tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31995402991908525142024-03-12T18:05:26.763-07:00Cupcakes ate my Soulwww.elliescakes.co.ukCupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-21217729076813930312011-01-22T02:34:00.000-08:002011-01-22T03:12:41.145-08:00Don't cry for me blogspot.com<div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">This week's post can be found on my lovely new blog </span><strong><a href="http://cupcakesatemysoul.wordpress.com/"><span style="color:#cc33cc;">http://www.cupcakesatemysoul.wordpress.com</span></a></strong><span style="color:#666666;"><strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;"><br /></span><br /></strong>Dear fellow Blogspotters, do not feel I have abandoned you. You have been loyal followers! But things change, and become shinier. And wordpress let me have a lovely cupcakey background...<br />So the change was for the better, embrace it!<br />All the old favourites can be found on the new blog, and I'll still keep this one alive on the interweb incase you ever feel like you need the comfort of the 'blogspot.com'.<br /></span><span style="color:#993399;"><span style="color:#666666;">But</span><span style="color:#cc33cc;"><strong> </strong></span></span><a href="http://cupcakesatemysoul.wordpress.com/"><span style="color:#cc33cc;"><strong>http://www.cupcakesatemysoul.wordpress.com</strong></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> is where all future bloggage shall be.<br /><br />Thank you for supporting my blog throughout its blogspot life!<br />I wouldn't keep doing it if it wasn't for you following and your lovely comments!<br /><br />x</span></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-78335838217551506262011-01-17T07:26:00.001-08:002011-01-17T07:29:50.489-08:00Voodoo Cookie<div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Ok, I know it's not Halloween...and I know that TECHNICALLY this isn't a cupcake...but it's a close cousin...</span></div><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">I thought the humble Gingerbread man needed a little...jazzing up so to speak, so I decided to stitch him up and stick pins in him! Sorry G. Man...</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 301px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563176914285858994" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TTRf7bapkLI/AAAAAAAAA48/2nPlHoSdQaQ/s320/voodoo%2Bcookie.jpg" /></span></p>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-87731369784759676852011-01-05T03:53:00.000-08:002011-01-06T11:46:55.735-08:00I built a House!<div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">A Gingerbread House that is...incase you thought I'd suddenly abandoned the art of Cakeage to become a house...builderer (It's a job)</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSYTS24JUQI/AAAAAAAAA4k/ZXm_fxmsY7A/s1600/024.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"></span></a><br /><span style="color:#666666;">This was my 12 hour labour of love.</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#666666;">And it all began with the creaming of some butter and sugar...</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;">(I literally took step by step pictures in case you had trouble imagining what the creaming of butter looked like...)</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559152965405095026" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSYUKxsHtHI/AAAAAAAAA40/HVXWofspwW0/s320/024.JPG" /></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;">Add a lovely mound of dark sugar...</span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559152959361718354" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSYUKbLRGFI/AAAAAAAAA4s/8XNpyith2l4/s320/025.JPG" /></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;"></span><br /><span style="color:#666666;">Creamy creamy...(don't eaty eaty...)<br /></span><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRz3PW1c7I/AAAAAAAAA4E/eL6CxB9e_-A/s1600/028.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558695232934343602" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRz3PW1c7I/AAAAAAAAA4E/eL6CxB9e_-A/s320/028.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"><br />Then you add the syrup of Satan...Treacle. The most sickliest, thickest, gloopiest substance known to man kind. </span><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRz2ipndqI/AAAAAAAAA38/WurAsVa6Bxk/s1600/029.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558695220933523106" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRz2ipndqI/AAAAAAAAA38/WurAsVa6Bxk/s320/029.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">Nice arty shot of treacle for your viewing pleasure...<br /><br /></span></div><div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRzHeZYAxI/AAAAAAAAA30/HU9Vk7x0c1E/s1600/037.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 255px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558694412337808146" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRzHeZYAxI/AAAAAAAAA30/HU9Vk7x0c1E/s320/037.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> Then mix this into your butter and sugar...<br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRzHJ9phkI/AAAAAAAAA3s/jtG29XeDoGU/s1600/039.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558694406852806210" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRzHJ9phkI/AAAAAAAAA3s/jtG29XeDoGU/s320/039.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">Image of the actual mixing process...just so you can check you're er, doing it right...<br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRyVBjJwvI/AAAAAAAAA3k/tN9r8grOWFA/s1600/040.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558693545600729842" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRyVBjJwvI/AAAAAAAAA3k/tN9r8grOWFA/s320/040.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> LOADS of ground ginger! Yes it will make people choke when they eat your fiery, gingery gingerbread, but all that means is your gingerbread will be tasty and entertaining...and mildly life threatening...<br /><br /><br /></span><div><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 274px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558692148329571090" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRxDsTv4xI/AAAAAAAAA3U/ejculIAHXoM/s320/051.JPG" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">Again, you may need reminding of what mixing looks like...(Ok I admit I got a little carried away photographing things...)</span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRxheCXoWI/AAAAAAAAA3c/sp5c0mumSJc/s1600/052.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558692659894657378" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRxheCXoWI/AAAAAAAAA3c/sp5c0mumSJc/s320/052.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span><div><span style="color:#666666;">Then we add flourery peaks of flour!<br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRwFCFTnpI/AAAAAAAAA3M/j9TYiJ1qiGY/s1600/054.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558691071842819730" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRwFCFTnpI/AAAAAAAAA3M/j9TYiJ1qiGY/s320/054.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span><div><span style="color:#666666;">Tip that lot into your buttery, sugary, gingery, treacly mix with a couple o' tablespoons of water and mix until it resembles something resembling what you would imagine gingerbread dough looks like! (Kinda stiff...brown thing, see below)<br /><br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRiE1KL6pI/AAAAAAAAA1s/ExBRBLkNT24/s1600/067.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558675675210836626" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRiE1KL6pI/AAAAAAAAA1s/ExBRBLkNT24/s320/067.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"><br />Above is the dough after getting a little chilly in the frige for half an hour in a coat of clingfilm<br /></span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">Then! I rolled it to about a 1/4 inch thick. But if you're going for a winter friendly house and thus want thermo insulated walls, make it about an inch thick to keep the warmth in.<br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRiEZVRx3I/AAAAAAAAA1k/QCtiN6CVJQA/s1600/069.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 207px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558675667741165426" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRiEZVRx3I/AAAAAAAAA1k/QCtiN6CVJQA/s320/069.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> Then! Mark out your walls and roofage. </span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">Side walls: W-5 inches, H-3 inches</span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">Roofage: W-6 inches, H-6 inches</span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">Back and frontage: W-5 1/2 inches, H-6 1/2 inches at the peak!<br /><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRiEMMY6PI/AAAAAAAAA1c/GaMwOSSWH8g/s1600/070.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 254px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558675664214223090" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRiEMMY6PI/AAAAAAAAA1c/GaMwOSSWH8g/s320/070.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span><div><span style="color:#666666;">And go mental with your cookie cutter...</span></div><div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRhLl1WEaI/AAAAAAAAA1M/h4zP56gzuZs/s1600/073.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558674691844346274" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRhLl1WEaI/AAAAAAAAA1M/h4zP56gzuZs/s320/073.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">Cook your house for about 15 mins...Don't worry that it feels strangely squidgy when you take it out the oven; resist the urge to poke and let it harden up!<br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRhKy1Tl7I/AAAAAAAAA1E/WovCV95jz0M/s1600/076.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 302px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558674678153975730" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRhKy1Tl7I/AAAAAAAAA1E/WovCV95jz0M/s320/076.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">Then let rip with with the royal icing! A recipe for which you can find </span><a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/RoyalIcing.html"><span style="color:#666666;">here</span></a></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">Outlines of things make it look prettyful...<br /><br /></span></div><div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRhKvjt8KI/AAAAAAAAA00/vpsTyWhCWAw/s1600/085.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 280px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558674677274898594" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRhKvjt8KI/AAAAAAAAA00/vpsTyWhCWAw/s320/085.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> I baked a huge gingerbread cookie in a pan as the base for my house and did a nice swirly pattern around it!<br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRhKbyCTKI/AAAAAAAAA0s/2GUqOXPkE0I/s1600/100.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 319px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558674671966244002" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRhKbyCTKI/AAAAAAAAA0s/2GUqOXPkE0I/s320/100.