Snickers Cupcakes with Peanut Brittle

♬ 'MTV Presents Unplugged: Florence and the Machine'

Three years ago I was baking nearly everyday, I didn't need an excuse to get the oven on and use edible glitter! Remember when I made Flourless Snickers Cupcakes in 2012? To be honest looking back on them now they didn't look appetising but thank goodness I've got better and smashed it this time with the cakes you are staring fiercely at.

My next wedding project is to make three cakes of different flavours with influences from Lily Vanilli and Annie Bell. Both these ladies have inspired me on my baking journey ever since I started whisking. I am so close to owning all of Annie's books and visit Lily Vanilli's when I can to see what she has created. Both are indisputably Jaguars in the cake industry.

Here's the recipe for Snickers style cupcakes.

Ingredients

Sponge

60g unsalted butter

 150g light brown sugar

1 medium egg

20g cocoa powder

150g Doves gluten free plain flour

140ml buttermilk

1 tsp caramel essence

Half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp white wine vinegar

Salted caramel sauce

Frosting

60g unsalted butter

130g icing sugar

50g cocoa powder

2 tbsp semi skimmed milk

Brittle

150g caster sugar

1tbsp water

50g peanuts

Method

 ▶ Preheat oven 180°c

Make the brittle by adding the sugar and water to a non stick frying pan. This will take about 7 minutes on a medium heat. The bubbles will be getting larger and larger then suddenly turning brown. Once the sugar caramelises add the peanuts and stir by shaking the frying pan carefully. Tip on a greased tray and leave to cool.

Smash up with pestle and mortar or with hands to get shards of brittle.

Whisk butter and sugar until fluffy and well combined. 

Add egg, whisk for another two minutes.

Add flour, buttermilk, essence and cocoa - fold in.

Tip in bicarbonate of soda then vinegar - continue to fold in.

Divide mixture between 12 muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes.

Leave to cool.

Using an apple corer, make holes in each cupcake and add a small spoon of salted caramel sauce.

Make the frosting by combing all the ingredients and pipe generously on each cupcake.

Drizzle more sauce on top.

Stick a shard of brittle in and then you are done!

Enjoy!

Chocolate quinoa cupcakes with super food frosting

♬ Flume remixes

Do you ever feel like giving up? Thinking to settle for the 9-5 because it's the easy option? I contemplated it last week when I was looking at admin jobs and thought to myself, this is a sign I'm giving up my dream and goal of becoming a food presenter. I then brainstormed more recipes, ate most of them, ran 8 miles and realised I can never give up until I'm on TV making all of you lot smile.

This girl's got to keep on baking to keep sane!

I've been testing out new cake frosting ideas which don't involve icing sugar or butter. Here's one which is very tasty on top of delicious chocolate quinoa sponges.


Ingredients:

 

60g unsalted butter

150g soft brown sugar

1 medium egg

20g cocoa powder

75g plain flour

75g quinoa flour

140ml semi skimmed milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar.

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp almond essence

 

Super food frosting:

 

1 medium banana

1 ripe avocado

100g dark chocolate

2tbsp hot coconut oil

 

Super seed mix - pumpkin, linseed, chia, poppy and sesame seeds.
Gold lustre spray

Method:

▶ Preheat oven 180°c

Cream butter and sugar until pale then add egg, essence, milk solution and stir through cocoa and flours.
Pour vinegar and bicarbonate of soda on top of mixture.
Divide between 12 cases and bake for 20 minutes.
Leave to cool.

For the frosting mix all the ingredients until smooth and refrigerate until the cakes are cold.
Stir once again, spread over each cake and sprinkle seeds of love.
Get a cherry on top because it's also pretty and super.xx

Remember to be a champion the WILL must be stronger than the skill to succeed. - Muhammad Ali

xxx

Ferrero Rocher Cupcakes

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.

 

2013 was a bit of an odd year for me and this blog.

 

Here's a sweet little poem a friend wrote for me at work, bless her cotton socks the talented Miss Sharon Kaur...

