Ghost Cupcakes

A couple of years ago I posted a spooktacular Graveyard Cake which was a huge success, not alone was it the centrepiece of our Hallowe'en party but when I made one to bring to a friends party they loved it too! 

This year I thought I would make these cute ghost cupcakes, they are such fun! It seemed to us that each of them had their own individual personality :)    

Oreo Cupcakes

Delicious aren't they, soft with a bit of crunch. Now don't be fooled into thinking that these are difficult to make, au contraire my friends. I wouldn't tempt you with such mouthwatering photos and then set about putting you to work for hours in the kitchen. 

Easter Cupcakes

Who could resist these tasty Easter treats, well not me that's for sure! These cupcakes are easier than you think to make and they are great for getting the children involved in the kitchen.

Hallowe'en Cupcakes

 

Hallowe'en is one of my favourite times of the year, my children love it too, they love dressing up, carving pumpkins and listening to spooky stories. How about a little bank holiday baking? These cupcakes are a all in one mixing bowl recipe then bake them and then decorate them anyway you like. So easy that even little hands can help. 

Simple Vanilla Buttercream Recipe

It's tempting isn't it, wouldn't it be wonderful if you could make a batch of light and fluffy buttercream at home instead of always buying it. Well now is your chance, this is unlike anything you will buy, it is silky smooth and full of pure vanilla goodness. Better still you can tailor this recipe as you please with different flavours and colours! 

Chocolate and Black Bean Cupcakes

I've been meaning to share this beautiful recipe with you for a couple of weeks now, I wanted to share it with you around the time I posted my Chunky Black Bean and Chicken Soup recipe adapted from A Girl Called Jack. It seemed appropriate that your dinner and dessert should both contain black beans and dark chocolate...yum!

Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Lemon is a favourite in this house, I just love it's clean fresh smell and I find that it really comes to life in when I use it in baking. This recipe may look tricky but in reality it is very easy, the sponge mix is an all in one, so nothing can go wrong there, same with the frosting.

Cinderella's Glass Slipper Cupcakes

These are the perfect accompaniment to the Cinderella Doll Cake, as they are easy to make and have that wow factor, I baked these as part of the party food but I also passed them out as the children were leaving as part of their party bags.

Makes 20 - 24

Ingredients
200g Pale blue ready to roll icing
Pearl sprinkles
1 Qty of Basic Cupcake Recipe batter
500g Icing sugar
3-4 tbsp Water

Equipment
Rolling pin
Cake smoother (optional)
Shoe cutter
Medium Flower plunger cutter
Small clean paint brush
1 tbsp Boiled and cooled water

Method
Knead the ready to roll icing until it is pliable but not sticky. Roll out on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, smooth with a cake smoother (optional).

Cut out about 26 shoes, it's wise to have a couple extra in case of breakages! Allow to harden slightly on a flat surface.

Make about the same number of plunger flowers.

Brush the center of the plunger flowers with some boiled and cooled water, add the sprinkles and leave to harden.

Assemble using the boiled and cooled water, stick the flower to the shoe and leave to dry for a couple of hours or overnight.

Make up the cupcake batter, line two 12 hole muffin trays with muffin papers (I use Dr. Oetker Muffin cases) and spoon about one tablespoon of the batter into each of the cases.

The goal here is to leave enough of a gap between the top of the cupcake and the top edge of the paper case, which will be filled with glace icing.

Bake at 190ºC/375ºF/Gas Mark 5 for 18-20 minutes or until the center springs back when gently pressed with your finger. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely. Meanwhile, sift the icing sugar into a medium sized bowl and slowly add the cold water a tablespoon at a time until it is a thick paste. Divide between the cupcakes and tap gently on your work surface to level off the icing.

While the icing is still wet, top with the glass slipper, leave to set.

Serve alongside the Cinderella Doll Cake for the perfect birthday party show piece.

Sunflower Cupcakes

Earlier this year our daughter arrived home from school with a very thoughtful Father's Day gift, a sunflower plant! She was very proud of her achievement, all this was accompanied by a beautiful handmade card. There was great excitement when the tiny green sapling appeared above the soil and now a few weeks later it is a towering 20cms! It's progress has been very closely monitored and today it was deemed mature enough to be planted outside, so because it is no longer on the window sill for all to enjoy, we decided that a replacement was needed, of the sweet kind of course!!

I whipped up a batch of Basic Cupcake Recipe  which I added 1 tbsp of cocoa powder (for the soil) and yellow buttercream.

Makes 8-10

Ingredients
Basic Cupcake Recipe
150g Royal Icing
Green food colouring
10 Oreo Cookies (I used a 154g Packet of Chocolate Creme Oreos)

Method
Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before decorating. Sift the royal icing into a small bowl, add 2-3 drops of green food colouring, until a dark shade of green, add a DROP of water at a time until the icing is a very stiff consistency.

I made my icing a little too runny, if you need to stiffen the icing up a little then add some more royal icing or icing sugar

Snip a V into the icing bag with a sharp scissors and ice the leaves, repeat with yellow buttercream icing bag.

Ice the green leaves around the outer edge, place the Oreo in the centre of the cupcake, repeat with the yellow buttercream.  (Note my runny Royal icing, a stiffer icing will stand up much better!!)

This is not about prefection but about enjoying the process and enjoying the end result with a large glass of milk!!

Sarah's father day's gift with it's cupcake pals.

Victoria Sponge Cake

Looking at these photographs, it is such a temptation not to whip up another cake right now, it is just so delicious and usually it only gets one outing in our house! 
  As a result I make this cake regularly, because it is quick and fuss free. This is the exact same recipe as my Simply Wonderful Cupcakes just divided between two sandwich tins...neat eh!

Simple Cupcake Recipe

These are really something special, they're light and fluffy and so easy to make. It's one of those recipes that you just tip everything into a bowl and mix.