Easter Lemon and Ginger Cupcakes

With less then a week until Easter (and my mum's birthday) its time for some Easter cupcakes!

I'm keeping this blog post short as my eyes are killing me. I've been told that I need to wear glasses when I'm on computers but thats cool I'm mostly in the kitchen baking anyway. Next Sunday I'm making 50 cupcakes for my mums 50th birthday! I'm fine with making cupcakes but all in one go. Yikes, but challenge accepted. Will definitely keep you posted.

Ginger and Lemon Easter cupcakes.

(Recipe from Making Cupcakes with Lola)

Recipe: Cupcakes (Makes 17 normal cupcakes and 24 mini cakes)

·       75g Steamed Ginger syrup

·       75g Golden syrup

·       170ml double cream

·       300g all purpose flour

·       1 tsp ground cinnamon

·       ½ tsp ground cloves

·       2 tsp baking powder

·       1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

·       ¼ tsp salt

·       125g unsalted butter, room temperature

·       180g dark brown sugar

·       3 eggs

Recipe: Lemon Buttercream

·       125g unsalted butter, room temperature

·       300g icing sugar

·       Grated zest of 1 lemon

·       Lemon juice 1 teaspoon lemon juice

·       Food Colouring (Purple, pink, green)

·       Various sprinkles, and Easter decorations of your choice. (IF YOUR USING PLASTIC DECORATIONS, REMOVE THEM FOR CHILDREN)

Equipment:

·       Bowl x 2

·       Electric Whisk

·       Saucepan

·       Wooden spoon

·       Sieve

·       Muffin tray lined with 17 cupcake cases x 2

·       Mini cupcake lined with 24 cases x 1

·       Palette knife

Step 1

1.    Put the golden syrup and ginger syrup in a saucepan with the cream and heat gently until well mixed and melted. (Do not allow to boil!)

Step 1. After the syrup has turned golden.

Step 2. Sieve dry ingredients

2.    Sieve the flour, ground cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Step 3. Cream the sugar and butter

3.    Cream the butter and sugar in a separate bowl with an electric whisk. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides. Add the eggs in one at a time.

Step 4 Add the dry ingredients and syrup mix

4.    Gradually add the syrup mix and the sifted dry mix alternately, beating well between each addition.

Step 5 Spoon into cases

5.    Divide the mixture between the muffin cases. Bake in the preheated oven. 20-23 minutes for the normal cupcakes and 15 minutes for the mini cupcakes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

6.    To make the buttercream, put the butter and mix until really smooth with an electric mixer. Stir in the lemon juice and sift the icing sugar in 4 batches, mixing really well so that the frosting is smooth.

7.    If the mixture is stiff, add a teaspoon of lemon juice or milk if you prefer.

8.    Separate the frostings into different bowls and colour as desired.

9.    Spread the frosting with a palette knife when the cupcakes are cold.

10.   Sprinkle and decorate. 

With this recipe you can really be creative with the decoration. I used stuff that was just sitting in the cupboards. 
Happy Easter and Happy Baking!

Decadent Chocolate and Cola Cake

Cola and chocolate cake is not one of cakes that come to mind when I think of when I fancy an afternoon sweet treat. But I thought, what the hell, it's Friday after all.

I baked it, iced it and tried it. 

Oh my cakey kitchen goddess, this is one smexy cake!

I had a little bite for my lunch break and was in such a blissful chocolate state that I was late afterwards! It's got all the best ingredients. Cola, chocolate and marshmallows! I would suggest that you bake it for a birthday treat, or a catch up with friends. Or you can do what I did. Take it in for some very hungry office workers and watch it disappear! 

Recipe: The Cake

·       250g self-raising flour, sieved

·       225g butter, at room temperature

·       290g brown soft sugar

·       2 eggs

·       2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·       250ml cola

·       125ml natural yogurt

·       30g cocoa powder, sieved

·       1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, sieved

·       200g mini marshmallows

Recipe: The Cola Icing

·       90ml cola

·       110g butter

·       3 tablespoons cocoa powder

·       250g icing sugar

·       A bag of cola sweets to decorate

Equipment:

·       Bowl x 2

·       Electric hand-held whisk

·       Sieve

·       Scraper

·       Saucepan

·       Wooden spoon

·       Deep baking tray lined with silicone paper

Step 2. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, and bicarbonate of soda together in one bowl.

     1. Pre-heat oven to Gas Mark 4/350f/180c. Grease and line a big tray.

     2. Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, and bicarbonate of soda together in one bowl.

     

Step 3. Creamed sugar and butter mixture.

 3. Cream sugar and butter together in a separate, until creamy. Add the eggs one at the time and then add the vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.

Step 4. the cola and yoghurt mixture

    4.  Mix the cola and natural yoghurt together in a smaller bowl. Until it looks foamy and gross. (I know it looks awful but trust me it works.)

    5. Pour 1/3 of the cola and yoghurt mix into the creamed butter and sugar, then mix in 1/3 flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda mix. Add another 1/3 of the liquid mixture, mix again and then add an additional 1/3 flour mixture. Do this a third and final time so that all of the flour and cola mixture is incorporated into one bowl.

Step 6. Add the marshmallows

   6. Add the mini marshmallows and stir in with a scraper.

Step 7. Into the tray it goes.

Step 8. Cool on a wire rack

   7. Pour the cake batter into the prepared tray and bake for 35-40 minutes. Once baked leave in the tray for about 15 minutes and transfer carefully, to a wire rack.

Step 8. Add the cola, cocoa and butter in a saucepan.

