Pumpkin Bakes

Need that hit of pumpkin now that autumn has hit? Check out our list right here!

1.Pumpkin Spice Syrup- Because we need this in every hot drink for the rest of autumn!

2.Horror Film Gory Cupcakes-These cupcakes are both adorable and horrific at the same time.

3.Pumpkin Pecan Bars-These always go down well at parties and are so moist. 

4. Pumpkin and Cheese Muffins- We needed a savoury one right?

Great for a snack or a super light lunch. 

No Bake Rice Crispie Pops

A cake pop mould, lots of cereal, and a desperate need for a break from university work. This recipe was born with a mad idea that you don't want to get too much into baking because work is waiting... I must thank one of my work colleagues who was the inspiration behind it. Many thanks Ali, Fab idea! 
This is what you get, a crispy, chocolately pop of goodness sprinkled with goodness (or sprinkles or whatever you have at hand.) It doesn't take that long and its ideal for kids to make as well as there's no oven involved. 

Recipe: Makes around a generous 14

·       95g Rice crispie cereal

·       453g Good quality milk chocolate, plus 735g good quality milk chocolate for dipping

·       Sprinkles like popping candy, heart sprinkles glitter its up to you completely.

Equipment:

·       Heatproof Bowl x 1

·       Bowl for various sprinkles

·       Wooden spoon

·       Lolly pop sticks

·       Cake pop mould

·       Microwave  

·       Greaseproof paper

1.    Break 453g of the chocolate into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until completely melted. Set aside to cool. Alternatively microwave for 30 seconds bursts until completely melted.

2.    Mix the rice crispies into the chocolate.

3.    Spoon the mixture into one half of the cake pop moulds. Do the same for the second half.

4.    Quickly sandwich the two halves together and stick the lolly sticks in the top where the hole it. Freeze for about 30 minutes.

5.    While waiting set up your sprinkles into a bowl and greaseproof paper ready for the chocolate pops to dry. So you've got a little production line going.

6.    Pop the chocolate pops out carefully.

7.    Melt the 735g of chocolate, in the same way for step one.

8. One at a time, dip the pop into chocolate and wait until the excess has come off.

    9. Dip into your sprinkles and place onto greaseproof paper until completely dry.

Bake on (or No-Bake On...in this case)

Dancing around at Disco Soup

 I forgot to put this video up on the blog a while back. Remember when I said I also write for Slow Food on Campus Portsmouth's Blog? No I dont remember either, but I often do a couple of write up and I took part in their Disco Soup event which you can read about fully here. Its so cringey to watch because I'm wearing no make-up and I'm all hot from kitchen heat, but it was a good laugh! 

Have a good Valentines (even if you hate it as much as I do)

Happy Halloween 2013 Bakers

Reading all the lively and seasonal recipes and posts based on one of my favourite holidays. Thats halloween of course! Dios de los muertos is another favourite... and there's Christmas.... do birthdays count then?
Back to the subject at hand, sadly this year I havent had the chance to bake for Halloween. I know its bakery blasphemy but I've been bogged down with university work. Being the last year, its the toughest I've had to face. Super fun coursework includes:
*Business Research Product on female chefs
*Stragetic Management Report on Starbucks
*Stragetic Marketing Report on Tesco
* Working on the Slow Food society

So its pretty hectic at the moment. I have no outside life at the moment. But on the plus side I did do enough baking last year to make up for it. Heres the links for last years Halloween baking:
*Orange juice Cupcakes
* Day of the dead cupcakes
* Ginger Cupcakes with a Ginger frosting

Theres also this years baking as well:
*Pumpkin Pecan bars
*Pumpkin Coffee Syrup
*Horror Film Gory Pumpkin Cupcakes

So whats happening to the student who's not really that into boozing it up in her adult life and is too old for trick or treating (too many people asking where the kid is and I reply oh I guess that me. They give you a sad look), I'll be watching horror films back to back and scare myself stupid or go on a ghost walk. It depends on how cold it is outside!
Happy Halloween and... dont have nightmares....
Bake On!

