Charlotte's Cupcake Corner

Spring has sprung

2010-04-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Well, we have leaping lambs in the fields next to our garden, it's staying much lighter in the evenings - which brings much confusion & frustration over bedtime for a 4yr old - and we've had at least one sunny day, so it's official spring has sprung.

There's something about baking along with the seasons too, or rather decorating I suppose. These spring & Easter themed cupcakes brightened our days at Cupcake Corner, and luckily the days of lots of very keen shoppers at the Coeliac's Food Fair. Brownies flew off the table and sold out in the first hour! Thank Goodness for my wonderful nephew Matt who helped me to set up and then stayed a while longer and helped serve the first rush of hungry cupcake fans!

This week, I'm busy preparing for Thursday's Childrens' Spring workshop (still a couple of places left) so more cute bunnies, daffodils, spikey grass and very moreish mini eggs. Opening a bag of mini eggs has proved lethal, I kept polishing them off and having to send out for more supplies! As a result, I am now appearing very clearly pregnant! This baby is going to have such a sweet tooth, I must resist all these goodies a bit more!

Well, I hope you are enjoying a few rays of sunshine wherever you are, and that Spring brings you a burst of energy to start afresh

love Charlotte x

Childrens' Spring Cupcake Worshop

2010-03-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

CUPCAKE CORNER AND RUDD MONCRIEFF
invite you to an exclusive
CHILDRENS' SPRING CUPCAKE MASTERCLASS
At The Old Vicarage, Shirley, Nr Ashbourne, Derbyshire
On Thursday, 15th April 2010
Time 10:30am-3pm
Spring Cupcake Masterclass Workshop
Art and Craft
Flower arranging
Outdoor fun and games
£30 for each child (to include childcare & lunch)
Discount for siblings
(Please bring Wellingtons and Waterproofs)
For bookings please contact:-
TEL: 01335 360183/07973 264017
WWW.RUDDMONCRIEFF.COM.

Celebrity Chef Phil Vickery is Coeliac UK Food Champion

2010-03-04T01:54:00.000-08:00

Celebrity Chef Phil Vickery is now food ambassador for Coeliac UK and he LOVES our gluten free cupcakes, when he tasted a selection, this is what he thought "I have to say I am very impressed, the packaging, colours and style is great and as for the cakes...they are very good indeed, seriously good in fact. Your ideas sound very exciting" Read the Coeliac UK announcement details just here

http://bit.ly/9mvApp

Little Jonny's christening cupcakes

2010-02-23T03:37:00.000-08:00

A small family gathering deserved some special cupcakes for a little boy called Jonny. Grandad brought his three little grand-daughters to collect these, and their name all began with "J" too, so they had little pink "J"s on their own cupcakes. Lovely!

Nutty Macaroon Cookies

2010-02-23T03:14:00.000-08:00

Well, I picked up a very excited little girl from pre-school yesterday, after a busy week off on half-term, she was thrilled to be back with her friends & teachers. So happy, that instead of the usual post-school lull, we had such a lovely mood, that we decided to bake together.

Nutty Macaroon Cookies, these were very easy to make, even with a 4 yr old, who was remarkably helpful for a change, having got to the stage where she can attempt to read parts of the recipe! I might try some of these at the forthcoming coeliac fair, although I'm not sure how in advance I could make them, as I can't do everything last minute.

Look pretty don't they?

Roll Up, Roll Up, Coeliac Gluten Free Food Fair

2010-02-22T05:38:00.000-08:00

Come and taste delicious gluten free cupcakes in a wide selection of flavours, gorgeously chewy chocolate brownies, and beautiful powder pink macaroons with white chocolate ganache. No need to wait to order a whole giftbox or a party stand, you can purchase any of the above in whatever quantity you fancy.
Stop by early before I sell out, and be sure to say Hi!
Saturday, 20 March 2010 11:10

Location:Cricket Grounds, Pentagon Island, Derby

2010-01-31T14:22:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the lack of blogspots, what a crazy start to 2010. Trapped at home for about 9 days due to the snow, but actually loved the excuse to stop in and spoil Rosie with lots extra attention!