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">And lined all my little jelly men on top of house...they're not suicidal about to jump off...they're just admiring the view...<br /></span><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRe46zrKzI/AAAAAAAAA0k/9upymQ_bdwg/s1600/102.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 319px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558672172033714994" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRe46zrKzI/AAAAAAAAA0k/9upymQ_bdwg/s320/102.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> So you basically want to buy bucketfuls of pick n' mix and throw the stuff all over your gingerbread house! In a tasteful, artful and considered way of course...<br /></span><div><div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRe4Q5gTXI/AAAAAAAAA0M/Xjm3V-VgUno/s1600/113.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558672160783879538" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRe4Q5gTXI/AAAAAAAAA0M/Xjm3V-VgUno/s320/113.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> Tudaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!</span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">The recipient (My Brother) was 'speechless' upon receiving it as a christmas present, so get making! And render everyone you know speechless!</span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRe3zrOPNI/AAAAAAAAA0E/vsIdcVUDOao/s1600/108.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 250px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558672152939347154" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TSRe3zrOPNI/AAAAAAAAA0E/vsIdcVUDOao/s320/108.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">(No jelly babies were harmed in the making of my house so please don't report me to the Care, Protection and Misuse of Jelly Babies authorities...)</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-77304578094719321592010-12-20T03:12:00.000-08:002010-12-21T06:30:48.548-08:00Betty.<div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Dear readers, I have committed the most shameful act a baker can do. I used a boxed cake mix. But I had to, both for my own intrigue and to save you the pain of ever having to do so. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">I chose of course Betty Crocker's infamous range of cake mixes for which you need only add 1 egg! </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">I felt ashamed as I peeled open the box and took out the mixture of god knows what accompanied by the squashed cupcake cases. If ever you needed a reason to bake from scratch, Betty Crocker has put it in a box. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQ9jGYH48fI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/Vak0bx7-Fsg/s1600/p4.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552765826777018866" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQ9jGYH48fI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/Vak0bx7-Fsg/s320/p4.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span> <span style="color:#666666;">Here's all you'll need...<br /><br /></span><div><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552721722272260626" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQ86_KCiIhI/AAAAAAAAAyA/7kZLKqsGZBg/s320/026.JPG" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;">Who needs to cream butter and sugar when you can add water to some brown powder?</span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552721734988326930" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQ86_5aR6BI/AAAAAAAAAyY/gqy-h1W9yb0/s320/030.JPG" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;">The Egg.</span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552721732386279394" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQ86_vt5z-I/AAAAAAAAAyQ/skvAgDRB-L8/s320/029.JPG" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;">Egg, mix, and water. </span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552721727380971842" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQ86_dEi4UI/AAAAAAAAAyI/3Q3wduPrKlE/s320/027.JPG" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;">Having mixed my 3 'ingredients', there is no sense of achievement in mixing together an egg, water and some powder. None of the sense of time, effort and love that goes into making a cake from scratch. There's no weighing of ingredients, sifting, beating or creaming. It's a completely souless experience. </span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">I'm all for saving time, but really once you have your flour, sugar, eggs and butter, baking at its most basic is mixing them all in one bowl. In fact in the time it took me to get Betty's Box open, cut open the plastic bag and tip it in to a bowl, I could have me a delicious home made cake mix...</span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552721733406204258" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQ86_zhEoWI/AAAAAAAAAyg/GxyDKJ-UTF8/s320/031.JPG" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;">The mix at this stage is quite grainy and bland, with, and I stress, a hint of chocolatey taste. So no fear of eating all your mix before it hits the oven... </span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;">And of course Betty was kind enough to squash some cupcake cases into the bottom of her box...</span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552722901136089874" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQ88DxpkoxI/AAAAAAAAAyo/sgpGhkSHz2w/s320/032.JPG" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;">To be fair to Mrs. Crocker...it does make 6...</span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552722906699122658" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQ88EGX5x-I/AAAAAAAAAyw/pi8oJ9BMik4/s320/033.JPG" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;">Ahem...Tudaah...</span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQ9jF4Q5NpI/AAAAAAAAAzA/BNSKHFWsa80/s1600/p2.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552765818224850578" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQ9jF4Q5NpI/AAAAAAAAAzA/BNSKHFWsa80/s320/p2.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"><br />So texture wise, not too shabby. Moist...muffiny...tasteless. They really were like chewing on a muffin with literally no taste. Again, there was a whiff of chocolate in the air, but it really was just largely chewing on something that really wanted to be a muffin, but grew up to be a sad little chewy thing. <br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQ9jFSXMBSI/AAAAAAAAAy4/-MAiv1QjKJA/s1600/p1.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552765808050701602" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQ9jFSXMBSI/AAAAAAAAAy4/-MAiv1QjKJA/s320/p1.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">If you want to bake some muffins, or a cake, because you want to show people what they look like, or you want to poison your worst enemy, I'm Betty all the way. </span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;">But if you want to really bake a muffin, or a cupcake, or a cake, then I urge you to bake from scratch! The pennies you'll save buying Crocker's Box of Wannabe-Cake really isn't enough to justify not spending a few more pennies and another 10 minutes baking real cakeage the real way.</span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#666666;">Down with Betty's Boxes! </span></div></div><br /></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-19658701700789625272010-12-13T10:13:00.000-08:002010-12-13T10:51:22.351-08:00Cloves, Oranges and Cinnamon!<div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">I'm feeling festive, which means it's time to start obsessively baking Christmas Cakes! </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">I don't know about you, but since the dawn of time (or since my memory kicked in...which means I can't remember anything before the age of about 15 which should be quite worrying...but hey ho!) every Christmas I have stuck cloves into oranges and baked them with my dear old mum to make the house smell pretty and because I guess they look pretty...shrivelled burnt oranges with spikey cloves sticking out of them...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Anyway, the point I'm trying to get at is, most things that smell nice, taste nice to! So naturally I had to bake a Clove and Orange cake...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550232808753987634" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQZjVUqAADI/AAAAAAAAAw4/p7yJyVL789M/s320/016.JPG" /></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">I basically made this recipe up as I went along; guessing at the method behind my madness. For example my first attempts at grinding up cloves failed gloriously as I was attempting to grind up whole cloves and of course the stalks refused to be ground...(interestingly, cloves are actually the shrivelled flowers from evergreen trees in Indonesia...don't you just love the random things you learn from my blog?! I am here to educate dear readers)</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">So yes, after my clove fail, I began to pain stakingly pick each bud from the stalk, throw it in a pestle and mortar until I had about a heaped teaspoon full of ground cloveage! </span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">And here's the part where someone tells me you can buy ground cloves...(although I did discover the next morning that ground allspice smells suspiciously like ground cloves...)</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550232793141469250" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQZjUafr4EI/AAAAAAAAAww/7E5CRileoNc/s320/017.JPG" /></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Next comes the zest of an orange!</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550232827490991314" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQZjWadP_NI/AAAAAAAAAxA/Kxt6SkAp5T4/s320/018.JPG" /></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">And I shall add here, I made up your basic cake mix first <strong>without</strong> adding vanilla extract as I didn't want it to over power or interfere with my prettyful cloves and orangeness...</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">(I used a 1 egg recipe; weight of 1 egg = weight of sugar, butter, flour...I knew maths would come in handy one day...)</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550232848973255986" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQZjXqfBVTI/AAAAAAAAAxI/4r579EjADIE/s320/019.JPG" /></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Now, when's the cinnamon coming in?! I hear you cry. Well, in the buttercream of course...Make up as much or as little as you like, I advise making double what you need because you will eat it as you make it...and we do want some left! Then add a ton of cinnamon to taste! I added rather a lot because it didn't taste strong enough as I made it, but lo and behold the taste becomes stronger the longer you leave it, so if you add a ton and it still doesn't taste cinnamon-tastic; get someone to restrain you from adding more because a little goes a long way!</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550233879605823746" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQZkTp4-SQI/AAAAAAAAAxY/98OLXlg0Bq4/s320/022.JPG" /></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Bakey bakey...