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!

Killer Snow-woman, Boyfriends and Cranberry and Orange Cupcakes

"It's only cupcakes Penny, the ingredients don't have to be exact."

"Hey let's eat the batter."

"Look it's a Snow-woman in a Lush bath. It looks like you!"

Some of the best quotes that my boyfriend had blurted out when we were baking cupcakes. 

He doesn't bake much, bless. 

Baking is one of these things that can bring people together. The combination of doing something fun with someone you love as well as dancing around the kitchen to some tacky music to finally decorating the cupcakes and stuffing them in our faces afterwards. 

We did bake and decorate the cupcakes in the end and not just flinging flour at each other. It was lovely to spend some down-time in the kitchen with my better half. We, (well I did really,) decided upon Cranberry and Orange cupcakes with an Orange Cream Cheese Frosting.  

Cupcakes makes 12

•      228g plain flour
•      ½  tsp of baking power
•      1/4 tsp salt
•      ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
•      1 tsp ground cinnamon
•      200g caster sugar
•      2 large eggs
•      100g sunflower oil
•      135ml sour cream
•      1 tsp vanilla extract
•      Grated orange zest about 1 tea spoon
•      140g fresh or frozen cranberries, finely chopped

For the Frosting:

•     175g cream cheese
•     450g icing sugar, sifted
•     125g unsalted butter at room temperature
•     Grated zest of one orange

Equipment

•  12 hole muffin tray lined with cupcake cases
• Sieve
• Knife and chopping board
• Bowl x 2
• Electric hand whisk/ mixer 
• Christmas themed decorations 
• A bit of tacky Christmas music (optional)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 150c/300f/Gas Mark 2. Line a 12 hole muffin tray with 12 cupcake cases.
2. Cream the eggs and sugar together until pale and fluffy. This should take around 3-5 minutes with an electric hand whisk. Slowly pour in the oil, a little at a time, beating well after each addition, repeat this process with the sour cream and vanilla extract, making sure that everything is well combined. Add the orange zest once everything is well combined.
3. Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl and then add to the batter and beat well. Finally, fold in the cranberries.
4. 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.
5. To make the frosting place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat well until well combined and the icing is smooth and pale.

My Boyfriend came up with a story for the snowman on these cakes: "This is a single snowman all on his own and no one to talk too."

 "Next he meets a lovely snow-woman called Penny and they fall in love."
"Awww That's sweet."
"Not for long. The snowman is beginning to annoy the snow-woman. He keeps messing up the cupcake decorations and weighing out the ingredients...."

"So she kills him for messing up her cupcakes."

 "To celebrate her cupcakes no longer getting messed up. She has a Lush bath. THE END!"

I stood there in an annoyed silence with which he stroked my arm and said:
"LOVE YOU!" and he turned back to decorating cupcakes with a silly smile on his face. 

 <<<<<<Something like this<<<<<<
So sweetie, you wanted a mention on the blog and here it is! That's what you get for saying:
"It's only cupcakes, Penny"
Well too baking mad people like me, its not just cupcakes. Its bite sized cups of heaven. 

Bake on and Merry Christmas! (And you have been warned in boyfriend baking)

Penny 

How Not Writing a List Turned into The Citrus Birthday Cake

I love lists. 

They rule my life. I make so many lists.

• Shopping lists
• to-do lists
• Christmas present list
• The 'I really would like this for Christmas please' list 
• Baking lists
• Recipe list
• This list right now!!

You get the idea. I do these lists so that I can organise my time and not forget things. I've been so busy this year, as most people are, I've been extra busy due to coursework etc. I didn't write out a present list. Which is the most important list because it guides me on what gifts I need to get for Christmas and December Birthdays! 

I managed ok but sadly, I forgot my next door neighbours birthday.  I was running low on cash and I winged it. I did get her a shower set from the Body Shop but I felt so bad. 

