Nutella Mocha Cupcakes

Hazelnut, Chocolate, Coffee = Goodness!! The mocha cupcake part was light and full of coffee flavour, I then spread the top with nutella and piped nutella buttercream on top. I think these have to be my favourite cupcakes so far, they combine the 3 flavours I live for.. Yummmo!!! :) X

Recipe:
2tbsp coffee granules, 75g butter, 85g caster sugar, 1tbsp honey, 200ml water, 225g plain flour, 2tbsp cocoa, 1tsp bicarb of soda, 3 tbsp milk, 1 large egg
GAS 4 / 180C

Put the coffee, butter, sugar, honey and water in a pot and heat gently stirring until the sugar has dissolved and butter melted> Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins. Pour into a large heatproof bowl and cool completely.

When cooled, sift in the flour and cocoa. Dissolve the bicarb soda in the milk and add to the mixture as well as the egg. Beat well until smooth. Pour the mix into paper cases and bake for 15-20mins until well risen and firm to touch. Cool on a wire rack.

Top with nutella and for the icing beat 200g icing sugar, 100g butter, 2tbsp nutella and a dash of milk together and pipe on top! mmmmmmmmmmmmm.... :)

Paddy's Day Cupcakes!

Obviously I had to bake something green! Mint Aero cupcakes were the recipe of the day :) A delicious chocolate chip cupcake, with creme de menthe butter icing and a mint aero sprinkle, they disappeared in minutes (I'm guessing that's a good thing)!!

Recipe:

3tbsp soft butter, 200g caster sugar, 2 large eggs, 150ml natural yoghurt, 5tbsp milk, 280g plain flour, 20g cocoa, 1tsp bicarb of soda, 115g milk choc chips

GAS6 / 200degrees C

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one by one, mixing well each time. Then beat in the yoghurt and milk until combined.
Sift in the flour, cocoa and bicarb and stir until just blended. Don't over mix. Stir in the choc chips and divide the mixture into paper cupcake cases.
Bake for 20-25 mins until risen and a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 5 mins and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Icing:
200g icing sugar, 100g butter, 2tsp creme de menthe, a little strong green food colour and a dash of milk.
Beat the hell outta it!! until creamy and smooth! :)

Top with Mint Aero and indulge yourself, these are sooo good xx

Caramel Chocolate Slices

These are an old favourite with everyone! A shortbread biscuit, with a smooth caramel layer topped with milk chocolate ... so good on it's own or with a cup of tea! I find it so hard baking sometimes cuz I actually want to eat everything :) I kinda feel a bit sick now cuz I ate so much icing in the process... mmm

Recipe:
Biscuit Layer: 115g butter, 175g plain flour, 55g golden caster sugar
Caramel Layer: 175g butter, 115g golden caster sugar, 3tbsp golden syrup, 400g can condensed milk
Chocolate Layer: 300g Milk or Plain Chocolate melted over a bain marie

Preheat the oven to 180C and grease a 9inch square shallow baking tin

Biscuit: Place the butter, plain flour and caster sugar in a food processor and process until it binds together. Press into the prepped tin and smooth out to the edges. Bake for 20-25mins until golden

Caramel: Put the butter, sugar, condensed milk and golden syrup into a pot and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. This burns REALLY easily so keep on a low heat and stir constantly. Bring to the boil and simmer for 6-8mins until the mixture becomes thick. Pour over the cooked biscuit layer and chill in the fridge until firm.

Chocolate: Bring a pot with some water to the boil and let it simmer.Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over the pot of simmering water, stirring the chocolate all the time. When melted pour over the cooled caramel and spread out. Leave to set. Cut with a very sharp knife into triangles or squares.. Whatever tickles your fancy!

Peanut Butter Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Another new recipe from my new book :) These turned out really well, the cupcakes came out nice and even and were lovely and moist. The recipe made a little too much icing but it's always good to have a little bit left over in the fridge for dipping bits of fruit in or something... yum !

Recipe:
175g peanut butter, 50g softened butter, 125g soft brown sugar, 2eggs, 1tbsp golden syrup, 250g plain flour, 2tsp baking powder, 225ml milk

Cream the butters together, and beat in the sugar and golden syrup for 4mins until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one by one mixing very well each time you add one. Fold in half the flour and baking powder then beat in the milk, and the rest of the flour. Spoon into cupcake cases in a tray, fill up to 3/4 and then bake at 180C for 25mins until golden. Cool on a wire rack

Cream Cheese Icing

225g cream cheese, 225g icing sugar, 25g soft butter.

