Halloween Sweet Treats

Trick or treat? This is a definitely a treat, fit for anyones Halloween celebrations, and these will be great to make with children, as a possible substitute for the messy experience of pumpkin carving or perhaps a great complimentary activity to any pre Halloween preparations, to get you in a spooky mood... 
These cupcakes not only taste great for the season, I made the spider cupcakes chocolate flavour and pumpkin cupcakes orange, they look absolutely amazing, especially the pumpkins!
As I write this post i am also trying to prepare for my trip tomorrow to Sardinia, Italy; I hope that this visit there can be incorporated into an upcoming post, let me know through comments or email if you would like this to be a recipe from the area or a post about the area, perhaps just informing you on the lovely island of Sardinia.

Prep 

So as this is a tutorial for the decoration of these particular cupcakes, i won't provide you with a recipe for the cupcakes, as those flavours are for you to decide and experiment. But just to give you an idea, as i said earlier i made chocolate and orange cupcakes which i feel worked very well.
So along with your cupcakes, you will need buttercream icing, i corresponded my flavours with my cupcakes, chocolate and orange, but again it is completely up to you. The amount you need depends on how many cupcakes you make but as a general rule of thumb you will need about a tablespoon of buttercream icing per cupcake.
You may be able to buy the appropriate colours of fondant from a shop but if not, you will need to mix them yourself using white fondant and colouring paste, now I am basing my measurements of the fondant on how many cupcakes i made for this post, which was 12 in total, 6 of each type, so of course adjust it to your requirements . The colours you will need are orange (about a generous fist sized amount), green (plum sized amount), black (about 2 fistfuls), white (a plum sized amount).

Tutorial 

Pumpkin Cupcakes

1. Firstly you will need to ice a flat topped cupcake with about a tablespoon of your desired flavour of buttercream, making sure it is reasonably level.

2. You will need to find a cutter that is slightly larger than your cupcake, i used a pint glass, roll out the orange icing but not too thin, dusting the surface with cornflour, and cut out one circle for each cupcake. Place the circle on top of your iced cupcake and smooth the edges over.
You will see in this picture the tool you will need to use for decorating these cupcakes, i neither know the official name for this or even fathom a made-up one for it, but hopefully you can see what it's like from this picture. If you do not own cake decorating tools then you can use a cocktail stick or the handle of a teaspoon.

3. To create the side view of a pumpkin, etch curved lines into the icing, similar to those in the picture, ensuring you don't press too hard and cut the icing, make 4 bold lies, and between drag the tool lightly to add extra lines and texture.

4. To decorate the pumpkins to look like you're looking down on it, make a indent in the centre of the cupcake with your thumb or finger and use your tool to make lines going from the centre to outside of the cupcake in irregular little segments, again drag the tool lightly to add extra detail and texture.

5. Using the green icing, fashion a leaf and thin green stalk, hold one end of the stalk and twirl it so it looks like a twisted vine like the one pictured above. Make a leaf and vine for each cupcake and using a little dab of water, stick the greenery onto the cupcakes, either at the top or in the centre depending on which view you are creating.

Spider Cupcakes

1. The same with the pumpkin cupcakes ice the spider cupcakes with your buttercream, making sure it is level.

2. Roll out your icing so that it isn't too thick, and again cut it slightly bigger than your cupcake, attach it and smooth down the edges. 

3. You will now have to roll out some black icing into a long sausage and cut that piece into 8 small and equal little lengths. Using a small amount of water stick these legs to edge of the spider, either side in groups of 4. 

4. Now you can get really creative, it is completely up to you what you do regarding the face, just make two little circles out of white fondant and flatten them on the palm of your hand, add some little black pupils, stick these together and on the face using a small amount of water and wherever and however you want and then give them character by choosing different mouths to etch into them, perhaps a smile or a frown or a mouth with fangs? The possibilities are endless!