 

Mita can cook and she can bake you to shame,

When she's mixing and cooking in the kitchen,

she's living life in the fast lane!

 

Cook sexy mama COOK!

 

I'm hoping to reach a big goal by the end of the year so don't take your eyes off this page, well not for too long anyway.

And for bakes sake make sure you become a goal digger.

M.x

 

 

Gluten Free Mutella Cupcakes



 

R.I.P DIET?

Delish Mutella cupcakes are in the house! 

 

Why are these called Mutella? 
There are loads of Nutella cakes and recipe ideas online, I wanted to create a cupcake which won't make you feel like you are committing a culinary crime eating it. I've made this recipe gluten free and really simple. Nutella is combined in the sponge, filling and butter cream.
 Plus I like the name Mutella.

 From childhood to adulthood Nutella is a jar of goodness that fills a gap after a horrible or great day at school or work. My mum hardly ever bought it and when she did I would finish a jar in five days and even insist on taking a small filled tub to have with crackers at school. Dangerous times. I think that's how my obsession with chocolate began! 

 I still get a kick from piercing the gold film and reaching into the jar with a grin on my face, still having no portion control when I spread it on toast. The thicker the better.

I made these cakes for a friend who has set up her own beauty parlour in Shoreditch. I met her four years ago and she worked every year on her goal until she found the right location. She deserved some fun cupcakes to celebrate.

 

Here's the recipe for 12 cakes.

Ingredients:
60g unsalted soft butter
150g soft brown sugar
1 medium egg
20g cocoa powder
1 tbsp Nutella
150g Gluten free plain flour
Half a tsp bicarbonate of soda
120ml Hazelnut milk mixed with 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
Extra tsp white wine vinegar

Mutella Love:
120g unsalted butter
250g icing sugar
50g cocoa powder
1 tbsp Nutella
1tsp Cola essence
2 tbsp Hazelnut milk

Lichtenstein pop art muffin cases and signs from a boutique cake shop or online.
Fruit corer
Milk and white chocolate balls
Red edible glitter
Dr Oetker gold lustre spray
Large rose tip piping nozzle
Piping bag


Method:
Preheat oven 180°c or gas mark 4.
Line cupcake tin with cases.
Whisk butter and sugar until fluffy, add egg and whisk until smooth.
Stir in cocoa powder, flour and buttermilk.
Add bicarbonate of soda and vinegar to get a CO2 reaction which enables the cakes to rise.
Whisk again and stir in cola essence.
Spoon a generous amount in each case add a teaspoon of Nutella on top and swirl into mixture with cocktail stick, bake for 25 minutes.
Leave out to cool completely.
Using fruit corer add half a teaspoon of Nutella into each cupcake and replace with cake in corer.

Make the buttercream by whisking all the ingredients listed.
Pipe on cold cupcakes and spray gold.
Dab glitter on butter cream, sprinkle chocolate balls and stick cool signs on every cake.

LOVING Disclosure at the moment.

Enjoy album and recipe.x

 

 

 

 

ULTIMATE Chocolate Cupcakes

For the past two weeks I've been thinking, focusing and working on a cake creation which I wanted to perfect. Creating a chocolate cupcake isn't as easy as it sounds; creating the ULTIMATE chocolate cupcake is a challenge. Last week I sieved through five recipes for the perfect chocolate sponge and still wasn't satisfied. With motivation about to fizzle out like cheap popping candy I cleared my head and went to yoga. As soon as I got home, the radio was switched on and my not so sexy union jack apron was ready to be stained with cocoa powder. As well as it being Chocolate Week 14-20th October, I'm also making these to win a trip to NYC courtesy of Dr. Oetker. Fingers crossed people!

Right, if you want to make these cupcakes let me give you a few home truths:

1. They contain a lot of chocolate, I tried to incorporate chocolate in every step.

2. Buy good quality chocolate when baking, it makes a massive difference to texture, taste and appearance. Also you might get people putting in orders once they taste these!

