Category: Cake

November 2, 2015

Oh hey honey

October 31st. 19C in London, beautiful sunshine.

November 1st. Fog, cold, winter has arrived.

Don’t you just love the British weather?! Its unpredictability is a constant irritation to me but I do adore the seasons. I’m very glad I don’t live somewhere that’s variations on one temperature all year round.

It’s starting to feel a little festive this week at Fabrefaction HQ. It’s bonfire night on Thursday, and we are having a housewarming party this weekend to welcome the new housies. It would be rude not to provide our guests with some treats, and even ruder not to acknowledge the approach of Mr Frost.

So here we are, the perfect recipe to bridge autumn and winter, mini gingerbread and honey cupcakes. If you don’t fancy the hassle you could always make this as a traybake, perhaps doubling the recipe (I halved it).

You will need

For the cake:

250g/9 oz plain flour

100g/3.5 oz golden syrup

75g/2.5 oz light soft brown sugar

75g/2.5 oz lard (yes, lard)

40g/1.5 oz treacle

140ml/4.5 fl oz milk

1 egg

1 tsp ground ginger (feel free to add more)

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the icing:

300g/10.5 oz icing sugar

150g/5.25 oz unsalted butter

6 tbsp runny honey

For the sugar shards:

100g/3.5 oz caster sugar

(makes 35 mini cakes)

Step one

Melt the lard, golden syrup and treacle over a low heat.

Yes the lard will separate and create a glossy sheen on the surface, and yes you will think how unappetising it looks, but trust me on this one…it’s one of those recipes passed from generation to generation in my family, I’m just giving it a little facelift and daren’t replace the lard, just in case somehow Grandma is watching.

Step two

Combine the sugar, ginger, flour and bicarbonate of soda.

Make a well in the middle and start to whisk in the egg. Stop when you get to the consistency in the third picture down because otherwise you risk making lumps you won’t be able to get out.

Step three

Pop the milk in the microwave to heat for 30 seconds to a minute until warm. Add to the centre of the mixture and continue to whisk gently until the milk and the egg are combined, but again don’t try and mix in all the flour.

Step four

Pour in the melted treacle, golden syrup and lard mix and stir until it’s all mixed together.

Step five

Spoon the mixture into your cases. I got a bulk order of these paper condiment cups last year for the hot chocolate stirrers I made for Christmas. I will NEVER find a way to use them all up.

If you have normal mini cupcake/muffin cases the same rules apply, about a teaspoon and a half of mixture in each. You will probably need to put them in a muffin tin though. These little cases had enough of their own structure so I put them on a baking tray.

Bake for 15 minutes on 180C/gas mark 4/350F.

Step six

Whisk together the icing/frosting ingredients, make sure to cover your bowl with a tea towel; icing sugar will make your kitchen sticky for weeks otherwise.

Step seven

Confession time. I didn’t photograph this stage. Partly because I was a bit grumpy, partly because my camera was running out of battery and partly because my level of clumsiness, hot sugar and baking selfies are not a strong combination. Forgive me.

All you need to do to make the decorative caramel shards is gently heat the caster sugar in a saucepan until the vast majority has melted and turned caramel in colour. Don’t stir, don’t swish, just wait.

Remove from heat and lay out a sheet of greaseproof paper. With a fork trail the caramel back and forth across the paper. It will need to cool a little until it is stringy enough to do this, but it will get there. You don’t have to make individual cake toppers, just criss cross to make one massive one and break it up to get the shards.

It’s waaaaaay easier than you’d think and super effective looking.

(If you aren’t eating your cakes that day I recommend saving this step until the day of. I’m freeing most of mine bare and decorating them on party day)

Step eight

Ice your cakes however you please, I’m a diehard fan of the piping bag. I sprinkled a little bit of cinnamon on mine before adding the caramel shards.

Enjoy!

October 5, 2015

Save it for a drizzly day

This is a recipe for a cake you might have spotted in my wrap up post for Vicky’s hen party. I made some vague comment about getting round to it at some point. So here it is.

Lemon drizzle is one of my go-to bakes when I’m in a rush or don’t have the energy to figure out something new. It’s super handy because often you will have the ingredients and just need to grab a lemon. It’s always a crowd pleaser and really quick and easy to make and transport. I prefer to make it in a brownie tin as a tray bake, I’m of the opinion that it bakes quicker and serves more people this way. Plus I often find loaf cakes get a bit of a dry crust while you’re waiting for the inside to cook. No such problem here.

