Neopolitan Cupcakes

These are a great summer treat! This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.

 Ingredients
 110g caster sugar
 110g butter
 110g self raising flower
2 large eggs
I tbsp vanilla extract
4tbsp 70% cocoa powder
Milk
For the icing
100g butter
100g icing sugar
Red food colouring
Chopped strawberries or raspberries for decoration (optional)

Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a cupcake tin with cupcake cases.
2. Mix together the butter and caster sugar with an electric whisk. Add in the eggs one at a time and whisk.
3. Mix in the flour slowly and mix in between adding. Add the vanilla extract and any milk that may be required so the consistency is such that it drops off the whisk or a spoon.
4. Split the mixture in two. For the first mixture, spoon this into one half of the cupcake tins only.
5. For the other mixture, add in the cocoa powder (more may be added depending on how chocolatey this part of the cake needs to be). The consistency can be returned to what it was with more milk.
6. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the other half of the cupcake cases.
7. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
8. For the icing, cream together the butter and icing sugar to form a paste. Add the red food colouring.
9. Apply the icing to the cakes. Add decorations if required.

Enjoy!

Minion Cupcakes

Homemade minion cupcakes! I needed a science theme for some cupcakes and I thought minions would be ok. These are great for many generations, or those that love Despicable Me as a movie.

Ingredients
Different colours of Fondant Icing
Baked Cupcakes
Black icing tube

Method: 
1. Roll out yellow fondant icing and cut out circles with cookie cutters that are roughly the same size as your cupcakes to decorate.
2. Roll out grey and white fondant icing as well. These colours can also be made.
3. Cut out smaller grey circles and some strips for the goggles of the minions. Stick on top of the yellow layer on top of the cupcakes.
4. Make even smaller white icing circles and put these as the eye whites.
5. Decorate with hair, eye pupils and mouths with a black icing tube.

Mini Carrot Cakes

This is exactly the same recipe as from my Cheeky Rabbit Carrot Cake, only with subtle differences.

Ingredients:
200g Self Raising flour
200g Caster sugar
200g Butter
4 Eggs
170g Carrots, finely grated
100g Chopped Walnuts
1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1tbsp Ground Nutmeg
Butter Icing
Fondant Icing (optional)

Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees, and either grease silica round moulds with butter or line a cake tin with cupcake cases, or grease a normal baking tray.
2. Make the cake batter recipe with the flour, sugar, butter and eggs.
3. Peel, head/tail the carrots and grate them. Add to the cake mix along with the walnuts that are finely chopped. Add in the cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. Add the cake mixture either to your mini round moulds, the cupcake cases or the baking tray. Put in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out dry.
5. Take out and leave to cool once cooked.
6. Make the butter icing (1:1 ratio of icing sugar and butter) more may need to be added as necessary.
7. Take the cakes out of the silica moulds, or using a round cookie cutter cut out circles of the cake from the normal baking tray. Spread the butter icing on top of the cakes.
8. Optional decorating is to add a mini carrot on top of each of the small cakes. This can be done either if the carrot decorations are bought or they can be made.
9. Food colouring may be used to dye the fondant icing the relevant colours. Create the carrot pieces and put on top of the cakes. 

Cheeky Rabbit Carrot Cake

I baked this cake for my sister's birthday, the best part is that the cake itself is carrot cake so the theme worked really well!

Ingredients:
200g Self Raising flour
200g Caster sugar
200g Butter
4 Eggs
170g Carrots, finely grated
100g Chopped Walnuts
1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1tbsp Ground Nutmeg
Butter Icing
Fondant Icing
Cocoa powder (optional)

Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees, and line two 20cm diameter cake tins with greaseproof paper and grease.
2. Make the cake batter recipe with the flour, sugar, butter and eggs.
3. Peel, head/tail the carrots and grate them. Add to the cake mix along with the walnuts that are finely chopped. Add in the cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. Split the mixture in half and add to each of the round cake tins, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes (insert a knife into the middle and it should come out clean).
5. Take out and leave to cool once cooked.
6. Make the butter icing (1:1 ratio of icing sugar and butter) more may need to be added as necessary.
7. Take the cakes out of the tins and turn one upside down. Put butter icing on top of the upside-down layer and add the other on top the right way up to make a sponge sandwich.
8. With the rest of the butter icing, spread it all over the cake.
9. Roll out icing fondant and put on the cake (the butter icing helps it to stick).
10. Decorate with fondant icing, creating the rabbit and carrots etc. The cocoa powder was used for the soil effect, but other substitutes can also be used. The coloured fondant in this cake was used but food colouring can also be added to white fondant for the same effect.

Enjoy!

'By the Seaside' Cake - Horse themed

This cake was mainly designed for a competition where a cake had to be baked that was horse-themed. I decided to decorate a simple one-tiered victoria sponge cake as a beach and added on miniature toy model horses to fit the category!

