Little Bow Cupcakes

Something I definitely want on a cold rainy day is a nice hot cup of tea, a yummy homemade cake and a hunky man to warm me up. Fortunately 2 of those things are easily provided and I can offer a how-to for the second one! The third one… well Channing Tatum on the tv and a radiator will have to do for that!

So these are lovely little bow cupcakes… I made a larger one for my brothers birthday which I shall blog next.

To make the cupcakes you need:

150g butter
150g caster sugar
3 medium eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

To decorate:
Ready-to-roll icing
Food colouring of your choice
Cookie cutter
Icing sugar 

Baking:

1. Preheat oven to 180c/Gas Mark 4 and line a 12-hole muffin/cupcake tin with paper cases.
2. Pop the butter, sugar, beaten eggs and vanilla extract into a bowl and then sift in flour and baking powder. 
3. Give the mixture a good beat either with or without a hand blender (probs less effort with one!!) Do this for about 2 minutes until it is pale and fluffy to make it taste really light - Almost like a mousse consistency.
4. Spoon the mixture into the cases evenly and bake for around 20-25 minutes.

Decorating:

THE FUN PART!!

1. Cut off a chunk of ready-roll icing and roll it out onto a clean and dry surface. Then get a cookie cutter and cut out a circle of icing.

2. Then put it onto the cupcake with a bit of icing sugar like this:

3. Now we’re ready to do the ribbons… Start by dying some ready to roll icing your chosen colour. To do this you just need to cut off a chunk and then pour a few drops of colouring on to it and then knead it so that it is fully covered. Roll out this icing…

4. Then cut out a strip about 1-2cm thick

5. Cut it up so you have two small pieces, which will be used to make the bows. 

6. Keep the extra bit handy as it will be used later to go over the bows. Once you’ve cut them up just careful curl each one round and use a little icing to stick each end to each other.

7. Make up all 12 sets of bows and leave them aside to harden up a bit. Cut out two strips about the same size as the one made for the bows and place them over the cupcake in a cross.

8. Then stick the bows onto the cake using icing and use the left over pieces of icing strips to place over the top of the little bows.

The effort is worth it in the end :D

Rose Cupcakes

These rose cupcakes are so yummy and as ever… easy to make! I got the recipe from the hummingbird bakery book Cake Days… so they really are good!

Makes 12-16

For the Cupcake:

80g unsalted butter
280g caster sugar
240g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp rosewater
240ml milk
2 large eggs

For the Frosting: 

500g icing sugar
160g unsalted butter
3 tsp rosewate
50ml whole milk
Ready to roll icing

1. Preheat your oven to 190c, gas mark 5 and line a muffin tin with muffin cases.

2. Whisk together butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt, until its the consistency of breadcrumbs.

3. Mix rosewater in a jug with milk and then add the eggs and whisk them together. Pour 3/4 of milk mixture into dry ingredients and mix firstly on a low speed and then on a medium speed. Continue to to mix until smooth and thick and then add the remaining milk mixture and keep mixing on a medium speed until all ingredients are mixed together and batter is smooth.

4. Pop the mixture in the muffin cases evenly and then put them in the oven for 18-20 mins.

5. When cupcakes are springy to the touch, take them out and leave them to cool.

6. To make the frosting beat together the icing sugar and butter until butter is mixed in, it will still be powdery at this point! Mix the rosewater and milk together separately and then pour into the dry mix and mix until light and fluffy.

7. Smooth the frosting over the tops of the cupcakes with a palette knife.

8. I decorate the cupcakes using ready to roll icing and cutting out a little flower shape, but the book recommend putting some candied rose petals on top!

Bunting Cupcakes

Following the fun of the London Olympics I wanted to make some cute cupcakes to celebrate the closing ceremony. So I decided to make some bunting cupcakes, they are cute, celebratory and British.

What you need::

150g butter
150g caster sugar
3 medium eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

To decorate:
Ready-to-roll icing
Variety of food colouring
Cookie cutter
Icing sugar 

Baking:

1. Preheat oven to 180c/Gas Mark 4 and line a 12-hole muffin/cupcake tin with paper cases.
2. Pop the butter, sugar, beaten eggs and vanilla extract into a bowl and then sift in flour and baking powder. 
3. Give the mixture a good beat either with or without a hand blender (probs less effort with one!!) Do this for about 2 minutes until it is pale and fluffy to make it taste really light - Almost like a mousse consistency.
4. Spoon the mixture into the cases evenly and bake for around 20-25 minutes.

Decorating:

1. For decorating the cupcakes you need to cut off some white ready to roll icing, place some dry icing sugar onto a surface and roll the icing out. 

2. Use the cookie cutter to make circles that will cover each cupcake. Use a little made up icing from the icing sugar to stick the circles onto the cupcake.

3. Then cut off a few pieces of ready to roll icing and colour each of them using the food colouring. Knead in each of the chunks till it is all that colour (so that there are no streaky bits of colour and it is an even solid colour.

4. Spread some icing powder on to a surface and roll out each chunk. 

4. Using a knife to cut out little triangles. Align four of the traingles in each of the colours onto the cupcake and stick them on with a little icing.

I also made some flower ones as well using a flower shaped cutter. 

Heart Cupcakes

Heart cupcakes for the people you love… or just for yourself to munch on with a cuppa tea after work! Simple and quick baking and decorating.

Here is the recipe:

150g butter
150g caster sugar
3 medium eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

To decorate:
Ready-to-roll icing
Pink and blue colouring
cookie cutter
Heart Cookie cutter
Icing sugar 

Baking:

1. Preheat oven to 180c/Gas Mark 4 and line a 12-hole muffin/cupcake tin with paper cases.
2. Pop the butter, sugar, beaten eggs and vanilla extract into a bowl and then sift in flour and baking powder. 
3. Give the mixture a good beat either with or without a hand blender (probs less effort with one!!) Do this for about 2 minutes until it is pale and fluffy to make it taste really light - Almost like a mousse consistency.
4. Spoon the mixture into the cases evenly and bake for around 20-25 minutes.

Decorating:

1. For decorating the cupcakes all you need to do is cut off 3 chunks of the ready-to-roll icing, add some pink to one chunk and blue to another, leaving the last one white.

2. Knead in each of the chunks till it is all that colour (so that there are no streaky bits of colour and it is an even solid colour.

3. Spread some icing powder on to a surface and roll out each chunk. 

4. Use a cookie cutter to cut out circles, you’ll want about 4 of each colour. Then cut out a heart in each of these circles.

5. Stick the circles with the heart holes in onto each of the cupcakes using made up icing sugar. Then stick different coloured hearts into the heart shaped holes, like this:

And its all done! So put the kettle on and enjoy!