I present to you the lemon drizzle tray bake.

Disclaimer: I usually use ounces to weigh this one out because I was brought up on ounces and gas marks (thanks mum), I’m still getting my head round grams and celsius since flying the nest. The UK will forever be trapped between the imperial and metric systems…

You will need

For the cake:

6 oz/170g self raising flour

6 oz/170g softened butter or margarine (I use stork)

6 oz/170g caster sugar (golden if you have it)

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 lemon zest

For the drizzle:

3 oz/85g caster sugar

The juice of your zested lemon

(Makes 15)

Step one

I like to sort my lemon out first and get it out of the way.

Grate the lemon on a fine setting on your grater. Place in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and roll around on the surface to release the juices. Cut in half and use a fork or a juicing thingy to squeeze as much juice as you can out of each bit.

Set the zest and juice aside.

Step two

Beat together the margarine and sugar. I like to use an electric hand whisk for most cakes to keep them light and fluffy, but you can do this with a wooden spoon too.

Add the vanilla and eggs and beat again until combined. Don’t worry if the mix looks a bit split/curdled, the flour will bring it back together.

Step three

Add the flour and lemon zest and stir with your whisk (leaving the power off). Once the flour is about half combined you can turn your whisk back on to finish it. If you turn the whisk on to start with you will be wearing more flour than is in the bowl.

Step four

Grease and line a brownie tray. Drop the mixture into the tin and spread out gently with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula until even.

Place in a pre heated oven on gas mark 4/350F/180C for 30-35 minutes. It will go a light golden brown on top and a sharp knife poked into the middle will remove clean when it is cooked.

Step five

About 5 minutes before your cake is cooked, mix the 3oz/85g caster sugar with the lemon juice you squeezed earlier. You will probably need to give it another quick little stir before you pour it.

Step six

As soon as you take the cake out of the oven pour the drizzle evenly over the surface of the cake. Sometimes I take a spoon to the corners to collect the bits that have run down and redistribute them elsewhere.

Allow to cool and cut into squares.

September 28, 2015

Choco-mania

It has been too long without a post featuring chocolate, hasn’t it? That question was rhetorical.

In case you hadn’t noticed from perusing this blog, I’m a pretty big fan of the stuff. If you bake these then you will be too, or a bigger fan at the end of it. They are gooey, rich and wonderful even if I do say so myself.

Welcome, friend, to death by chocolate brownie meringue cupcakes.

You will need

For the brownie:

250g/9 oz unsalted butter

250g/9 oz soft brown sugar (either light or dark is fine)

200g/7 oz dark chocolate

150g/5.5 oz milk chocolate

85g/3 oz plain flour

3 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

For the meringue

300g/10.5 oz golden caster sugar

100g/3.5 oz cocoa powder

6 egg whites

1-2 tsp cornflour

(makes 16-18)

Step one

Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and add the dark and milk chocolate along with the butter. Remove from the heat once fully melted.

Step two

Whisk the eggs with an electric whisk, adding the sugar as you go in thirds. Keep whisking until the mix starts to thicken and goes glossy. Thin ribbons of the mixture should remain visible on the surface when you remove the beaters.

Step three

Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the eggs and stir gently with a metal spoon or a spatula until well combined.

Step three and a half

A careful reader spotted I missed out this step, thanks Gill!

Gently fold in the flour and baking powder.

Step four

Using a jug, fill the cupcake cases between two-thirds and three quarters full.

Bake in a preheated oven on 180C/gas mark 4/350F for 25 minutes.

Step five

With about 5 minutes to go on the baking of the brownies, make the meringues.

Add a third of the golden caster sugar to the egg whites and start to whisk them until they are stiff. Basically, when you can turn the bowl upside down without anything falling out you’re good to go.

Step six

Beat in the rest of the sugar for another minute or two.

Step seven

Fold in the cocoa and cornflour. Do this as if you are stirring a bowl of kittens. Try not to hurt your meringue.

Step eight

Remove the brownies from the oven. Don’t worry, they sink, one day I might bother to adjust the recipe accordingly to stop that happening but they are so tasty the way they are.

