World Baking Day 2013

Things I have learned from World Baking Day 2013...

1: I don't challenge myself in my baking enough.
2: I should always read the method and not just look at the picture and read the ingredients.
3: Raspberry fresh cream is probably my favourite thing in the whole wide world.

I baked at Level 91. I could have gone higher, maybe I should have, but if I am totally honest I had all the ingredients for this level in my cupboard and fridge and it meant I could get at straight away. Plus it was pink and chocolate and meringue... seriously... could it get any better?

Well yes, it could have. I looked at the ingredients, looked at the picture and thought right, chocolate brownie part in first, away you go... Only as I was making the meringue I thought, I must read how they bake it...

It goes in with the brownie cake... awwwwhhhh maaaaannnnn... Too late for that...

So I ended up doing what should have been a one trip to the oven job, in four parts. DOH! But it did turn out similar when all layered together, don't you think? (You can lie here if you like!) I just had to add some extra cream in to make the meringue stick.

OH NO!! Not extra raspberry cream, I hear you say! Yes. I am afraid so... extra fresh cream. And the amount of raspberries in there are one of your five-a-day so yeaaa... winner!!

And did you know that Stork is sponsoring World Baking Day 2013, the theme ‘Bake Brave’ is being introduced to inspire people to share in the joy of baking. There’s the ‘Bake Brave 100’, featuring 100  recipes which range in difficulty From Level 1 for a complete novice, a delicious looking banana muffin, up to Level 100 for a  cream puff cake to be tried by a master baker. 

I picked... "I bake therefore I am" Level 91 baby... getting in there!

So the people of Stork Ireland contacted me... eeep! Excited much? Liked my blog and asked me if I wanted some goodies to share with you fine people. Yes please... absolute no brainer!

"Fancy conquering a cake you’ve never baked before? Well here’s your chance! To celebrate World Baking Day on Sunday 19 May, Stork has a hamper full of baking goodies to give away to one lucky Irish based reader. The hamper is jam packed with home baking accessories such as edible decorations, cupcake wrappers, and baking tins to help you up your game and ‘Bake Brave’!

World Baking Day is a global event and everyone’s invited to join in the fun, from beginner to master baker, and from food blogger to food celebrity.  No matter what your level of skill, you are invited to step out of your comfort zone and bake something fabulous."

So why not give it a go? To enter simply be living in Ireland, leave a message in the comments below with your favourite thing to bake, or what you've baked in honour of today by Wednesday the 22nd of May and I'll announce the winner in Thursdays post . 

*DISCALIMER* by entering the competition you agree for me to pass your name and address details to Stork for delivery of the competition prize. 

The company have stipulated that the winner be based in Ireland (but if you have a family member with a home address in Ireland that they can send the prize too... then fire away and enter) For you baking lot overseas, check out your own home countries baking blogs... they are tonnes of offers up for grabs across the world. All thanks to Stork!

Happy World Baking Day folks. Here's to many, MANY more. I know this blog will be involved every day of the year!

Make sure you link up with Laura and Dollybakes for their World baking Day themed Calendar Cakes. Checkout all the other fab entries. Come on folks... time to get your bake on!

My milkshake brings all the...

... you know how that sing goes... These cupcakes are a whole different kettle of fish though! 

They were a first in the Cupcakery household this week and definitely won't be the last. I saw these on Pinterest, like a million years ago, and never got around to make some but when I was in the supermarket the other evening (picking up custard powder, which I plain forgot about then) I knew it was the right time.

Now, bare with me here as I need to explain something... 

I know that The Hummingbird Bakery have their own version of these, that's where I first saw them. But I wasn't enamored by their recipe I found online. I also know that there are loads of variations on the interweb  and it was a recipe on another baking blog which did an adaptation of the Hummingbird recipe that I really liked the sound of. 

I DIDN'T pin the recipe or blog or anything to remind me of where it was and how I would find it again... I saw the recipe I liked and just thought, aaahhh... sure I'd like to give that a go! But that was it and then when I needed it... uggghhhhh... Que my frustration with my own lazy brain. Sake. 

The recipe I used here, is formulated from what I can remember from the elusive blog post (that I can't remember if you get me!) so it is really an adaptation of the adaptation of the Hummingbird recipe. Do you get me?

