The Fairy Queen Of Cupcakes

My Beautiful Wedding Cakes by Dreamworld Cakes

2011-08-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

I got married recently and we decided on mini cakes. I found this amazing woman in Newcastle who made our cakes, Bernadett of Dreamworld Cakes. Bernadett has a really impressive profile and her enthusiasm and eye for perfection put her way above all the other 'wedding cake' designers I found in my search. Check out this ladies impressive profile Dream World Cakes Profile. If you want something that looks beautiful and tastes amazing look no further than Dreamworld Cakes. Thank you Bernadett for helping make our day perfect!

Dreamworld Cakes

Cupcake Cat!

2010-10-01T12:08:00.001-07:00

A cute pic for you!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Apricot Cupcakes with Butter Cream

2010-09-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

I have never been a big fan of tin fruit but I think tin apricots or peaches work really well with sponge cake, so making apricot cupcakes was an obvious choice. I think baking is not always about opening a book and then going out and buying the ingredients but about opening the cupboard and deciding what you can make with what you have at hand. So in my cupboard I had a tin of breakfast apricots and of course I always have the basic baking ingredients! I think apricot cupcakes work really well especially with the butter cream.

Now for the recipe:

2 Free Range Eggs

4 oz/110 g of Caster Sugar

4 oz/110g of Self Raising Flour

4 oz/110g of Margarine

Small tin of Apricots in Fruit Juice (drain and keep juice and chop up finely)

Frosting

8oz/225g Butter

12 oz/350g Icing sugar

1 dessert spoon of Fruit Juice

1dessert spoon of milk or cream

tsp of Vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180c/gas mark 4/350 f. Line a cupcake tin with 12 cases (I used silicone ones). Cream butter and sugar together. Whisk in both eggs ( by hand or with an electric whisk). Sift and fold in flour then fold in apricots with a little of the juice. Divide between cupcake cases and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and firm to touch. Allow to cool before icing.

To make frosting cream sifted icing sugar and butter together then mix in fruit juice, vanilla and milk. The mixture should be stiff so you may need to add more icing sugar. Mix well. I used a piping bag to decorate but you could just smooth some on and use a fork to make peaks. I decorated with a sugar sprinkles but you could use some of the apricot or decoration of your choice. I usually cool in the fridge to allow frosting to set. Enjoy!!!

Great Link - with a BLT cupcake!

2010-09-25T03:59:00.000-07:00

I came across this link to the LA Times with a load of great pictures of cupcakes and some weird flavor ideas! BLT and Mojito are amongst the inspirational flavors! Enjoy. x

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-food-cupcake-pictures,0,4570864.photogallery

National Cupcake Week!

2010-09-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

It is national cupcake week this week!!! I am just watching a programme on the food channel called Cupcake Wars haha! Do we need an excuse to make cupcakes? :)

Profiteroles With Hot Chocolate Sauce

2010-05-16T13:34:00.000-07:00

This has to be one of the bakes I am most pleased with, I would feel very proud to serve them up at a dinner party lol! Profiterole's for me look very impressive and I was kind of expecting this recipe to not go to plan, but hey how easy! You need to get the piping bag out but it is certainly nothing a novice could not handle. This is a must try. Enough of the babble, now for the recipe:

Chocolate Profiteroles

70 g / 2 1/2 oz of butter
200ml/7 fl oz water
100g/3 1/2 oz plain flour
3 lightly beaten eggs

Cream centre
300 mls/10 fl oz of whipping cream
3 tbsp of caster sugar
1 tsp of vanilla essence

Hot chocolate sauce
100g bar of good quality plain chocolate
15 g of butter
2 tbsp honey
60 ml of milk

Pre heat your oven to 200c/400f/gas 6. Grease a flat tray with butter. Sift the flour. Melt butter with water in a pan, bring to boil and then remove from heat and stir in flour. It will kind of form a ball, allow to cool a little bit before stirring in eggs. The mixture should look like a stiff batter with a kind of dropping consistency. Using a piping bag with a a wide round nozzle pipe golf ball size profiteroles on to the tray. I managed to get 10 very good size profiteroles. Bake for 25 minutes till are puffed up and pale golden. Pierce each profiterole with a skewer to release steam. Allow to cool.