Scoop the meringue onto the cupcakes, you can pipe them if you’re feeling fancy/getting to the piping nozzles wouldn’t involve the contents of your cupboard falling on your head.

Step nine

Return to the oven and turn it down to 140C/gas mark 1/275F. Bake for a further 30 minutes. Then turn the oven off but leave the door closed and allow to cool inside the oven for as long as you can resist them.

Step ten

You probably bought your chocolate in 200g bars, meaning that if you haven’t scoffed it already you will have 50g milk chocolate left over. Melt this down and drizzle on top.

If you’ve eaten it already, there’s no shame in that, and your cakes will still be delicious.

I thought the gif this week should benefit me. So for the sake of the blog I just HAD to eat one.

See you next week pals.

June 22, 2015

Tunnock’s teacupcakes

Fanfare please! We have reached the final post of the British favourites series. This has been fun, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it, but I for one am looking forward to eating something other than cupcakes soon. Safe to say my family and friends have enjoyed themselves the past few weeks. I should probably do a detox series next.

What better way to top this all off than with the Tunnock’s tea cake? The Tunnock’s bakery was founded in 1890, I’m not sure when the idea of the teacake popped into Mr Tunnock’s head but I’m sure glad it did.

You will need

For the cake:

185g/6.5 oz self raising flour

185g/6.5 oz butter/margarine (I use Stork)

185g/6.5 oz caster sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp vanilla extract/paste

For the filling:

200g/7 oz milk chocolate

150ml/5 fl oz double cream

For the frosting/icing:

2 egg whites

225g/8oz caster sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

75ml/2.5 fl oz water

250g/9oz milk chocolate (for coating)

(makes 12)

Step one

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. If you have an electric whisk it’d be a good idea to use it.

Add the eggs and whisk again until combined.

Step two

Pop in the vanilla extract, flour and bicarbonate of soda and whisk again. You might want to pre-stir a little before turning on the whisk to avoid flour going everywhere.

Step three

Spoon the mixture into cases (preferably silver and red foil ones to stay on brand) and bake in a preheated oven on gas mark 4/180C/350F for 20-25 minutes.

Step four

Make the ganache filling by chopping the chocolate finely and putting in a heatproof bowl. Gently heat the cream in a saucepan until you start to see little bubbles at the side and steam floating on the surface.

Pour the cream over the chocolate and use a hand whisk to melt the chocolate into the cream. Set aside to cool.

Step five

The third and final time we’re making seven minute frosting in this series, so you should be a dab hand by now. If you’ve not made this before then it’s quite straightforward, no need to be intimidated.

Pop a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Add the egg whites, sugar, water and cream of tartare and whisk for, well, seven minutes.

When you’re finished the mixture should be able to hold its shape, and not drop off a spoon when held upside down (stiff peaks).

Step six

Make a hole in the cupcakes and remove the spongey bit from the cut out. Fill with ganache and pop the ‘lid’ back on. I then spread a little of the meringue frosting over the surface to even it out a little. Pipe the frosting onto the cake using a round nozzle and holding pointed directly down at the cake (perpendicular) and squeeze.

Put in the freezer for a few hours.

Step seven

Melt the chocolate either by putting in the microwave for 20 second bursts, or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.

You need to find a shallow but wide pot/cup to use for dipping. It needs to be wide enough for the cupcake and your fingers.

Remove the cupcakes from the freezer and dip them in the chocolate.

Leave to set.

Fin.

June 15, 2015

Stickeh toffeh

There’s no way I could sleep at night if I didn’t include this next dessert in my British Favourites series.

I mean, I could probably sleep at night, I sleep like a baby, but sticky toffee pudding is one of the best puds Britain has produced. It wouldn’t be right not to feature it here.

So without further ado, here’s the recipe for sticky toffee cupcakes, enjoy my friends.

You will need

For the cakes:

200g/7 oz plain flour

160g/5.5 oz soft brown sugar

100g/3.5 oz unsalted butter/margarine (I use Stork for cakes)

150g/5 oz dates (medjool)

2 eggs

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the toffee filling:

200g/7 oz sweetened condensed milk (half a tin)

100g/3.5 oz soft brown sugar

100g/3.5 oz unsalted butter (used salted if you prefer salted caramel to a more dulce de leche/toffee flavour)

50ml/1.75 fl oz double cream

For the toffee frosting/icing:

400g/14 oz of the toffee filling

100g/3.5 oz unsalted butter

100g/3.5 oz icing sugar

Dairy fudge pieces for decoration

(makes 12)

Step one

Cakes first chaps.

