Showing posts with label Cake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cake. Show all posts

Sunday, 27 January 2013

Carrot Cake Cupcakes - Take 2 - Flower Power

Pretty Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Back in 2011 I tried my tried my hand at making carrot cake cupcakes. As a first attempt they wern't half bad, but two years later, I felt ready to give them another go - only this time with a twist. Traditionally Carrot Cakes are quite chunky individuals, but I don't believe that this always has to be the case. I wanted to show that this rough and ready classic can be transformed into something a little more elegant.
Do you think I've succeeded?
 
Carrot Cake Delight

As last time, the recipe for the sponge is as follows:

Ingredients for Cake

  • 175g light muscovado sugar
  • 175ml sunflower oil
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 140g grated carrots (about 3 medium)
  • grated zest of 1 large orange
  • 175g self-raising flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder

To make twelve Cakes

*Pre-heat oven to
180C/Gas 4/fan 160C *

1. Pour the Sugar, Oil and eggs into a large bowl and mix together until fully combined.

2. To this mixture add the grated carrots and orange zest, and stir until the carrot is evenly spread throughout the mixture.

3. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the mixture and stir again until completely integrated.

4. Pour the mixture into cupcake cases until about 80% full, because these cakes don't rise too much, and put into the oven for 30-35 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for several hours until completely cool. (You can use a fridge if you want to speed this process up)

The topping was the usual Vanilla Buttercream which can be made mixing around 1/5 margarine to 4/5 icing sugar, with a splash of vanilla essance and milk for good measure!

If you have any questions or recipes you'd like me to have a go at please get in touch!

Until next time,

Happy Baking!

X

Tuesday, 13 November 2012

Fraisier Cake GBBO Style

Two weeks ago, I decided to attempt my toughest challenge to date and turned my hand to the Fraisier Cake. Featured on the Great British Bake off, the Fraisier Cake is French Patisserie at its most elegant, combining a light genoise sponge, creme patisserie, marzipan and strawberries together to create visual perfection.

With it being a slightly more technical recipe than I have previously attempted, I decided to follow Mary Berry's method to a 'Tee', so if you want to find how it's done all you need to do is click Here

In terms of success, I would say that my presentation was an absolute triumph - I'm particularly proud of my chocolate swirls. However in the interest of complete honesty, I have to say that the taste wasn't exactly to my liking - perhaps it was just me but the flavours (lemons, marzipan, strawberries and vanilla) simply didn't go. At the best of times I'm unsure about Strawberry cakes, but when teamed with lemon sponge, I just believe it's a step too far. This may be my taste buds being unusual, as I know that the cake is world renowned - Perhaps I just need to develop a more sophisticated palate!


Has anyone else tried making it? What did you think? 

Let me know!

Happy Baking!

X

Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Great British Bake Off Winner: John Whaite

Winner John Whaite

He's shed blood sweat and tears in the pursuit (quite literally - who can forget the finger?) but last night, after ten week's of hard work, Manchester Law graduate John Whaite was crowned the winner of The Great British Bake Off 2012

Congratulations John!

Happy Baking!

X  


Great British Bake Off: Good Luck to the Fabulous Baker Boys

The Fabulous Baker Boys (Photo Credits: The Mirror)

Good luck to the fabulous baker boys, Brendan Lynch, James Morton and John Whaite, who will all compete tonight to be crowned the winner of the Great British Bake Off 2012.

You're all brilliant bakers - Can't wait to see which of you wins!

Happy Baking!

X

Saturday, 11 August 2012

What Happened When I went Away: Edible Delights from the Lakes Part 2

If you're an avid reader of my blog (which I'm sure you are!!) you'll probably be aware that I like eating cake - and if you're very good, you may even remember a little post I did last year, dedicated to my Lake District holiday desserts. Well I returned to the Lakes once again this year and have some more yummy treats to share with you, so sit back, relax and enjoy!!

1. The Minstrel Gallery, Hawkshead


For the first stop on my travels around the lake, I called in at Hawkshead - a pretty little village about half an hour away from Windermere - to sample some of their tasty treats.
The one time home of Beatrix Potter boasts a number of cute tea rooms and pubs, and is the perfect place for walkers and tourists alike to take a load off and relax over a cup of coffee. After a tough decision, I decided to visit The Minstrel Gallery at the heart of the villiage, to try some of their yummy Victoria Sandwich and Carrot Cake (don't worry I didn't eat two entire slices all by myself!)

2. Cartmel Village Shop, Coffee Shop



Next stop on the road was Cartmel Village Shop - home of the original Sticky Toffee Pudding and my personal culinary Mecca. When in Cartmel what else can you have other than STP? and STP I had, however in my haste I forgot to photograph it, so all I have to offer this time is a photo of some of the best cheese sandwiches ever... enjoy. Lovely place to try if you get the opportunity!