Beat together for 3-4mins until well mixed and creamy

Ice the cakes when completely cool and grate some milk chocolate over them to garnish .. mmmm !

My Own Version of Red Velvet

Totally backwards but sure do I ever follow recipes :)!!
Using exactly the same method as the chocolate vanilla cupcakes. I just added a tbsp cocoa and some strong red food colouring to the butter icing instead for a change.... :)

Sultana Loaf

I love love love sultana anything! Be it scones, tea brack or my carrot cake with sultanas in it, I'd eat anything to do with them. And if a recipe calls for 50g I always add way more than that :) So I made a simple Sultana Bread, well its more of a cake but it's delicious regardless of what we'll call it. It's sort of crispy/crumbly on the outside but melt in your mouth on the inside and I obviously have to smother it with some real butter.... sure it'd be rude not to really wouldn't it?

Recipe:
125g butter, 125g caster sugar, 2 eggs(beaten), 4tbsp water, 1tsp cinnamon, 175g sultanas, 225g self raising flour.
Bake at 180C for 45 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.

Grease and line a 1lb loaf tin. Cream the butter and then beat in the sugar until light and fluffy, approx 3mins at high speed. Beat in the eggs a small bit each time, beating well between additions. Then beat in the water. Sift the flour into the mixture and fold in. Then fold in the sultanas and cinnamon, mixing very well but not overworking. Turn the mix into the prepped tin and bake!

Once cooked let it cool in the tin for a few mins, then turn it onto a wire rack.
I like to cut a slice while it's still warm and serve with butter... and it's just as good cold!

LemonBerry Delight

This is a new recipe I tried out from my big, mad, new baking book available at amazon!

I'm always a little sceptical when trying out new recipes as sometimes they can be a complete flop but this was a treat. The sponge is moist and the lemon flavour combined with the berries throughout the cake is gorgeous. I did change the recipe ever so slightly as usual, I can never jst simply follow them. The recipe is for lemon and blueberry drizzle cake, but I substituted in a summer fruits mix as well as the blueberries. I also used frozen fruit instead of fresh and it worked just as well :)

225g softened butter, 200g golden caster sugar, 4 eggs(beaten), 280g self raising flour sifted, finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon, 55g ground almonds, 100g frozen blueberries and 125g frozen mixed summer fruits
Gas mark 4 or 180 C, grease and line a 20cm square cake tin

Cream the butter, then add the sugar and beat together for a couple of mins until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs a little at a time mixing well before each addition. Beat in the lemon rind. Fold in the flour and almonds and enough lemon juice to give a good dropping consistency(about half a lemon juiced). Fold in three quarters of the fruit and turn into the prepped tin. Smooth the surface and then sprinkle the remaining fruit on the top. Bake in a preheated oven for close to an hour keep an eye on it towards the end and if it is browning too much put foil on top for the remainder of the baking time.

To make the lemon drizzle for the top, put 100g icing sugar and 30ml lemon juice in a pot over a moderate heat and stir till melted together and syrupy. Don't let it boil! Prick the top of the cake with a fork, while still warm, and drizzle the syrup over.

Sooooo Good!

Lemon Easter Cupcakes

I know it's a little bit early to be making easter cakes but i saw the bag of mini eggs in the shop and couldn't resist! These are a lemon cupcake adapted from my lemon ricotta cupcakes but I replaced the ricotta with cream cheese for a change. They turned out really well, I iced them with lemon butter icing dyed with a bit of yellow food colouring (you can buy it here) and then popped on a mini egg for decoration! I could have been a bit more generous with the little eggs but everyone kept eating them! :)

Recipe:
1egg, 150g caster sugar, 120g butter*melted*, 150g cream cheese, 1lemon zested and juiced, 1tsp vanilla extract, 1.5tsp baking powder, 200g plain flour

*****if using self raising flour, still add half a tsp baking powder
******substitute one lemon for one orange, it makes a nice mixed citrus cupcake

Method:
Beat the eggs and sugar together for 3 mins on medium to high speed until light and creamy, mix in the melted butter , cream cheese, juice and zest of fruit and the vanilla. Beat well for another minute or two. Fold in the flour and baking powder and mix well. Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases in a tray, fill 3/4 of the way. Bake in a moderate oven at 180C for 20 to 25 mins

Ice with lemon butter icing
200g icing sugar, 100g room temp butter, 2tbsp lemon juice, the tiniest bit of yellow food colouring.
Beat well together