The Ghostcupsters

BOO.

♬ 'The Defamation of Strickland Banks' by Plan B

I wouldn't say tonight's music choice was the scariest of albums, but it's got me through another grey and gloomy week in London. Another revelation is that my cake bars lasted one week then I get an email demanding more cupcakes. I'm a cupcake girl through and through and there's no denying it, my cakes look fun and taste damn good. 

What we have here is MARSHMALLOW frosting. I know. Flipping great and how ghastly do the ghosts look?! I've called them Ghostbuster cakes gathering that they do resemble the Michelin man in the classic film Ghostbusters. Why is this film not showing on prime time TV this weekend? All the hype over films which make me want to faint over the sight of blood or double lock the doors at night are incredibly fear inducing to the point of wanting to cry. I don't want to cry over Halloween! I prefer to do that watching Pearl Harbour with a box of Maltesers on Valentine's day.

I was going to make a small clip but unfortunately by the time I whipped the marshmallow by hand; I collapsed on the sofa and had less than a hour to deliver to the lucky location. Please use an electric whisk and don't try and be a clumsy heroine like myself and stress out your hands! Hence why there is a lack of a long winded post tonight, two sessions of boxing and whisking egg whites until they turn into marshmallow has finished me off for the weekend. Thanks to Martha Stewart and her recipe for the frosting which worked brilliantly, even though I halved it and still got the same fantastic result.

Mint chocolate chip sponge with marshmallow frosting and a Mita twist which make these cupcakes frightfully delicious treats.

ALSO after I decorated them a touch of glow in the dark paint was sneakily put on the cases. Don't worry the cakes were not harmed or even touched, the paint was non toxic and very friendly. 

Favourite Song:

ê 'Hard Times'

What do you think?

Banoffee Cake Bars

♬ 'Annie Mac Presents 2012'

An album to invest in.

I have no excuse. I haven't even been on holiday or left you with a random video to let you know what's been going on in the MixitCookit world. Truth is - life in London can be a bitch. Finally I am in a new flat and this means a fresh start, so for all you budding fans out there I cannot express how sorry I am if you have been refreshing this page and nothing had changed since the start of the month. That's the thing with blogs, they represent the person typing. In this month's case - temperamental.

Meanwhile I exhausted the cupcake phase to the point of exasperation, so I am creating my own range of cake bars. Who for? I'm not sure! All that needs to be typed is something new and creative has to be piped and whisked. Cupcakes are every where and yes mine are amazing and super fun looking but I'm done with them for a while. In a strange way they seemed an easy option to blog about. The first cake bar I created is the one that is booming in your face saying "eat me now or just email Mita and she will make me!". Let me give you a quick reminder that banoffee pie is a super classic indulgent pudding which has bananas, toffee sauce or dulce de leche, cream and looks incredibly mouth watering. By brainstorming and incorporating some of the features of the pie in a cake bar I had to dig out the candy thermometer. This is my new partner in crime, bye bye cupcake tin! I'm going to try my hand at all things screaming confectionery. 

This banoffee cake bar is made with a banana cake sponge, dulce de leche (made from condensed milk) and covered in dark chocolate topped with a walnut. Monitoring and tempering both the dulce de leche and chocolate was a challenge I enjoyed. First the oven was used to create dulce de leche, that was a disaster. Finally after a few hours of dancing around the hob to Annie Mac's compilation I finally achieved the desired consistency.

Right I better get back to planning brand spanking new products for you lovely lot to set your eyes on.

Let me clear a few things up...

Dulce de leche is a sauce by slowly heating condensed milk until it is browned and caramelised. A popular sauce used in banoffee pie.

Butterscotch is made with brown sugar and butter and boiled to the soft crack stage, 270°F, 132°C.

Toffee is butterscotch that has been cooked to the hard crack stage, the maximum temperature being 310°F, 154 °C.

Caramel is basically heating sugars to a temperature around 170°C, 340°F.

Lovely jubbly.

Favourite Songs:

ê 'Higher Ground' by TNight

'The Don' by Nas

Mita's Crunchy Cups

♬ ' No More Drama' by Mary J Blige

October October a month where I really have no idea what the next few weeks will bring. All I've been doing is staring at this screen, selling my soul to room share websites and consuming way over the daily average amount of granola. 

Apart from the danger of being homeless I have now started to get creative with all the bits and bobs left in my cupboard. After lunch which was jazzed up kipper herring in a wrap with cream cheese and alfalfa sprouts (amazing), I decided to use up remaining butter, syrup and sugar to form and make honeycomb. I also found a lot of silicone cases which are perfect for releasing cakes - suddenly a light bulb flickered in my brain (I think the left side is baking based). Why not pour honeycomb in the cases and top with melted chocolate mixed with super berries?! Leave both to set and then there will be a cake shape honeycomb white chocolate crazy looking treat!

GENIUS.

I have to warn you, this is a mega indulgent sweet treat which should be stocked next to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups! Obviously these are just as moreish and decadent. 

▶  Ingredients and method for honeycomb is here - 'HoneyComb Cone'. This mixture will definitely be enough for 12 silicone cases.

500g white chocolate

50g Goji berries

50g dried blueberries
50g chopped hazelnuts

Method:

While melting the chocolate in a bowl suspended over boiling water, make the honeycomb in a heavy based pan preferably with a pouring tip. Once you have had the bicarbonate of soda reaction quickly pour into cases, filling them three quarters of the way up or work quickly and use a tablespoon. 

