Two-Tone Icing Tutorial

This 'Two-Tone Icing Tutorial' has been requested by a few people I know, so I thought it was about time I did it. 
     So, tonight I got on my old 'Bath Rugby' shirt (standard cooking attire, showing both dedication to cooking and my favourite team. Talk about killing two birds with one stone...) and started baking my 'Halloween Cupcakes' (see previous blog post). 
     For these particular cupcakes, given the slightly morbid theme, I chose to use black and white, two-tone icing because I wanted to each little cake to give the impression of being a spooky shadow. 
     So here is how I did it, in step-by-step pictures and annotations. 
     Obviously you can achieve this two-tonal effect using whatever alternative food colouring you choose. I simply used black because it was Halloween cupcakes that I was creating!

I hope at least some of you find this helpful :)







First of all, roll your piping bag down. This enables you to get closer to your piping nozzle (thus being more accurate) and it also helps to avoid getting icing all over both you and your bag.


















Then spoon the half of your frosting mix you have NOT yet added food colouring to over to one side of the bag.
I tend to find that the easiest way of doing this is to lie the bag on one side in your hand, then spoon the mixture in. Gravity is your friend!
You should see a clear division down the middle of your bag as shown in my picture.
If you don't, simply use your spoon to manipulate the icing back over to only one side!

After this, add whatever food colouring you wish to use, to the remaining frosting mix and whisk together. 
Then spoon this mixture into the other, free half of your piping bag. 
Once again, you should see a clear division between the two colours in your bag, as shown in my picture.

Once this is done, roll the sides of your bag back up and pipe some of your mixture out, into your mixing bowl, until you see the two colours coming out simultaneously. 

















Once you see both colours coming out, you can begin to pipe your frosting onto your cakes or cupcakes (as shown.) Simply continue to do this until all your cakes are frosted, then decorate as you wish!




















Enjoy, K x

Halloween Cupcakes

Despite myself, tonight I jumped on the Halloween bandwagon as it's the one night of the year I can't help but enjoy. 
     To all you supposed cynics, who think it's simply an American gimmick, I find it impossible to believe that you don't have a secret soft spot for: the garish costumes, the carefully carved pumpkins, the valid excuse to watch scary films, the adorable, tiny trick or treaters and, it's latest new addition: cupcakes?

     For this batch of cakes, I decided to stay away from predictable stereotypes and instead just used: skull and crossbone cupcake cases, red velvet sponge, black/white two tone icing and black cat/orange pumpkin sprinkles. 

     Ok...so they're more than slightly stereotypical, but every single predictable aspect satisfies the undeniably massive child deep within the depths of my soul, so they're staying. 

     As per usual, the sprinkles I used were from "The Happy Cupcake Company" (http://www.thehappycupcakecompany.co.uk) - cue the 'Hallelujah Chorus'. 

     They're Halloweeny, glittery and just wonderful - everyone should have some in their baking cupboard, as a basic rule of thumb.

So, here's my recipe...

(For the Sponge) 

60g butter

150g caster sugar

1 egg

20g cocoa powder

40ml red food colouring (or more for a super spooky red...)

1 tsp vanilla extract

120ml semi skimmed milk

150g plain flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 1/2 tsp white vinegar

(For the Frosting)

600g icing sugar

100g butter

250g cream cheese (such as Philadelphia) 

(40ml black food colouring - if you choose to do two tone icing, if not leave this out.)

• Otherwise, mix all your sponge ingredients together and cook at 170ºC (Gas Mark 3) for 20-25 minutes depending on how large your cupcake cases are!
• Once cooked, remove and leave to cool, then frost!
• You can glitz up or spook down these little cakes as much as you like - whatever you do, they will look really colourful and fun! 

I wish you all happy baking and, of course, a very happy Halloween.

Enjoy, K x

Cupcakes Under Construction!

For the last few weeks, my house has looked like the a scene from Pearl Harbour, due to our sitting room, kitchen and dining room being entirely reconstructed.

On multiple mornings I have been woken up by deafeningly loud drilling, or walls being knocked down instead of the soothing sounds of my iPod. Trading waking up soothed and well-rested, for blistering headaches at times that feel like the middle of the night, has not been my idea of a good time.

This has also meant that my twice-weekly bake off's have been forced to happen at night, after the various workmen leave, which adds a general feeling of espionage to my baking. The various builders, carpenters, carpet layers, electricians and plumbers that have traipsed through my house, have all become rather accustomed to the daily sweet fixes that follow the morning after. 

