Valentine's Raspberry Confetti Cake

I am one of the few women you will ever meet who is deadly serious when they say they don't like Valentine's Day. 
     I've never appreciated the obvious tackiness of it all: heart balloons that deflate too quickly, boxes of chocolate I won't eat for fear of them never leaving my hips and being given bouquets of luridly coloured flowers, by misinformed men, that clash with the monochrome décor in my bedroom.  
    Despite being in relationships, I choose to spend Valentine's Day with my best friend every year, getting horribly drunk, without a love heart or neon pink flower petal in sight. 


     However, now I'm taking my cake making quite seriously, I decided I should probably bake something for Valentine's Day, seeing as lots of people do seem to rather enjoy it.
     I'm more than slightly ashamed to say that I surprised myself with how horribly glittery, heart-filled and smushy I became. Apparently the one thing that can melt my icy exterior and stony heart, and in turn, make me a sickening 'hearts-and-flowers' kind of girl, is cake. I'm not quite sure why I'm so surprised...
     This cake is a raspberry sponge with cream cheese frosting, which you can decorate however you please. I planned on topping it solely with raspberries, however, as you can see, this plan soon changed and became just a few raspberries and far more heart sprinkles than I care to admit. So decorate as you wish, I won't judge you now mine looks like romantic carnage.

For the Sponge: 

350g butter
350g caster sugar
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract 
450g plain flour
2 tbsp + 2 tsp baking powder
300ml soured cream
250g fresh raspberries
(One 25cm ring mould, greased.)

• Preheat your oven to 170ºC (Gas Mark 3)
• After you have whisked together the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder and soured cream, spoon in your raspberries and mix well using a wooden spoon. 
• After this, pour the mixture into your preprepared ring mould and place in the oven for 40 minutes. 
• Once your cake has been baking for the full 40 minutes, test with a cake skewer. If your skewer comes out clean, leave to cool completely. If it doesn't place back in the oven for 5 minute instalments, testing after each one. 
• Leave to cool completely on a cooling rack, do not remove the cake from the tin until it is completely cool. 

For the Frosting:

600g icing sugar
100g butter
250g cream cheese 

• Simply whisk all your ingredients together for around 5 minutes, or until your mixture is light and fluffy.
• Once your cake is completely cool, spoon on your frosting and smooth over the cake. (Preferably using a standard palette knife.) 
• Once your cake is evenly covered in frosting, decorate it as you wish. Having raspberries on the outside looks beautiful and slightly rustic, but feel free to add whatever else you like.

     You'll be surprised how allowing your creativity to run free, also allows the hidden romantic in you to run far freer than you would usually allow it to. So have some fun with this loved-up little cake because; as the English proverb goes: "If you can't beat them, join them."

Best of luck with your amorous baking,

Enjoy, K x

Merry Cakemas!

I would like to wish you all a very merry, cupcakey Christmas! Thank you for all your support this year!

Enjoy, K x

An Electrician Frosts a Cupcake

My younger brother, Max, began an electrical apprenticeship last year, and has since become a lot more 'blokey.' This has manifested in daily pub trips, calling lots of people (girls and boys alike) "mate", and eating more red meat than is healthy for normal humans. 

Recently, one evening, | somehow managed to prize him out of the aforementioned 'pub trip', and got him frosting and decorating chocolate orange cupcakes - here is the rather amusing outcome.

I proudly introduce the first video upload for Kate's Cakes and Cupcakes, proving that making a pretty little cake is within anyone's reach, 'An Electrician Frosts a Cupcake'. 

Enjoy, K x :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6PCQ_HvqxM

Super Boozy Christmas Cake

This isn't just any old Christmas cake, this is a special, take-your-breath away, boozy type of Christmas cake. Once you've had a slice of it,  no other cake ever compares, nothing else in life is ever quite as good...

      I made this cake for the first time last year and it received rave reviews, including one from my Grandma (one of my biggest baking rivals...) who claimed it was the best christmas cake she had ever tasted. I immediately assumed it wasn't simply a biased comment, based on our relation to one another, and took it as a massive, jaw-dropping compliment. 

     This cake is gluttonously rich, packed full of fruit and, by the 23rd of December, (when it has been  casually soaking in brandy for around five weeks...) it is also devilishly alcoholic. 

     The recipe I am uploading today is a work in progress, so I only have pictures of phase one - the cake itself. However, eventually your cake will end up covered in marzipan and rolled fondant icing, which will nonetheless be explained in this post. 

     It is of paramount importance that you spoon over a couple of tablespoons of brandy, three times a week onto your cake, until it is ready to be iced and served. 

Think of it as an old Uncle who has come to stay for the festive period who needs preserving with large quantities of alcohol. You should almost be able to hear it hiccupping by Christmas Eve!