3. Cartmel Coffee, Cartmel

Not satisfied with STP alone, I then headed to Cartmel Coffee - a modern little coffee bar, decorated prettily in pinks and whites - for a deconstructed Eton Mess (Strawberries, Cream and Meringue) and coffee. This was a little gluttonous, but I couldn't help myself and I don't regret it one bit - It was delicious!


4. Heidi's, Grasmere

Whenever I go to Grasmere, I always visit Heidi's and this time was no different. Serving lovely food, in cute, homely surroundings, Heidi's is one of the most welcoming places the village has to offer... (they also serve a cracking Sticky Toffee Pudding, which I hope more than makes up for the lack of photos from Cartmel!)


5. Cote How Organic Guest House and Tea Room, Rydal

One of only three Organic guset houses in the UK, Cote How sits neatly inbetween Ambleside and Grasmere, only two minutes away from Rydal lake. With idyllic countryside settings and comfortable outside seating, this pretty tea room boasts to have 'The best scones in the world' and I can confirm that this is infact true - A real must if you're ever in the area.



6. Zefferelli's, Ambleside

Not strcitly a coffee shop, Zefferelli's of Ambleside is a wholefood restaurant which serves a delightful selection of Italian Cuisine, in the healthiest possible way. I had to share my Summer Fruits Sundae with you, just for its sheer prettiness!



Happy Baking!

X

Friday, 20 July 2012

Monday, 11 June 2012

Victoria Sandwich


If you read my last post, you'll probably remember me saying that I was going to post a recipe for Victoria Sandwich Cake. Well, as promised, here is said recipe...

Ingredients

175g (6oz) Margarine
175g (6oz) Caster Sugar
175g (6oz) Self Raising Flour
3 Eggs (Beaten)
Pinch of Salt

Strawberry Jam
Whipped Cream (optional)

1. Beat margarine in a large bowl until soft/fluffy.

2. Add the sugar to the margarine, mix both together with a wooden spoon.

3. Beat three large eggs in a bowl, before adding them a little at a time to the margarine/sugar mixture, beating well inbetween each addition.

4. Sift the flower into the mix and gently stir in. (If the mix becomes too thick, add a drop of milk until it reaches a dropping consistency)

5. Add a pinch of salt and stir in.

6. Grease and line two sponge tins and divide the mixture between both.

7. Put in the oven for 27 minutes at 180C (160C FAN)

8. Take the sponges out of the oven, removing them from their tins (using a sharp bladed knide around the edges if necessary) Leave to cool on a wire rack for half an hour.

9. Spread Jam (I like to use almost a whole jar of Bon Maman Conserve) over one of the sponges and place the other on top, creating a sandwich. (you can add cream as well if you like!)

10. Dust with icing sugar and serve!


Happy Baking!

X

Wednesday, 6 June 2012

Diamond Jubilee Baking

Jubilee Cupcakes

Yesterday, to celebrate the Queen's diamond jubilee, we had a royal feast, consisting of a tea party and buffet. Since it was such a special occasion, I couldn't let it pass by without paying homage to the Queen in cake form. Here are my results...


A royal celebration, wouldn't be a celebration without the Queen's face on a cupcake and I was keen not to disappoint, so here she is in all her glory. The recipe was the usual one and I also used gold edible glitter to decorate. The toppers were from a lovely ebayer and the cases from a local baking shop.


To coincide with the cupcakes, I also decided to make a Victoria Sandwich which I'll post about in a separate entry, where I'll add a detailed recipe.

For anyone who just wants a quick idea of how to make it you do this;
Cream 6oz of margarine and 6oz of sugar in a large bowl. Beat three eggs together in a mug and slowly add to the sugar/margarine mix, completely mixing in the eggs inbetween each addition. Once all of the egg is mixed in, slowly add 6oz of self raising flour. Add a pinch of salt. Mix well. Grease and Line 2 cake tins and divide the mixture between both. Put in the oven at 150-160C for 27 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool. Spread Jam/Conserve on one of the cakes and then place the other on top. Dust with icing sugar.


Like I said, that's very basic, so if you want something a little easier to follow then look out for my next post which will be a lot more detailed.(I can confirm that it tastes very nice, even if I do say so myself!)

That's it on the cake front, but if you like buffets, then have a look at the rest of our delicacies...

Strawberries and Cream, Making it a truely British affair!


Pasta Salad

Our fair table!

Until next time,

Happy Baking!

X

Wednesday, 18 April 2012

Broadway Cake

I'm always musical obsessed and when I came across this wonderful little masterpiece by pinkcakebox.com I had to share it with you, Amazing don't you think?



Happy Baking!

X

Sunday, 1 April 2012

Disney Land Paris Cupcakes



Last week I went to the most magical place on earth - Disney Land Paris (yay) - and when I saw that they were selling Cupcakes, I just had to try one!