Another good thing about being stuck at home, was that I had a chance to get my teeth into perfecting a gluten free brownie recipe. I tried about 12 different variations, and then opted for my preferred version which I have tweaked to perfection. They have a crispy top, and are so moist and chewy, the perfect brownie consistency. As usual, they are made using my neighbouring farm's fresh free range eggs, as well as fairtrade sugar & cocoa.

My hubbie has declared that it's the best cake on Cupcake Corner's menu, no less! And I have to say, that it is the best brownie I've eaten, even in my gluten eating days. So, if you'd like to taste them for yourself, they are available at £1.90 each, with a minimum order of 6.

Now busy preparing for Valentines Day orders, helping a lovely wine bar & cafe put on the first local "Cupcake Afternoon Tea", and lots more plans ahead.

I hope your year has started positively, I'd love to hear from you if you like the look of the Brownie?

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T16:48:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to say Merry Christmas everyone, eat, drink & be merry, I'm sure all your hard work will mean a very enjoyable Christmas Day all round, well done! X

"Read All About Me!!!!"

2009-12-23T16:29:00.000-08:00

I spent a lovely morning with Amber Locke the food writer for Derbyshire Life and we took lots of photos and I told her all about how Cupcake Corner started out...well, what a surprise when my hubbie brought home a copy of January's Derbyshire Life. I was quietly hoping for a tiny mention, but instead there are 3 pages, yes 3 pages, dedicated to Cupcake Corner, lots of photos and very flattering wording. That should introduce my little business to lots of people outside of my direct area, so here's to a busy 2010!!! Thanks So Much Amber...

Let me know if you get to read a copy!
love Charlotte x

Be quick if you'd like christmas cupcakes

2009-12-01T10:44:00.000-08:00

Hope you like the Christmas designs, orders now being taken and gift vouchers available too

Last few xmas order slots available. You can collect from Kniveton, or Ashbourne & Derby town centres

Ho Ho Ho !
x

mince pies recipe

2009-12-01T05:03:00.000-08:00

Just a very quick post to share the following recipe in time for Christmas in case it's useful to you. Let me know how you get on, if you get a chance to try this one before I do... x
Gluten-+and+dairy-free+mince+pies+recipe+-+goodtoknow

Fabulous Places Xmas Market

2009-11-22T12:43:00.000-08:00

WOW what an event, this weekend I had a stall at the Christmas Market, organised by Fabulous Places. It was SO busy, I have no idea how many people visited. I sold all but 6 of my cupcakes and took a number of orders for Christmas, and a birthday gift box, as well as two new baby gift boxes. I met so many lovely new people, both stall holders and new customers alike. The new flavour; "twinkle twinkle" vanilla topped with a white chocolate & cream cheese with white chocolate star sprinkles was a huge hit, selling out fast, and my new all time favourite cupcake "cherry on top" based on a cherry bakewell, with ground almonds, no fat, filled with a dollop of cherry jam and some grated marzipan inside, was very popular indeed. I also picked up - care of a wonderful shop BOW in Cromford, just next to Scarthin Books - a totally gorgeous vintage tea set, in pale pink & gold, I can't wait to hold my first "grown up" tea party with it!!! Well better go really, I'm totally exhausted having been busy baking and selling since last Tuesday, and it's another early start tomorrow, with a busy baking schedule for Kniveton School Fair Xmas Sale - pop by if you can x

http://www.bow-boutique.co.uk/Contact/

Innovation Awards Gala Dinner & Ceremony

2009-11-17T05:20:00.000-08:00

Lucky me, the Food & Drink iNet Awards for Innovation are taking place this evening at Athena in Leicester, the evening will commence with a drinks reception followed by a three course dinner before the winners are announced and presented with their awards by entertaining writer, presenter and foodie, Hardeep Singh Kohli. Hardeep is a Celebrity Masterchef finalist, author of Indian Takeaway, and a passionate food fan. Cupcake Corner is one of three shortlisted businesses up for an Innovation Award. My sister Steph & I are already looking forward to a fun evening, what a good excuse to get our glad rags on! Will post an update tomorrow morning with some photos, when I can tell you all what a good evening we've had x

2009-11-13T14:04:00.001-08:00

New event: Xmas Shopping Night at Hulland Ward Millennium Hall Wed 18th Nov from 7.30. Gorgeous collection of goodies to buy including Cupcake Corner! I would love to see you there, I'll be selling cupcakes, taking orders for xmas and have gift vouchers available too. Be sure to stop by and say hi if you're in the area x

