Jam & Coconut Sponge

Many people may remember this pud as a school dinner favourite! There are not many foods I miss from school dinners but this is one that I do! Along with my brother who asked me to make some… so I did!

Its really simple and takes hardly any time at all..

Ingredients:

200g butter
175g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
200g self raising flour
A few tbsps (depending on how jammy you want it) of jam (I used raspberry) 
5 tbsps of desiccated coconut.

The how to:

1. Preheat your oven to gas mark 4/170c and then grease and line a square tin of around 25cm with greaseproof paper.

2. Mix together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until the mixture is pale looking.

3. Whisk the eggs in a seperate bowl and gradually pour them in to the mix a long with a few tbsps of the flour.

4. Fold in the rest of the flour and mix until its all combined.

5. Then pour the mixture into your tin and make sure it is spread out evenly. Put it in the oven for around 30 mins.

6. Once it is springy to touch, take it out and leave it to cool down for a bit before transferring it on to a wire rack to cool completely.

7. Once it is cool, spread the jam over the top evenly and then sprinkle with the coconut… EASY PEASY.

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

Banana Breakfast Loaf

So I am not really a breakfast person at least not early in the morning anyway! I am more of an elevenses girl! I love breakfast loafs and muffins so I decided to make a relatively healthy(ish) banana bread that I can eat with a cuppa in the morning! Instead of making a large loaf, I decided to make mini ones so that they will stay a little fresher and look a little cuter :D. They are good for pack lunches as well… they will be going in my Dad and Brother’s in the morning! 

Ingredients:

• 75g butter
• 110g golden caster sugar (I just used caster sugar)
• 125g plain flour
• 100g wholemeal flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 50g pecans, snap each piece in half.
• Mini loaf cases. You can get them from Asda: http://groceries.asda.com/asda-estore/products/products.jsp?skuId=910000436964&departmentid=1214921923813&aisleid=1214921925099&startValue=4201
• Icing sugar
  
  

To make:

1. Heat the oven to 180c/fan 170c/gas mark 4.

2. Beat the butter, sugar, both flours, baking powder, eggs and banana together. Then stir in the pecans and spoon into the mini loaf cases…

3. Bake for 35-40 minutes and then leave to cool down. Drizzle icing over the top and finish off with a pecan on top.

Yuuuummmm :)

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!