Courgette Cake

So now I live in the sticks I have space; space to play, space to relax, space to grown my own.

And grow I have (I'm using the word "I" loosely...hubby may have done it!)

We've had all sorts of things...

Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, redcurrants, apples, rhubarb, peas, string-beans, carrots, lettuce, spinach, sprouts and herbs. But no courgettes!!

Why?...I have no idea...ask the hubs.

Luckily my gal pal, up the lane, has tonnes of them.

She asked me when she should harvest them, I told her to take her fella up there with his measuring stick! Admittedly I didn't really think that one through, now she's given me a bunch of them and I feel all awkward taking my knife to 'em...ouch!! 

Plus...the hubs gets all moody when I compliment Sammy on her impressive courgettes!! Ha!

Anyhoo...slightly off topic, back to business.

Hubs was really please to come home to this delicious delight after a hard day at work.

The smile makes it worthwhile. 

Recipe

Ingredients

250g self-raising flour

250g caster sugar

250g butter (soft)

3 eggs

½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp poppy seeds

1 tsp vanilla

270g grated courgettes

Preheat oven to 180 / 160 fan / GM4

 Grease and line 2x 20cm tins.

 Place all dry ingredients into a bowl.

 Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time making sure each is fully mixed before adding the next.

Add the vanilla and poppy seeds.

Fold in half of the dry ingredients.

Fold in the courgettes.

Fold in the rest of the dry ingredients.

Divide equally between the tins and bake for 25-35mins (depending on how wet your courgettes were)

Lemon-pop Buttercream

100g butter (soft)

200g icing sugar

1-2 tsp lemon juice (dependant on taste)

1 tsp poppy seeds

Cream the butter until light and fluffy.

Add the icing sugar a spoon at a time (avoids sugar clouds)

Add the lemon juice and poppy seeds and whip until fluffy.

Lemon Drizzle

150g icing sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp water

Stir a small amount of liquid into the icing sugar to make a paste

Add the rest of the liquids until you have a good pouring consistency (not too runny)

Place the buttercream on one of the cakes and place the other on top. Drizzle the, er, drizzle, on top letting some of it fall over the edges. Sprinkle on some poppy seeds to finish.

ET VOILA!!

Enjoy the bounty of your harvest.

xx Kat xx

Classic Valentines Cupcakes

I'm starting off this years Valentines bakes with the classic cupcake ~ I am the Cupcake Baker after all!

As it's Valentines day soon I thought I'd be really original ~ or not ~ and use Red Velvet. My last attempt to make my own Red Velvet didn't go very well as I couldn't get the bright red colour I was looking for, click here to check it out.

This time I decided to make it from a box (saves time) I used Betty Crocker Super Moist Cake Mix - Red Velvet

That bad boy rises!!! Thought I was gonna make a mess in my oven!!!

Also...I made the roses atop the cakes with sweets, I came across the idea by reading one of my favourite blogs Confessions of a Cookbook Queen to check out how she does it click here.

These are the tools I used and what I did...

1. Roll the Winders up until you get the size of rose you want, the wobblier the better.
2. Roll small, equal sizes of green Chewits into balls.
3. Shape balls into teardrops.
4. Press Teardrop from the tip to the rounded edge with the wider end of the modelling tool, pulling down slightly.
5. Gently scrape the leaf off your surface and place under the rose on either side. 

This is what you'll get...

I also tinted some Lemon Frosting pink (to match the Valentines theme) and piped a nice swirl.

ET VOILA ~ say hello to this pretty lady...

Until next time.

xx Kat xx

I've linked this recipe to the Valentines hoosierhomemade link party.

Also.....

I'm entering this beautiful dessert to Calendar Cakes as hosted by Dolly Bakes and Laura Loves Cakes this months it's all about love. Head on over to this months host Dolly Bakes and check it out.

Lemon Meringue Cake

So this was supposed to be my "two birds, one stone cake" but I am a dippy cow, completely lost the plot and made this meringue cake instead of Lemon Meringue Cupcakes!!!

I made this and a birthday cake for Preston, he's 1 on 9th Feb, and somehow I ended up making two full sized cakes!!! (I'll post the second cake later on)

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 :-)

Heidi's 28th Carrot Cakes & Lemon Frosting April 2011

My Bessie mate Heidi turned 28 so I was like "What's your favourite cake?" and she was like "Carrot".... nuff said :-)