Whisk together the sugar and butter until smooth. Add the eggs and whisk again until the mix is fully combined.

Step two

Add the flour and bicarbonate of soda and whisk again. The batter should be light and fluffy.

Step three

Chop the dates up into the mixture. I just used scissors for this.

Stir in so they are evenly distributed.

Step four

Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases. Two dessert spoons in each should do the trick.

Bake on gas mark 4/180C/350F for 20-25 minutes. I overdid mine a bit so perhaps closer to the 20 minute end is better.

Step five

Place all of the filling ingredients into a saucepan and put on a low-medium heat until all are melted.

Turn the heat up until the mix reaches a gentle boil. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat, pour into a heatproof bowl and leave to cool, you can pop in in the fridge after about half an hour to speed up the process.

Step six

For the toffee frosting add 400g of the toffee mix to 100g of butter and 100g of icing sugar. The butter and toffee should be at room temperature.

Step seven

Cut a hole in the middle of the cupcakes and remove the sponge bit, keeping the top. Fill with the remaining toffee and replace the cake lid. Pipe on the frosting and sprinkle with dairy fudge pieces. You can buy these in the home baking section but I prefer to buy the big bags of individually wrapped ones and chop them into smaller pieces myself. You get WAY more for your money that way.

June 8, 2015

Rhubarb and custard

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you might remember my dear mother’s ventures into gardening. Last year I made a rhubarb and honey cake from one of her crops, and this year’s slotted in nicely into this cupcake series. For where would the British public be without rhubarb and custard?

Ok, let’s be honest. We’d probably be fine without rhubarb and custard. I’m not even sure people eat it that much nowadays. But it is pretty nice baked into a cupcake, they really are a great pair. Maybe we ought to resurrect it. Starting now.

Go forth and bake people of Britain (and the rest of the world too if you’re reading this).

You will need

For the cakes:

250g/8.75 oz plain flour

250g/8.75 oz caster sugar

300ml/10 fl oz water

6 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the rhubarb filling:

200g/7 oz rhubarb

6 tbsp granulated sugar

3 tbsp water

For the custard frosting/icing:

250g/8.75 oz unsalted butter

225g/8 oz packet custard (yes, I used a carton of ambrosia, so sue me)

75g/2.5 oz icing sugar

Vanilla pod/paste (extract is fine, but I wanted the flecks)

(makes 12)

Step one

Start with the cupcakes. Combine the dry ingredients and make a well in the middle.

Pour the water, oil, extract and vinegar into the centre. Using a hand whisk, stir in small circles, gradually widening the circle until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Doing it gradually prevents lumps of flour in the batter.

Step two

Use a jug to pour the batter into the cases. Bake on gas mark 4/350F/180C for 20-25 minutes.

Step three

Chop the rhubarb into small slices.

Step four

Put the rhubarb, water and sugar into a frying pan and set to a low-medium temperature. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat up and bring to a simmer.

The rhubarb will break down and the whole thing will start to resemble jam. Allow it to thicken a bit, about 10 minutes on the heat will do the trick.

If you want to you could sieve this into more of a rhubarb puree. I didn’t bother and they were still tasty. Just to reassure you, everything softens enough so there’s no weird stringy texture or anything.

Set aside to cool.

Step five

For the custard buttercream whisk the butter with an electric whisk until smooth, light and fluffy.

Add the custard a few tablespoons at a time, whisking in between. You can add the icing sugar and vanilla somewhere in the middle there.

This is a slight wandering from the German buttercream recipes that use custard and butter. I needed a little sweetener to take away a little from the butter flavour.

Step six

Cut a hole in the cupcake and remove the sponge bit, keeping just the top. Fill with rhubarb and replace the cake ‘lid’. Pipe on the buttercream and some sprinkles if you have them.

Take a big old bite of nostalgia.

June 1, 2015

When life gives you lemons

GUYS. I GOT A BLOWTORCH.

