Cherry Cola Cupcakes

 

This bad girl cake will make any heart melt. 

 

 

 

 

Playing:

 

 

 

Hear me out, this recipe is a sure winner to impress any chocolate lover.

 

I made a batch for my local boxing club and in aid of Stylists 'bake the cover' competition, which I didn't win. I'm sure who ever blesses this months cover has a gorgeous creation.

 

Over the years blogging I've learnt to take time into presenting food, because lets face facts - if food doesn't look good most of us won't want to eat it. I started this blog not having a clue and I'm still learning! Also when it comes to cakes and puddings it has to have an enticing and luring effect.

 

These cakes are impressive to look at and taste incredible.

 

 

 INGREDIENTS:

60g unsalted soft butter

 150g soft brown sugar 

1 medium egg at room temperature.

 20g cocoa powder 

150g plain flour 

130ml semi skimmed milk mixed with 1 tbsp white wine vinegar (buttermilk)

 Half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda 

2 tsp white wine vinegar 

Topping:

125g unsalted soft butter 

250g icing sugar

 30g cocoa powder 

2 tsp cola flavouring

 2tbsp milk

 Dr Oetker gold spray 

Fizzy cola bottles

Fresh cherries (12)

20g milk chocolate 

Edible red glitter from specialist cake shops.

METHOD:

Melt chocolate in bowl over boiling water. Dip cherries in and place on a plate with greaseproof paper. Leave in the fridge to cool, after 10 minutes sprinkle red glitter on top of each one and leave to refrigerate until completely chilled.

Preheat oven 180°c.

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

Stir in cocoa, flour and buttermilk mixture.

Lastly add bicarbonate of soda ,vinegar and mix for a final time.

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

Once risen and a butter knife comes out clean from middle cake, take out of cupcake tin to cool.

 

Make frosting by softening butter first (otherwise icing sugar will go everywhere) and stirring in icing sugar slowly then whisking with cocoa, milk and flavouring.

Pipe on completely cold cakes, spray gold from a short distance and top with cola bottles and cherries.

 

 

 My eyes are saying "bake it, eat it and love it".

 

Favourite Songs:

 

'Attracting Flies'

'Your Drums, Your Love'

 

 

 

Super Green Smoothie

 

Playing:

 

 

 

Green is associated with jealousy, nature, spring, regeneration and re birth.

Minus the jealousy aspect and add a spring to your step with this powerful smoothie, most ingredients are boosting with amazing vitamins and minerals.

 

Incorporate a green philosophy in your life.

 

I'm currently on a mission to get better after a busy week in Ibiza and boosting every meal and drink with plenty of raw green ingredients.

You have to try this smoothie, when putting the ingredients in a blender I was starting to get worried about how it would taste! The outcome was incredible. Sweet tasting with a hint of banana and mango, you won't even taste the spinach or coriander. The best part is that it's in there!

 Regenerate, power and boost your morning with this crazy mix. Sorry about the picture, it may look like an average green smoothie but this is definitely worth writing about and trying again.

 

You will need:

For 1 large cup.

 

Good quality blender.

 

1 large banana

5 large strawberries

1 tsp organic Agave nectar

200ml oat milk

1 small cup of brewed match green tea which has been cooled (50ml)

2 tbsp low fat mango yoghurt

15 fresh spinach leaves

Small bunch of coriander (I used about 5 leaves, including stems)

 

Brew a small cup of matcha tea. I ripped open the tea bag, poured over boiling water, then sieved cooled tea in blender.

Put everything else in the blender and whizz on a high setting until there are no more green leaves showing. May take about 40 seconds.

 

Sorted!

Let me know what you think and other ingredients you have added.

 

Favourite songs:

 

"Ex Factor"

"Everything is Everything"

"Ready Or Not"

 

 

Ice Cream Cone Cakes

Before I get into the bulk of this post, check out this cool, non practical hat.

 

 

 

LOVE IT.

 

 

 

 

♬ 'Settle' by Disclosure

 

Getting ready to possibly see Disclosure in Ibiza next week! This summer is going pretty well for MixitCookit. There's talk of a pop up cupcake shop, creative order requests and another photo shoot on its way. Will inform you all in due course.

 

Cake is good. Ice cream is slightly better on a hot day.

I combined the look of ice cream but it's actually all cake!

 

Now I know these are everywhere and I couldn't help but make a few for a kids party the other week. Next time I'm thinking of piping fresh ice cream on top then coating this in melted chocolate to harden. Watch this space if this idea works out.

 

What I like about cupcakes is the wonderful twenty minutes it takes to bake them. This is why placing cake mixture in a wafer cone will do nothing to the cone at all. It's already a dried airy biscuit so being in the oven won't affect its taste or appearance. I think the key point when making these is to not overfill each wafer cone. I used the border line under the stars as a reference to stop. By doing this you will ensure each wafer cone cake is the same size. Make sure you have a decent metal large piping nozzle (preferably rose tip) and lots of fun toppings and colourings.