</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550233884413463762" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQZkT7zNDNI/AAAAAAAAAxg/1fUYt9hv1Kw/s320/023.JPG" /></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Icey icey...</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550233897752171890" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQZkUtfZlXI/AAAAAAAAAxo/OBBP80BJR-M/s320/026.JPG" /></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Cutty cutty...</span></p><p align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQZkVqE0OYI/AAAAAAAAAx4/RzeMjqFSwbc/s1600/029.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550233914015234434" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQZkVqE0OYI/AAAAAAAAAx4/RzeMjqFSwbc/s320/029.JPG" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"><br />My cake was demolished within 24 hours of it's birth, which is never a bad thing...</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">It tastes really lovely and festive; fruit cake without all the...fruit.</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">The cloves will put hairs on your chest if you add too much, so again, restrain yourself! Better to have a subtle of hint of it running through the cake and more orange flavour than have people spitting it across the room crying out various obscenities about the taste of cloves!</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Enjoy!</span></p><p align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQZkU7rh0rI/AAAAAAAAAxw/vMC_C8j5dRI/s1600/028.JPG"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550233901561139890" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TQZkU7rh0rI/AAAAAAAAAxw/vMC_C8j5dRI/s320/028.JPG" /></span></a></p>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-14684085403276890822010-11-27T04:21:00.000-08:002010-11-27T04:41:50.573-08:00Mince Meat<div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">First of all, my sincerest apologies dear readers for keeping you gripped to the edges of your seats for this weeks post, only to find it 6 days late! My bloggage absence was not because I have forgotten your cakey needs, it was I assure you because I was fulfilling them!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And now I have before you, mince meat cakes.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">I hear the sounds of glasses dropping and shocked cries from my humble abode. But I must assure you dear readers, that I mean only the sweet variety of mince meat, that made with juicy raisins, sultanas, spirits and spices...and beef fat of course. That lovely, crunchy suet we love to find nestled in our mince pies...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Now, I am not a lover of the mince pie, I favour only one: The lattice patterned mince pies from Marks and Spencers, and I shall eat no other. But I have always loved cupcakes more. So I pondered to myself, why should I idly sit by at christmas, watching everyone around me enjoying mountains of mince pies, whilst I abstain from the joys of over indulgence?</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And then inspiration struck. No longer shall I not feel sick with everyone else. I shall take their mince pies, and turn them into something even more delicious! Mince Pie Cake!</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Now, it still needs a little work, but this was more of an experiment to see if mince meat in cake would even be tasty...and I was very pleased to be proven correct. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">I literally made my trusty vanilla cake recipe (weigh 2 eggs, copy that amount in flour, sugar and butter, mixy mixy and add vanilla essence = CAKE!)</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Then! Here's the special part. I added 2 heaped tablespoons of minced meat to this mix (I must stress, do make sure it's the tasty sweet kind, or you could end up with a rather unique tasting cake...) and then I chucked in a load of all spice! Christmas in a pot basically...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Mixy mixy...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Bakey bakey...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Let it cool off...whipped up some buttercream, basically 200g of butter and enough milk, icing sugar and vanilla essence until you think to yourself, 'yep, tastes good to me' for everyones buttercream preferences are different...there are some among us who find it too sweet sometimes, but we shall not speak of them...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Then to your overly sweet buttercream, add more all spice because it's delicious! Smother your cake in it, and hey presto you have a lovely mince meat and spiced buttercream cake which, I stress again, is DELICIOUS!</span></div><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So for all you mince pie haters-cupcakes lovers; problem solved. Enjoy!</span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544207124920616498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TPD7AXIVRjI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/PthfkWkgwDU/s320/m.JPG" border="0" /> </p><p align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Notice the suet lurking in my mix...<br /></span><br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544207135264605650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 243px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TPD7A9qiBdI/AAAAAAAAAwg/mxyGirricGo/s320/m2.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544207127616230226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 243px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TPD7AhLBE1I/AAAAAAAAAwY/ZbM6AJjrXvI/s320/m1.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544207138012484434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 254px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TPD7BH5rU1I/AAAAAAAAAwo/aac5opaf7M8/s320/m3.JPG" border="0" /> <div align="center"></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-7107512582935127832010-11-15T04:09:00.000-08:002010-11-16T03:18:22.243-08:00Market Stall<div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">So, at uni, I am doing an Apprentice stylie challenge where we have a bunch of groups and we all have to do 'tasks' and with every task, more groups get knocked out according to how much profit they made on that task until fiiinally 2 groups get through the final!<br />The first task were selling doughnuts in a shopping centre and my wonderful group, Team Bubble (I didn't choose the name!) made £200 profit! And won ;)<br /><br />Now, on to the second challenge, and by far my favourite, The Market Stall challenge, and we decided to have a Cupcake Stall! So after 3 days of non stop baking and no sleep, we all got up at the crack of dawn and sold our cakeage for 8 hours in the freezing cold! And you know what? We came second! So my friends, we're through to the final :D And we have to pitch a product to John Lewis and House of Fraser so fingers crossed!<br /><br />Now I know what you really want, pictures of cake!<br /><br />Enjoy x<br /><br /><br />Putting my team to work making saucepans full of Buttercream! (This is a student apartment, so naturally compromises had to made...like using saucepans to make buttercream...but needs must!)<br /><br /></div></span><span style="color:#666666;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539783148930677202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TOFDbES1OdI/AAAAAAAAAwA/52Ne2FwWqmE/s320/9.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"><br />A boy decorating cupcakes! You're not imagining it.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539783130504389410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TOFDZ_pqYyI/AAAAAAAAAvo/1FKyXl_mk6Q/s320/6.jpg" border="0" /></p><p align="center"><br /><br />Burger Cupcakes!<br /><br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539783133985440738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TOFDaMnnA-I/AAAAAAAAAv4/jruG-WKxjpA/s320/8.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"><br /><br />Inspiration struck me on the eve before the market stall, and I knew I had to make it. A Giant Popcorn Cake!<br /><br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539783127361735794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TOFDZz8ZTHI/AAAAAAAAAvw/p7kaxeC9Ma4/s320/7.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539759383750786770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TOEtzwGaPtI/AAAAAAAAAvg/JBSVkyuZn1o/s320/5.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539759371294572306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TOEtzBsnfxI/AAAAAAAAAvY/n0W_jOIhPzA/s320/4.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"><br />And of course 2 Giant Burger Cakes...<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539759355032256018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TOEtyFHYPhI/AAAAAAAAAvI/YLADuWLlouc/s320/2.bmp" border="0" /><br /><br /></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TOFDbbavj8I/AAAAAAAAAwI/pl4Rt72UzFE/s1600/10.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539783155137875906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TOFDbbavj8I/AAAAAAAAAwI/pl4Rt72UzFE/s320/10.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"><br />And here's our beautiful (vintage inspired...) Market Stall! By far the nicest one out of all the groups ;) And our beautiful sales lady Jo!<br /><br /></span></p><div><div><div><div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TOEty_CdooI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/cSImtpWiDhg/s1600/3.bmp"><span style="color:#666666;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539759370580894338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TOEty_CdooI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/cSImtpWiDhg/s320/3.bmp" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">And, my favourite piece of the stall, a giant wooden cupcake! Luckily no one tried to eat it...</span></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TOEtxtE6q-I/AAAAAAAAAvA/KAHWBb-rtUg/s1600/1.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539759348579478498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TOEtxtE6q-I/AAAAAAAAAvA/KAHWBb-rtUg/s320/1.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span></div></div></div></div></div></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-69290168741097174772010-11-07T11:08:00.000-08:002010-11-07T11:46:15.857-08:00The Defiled Cakeage<div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">So as part of the whole Evil Cake Shop shabang, I were asked to design a cake for the Metal band </span><a href="http://www.myspace.com/thedefiled"><span style="color:#ff0000;">The Defiled</span></a><span style="color:#666666;">. Consulting the ever reliable Google it soon dawned on me that a pretty pink giant cupcake would not suffice to do this band justice through cake; unless of course it was an exploding, blood splattering giant pink cupcake...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">So with blood, gore and death in mind as the main theme for my cake, the idea of a coffin covered in blood with a knife through it naturally came to mind...