I won’t regale you with the tale of trying to fuel said blowtorch because it’s an epic tragedy to rival those of the Greeks. However, at LAST the correct butane was obtained and I held FIRE in my hands. It’s dangerous really. I’m incredibly clumsy. But hey, I’ve wanted one for years, and I was not disappointed.

You don’t actually need a blowtorch for this recipe, but I think everyone should have one so we can compare notes.

So moving on from my pyromaniac tendencies…my mum’s lemon meringue pie takes some beating. And by that, I mean, nobody has beaten it. Ever. I have a separate stomach that’s just for lemon meringue pie.

There would be no completing this British favourites series (not that we’re completing it today, buckle up friend) without lemon meringue pie. I’m actually a bit torn, because how can you convert something as delicious as lemon meringue into a cupcake recipe? Well. I tried it. They’re pretty yummy.

You will need

For the cake:

185g/6.5 oz self raising flour

185g/6.5 oz butter/margarine (I use Stork)

185g/6.5 oz caster sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp vanilla extract/paste

For the frosting/icing:

2 egg whites

225g/8oz caster sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

75ml/2.5 fl oz water

BLOWTORCH (optional)

For the lemon curd:

2 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

85g/3 oz caster sugar

60g/2 oz butter

90ml/3 fl oz freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons should do)

Zest of two lemons

(makes 12)

Step one

Using an electric whisk (if you have one, otherwise a wooden spoon will do), whisk together the butter/margarine and sugar.

Add the eggs once the batter is light and fluffy and beat again until combined.

Step two

Add the flour and bicarbonate of soda, vanilla essence if you have it, and whisk until you have a lovely airy consistency.

Step three

Spoon the batter into 12 cupcake cases and bake for 20-25 minutes on 350F/180C/gas mark 4.

Once out of the oven leave to cool completely.

Step four

Zest the lemons.

Roll them around on a smooth, clean surface pressing down firmly. You can also pop them in the microwave for 10-20 seconds. This is all in aide of releasing the juices.

Squeeze the juice until you have 90ml, don’t worry if you’re slightly over or under.

Step five

Set a heatproof bowl above a pan of barely simmering water, ensuring the water isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl.

Add all the curd ingredients.

I’ve sort of been judging the readiness of this by eye. I reckon it takes around 10 minutes for the curd to thicken.

Whisk intermittently and just keep an eye on it. It will thicken more when it cools but ensure that it coats the back of a metal spoon before removing from the heat.

Step six

Sieve the curd by stirring it through with a metal spoon.

Pop it in the fridge to cool it down quicker if you need to.

Step six

This is the second time I’ve made swiss meringue/seven minute frosting in this series. It’s so much easier than you would think.

Put the water, sugar, cream of tartar and egg whites into a heatproof bowl. This should be placed over a pan of simmering water. Again, don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl.

Whisk it for seven minutes, don’t leave it. It should be able to hold its own shape and not fall off the whisk when you lift it. If it’s not stiff enough just keep whisking for another minute or two.

Step seven

Cut a hole out out of the middle of the cupcakes and chop off the triangular bit, keeping the ‘lid’. Fill with curd and place the lid back on.

Pipe the frosting on, or even spoon on like a proper old fashioned lemon meringue pie.

If you have a blowtorch, singe that bad boy. If you don’t, look at your feet and have a little sad moment. Don’t worry though, your cupcakes will still be delicious.

Enjoy!

May 25, 2015

Minty fresh

Welcome back friend.

Week five of the British favourites cupcakes, and before we begin, I have a minor claim to fame on this one. My grandad used to engrave the embossing plates for the clock that characterises this evening treat. You know the old one with all the swirls n’ stuff.

Any guesses? The After Eight dinner mint you say? Dang straight.

Now, I know mint as a flavour polarises people, but I’m generally a fan. I can do away with a whole box of these if I’m in the right mood.

As far as the cake version goes, you don’t have to go too crazy, a little hint of mint really sets off the dark chocolate in this recipe nicely. The cake is made without eggs and butter so it’s light and fluffy allowing for a nice rich ganache icing. This is probably one of the easiest recipes in this little series, so if baking makes you nervous, start here.

As I’ve started sounding like the baking equivalent of a used car salesman we better make a start.

