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

Raspberry and White chocolate muffins

8oz Unsalted butter/margarine

8oz caster sugar

4 eggs

8oz self raising flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

55g raspberries

5 oz white chocolate

9oz icing sugar

3oz unsalted butter

25ml single cream

extra raspberries to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Line a muffin tray. Cream together the butter and sugar

2. Add one egg and a little bit of flour and mix. Do this with each egg

3. Add the vanilla extract and raspberries and mix. Dive between the cases

4. Cook for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool.

5. For the icing, melt the chocolate and leave to cool. Mix together the icing sugar and butter, then add the cream and chocolate and mix.

6. Place into a pastry bag and pipe onto the cakes and add a raspberry for decoration.

Katie

Macaroons

I've always wanted to make macaroons but never had the courage to do so; until I saw them make them on the Great British Bake off, and got a few little tips on how to make them. So I found a recipe to make lemon macaroons which was fairly easy; for the filling however it did not go to plan. The recipe wanted to make our own lemon curd which I have done before and had no problem with it, however it was all going smoothly and then it began to burn and it wasn't near enough finished. So I rushed down tescos and picked up a jar to lemon curd!! I then decided that I want to make some coloured ones; so I made mint macaroons, which went down a storm.

I will be making them again as they were fairly easy to make and came out quiet well. Here are some pictures...

Recipe for lemon macaroons:
125g ground almonds
175g icing sugar
100g egg whites
75g caster sugar
yellow food colouring
3 lemons
140g sugar
3 eggs 1 tbsp cornflour

1. Preheat oven to 175c. Line a baking tray with parchment
2. Mix together the ground almonds with the icing sugar.
3. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Add 1/4 caster sugar, then the remaining caster sugar.
4. Add the almond mixture into the egg whites and fold together. Finally add the yellow food colouring.
5. Fill a pastry bag with the macaroon mixture. Squeeze small rounds onto the parchment. The bag should touch the tray.
6. Tap the tray on a work surface and set aside for 15 minutes, then bake for 12-15 minutes. They are cooked when touched they are hard.
7. For the lemon curd, zest and juice the lemons and combine in a saucepan with the cornflour. Stir in the sugar. Cook on a low heat. Add the eggs. Increase heat and cook for 4 minutes.
8. Fill a pastry bag with the lemon curd and pipe on the flat side of the macaroon and then place another macaroon on top.

For the green macaroons I used the same mixture but changed the filling:
100ml double cream
200g white chocolate
1 tsp peppermint extract
green food colouring

1. Boil the cream and essence in a pan, take off the heat just as it starts to boil.
2. Pour over the chocolate and melt the chocolate.
3. Add the food colouring and place in the fridge and set.
4. Once firm put into a pastry bag and pipe into the macaroons.

Katie