The image of burly builders, sooty electricians and plumbers with pencils behind their ears, eating tiny sparkly cakes has started to become a regular source of amusement for me and I thought it would share it with you all.

I am consequently now on a one woman mission to  make the construction trade swap burgers and coke for pretty cupcakes and civilised cups of tea! So far it appears to be a great success - what an adaptable bunch!

Enjoy, K x

Galaxy 'Minstrel' Cupcakes

My very best friend was coming home from uni today for her reading week and, being the dutiful friend that I am, I decided to make her some cupcakes using her favourite chocolate - Galaxy!
     Emily is a fellow university student, so naturally the combination of these cakes being both free AND her favourite chocolate meant they brought her untold amounts of happiness!
     I decided to use a simple chocolate sponge, then infuse the buttercream frosting with a gluttonous amount of Galaxy chocolate...
     To decorate, I used some Kitchen Craft - Sweetly Does It cupcake cases and I then simply decorated each cake with one 'Minstrel' and some of my compulsory edible glitter. For girls and boys alike, glitter is a wonderful thing, so don't be afraid to glitz up your cakey creations!


Now, for the recipe :)

(For the Sponge - Makes 18)


200g plain flour
40g cocoa powder
280g caster sugar
3 tsp baking powder
80g butter
240ml semi skimmed milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract



(For the Frosting)

250g butter 
150g icing sugar
250g Galaxy
2 tbsp vanilla essence

• Simply preheat your oven to 170ºC (Gas Mark 3) and bake your cakes for 20-25 minutes.
• Once your cakes are cool, begin melting your chocolate in a bain-marie before adding it to the rest of your buttercream ingredients. 
• Frost, decorate and eat!

Ensure you devour these with a bigger cup of tea than you would usually opt for - I insist you treat yourself to some quality time alone with these sinfully chocolatey cakes!

Enjoy, K x

Triple Chocolate & Strawberry Temptation

This tower of chocolatey temptation consists of two light, chocolate sponges sandwiched together by a generous layer of chocolate buttercream and strawberry jam. I then gave it a layer of buttercream all over the cake and decorated it with homemade chocolate strawberries. 
     So as not to lie to my readers I will admit, it is highly calorific...however, it is also hellishly gooey, subtly fruity and simply gorgeous. 
     Although chocolate strawberries are a super easy thing to do, I have one tiny tip to simplify it even further! When making your chocolate strawberries, ensure you add a tsp of sunflower oil to your melted chocolate before dipping your strawberries in as this helps the mixture not to become too solid once refrigerated.
     Once you have done this, refrigerate them on a baking tray covered in greaseproof paper as this makes the process of removing your strawberries easier later!

So, here's how you make your very own 'Triple Chocolate & Strawberry Temptation' cake!

(For the Chocolate Strawberries) 

Roughly 400g of strawberries (use more/less depending on how heavily decorate you want your cake to be.)

Roughly 300g of milk chocolate (again, use more/less depending on how many strawberries you use.)

1 tsp sunflower oil

• Simply melt your chocolate in a bain-marie, until it is completely melted. 
• Once melted, add the sunflower oil.
• Dip each strawberry into the chocolate until completely covered and place on a baking tray, lined with greaseproof paper.
• Place in the fridge until it's time to decorate.

(For the Sponge)

300g plain flour
60g cocoa powder
320g caster sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
120g butter
360ml semi skimmed milk 
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

(For the Chocolate Frosting)

600g icing sugar
200g butter
80g cocoa powder
80ml semi skimmed milk

• For this recipe I used two 20cm cake tins which I greased and lined - this is essential for even cooking and makes them so much easier to remove once cooked and cooled.
• Simply mix all your ingredients together and cook at 170ºC (Gas Mark 3) for 35-40 minutes.
• Once cooked, remove and leave to cool completely (this should take around 1 - 1 1/2 hours!) Then spread your chocolate frosting on one half of the cake. On the other half, spread the strawberry jam, then sandwich together. 
• Then frost the entire cake before decorating with your pre-made chocolate strawberries! 

Super simple and gluttonously perfect!

Enjoy, K x

My Cupcake Toolbox

This is just a quick post about the cupcake "stationary" I use! I read a blog post similar to this one when I started making my cakes and it made everything seem a lot simpler!