While the profiteroles cool you can prepare the cream. Empty cream sugar and vanilla into a bowl and whisk until thick, without an electric whisk this is some effort! When profiteroles are completely cool pierce a small opening with a sharp knife. using the piping bag again pipe cream into the hole, it will ooze slightly when full. Place in fridge till ready to serve.

The rich and yummy hot chocolate sauce goes like this: take a pan of hot water place a heat proof bowl which will sit on the pan but not touch the water, in it place chocolate, butter and honey. Melt and continue to stir. When melted quickly whisk in milk. To serve pour sauce over profiteroles. My profiteroles were a good size and I served three but two would of been enough! These were amazing, light fluffy cream filled profiteroles with rich dark chocolate sauce. Enjoy!
FQx

Jammy Stars Cookies

2010-05-09T05:38:00.000-07:00

More Jam! The reason for making these Jammy star cookies is that having made a visit to the bakers for bread etc I had (or thought I had) purchased some jammy star cookies along with other treats. When got home and checked my bag no jammy stars!!! Either she never put them in the bag or never heard me. I was looking forward to one with a cup of tea boohoo! Anyway I thought I would make some using a shortcake recipe and raspberry jam. I am sure my jammy stars are better than the bakers he he.

Here is the recipe:
Jammy Star Cookies

9 oz/250 g plain flour
3 oz/75g caster sugar
6 oz/175g butter fruit jam (jelly or preserve) of your choice
icing sugar to dust
large round cutter and small star cutter

This is such an easy recipe with few ingredients, but look and taste great. Heat oven to 160 c/ 325 f/gas 3. Grease a baking tray. Remember when deciding how much to mix up that each jammy cookie requires two cookies! Mix flour and sugar together and rub in butter or margarine, knead together to form a dough type consistency. Flour the surface and flatten and roll out the dough. Using the large round cutter cut out an equal number of cookies. using the star cutter cut a star from half of you round cookies and place all cookies on the prepared greased tray. Now you can ether cook the stars to make cute mini cookies like me or you could press back together to make another big cookie. Bake in oven for approximately 30 minutes or till firm and golden brown.

Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack. When cool spread your jam on the round cookie, be generous but do not spread to edge as remember the cookie with the cutout star will press the jam down. place the cookie with cutout star on top of the jammed cookie and dust with icing sugar. Great easy classic cookie. FQ x

Cherry Jammy Doughnut Cupcakes

2010-04-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

So I decided to try something different, a different technique if you like. The sort of recipe where you really do not know how it will turn out, something with the potential for disaster! I never bought any fruit in the end at the farm shop but we got some cherry conserve (jelly/jam). Like its name suggests this cupcake has jam in the centre of it like a jam doughnut. In the end it was not a disaster! I was concerned that the jam and the cake mixture would merge but it didn't and I think that this is because the cake mixture has a kind of batter consistency.

Okay here is the recipe:

Cherry Jammy Doughnut Cupcakes

3 oz/85 g of butter or margarine (melted and cooled)
10 oz/ 280g of plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt
4oz/115g of caster sugar
2 eggs
7 floz/200 mls milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Cherry conserve (jelly or jam)
Icing to decorate

Preheat the oven to 200c/400f/gas 6. Prepare your cupcake tins by lightly greasing them, I used muffin/large cupcake size. You can use large cupcake cases or as I did put the mixture straight into silicone cupcake tray.

Sift flour and baking powder adding sugar and salt. In a jug or bowl beat eggs with milk and add vanilla extract and the melted butter, mix well. Make a little well in the dry mixture before pouring in the wet stuff. Mix well, yet try not to over mix it. The mixture should look like a thick batter. Add half of the mixture to the cupcake cases and using a teaspoon add a blob of conserve (jelly) to each cupcake trying to keep it in the centre. Add the remaining mixture over the jam in each cupcake case. Place in the oven for 20 minutes or till golden brown and firm and spongy to touch. Allow to cool in the tray for around 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling tray. When cool dust with icing and trickle with vanilla flavoured pink icing.

You could use custard instead of conserve/jelly! Anyway I recommend having a go as this cupcake is pretty impressive but an easy make. FQ x

Did you know.......