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">So! How did she do it? I hear you thinking. Well, to be honest, this is the first real 'Cake' I've ever actually done, I'm really a Cupcaker at heart. So this Cake was purely born from logic and a lot of mental trial and error in my head! I knew to get a big cake I'd probably have to bake a square cake owing to my lack of a handy coffin shaped cake tin...So instead I drew out a lovely little coffin on paper and cut it out as a template to cut around on the cake...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">So several sheets of square red velvet cake later...(I didn't have enough mixture first time round to make a massive square cake so it ended up being 4 little sheets of cake sandwiched together for a totally intentional layer cake! *cough*)</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 161px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536892515520921810" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb-aDskwNI/AAAAAAAAAuw/YLmFGfFUJxQ/s320/d13.jpg" /></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Then, now you'll have to use your imaginations here...I lay the paper coffin template upon each cakey sheet of cake, and cut the cake around the coffin and repeated x4 for each cake to get the same shape! Genius...</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Then with some lovely blood coloured buttercream I sandwiched all these laters together, praying to The Cake Lord they wouldn't split in half as I man handled them very carefully...And finally trimmed all the edges to get a nice neat Cakey Coffin!</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536892505334225698" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb-Zdv4GyI/AAAAAAAAAug/ZrFmJoyVgQM/s320/d11.bmp" /></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Then came the fun part...something I had always wanted to do since I first watched that first episode of 'Cake Boss' I stumbled upon on Youtube...</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Something I thought was only the stuff of legend...</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">I did a Crumb Coat.</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Yes readers, I actually did something proper baker-like! For those of you still mystified by this allusive 'Crumb Coat' it is simply a rough, thin coat of buttercream around your cake to seal in all the little crumbs on your cake that thought they were too good to stick with the rest of the cake; only to be smothered and buried in buttercream!</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 243px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536892512673507426" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb-Z5FsqGI/AAAAAAAAAuo/DttgmtsEzCA/s320/d12.jpg" /></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">The buttercream basically makes the cake nice and smooth ready for your cake to be draped in lovely rolled icing...</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">This bit were rather tricky, and I have to admit I cheated a lil'...The idea of covering the cake in 1 sheet of icing scared me a lil', as I had no idea how I'd get a lovely smooth finish on all the corners. </span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Now don't judge me readers, but I may have dusted off my trusty tape measure, measured all the sides, copied those measurements over to my rolled out piece of icing, and cut out icing panels to stick to the cake...</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Do not be disappointed in me dear cakers! I had no choice! I am merely a novice in the Kingdom of Cake! But my random methods didn't turn out too shabby...</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Behold:</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </p><p align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb-aSqGxqI/AAAAAAAAAu4/HARd6OvPqnI/s1600/d14.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 276px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536892519537100450" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb-aSqGxqI/AAAAAAAAAu4/HARd6OvPqnI/s320/d14.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"><br />I piped a rather attractive grey buttercream over the joins so no-one need ever discover my dark secret...</span></p><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">And now, I present to you, The Defiled's Coffin Cake! Blood an' all! (literally)<br /></span></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb-ZG8l1HI/AAAAAAAAAuY/dsA37EvWZXs/s1600/d10.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 212px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536892499213538418" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb-ZG8l1HI/AAAAAAAAAuY/dsA37EvWZXs/s320/d10.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span><br /><span style="color:#666666;">And obviously, being a metal band, A Cake fight was inevitable...as was cake in plaits...</span><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb98X8VkGI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/Sy5ZCN95L7Q/s1600/d4.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536892005559668834" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb98X8VkGI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/Sy5ZCN95L7Q/s320/d4.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">A day to bake and decorate...minutes to destroy :p</span></div><div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb98Le9ksI/AAAAAAAAAuI/7nlyr1sVtFU/s1600/d3.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536892002215236290" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb98Le9ksI/AAAAAAAAAuI/7nlyr1sVtFU/s320/d3.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb97_f1aMI/AAAAAAAAAuA/bxWgcd-cu2o/s1600/d2.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536891998997670082" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb97_f1aMI/AAAAAAAAAuA/bxWgcd-cu2o/s320/d2.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">And of course I provided a Cleaver knife for the cutting of the cake...and a finger...</span></div><div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb97gwwLwI/AAAAAAAAAt4/bO8Ye-XLXgM/s1600/d1.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536891990747131650" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb97gwwLwI/AAAAAAAAAt4/bO8Ye-XLXgM/s320/d1.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span></div><div><span style="color:#666666;">And my mould cake!</span></div><div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb97Z4LKhI/AAAAAAAAAtw/ijFwAOhwa7Y/s1600/d.bmp"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536891988899211794" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TNb97Z4LKhI/AAAAAAAAAtw/ijFwAOhwa7Y/s320/d.bmp" /></span></a></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-75339288455229948952010-10-31T08:19:00.000-07:002010-10-31T13:39:37.358-07:00The Longest Week of my life...ending with meeting Jude Law :D<div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So my lovely readers, this week I have worked night and day baking and decorating my offerings for the world's first </span><a href="http://evilcakes.wordpress.com/"><span style="color:#cc33cc;">18+ Evil Cake Shop</span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> Where I made lots of eyeballs, maggots and mouldy cakes! But it was not easy...kilos and kilos of butter and icing sugar had to be sacrificed, and some cakes just didn't make it and were pronounced burnt at the scene of the crime. But I got there in the end readers. There were moments where I struggled to see the light at the end of the tunnel and continued to ice cakes like a vacant zombie. Icing cake...after cake...after cake...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">But I'll stop whining, and show you my efforts through a pictoral diary!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">In the beginning, there were giant saucepans of cake mix and lots and lots of mess...</span></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534231677340102850" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TM2KY5CSMMI/AAAAAAAAAtI/wChMTaYMMFU/s320/pan+mess.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And from this mess, towers of cupcakes were built...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534230476863285922" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TM2JTA6TqqI/AAAAAAAAAsI/ap5S_Rkrb90/s320/cupcake+stack.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And seas of cupcakes flowed freely...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534230473767377682" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TM2JS1YL2xI/AAAAAAAAAsA/o-8mxKSSaUA/s320/cupcake+sea.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Then, from the skies, buttercream rained down upon these cupcakes, and lo they became pink and tasty...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534232145825655938" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TM2K0KR8bII/AAAAAAAAAtY/q--SuQLznHc/s320/sea+of+cupcakess.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And they were to be called, The 12 Cupcakes.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534230482047926866" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TM2JTUObAlI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/HRCuLeGfIN8/s320/cupcake.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Some betrayed their Lord Cupcake, and were sent to 'The Reject Plastic Bag' where a terrible fate awaited them; consumption by The Dad. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Others went on to seek greatness; they became mouldy. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">(I think I should add here I made them mouldy for that 'manky' effect...I didn't actually leave them to mould for months on end...*cough*)</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534231672067920274" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TM2KYlZTEZI/AAAAAAAAAtA/_WBesYXbbQk/s320/mouldy+cupcakes.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Others explored the Cake world and found new land where they formed a new race of cake, The Green Cakes. An elite race of cakes that form communities in abandoned jars...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534230489364723490" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TM2JTve4dyI/AAAAAAAAAsg/ovEBCNykchk/s320/green+jar+raw.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Where they went forth and multiplied. And The Cake Lord said unto them, 'You shall love thy fellow cupcakes, and obey The 10 Cupmmandments (Geddit? Commandments...Cupcakes...Cupmmandments...It's a stretch I know.)</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">1. You shall have no other Cupcake Lords other than me, for I rule the Cupcakes. I am the Uber Cupcake.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">2. You shall not take the name of The Cupcake in vain. Or you shall be baked with out of date eggs, and ye shall smell. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">3. Remember the Buttercream day, for it is a holy day, when all that is delicous rains upon little cupcakes and transforms them into little drops of Cupcakey heaven</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">4.Honor your Father and thy Mother, Mr. Oven and Mrs. Kitchen Aid. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">5. You shall not eat other Cupcakes. Cupcakes are not Cannibals. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">6. You shall not commit Cupcakey Canoodling. You shall be a beautiful tasty cupcake, and will not taint yourself with Cupcakey inbreeding. You are baked as a family of delicous cakes.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">7. You shall not steal cupcakey goodness from your fellow Cupcakes. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. Should a fellow cupcake sit naked and Buttercreamless beside you whilst your bounteous amounts of buttercream sit upon you whilst you look suspicious, ye shall be sent to Cupcakey Hell. The Reject Plastic Bag. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">9. You shall not covert your neighbour's cupcake case; you shall not covert your neighbour's buttercream, nor his decorations. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">10. You shall not try and recreate yourself in the Lord Cupcake's image. He alone stays forever delicious and has the perfect ratio of icing sugar to butter in his Buttercream. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Behold my Kingdom of Jar Cakes.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534231658492844978" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TM2KXy0v27I/AAAAAAAAAso/Euau9VSfuhY/s320/green+jar.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Maggots!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534231663829511250" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TM2KYGtG7FI/AAAAAAAAAs4/TzU31k_-6VE/s320/maggotss.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Beautiful cupcakes conquered by Maggots. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534231665542612946" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TM2KYNFix9I/AAAAAAAAAsw/Eeqavm860cU/s320/maggots.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">The Washing Up. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Before. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534232152261253858" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TM2K0iQT2uI/AAAAAAAAAtg/hLuysYigzx8/s320/washing+up.bmp" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">After. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">(1 hour later...)</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TM2K0xcacDI/AAAAAAAAAto/ktKHWaau_CE/s1600/washing+upp.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534232156338548786" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TM2K0xcacDI/AAAAAAAAAto/ktKHWaau_CE/s320/washing+upp.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> Cake Pop Eyeballs! Rather popular in the shop ;)</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></div><p align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534230484546943378" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TM2JTdiO-ZI/AAAAAAAAAsY/yjpQ6jojkb8/s320/eyeballsss.jpg" /></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And finally a picture of the queue for the shop (Courtesy of Molly Bakes!) Stretching down the high street! Who knew London was so full of sick minded people after 18+ Cake...</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534232138641342930" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TM2KzvhEgdI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/kr91e4NG1n8/s320/q.jpg" /></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">P.S I dropped off some cakes to </span><a href="http://www.cupcakecamplondon.co.uk/"><span style="color:#cc33cc;">Cupcake Camp London</span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> in Camden today where, and here's why I think there is a God, there was Jude Law! He is a beautiful, beautfiful man. I had to convince his children my maggots wern't actually real...(Which of course they are...)</span></p><p align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">PP.S </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrEkoIma5H0&feature=player_embedded"><span style="color:#cc33cc;">My cakes were on the telly!</span></a><span style="color:#cc33cc;"> </span><span style="color:#999999;">BBC 1's 'The One Show'. You can see my Maggot Cake and my eyeball!</span></p>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-23036114728175034912010-10-24T04:03:00.000-07:002010-10-24T04:46:31.350-07:00Lil' Tarts<div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And I mean tarts completely in the edible sense...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><p align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Lil' Bakewell Tarts! I do apologise that sometimes my Titles may appear shocking and misleading, i.e 'Rabbit Cake' (where no rabbits were harmed in the making...*cough*) but I feel they are necessary to arouse intrigue and curiosity in the following post thus allowing relief and enjoyment to sweep over my dear readers as they realise they are not about to read about tarts and massacred rabbit cakes...See, everything I do I do for you reader. </span></p><span style="color:#999999;"><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div></span><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Anyway! You know I ramble, but all ramblings lead to a logical post. So here are my little Bakewell tarts!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">I went for the 'rustic' home made look (i.e I couldn't be bothered to make them look really neat and trim the edges to the nearest millimetre because let's face it, all little tarts look like that - and I like mine to look a lil' different!)</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So I made me some shortcrust pastry courtesy of </span><a href="http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/baking/how-to-make-shortcrust-pastry.html"><span style="color:#ff6666;">The Delia</span></a></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">- Greased up me muffin pan, and here's how to achieve the beautiful rustic effect; don't cut out nice little circles from your pastry to line the tin, cut out completely random shapes and squidge them into the pan! So you end up with funky pointy bits and unusual shapes; much more fun! (and a lot less effort) </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">- Pricked the bases of the pastry with my trusty fork; this is supposed to prevent the bases getting soggy or something...incontinent pastry. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">- Then blind bake your pastry (by this I don't mean grab the nearest blind person you can find on the street; it would alarm said blind person and such acts are frowned upon) what it actually means is! (Oh and it also doesn't mean blind yourself...baking should be pleasureable, not masochistic) Ahem, it means! Line your uncooked pastry with baking parchment then use your weapon of choice to weigh it down (I use baking beans; like ceramic chick peas) but you can use anything oven proof and heavy. Bake them like that for aboooout 10 minutes...ish...until your pastry looks slightly cooked, but we don't want them completley cooked yet!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">- Then we remove our part cooked pastry, remove the beanage and parchment and plop in a dollop of your chosen jam (Raspberry all the way...not that I'm trying to influence your decision) and theeeen a dollop of </span><a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3943/bakewell-tart"><span style="color:#ff6666;">Bakewell mix</span></a><span style="color:#999999;">! </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">-Then cook 'em up for about 10-15 minutes until your little tarts have risen and your pastry is lightly browned (see below)</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">- Then I got a bit cutesy and added some little almond slice hearts for added 'Aaw' factor!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 252px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531571325016948434" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TMQW0AVfPtI/AAAAAAAAAro/Ug8nToToxAA/s320/bt.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And here's my winged tart...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 206px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531571328792595522" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TMQW0OZrDEI/AAAAAAAAArw/qzwzVCfVG1E/s320/bt2.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Very moist, very delicious, and very gone within 20 minutes of making them!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 187px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531571331244862594" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TMQW0XiVrII/AAAAAAAAAr4/7IeWIt4xue0/s320/bt3.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">(Notice no soggy bottoms!)</span></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-7717334095797037432010-10-17T09:17:00.000-07:002010-10-17T09:33:59.202-07:00Time for Thyme<div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">See what I did there with the title? Mind boggling. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Ok I know what you're thinking, 'Enough with the amazing play on words, give us Cake!'</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">May I introduce to you, Lemon and Thyme Cupcakes. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">I've always wanted to bake this combination and thyme somehow found its way to my doorstep after a trechorous journey from the shelves of Sainsbury's so I figured fate obviously knew the time was right for me to bake Lemon and Thyme cupcakes...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">It's basically a good ol' vanilla cake recipe with a lemon chucked in (not whole, that would taste weird...) and a handful of thyme chopped up and sprinkled in, lovely! Here is a pictoral representation of how my Lemon and Thyme cakes came into existence...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529050745204240594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLsiW80B8NI/AAAAAAAAArI/MRv7Aj85N8M/s320/c3.jpg" border="0" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So I butchered my lemon...and beheaded my Thyme. Do you like how I make baking sound so loving and gentle?</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529051036443866338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLsin5w99OI/AAAAAAAAArY/lt6KUgah5eQ/s320/c5.jpg" border="0" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Then for the eagle eyed among you (I hope none of you have actual eagle eyes, because I fear you would look most bizarre...but definitely one of the only people in the world with eagle eyes, so quite unique in a way...but still rather odd. I condone diversity only so much.) Anyway! The above picture is indeed of chopped up Rosemary. I apologise for deceiving you. But I did also make Lemon and Rosemary cupcakes, but that's for another post entirely, I don't want to make you too excited. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLsioDz2oXI/AAAAAAAAArg/PDF_kyKBBOE/s1600/c6.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529051039140323698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLsioDz2oXI/AAAAAAAAArg/PDF_kyKBBOE/s320/c6.jpg" border="0" /></span></a></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#999999;">Vanilla cake mix + chopped up thyme (Ok I know it's Rosemary, but let's all pretend its Thyme! :D I know deception through Cake Photography is the worst crime one could commit, but I'm at uni, Thymeless, and had to resort to what photos I had...I only do it to bring you weekly updates of my kitchen escapades, and if that means using the odd misleading photo then I am truly sorry, but I do it all in the name of cake.)