Cute chocolate cupcakes but beware of shoddy wrappers!

I had to make some cupcakes for a school bake sale, and they actually turned out rather quite pretty! 

I'll be quite honest, it wasn't all plain sailing. I made a regular chocolate cake batter and the cakes turned out light, chocolatey and fluffy. But, to my horror, they started to peel away and shrink from the cupcake wrappers leaving me absolutely deflated. I was contemplating on taking the wrappers off but decided to put on the frosting and then face whatever I had to do to make the cakes look half decent to sell.

So the frosting should've been simple..butter, icing sugar, cocoa powder and a dash of milk mixed till light and fluffy. I don't know what gave me the urge to use margerine instead of butter for the frosting but I certainly was in for a bit of a shock. The frosting unlike a proper buttercream looked runny and as though it had split. I couldn't face it and threw it in the fridge till I could handle all the baking dilemmas I'd been having all day. And guess what, perfectly smooth, glossy and thick frosting. I felt so relieved that it hadn't turned into another 'throw in the bin' moment. The chilling of the frosting bought the frosting back to a thick smooth mixture.

Now I had to deal with the wrappers. I decided to tie them up with raffia and see if they looked a little better and they did! The little pink bows on each cupcake made them look special and pretty since it matched the cute toppers. I don't think they would've looked that good without the raffia bows.

Did they sell? Sure they did! A blessing in disguise...maybe, just maybe. 

Classic and comforting...who doesn't enjoy apple crumble?

The crisp fresh inviting aroma as you chop the apples. Add the warm comforting cinnamon and it's just the perfect ingredients for a delicious dessert. Warm sweet and sour apples with cinnamon, topped with a crunchy buttery oaty topping, served with lashings of custard. Yum!

This recipe is great fun with the kids. I made it with my 3yr old son who loved the chopping of the apples and eating them too ofcourse!

The recipe is easy. Chop 2 cooking apples and place in a dish with 2tbsp of sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Mix. 

The crumble topping is made with 4heaped tbsp of plain flour, 4tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp oats, 2heaped tbsp of butter, all rubbed together to resemble a breadcrumb texture.

Tip the crumble ontop of the apples evenly but don't press in. 

Bake till golden brown at gas mark 5. Serve with custard or icecream or cream....whatever gives you that delicious hug is what you deserve. 

Enjoy.

Creamy coconut custard. Easy, simple, stunning.

I am a fan of anything like baked custards, creme brules, panacottas. Creamy desserts are always a hit for me, they seem to make me feel pampered, indulged and special. Theres something magical when you turn out a baked custard and what you see is a smooth dessert with a slight wobble telling you 'eat me'. Then the pleasure of taking a spoonful and seeing how smooth it is (and that it hasn't curdled into a scrambled egg mix!).

The recipe I'm sharing with you is really easy and simple. The coconut milk gives it a rich nutty back note but is definitely not overpowering. It gives this dessert a bit of a tropical twist which I hope you enjoy as much as I did!

You could serve it without turning it out but a ramekin would be better than the mould I've used. You could also do a crunchy caramel top by sprinkling brown sugar and caramelising with a blow torch.

You'll need: 4 eggs, 1tsp vanilla bean extract, 250ml coconut milk 250ml milk 1oz sugar.

Method: Beat eggs and sugar together in a large bowl. Heat the vanilla milk and coconut milk in a pan till just boiling. Add the milk mixture to the eggs slowly, mixing all the while. Strain through a sieve and pour into 6 ramekin or moulds.

Bake in a ban Marie for 20-25 min at gas mark 4/5 till slightly golden on top. Allow to cool completely, refrigerate and serve with berries. 

Enjoy.

Ever tried a banana tart??

The pastry is light and crumbly, the filling, a sweet, sticky morish banana jam with treacle and caramel notes. Perfect served with tea or as a dessert with whipped cream or served warm with custard.

 

It's quite simple. Shortcrust pastry (if your buying, make sure it's all butter) lines the case and also gives it a decorative top. The filling I'm afraid you can't buy but not to worry, it's simple.

You'll need 4tbsp dark brown unrefined sugar and 4 ripe bananas chopped into chunks and a nonstick pan. On a low heat cook the banana and sugar till it becomes dark brown thick and sticky. It will take a while from being really watery till thick so do give it time. Allow it to cool and fill your cases before baking. 

Glaze the top of your tarts with egg wash and bake till golden at gas mark 4 and dust with icing sugar. 

Serve. Enjoy.

It's the simplest things we die for! Chocolate coffee cupcakes.

The pleasure of creamy sweet milk chocolate and the hit of roasted coffee bitterness all in a single cupcake. Not heavy with any frosting, just a few shavings of chocolate.

This cupcake is a modest one. It's not  fancy or decorated but is exactly what you need when you want a cupcake which is comforting, flavourful and not too sweet.

The recipe is an all in method and is perfect served warm. You'll need:

4oz butter

4oz caster sugar

2 eggs

3oz self raising flour

1oz cocoa powder

1tbsp of very strong espresso  

The method is simply adding all the ingredients in a bowl and beating till incorporated and creamy. Spoon into cases and bake. When done, allow cupcakes to cool a little and add a few shavings of chocolate on top. 

Enjoy!

Who doesn't enjoy pancakes for breakfast?!

Why not treat yourself with these super fluffy and satisfying pancakes! 

The recipe is really easy...get 2 cups self raising flour with a tsp of baking powder and 2 tbsp sugar in a bowl.

Crack two eggs in a jug and mix with a tsp of vanilla extract and 300ml of milk. 

Make a well in the flour mix and add the liquids in mixing gradually. 

Finally add a tbsp of melted butter in the batter. 

Cook a few small pancakes at a time or a big one if you want, just remember to flip it over once you see bubbles forming on the top otherwise you'll end up with pancake mix all over your cooker (don't even ask how I know!!).

You can enjoy these American style pancakes with whatever you enjoy (usually mine is strawberries cream and Nutella) but I tried to be a bit healthier this    time with yogurt, banana and honey.

 Yum yum!

Zesty lime cupcake with a sugar crunch top.

Lime has a vibrant refreshing taste that really reminds me of summer days and holidays. In a cupcake, it's perfect. Sweet comforting light morish sponge with a zingy fresh flavour of lime, it'll keep  makeing you reach out for 'just one more'.

The recipe and method couldn't be simpler. It's just a matter of adding all the ingredients in a bowl, giving it a good mix and spooning them into the cases to bake.

What you'll need is: 4oz unsalted butter,4oz caster sugar, 4 oz selfraising flour, 2eggs, 1 tsp lime juice, zest of one lime, 1 tbsp milk.

Once those ingredients are mixed and in cases, bake at gas mark 4 till cooked (about 10 to 15 min). Leave to cool for 5 min and brush on a little lime juice on each cupcake and sprinkle on caster sugar. Decorate with lime zest and enjoy!

I love the crunch of sugar ontop but if you prefer, a lime sugar syrup works well too. You could change the recipe to orange, lemon or any other citrus flavour. Why not let me know how it goes. I would love to hear from all you foodies out there...