Easter Fruit Cupcakes

♬ 'The 20/20 Experience' by Justin Timberlake

I've always had a sweet tooth for Justin, this album is Snickers and Jaffa cakes rolled in one. I am totally consumed with every track. 

I just got back from a Bikram yoga class where the teacher was dressed as a chicken and handed out creme eggs as prizes! We all sang 'I feel like chicken tonight, chicken tonight' whilst in camel posture (cool looking back bend) and I won an egg for great control and balance. If there was ever an amazing Sunday, today is that day.

I love Easter.

One of the earliest Easter memories I can recollect is me and my sister sitting on a sofa forcing a smile at a camera with our milk button easter eggs and thinking, 'why can't we eat them now? how many more photos!'. Both of us had block fringes, the same dress and similar headbands on. With a two year age difference I'm not sure why my mum thought it was cute! I remember loads of chocolate and pretending to be excited about roast lamb, when really it was pudding I craved. The thicker the chocolate egg, the better it tasted.

 Anyway the point I'm getting at is, Easter is another time of year to indulge and get creative in the kitchen. All of a sudden a mini egg ends up counting as one of your five a day and a hot cross bun is the new morning toast. 

Give the cupcakes above a go...

Ingredients:

125g unsalted butter

125g caster sugar

2 medium eggs

125g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

120g luxury mixed fruit, tossed with 1 tbsp plain flour.

Lemon zest

1 tbsp lychee liqueur

Topping:

100g chocolate

Mini eggs

120g unsalted butter

100g icing sugar

Yellow food colouring gel

Gold lustre spray for cakes

▶ Method:

: Preheat oven 180°c.

Line cupcake tin with muffin cases.

: Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time and lychee liqueur.

Stir through fruit, zest and sift remaining flour and baking powder.

Scoop into cases and bake for 20 minutes until golden.

Leave out to cool.

: Meanwhile melt 100g chocolate and pour over square piece of greaseproof paper, spread with butter knife so you can snap into twig style pieces once set. Or refrigerate chocolate on a lined tray to save time.

Whisk butter until smooth and then slowly stir in icing sugar and small touch of colouring gel.

The gels compared to liquid colouring tend to be loads stronger and more concentrated, so less is more.

 : Spread buttercream on each cupcake, making sure you are flicking up buttercream around the centre. 

: Once chocolate is cold, start breaking off stick style pieces and form a nest on top of buttercream. Place mini eggs in the middle and spray gold.

Done!

Favourite Song

'Pusher Love Girl'

Avocado and Spinach Spread

♬ 'Devotion' by Jessie Ware

A month of recuperating is over and I'm back into the mix. Most importantly I got my mojo back, which means I'm ready to blog and vlog more crazy food ideas. Hope each one of you in England have managed to escape this dreary monstrosity we call spring. I was even contemplating a sun bed last week, then opted for Ibiza and Italy this summer. There has been a total lack of inspiration on my part hence no blogging, someone please bring the sun to London, otherwise I might contemplate emigrating to Rio de Janeiro. 

 If there's no sunshine coming this way, then I will simply create my own magical light. Starting off with today's breakfast on a pretty plate with a flower. I love avocado and spinach, both are brilliant for giving back vital vitamins, minerals and protein after a hard core Bikram yoga, running and boxing session. Serving this for breakfast might turn a few noses due to the colour, but lets face a few home truths - healthy food is a mixture of vibrant colours. Basically get the rainbow on your plate.

Avocado and spinach spread - not dip. 

The consistency and texture of these ingredients make it suitable for spreading and would be quite runny to qualify as a dip. I mean this is my opinion, maybe give it a go and see what you think.

Ingredients:

1 large ripe avocado

150g fresh spinach leaves

1 teaspoon mascarpone

Method:

Basically wilt spinach and put in blender with scooped avocado and mascarpone. 

Leave in fridge until cool and spread on toast. Keep in a cute container and use on jacket potatoes, in wraps on pancakes, basically whatever your heart desires.

Boil an egg for 5 minutes and get dipping these green soldiers.

Sorted.

This weeks repetitive song:

▶ 'Running'