So i hope you enjoyed this little tutorial on how to make your own spooky halloween treats, I hope you have fun and they work out well, trick or treaters will be very pleased to receive these in their goodie bags! Have a great Halloween everyone! 
Until next time, Elise x

Sushi Sunday

Hello! How have you been? It has been an awfully long time since I last posted, and i can do nothing but apologise for that, but I just simply haven't had the time but I am going to try harder, and with October and more importantly Halloween coming up there are plenty of baking treats and opportunities to be had! 
Also at the end of October I will be going to one of my all time favourite-est places, Sardinia, where I am hoping to find some inspiration in the streets, shops and markets of Alghero, so watch this potentially exciting space.
So Sushi may seem a bit bizarre to be posting now, but i made it in the summer and so desperately wanted to post it, before it got too out of season, and who knows you may want to make it now? Or perhaps squirrel this one away over winter for next summer!





Now I am by no means a sushi expert, and I am aware it is not baked, but it is a lot of fun to make, and you don't (really) need the "proper" equipment, i didn't use any, and i was very pleased with the turn out! 
The beauty of Sushi is that you can do whatever you like to make it yours, and is perhaps less intimidating for those not so keen on fish, as it is in small quantities, has no bones, and can be balanced out with amounts of rice and vegetables of your choosing.

Equipment Needed

Please don't go out and buy a bamboo mat, unless you really want to of course, as it isn't needed. For making my rolls of sushi I used a silicone baking sheet, but I think even some good quality thick greaseproof paper would do the job, so no worries! Apart from that you will only need a decent knife, a chopping board and perhaps a bit of artistic license. 

Ingredients:

Sushi Rice (cooked according to instructions on packet)
Sheets of Seaweed
Vegetables- You can use whatever you want here, I used Cucumber, Bell Pepper and Spring Onion 
Fish- Smoked Salmon is a classic, I also used smoked Mackerel, but you could also use Prawns etc.
(*Please be aware that not all fish can be eaten raw, and that you ask your fishmonger or check online to see what prep needs to be done to any fish before hand)
Sesame Seeds
Poppy Seeds
Soy Sauce, Wasabi and Pickled Ginger to serve (optional)

Method:

Sushi Rolls (Norimaki)

1. Cut all fish and vegetables into similar sized long thin strips, make sure rice is cool before using it.

2. Lay a sheet of Seaweed on top of rolling sheet, and spread a layer of rice over it about 1cm thick, leave a strip of seaweed bare along the top about 3cm wide, this is so that you can seal your sushi roll after rolling it.

3. Place your fish and vegetables in a line along the bottom, the entire width of the seaweed. You can be as creative as you like here with colours and flavours, and can also sprinkle sesame and poppy seeds along here as well.

4. Now for the rolling- 

• Make sure the filling is the closest thing to you, so you are rolling away from you
• Picking up the edge of your rolling mat, and holding in the filling with the tips of your fingers, slowly start to roll it up
• Be sure to keep it tight, squeezing after each movement, and to pick up your rolling mat as you go so as not to roll it into your sushi, also keep an eye on the ends for any escaping fillings.
• When you get to the bare patch of seaweed you can remove the rolling mat, and roll it that last stretch with your hands and use it as an opportunity to tighten it and make it look more presentable
• The moisture in the roll should be enough to stick that last bit of seaweed down, and seal it up

5. Now all that is left to do is to cut up your sushi roll, and start making more!

Method:

Nigri

This is a very simple variation of sushi, which involves no rolling, and no seaweed if you don't want it to, it is shown at the forefront of the picture.

1. Vegetables will need to be cut into strips, whereas any fish will need to be a wider piece that can cover your rice, if using prawns you may want to butterfly them out.

2. Using two spoons or your hands, whatever's easiest, shape your rice into a "quenelle" type shape, which will look like a little rice parcel, make sure this is compact and secure.

3. Then place vegetables of choice on top of rice and then lay you fish over this.

4. If you like you can cut some seaweed into strips, and tie this around you little parcel, or can leave it as it is.


So that is the basics of sushi and as you can see it is relatively simple to make! Make this with friends and family, as it is quite a fun interactive activity and enjoy with plenty of soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

I hope you enjoyed this little recipe for something quite different, I hope I can be forgiven for my absence from blogging, but i really do hope to be doing a lot more of it, especially at this time of year, when baked goods are all that seem to make sense.
Thanks for reading, as always I love reading your comments and emails, and please do carry on sending in your suggestions for recipes you would like to see me make, you can also use the contact box to the side of the screen.
Until next time, Elise xxx

A Bunch of Roses

 

Who doesn't love roses? They are an iconic flower, but there is certainly no excuse to dislike them in cake form! 