You will need

For the cakes:

250g/8.5 oz plain flour

250g/8.5 oz caster sugar

30g/1 oz cocoa powder

300ml/10 fl oz water

6 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling:

150g/5.5 oz icing sugar

1 1/2 tbsp water

1 tsp peppermint extract

For the ganache icing:

175ml/6 fl oz double cream

250g/8.5 oz dark chocolate

The little extras (you know, it’s polite to stay on brand):

Edible gold powder

Black muffin/cupcake cases

(makes 12)

Step one

To make the cakes, mix together the caster sugar, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and plain flour.

Make a well in the middle.

Step two

In a jug combine the oil, water, vanilla extract and vinegar.

Pour the wet ingredients into the middle of the dry ones. Using a hand whisk stir in small circles at the middle to gradually incorporate the dry ingredients without getting lumps.

Step three

Pour the mixture into 12 cupcake cases. The mix will be fairly worryingly close to the tops of the cases but you shouldn’t have any problems, they aren’t the biggest risers.

To do this, I usually put the batter back into the jug I used for the wet ingredients in step two because it’s pretty runny.

Step four

Bake on 180C/350F/gas mark 4 for 20-25 minutes.

Step five

Finely chop the dark chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. People who have been reading my blog for a while will be sick of hearing this, but a bread knife does a great job on chocolate. You can chop it real thin without bits flying off everywhere.

Gently heat the cream in a saucepan until it just begins to bubble. Stir constantly. It doesn’t take long for it to heat to this point so not a time to go and hang your washing out.

Once the cream has heated pour over the chocolate and stir with a whisk until fully combined.

Step six

Combine the filling ingredients. I felt it fairly unnecessary to photograph this bit. I reckon you’ll manage just fine on your own.

Step seven

Fill and ice the cupcakes. Remove a bit of cake from the middle by running a small knife around in a circle. Cut the pointed bit off, fill the hole and place just the lid on top.

Pipe on the ganache using your favourite nozzle. You’ll know it’s cool enough when a spoonful of mixture holds its shape when dropped back onto the rest.

Step eight

If you have it, paint on the gold powder. I’m a sucker for the details. You can get this kind of thing fairly cheaply at most UK supermarkets nowadays.

Eat them at any time in the day you like. I recommend breakfast personally, there’s an 8 in the morning too.

May 18, 2015

Witty title here

Burning the midnight oil to bring you this week’s British favourite. The reason being is that my rather lovely friend took me along to a screen printing workshop for a little birthday treat tonight. If you want to have a cheeky stalk there’s a *few* pictures on Instagram.

Back to this week though, and the question of a another cupcake and a few bananas. Of course, it’s about time the classic banoffee pie made an appearance in this little series. There’re few things that pair better than banana and caramel in my opinion, so it took quite a lot of focus not to just make the toffee filling and skip off to the garden with a bowl of banana to suffocate in sauce. I mean, if you’re going to eat fruit, do it right.

So, without further ado, here go the banoffee pie cupcakes.

You will need

For the cakes:

140g/5 oz self raising flour

140g/5 oz caster sugar

140g/5 oz unsalted butter/margarine

2 eggs

2 ripe-over ripe bananas

1 tsp baking powder

For the filling:

200g/7 oz sweetened condensed milk (half a tin)

100g/3.5 oz soft brown sugar

100g/3.5 oz unsalted butter (used salted if you prefer salted caramel to a more dulce de leche/toffee flavour)

50ml/1.75 fl oz double cream

For the frosting/icing

350g/12.5 oz icing sugar

250g/9 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)

150ml/5 fl oz double cream

Vanilla essence/paste/pod

(makes 12)

Step one

Using an electric whisk if you have one, a wooden spoon if not, beat together the butter/margarine and caster sugar until light and fluffy. I use Stork margarine for sponge as it’s pretty cheap and does the trick well.

Step two

Chop up the banana. You can mash it if you want but the whisk kinda does the work for you so why bother? The riper the bananas the more intense the flavour.

Add the eggs and banana to the mix and whisk until combined.

Step three

Whisk in the flour and baking powder, stir it in a little first with the beaters to prevent a mushroom cloud of flour hitting you in the face.

Step four

Distribute the mixture evenly between 12 cupcake/muffin cases. Usually about two rounded dessert spoons in each is a nice amount.

Step five

Bake on gas mark 4/350F/180C for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch.

Step six

While the cakes are in the oven, make the filling by combining all the ingredients in a small/medium saucepan.