 

Makes 12

 

Ingredients:

 

125g soft unsalted butter

125g soft brown sugar

2 medium eggs

125g self raising flour

Half a teaspoon of baking powder

2tbsp milk

2 tsp vanilla essence

 

Embellish:

 

125g soft unsalted butter

250g icing sugar

Drop of red colouring (or another of your choice)

Bit of milk
Sprinkles
Chocolate fingers

 

When mixing the butter cream, play around with liquid quantities. I tend to add more milk than colouring. Good quality colouring/paste makes a massive difference.

 

▶ Method

 

Preheat oven 180° c.

Put 12 wafer cones in a large roasting dish. Don't worry they won't tumble over unless you keep on moving the tray around.

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

Stir in flour, baking powder, milk and essence.

Scoop mixture into cases carefully by holding each cone and filling up to the line.

 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 milk.
Spoon two tablespoons at a time in a piping bag fitted with nozzle and get piping!
Decorate with sprinkles and chocolate fingers.

Kids go crazy for these, trust me.

If normal vanilla sponge is too basic in your cones try these variations for adults:

Black forest cones:
Chocolate sponge
Whipped cream
Grated chocolate
Cherry on top with chocolate syrup.

Chocolate orange cones:
Marbled chocolate and plain sponge
Orange coloured butter cream
Chocolate orange segment on top

Lemon drizzle cones:
Lemon sponge
Place teaspoon of lemon curd inside sponge by using an apple corer.
Pipe yellow butter cream on top with yellow sprinkles

Salted chocolate caramel cones:
Double chocolate chip sponge
Chocolate butter cream with a pinch of sea salt.
Spray with Dr Oetker silver cake spray.

That's enough for now! Let me know what you have created on twitter
@mixitcookit

Favourite song:

'Help Me Lose My Mind' featuring London Grammar

XX

 

Quorn Samosas

 

 

♬ 'Covered' by Macy Gray

 

 

Let me tell you something about Quorn, it's pretty amazing as a meat alternative and incredibly low in fat.

 

What’s the big deal?

 

Imagine you're thinking of preparing a dish that requires red meat for dinner. Without taking into account the sauces, sides and carbohydrates that accompany the dish let me fill you in with a few facts from reliable nutritional sources.

 

100g of Quorn mince contains:

2g of fat

100g of lamb mince without cooking it in oil:

19.9g of fat.

 

100g of beef mince:

 

19.8g of fat.

If like me you are hoping to look good in a bikini or just in general then make the healthy choice!

 

 I was on a creative streak and wanted to impress Quorn with something different, so I combined a snack from my Indian heritage with their vegetarian mince product, and I created these delicious spicy samosas.

 My grandma is renowned for making the best samosas at all family functions, and my mum learnt from her how to continue this tradition. As a child I remember watching my grandma in awe at how these addictive spicy triangles were made by her hands. I would grab one samosa that had just been cooked and run out into her garden, watch the hot air fly out the top of the triangle and take large bites. Boom! Three bites and on to the next one! It was like eating the top of a golden pyramid and the taste inside was unreal. Hopefully my sister and I can also continue making amazing samosas in the future. My mum normally fills her samosas with chicken or lamb mince, and I thought it was about time to mix things up a bit!

 

I've always been a Quorn lover, maybe it’s because I'm always looking for healthy alternatives to most ingredients. Lamb is the only red meat I eat and don’t tend to eat it regularly, so having Quorn at the ready in the freezer is always handy. As a teenager I found my love for Quorn one afternoon when rummaging through the freezer and finding a pack of their sausages. To this day I make sure I'm stocked up and value its fat and protein content alongside my active lifestyle. 

THE BIG Q...

 

Does Quorn taste like meat?

Honestly, if you cook it with similar sauces as you would with normal meat or chicken then it’s not far off.

 

Big up Quorn! Don’t be a hater, be a lover of what’s good for you (and think of the holiday photos!)

 

Thank you:

 

Quorn

 

and

 

Tesco

 

 

 Song on at the moment:

 

'Creep'

 

 

 xx

Mita Coco Lollies

 

 ♬ 'Magna Carta...Holy Grail' by Jay Z

Saw Jay Z last week in Stratford and he was on top form as per usual. The guy is always musically evolving and looking very healthy these days. Maybe coconut water might be a favourite drink of his!

 

 

I've gone completely COCO and now blogging about an ICE LOLLY.

 

It all started off last Thursday morning after a gruelling Bikram yoga session, as per usual I wanted to jump into a big pool of ice instead of facing the heat outside. I eyed up the coconut water in the fridge before I left the studio and knew I needed something colder to cool me down. When I got home, I found some ice lolly moulds and filled them with coconut water and fresh watermelon chunks. A few hours of freezing and BOOM I have refreshing Mita coco lollies!

 

Think about it...

Coconut water is expensive, freeze them as lollies and they will last longer. Perfect for post workouts and for children.

 

Here's a short video persuading you to make your own, sorry about the close up!

 

Next time in the lolly mix:

 

Bananas

Strawberries

Blackberries

Pineapple

 

 

 

Favourite Song:

 

'Tom Ford'

 

Enjoy.x