Ingredients:
Miniature model horses (edible or non-edible)
200g butter
200g icing sugar
Blue food colouring

**please note more or less icing may need to be made depending on the size of the cake**

Method
1. Mix the butter and the icing sugar together to create the butter icing.
2. Roughly split the butter icing mixture in two and add blue food colouring to one of the mixtures until the desired shade is achieved.
3. Smooth the non-coloured, sandy coloured buttercream onto the cake first, only covering roughly one half to two thirds of the cake.
4. On the remaining parts of the cake with no icing, use the blue icing for the sea.
5. More blue icing can be layered up to create the effect of waves.
6. Decorate with the horses as necessary (optional!)

Strawberry Oatie Bakes

This is an altered recipe, with the original link posted at the bottom of this post.

Ingredients:
1 cup Rolled oats, old fashioned
3/4 cup Strawberry jam
1 cup All-purpose flour
1/4 tsp Baking soda
1/2 cup Brown sugar, packed light
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Butter, unsalted

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with aluminum foil or baking parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang of foil on two sides. Grease foil.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in oats and brown sugar, and use clean fingertips as needed to break up brown sugar clumps. 

3. Add butter, and using fingertips, work butter into mixture until evenly moistened.

4. Add 2 cups of the oat mixture to the prepared baking dish and press into an even layer. 

Spread strawberry jam into an even layer over oat layer, coming within 1/4-inch of all edges. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining oat mixture, then slightly press into jam layer.

5. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 34 - 38 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before cutting into squares. 

6. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe adapted from: http://www.cookingclassy.com/2014/03/raspberry-crumb-bars/

Chocolate Crispie Cakes

With silica moulds, different shapes can be made. I made heart-shaped crispie cakes. These are also the quickest and simplest snacks to make with no baking required!

Ingredients:
100g chocolate (white, milk or dark, whatever the preference)
A box of Rice Crispies or other similar brand

Method
1. Melt the chocolate in a microwave, or in a bowl over a pan of very hot water. It is quicker if the chocolate is broken into chunks.
2. Once melted, pour in a large quantity of the cereal and mix until fully coated. More can be added if there is too much chocolate still.
3. Either place amounts of the mixture into cupcake cases or the silica moulds, and place in the fridge for the chocolate to set.

Mini Victoria Sponge Cakelets

These are great to make for a summer's day evening desert! They are also great fun to make and look extremely cute.

Ingredients:

150g (5½oz) unsalted butter plus extra for greasing

 150g (5½oz) caster sugar

 3 medium eggs

 1tsp vanilla extract

 150g (5½oz) self-raising flour

 50g Icing Sugar (butter icing)

50g butter (butter icing)

 8-10tbsp strawberry jam

 Icing sugar, for dusting

Method

1.       Preheat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/ gas 4.

2.       Using an electric hand whisk, mix the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and fluffy.

3.        In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla extract, then gradually beat in to the butter mixture, adding a little of the flour.

4.        Sift over the remaining flour and gently fold in until just combined.

5.       Pour the cake mix into large cake tins.

6.       Bake for about 20 minutes or until risen and golden. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and set aside to cool. 

7.       Once cool, cut out circular shapes using a round cookie cutter.

8.       Make the butter icing and spread on half of the of the sponge bases, top with a spoonful of jam and sandwich together with the remaining sponges.

9.       Dust each with icing sugar to serve.

Recipe altered from - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-1379570/Recipe-Mini-Victoria-sponge-cakes.html

Mini Strawberry Tartlets

These are really easy to make and taste great too! The pastry and jam can both either be bought or made. For this recipe, I bought the pastry and made the Jam.

Ingredients:
Ready to roll pastry
200g Strawberries
100g caster sugar

Method
1. Set oven to 170 degrees.
2. Cut strawberries into chunks and cook on the hob, where the juices come out and the strawberries go mushy.
3. Add in the sugar to the strawberries and leave on a low heat.
4. With the strawberries on a low heat, roll the pastry out and cut out circles. Lay them in a cupcake tray that has been lined with greaseproof paper (I usually cut out large circles of greaseproof paper).
5. Add the strawberry jam that has been made into the pastry cases. Do not fill to the top as the jam expands.
6. The tops can be further decorated with more pastry if desired, for example I made miniature pies and weaved the tops of some of the tartlets.
7. Put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked.

Raspberry Ripple Vanilla Swirl Cupcakes

Based from a normal vanilla cupcake recipe, I edited the ingredients with raspberry infusions to create some scrummy treats!

Ingredients:
110g butter, softened
110g caster sugar
2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
110g self-raising flour
1-2 tbsp milk

2 tbsp Seedless Raspberry Jam

For the buttercream icing;
140g butter, softened
280g/10oz icing sugar
1-2 tbsp milk
a few drops of red food colouring

Dried raspberry pieces and other to decorate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale. Beat in the eggs a little at a time and stir in the vanilla extract.
3. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little milk until the mixture is of a dropping consistency.

