Simple Chocolate Cupcakes

You simply cannot go wrong with a recipe like this one!

Ingredients:
110g butter, softened
110g caster sugar
2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
85g self-raising flour
25g cocoa powder
1-2 tbsp milk

For the buttercream icing;
140g butter, softened
280g/10oz icing sugar
Cocoa powder
Milk chocolate stars 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 and cocoa using a large metal spoon, adding a little milk until the mixture is of a dropping consistency.

4. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until they are half full.

5. Bake in the oven for 15-20 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.
6. For the buttercream icing, beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
7. Add in the cocoa powder. 

8. Add the remaining icing sugar, and mix until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

9. Pipe the icing onto the cakes, starting in the middle and rotate the cake slowly as the icing constantly pipes out. 

11. Decorate the tops of the cakes with the milk chocolate stars, or other decorations if you wish.
12. Indulge and enjoy!

Sugar-free Weight Watcher Blueberry Muffins

This is an adaptation to the Weight Watcher Blueberry Muffin recipe I had posted a while back, where I have substituted the sugar for sweetener. My sister, who was going sugar-free, developed appendicitis over the Easter Weekend and while she was in hospital I baked these for her to eat when her appetite returned. I tried a couple as well and they really were yummy!

Ingredients:

200 g Plain White Flour  

1/2 teaspoons (level) Bicarbonate of Soda  

2 teaspoons (level) Baking Powder  

75 g Splenda sweetener  

1 pinch Salt  

75 g Margarine, Soft, Polyunsaturated, melted  

100 g Low Fat Natural Yogurt  

100 ml Skimmed Milk  

1 medium egg

200 g Blueberries, fresh or dried  

Method:

1.       Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6/200°C/400°F. Line a Yorkshire pudding tin or muffin tray with 12 muffin or cup cake cases.

2.       Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl mix the melted margarine, yogurt, milk and egg together.

3.       Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine very gently so you don't over-work the mixture.

4.       Gently stir in the blueberries, again keeping the mixing to a minimum, then quickly spoon into the muffin cases. Bake for 20 minutes, until risen and golden on top.

5.       Transfer to a wire rack and cool or eat warm.

Recipe adapted from http://www.weightwatchers.co.uk/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeId=7007752

Traditional Victoria Sponge

This has to be one of the prettiest cakes I have made to date, and it is traditionally British which makes it better!

Victoria Sponge Sandwich Cake with Fruits

Ingredients:
200g Butter
200g Caster Sugar
200g Self Raising Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Vanilla Extract (optional)
4 Eggs
2tbsp Milk
Filling;
140g Icing Sugar
100g Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Extract (optional)
Raspberry Jam

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line two 20cm cake tins with butter.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together, then add the flour and eggs and beat until fully mixed. Add the milk if necessary and vanilla extract if desired.
3. Spread evenly between the tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Leave to cool upside down before decorating.
4. For the filling; mix the sugar and butter together. Spread over the bottom of one of the sponges. Spread the jam on the bottom of the second sponge.
5. Place the sponge with the jam on top of the butter icing sponge.
6. Decorate with berry fruits (in this example, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries were used) if desired and finish with icing sugar over the top.

Tana Ramsay's Lemon Drizzle Cake

My mother originally discovered this recipe and I made it the other day. There is no faulting the deiciousness of this cake! The ingredients and recipe have not been modified, only the way I presented the cake once cooked.

Ingredients:
225g unsalted butter, softened
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
finely grated zest 1 lemon
225g self-raising flour
For the drizzle topping:
juice 1½ lemons
85g caster sugar

Method:

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
2. Beat together 225g softened unsalted butter and 225g caster sugar until pale and creamy. 

3. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through. 

4. Sift in 225g flour, then add the finely grated zest of 1 lemon and mix until well combined.

5. Line a loaf tin (8 x 21cm) with greaseproof paper, then spoon in the mixture and level the top. 

6. Bake for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

7. While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the juice of 1 1/2 lemons and 85g caster sugar to make the drizzle. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle – the juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping.

8. Leave in the tin until completely cool, then remove and serve. 

Recipe from: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4942/lemon-drizzle-cake

Halloween Cupcakes

Using a simple cupcake recipe, the decorations can be added on top for the real spooky effect. For these cupcakes I used a chocolate cupcake recipe.

Cupcake #1 - Ghosts
Ingredients:
 Chocolate Cupcakes
 White fondant icing
 Large marshmallows
 Black writing icing

Method:
1. On top of the cupcake, place a it of black writing icing in the centre and attach one marshmallow.
2. Roll out the white fondant icing and cut into a circle shape (big enough to cover the marhmallow).
3. Place on top of the marshmallow and manipulate so it falls as desired. 4. Decorate the icing with a scary ghost face!


Cupcake #2 - Pumpkin 
Ingredients:
Cupcake
Icing sugar
Orange food colouring (or red and yellow and combine)
Black writing icing

Method:
1. Create the icing with icing sugar and a small amount of water. Dye the icing sugar orange with food colouring.
2. Place on the cake and when dry (or in the process of drying) add a scary pumpkin face.


Cupcake #3 - Cobweb complete with Spider
Ingredients:
Cupcake
White writing icing
Black writing icing

Method:
1. With the white writing icing, create a cobweb across the entire cake.
2. Add a spider with the black icing for extra decoration.


Have a great Halloween!

Autumn Apple Brownies

The perfect, healthy cake for autumn time!

Ingredients:
110g butter, melted
200g white sugar
1 egg
3 medium apples - peeled, cored and thinly sliced/chopped
60g cup chopped walnuts
120g all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Method:
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius or gas mark 4, and grease a 9x9 inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the melted butter, sugar, and egg until fluffy.

3. Fold in the apples and walnuts.

4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture until just blended.

5. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared baking dish.

6. Bake 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until an inserted knife in the center comes out clean.

Recipe adapted from: http://www.piarecipes.com/2012/11/apple-brownies.html

Pacman Cookies

These are great fun! My sister gave me some Pacman cookie cutters a couple of years ago for Christmas and they are so easy to use. I made them with leftover dough from my Raspberry Jam Almond Tartlets.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
90g ground almonds
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
Icing Sugar to decorate

**Please note other cookie recipes can of course be used!**


Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees farenheight, 180 degrees celsius or gas mark 4. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder, set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar and ground almonds.
2. Mix together the butter and caster sugar. Mix in egg, then blend in vanilla and almond extract.
3. Mix in the almond mixture, then with mixer set on low speed, slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until it is all fully combined.
4. Dust the work surface with flour, and get the combined mixture (should be a dough) and roll out with a rolling pin, into 1/8 to 1/6-inch thickness.
5. Cut into the pacman shapes using the cookie cutters.
6. Carefully transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheets (you can run a sharp knife or pastry scaper under cookies to help lift them if needed!), spacing cookies 1-inch apart.
7. Bake in preheated oven 10 - 12 minutes until edges are lightly golden.
8. Cool on baking sheet several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Prepare the icing sugar, it needs to be quite thick. Use various dies to achieve the right colours and use piping icing for finer details such as the eyes. 

10. Store in an airtight container.