3. Focus and be a perfectionist when it comes to accuracy and appearance.

4. Think YES YES YES. Not only when you bake but anything you put your hand to. Don't give up or serve cakes you wouldn't eat.

 




 I've been loving Janet Jackson this week....

Ingredients for cake sponges.

150g caster sugar

60g unsalted butter

1 large egg at room temperature

20g cocoa powder

150g plain flour

100ml semi skimmed milk

Bottle of white wine vinegar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

Filling 1:

150g melted white chocolate 

50g milk chocolate chips

 

Topping 2:

Dark chocolate custard butter cream

60g unsalted butter

125g icing sugar

2 tbsp hot water

1 tbsp custard powder

20g cocoa powder

Topping 3:

White chocolate salted butter cream

6og butter

125g icing sugar

50g melted white chocolate

Half a tsp of sea salt

Topping 4:

Milk chocolate cola butter cream

60g butter

125g icing sugar

1 tsp cola essence

20g cocoa powder

Chocolate Dust:

Milk chocolate chips

White chocolate chips

Edible lustre white hologram glitter

Blend milk chocolate chips with half a teaspoon of glitter until like dust and keep to one side in a small cup or bowl.

Repeat with white chocolate chips.

▶ Ready to bake?! 

We have bake off....

Method:

 Preheat oven 180°c.

First make the sponges by whisking butter and sugar until pale.

 In a jug add milk with two tablespoons of vinegar and let it rest for a while.

Add egg to butter and sugar and whisk until everything combined. 

Next add cocoa powder and flour.

Pour in milk and vinegar mixture, then baking powder and 2 tsp extra of vinegar.

Scoop into 12 cupcake cases and bake for 20 minutes. 

Once well risen and smelling delicious keep out of the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack.

CAKE SPONGES DONE..

Once cakes have completely cooled, start measuring out all the other ingredients for toppings so you are prepared.

Filling 1: melt white chocolate in a bowl suspended over boiling water, let it cool for a few minutes.

Using an apple corer, make a hole in one cupcake and fill with half a teaspoon of white chocolate and four milk chocolate chips. Do this with all the other cakes and replace sponge lids from corer. 

Use any remaining white chocolate to pour over cakes. Then let them cool.

Make topping 2 by whisking all ingredients and pipe one circle only around each cupcake.

Make topping 3 exactly the same way but add melted white chocolate once its slightly cool not really hot. Pipe in the middle only.

Topping 4 is similar, add all those ingredients in a bowl and whisk away. I love cola essence. Once I found it I went back and filled my basket with 20 bottles. No joke.

Pipe this buttercream on top of white buttercream and add a white chocolate chip as a cute touch.

Now this part was really fun and my creative baking brain is incredibly happy with the outcome. In my opinion chocolate chips are great in cookies and thats about it. I put them in a blender with glitter and BOOM a wonderful dusty texture of magical choco dust is formed. Sprinkle on each cupcake for a bit of sparkle.

 Good luck and let me know what you have been mixing and cooking.

If you want to get involved with chocolate week, definitely submit your lovely creations to Dr Oetker's FB page.

Favourite song from Janet Jackson:

Got 'Til It's Gone'

M.x

Chocolate and Lavender Cupcakes

 

 You got to love a bit of Missy...

 

 

 When I think of lavender an image of Mayfield farm in Surrey, Radox bubble bath and a relaxing candle springs to mind. To be honest, cake is last on the list. Pairing lavender with chocolate works wonderfully, and don't they look oh so pretty?! There isn't too much lavender working through these cupcakes, I didn't want a pungent aroma of this sweet aromatic essence as it has the power to dominate over the chocolate.

 

Don't believe they have all gone, could totally do with one now! Blogging a day after I've made cakes is like a slow butter knife piercing the heart -slow and painful. Next time I will keep a cupcake next to me whilst I type!