Suddenly a thought occurred to me.... "Penny... you silly Christmas elf... you can bake her a birthday cake!" and I thought that it would be an excellent opportunity to show off my baking skills and also she love cakes. I do often send her some random thing I've baked and she will always give me an honest opinion. 

So if she reads it, this is my confession. I didn't mean to forget your birthday Louise but at least I made you a lovely cake!

This recipe was adapted from an old vanilla recipe. You can add or take away the lemon juice and zest and replace with 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. 

Recipe: Sponge

•        225g unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing
•        225 caster sugar
•        210g self raising flour, sifted
•        25g cornflour
•        1 teaspoon baking powder
•        4 large eggs
•        1 teaspoon lemon juice
•        2 teaspoons Lemon zest
•        3 tablespoons semi skimmed milk

Equipment:

•        Sieve
•        2 x 20 cm tins
•        Greaseproof Paper
•        Bowl
•        Mixer
•      Grater

 1.    Preheat oven to 180c/350f/ Gas Mark 4 and line two 20cm cake tines with greaseproof paper.

2.    Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until the mixture is pale and smooth. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the eggs to the creamed mixture, one at a time, mixing for a few minutes after each addition, altering with the dry ingredients, and finally the vanilla extract and the milk. Beat well after each addition, but again don’t overbeat.

3.    Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until raised and golden brown, Insert a skewer in the centre of one of the cake- it should come out clean.

Recipe: Buttercream

• 110g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Grated zest of 1-2 unwaxed lemons 2 teaspoons
• 500g icing sugar, sifted

Equipment:

•        Sieve
•        Grater
•        Bowl
•        Mixer
•     Piping bag and a star nozzle
•     Palette knife

1.     In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, lemon juice, zest and half the icing sugar until smooth-this can take several minutes using a electric hand mixer. Gradually add the reminder of the icing sugar and beat again until smooth and creamy. Decorate as you like. I used a palette knife to smooth the buttercream on and then piped rosettes on the top. 

  Bake On and Merry Christmas! 

  Penny 

Halloween and Dios De Los Muertos Cooking featuring Orange Juice, Chocolate and Ginger

Sorry for the lateness of the post, I know that Halloween has long gone now and everyone is now planning for Christmas (Its only November but its good to be organised). I thought that I'd still put my Halloween cupcake recipes anyway. 
This post is dedicated to my better half and his lovely housemates, who munched all of the cupcakes leaving me with 12 empty cupcake wrappers. I went to Portsmouth for the weekend that why the post was so late. 
Guys, you're the funniest and hopefully, next time I'll win at Monopoly! And not go bankrupt! 
These recipes can also be made during Autumn for those cosy nights in as there not specific to Halloween apart from the decorations. 

Orange Juice Cupcakes
These cupcakes are a little different from the traditional buttercream instead having a decorators glaze which is sweet and tangy. (The decorations that I have used I got from Sugar Robot on Etsy)

Orange Juice decorated with an orange juice glaze and edible bats. 

Recipe: Makes 16 cupcakes

·       125g unsalted butter, at room temperature

·       2 teaspoons of baking powder

·       1 teaspoon of salt

·       2 large eggs

·       300g plain flour, sifted

·       200g sugar

·       Juice and finely grated rind of 1 orange

·       1 tablespoon lemon juice

1.    Pre-heat the oven to 160c fan/180c/350f/Gas Mark 4 and line 2 mini muffin trays with cupcake cases. Mix flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

2.    In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until pale and smooth, which should 3-5 minutes using an electric hand mixer.Add eggs on at a time mixing well.

3.    Combine orange juice and lemon juice and add enough water to make 2/3 cup. Alternately add the flour mixture and liquid. Add the orange rind and beat batter until smooth. Add food colouring if using.  

4.    Carefully spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling them to about two-thirds full. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until slightly raised and golden brown. To check they are cooked, insert a skewer in the centre of one of the cakes-it should come out clean.