I did a quick Google images search, a web history search, a racking my brain search and thought a picture might pop up that would jig my memory but alas I got nada!! So if yours is the recipe that is similar to the one below, please do tell me and I will credit immediately...

Now having said all of that, the cupcakes turned out pretty great. You know for a making-it-up-as-you-go-along kind of job! Husband was blown away by them. Dolly loved the cupcake but thought the frosting was too sweet (Too sweet?? Did I really rear this child??) And Champ, the little bit he got off the end of my finger, smiled and looked for more. I take that as a sign of approval!

I would change an odd thing or two for next time but I'll explain that later... Preheat your oven to 190. This recipe yields between 12 and 16 cupcakes.

Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes; An adaptation of an adaptation of the Hummingbird Bakery.

• 100g butter
• 225g self raising flour
• 250g caster sugar
• 210ml milk
• 2 large eggs
• 50g strawberry milkshake powder (I used Nesquik)

1. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and add the eggs one at a time until the yolks have disappeared. Scrape down the sides of your bowl.
2. Add half the flour, half the milk until just mixed. Add the rest and mix until fully combined.
3. Add the milkshake powder and mix until incorporated.
4. Fill your cases to two thirds full.
5. Bake in the a middle shelf for 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden and bounce back when touched or a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clear. 

I should have added a drop or two of pink food colouring. But I didn't, I will the next time as even though the mix is pink when you are spooning in the cases, it came out white!

Strawberry Milkshake Frosting;

• 225g unsalted butter
• 500g icing sugar (sifted)
• 100g milkshake powder
• 50ml milk

1. Soften the butter by mixing on high for 5 minutes and then add the sifted icing sugar.
2. Add the milkshake powder, then the milk and mix on high until it's perfectly soft and pipe-able!

It was too much milkshake powder... I would probably go with 50-75g (I think) but I'll let you know next time I try it. 

These cupcakes are super fluffy and very light. They are very sweet but trust me, they taste just like a strawberry milkshake which is just super! Had I paper straws I would have stuck them in the sides to make them a little more milkshake-ey looking... Sprinkles was all I had to hand.

A summer treat to be sure!

The Humble Rhubarb Tart

Using my mothers pastry recipe I whipped up this very simple tart last night to share with you fine folks for Tea Party Tuesdays I am not good at making pastry... I know this and it's ok. But I do love a good tart.

With my Mom's being my favourite, of course, I asked her to share her recipe with me. I was actually in awe of how simple her recipe is in ingredients... There is a joke at home that if Mom is making apple tarts, it means my brother is coming to visit. The prodigal son always gets his apple tart! But I think I will be leaving this one to my Mom. I know now that pastry making is not my calling... This dish wouldn't be winning me any prizes at the fair!

I don't have the patience for it. The mixing, the kneading, the not over-kneading, the waiting 30 minutes for it to cool in the fridge. The pastry sticking to the counter because I didn't use enough flour when rolling it out... Aaaagggghhh! The whole lot of it. I don't know what went wrong. I  have watched my mother make pastry a thousand times, she's so good at it. The recipe is great.  It just wasn't to be my night last night.

So I soldiered on. Making a mess and adjusting my inconsistencies by winging it. You know that way you just kind of go with it until it looks right, well yeah, that's what I did here. And to be honest it didn't turn out that bad... The rhubarb part is perfect. That sweet but tangy, soft and syrupy rhubarb with a very subtle hint of vanilla creeping in at the end. The smell of fresh, zingy flavours wafting through the kitchen. The pastry is light and cooked through but it's a tad dry for my liking. And maaaayyybeeee overcooked. And I think I would have liked it to be sweeter... Ugh... just small, silly things that should be right... back to the drawing board on this one!

The dish above needed a huge dollop of fresh cream but, to my utter disappointment, I had none in the fridge. I don't want to be all negative on this dish, it has served up well, held together and I am munching away on it... I just wish it was... better, you know!

Don't forget to pop on over to Sarah's blog and link up your own tea party ideas. She also announced the winner of the Cupcake Cook Off so be sure to fly by and check out who reigns supreme.