</span><br /><span style="color:#999999;"></span><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLsiXN5tO5I/AAAAAAAAArQ/hHsy1qrHXlA/s1600/c4.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529050749791452050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLsiXN5tO5I/AAAAAAAAArQ/hHsy1qrHXlA/s320/c4.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span><br /><span style="color:#999999;">Tudaah! They're very tasty! A really 'unique' flavour which doesn't mean they're bad! It just means they have a really nice subtle hint of lemon and a sweet hint of thyme which go really well together. Tops it off with a little lemon icing, or leave as they are because the lemon icing could be quite overpowering. The cakes are lovely and moist so leave it naked and let it work it's magic on your taste buds!</span><br /><br /><div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLsiWmjo3QI/AAAAAAAAArA/f7t2D6p-smE/s1600/c2.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529050739229908226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLsiWmjo3QI/AAAAAAAAArA/f7t2D6p-smE/s320/c2.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><br /><div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLsiV2GaCBI/AAAAAAAAAqw/0_u1kIPlXGI/s1600/c.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529050726222399506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLsiV2GaCBI/AAAAAAAAAqw/0_u1kIPlXGI/s320/c.jpg" border="0" /></span></a></div></div></div></div><br /></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-68874796180901086742010-10-09T09:01:00.000-07:002010-10-09T09:18:28.375-07:00Time for Tea<div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Now, I dislike tea, but I do love cake. So what better way to make tea taste good than to bake it in a cake?!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">I have collected a vast amount of freebie flavoured teabags; not because I particularly like their flavour, but because they were free...So instead of wasting them I decided to give them a better life and show them to the cake. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">I had me some vanillla tea, ordinary tea, green tea, peppermint tea and some kind of weird herby tea. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526077641290361810" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLCSVhpXK9I/AAAAAAAAAqI/9b8mMJSRsrQ/s320/r3.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526077649383315346" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLCSV_y315I/AAAAAAAAAqY/Qcjvg5Ly--A/s320/r5.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Made up some vanilla cakey mix and literally emptied a tea bag into the mix...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526077635615692658" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLCSVMgal3I/AAAAAAAAAqA/OT4ONDSVqNw/s320/r2.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Also divided my mixture up into cups for all me different tea bags which the parents wern't too pleased about seeing as there were no cups left for an actual cup of tea...But sacrifices must be made in the name of cake. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526077631544174034" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLCSU9VsJdI/AAAAAAAAAp4/ovmQx155k5A/s320/r.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Dear readers. I wish I could tell you they tasted amazing. But alas I can not tell ye a lie. They did not. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">I have since realised my emptying of the tea bag into the mix was not my finest hour. Whilst the cakes did taste of the tea bags, they also had a not very pleasant grittiness to them as the tea leaves had not melted and merged with the cake as I had envisaged; not a marriage made in cakey heaven. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">However! Do not think I have not consulted Cake Scientists on this matter. I have since realised that perhaps brewing the tea first with a little water to make it very strong, and simply adding the brewed tea to the mix would make the cake taste like tea but not feel like you're eating sand! Hurrah!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLCSmxjbSkI/AAAAAAAAAqo/VDoxpiRiQUs/s1600/r7.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526077937618209346" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLCSmxjbSkI/AAAAAAAAAqo/VDoxpiRiQUs/s320/r7.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">The worst thing about this whole exercise was seeing my father, the King of Cake Consumption, decline eating my Tea Cakes (see what I did there, 'Tea Cakes'...literally :D) And I never want to see the look of sheer disappointment upon my father's face again when faced with a cake he would not like to eat. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">So dad, if you're reading this, I apologise, and I will never do such a horrendous thing to you ever again. </span></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLCSmNXJwiI/AAAAAAAAAqg/MKTT-02uAm0/s1600/r6.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526077927903052322" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TLCSmNXJwiI/AAAAAAAAAqg/MKTT-02uAm0/s320/r6.jpg" /></span></a></div><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Mmm tea leaves...</span></p>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-47622421603660830622010-10-02T11:44:00.000-07:002010-10-02T11:54:06.425-07:00My Birthday Cake<div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Don't cry for me dear readers when I tell you I had to bake my own Birthday Cake. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">I believe people fear the great task of baking my cake upon realising I do bake rather a lot of cakes myself, and so the task of baking the ultimate birthday cake for someone who bakes a lot of cakes could be deemed quite a daunting task. So I thought, rather than let my beloved ones worry and sweat over such a gigantic task, I shall bake my own Birthday cake. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">And so, behold, my Birthday Carrot Cake (I love Carrot Cake more than life itself...and the Cream Cheese icing more than that...) And of course I wasn't just going to put a little token carrot on top, obviously I had to make it look as if the carrots were growing out of the cake like a vegetable patch...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Enjoy! </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523523456356359362" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TKd_UZSonMI/AAAAAAAAApw/eQYL2Ll6Zmc/s320/carrot.jpg" /></span></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-5731823421620201682010-09-26T14:54:00.000-07:002010-09-26T15:45:07.856-07:00Photoshoot!<div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">So my lovely cupcakers, this week I've had my lil' old cakes be part of a photoshoot for </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/So%20my%20lovely%20cupcakers,%20this%20week%20I"><span style="color:#666666;"><span style="color:#cc33cc;">'Eat your Heart</span></span><span style="color:#cc33cc;"> Out'</span></a><span style="color:#666666;">, a strictly over 18s cakeage event in Shoreditch created by </span><a href="http://evilcakes.wordpress.com/gallery/"><span style="color:#cc33cc;">Miss Cakehead</span></a><span style="color:#666666;">.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">This was possibly my most grossest task yet as I was to make all things disgusting, vomit inducing and edible. So naturally I thought of maggoty cakes, mouldy cakes and eyeballs!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Here's some shots of 'the making of' which you can see the whole video of here (copy and paste into browser, blogger won't let me embed my motion pictures!) </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URVz196NqK0&feature=player_embedded"><span style="color:#cc33cc;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URVz196NqK0&feature=player_embedded</span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 191px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521345228381547138" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJ_CO1v66oI/AAAAAAAAApI/8yJ1Q3puCgY/s320/eyeball6.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 205px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521345218391021106" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJ_COQh_ljI/AAAAAAAAApA/I64oRMTNxYE/s320/eyeball5.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521345219952011090" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJ_COWWKZ1I/AAAAAAAAAo4/cat0tuOUySQ/s320/eyeball4.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 198px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521345221496210722" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJ_COcGVBSI/AAAAAAAAAow/YpZTThp5x30/s320/eyeball3.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 183px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521345214926947458" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJ_CODoGBII/AAAAAAAAAoo/e6FrSnpHA68/s320/eyeball2.jpg" /></span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJ_Cl9adb5I/AAAAAAAAApo/VqzHtLjwDFQ/s1600/eyeball10.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521345625576009618" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJ_Cl9adb5I/AAAAAAAAApo/VqzHtLjwDFQ/s320/eyeball10.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> </span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://monsterism.net/"><span style="color:#666666;">Pete Fowler</span></a><span style="color:#666666;"> eating my eyeball! Never thought I'd say that...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJ_CluMeeCI/AAAAAAAAApg/YuQc_G0CmJg/s1600/eyeball9.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521345621490825250" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJ_CluMeeCI/AAAAAAAAApg/YuQc_G0CmJg/s320/eyeball9.jpg" /></span></a></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Miss Cakehead...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJ_Cll-NuPI/AAAAAAAAApY/GUDPKpVXf28/s1600/eyeball8.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521345619283523826" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJ_Cll-NuPI/AAAAAAAAApY/GUDPKpVXf28/s320/eyeball8.jpg" /></span></a></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">My eyeballs and mouldy cakes!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJ_ClT7IjwI/AAAAAAAAApQ/kpvZzCv3xqU/s1600/eyeball7.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521345614438764290" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJ_ClT7IjwI/AAAAAAAAApQ/kpvZzCv3xqU/s320/eyeball7.jpg" /></span></a> <div><div><div><br /><div><span style="color:#666666;">Sorry if that little lot put you off your dinner :D</span></div></div></div></div><br /></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-61413754312796823022010-09-19T09:53:00.000-07:002010-09-19T10:34:29.547-07:00Magical Chocolate Pudding Cake!<div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Now I am aware dear readers that I do bake a lot of cake. And 91.3% of this blog is about cake. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And this post shall be no exception! (Sorry if you read this blog in desperate hope that I will suddenly bake something savoury, I still have my sanity...) However, I havn't just baked a cake this time dear readers, I have baked a Chocolate Pudding Cake! A Cake so delicious, so warm, so saucy, and so chocolatey that there almost wasn't a 'tudaah!' picture to end on for I could have eaten it whilst it was still in the oven.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So, here you have the </span><a href="http://southernfood.about.com/od/chocolatecakes/r/bl30202a.htm"><span style="color:#cc33cc;">Chocolate Pudding cake</span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> that will make you embarassed to ever eat another chocolate pudding cake pretending to be delicious. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And 'why havn't you told me why it's magical yet?!' I hear you cry! Well, it is magical because it turns itself upside down...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">First, combine your dry bits into a yin and yang like formation, makes all the difference in the cooking, gives the ingredients a sense of harmony with each other...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZBJ6labMI/AAAAAAAAAog/wC6J16fM5Tg/s1600/cp11.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518670031989927106" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZBJ6labMI/AAAAAAAAAog/wC6J16fM5Tg/s320/cp11.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Then chuck in your wet bits making sure they take the shape of a weird blob thing with eyes...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZBJhWve5I/AAAAAAAAAoY/6dz4gQApUhU/s1600/cp10.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518670025217506194" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZBJhWve5I/AAAAAAAAAoY/6dz4gQApUhU/s320/cp10.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> Mixy mixy!<br /></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZA87XpCGI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/WPMt8oKKBVU/s1600/cp9.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518669808862300258" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZA87XpCGI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/WPMt8oKKBVU/s320/cp9.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />Then here comes the weird bit. Combine your sugars into attractive lumps (don't I make baking sound so mouth watering?)<br /><br /></span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZA8h-ndRI/AAAAAAAAAoI/JmhH53GO02o/s1600/cp8.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518669802046453010" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZA8h-ndRI/AAAAAAAAAoI/JmhH53GO02o/s320/cp8.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />Sprinkle it over your cakey mixture...<br /><br /><br /></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZA8ZItAHI/AAAAAAAAAoA/mFyrMJ-l2ZY/s1600/cp7.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518669799672840306" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZA8ZItAHI/AAAAAAAAAoA/mFyrMJ-l2ZY/s320/cp7.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span><br /><span style="color:#999999;">I say sprinkle, what I really mean is completely cover your cake mixture in the sugary mix...</span><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZA7zkIVYI/AAAAAAAAAn4/Aa0FvDg6Ueo/s1600/cp6.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 242px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518669789587330434" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZA7zkIVYI/AAAAAAAAAn4/Aa0FvDg6Ueo/s320/cp6.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />Then here's the really alarming bit. Pour a bucket of water over the entire thing (bucket may be a slight exaggeration, please don't pour a bucket of water over your pudding...)<br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZA7rVGlWI/AAAAAAAAAnw/1B1ZToyFmFs/s1600/cp5.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518669787376817506" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZA7rVGlWI/AAAAAAAAAnw/1B1ZToyFmFs/s320/cp5.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">And the water will magically float above it all, essentially drowning your cake. Sounds brutal, but it had to be done for the sake of cake. And sometimes sacrifices have to be made.<br /></span><div></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Now, although by this point you will probably be panicking, thinking I've played a practical joke on you and you've gone and tipped a load of water on top of what could have been a nice chocolate cake...and have vowed never to read my blog again...trust me! And observe the magic...<br /><br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZAaAcCeLI/AAAAAAAAAng/ji39PCB52O0/s1600/cp4.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518669208927500466" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZAaAcCeLI/AAAAAAAAAng/ji39PCB52O0/s320/cp4.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />That's right dear readers. Before your very eyes, your cake and water concoction will have turned itself upside down so you now have a delicious fudgey chocolate cake on top, and sticky chocolate sauce below! </span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">As we all know I am no scientist, and maybe this pudding is beyond science, it works for the sake of all that is delicious and no other questions need be asked (like the question you immediatley think upon seeing the pudding, 'where the £$%&£* did the water go?!)'</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Do not ponder dear readers, do not even try and uncover the wonders of this magical cake, dare I say 8th wonder of the world? It's secret is what makes it that little bit more delicious. </span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Just accept that you have a beautiful chocolate pudding in front of you. And enjoy.<br /><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZAY48fC5I/AAAAAAAAAnY/Pf6_ikFXsEQ/s1600/cp3.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518669189736237970" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZAY48fC5I/AAAAAAAAAnY/Pf6_ikFXsEQ/s320/cp3.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></span><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZAYE__OSI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/vpODHcWPWTM/s1600/cp2.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518669175792285986" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZAYE__OSI/AAAAAAAAAnQ/vpODHcWPWTM/s320/cp2.jpg" /></span></a><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZAXgQD-BI/AAAAAAAAAnI/UzmZu7-_kcY/s1600/cp.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518669165927594002" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TJZAXgQD-BI/AAAAAAAAAnI/UzmZu7-_kcY/s320/cp.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-32810011544731241822010-09-13T02:57:00.001-07:002010-09-13T03:59:13.720-07:00Coca Cola...not just for drinking...<div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Twas' as I sipped upon my daily can of Coke dear readers that the idea struck me. I like coke, I really like cake, so what if I made a Coke Cake? </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Knowing that surely this kind of genius could not only strike upon me, I searched upon Google to seek out fellow cakey enthusiasts to uncover a Coke Cake recipe, and sure enough my loyal friend Mr. Google did not fail me. Behold, </span><a href="http://www.notquitenigella.com/2008/06/02/coca-cola-cupcakes/"><span style="color:#cc33cc;">The Coke Cake Recipe</span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><span style="color:#cc33cc;">.</span> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So after rummaging through my never-failed-me-yet ingredients cupboard, I began to bake the Coke Cake...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">First of course, the can of coke (every good fridge should have one). Then your saucepan (which by the way makes me ponder on the thought, why is it called a saucepan? Very rarely do I cook myself a sauce, in a pan, in fact I'm far more likely to melt cocoa powder, butter and coca cola together in a pan than sauce, yet you don't see me buying a 'coke, cocoa and butter concoction pan', I'm aware that may not be the best working title for advertising purposes, but at least It's more accurate...) I'm rambling, I know, but I had to put that thought out there.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So where was I?</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Ah, melting things, my favourite past time to the joy of my parents. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So yes, melt your cocoa, butter and coke in a *pan. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI36raq-1rI/AAAAAAAAAnA/JBBlC_8oR6o/s1600/ccc9.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516340742399645362" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI36raq-1rI/AAAAAAAAAnA/JBBlC_8oR6o/s320/ccc9.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And when you add your coke to the cocoa you'll get a lovely unexplainable chemical reaction between the coke and cocoa whereby the coke will expload into cocoa covered bubbles! </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI36rMRuX1I/AAAAAAAAAm4/mRJNPCSj38E/s1600/ccc8.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516340738535612242" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI36rMRuX1I/AAAAAAAAAm4/mRJNPCSj38E/s320/ccc8.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />Melty melty...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI36Zo-Df_I/AAAAAAAAAmw/3RvgmUQk60U/s1600/ccc7.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 259px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516340437000093682" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI36Zo-Df_I/AAAAAAAAAmw/3RvgmUQk60U/s320/ccc7.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Next, throw all your melty stuff on top of your dry bits (your flour, sugar...) I actually used light brown muscovado sugar in this recipe because that's all I had, but I believe it did give the final result a more dense and rich flavour which I rather like...<br /><br /></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI36ZVG8cbI/AAAAAAAAAmo/NzAXnMjtc-8/s1600/ccc6.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516340431668670898" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI36ZVG8cbI/AAAAAAAAAmo/NzAXnMjtc-8/s320/ccc6.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Took every ounce of will power I had in my body right down to my toe nails not to eat the gooey chocolatey mix as it was, but I stayed strong for you readers, I had to see my Coke Cake through to the end. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI36Y3J6oQI/AAAAAAAAAmg/U4Fyclq_HO0/s1600/ccc5.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516340423628071170" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI36Y3J6oQI/AAAAAAAAAmg/U4Fyclq_HO0/s320/ccc5.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Next up, Buttermilk! Or 30g of plain yoghurt with a dash of milk if you're all out of Buttermilk...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">(I have been known to literally add melted butter to milk in a desperate attempt to make buttermilk, but no, of course you add yoghurt to BUTTERmilk to make buttermilk...)