Halloween Bakes

Have you started planning your Halloween bakes yet? Check out the links below for some inspiration. 

1. Dios de los Muertos Cupcakes- Ok not really Halloween but great hit at parties.

2.Pumpkin Pecan Bars- Because pumpkin. And its October. 

3.Orange Juice Cupcakes-Juicy and bursting full of citrus flavour.

4.Pumpkin Chocolate Brownie-See number 2

5. Ginger and Treacle Cupcakes

6.Chocolate Cola Cake-Beautifully chocolaty and a little fizzy with the cola. 

7.Horror Film Gory Cupcakes- Ahh that poor sour patch kid!!

8.Gluten Free Zombie Cookies-Well we needed zombies in this list! It IS Halloween after all! 

So what will you be making for Halloween?

Fat Friday #22 Homemade Mulled Wine

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas fellow food lovers. Do you overstuff your faces on chocolate and turkey? I hope so! (Just not at the same time at least!) I'm still in a festive mood and am still enjoying my mulled wine left over from Christmas. If you've never made your own, its worth making some as it is really easy to make. Mulled wine solves everything.

Got unexpected friends coming over and want to served something special? Mulled wine solves it. Talkative relatives? Mulled wine solves it and dulls the noise coming from their mouths. Had a rough shift at work? Mulled wine solves it. Even at 3pm in the afternoon.... I don't have a mulled wine alcohol problem!

Recipe: Makes 4 servings (Recipe inspired by Boutique Baking by Peggy Porschen)

Ingredients:
·       1 orange, plus a extra orange slices to serve
·       1 bottle red wine
·       1 teaspoon of ground ginger
·       100ml water
·       45g sugar
·       1 teaspoon ground cloves
·       2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
·       ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
·       1 star anise, crushed

Equipment:

·       Saucepan
·       Fine sieve
·       Serving glasses or mugs
·       Peeler
·       Knife

Method
1.    Peel the rind from the orange and cut the orange in half.
2.    Place the peel, orange halves and the rest of the ingredients into the saucepan. Warm for about 20 minutes. Don’t allow to boil.
3.    Take pan off the heat and cover the saucepan with a lid and allow to infuse for 30 minutes.
4.    Strain the mulled wine through a sieve to remove the solid ingredients.
5.    Serve warm in glasses with slices of orange. 

Have a great Boxing day and a happy Friday! 

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!

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. 

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I hope you all had a good Halloween! 

Bake On!

Penny