2010-04-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

Last year the sales of cupcakes went up by 22% in the UK!!! It is the fashionable little cake to eat. I found these links in a magazine today to some great cupcake places.

http://theanticipation.co.uk/

http://swallowbakery.com/

http://www.lolas-kitchen.co.uk/

http://www.sunnysidecup.com/

FQ x

Cupcake Inspiration

2010-04-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

I am trying too bake this decide what to bake this weekend???? The beautiful spring weather is certainly inspiring me at the moment and I am thinking fruity light. I am going to check out seasonal fruits in our local farm market shop.

Cupcakes In The News

2009-10-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8315245.stm

National Cupcake Week

2009-10-04T12:50:00.001-07:00

Can you believe we have national cupcake week! Hmm I missed it though! It was the 14th-19th of September. I will have to have a Fairy Queen Cupcake week instead. I have been neglecting my cupcake making of lately. I have made a few none cake things such as a cherry pie and a apple and blackberry tarte tatin. I need more time to bake!!!

FQ x

Cookie or Cupcake?

2009-08-31T12:34:00.000-07:00

Okay this is really a cookie in a cupcake case. It is a very simple recipe with a little bit easy piping and very yummy results. Few ingredients and quick too. Here is the recipe:

Swiss Shortcake

2 oz butter
6 oz caster sugar
6 oz plain flour
1/2 tsp of vanilla essence
2 tsp milk

It is this easy! pre-heat oven to 160 c gas 3 and prepare 12 cupcake cases into a tin. Cream butter and sugar together add vanilla and mix in flour. Add milk and give a final good mix, I finished with the electric mixer. Using a large star piping nossel pipe in a circular shape into cupcake cases and bake for 30-35 minutes (till pale golden and firm). Allow to cool and dust with icing, adding a blob of jam to the centre of each. Very traditional recipe, very easy and most important very nice! I will definitely make these again.

Chocolate Success

2009-08-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

Well much to my surprise the chocolate cake was a success! Guess I am going to get used to the different oven after all. Well I did not make cupcakes but made a chocolate sandwich cake with the chocolate cupcake recipe. I decorated it with butter icing but instead of just cocoa powder in it I put melted chocolate. This worked well to decorate with and though it was not picture perfect it was a better finish than others I have done in past. I was very predictable and decorated with white and milk chocolate buttons as well as chocolate shavings which I used a potato peeler to create.

Anyway it turned out pretty well, photos to follow. The oven is getting a second chance lol. :)

The New Oven Arrrgh

2009-08-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

I have a chocolate cake in the oven, my first attempt to bake in the new house. I do not like this oven I have already decided. I fear this cake will be an utter disaster from what I can see so far. It is a birthday cake too :( I will update anyway.

Back online

2009-08-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

Can you believe I have been a whole week and a half with no net! No time to bake, but have a wonderful big kitchen and a bigger cupboard space dedicated to baking. :)

The Cupcake Kitchen

2009-08-01T01:06:00.000-07:00

I am finally going to have a big kitchen to bake in yay! We are moving in the next few days to a bigger place to. I am currently surrounded by boxes. No Internet or baking to probably later in the week though arrrgh! I am sure it will be worth all the stress and hard work though. :)

Chocolate Almond Cupcakes With a Taste Of Summer

2009-07-18T07:49:00.000-07:00

I wanted to try something different but I was told I had to make chocolate hehe. Well I wanted to do something that was different so added a wee bit of almond essence to the sponge and some summer fruits to some as was thinking 'summer tea'. Using chocolate butter icing, I did not use the piping bag this time, but guess it would of given them a more polished look. I also tried quark with the fruit - Quark for those who do not know is a curd cheese made from scalded whey, it is white soft and un-aged; it is kind of similar to fromage frais, naturally vegetarian and very low in fat. Quark is a must try! I really like as a low fat quick cheese cake substitute - a low fat digestive with a little strawberry jam topped with Quark or a chocolate Snack a Jack (rice cake) with Quark YUM! Oh if you are going to google Quark remember to put cheese or you get loads of Star Trek stuff haha. Anyway I am being distracted, here is the recipe:

Chocolate Almond Cupcakes

(makes approx 12)

4 oz 110g of margarine
4 oz 110g of caster sugar
2 medium eggs
1 tsp of baking powder
2 oz 60g of self raising flour
2 oz 60g of good quality cocoa powder
1/2 tsp of almond essence

Chocolate Butter Icing

8 oz 225g icing sugar
3 1/2 oz of butter/margarine
2 heaped tsp good quality cocoa
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

Either cream sugar and margarine and mix in eggs or use electric whisk to combine three ingredient's. Add almond essence and mix in. Add flour, baking powder and cocoa and mix well by hand or using whisk. Divide mix between 12 standard cupcake cases (smaller than muffin cases) and bake at 160 c/325 f/gas 3 for 20 minutes or till firm and spongy!