For years i have marvelled at peoples abilities to ice cupcakes like this, but i have only just got round to trying it out, and i am very pleased i have. So i thought i would give you a quick tutorial on how to create these magnificent blooms for yourselves, which are sure to impress anyone, and are simple once you know how.

 

I think that one of the reasons i hadn't got round to trying it for so long, is that unfortunately you do need a very specific type of icing nozzle, which probably wouldn't be found in your every day icing set. But once you have bought it, there is no more work involved, and it will last you a lifetime. 

The tip used is the Wilton 2D brand, which I'm sure many bakers would of heard of before. This can be bought on Amazon for about £3.

Wilton 2D Tip

Prep

So for Prep work you will need the cupcakes that you are planning to Frost, these will need to have a reasonably flat top, and you can level them out as you can see i did with mine. 

You will also need your buttercream icing, which you will need to make quite thick, so that the shape of the roses hold, you don't want it to have any wobble if you shake it in the bowl. Colour your icing the desired colour, sticking to actual rose colours will make it look more realistic, and pop into your bag, fixed with the 2D tip.

Tutorial

1.Flatten the top of your cupcake, so you have a level base on which to ice.

2. Place the tip in the centre of the cake, and squeeze a small amount out in an upwards motion, this will be the bud of your cake, and what you wrap your 'petals' around. 

3. Pull your nozzle to the side a bit, and switch from an upwards pull on your icing bag to pulling it tightly around the 'bud', but making sure you don't press your nozzle to close to the cake, let the icing fall out. 

4. Continue pulling round the inner circles in a spiralling motion to form the outer petals, using the same technique. Once you reach the last bit of cake, start pulling up slightly, and slow the flow of icing.

 5. Lift off as you reach the end and smooth down the break with either your finger or a wet paint brush. 

 6. You can now customise your cakes however you wish, maybe some edible pearls in the middle, or leave the icing to dry for a bit and brush the tops of the petals with edible glitter of lustre. 

So there you have it the most delicious bunch of roses you will ever happen to eat! I hope you enjoyed this Tutorial Blog Post and that it has helped you. If you would like me to demonstrate something, please comment below, or use the contact box to the side.

Until next time, Elise xxx

Trifle Cupcakes

 My Mother has a huge love for custard and since trying these cupcakes has proclaimed them to be her favourite so far! And it really does taste like the trifle pudding that we all know and love, complete with cream, custard, raspberries, and the 'cakey' element, i really think that you will enjoy them, and you will amaze anyone that you make them for as they receive a pocket sized dessert, what more could you want in life!  

This may seem a little complex, because of the creme patisserie element to the recipe, but this is a full proof recipe and is bound to turn out perfect, just don't panic, and keep mixing, and don't be afraid to add more fluid if it seems a bit too thick! 

Makes 12-16 cupcakes

Ingredients: 

Sponge- 

80g butter 

280g caster sugar 

240g plain flour 

1 tbsp baking powder 

1/4 tsp salt 

240ml whole milk 

1 tsp vanilla essence 

2 large eggs 

Filling and Frosting- 

500ml whole milk 

1/2 tsp vanilla essence 

5 egg yolks 

100g caster sugar 

30g plain flour 

30g cornflour 

200ml double cream 

12-16 raspberries 

12-16 strawberries 

100g raspberry jam 

(I know this recipe calls for a lot of ingredients, but trust me, it's worth it) 

Method: 

1.Preheat oven to 190c, gas mark 5, prepare muffin tin.

2.Beat together the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt on a low speed until they are all mixed and resemble fine breadcrumbs.

3.In a jug whisk together the milk, vanilla and eggs, then pour 3/4 into the dry ingredients, and mix on a low speed. Once it is incorporated, add the rest of the milk, and mix until you get a smooth batter.

4.Divide the batter between the muffin cases, filling each case two thirds full, then bake for 18-20 minutes, until the sponge bounces back when lightly pressed. Leave to become completely cool.

