly lips :-)

It's tricky to know what to take to a lingerie party, most people take booze, which is fine, but there's always too much; or no-one takes anything as they want to take booze but think everyone else will be doing the same.

So I'm like... "I'm taking cupcakes" and there was booze a'plenty and cakes for everyone, plus sneaky seconds - perfect!!

Marshmellow Flowers

It's my Nieces 6th Birthday party tomorrow and I am making 12 white chocolate cupcakes and 12 lemon cupcakes. I'm having a bit of a time crisis so I'm doing lots of prep-work to get the fiddly bits out of the way prior to any baking.

Colouring Sugar

This is my first time colouring sugar, I have done coconut before and it's pretty much the same thing.

You need to buy the correct sugar, for most things granulated sugar gives the best effect - sprinkling on cakes, cookies etc.

Charity Shop Finds

As a distraction method, so we wouldn't have to go home, my 2 year old dragged me into the new Charity shop in my High Street.

While he was wandering around going "WOW!" and "COOL!" at old lady shoes, ragged teddies and games with half the bits missing, I decided to have a looksee at what they had.

I found this book Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafeit looks right up my alley, due to my very wierd and uncontrolable love of all things cupcake!! It's chic lit/cookbook as it has recipes inside (genius)!! I can't wait for the hubby to get home tonight so I can take my hour long bath and get reading!!!
I also found The International School of Sugarcraft 1: Beginners Bk.1which I am going to use to help me in my new college course (yes I did eventually organise my enrolment, whoop whoop)

Oh yeah!............

I also made my Raspberry frosting ready for the lingerie party on Saturday night, it is so yummy that I hid the spoon away from Harvey and licked it clean myself - Evil mummy!!

I'll give you the recipe in my next post (on Mondayish) trust me YOU WILL WANT THIS ONE!! :-)

TTFN

xx Kat xx

p.s Happy Birthday www.cakespy.com 4 years yesterday x