First of all: the icing nozzles I use. I use the three bigger plastic ones (left) more often and save the small silver ones (right) for more delicate decoration. I got the big plastic ones from The Happy Cupcake Company (as we all know...it's the best baking place in the whole world, so why go anywhere else?)  The silver ones I bought from Amazon. They can all be bought relatively cheaply but, as a general rule of thumb, the plastic nozzles work better with disposable piping bags!

Next, the piping bags. I buy and use disposable plastic piping bags off Amazon in bulk where a pack of 20 cost £1.15! ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Classikool-Branded-Savoy-Disposable-Piping/dp/B004QYHF86/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350340012&sr=8-1 )

     This is largely because 1.) I can't be bothered with washing out a re-usable material piping bag...lazy cupcake chef that I am and 2.) because it seems more sanitary - being also the OCD cupcake chef that I am!

I hope you have enjoyed this sneaky peak into my cupcake toolbox - it's among my most treasured possessions! It's always jam packed full of gorgeous cake cases, intricate decorations, nozzles and lots of other fun little things.

     I love to give all my cakes little personalities, so I think to think of this box as a wardrobe, packed full of fun outfits!

I hope you have all found this blog entry useful and not sinfully boring!

Happy Baking,

Enjoy, K x

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Tomorrow I have to give a presentation to the rest of my third year class, naturally - to get them all on side - I decided to make them some cupcakes, and who doesn't like a simple red velvet? The thinking twenteenagers cake choice!

     I decided to simply use some red polka dot cases (which are made by "Sweetly Does It" - http://www.kitchencraft.co.uk/catalogue/range.aspx?gid=41675&pg=SZji0DjTvs1arL8U3%2bYCFw%3d%3d ) and some edible silver glitter to decorate. I have no doubt that the boys in my class will just LOVE them...

     I decided to frost half the cakes with a star formation (a little like giant iced gems) and the other half, I frosted with my signature swirl. This makes half the batch positively slimming for those who are weight conscious...I promise!

     The recipe I used is a simple variation on Hummingbird's classic recipe, so it's undeniably gorgeous!

(For the Sponge) Makes 24:

120g butter

300g caster sugar

2 eggs

40g cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

80ml red food colouring

240ml semi skimmed milk

300g plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

3 tsp white vinegar

(For the Frosting)

600g icing sugar

100g butter

250g cream cheese (e.g Philadelphia)

• Simply heat your oven to 170ºC (Gas Mark 3) and bake for 20-25 minutes.
• Once cool, mix all your frosting ingredients together and decorate as you wish (glitter is preferable, always.) 

Enjoy, K x

"I Love London" Themed Chocolate Sponge Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

This week I decided to go back to basics and make some super simple little cakes and 'go to town' on the decoration side of things! So, I opted for a chocolate sponge (who doesn't like that?) and some super sweet, vanilla buttercream frosting!
     I bought my decorations from 'The Happy Cupcake Company' (http://www.thehappycupcakecompany.co.uk) in Bath which, as we all know by now, is my favourite shop in Bath and does make me a happy cupcake baker! I used some London themed cases which each had red London buses round the outside and a Beefeater guard on the bottom (and yes, I shamelessly used and enjoyed the stereotypes...) I then sprinkled gold stars on the top and placed an edible, sparkly red heart on each - being the glitter loving lady that I am, happiness was then achieved.
     This was the recipe I used for these gorgeous cakes which were a vision in red, white and blue (with a touch of gold...)

(For The Sponge - Makes 18)

100g plain flour
20g cocoa powder
140g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
40g butter
120ml semi skimmed milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

(For The Frosting)

250g icing sugar
80g butter
25ml semi skimmed milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• Simply preheat your oven to 170ºC (Gas Mark 3) and cook your cakes for 20-25 minutes.
• Once cool , mix all your vanilla frosting ingredients together and then frost and decorate to your heart's content!

Enjoy, K x

Macmillan Coffee Morning

On Friday 28th of September I held a Macmillan Coffee Morning at my house, in memory of my Granddad, who I lost to cancer in September 2011. 

I spent the whole of Thursday covered in cake mix (including a slither of cream cheese frosting on the end of my nose that I only got pointed out to me at the very end of the day.) Alas, six hours of baking, one ring cake, a batch of sugar cookies, dozens of marshmallow twizzlers and two tiers of Terry's Chocolate Orange and marshmallow cupcakes later, I was prepared for a cake-filled Friday morning. 