Halloween at Cupcake Corner HQ

2009-11-02T12:39:00.000-08:00

trick or treat? well it was a tricky halloween this year, I'd planned a little get together with a couple of our friends and their kiddies. Trouble was, my OH woke up with a headache, and our daughter seemed exhausted - I put it down to her getting over a cold and burst ear drum and lack of sleep earlier in the week - poor thing :o(

ten minutes before the party was due to start, she feel fast asleep, and I didn't have the heart to wake her. We enjoyed some drinks and snacks and I woke her up for all the kids to play a few spooky party games inside and out, as soon as she'd filled her cup with treats after the outside treasure hunt, she started to cry and Rich took her to the lounge for a cuddle to settle her down. Well, that's where they both feel asleep for the duration of the evening!

We had more Trick or Treaters than usual, maybe that's something to do with the cupcake sign at the bottom of the drive??!! I greeted the door in my red devil mask - but do you know what? Not one of our tricksters actually had a trick planned, they just expected treats!

The rest of us had a nice time, eating Lamb Tagine gluten free naturally, and kids had a wonderful party tea, care of Luisa. Followed by a yummy lemon posset care of Lynne and gluten free cupcakes of course. Favourite cupcake was the spooky ghost who topped our little stand, which one would you choose? Leave me a comment and I'll know which designs to keep for next year

Hope you had a fun Halloween x

Vanilla & Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes

2009-10-25T01:43:00.000-07:00

Well, here it goes, this recipe was so yummy and easy, I thought I'd share it with you all! Thank You to my darling hubbie for trying the first one. I also had the pleasure of meeting Dawn-Elizabeth Rudd who joined me for a coffee and a chat and tried this pretty little cupcake. Dawn offers lifestyle workshops, one a week in her old vicarage kitchen in Shirley, Derbyshire, so we had quite a lot in common. I'll include the link to her website and you can see which event you'd like to join her for. But, I digress, back to the recipe!

500g philadelphia cream cheese at room temp
100g fairtrade caster sugar
3 large free range eggs, whisked together
1 vanilla pod
175 double cream
200 fairtrade white chocolate, broken/chopped into small pieces (check it's gluten free)
1 punnet raspberries (or 2 depending on how fruity you're feeling)

1 preheat oven to 130 C
2 line muffin tray with cases, silver or pink would be lovely
3 beat together cheese & sugar
4 Gradually add eggs, whisk till combined
5 Scrape seeds from vanilla pod, add to cheese mix& combine well
6 pour cream into saucepan, bring to boil on medium heat
7 add chocolate to cream & mix well until all melted, stir well
8 add chocolate cream to cheese mix and stir until no lumps
9 chop half of your berries and place those into cases
10 pour cheescake mix over berries, fill to just under the rim
11 bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until set but a little soft in the middle, they remain pale in colour
12 cool to room temperature, place in fridge overnight
13 serve with 1 or 3 raspberries on the top of each & a sprinkle of icing sugar

NB you could use mixed berries, a punnet of each raspberries, blueberries & blackberries, or use frozen mixed summer fruit for inside the cup cases, and fresh raspberries for the tops

We've enjoyed 2 batches of these in our household of 2 adults, so I can assure you, they are delicious. I think they look very feminine, very elegant and work perfectly with afternoon tea, or as an easy to prepare in advance and quick to serve dinner party dessert

I'd love to know what you think of my first blog recipe share...please leave me a comment
Thanks ;o)

PS be sure to see when you'd like to join dawn-Elizabeth http://www.ruddmoncrieff.com/

It's nearly Christmas!

2009-10-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, well this week has been very festive here at Cupcake Corner. I was busy at the start of the week preparing Christmas Cupcakes for a local magazine photo shoot. Quite pleased with the results, and it meant I started early for the rounds of Christmas fairs. Here's a little preview of my Christmas designs, they will be on show at the following fairs, if you're local why not pop along and say Hi? They are all free admission and most hold a charity raffle with lovely prizes, I'd love to see you...