Gently melt the mixture on a low heat and then turn it up to medium. Boil slowly for 7-10 minutes stirring the whole time. See those flecks in my mix? Took my eyes off the prize.

Allow to cool completely before use.

Step seven

Combine the icing ingredients by gently stirring the icing sugar and butter together before putting the whisk on the lowest setting. Add the cream and the vanilla once they’ve started to combine. The double cream will thicken it nicely and add a lightness to the texture.

It’s really yummy but probably not the best for piping consistency, so I wouldn’t dream up fancy decoration with this one. That’s pretty consistent with a banoffee pie anyway, when was the last time you saw a pretty one of those? Yeah. Exactly.

Step eight

If you’ve been following this series so far then you know the drill by now. Cut a hole in the cupcake with a small sharp knife and discard the middle bit, keeping only the lid. Fill with the toffee sauce and replace the cake lid. Spread the icing on top and grate over a little chocolate for an authentic look.

Bon(offee) apetit!

May 11, 2015

The only good thing to come from Eton*

Eton Mess. One of the best summer puds going. You might disagree with me, but you would be wrong. There’s nothing quite like strawberries and meringue where this person is concerned. I’ll even put down my chocolate for it. Though, most likely, if I’m at a barbecue, I’m just skipping the savoury to make way for the chocolate option and the Eton Mess.

Enough of my complete incapacity to avoid sweet things. Onto this week’s British favourites cupcake instead. Probably unsurprisingly given my rambling introduction it’s the recipe for Eton Mess cupcakes.

This recipe uses seven minute swiss meringue frosting. It’s the first time I’ve made it and it was pretty darn easy, so definitely give it a bash. I did notice that over a couple of days it hardens and basically becomes a meringue, and mine was a touch gritty. I think the best thing to do is make them and allow to sit out for a couple of hours so the outside hardens a little but the inside is still fluffy and smooth. A make on the day jobby if you can I reckon.

*Any association to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

You will need

For the cake:

185g/6.5 oz self raising flour

185g/6.5 oz butter/margarine (I use Stork)

185g/6.5 oz caster sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp vanilla extract/paste

For the centre:

Strawberry jam (yeah, I cheated. feel 100% free to make your own, I tip my hat to you)

For the frosting/icing:

2 egg whites

225g/8oz caster sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

75ml/2.5 fl oz water

If you’re fancy like me then some freeze dried strawberries to sprinkle wouldn’t go amiss.

(makes 12)

Step one

Whisk together the margarine and caster sugar until the mix is light and fluffy. If you are using butter then make sure it’s room temperature else the sugar will fly everywhere and you will just have a block of butter stuck in the middle of your whisk.

I used some strange hybrid which was Stork in a block form. Curious.

Step two

Add the eggs and whisk again until combined. Don’t worry if the mixture looks split, there’s just too much liquid at this stage. Time to add the flour.

Step three

Add the vanilla, flour and bicarbonate of soda and beat with your electric whisk until smooth as above.

Step four

Distribute the mixture evenly between 12 cupcake cases. Usually about two rounded dessert spoons into each case does the trick.

Bake on 180C/gas mark 4/350F for 25 minutes until golden and springy to the touch.

Step five

It’s seven minute frosting time.

Don’t get scared, I’ve been meaning to try this for ages but kept putting it off because I thought it looked like a pain. In fact, the hardest part was separating the eggs, and it’s so satisfying to pipe. I think I’m maybe a bit too into baking…

Anyway. Put the water, sugar, cream of tartar and egg whites into a heatproof bowl. This should be placed over a pan of simmering water. Don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl.

Whisk, for, you guessed it, seven minutes. It should be able to hold its own shape and not fall off the whisk when you lift it. If it’s not stiff enough just keep whisking for another minute or two.

I wouldn’t really recommend this if you don’t have an electric whisk.

Step six

Cut a hole in the middle of your cupcakes with a small sharp knife. Remove the pointy bit, just keeping the top. Place excess cake in mouth.

Fill the hole with jam and place the lid back on.

Fill a piping bag with the swiss meringue frosting and pipe on in your preferred way. I used a fairly standard star shaped nozzle for this.

Sprinkle with freeze dried strawberries, or maybe pop a fresh one on there if you have some going.

Enjoy!