 

 

 For 12 cupcakes:

 

 60g unsalted butter (room temperature)

 100g caster sugar

50g lavender infused sugar

1 egg, at room temperature

20g cocoa powder, sifted

150g Wholemeal flour

 140ml buttermilk

1/2 tsp, Bicarbonate of soda

1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar

 

Frosting:

 

Purple food gel

125g unsalted butter

250g icing sugar

Lavender infused sugar to decorate

Chocolate twirls

 

Method:

 

Preheat oven 180° c.

Beat butter and both sugars until fluffy, then add egg and buttermilk.

Add flour, bicarbonate of soda, vinegar, and cocoa powder.

Scoop mixture into 12 muffin cases.

 Bake for 20 minutes.
 Once risen and smelling like chocolate, take out immediately and leave to cool until cold to touch.

 

Butter cream:

 

Whisk butter, icing sugar with a drop of purple gel.

Stir through a teaspoon of lavender sugar.

 Pipe a small swirl on each cupcake, top with chocolate twirls and sprinkle some more sugar on top.

 

DONE!

 

XXX

Strawberry Jam Cupcakes

 

Gorgeous beaches, a few hot men, beautiful women and constant sunshine, I'm reminiscing about my previous holiday to Ibiza. This song reminds me of chilling in a bar on the white island watching the sunset. Now I can't stop listening to it whilst cooking and running. I think Florence and The Machine has been knocked off number one as my most repeated artist!

 

 

 

 

 I recently organised a surprise party for a special family member and wanted to make a batch of interesting looking cupcakes. The main birthday cake was a zesty rainbow cake which will be on the blog soon.

As well as toffee popcorn I wanted to bring in a classic sponge with an indulgent twist.

 

These cupcakes have strawberry jam oozing out the centre, strawberry essence, milkshake and a fresh strawberry in a chocolate cup, tempting anyone to grab it.

 

This is a lovely recipe to make with children too. Especially dipping strawberries in chocolate.

 

Ingredients:

 

125g unsalted butter

125g golden caster sugar

1 tsp strawberry essence

2 medium eggs at room temperature

125g self raising flour

Half a teaspoon of baking powder

2 tbsp milk

 

An apple corer would be handy.

 

12 fresh strawberries, washed and dried on kitchen roll.

Organic milk chocolate about 100g melted.

Organic strawberry jam

125g unsalted butter

250g icing sugar

Poppy gel colouring

1 tbsp strawberry milkshake

 

Method:

 

Preheat oven 180° c.

Cover a plate that will fit in your fridge with baking paper.

Melt chocolate and dip each strawberry in, making sure only half is covered. Place on baking paper and refrigerate.

 

Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then add eggs.

Add flour, baking powder, essence and milk.

Scoop mixture into 12 muffin cases.

 Bake for 25 minutes.
 Once risen and slightly golden, take out immediately and leave to cool until cold to touch.

Using an apple corer on each cupcake, add half a teaspoon of jam and replace sponge lid.

 

Butter cream:

 

Whisk butter, icing sugar, bit of colouring and strawberry milkshake. I normally coat the end of a teaspoon with colouring gel and stir through mixture, then whisk for an even colour.

 Pipe generously on each cupcake.

Take strawberries out, pop them onto each cake and then you're done!

 

This was how they were all presented. You know if I came to your picnic I would totally rock up with a basket full of cupcakes.

 

M.x

Chocolate Salted Toffee Popcorn Cupcakes

OOO WHAT A MOUTHFUL!



While I was baking up a storm, Daft Punk was booming through the kitchen.

 



 

 

I'm a big fan of popcorn and I've been observing how the food industry has been getting very creative with its flavours. If anyone has ever tried Propercorns fiery worcester sauce and sun-dried tomato then I'm sending out a cyber high five to you right about now. IN-CRED-IBLE.

I thought it was about time I put some popcorn on top of some delicious cupcakes.

 

If you're a fan of the salty and sweet combo, give these cupcakes a try when you have to turn up to a party with goodies.

 

Ingredients for 12 cupcakes.

 

125g salted butter

 140g caster sugar

200g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 medium eggs

1 tbsp toffee sauce

2 tbsp milk

150g Green and Black's sea salt chocolate, chopped into small chunks.