Oct Fri 23rd 7pm Ashbourne Golf Club
Nov Fri 6pm Marchington Village Hall kids welcome c/o Sudbury preschool
Nov Sat 7th 3pm Ashbourne Leisure Centre - Nearly New Sale c/o NCT
Nov Sat & Sun 21st & 22nd FABULOUS PLACES at BLACKBROOK HOUSE - one not to miss!
Nov Mon 23rd 6pm Kniveton School Xmas Fair

Hope you like the Christmas designs, orders now being taken and gift vouchers available too
Ho Ho Ho !
x

Derbyshire Food & Drink Awards

2009-10-19T10:02:00.001-07:00

We had a lovely evening at the Derbyshire Food & Drink Awards last Thursday, where I was attending as a guest and delivering a tray of beautiful cupcake gitboxes as prizes - so cute! Here are a few snaps of me & my friend Luisa enjoying the bubbly and a couple of the winners. If you're into Gluten Free too, be sure to visit Le Mistral in Wirksworth Derbyshire, phone ahead to tell them you need GF and they'll prepare you a wonderful meal. They won best international restaurant in Derbyshire! Congratulations
http://www.lemistral.co.uk/

bbc radio quiz - help us on twitter!

2009-10-19T04:52:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, I'm on a quiz show on BBC Radio Derby all week. Join us on Twitter, use the twitter badge on the blog, or head to twitter and look for CupcakeCornerUK. The Fabulous Faces team will need all the help we can get, so please tweet us the answers if you know them!!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/playlive/bbc_radio_derby/

Cupcake Corner shortlisted for award

2009-10-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

Whoop Whoop! I dont believe it, Cupcake Corner has been shortlisted, which means 1 of 3 finalists, for an award. It's the Food & Drink inet award for Innovation. Best thing is, I only found out about it 2 days before the deadline, so it was a rather last minute application, which I squeezed into a busy week, but I'm so glad I did. I hope it may open some doors for some assistance, and we can hopefully secure some help to get Cupcake Corner's deliverable by mail order, and satisfy all those who are further afield who are asking for our delicious cucpakes. I would like to thanks my sister Steph for her help, and Paul Sheppard, Jo Stevenson & Jo Murphy. http://www.eminnovation.org.uk/food/Page.aspx?SP=4313

National Chocolate Week NOW ON!

2009-10-12T03:30:00.000-07:00

Hi, as if you need an excuse but it is National Chocolate Week Oct 12th -18th. Here at Cupcake Corner, the kitchen smells divine, "dive into deep dark chocolate" cupcakes freshly baked and already delivered. Which also means that cash has already ben raised for the partnering charity "The Sick Childrens Trust". All chocolate gift boxes are 10% off this week and individual chocolate cupcakes are available from P&B Deli Ashbourne - all of which raise a donation to the charity. And just in case you still need persuading to eat chocolate (surely not!) all the cocoa used is Green & Blacks Fairtrade Cocoa - Perfect! Guilt free chocolate fest, order yours today as it's bound to be a busy week X

New Cupcake Wrapper

2009-10-12T03:15:00.001-07:00

Brand new cupcake wrappers on display at a wedding fair. Shimmering lilac butterflies, topped with handmade pale pink & lilac butterflies. I think these wrappers are beautiful and perfect for any feminine occasion. Lots of prospective brides said they were adding butterflies within their plans so perfect for weddings too X

wedding fair this sunday

2009-09-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

hi, come and see Cupcake Corner this Sunday at County Hall Matlock DE4 3AG 01629 736200.. I'll have cupcake samples, cupcakes for sale and will be reserving the date for prospective brides and grooms to book the most beautiful cupcake towers for their special day. Sure to be a busy day, so stop by early X

Cupcakes for Neofidos

2009-09-28T03:54:00.001-07:00

What a pleasure these were to make...when I was asked to make a greek themed cupcake tower, at first I wasn't sure where to go with it, so I quickly googled the greek flag, added some 80s and hey presto, Happy Birthday Neofidos! Glad you had such a lovely celebration, in the beautiful surroundings of Makeney Hall, Derbyshire (where yours truly got married!). Thank you so much to Irene, who has already sent me a very sweet thank you note, with photos enclosed too, and as I said, it was my pleasure!

Blogs - Gluten-Free Faces

2009-09-28T01:50:00.001-07:00

Blogs - Gluten-Free Faces

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