The overall showstopper of the morning was the blueberry ring cake, with everyone having more than one helping. It is a recipe based on one from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook, however I tend to use a lot more blueberries than suggested, both in the sponge and for decoration. This is because I think they enhance everything and, due to their antioxidant properties, they also make a huge slice of cake seem a little healthier. However, If you don't want to use as many, you don't have to.

Here's the recipe:

(For the Sponge)

350g butter

350g caster sugar

6 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

450g plain flour

2 tbsp + 2 tsp baking powder

280ml soured cream

250g fresh blueberries

(25cm ring mould, greased.)

(For the Frosting)

600g icing sugar

100g butter

250g cream cheese (Such as 

Philadelphia)

Around 250-300g of blueberries, to 

decorate.

• Heat your oven to 170ºC (Gas Mark 3) and ensure you have a well greased ring mould (works beautifully for this cake). 
• Beat all your sponge ingredients together, until light and fluffy.
• Bake for 40 minutes. Skewer your cake at it’s deepest point, if the skewer comes out clean (with no cake mixture on it) then leave to cool. If not, place back into the oven for five minute intervals, until cooked through.
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely, before removing from the mould.
• Once totally cool, beat all frosting ingredients together and use a palette knife or spatula to ensure that your cake is completely iced.
• Once frosted, spread the blueberries evenly over the top of the cake to decorate.

Enjoy, K x

P.S - The morning was a great success and it was lovely to see so many familiar faces, all from different walks of life, come together to support my chosen charity. Despite the current economic climate, between only twenty people we managed to raise a truly overwhelming £144.28, over the course of two hours. 

It was a truly heartwarming morning and one my Granddad would certainly loved to have been a part of - he was a fellow cake lover after all.

Cupcake Based on "The Purple One" (Quality Street)

This recipe is relatively complicated, simply because for such a tiny cake, there's a lot of aspects that go in to getting it  perfectly caramelly/chocolatey and to the Quality Street ideal!   If you are creating this cupcake for a nut allergy sufferer, leave off the hazelnut on the top, as there is no other nut products involved in the making!
     I decided to simply encase my cakes in purple foil cases to give the look of "The Purple One" from the beloved Quality Street tin! I then garnished with a drizzle of caramel and one hazelnut, as is found in the centre of the chocolate.

Recipe - Makes 24:

(For The Chocolate Sponge) 

100g plain flour

20g cocoa powder

140g caster sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

40g butter

120ml semi skimmed milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 170ºC (Gas Mark 3) and cook for 20-25 minutes. Remove and leave to cool.

(For The Caramel Sauce)

For this you will need a large, heavy bottomed pan.

200g light brown sugar

200g butter

180ml thick cream

• Melt the sugar and butter together in a pan until they are both dissolved. Stir regularly to avoid burning. 
• Once they are both melted take off the heat and stir in your cream until you have a gorgeous, thick caramel cream. 
• Set aside as this will be used for both your frosting and a final caramel drizzle.

(For The Caramel Frosting)

225g butter

125g icing sugar

2 tbsp vanilla essence

225ml preprepared caramel sauce

• Whisk these all together, you may need slightly more icing sugar depending on the density of the cream you used, so just add until your consistency is correct :)
• Once you have done this, use your remaining caramel sauce to drizzle over each cake before placing a hazelnut on the top. 

They're gorgeous,

Enjoy, K x

Pea & Ham Savoury Muffins

These are gorgeous and a handy recipe to have because you can substitute the pea and ham for your favourite savoury ingredients (for example I have also made spinach and cheddar cheese ones before!)         
     A pinch of cayenne powder adds something a bit special and unexpected to these muffins...have a go if you think you're hard enough!
     I simply encased mine in little union jack muffin cases, a fun, slightly spicy patriotic mouthful!

Recipe - Makes 12:

30g butter
260g plain flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cayenne powder
125g peas
125g cheddar cheese
130g ham, thinly chopped
I egg

• Simply add the batter ingredients together (Butter, flour, baking powder, cayenne powder and the egg) until thick. Then stir in the ham, cheese and peas (or whatever goodies you choose!)
• Cook in muffin cases at 170ºC (Gas Mark 3) for 30-35 minutes then leave to cool for a while. Try to try at least one before they cool completely - they are gorgeous slightly warmed!