To decorate:

Chocolate butter cream is made by creaming the icing, cocoa and margarine together and adding the vanilla to flavour.

Chocolate Sandwiches: cut a disc from top of cupcake fill with butter cream or Quark and replace lid, dust with icing.

Chocolate sprinkles: add a generous dollop of chocolate butter cream and sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles.

Summer Tea: add a dollop of chocolate cream or Quark to cupcake and add summer fruits of your choice. A little tip if you wand to add a whole strawberry like I did slice a little from side of strawberry to leave a flat surface to rest on the cake, stops it rolling.

Okay now I need to eat one :)

What No Cupcakes?

2009-07-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

I need to make cupcakes. I have seen cupcakes everywhere I have been. I have had two weeks holiday and no time to bake, but I have purchased an electric mixer which I am itching to try so watch this space. :)

Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes

2009-06-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

Coffee and Walnut Cupcakes....delicious! Inspired by looking at home baked cake/loafs in the farm shop I decided to have a go at a coffee flavour cupcake. Coffee and walnuts are a perfect combination in my opinion. I did ponder with the idea of a coffee chocolate combo but I will save that for another time. I also went for coffee glace icing, but think coffee butter icing would have been very good too - rich and creamy. Admittedly I was thinking of calories too (butter icing being higher in fat), I think the glace icing worked so well though.

The Recipe:

Coffee & Walnut Cupcakes

4 oz of low fat margarine
4 oz of light brown sugar
4 oz self raising flour
1 tsp of baking powder
2 medium free range eggs
3 tsp of instant coffee dissolved in a tbsp of boiling water
1 1/2 oz of walnut pieces

Icing

3 oz of glace icing sugar
3 tsp of instant coffee dissolved in hot water
10 walnut halves

Cream sugar and margarine together and whisk in eggs. Fold in sifted flour and baking powder. Dissolve coffee in hot water and mix in with other ingredients. Dust walnut pieces with flour and gently fold into other ingredients. Divide mixture between 10 cupcake cases and bake at 170c/325f/gas 3 for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool before decorating. Dissolve instant coffee in boiling water (three tsp in a small quantity of hot water) and add slowly to icing until it is smooth and ribbon like. The icing of course ends up a beautiful coffee colour. Spread each cupcake with icing and place a walnut half in the centre.

Now all you need is a nice milky coffee to wash them down. Simple but delicious.

Say It With An Almond Cupcake

2009-06-14T07:34:00.000-07:00

I am looking at different flavoured cupcakes while using the basic recipe. I have tried almond flavour this time, reminiscent of marzipan and battenburg cakes. I simply added Almond to the cake mixture and icing. I also have used a different type of icing which is the sort used for fondants and gives a shiny finish. Concentrating more on flavour I decided to just keep the decoration fun colored and simple with piped messages. Would work well for a kids party I guess. Taste good anyway, guess depends on if you like almond of course.

Almond Cupcake Recipe:

4 0z 110g Margarine
4 oz 110g Caster Sugar
4 oz 110g Self raising flour
2 large free range eggs
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of almond extract

Glace Icing flavoured with a few drops of almond extract
colours
icing pens

Mix margarine and sugar together, add eggs and almond extract and mix well. Add sifted flour and baking powder and give one final good mix. Divide between 12 cupcase which have been placed in a cupcake tin. Bake at 160 c gas 3 till golden and spongy to touch. Allow to cool on a baking rack.

Decorate as desired. I chose to flavour glace icing (Icing sugar mixed with water and a few drops of almond extract) which I added bright red, green and blue to. Piped message on a few for fun. Was tempted to do some rude or cheeky ones but decided to keep it clean and nice :)

Think I will experiment with some more natural flavours.

The Non Cupcake Bake!

2009-06-14T07:03:00.000-07:00

I made cookies today and thought I would share them with you though yes are not cupcakes! I made Smartie Cookies, you could use M&M or similar of course. They were a quick bake and turned out really well. I must say you need to move really quick putting the Smarties on top so I suggest making in two batches of six.