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Hello and welcome to all off you who have followed, tweeted and emailed me about trying out my recipes... It's always so nice to meet new friends and hear lovely things about my baking and little blog! Without all of you, this blog wouldn't be what it is, so thank you!

Have a great Tuesday everyone.

Caramel Cupcakes

Have you ever got that feeling that you want something nice to eat but can't quite put your finger on what that nice might be? Well I had this the other day... went back and forth into the cupboards looking for something nice but couldn't figure out what I was actually looking for. Then I came across a can of Dulche De Leche and low and behold, it hit me, Caramel Cupcakes. 

Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days caramel cupcakes to be exact.

Now, I have altered this recipe slightly, to suit me. You all know I'm like that and I didn't follow their way for frosting or for decoration but these are delicious cupcakes no matter what way you pull them off. So soft and moist and almost sticky and gooey from the caramel. They are very sweet, even by my standards, but very tasty too. 

I balance out the sweetness with just regular buttercream and a smidgin' of caramel drizzle. 

Caramel Cupcakes;

• 80g butter (I use salted)
• 280g caster sugar
• 240g plain flour
• 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 240ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 150g tinned caramel

1. Preheat the oven to 190 C, and line the tins with cupcake cases. This recipe yields about 16-18 cupcakes.  
2. Make the sponge by mixing the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together until they form a crumb-like consistency. 
3. In a jug, mix together the milk, vanilla and eggs by hand.
4. With the mixer or whisk on a slow speed, gradually pour half of the liquid into the crumb mixture and mix thoroughly until combined. Move the speed to medium and beat until the batter is smooth and thick, with no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. 
5. Turn the speed back down and gradually pour in the remaining liquid,  and then the caramel, continuing to mix until the batter is smooth and combined.
6. This mix is quite wet, so spoon the batter into the paper cases, filling them two-thirds full. (I use an ice-cream scoop as it makes this process easier and usually results in more even cupcakes.)
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the sponge bounces back when touched or a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
8. Leave to cool slightly, remove from the tin and placing on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. Otherwise you'll just end up with melted frosting!

Buttercream Frosting;

• 225g soft, room temperature unsalted butter
• 500g sifted icing sugar
• 60ml milk

1. Beat the butter with the paddle attachment on high until it is very soft and pale.
2. Add in the icing sugar a few cups at a time alternating with a tablespoon of milk.
3. Mix it until light and fluffy.
4. Decorate as desired.

Enjoy them with all your hearts content. Allow yourself to be consumed by the sweet indulgence. Let the caramel wash over.... Ahaha! Who writes like that about cupcakes!?? I'm more of a pull-the-wrapper-off-fast-and-shove-it-in-your-face kinda gal! You can  always savour the second one!

These cupcakes were the perfect pick-me-up I found. The last few days have been filled with antibiotics, painkillers and lurgy's. Coughs and sniffles, comfort food and hot cups of tea! Dolly was very sick but is now, nicely on the mend. Her appetite is finally coming back and although these were a stretch for her taste buds, she had a corner and asked when she was better would I make her another batch... Guess that's a good sign, right? 

Hope you all are having a wonderful week. The sun has been shining here, intermittently I might add, but shining nonetheless. The temperature has gone up (slightly) too which really makes it feel like summer is on its way. Winter has been hanging about for long enough... it's time for a change. 

Happy Thursday! 

Tea Party Scones

How was everyone's bank holiday weekend? Was the weather nice? It was dry and a little warm here so over all it was a great weekend. We spent time outside, walking by the river and eating with family and relaxing. Poor Dolly came down ill, so she's going to the doctor later on today...

While my two babies are napping I figured I would share with you my offerings for today's Tea Party Tuesday.

Plain scones with strawberry conserve and fresh cream.

If I am being completely honest with you, these are the first batch of scones I have made since my teenage years! The thoughts of having to rub butter into the flour until it's like breadcrumbs, for some reason, gave me the hebegebees! Nevertheless I plowed on, fingertips light as a feather, shmushing the butter into the flour and found it to be... very relaxing! I really enjoyed it and the results... well for my first go since forever, I can tell you I am very pleased with myself!

