1st Birthday Cake

I was asked to make a 1st Birthday cake for a friends niece. I was told she like giraffes, so she wanted a giraffe cake. I was given a picture of a cake she wanted but I wasn't quite sure whether I could do it or not, so I trawled the Internet for ideas and found a two tiered cake with a giraffe on top. I made three layers of vanilla 10" for the bottom tier and three layers of chocolate 8" for the 2nd tier, I cut each layer in half so it created six layers. I then sandwiched each layer together to create each tier. I then covered in fondant and then decorated it. For the giraffe I used pound cake in a spherical cake tin, I then carved it into the body and the head and then covered them in butter cream and then placed fondant over them and stuck them together.

I was very pleased with this cake!!!

Katie

Neapolitan Style Cake

I saw a recipe in a book that looked like a Neapolitan ice cream, of course I fell in love with it immediately as it was something different and had to make it!!! I change the ingredients to what I like to use, because it was so much easier and I had the stuff in the house. I just use my normal victoria sponge recipe and multiplied it by three because I did one vanilla layer, one chocolate, and one raspberry. I made three layers out of them in one tin, so vanilla in one cake tin, chocolate etc, from this I cut the layers in half so I had six layers, two of each. I then put butter cream between each layer and sandwiched them together, so it looked like a Neapolitan ice cream I did decorate because I was bored and people automatically thought I had made it for someone, I'll point out again I did not make it for anyone I made it for my own entertain because I had nothing better to do!!!! I say it was pretty easy to do and I'd definitely do it again!!!

I couldn't decide how I wanted to deocrate and I've always wanted to do a present cake so I tried and did a present cake because I have too much time on my hands obviously. I wasn't too pleased with the bow because after I'd done it and left it over night on the cake it cracked and fell apart!! But beforehand it looked pretty good. I thought it needed something else so mum said to pipe butter cream around the edge in rosettes:

I thought it needed something else just to brighten it up because it didn't really have a lot of colour to it (in my opinion!!), so I made some butterflies, made them look like they were flying and stuck them to the butter cream:

I was pretty impressed with how it turned out just for a 'I think I'm going to make a cake'.



I was very impressed at how it looked inside as well!! You definitely wouldn't want a very big slice because it was very tall and had a lot of layers!!!

Katie

Toblerone Cupcakes

I found a recipe for toberlone cupcakes and as me being me I wanted to make them (because I love toblerone). I was very proud with how they turned out, and of course they stayed in the house but didn't last very long either!!!!!

200g (7oz) plain flour

25g cocoa powder

1 tbsp baking powder

110g caster sugar

2 eggs

100ml sunflower oil

225ml milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

100g toblerone

Icing

125ml double cream

250g plain chocolate

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp unsalted butter

To decorate

Coloured sweets

Sparkling sugar

100g toblerone (small)

1. preheat oven to 180c. line a 12 hole muffin tin

2. sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a bowl. Stir in the sugar.

3. Whisk together the eggs and oil in a separate bowl until frothy, then slowly whisk in the milk and vanilla

4. Stir into the dry ingredients with the chopped toblerone until blended together.

5. Spoon into the paper case and bake for 20-25 minutes, until firm and risen.

6. For the topping, heat the cream in a pan and bring to a boil. Immediately remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted, then stir in the vanilla extract.

7. Add the butter gradually and stir until blended. Allow to cool until the mixture is thick enough to pipe.

8. Spoon into a piping bag and pipe on top of the cakes.

9. Decorate with sweets and sparkling sugar and place a toblerone triangle on top. Leave to set.

Katie

Malteser cupcakes

Again, I fancied making something different and I've always wanted to make malteser cupcakes and I found a recipe that was very good so I decided to use it.

300g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
85g caster sugar
250ml milk
2 eggs
100g butter, melted
12 maltesers (or more depending on how many cakes are made, I made 12)
5 tbsp melted chocolate
Icing
300ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp icing sugar
The rest of the maltesers (I brought a big sharing pack and blitzed the rest of them)


1. Preheat the oven to 200c. Line a muffin tin, sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl and then stir in the sugar.
2. Mix together the milk, eggs and the melted butter, then pour over the dry ingredients and mix.
3. Spoon into the tins to cover the bases and place a malteser on top. Spoon some melted chocolate over then cover completely with more mixture.
5. For the topping, whisk together the cream, vanilla and icing sugar until thick. Add the blitzed up malteser and mix.
6. Pipe the mixture onto the cakes.

Katie

Chilli Chocolate Cupcakes

My Dad wanted me to make a chilli chocolate cake for him to try, he didn't want a cake he wanted a big cake so I made cupcakes instead.

Ingredients:
250g Margarine
300g Light Muscovado
100g Plain Flour
100g Self-Raising Flour
4 Eggs
300g Dark Chocolate
1-3 Red Chillies (depends on your preference)
OR
1-3 tbsp Chili Paste/ Oil
ICING:
200g Dark Chocolate
200ml Double Cream
Method
1. Heat an oven to 190°C
2. Line a muffin tin with cupcakes cases.
3. Using a whisk, add the margarine to a mixing bowl together with the sugar. Whisk till light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
5. Melt the chocolate
6. Once cool, add the chocolate to the mixture and mix in.
7. Add the remaining flour to the mixture and stir till smooth.
8. If you are using fresh chilli/es finely chop them, and either add now or crush/blend them to a paste.
9. If using ready made chili paste or oil, add it to the mixture now, or the paste you mad yourself. Add slowly, checking it does not too badly overpower the mixture. Stir till smooth.
10. Split the batter into the muffin cases.
11. Bake for about 25 minutes or till fully cooked.
12. Take out the cake, and let it cool for 10 minutes, before taking out of the tin.
13. To make Chocolate cream, melt the chocolate as before, and mix together with the cream, and then cool until thickened. Ice the cupcakes.

They are easier to make as cupcakes rather than a big cake because it will take just over an hour to cook.

Katie