Lemon QueenCake :)

Considering it is the name of my blog I decided I'd better make some lemon queencakes :) They are delicious! These particular ones are made with ricotta cheese, they are light and fluffy, melt in your mouth cupcakes .... damn new yr resolutions gone out the window again! I cant resist lol

Recipe for a large batch of regular size cakes (yields about 30):

2eggs, 300g caster sugar, 240g butter*melted*, 300g ricotta, 2lemons zested and juiced, 2tsp vanilla extract, 3tsp baking powder, 400g plain flour

*****if using self raising flour, still add 1tsp 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 , ricotta, 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

When cooled thoroughly, ice with a creamy lemon butter icing
400g icing sugar, 200g soft butter, 2tbsp milk, lemon juice to your taste (i love it almost bitter!) Beat together well!

Alex's Vedett Birthday Cake

A very good, regular customer and friend asked me to make him a birthday cake for Friday just gone. I was given total reign over the cake, he didnt specify even a flavour haha so I was left to my own creativity ! :) As I know that he has a little obsession with the Belgian beer Vedett, I decided this had to be the idea for the cake and I took a major risk in making it with Chocolate Mayo Cake and vanilla buttercream. It turned out superbly though and he was so surprised.. YAY! :)

I made a double batch of the choc mayo recipe, and baked it in square tins, each 9inch. I put the cake together on a board 2cakes on the bottom, iced together with buttercream. Then i sandwiched those with the other 2 cakes so all in all I had an 18inch rectangle to work with. The bottom part was the perfect size for the base, so I cut out the shape of the Vedett bottle on the top. I buttercreamed the whole cake, and cover it in a fondant icing that i had dyed using Sugarflair Christmas Green, I made the bottle top out of plain white icing, and the label also out of fondant dyed with Christmas Red, Black, and Gold Dust.

It was a teeeny bit stressful, ok maybe a LOT! But only because I'm a bit of a perfectionist :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX :) xxx

The Weirdest But Nicest Chocolate Cake I Have Ever Made

Introducing Chocolate MAYO Cake.. yes yes made with mayonnaise???????? I came across this recipe on odlums.ie and thought oh maybe it has something to do with Co. Mayo or something, but no no I clicked on it out of interest and the recipe actually includes mayonnaise? I suppose it replaces the fat and some egg as that's basically what mayonnaise is but I still found the concept bizarre! I obviously used the family as tasters and the faces on them as they were about to eat it were that of curiosity and disgust haha, but it went down a treat! It was, no lie, a savage chocolate cake!!MMM!! Everybody loved it :)

Recipe:
3eggs, 275g caster sugar, 1tsp vanilla, 225g mayonnaise, 275g Self Raising Flour, 50g cocoa, pinch of bread soda, 300ml cold water
Temp:
180C Gas 4

Grease and line 2 round sandwich tins, 18-20cms. I actually used 22cm and it still came out risen high
Mix the flour, cocoa and soda in a bowl and set aside. In a separate large bowl, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla, until light and creamy. Beat in the mayonnaise well - med to high speed for 4-5 mins.
Alternately beat in the flour/cocoa/bread soda mix and cold water. Starting with the dry mix and also finishing with the dry mix.

Divide into tins and bake for 35 to 40 mins until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

ITS A VERY LIQUID BATTER SO DONT BE ALARMED LIKE I WAS :) :)

When the cakes are completely cooled, sandwich and ice using a chocolate butter icing:

75g butter, 175g icing sugar, 3tbsp cocoa, 2tbsp warm milk (makes enough to sandwich together and ice the top of the cake). I popped a few chopped almonds around the the top aswell cuz i had half a bag spare from something else! decorate how you wish.. be creative :)

THE Carrot Cake :)

I have been looking for this recipe forever! I've had it since I was in school and lost it along the way and it's the perfect carrot cake recipe. Moist, flavoursome and my Dad's obsessed with the icing so I had to find it :) Came across it randomly, looking through pages of old recipes .. YAY!

Recipe:
2 eggs, 175g brown sugar, 250ml sunflower oil(make sure its relatively tasteless), 2tsp cinnamon, 275g self raising flour(sifted), 1/2(half)tsp salt, 250g grated carrot, 1tsp bread soda, 50g sultanas.

Grease and line a large rectangle loaf tin.
Mix the eggs, sugar and oil. Beat until well mixed and light. Stir in the cinnamon, salt, carrot and sultana. Mix well again. Fold in the bread soda and flour.
Bake @ 180C Gas 4 for 35 to 40 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. If you find the top is browning too fast cover with foil and continue to bake :)

When the cake is completely cool ice with lemon butter icing:150g icing sugar, 25g butter, 1-2tsp lemon juice beaten together until smooth and creamy

P.S. You can make this wholemeal by just substituting the flour with self raising wholemeal flour!

Mince Pies

Just a quick post and pic, i used a basic sweet shortcrust pasty and filled with my own homemade mincemeat(ill put up the recipe one of these days!! email jennifer.omahony@gmail.com just in case i don't!)

I lined the muffin pan with pastry and filled each with ceramic beans and baked blind for 15mins. I then filled them with the mince and topped them with another layer of pastry. Eggwash the pies and bake for a further 15mins in a moderate oven (180C). Dust with icing sugar!

Vanilla Melting Moments

These little biscuits are to die for, they're so light and crumbly they literally do melt! They can be plain or sandwiched together with a little bit of vanilla butter icing but I prefer them plain with a glass of milk :)

Vanilla Melting Moments
125g cornflour, 175g self raising flour, 225g soft butter, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 50g icing sugar

Mix everything together to form a soft dough. Make LITTLE balls and place on a clean tray*no need to grease*. Flatten the balls with a fork dipped in cold water. Bake at 160C for 13 - 15mins. Don't overcook, they will still be pale when they are done. Simple as.

First of the new year baking :)

I got a fit of madness today ! It's been a while since I baked so I started off with a few of my favourites, Nutella Iced Mocha Squares, Vanilla Melting Moments and a few Mince Pies thrown in for Joe :) So much for New Years Resolutions and healthy eating ... it's actually impossible :)

Firstly Nutella Iced Mocha Squares
Recipe

6oz soft butter, 6oz caster sugar, 3eggs, 2tbsp cocoa, 7oz self raising flour, 1tsp vanilla, 2tbsp coffee (dissolved in 3tbsp hot water) Bake at 190C

• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the eggs one by one, beating well in between and until light and creamy
• Sift in the flour and cocoa and fold in to the mixture. Also fold in the vanilla and coffee

Tip mixture into a greased&lined baking dish and bake for 25-30 mins. Cool in the dish and transfer to a wire rack. Spread with Nutella and sprinkle a few chocolate strands on top... Indulge!