Enjoy, K x

Classic Victoria Sponge

What better way to end our most patriotic summer to date, than with a traditional yummy slice of British, "Victoria Sponge" cake? (Clue: there is no better way.)
     This is a super simple recipe and how you present it is totally up to you. I simply added a piped buttercream heart to the top which encased a small, chocolate silver dragée and a simple dusting with icing sugar.
     If you prefer a Victoria Sandwich instead (minus the buttercream and simply use the jam!)


Recipe (For The Sponge)

• 200g caster sugar
• 200g softened butter
• 4 eggs
• 200g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 2 tbsp semi skimmed milk

(For the vanilla buttercream - if required)

250g icing sugar

80g butter

25ml semi skimmed milk

A couple of drops of vanilla extract.

• Ensure you have properly prepared your cake tins (x2 20cm sandwich tins) with butter and greaseproof paper. Then heat your oven to 170ºC (Gas Mark 3) and cook for 20 minutes, before removing and leaving to cool.
• Add whichever jam you like to one of your sponge (I favour raspberry and the tanginess it brings to the cake, but strawberry is gorgeous too!) Then spread your buttercream onto the opposing sponge base and sandwich together.

Super easy and super delicious!

Enjoy, K x

Baileys Cupcakes

Sometimes something is created in the kitchen that there's just no bettering and I’m fairly certain that it's these. They're super boozy, irresistibly smooth and packed full of what I now believe to be the true, unfaltering Irish charm.

To decorate, I used ten green paper cases and ten gold foil cases, each decorated simply with just one edible gold star. This made the cakes look rich in Irish colours with the simple glint of the gold star on the very top to add something quirky and special.

Feel free to keep adding Baileys to the frosting mix until your happy it's the right amount for your tastes, but be aware that as you add more liquid you will have to add more icing sugar, so make sure you have lots of both. 

Here's how I made them...

(For The Sponge - Makes 20) 

130g self raising flour

130g caster sugar

130g butter

10g cocoa powder

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp Baileys  

(For The Frosting)

375g icing sugar

10g cocoa powder

125g butter

60ml Baileys  

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

• These are super simple, just heat your 

oven to 170ºC (Gas Mark 3) and cook

 for 15-18 minutes!

• Once cool, simply mix all your frosting 

ingredients together and decorate as 

you please!

Enjoy, K x

Champagne Sponge with White Chocolate Buttercream

These little cakes are gorgeous and so decadent! I made them for my best friends mum's 50th birthday party and they went down a treat.
     I decided to use gold foil cases and gold glittery stars to decorate simply because it was a celebratory event and gold is, of course, the colour associated with half a century of anything! And needless to say, anything that in encased in gold is guaranteed to be good :)
     Feel free to substitute the champagne for any other alcohol of your choice, the quantity will work for you, whatever your poison!

My Recipe (Makes 20)

(For The Sponge)

120g plain flour
140g caster sugar
40g butter
20ml semi skimmed milk
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
100ml Champagne
1 free range egg

(For The Frosting)

225g butter 
125g icing sugar
225g white chocolate
2 tbsp vanilla essence

• Cook your sponge in a 170ºC (Gas Mark 3), pre-heated oven for 18-20 minutes, then remove and leave to cool. 
• For the buttercream, melt the white chocolate in a bain-marie and then simply add the melted liquid to your frosting mix (it doesn't matter if this is still warm!)

Decorate as you wish,

Enjoy, K x

Earl Grey Sponge with Lemon Buttercream Icing

These are a beautiful summery, mid-afternoon cupcake. The earl grey gives them a beautiful richness while the lemon adds something a bit special and tangy to them. Don't be shy with the amount of lemon you put in your frosting, if you think it needs more, add it, just be aware you will also need to increase the amount of icing sugar you use.

      I opted to use blue gingham cases and a simple, chocolate silver heart dragée on the top, because it's a quintessentially British mouthful and deserves to be treated as such :)

My Recipe (Makes around 16 cakes)

(For The Sponge)

5 Earl Grey teabags
100ml just boiled water
80g butter
280g caster sugar
240g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
200ml semi skimmed milk
2 large eggs

(For The Frosting)

50ml semi skimmed milk
500g icing sugar
160g butter
2 tbsp lemon juice

• The only thing I will point out is that while mixing your sponge ingredients together, you should leave you teabags soaking in their 100ml of water. It worked out nicely that once I had combined all my ingredients, my earl grey was stewed enough to add in.
• Otherwise, set your oven to 190ºC (Gas Mark 5) and cook for 18-20 minutes. Remove until cool and then decorate as you please!

Enjoy, K x