Recipe:

Smartie Cookies

100g 3 1/2 0z of low fat spread or other margarine
50g 1 1/3 of golden/light brown caster sugar
2 tbsp Golden Syrup
1 tsp of Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp of baking powder
2 tubes of Smartie or M&Ms approx 60

Heat oven to gas 6 200c and grease tray in preparation. Mix margarine, sugar and add golden syrup and vanilla. Mix well. Add sifted flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix together to form a cookie dough which is not too sticky to handle. Divide into 12 bits, roll into balls in palm of hand and press onto baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes. Now for the bit when you have to move quick! Remove from oven and while still on tray very quickly press 5 Smarties into each cookie. Leave to cool for a while on tray before transferring to a cooling rack. Taste good and are low calorie, 134 calories per cookie and only two weight watchers points.

Being sad I noticed one tube of Smarties had 3 more smarties in than the other!!! How wrong is that!

White Choc Chip Cupcakes

2009-06-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

I simply love white chocolate, think it is not to every body's taste though. These cupcakes were not a disaster but not exactly as I imagined! I used the vanilla cupcake recipe with 3 oz of white chocolate chunks (type for cooking) and used large muffin size cups. The chunks seemed to have settled and were gooey, not entirely sure why but then again I have never really baked much with chocolate chips or chunks. I know when you use fruit I always dust with flour to stop sinking and though maybe I should of dusted chunks with icing sugar or flour?

Anyway I was going to go for butter icing with remainder of chunks in for decoration but thought might be a wee bit sickly so in the end just dusted them with icing sugar. Like I said tasted yummy but not so perfect. Gives me a little challenge now I guess!

Cake Stands and Plates

2009-06-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

I bought some stands to display my cupcakes on. My intention was to look out for pretty and unusual antique plates but I have not had the opportunity to rummage in the market and second hand and antique shops of London. I checked out a few places online and the photos show the ones I have purchased so far from sellers on Amazon. The retro looking glass ones are from a seller called Blendboutique. I love the coloured glass and the candy colours which will look great to serve iced cupcakes on with afternoon tea of course lol! The cute fun one for an individual cupcake I had to have simply because it is fun :)

Chocolate Honeycomb and More

2009-05-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

I do not think I have posted any chocolate cupcakes on here yet? So how about these, Giant chocolate honeycomb cakes , chocolate butter mountain cupcakes and chocolate sandwich cupcakes! All of which are cup-less for design I guess and using a muffin size silicone tray. Turned of pretty well and I always put this down to good quality cocoa when making chocolate cakes. I used Bournville which is a rich dark cocoa, though I tend to favour Green & Blacks, do not know if either are available worldwide? Oh and the piping bag got an airing again but not for anything too exciting as you will see. This recipe makes 12 standard size cupcake or 6 Giant cupcakes (muffin size)
4oz caster sugar
2oz self raising flour
teaspoon of baking powder
2 oz of good quality cocoa powder
4 oz of margarine/softened butter
2 large free range eggs
1 tbsp milk to decorate:
7oz of icing sugar
1 heaped dessert spoon of good quality cocoa
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence
3 1/2 oz of margarine or softened unsalted
chocolate honeycomb (ie 'Crunchie' - UK 'Violet'- Australia, maybe people can suggest equivalents for USA and other countries?)

Sift flour, cocoa & baking powder and place in a bowl with sugar. Add eggs and margarine and mix well, this is when I would of done away with tradition for an electric mixer hehe. The mixture becomes easier when milk is added and should be a consistency that it will plop off the spoon! Add to muffin tin or cups - it is up to you if you prefer to use the cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes or till spongy to touch. Oven temperature 160c/325 f/gas3. Allow to cool before decorating.

Honeycomb is roughly sliced, place butter icing in piping bag and pipe a swirl in which to place honeycomb. For sandwich cakes slice through cake and fill with butter icing before replacing top and finishing with a sprinkling of sifted icing. Butter mountains are simply a generous swirl of butter icing piped on top. The sponge is delicious and light and like I mentioned the flavour is down to good cocoa. Chocolate chips would of been good, bars you have chipped self are best I think. Hmm white chocolate chunks would be good.

Chocolate Sandwichs, Chocolate Honeycomb cupcakes and Chocolate Butter Mountains

Chocolate Honeycomb Cupcake (above)

Chocolate Butter Mountain Cupcake