I have been waiting for British strawberry season for what seems like forever! Summer = Strawberries in my mind so when the strawberries no longer say from 'Spain' that when I know Summer is here.

I love the cake part of this cupcake. The top is really biscuit like but the sponge is just so light and moist. I was going to make a fancy Swiss meringue frosting but decided on whipped cream and another strawberry to top.

Ingredients

• 150g unsalted butter, softened
• 460g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 300g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 170ml milk
• 240g hulled and chopped strawberries
• 600ml double cream
• some strawberries to decorate

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 170'c and line a 12-cup pan with paper liners and set aside ready.
2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt and set to once side.
3. In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. About 4 mins.
4. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. 
5. With the mixer on low add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined after each addition. Fold in strawberries.
6. With and ice cream scoop add a measurement into each cupcake liner and bake for 20min until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
7. Whip up the cream until stiff and pipe on to cupcakes. Add strawberry to decorate.

Enjoy!

 

 

Look at the weather we're having in South Wales! Beautiful! my work lunches have gone from sitting huddled to keep warm too lets all walk to Yoo Moo for frozen yogurt! Perfect.  There are some negatives too the hot weather: hot crowded trains, ill sweaty fiance in bed, my bedroom having the smallest window and burning within seconds. I hate to moan but that what us Brits do best!

Do you know what I love on a hot day? A cold drink? Do you know what drink I crave when hot? Peach Iced tea from Costa Coffee. I always feel like a celeb in my shades walking down the street with a big plastic cup in my hand. I know I'm sad. I have never been able to recreate the perfect iced tea at home.. I may invest in this... or this.

So Imagine how pleased I was when I found the recipe above! Obviously not at cooling but twice as yummy especially if have a jar of iced tea on he side! check out the recipe here.

Enjoy the Lovely Weekend!

I found the prettiest tea cup set for the cheapest price ever the other day in Bernardo's. It cost £3 for 6 cups and 5 saucers. I'm on the hunt for about 40-50 blue teacups for me wedding so the saucers don't really matter. Even though the saucer detail is just beautiful.

They where made by a company called Furnivals and the patter is called 'Denmark'. After alot of research I found out they where made between 1906-1913 so are in amazing condition for that old! The teacups and sauce normally sell for £15 each so £3 for the lot is a massive bargain!

There hidden away in my wedding trunk at the moment but I can't wait to get them out on display!

Found any bargain recently?

Firstly this cake is not burnt! It just caramelised well! Soo nuh :p It almost looks like a pineapple upside down cake but tastes completely different. It has a grown up flavour. Now I admit I don't make grown up things because well I'm childish but I like this cake. It taste exactly like marmalade and the clementine taste exactly line candied orange peel but easier to make and would probably taste fantastic covered in dark chocolate or with green yogurt and honey for a fancy breakfast!

I like the cake with a cup of tea in the garden. I bought a few fruit and veg plants for the garden today so plan to garden, drink tea and eat cake tomorrow. What a perfect Sunday hey?

Ingredients
For the Syrup

• 8 Clementines
• Half a cup of Lemon juice
• 1 cup of Caster Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

For the Cake

• 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 of Caster Sugar
• 2 large Eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup of Plain Flour
• 1 teaspoon of Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Method

1. Zest two of the clementines and put the zest to one side. Slice in half and juice the two clementines (You need about a 1/3 cup so two should be enough!)
2. Slice the remaining fruit into 1/4 inch slices. Remove any seeds and green tops.
3. In a saucepan combine the clementines, all the juice (including the lemon), sugar and simmer over a medium heat for 7 mins until the peel is soft. Remove the slices with a slotted spoon and put to one side.
4. Continue to cook the syrup until you have about half a cup. Leave to cool.
5. To make the cake preheat the oven to 190'c and then line and butter a 9" spring form round tin.
6.  Cream together the butter and sugar in a freestanding mixer with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. then add the zest. Add the eggs one at a time fully incorporating once before adding the other.
7. In a bowl, sieve together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add a little to the mixer at a time. Beat until the batter is smooth.
8. Pour into the tin arranging the orange on top in a patter allowing any excess syrup to sink into the mix. Bake on high for 15min then turn the oven temperature down to 175'c and bake for a further 35-40 min until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
9. Cool on a wire rack in the tine. Poke a few hold in the top of the cake then pour over the syrup. Allow to cool completely to room temperature.