 

Step 8. Bring to the boil and keep stirring

   8.To make the icing, put the cola, butter and cocoa powder into a saucepan, until the butter is melted. Bring to boil, stirring constantly.

   9. Sieve the icing sugar into a big bowl and pour the chocolate butter mixture into it.

Step 10. Spread that icing!

  10. Whisk until all of the icing sugar has been incorporated.  Leave the icing to thicken in the fridge. Once the cake and the icing have both cooled spread the icing over the cake and decorate with cola bottle sweets.

Bake on!

Penny

Christmas Tree Cupcakes Inspired by a Real Christmas Tree

From a real Christmas tree, lovingly decorated by me and mum to a baked and decorated cupcake by me! 

The cupcake sponge in this recipe is very easy to make as it is an 'all in one bowl' recipe. The butter-cream is simple to make and you can really go crazy with the decorations! Glitter, silver balls, stars, snowflakes and whatever you feel is Christmasy. 

Recipe: Cupcakes  

•        2 Eggs
•        110g/4oz self raising flour, sieved 
•        50g/1 ½ of ground almonds
•        110g/4oz unsalted butter
•        1tsp baking powder
•        110g/4oz caster sugar
•        1 tsp vanilla extract
•        1 tbsp whole milk

Equipment:

•        Sieve
•        Bowl
•        Mixer
•        12 hole Muffin tin with cupcake cases in them.

1.    Preheat oven to 190c/Gas Mark 5. Place 12 cupcake cases into the muffin tray.

2.    Put all of the cupcake ingredients into a bowl and beat well until smooth.

3.    Spoon the mixture into the cases and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Recipe: Buttercream

•        120g/4oz unsalted butter diced
•        225g/8oz icing sugar
•        ½ tsp vanilla extract
•        Green food colouring paste. (I used gooseberry green)
•        Christmas decorations of your choice. Including glitter (because its Christmas. Glitter is a must)

Equipment:

•        Sieve
•        Knife
•        Mixer
•        Palette knife
•        Piping bag
•        Spoon
•        Bowl x2

1.    Beat the butter in a bowl until creamy. Gradually add the icing sugar, beat constantly. Stir in the vanilla extract.

2.    Put 2/3 of the buttercream into a separate bowl and add the food colouring.

3.    Spread the uncoloured buttercream into each cake using a palette knife. (This will be the snow covered ground.)

4.    Spoon the green colouring into a piping bag. Pipe short lengths on top of each other in round layers to create a Christmas tree shape. (Criss-crossing over one another.)

5.    Add your decorations and sprinkle with glitter. 

Christmas Tree Cupcakes and Stained Glass Cookies.

Bake On and Merry Christmas!!
Penny  

Stained Glass Decoration Cookies

The Christmas season is well and truly upon us and everyone is dashing around the shops for their last minute presents, makes me glad I'm finally finished! Phew!! I have been a busy (student) baker and I have quite a few bits planned, so watch this space. But as I was decorating the tree, which is finally up and decorated, a little inspiration hit me.

At school, I used to do Food Technology (in the U.S the class is called Home Economics) and my teacher showed me a basic biscuit recipe that was not just yummy and not only a great decoration for the tree BUT super duper easy to do. This is a simple recipe and is easy for kids to do with a little adult supervision.  

Jewel centred cookies look amazing but are effortless.

Recipe: Makes about 12 depending on the cookie cutter size

• 175g plain flour, sifted 
• 75g butter
•  3 tablespoons caster sugar 
•  1 egg white 
• 2 tablespoons orange juice 
• 225g hard sweets/candy in various colours

Equipment:

• 2 x baking sheets 
• Baking paper/greaseproof paper 
• Sieve 
• Bowl
• Various Christmas cutters 
• Skewer
• Thread or ribbon

 1.    Preheat the oven to 180c/350f/ Gas Mark. Line baking sheets with baking paper.

2.   Sieve flour into a bowl and blend in butter with your fingers so it looks a little like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, egg white and orange juice to mix into a soft dough. Knead lightly.

3.    Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into shapes. Cut out the centre of the cookies using a similar shaped cutter or a plain round cutter.

These cookies really catch the light and can be coloured themed to suit your Christmas decorations.

Bake on and Merry Christmas!!

Penny

Apple Juice Cupcakes with a Apple Filling

So it's National Cupcake Week and for some reason I'm in the mood for apples. It must be the change of season. If you want to make a student version-Use cider instead of apple juice.
Time for some baking!

For the apple cupcakes

•  225g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking power
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1teaspoon cinnamon
• 125g unsalted butter    
• 130g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 180ml sweet cider/apple juice
• 150g dried apples cut into little pieces

For the Apple Filling

• ¾ apples peeled, cored and chopped into small sugar
• 200g soft brown sugar
• 100g unsalted butter
• 30 ml water
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Cinnamon for dusting
• Apple wedges either dried or fresh

1.    Pre-heat the oven to 180c/350f/Gas Mark 4.
2.    Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, beating between each addition. Alternately add cider and dry ingredients. When batter is thoroughly blended fold in dried apples.
3.    Spoon batter into cupcake papers, filling cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 25 minutes or until tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool.

4.    When cupcakes are cooled, scoop out the centre and heap full with apple filling.

5.    Combine all filling ingredients in a heavy based pan and cook over low heat for about 5-10 mins or until the apples are soft.
6.    Let the apple filling cool and blitz in a blender.
7.    Dust each cupcake with a little cinnamon and apple wedges. 

They may not be pretty but these capture the taste of autumn in a cake.
I have to cut the entry short as I've got to get up early because I'm going to the Cake and Bake show tomorrow!
Bake On!
Penny