The verdict?

Although they could've tied into the Disney theme a little better (and been a bit cheaper) they were really delicious - I particularly loved the idea of having a meringue top so that they kept their shape in the hot weather!

Take me back to Disney for one of these any day :)

Happy Baking

X

Thursday, 1 March 2012

Fortnum and Mason Diamond Jubilee Cake: The Queen of all Cakes


Earlier today (1st March 2012) the Queen, accompanied by the Duchess' of Cornwall and Cambridge, visited the London department store, Fortnum and Mason for a girly day out - and just look at the cake which they were greeted with!

Isn't it amazing - sometimes I really wish I was royalty!


Happy Baking!

X

Thursday, 9 February 2012

Carnation and Shooting Star Cupcakes


A couple of weeks ago, I decided that I wanted to try out sugar craft decorations and thought that flowers would be a good place to start. So after watching LOTS video's on YouTube, I decided to invest in a flower nail, which arrived last week. (for those of you who don't know, a flower nail is like a really really big drawing pin!)

I have to admit that I entered into this experiment with a bit of trepidation, as from experience, these sort of things are rarely as simple as they first appear - and this looked pretty difficult.

However, I gave it a go anyway and on Sunday I produced my very first sugar craft flowers. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. They actually turned out alright. Don't you think?
(If you want to learn how to do it yourself, check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRv5sQnr43k)

Since they turned out so well, I decided to make some cupcakes to put them on top of. Here they are...




I'm quite pleased with the overall effect of the cakes, although my icing could've perhaps been a little smoother, although this can easily be altered!

For the cakes, I used the normal recipe...

Ingredients

55g (2oz) Margarine
28g (1oz) Caster Sugar
55g (2oz) Self Raising Flour
1 egg
1stp Baking Powder
2tsp Vanilla Essence

Recipe

1. Mix the flour, sugar, egg and margarine together in a large mixing bowl for two to three minutes until fully combined.

2. To this mixture add the Vanilla essence and Baking powder and stir again until completely mixed.

3. Fill the muffin cases to just over half way.

4. Put in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 190C (180C Fan) Gas 5 until springy and a light golden colour.



Let me know what you think!

And until next time...

Happy Baking :)

X

Tuesday, 7 February 2012

Baking Disasters Continued...

It's that time again. Yes, the time when I talk about my baking disasters and oh how numerous they've been!

If you follow me on twitter or have sat with me for at least 30 seconds, then you'll know that I got a K-Mixer for Christmas... Isn't it pretty?



I love my K-Mixer, I really do, but I must admit that it's been something of a bad omen... perhaps I got too cocky, but ever since receiving it, everything I've made has gone wrong!

Let me explain...
On New Year's Eve I decided to make bread. Now I'm no dough expert, but I generally like to think, that I have skills enough to weigh my ingredients correctly. So this I did and everything was fine - so into the mixer it went to blend and kneed. So far, so good. As everything was going so marvelously well, I decided to carry on to the next stage, leaving it under a tea towel to rise for an hour.
Sixty minutes later, I came back and was faced with disaster one - The dough hadn't risen. Now I'm not exactly sure what the science behind bread making is, but I'm pretty certain that that's not meant to happen.

Upon discovering this, I was a little concerned, but nevertheless undetered, so continued to put it in the oven to bake. And you know what? it baked. It actually baked and for one brief moment, I allowed myself to believe that it would all be okay.

It wasn't...

I took the bread out, sliced a piece and spread it with butter... 'mmm warm bread, yum'.

However not all was well and as I bit into my wonderful slice of home made bread, I discovered it's fatal flaw. It tasted of nothing but salt.

I honestly don't have a clue how this happened, because like I said, I'm very good at measuring things correctly, all I know is that it went wrong. And so began the curse of the K-Mixer




Disaster two. Lemon Drizzle Cake, which tasted of nothing but egg (See above)
Okay this was my own fault, I shouldn't have missed out the ground almonds... or maybe it's the curse of the mixer? You think?




Disaster three - Not strictly a disaster because the cake was fine, but the icing was terribly runny and wouldn't solidify no matter how much icing sugar I put into the mixture. Coincidence? I think not!

Okay so maybe it's not the mixer, maybe it's just me, perhaps I'm just losing my touch. Whatever it is, I really hope it ends soon and things start turning out right again - Wish me luck!

Happy Baking!

X

Tuesday, 8 November 2011

It's a Baking Disaster Darling...

Well not quite.

A few weeks ago, I made Cupcakes for my Friend's 21st Birthday, which in themselves were delicious, I'm sure... but this page wasn't called 'Cupcakes and Disasters' for nothing and it would seem that fate thought it was high time, that the disaster part be fulfilled.
Oh dear... Life certainly does pick its moments.

So before I start, I want to show you what the cupcakes looked like, because they really were very pretty!