When chocolate is completely melted and glossy take bowl off the heat and stir through the berries and nuts. Using a tablespoon scoop a mixture of chocolate over the honeycomb.

Put in the fridge to set.

Once completely set pop the cups out the cases and serve stacked or keep in cases.

After eating one my room search was a lot more bearable.

Enjoy wisely.xx

Favourite Song:

ê 'Family Affair'

Bhangra Cupcakes (Chai sponge and Mango Cream Cheese Frosting)

♬'The Album' by Punjabi MC

Hello hello I'm back this week with a peculiar and very random post about cake and bhangra. Is there a positive correlation between the two? Could you really do a few bhangra moves while holding cupcakes? Apart from gaining a stitch and a stained outfit, I think it's an awesome idea. For those who don't know what bhangra is please click here.

I actually stress out at weddings when it's time to get on the dance floor and try to look professional when busting out the moves and trust me I'm not an expert, doesn't matter if I am an Indian girl!  I tend to grab a child and pretend to dance, then wait for the aunties to say 'aaaw look at her and (kids name) dancing, she is so good with children'. Damn right, please don't fix me up with your friends son. 

Come on let's face facts, apart from the bride and groom having the best day of their lives, and family catch ups, most of the Indian weddings I have been to tend to be similar to speed dating, but with the parents doing the talking. I won't go into the questions my mum would ask on my behalf, it could turn into a sketch from 'Goodness Gracious Me'. I'm all about the food, and that's where you will always find me. 

Meanwhile in a beaten down kitchen in east London I decided to bake a beautiful batch of chai spiked cakes. If you don't have chai masala to hand, rip open a chai tea bag and crush spices using pestle and mortar, I know quite clever - one teabag should do the trick for this recipe. Another highlight of this cake is the frosting, a mango and cream cheese combo that is like licking heaven. Can I type that? I just did. Mango pulp with puri is a favourite sweet treat of mine at Indian functions. Actually anything mango based I am there with a bib round my neck.

▶ Recipe for 12 cupcakes in pretty muffin cases.

Ingredients:

125g unsalted butter

125g caster sugar

2 medium eggs

125g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp chai masala (go for teabag option if needs be)

Frosting

300g icing sugar

100g unsalted butter

150g cream cheese (cold)

20g ripe mango chunks

Purple food colouring

Red food colouring

Blue midnight glitter dust

Method:

It is imperative you play the album above, otherwise you might not feel the need to dance and get excited about the cakes!

Preheat fan oven to 180°c, prepare 12 hole cupcake tin with cases.

: Cream butter and sugar for a good few minutes until pale and fluffy.

: Add eggs and keep on whisking.

: Sift in flour, baking powder and chai.

: Spoon in cases and bake for 25 minutes.

: Once golden brown and you have done the poke in the middle of cake test. Take out and let them cool completely.

: Make the frosting by combining all four ingredients in a cake mixer or electric whisk. Good luck if using your hands, you will gain new muscles tomorrow! DO NOT OVER MIX THIS FROSTING (say about 3 minutes on a slow speed should be fine) Cream cheese tends to get runny.

: Divide the mixture into two bowls and add colours. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

: Pipe on cakes and decorate with gold/silver balls and glitter. 

Beautiful.

Favourite Song:

ê 'Mundian To Bach Ke'

Banana Chocolate Cupcakes with CHOC CUSTARD Buttercream

♬ 'The Sound Of The Jam' by The Jam

Shut -up. Hold the phone, actually put down the phone and read everything. How sexy do these look right now! Don't you just want to touch the screen to see if you can pick one up? 

There I was the average Thursday afternoon checking my Iphone for life changing emails and how many people have unfollowed me on twitter, then I saw National Cupcake Week trending. How can I not know this and continue the week knowing and not doing something about it?! I bought a pack of bananas, rummaged through the baking cupboard and found ingredients that were going to make a batch of amazing cupcakes.

Eat bananas? Infatuated with chocolate? Love custard? If you answered a 'hell yeah' to all three then get baking....

 ▶ Recipe for 12 cupcakes in muffin cases.

Cakes:

125g unsalted butter

125g caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

2 medium eggs

20g cocoa powder

125g self raising flour

1 small mashed banana

50g dark chocolate chunks or chips.

1tsp vanilla essence or banana essence

Chocolate custard buttercream:

(I know don't you just love me right now?)

125g soft butter

4tsp custard powder

2 tbsp warm water

200g icing sugar

30g melted dark chocolate

1 tsp cocoa powder

Gold edible glitter A.K.A pixie cake dust.

Method:

Preheat fan oven to 180°c.

: Cream butter and sugar until fluffy and no lumps visible.

: Add beaten eggs and whisk.

: Fold in the sifted flour, cocoa with the baking powder.

: Finally add essence, chunks and mashed banana. It's nice to have a few random gooey banana bits, so try not to over stir.

: Spoon in muffin cases and bake for 25 minutes.

: Let them cool and make the butter cream by whisking butter until soft, this will stop icing sugar covering your kitchen and face!

: In batches add icing sugar and melted chocolate. 

: Then cocoa and custard powder with water can go in. Keep the machine on until this resembles a lovely cream texture.

: Pipe away and decorate with glitter and banana chips.

Favourite Song:

ê 'That's Entertainment'