5.Whilst the cakes are cooling make the creme patisserie. Place milk, and vanilla in saucepan and bring to boil. In a bowl mix together the egg yolks, sugar, flour and cornflour to make a paste (you may want to add a couple of tablespoons of hot milk to thin)

6.When the milk has boiled, remove pan from the heat and mix 4-5 tablespoons with the egg mix. Then pour this into the milk in the pan, and return to the heat, bring back to the boil whisking constantly once boiling cook for a further minute to cook the flours.

7.Once the custard has thickened, pour onto a baking tray and cover in cling film to cool. 

8.Tip the cooled custard into a large bowl, and beat with a wooden spoon. In a separate bowl whip the double cream  into soft peaks, then fold this into the custard.

9.Hollow out all of the cupcakes, keeping the cut-out pieces of sponge.

10.Place a piece of strawberry in the cupcake, followed by 1/2 teaspoon of jam on top, and then top up with the custard mix (which i prefer to pipe in).

11.Repeat this for all the cupcakes, then replace the sponge, trimming to fit as a lid. Finish off the cupcakes by piping some of the custard mixture on top, add a raspberry on top of the swirled custard to finish.

And thats it! I hope you enjoy them, and with summer fast approaching, and all this glorious british fruit coming into season, i implore you to take up the opportunity and use it! I will be giving you many more recipes for what you can do with our produce in the future too, as i think it's far too good to be wasted! 

P.s. I thought i would give you a quick Bo update too, who is now 18 weeks old and getting on very well indeed!  

 Also, if any of you have any requests of things you would like to see me make, perhaps a favourite dessert compacted into a cupcake like this recipe, then don't hesitate to use the contact box to the left of the screen or comment below, i will greatly enjoy reading any suggestions. 

Until next time, Elise xxx

Doggy Delights

Hello! Well anyone who read my last post will know that i was getting a puppy, and today she is making her online debut! 
We got her a couple of weeks ago and she is now about 11 weeks old, and i will tell you a little about her. 
She is a Boxador, part Boxer, part Labrador, with the agility and enthusiasm of a Boxer and the intelligence and kindness of a Lab, and i also think it makes for a pretty adorable dog. 
Her name is Bowline, which is a type of knot, and this stems from the fact that our family owns and loves boats, but we shorten it to Bo, which is uber cute. 
She loves to play, and is very intelligent, and has learnt so many tricks, so much so that we have just about managed to train her to lift her left paw when we say port and her right when we say starboard ( all tying in with the nautical stuff )

I have never owned a dog before, but all i know is that i am loving her and the experience so far, and i am especially going to enjoy finding recipes to bake her little treats, and training her to be my co-chef, or at least a dog that doesn't jump on the work surface every time i'm baking, either would do. 

So to celebrate the arrival of the lovely Bo, i have found a recipe on pinterest, which isn't mine, but i thought looked lovely, this recipe is from a website called pizzazzerie.com and has lots of lovely recipes on it. So i hope any dog lovers enjoy this recipe, and watch my blog for any more appearances of Bo, she might be sneaking into a few more of my posts from now on.

 Pupcakes

Makes 6 cupcakes 

Ingredients

1 cup whole-wheat flour 

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 c plain yogurt

2 1/2 tablespoons sunflower oil

2 tbsp honey

1 large egg

1/2 apple, chopped

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/4 cup diced carrot

Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons peanut butter

Method

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with 6 paper liners. 

2.In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and soda. In a medium bowl, blend together the yogurt, oil, honey and eggs, then stir in the apple, cheese, and carrots. Add to the flour mixture and stir just until mixed (will be slightly lumpy).

3.Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling each cup about 3/4 full. 

4.Bake in the preheated oven about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a pupcake comes out clean. Let the pupcakes cool in the tins on a rack for a few mintues, then remove and set aside to cool completely. 

5.For the frosting, just mix together all of the ingredients and pipe it on top, and serve it to your helpful hound or marvellous mutt!

Hope you and your pooches enjoy this!

See you next time, love from Elise and Bo xx

Making, not Baking Houmous

Hello Everyone! 
Now despite the title, I'm not all about baking, even though it is my 'main game', i really am just a foodie, and love everything about it, so not just baked goods! And i thought i would introduce this to you today with a quick Houmous recipe, which is a definite favourite of mine! 