Decorators Glaze

·       200g sugar

·       ¼ cup cornflour

·       240ml orange juice

·       1 teaspoon lemon juice

·       Pinch of salt

·       30g unsalted butter

Recipe:

1.    Combine sugar and cornflour in a pan over a low heat. Gradually add orange and lemon juices and stir until well blended. Add salt and butter. Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick and glossy. Remove from heat and cool. Add food colouring, if desired. Glaze the cooled cupcakes.

Ginger Cupcakes with Ginger Frosting
This recipe is taken from the Primrose Bakery Cupcake Book and works so well on cold winter evenings. 

Recipe: Makes 18

200g unsalted butter, at room temperature

175g dark soft brown sugar

    3 tablespoons black treacle

4 pieces of stem ginger, drained and chopped (reserve the syrup for the ginger icing)

    2 large eggs

300g self raising flour, sifted

150ml semi-skimmed milk at room temperature

1 tablespoon ground ginger

Pinch of salt

1.    Pre-heat the oven to 160c fan/180c/350f/Gas Mark 4 and line 2 cupcake trays with cupcake cases.

2.    Melt the butter, sugar and treacle in a saucepan over a low heat. Cool briefly and then stir in the milk.

3.    Add the chopped ginger to the beaten eggs then beat into the butter mixture. Sift the flour, ground ginger and salt and add to the warm mixture. Combine thoroughly.

4.    Carefully spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling them to about two-thirds full. Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes until slightly raised and golden brown. To check they are cooked, insert a skewer in the centre of one of the cakes-it should come out clean.

5.    Remove from the oven and leave the cakes in their tins for about 10 minutes before carefully placing on a wire rack to cool. Once they are completely cool, you can ice the cupcakes.

Buttercream

·       140g unsalted butter, at room temperate

·       4 tablespoons freshly ginger syrup, drained from a jar of steam ginger

·       2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

·       300g icing sugar, sifted

Recipe:

1.    In a large mixing bowl beat the butter for a few minutes until really smooth, the add the remaining ingredients and beat again until the icing is smooth and creamy. 

Last but certainly not least, my personal favourite. For Dios de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, I made chocolate cinnamon cupcakes. 
In Mexico, on the 1st November, families gather to remember and pray for deceased loved ones. Traditions include making private altar decorated with Sugar Skulls. (The decorations that I have used I got from Sugar Robot on Etsy)

Picture from: Indian Country Today Media Network

Dios de los Muertos Cupcakes

Dios de los Muertos Cinnamon and Chocolate Cupcakes decorated with Sugar Skulls

Recipe: Makes 16 cupcakes

·       125g unsalted butter, at room temperature

·       2 teaspoons of baking powder

·       1 teaspoon of salt, plus a little for the egg whites

·       1 teaspoons cinnamon

·       4 eggs separated

·       175g chocolate

·       120ml milk

·       265g plain flour, sifted

·       150g soft brown sugar

·       1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1.    Pre-heat the oven to 160c fan/180c/350f/Gas Mark 4 and line 2 mini muffin trays with cupcake cases. Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.

2.    Melt chocolate and milk together in a bowl over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave. As soon as the chocolate is melted, remove from heat, stir to blend, set aside and cool

3.    Cream butter and soft butter sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add flour addition in three parts, blending well until flour disappears.

4.    Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff but not dry. Gently fold whites into batter.

5.    Carefully spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling them to about two-thirds full. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until slightly raised and golden brown. To check they are cooked, insert a skewer in the centre of one of the cakes-it should come out clean.

Buttercream

·       300g icing sugar

·       1 tablespoon milk

·       125g unsalted butter

·       1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·       1 teaspoon cinnamon

Recipe:

1.    Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add milk, vanilla and cinnamon and continue beating until frosting is of a good spreading consistency. 

i

I hope you all had a good Halloween! 

Bake On!

Penny