As was the lovely pink box I packed them in...


So before I get to the disaster, I'd firstly like to bullet point a few things that I learnt whilst making these cakes...

As we all know, you can do something perfectly a hundred times or more, but when it comes to the crunch, everything falls to pieces - this is what happened and I can only think that it was the pressure!

So what I learnt...

1. Who knew baking with butter was so difficult? Certainly not me!

Having never baked with actual butter before, I was foolish enough to think that it would be as easy as using margarine. As it turns out, unless the butter is massively soft, it takes ages to combine into the mixture. As proof to this theory, I ended up with little buttery lumps dotted throughout my mixture, which took ages to mix in. (Also butter is extremely difficult to use to make butter cream, go figure!)

2. Don't think that Red and Pink food colouring are the same - They really aren't!

After getting over the butter hurdles I decided to make the icing pink, because after all 'pink's just light red' isn't it? No, apparently in the world of food colouring, it's not - it's orange :(

3. Check and double check your ingredients and allow for mistakes

I didn't and had to rush out to the shop mid morning, for extra icing sugar, so be warned!

So the Disaster...

Well to cut a not-so-long story short: After giving the cakes to my friend, I proceeded to destroy them all one at a time by placing them upside down on a bench. Devastation was not the word, Ahh.

LESSON OF THE DAY: Don't tip cakes upside down, they don't like it!

Tuesday, 18 October 2011

A Girl Can Dream: The Perfect Birthday Cake - Choccywoccydoodah

Choccywoccydoodah

After writing my last post, I sat down with a cup of tea (okay coffee, but tea sounds so much genteel, don't you think?) and a cupcake (okay a hobnob) to watch the new series of Choccywoccydoodah on the Good Food Channel.

Oh my, how incredible are their cakes?

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of watching the show yet, it's a fly on the wall documentary, which follows the staff at the marvelous chocolate and cake specialists Choccywoccydoodah in Brighton, as they go about their daily business of creating edible masterpieces! Do watch it if you can - it's addictive viewing.

Anyway, the cake they were making in this particular episode, was probably one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen - it had edible butterflys and everything - and it got me thinking, how AMAZING it would be to have a cake like that for my 21st Birthday!
So I went to their website to have a look at what they do - I am now officially in love with a Cake.
'A Cake?'
'Yes a cake!'
But this isn't just any cake. No. This is a cake and then some. This is a magical cake. This is the stuff of dreams. This is perfection... Have I got my point across?

No words can do this cake justice, so I won't even try.
Just look at this...

It's a Teaparty on a cake - how fabulous is that?
Look at the mini chocolate cupcakes and the teapot with the pouring tea... Ahh I don't think that it could be any cuter if it tried, it's just wonderful!
But alas there's a snag... with prices starting at £400, it seems unlikely that I'll be able to afford anything like this anytime soon - unless I win the Lottery? Or buy it and charge an entrance fee for people to come and have a look!

Anyway that's another one to go on the dream list, alongside winning the Booker Prize and getting into the X Factor Final (okay so that's not one, but it's everyone elses dream, so it may as well be mine too!)


If you're curious to see more, check out the Choccywoccydoodah website at: http://www.choccywoccydoodah.com/index.html

Until next time,

Happy Baking

X

PS- I promise to actually bake something one of these days and as soon as I do, I'll post it on here! :)

Sunday, 16 October 2011

Celebrity Birthday Cakes

If you're rich and famous, then you're gonna want a cool birthday cake - and boy do these guys know how to buy cake... Take a look at some of the best celebrity Birthday Cakes of the last twelve months!

1. Fearne Cotton
There's only really one word for this cake and that's 'Wow.'
Made by Fancy Nancy Cakes in Essex, this is probably one of the best cakes I've ever seen!

2. Darren Criss
I love this picture for so many reasons, but mainly because it contains my two favourite things - Darren Criss and Cake! (Yay on both accounts)
But look at the cake... It's a giant pair of Pink Cake Sunglasses - Even if you're not a Starkid that's got to be Totally Awesome? Yes? Yes!


3. Katy Perry
Made for Katy Perry by the incredibly talented Albert Kahiau Ontiveros at Kahiau's Kakes, this Willy Wonka inspired masterpiece is certainly one to take your breath away!
- I think I'm a bit in love with it, it's sooo pretty :)
LOVE LOVE LOVE the oompa Lumpas


Finally...

4. Gary Barlow
Take That legend Gary Barlow is 40 - who knew?! I certainly didn't, but just look at this beautiful cake - I adore it - Especially the little sugar craft figures - very cute!


Feeling inspired? I know I am (and everso slightly jealous...ahem)
I don't know if I'm ready to attempt cake art just yet, but who knows, maybe one day... until then I'm happy enough to wow over these!


If you have any comments drop me a line, but until next time... Happy Baking!

X