Enjoy!

Why is the Sun teasing us? We get Summer for 2 days then it disappears again! I don't want humid fuzzy rain!

I don't plan to go on holiday this year so me and Jake plan to fill our weekends with walks and adventures. I'm also trying to grow some more veg this hear and maybe go berry picking so I can make alot of jam!

I can't wait for Strawberries to come into season. Summer = strawberries! The cake above is sooo pretty and just reminds me of warm days having a BBQ and drinking iced tea :)

Check out the recipe here.

Have a good weekend!

Have you ever been in thee situation where you forgot to soften your butter before baking? I have! Then You pop it in the microwave only to melt it a little to much? I have done this also! But no more will this happen to me or you as I have these helpful tips to guide us through the darkness!

1. Cut the butter in to small chunks and spread out a plate. When you think about it it's easier for an ice cub to melt that it is an iceberg!
2. Put the butter in a zip lock bag and pound it with a rolling pin! A fun way to release any pre baking stress!
3. If your in a really hurry you can pour some hot water from your kettle into a bowl and balance your butter in a bowl above it. This should speed up the process big time but be careful that you don't leave it melt to much!

Voila! Your baking shall no longer be delayed or ruined by a solid lump of butter!

Firstly I would just like to say how much fun I had making this cake. I made it for my Nan's 80th Birthday Celebrations. My nan love chocolate (who doesn't?) and marzipan. So I made some Marzipan butterfly's out of my sugar craft cutters to decorate it a little. Next Time I think I would decorate it sprinkles.

Even though this cake is called a Coke Layer Cake that isn't the flavour you get. I got the recipe from Outsider Tart's recipe book 'Baked'. They described it as being the perfect cake for every kind of cake lover. The crumb was moist and full of flavour. A great recipe and inspires me to try more from there book and visit there bakery in London too!

There are a lot of ingredients in the cake but all our necessary no matter how strange they seem. With the Coke never use diet coke, that would just be pointless and bring all the ingredients up to room temperature.

Ohhh and the FROSTING! Is now m favourite chocolate frosting of all time. So simple to make! It almost tastes like a cream cheese frosting because of the frosting you get from the sour cream so great for my sister who hates cheese. Now the amount I'm given in this recipe was for a lovely smooth layer across everything. However if you like your frosting I would double it.

For the Cake
Ingredients

• 340g/1 1/2 cups of Unsalted butter
• 350ml/1 1/2 cups of Coke
• 65g/1 cup of Mini Marshmallows
• 85g/1/2 cup Dark Chocolate, chopped
• 530g/3 1/2 cups of Plain Flour
• 115g/1 cup Cocoa Powder
• 2 1/4 teaspoons of Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of Bicarbonate of Soda
• 3/4 teaspoons Vanilla Salt
•  675g/3 cups Caster Sugar
• 80ml/3/4cup Vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 5 large Eggs
• 300ml/1 1/4 cups Buttermilk

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180'c/350'f. Prepare your three 9in/7.5cm by lining the bottoms with baking parchment, buttering the sides and dusting with a little flour. Tap the sides to get ride of any excess.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter in the coke on a medium heat until there is no butter visible. Then add the marshmallows and chopped chocolate. Stir continuously until the mixture is smooth and all the ingredients are melted together. Let cook for 10minutes.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle (if you don't have one a bowl with a hand mixer will do fine!) thoroughly combine the sugar, oil and vanilla on a medium speed. Reduce the speed and then add the eggs one by one waiting for each addition to mix in. Add the cooled Coke/marshmallow mixture and mix evenly until even in colour. 
5. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk to the mixture and only mixing till just combined. 
6. Divide the mixture into the prepared tins and bake for 35-40 minutes until knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. also rotate the pans a quarter of the way through the cooking time. 
7. leave too cool in there tins on a wire racks for 15min then release and cool out the tins until fully cooled ready for frosting.

 For The Frosting
Ingredients

• 340g/2 cups of Milk chocolate chopped
• 175g/1 cups of Dark Chocolate
• 340g/1 1/2 cups of Sour Cream
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

Method

1. Melt all the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Make sure the bowl isn't touching the surface. Once completely melted take off the heat and add the sour cream and vanilla and whisk until combined well.
2. Let the frosting cool. Once in a while give a little whisk. It should take about 30mins before it's ready.
3. You are now ready to assemble and most importantly eat!