Now I'm not sure how much experience you guys have had with houmous, but i must say now it is a glorious thing, and very versatile, and although shop bought houmous is delicious and easy, there is nothing more satisfying than the achievement of your own pot of houmous sat in front of you. 
So here is a lovely little recipe for houmous, for which all you need is a food processor, it couldn't be simpler! 

Ingredients: 

150g dried chickpeas
100g tahini paste ( tahini is a paste made of sesame seeds, and if you struggle to find this, then it can be replaced by 2 tsp of sesame oil)
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chilli powder
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil 

1 clove of garlic

A good pinch of salt

Method: 

1. Get out your food Processor 

2. Prepare all your ingredients 

3. Chuck it all in the food Processor, and blitz for a couple of minutes until smooth, scraping down the sides at times. 

4. Put into a serving dish, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little chilli powder for garnish. 


And it really is that easy! And the results are great, you won't want to go shop bought again! Well i hope you have enjoyed this little post, and i now hope you won't be too shocked if you see non-baked recipes on my blog! 
Also, very exciting news! On Saturday i will be getting a puppy, a little Boxador none the less, so I'm sure i will be bombarding you with pictures of her, and she definitely isn't baking related!
As always, leave me any comments, i love reading them, until next time, Elise xxx

Woodland Birthday Cake

Here it is! The woodland themed birthday cake i made for my little sisters birthday! It fitted in well with her indoor camp style birthday party, and was enjoyed by a crowd of 9 year olds! 

Well first of all Happy Birthday to my Little sister Tibbie, and secondly i've decided that from now on, i will not post a how-to on these sorts of fondant cakes, as it is a lot of hassle and i often find it easier just to look at these sorts of pictures and take inspiration from it. 

So please feel free to take all the inspiration you need, and if you want to make this cake then look at my earlier birthday beach hut cake for a recipe, and comment for any help! 
So thanks again for reading my little post, i have been working on my blog a lot recently trying to get it up and going, and marina has been taking care of this lovely web design. Thank you to all my new followers, i have a Facebook page, follow me here - https://www.facebook.com/littlegingerbakes and my twitter, shown in the bar on the right hand side of my blog, and help me on my way! 
Thank you, any questions, or comments, feel free to ask! Until next time, Elise xxx

Beetroot and Chocolate Red Velvet Cake

I had never heard of this cake before until my friend Marina (check out her fashion blog by the way it's great marina-simone.blogspot.com) requested it for her birthday cake.

I researched a bit and came up with this, i put loads of elements together, and excuse the slapdash icing job, but i can honestly say it's amazing! 

With a not-to-rich chocolatey taste, and a lovely earthy back note from the beetroot, and a lovely pinky, ruby colour!

Now as you can see i made a mahoosive cake, which was about 5 layers, so don't worry I'm not going to make you make that much, just giving you the recipe to make an average to large sized cake. 

Even better, it's a very simple cake to make!








Ingredients

For the Cake 

2 teaspoons lemon juice

135g beetroot, boiled and blended (reserve some for swirling on top)

310g plain flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

400g caster sugar

50g unsweetened cocoa powder

285g unsalted butter, melted

4 eggs, beaten

125ml milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

75g cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

450g icing sugar

Method



1.Grease and line one 23x33cm, similar sized baking dish or a couple of sandwich tins.  Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas 4.

2. Sprinkle the lemon juice over beetroot, and set aside. 

3. Combine the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda, caster sugar, cocoa, melted butter, eggs, milk and 2 teaspoons vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Stir in beetroot. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of mixer, until well combined, but do not over mix. Pour into your prepared dish. 

4. Bake at 180 C / Gas 4 for about 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave on wire rack, and allow to cool (stone cold) 

5. To make the icing- : combine cream and cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add icing sugar, beat until fluffy.  

6. Once your cake is cooled, using a palette knife, spread your frosting evenly all over the top and the sides of your cake. 

7. Finally using a knife or a pastry brush, make a swirl or any other pattern of your choice, on top of your cake, using your reserved beetroot puree. 


And there you have it! Beetroot and chocolate red velvet cake! i hope you enjoy this recipe, please do comment if you like the look of this recipe, want to make it, or need any help! And don't forget to go check out Marina's blog!  Always here! elise xx