(For the Cake)

250g plain flour

2 tsp mixed spice

2 tsp cinnamon 

225g butter

225g dark brown sugar

2 tbsp black treacle

1 tbsp marmalade

1 tsp vanilla essence

4 large eggs

850g mixed fruit, dried

150g mixed peel, chopped

200g glacé cherries, halved

150g blanched almonds, halved
(23 x 23 x 8cm, square cake tin)

Method:

• Preheat your oven to 150ºC (Gas Mark 2) and generously grease and line your cake tin.
• Initially combine the flour, spice, cinnamon, butter, sugar, treacle, marmalade, vanilla essence and eggs with an electric whisk.
• Once beaten into a creamy texture, stir in the remaining ingredients until they are well combined. 
• Then pour your mixture into your preprepared cake tin, before placing in the oven for 3 hours. (It may seem like a long time, but no raising agent is used so it is essential to cook for At LEAST this long!) 
• Remove your cake and check to see if it is cooked all the way through. If it is, remove and leave to cool. If not, place back into the oven for 20 minute intervals, until cooked thoroughly.
• Once completely cool, turn out into an airtight container and puncture roughly 10 small holes into the top of your cake. These holes will allow the brandy to soak through the sponge, leaving it deliciously moist.

Over the next few weeks - Pour 2 tbsp of brandy over your cake, 3 times a week, to ensure that your cake is moist for Christmas. Any more than this will soak your cake too much and it will crumble!

(For the Marzipan/Fondant Icing)

I firstly must admit to something - I never, ever make my own marzipan and wouldn't even know where to begin with it, even if I wanted to. Rolled marzipan is a wonderful thing and I suggest you all invest in some. If you plan on making your own then I salute you.

250g marzipan

1-2 tbsp apricot jam
675g icing sugar
2 egg whites 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
2 tbsp liquid glucose

Method:

• Initially, roll out your marzipan. Cut one piece large enough to cover the top of your cake and a further 4, smaller pieces for each, individual side of the cake.
• Paint apricot jam all over your cake. This acts as a glue for your marzipan and also helps to keep your cake moist. 
• Once you have entirely covered your cake in both apricot jam AND your rolled marzipan, place back in your airtight container for at least 24 hours. 
• Then combine your ingredients for the fondant icing, beginning with the beaten egg whites and ending with the glycerin and lemon juice, adding the icing sugar gradually.
• Once all your ingredients have been added, you should be left with a block of fondant icing. Then lightly dust a surface (and your rolling pin) with icing sugar, before rolling your icing out over it.
• Then place your icing over the cake, all in one piece. Don't worry if this doesn't work the first time, simply remove and re-roll!
• Once your cake is completely covered, decorate as you please and be as creative as is humanly possible.

This is a link to a short video about simple ways to decorate your cake if you are struggling for inspiration: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmf627_christmas-cake-decorating-ideas_lifestyle

Simply remember that glitter is your one true love, cake is your passion and brandy is your best friend.

Happy baking and Merry Christmas

Enjoy, K x

Bonfire Night Cupcakes

Bonfire Night isn't usually associated with celebratory cakes and I firmly believe it should be, so here they are. Little pops, bursts and flashes of chocolate and vanilla, firework themed miniature cakes - you can't say fairer than that!

     I decided to use some rainbow cases that had a slightly retro feel, as I always relate Bonfire Night to being a child. The mixture of these cases and the firework display decorations has left me feeling extremely nostalgic...and full (I am after all, my own taster and critic, along with my other dutiful, family assistants!) 

     I decorated each cake differently, with their own 5th of November themed scenes! Each cake has at least one "Magic Star" chocolate and then as many gold/silver stars as I could squeeze on. I did, of course, leave just enough room for some of my inevitable, but more than necessary, cupcake glamour - edible glitter. 

This left each cake chocolaty, sparkly and with a faint galactic swirl of gold and silver. What more could any one cupcake consumer ask for?

     I decided to spread my icing on with a palette knife instead of my usual piping nozzle and bag, to give myself a flat canvas for all my miniature scenes. The cases I used are made by my beloved Kitchen Craft 'Sweetly Does It' range, and the sprinkles I used are, naturally, from "The Happy Cupcake Company" - Bath.

So, here's my recipe:

(For the Sponge)

120g plain flour

140g caster sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

40g salted butter

120ml semi skimmed milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

(For the Frosting)

300g icing sugar

100 salted butter

40g cocoa powder

40ml semi skimmed milk

(For the Decorating Icing)

If you don't wish to make your own decorating icing, you can simply buy white writing icing from any supermarket! If you're feeling particularly creative, follow this recipe and then use a thin icing nozzle to decorate each cake, as you wish!)

60g icing sugar

20g butter

6ml semi-skimmed milk

1 drop of vanilla extract

• When cooking your sponge, simply heat the oven to 170ºC (Gask Mark 3) and cook for 20 minutes. Then remove and leave to cool completely before frosting your cakes!

Have as much fun as you like with your cakes - the more innovate your designs are, the better.

      hope you all have a lovely Bonfire Night!

Enjoy, K x

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