I followed a basic plain scone recipe that I remember from the olden days but I used to put buttermilk in... I had a surplus of milk in the fridge (it being the bank holiday and our milkman being super organised) so I went with full cream milk here, but reckon they may have been nicer with buttermilk.

Plain Scones

• 110g butter
• 500g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 300ml milk
• 3 tbsp caster sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Heavily flour a baking sheet and put to one side.
3. Sift the flour and the baking powder together. Stir in the sugar.
4. Add the butter and rub with your finger tips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the middle of the mix and add the milk. Bring the mixture together until in a dough.
5. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to about 2 or 3 cm thick. Using a knife  scone cutter, jam jar, round cutter, whatever you have handy, cut out your scones and carefully place them on the sheet.
6. Brush the top of the dough with egg and bake in your preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the tops have gone golden.

Sit back and enjoy your home cooking with a dollop of fresh cream and a heap of strawberry jam, a mug of your favourite brew and maybe a magazine?

Ginger and Lime Cheesecake

What do you do when you get a great deal in the supermarket on ginger loaf cake?

You make ginger and lime cheesecake of course!

You all know I am a fan of the not-biscuit-but-cake based variety of cheesecake and this one, is probably my favourite of all. Simple to make and so very refreshing, because of the lime, and warm, because of the ginger cake, and totally decadent! It's just all round delicious.

I used one and a half loaves of Ginger Cake, sliced it up roughly and covered the bottom of an 8 inch spring form tin. I just sat it to one side while I whipped together...

• 250ml of single cream
• 250g cream cheese
• the juice of 4 limes, approx 125ml (I like my lime with a tang, so if you want you could reduce the amount here and make it more subtle)
• 100g icing sugar

When the mixture is all incorporated and you are happy with the consistency, make it a little thick, scoop it out on top of the ginger cake, smooth it out as even as you can and let it firm up in the fridge for 2-3 hours. If you are going to make this and have the time, make it the night before and leave it in the fridge. It firms up nice and smooth and I think it tastes better as it had that bit longer to settle.

Before popping it in the fridge, sprinkle the lime zest from the 4 limes on top of the cake. That colour really pops against the white of the cheesecake, don't you think?

So there you have it. A super quick, super easy, super tasty dessert to pretend you spent hours pouring over. Your family will love you if you present this to them.

I promise!*

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*I can't actually guarantee they'll love you more... they may not actually like limes or ginger or cheesecake for that matter... you all know your family best! But if you like the ingredients make it for yourself. Go on... Treat yo' self!

Eton Mess Cupcakes

Aaahhh... that summer feeling. Can you beat it? The sun shines in our little corner of the world today and it is also Husbands 30th Birthday so special cupcakes were in order.

I'm getting the summer feeling already and it's only the last day April! You know the one where you want to throw open all the windows, strip down all the beds and have the gentle summer breeze blow them dry. Kick off your tights and boots, paint your toenails and don your flip flops. Just me? I know it's just the sun shine tricking me though. I look out at the blue skies, the fluffy white clouds and peeping flowers and when I open my front door... I have to brace myself against freezing winds and intermittent hail showers! Irish weather... another thing you can't beat!

Dollybakes is hosting this months Calendar Cakes. I missed last months with Laura but was very determined to get this one in. I don't like missing these things!

April was all about British baking, fetes, fairs and shows. Now, not being British, I had to think of something I hold as classically British and then be able to bake it. I hit my recipe books and one of my favourite desserts jumped out at me. It was very simple once I started... Eton Mess but with a twist...

Et voila the Eton Mess Cupcake was born!

It was not difficult in any sort of way. I used my very vanilla cupcake recipe, but just toned down the vanilla (1 teaspoon) and sugar (175g) in it.

Then came the messy part... I used 250 mls of single cream and whipped it up to a fairly thick consistency. I folded about 3 or 4 tablespoons (... being honest, I didn't actually count, I just chucked a good chunk in...) of Strawberry preserve into the cream and piped it onto the cupcakes. I crushed up some store bought meringue (I'm lazy like that) and sprinkled it on top and I have to say I am rather pleased with myself!

This months calender cakes has a lot of Britishness to offer so do pop by and have a gander! I do hope that my entry will be seen as British enough, I am hardly an expert on the nation! We however, certainly enjoyed them.