Mini Victoria Sponges

Recently bought some new toys from Lakeland.

One of which was a 12 pan mini cake tin with loose bottoms.

I used the recipe provided on the website for a Victoria sponge.

It's a really easy recipe and made incredibly delicious individual Victoria sponges. I was pretty popular the day I took them into work!

Birthday Cupcakes

It was my aunts 50th birthday yesterday so I made cupcakes for her party.

The theme was purple and silver so I went purple and lilac flowers and butterflies with plenty of silvery glitter.

They went down rather well if I may say so myself.

Say hello to Herman

I was given a little gift at work today from a fellow cake baker. And his name was Herman. I'd not heard of this before but from my newly learned understanding, this is a chain letter, but instead of paper and words you have flour, milk,sugar and yeast. My little pot smelt all beery and yeasty (not really suprising) I took him home and following the first of my instructions for the next ten days. So now Herman is quite happily bubbling away in a big bowl with a tea towel over him. So for the next two days I simply have to show him a little love by stirring him. Then on the fourth day he'll be fed. I'll keep you up to date with his progress and how he turns out (hopefully rather tasty) If you wanna read a little more about it head over to the Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/nov/30/a-friendship-cake-called-herman

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bars

So these beauties are out of the Fat Witch Brownies book. But I wouldn't class these as brownies (I mean wheres the brown). There are amazingly tastey though, whatever they are.

The recipe below is slightly adapted from the book. Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup light soft brown sugar
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
200g ish of milk chocolate

1. Beat the eggs and sugars until smooth.
2. Add in both butters and vanilla, beat.
3. Mix in flour and baking powder until well combined.

4. Chop up your chocolate of choice (you can use choc chips, but I prefer the chunkiness of chocolate this brings)

5. Mix the chocolate into the batter.

6. Spread batter into a greased and floured 9x9 pan. This is a really thick mixture so it can take some force to get it spread out.

7. Bake for 25 mins in an oven preheated to 180c

8. Let it cool on a wire rack.

9. Most importantly. Be patient. If you try and cut this when its too hot it will colapse and be a bit of a mess. So let it set up a little bit before cutting it into squares. I normally get 16 out of a batch.

Raspberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes

I've made these a couple of times before and they have always gone down well, so I felt it was time to break out my Primrose Hill Bakery Book once again.
These would be perfect for valentines day.

My recipe below is slightly different to that in the book but still equally as tastey.

For the cakes:
110g butter
180g caster sugar
2 eggs
240g plain flour
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
125ml skimmed milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste
3 tablespoons/half a jar of seedless raspberry jam

1. Cream the butter and sugar for a few minutes until smooth.
2. Add the eggs one by one mixing well after each addition
3. Add one third of the flour and baking powder, mix well.
4. Pour in a third of the milk and mix.
5. Repeat until all flour and milk have been added.
6. Add in the vanilla paste and give it one final good mix.

7. Add raspberry jam and fold it into the mixture to give a rippled effect

8. Spoon into cupcake cases (I get 18 out of this mixture although the book says you will get 12, it really does depend on the size of your cases)

9. Bake for 20mins in an oven preheated to 170c

10. Allow to cool on a wire rack
11. Make a hole in the middle of each cupcake (I use an apple correr)

12. Fill the holes with a teaspoon of raspberry jam, then put the bit of cake you removed back on the top.

Now for the icing:
110g butter
500g icing sugar
60ml skimmed milk
160g of white chocolate

1. Gradually melt the white chocolate in the microwave and leave to cool slightly.
2. Beat the butter, half the icing sugar and milk together until smooth.
3. Add the rest of the icing sugar.
4. Mix in the melted white chocolate until fully combined.

5. Decorate your cupcakes (I always favour a disposable piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle, Wilton 1M, and then do a reverse swirl to make it look like a rose)

Hope you enjoy.
Happy Baking!

Hello, I'm Nik and I love cake

I love baking!
That may be a little understated, I'm a little obsessed.
I have so many baking books, it's crazy. So many trees have been sacrificed for my love.
Decorating cupcakes is my favourite thing to do, I have a whole cupboard full of cutters and glitters and colouring. I just enjoy making something look as good as it tastes.

Here are a few of my favourite pictures of what I've done in the past.
I hope you enjoy looking or even better that I inspire you to get baking yourself!

Me, my brother and the cupcake tower I made for his wedding reception