 

Topping:

 

125g salted butter

250g icing sugar

1 tbsp toffee sauce

1 tbsp milk

Toffee popcorn

Dr Oetker gold spray

 

Method:

 

Preheat oven 180° c.

Beat butter and sugar until combined and fluffy, then add eggs one at a time.

Add flour, baking powder, stir in toffee sauce and chocolate. Don't over beat.

Scoop mixture into 12 muffin cases.

 Bake for 25 minutes.
 Once risen and slightly golden, take out immediately and leave to cool until cold to touch.

 

Butter cream:

 

Whisk butter, icing sugar and milk.

Stir through toffee sauce.

 Pipe generously on each cupcake, top with popcorn and drizzle more sauce on top.
Quickly spray a bit of gold on each cupcake.

 

DONE!

 

 

 

Piña Colada Cupcakes

 ♬ Now playing..

 

For anyone who didn't go to Nottinghill Carnival this year, bake some carnival love in your kitchen! These cupcakes have a delicious Caribbean flavoured sponge. One bite and I wanted to jet off somewhere where coconut and palm trees are a standard view.

 

These cakes are for adults only.

 

Ingredients:

 

125g salted butter

200g soft brown sugar

Half a teaspoon of pineapple essence

Half a teaspoon of rum essence

50ml coconut flavoured rum, I used Kokomo.

200g self raising flour

70g desiccated coconut

1 tbsp pineapple juice

2 medium eggs

 

Topping:

 

125g unsalted butter

300g icing sugar

20ml Kokomo or another alcoholic rum.

Few drops of pineapple juice (optional)

Dessicated coconut

Fresh pineapple

Edible yellow glitter

 

Method:

 

Preheat oven 180° c.

Beat butter and sugar until combined and fluffy, then add eggs one at a time.

Add essences, alcohol, desiccated coconut and juice.

Lastly add flour and stir well. Don't over beat.

Scoop mixture into 12 muffin cases.

 Bake for 25 minutes.
 Once risen and slightly golden, take out immediately and leave to cool until cold to touch.

 

Carnival love:

 

Whisk butter, icing sugar and alcohol.

If butter cream is still a bit hard add a few drops of pineapple juice. This is optional.
 Pipe generously on each cupcake.
Decorate with fresh pineapple dipped in glitter and extra coconut.

 

I presented a batch of these for an engagement party last weekend where I also got my second wedding cake order! Super excited about how busy next year will be. I kept a few for carnival and after a busy day dancing like there's no tomorrow to Major Lazer and eating goat curry, this girl needs some time out!

 

Songs to do the dutty wine move to...

 

'Watch Out For This'

 

Mini Coffee Cakes

♬ In the mix...
 

 

 I'm not an avid fan of the rich coffee bean. A few family members love it, so I whisked up these cute cupcakes for a little celebration last weekend.

 

I first remember tasting coffee when I was at university, hoping a shot would keep me awake whilst revising. It didn't. Instead my tongue wanted to be stripped of all coffee essence and only a pear drop was the savour that evening.

 

Any coffee lovers out there will adore these cakes. They are not too strong in flavour and from what other people have told me they taste fabulous. I did eat one and now tempted to give coffee another chance.

 

Start brewing and baking..

 

Ingredients:

 

125g soft unsalted butter

125g soft brown sugar

2 medium eggs

125g self raising flour

Half a teaspoon of baking powder

20ml brewed strong black instant coffee.

Topping:

125g soft unsalted butter

250g icing sugar
20g cocoa powder

1 tbsp cooled black coffee

Method:

Preheat oven 180° c.

Beat butter and sugar until combined and fluffy, then add eggs.

Stir in flour, baking powder and coffee.

Scoop mixture into 12 cases .

 Bake for 20 minutes.
 Once risen and slightly golden, take out immediately and leave to cool until cold to touch.

 

Make butter cream by whisking butter, icing sugar and coffee.
 Pipe small amounts on each cupcake.
Decorate with chopped walnuts or mixed nuts.

Favourite song from album:

'People Help The People'

M.x