4. Spoon the raspberry jam into the mixture and fold, making sure that the jam does not mix with the cake mixture entirely - a subtle marble effect wants to be achieved.

5. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until they are half full.
6. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into one of the cakes comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
7. For the buttercream icing, beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half the icing sugar and beat until smooth.

8. Then add the remaining icing sugar with one tablespoon of the milk, adding more milk if necessary, until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

9. Add the red food colouring until a very pale, light pink colour is achieved.
10. Ice the cupcakes using a knife (can also use icing bags). 

11. Decorate the tops of the cakes with the dried raspberry pieces and other decorations such as milk chocolate stars. 

Recipe altered from - http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/cupcakes_93722

Polar Bear Cupcakes

This is a simple decorating recipe on how to get your cupcakes to look like polar bears! This is great for Christmas, but also any time of the year.

Ingredients:

Cooked cupcakes

White chocolate flakes

Large white chocolate buttons

Black/brown icing tubes

Butter icing

Method

1.       Cook normal cupcakes.

2.       Place the undyed butter icing onto the cakes and sprinkle the white chocolate flakes on top until the entire surface has been covered.

3.       Using two chocolate buttons, place two into the cakes at 45 degrees for ears and one for the muzzle of the polar bear.

4.       Use the black/brown icing tube to make the nose and mouth on the button used for the muzzle, and place two blobs onto the cake above the muzzle and below the ears for eyes. 

Original pack from Tesco

Nigella Lawson Brownies

From the age of 16, I was known as the 'Brownie Girl' at school because I made the best chocolate brownies. All I did was follow Nigella Lawson's amazing recipe which I will share here. Years on, I still haven't found anything better.

Ingredients:

375 g soft unsalted butter

375 g dark chocolate

6 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

500 g caster sugar

225 g plain flour

1 teaspoon salt

300 g chopped walnuts (or other)

Method

1.       Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2.       Line your approximately 33 x 23 x 5 1/2cm roasting dish with foil or baking paper.

3.       Melt the butter and chocolate together in a large glass bowl over a pan of very warm water on the hob.

4.       In a bowl beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla until it is all blended.

5.       Measure the flour into another bowl and add the salt.

6.       When the chocolate mixture has melted, let it cool a bit before beating in the eggs and sugar mixture, and then the nuts and flour. The nuts can also be replaced with white chocolate buttons, bits of caramel or other additions.

7.       Beat to combine and then scrape out of the saucepan into the lined brownie pan.

8.       Bake for about 25 minutes.

9.       When its’s ready, the top should be dried to a paler brown speckle, but the middle still dark and dense and gooey.

10.   Keep checking the brownies as they cook; remember that they will continue to cook as they cool.

11.   The brownies can be presented afterwards with icing sugar sieved on top.

Recipe altered from: http://www.food.com/recipe/nigella-lawson-brownies-32053

Mini Coffee and Walnut Cakes

Coffee and Walnut Cake is perfect to have with an afternoon brew, and are really easy to make with this simple yet effective recipe.

Ingredients:

For the cakes;

175g golden caster sugar

175g soft butter

3 large eggs

65g walnuts

1 teaspoon of baking powder

175g self-raising flour

2 teaspoons of coffee granules (instant)

For the icing and filling;

2 teaspoons of coffee granules

200g softened butter

400g icing sugar

60g walnut pieces

Method

1.       Set the oven to 180 degrees.

2.       Beat the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy.

3.       Line the base of the two sponge tins with greaseproof paper and chop the walnuts.

4.       Break the eggs into a bowl, whisk them up with a fork and add them a little at a time to the butter and sugar, beating well throughout.

5.       Sieve the baking powder and flour together and add to the butter and sugar gently, whisking with the electric mixer on a slow speed.

6.        Dissolve coffee granules in a tablespoon of hot water, then whisk into the mixture.

7.       Fold the chopped walnuts gently into the cake mixture.

8.       Divide the resulting cake mixture between the two cake tins, smooth lightly with a wet knife or the back of a wet spoon, then bake for approximately 20-25 minutes.

9.       To make the buttercream icing and filling, beat the butter until soft and pale.

10.    Add the sugar to the butter and beat until smooth.

11.   Stir a tablespoon of boiling water into the coffee granules until they dissolve, then mix the resulting coffee into the buttercream before folding the walnut pieces.

12.   Once cooled, using a round cookie cutter, make circles of the cakes and cut them out.

13. Place the first half of the cake circles upside down on the serving plate and cover the tops with the butter icing. Then place the second half of the cake circles on top, the right way up.Cover the tops again with the butter icing. 

14.   Decorate with walnut halves if you wish to.

If any cake remains, it can always be used and presented in another way. For example, I had some left and so cut little cake squares out and made mini Coffee and Walnut Bites. 

Recipe altered from: http://mistyhorizon2003.hubpages.com/hub/Coffee-and-Walnut-Cake-Recipe