<br /><br /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516338854075932258" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI349gHhnmI/AAAAAAAAAlg/zF3UfhSmrGY/s320/ccc4.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Mixy mixy...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></div></span><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516338852464616178" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI349aHW4vI/AAAAAAAAAlY/tXXi-xMPTDQ/s320/ccc3.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">I was sceptical about this make shift Buttermilk, but it didn't seem to have any kind of detremental effects to the final product so I shall endorse it's usage...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And of course, this blog being heavily scientific an' all, I feel I owe it to you lovely people to do a bit of detective work in to this 'Buttermilk' and tell you why it exists and pops up in recipes I wish to make but never have the stuff...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So here you have an explanation from the ever reliable source that is Wikipedia:</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><em><span style="color:#666666;">'Originially, buttermilk was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cream. It also refers to a range of fermented milk drinks (mmm lovely).</span></em></div><div align="center"><em><span style="color:#666666;">The tartness of buttermilk is due to the presence of acid in the milk. This is primarily due to lactic acid, a byproduct naturally produced by lactic acid bacteria from fermenting lactose (that's 'rotting' lactose to you and I)'</span></em></div><div align="center"><em><span style="color:#999999;"></span></em> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">I know, I can hear you running to get your hands on some Buttermilk as I speak...who wouldn't want to add fermenting lactose to their cakes?!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So anyway, there you have it, don't say you never learn anything from my blog...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Back to the important stuff now, making Cake!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So by this point, with half a can of coke left, I felt there was not enough cokey goodness in my cake, so I chucked the rest in of course. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516338841908115490" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI348yyfeCI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/H1i187vanzM/s320/ccc2.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Bubbles!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516338837999367586" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI348kOktaI/AAAAAAAAAlI/lxQtCEFoXxE/s320/ccc1.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Mixed it into a smiley face intentionally...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516338835972587986" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI348crWgdI/AAAAAAAAAlA/TK2tZ055fgE/s320/ccc.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And baked it! I was rather relieved that it baked and rose, because other attempts at very liquidy cakes have left me with a squidgy, unrisen brick of cake, which although very tasty, is always a sad day that a Cake has not fulfilled its cakey duty. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI35kqfVTBI/AAAAAAAAAmY/rnnC8Bqvu8g/s1600/ccc11.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516339526875040786" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI35kqfVTBI/AAAAAAAAAmY/rnnC8Bqvu8g/s320/ccc11.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />Next I melted some more butter, cocoa and icing sugar together (excuse the attractive lumps of icing sugar...) and poured it over my cake so all the icing goodness seeped into my cake...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">It was a delicious cake dear readers! More like hot chocolatey sponge pudding when it were still warm. There were sooo many little bubbles in the cake I'm guessing because of the bubble fest the coke caused. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Admittedly, the cake did not taste of coke as I had hoped, but I do think it lent a big hand in making the texture really light and spongey.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">I stuck my cake in the fridge overnight as well and it was even nicer the next day, kinda like fridge cake so very solid but the icing had merged with the cake making it into a lovely chewy cokey chocolatey cake, which is never a bad thing. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></div></span><div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI35j0AjHzI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/PjUrARKLfao/s1600/ccc10.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516339512250408754" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TI35j0AjHzI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/PjUrARKLfao/s320/ccc10.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />Nom nom nom. </span></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-49279644079635577032010-09-06T08:31:00.000-07:002010-09-06T11:28:01.805-07:00Whippy whippy!<div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Now dear readers, I know what you've been thinking since you first caught The Baking Bug, a disease well known among scientists and doctors alike that penetrates the brain to make you think you must bake all day every day, or you will die. Or, erm, at least crave having something to bake! </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Ahem, anyway...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Back to reading your minds, you have all been thinking, 'What would happen if I incoporated whipped egg white, commonly referred to as 'meringue' into the humble cake mixture?' Well, ponder no more, for I have done such a thing!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Also, whilst killing 2 birds with 1 stone (not literally, apparently that's frowned upon...) I defrosted a load of egg whites that had settled in at the back of my freezer...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513857590370678498" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUoQ8gituI/AAAAAAAAAjw/AZ75XhqopRo/s320/m11.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Threw them in the microwave to make them useable...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513860033278481698" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUqfJDJlSI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/ADw691cTMfg/s320/m8.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And tudaah! Defrosted egg white ready to be whipped in to shape! Notice the lovely little blobs of eggage and cooked egg white, lovely smell...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUsbh1BgeI/AAAAAAAAAk4/qLyfqavDG4I/s1600/m10.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513862170233897442" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUsbh1BgeI/AAAAAAAAAk4/qLyfqavDG4I/s320/m10.jpg" /></span></a></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So, having my nicely warmed bag of egg whites ready, I brought out Mr. Kitchen Aid's younger brother, Mr. Hand Mixer. He wants to stand alone, he'd LOVE to have multiple attachments, but alas, he has but 2, and is useless if you try and use him sitting on his bum unless you want to turn your mixing bowl on its side...which I don't advise unless you enjoy eating your cake mix off the floor. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513860051152423842" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUqgLooS6I/AAAAAAAAAkg/RTcJewu9KX4/s320/m6.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Next, use the only sugar left in the house that your brother relies on because he can't stand coffee without sugar and loves sugar; and so as the sister it is my sisterly duty to find new and innovative ways to annoy said brother and this time it was time to bake his most prized ingredient in a cake. Hiding it would be too easy readers, that would mean it was still retrievable. Baking it in a cake however ensures no possibility of him finding it, and the anger is soon outweighed by my presenting him with the cakes I used his sugar for! Everyone's a winner...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513859677758607810" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUqKcom0cI/AAAAAAAAAkI/RkH2aaPR7S8/s320/m9.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So once you've chucked a load of sugar in (or I should say, once you've gradually added your sugar between whisks...) It should slowly (but surely) turn glossy and thick and into the meringue mixture we all know and love! </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513860035841374898" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUqfSmMOrI/AAAAAAAAAkY/-Ynh_AI0HVk/s320/m7.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And now time to turn Mr. Meringue into Lord Cake.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Add a load of Vanilla extract...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513860054892706530" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUqgZkYeuI/AAAAAAAAAko/H85RmwczQIw/s320/m5.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Add a load of melted butter...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUqgk7W4SI/AAAAAAAAAkw/eEByKDROYBg/s1600/m4.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513860057941860642" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUqgk7W4SI/AAAAAAAAAkw/eEByKDROYBg/s320/m4.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />Add a load of Self-Raising flour...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Mixy mixy...</span></div><div align="center"><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">And here you can see because of the extreme whippage courtesy of Mr. Whisk, the mixture has a ton of air bubbles in and is quite a frothy like mix<br /></span><div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUn9wO8cNI/AAAAAAAAAiw/BJC0d_6KXnM/s1600/m3.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513857260658127058" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUn9wO8cNI/AAAAAAAAAiw/BJC0d_6KXnM/s320/m3.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Now I shall confess readers, I thought by adding meringue mix I would unlock some magical secret to an amazing cake. One full of air and egg whitey goodness. </span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">But alas dear readers, because Mr. Whisk got a little whipping happy, he whipped waaay too much air into my little cake and, whilst cake still prevailed, the texture was kind of weird and spongey and it didn't really taste of much. </span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Conclusion? I would have been better off making a meringue and a cake, the 2 were just never meant to live in marital tasty bliss...but at least I tried! </span></div><div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUn9vBRo6I/AAAAAAAAAio/Fl5nTT4Of8E/s1600/m2.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513857260332360610" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUn9vBRo6I/AAAAAAAAAio/Fl5nTT4Of8E/s320/m2.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUn9TfhXlI/AAAAAAAAAig/tqgG71Am9No/s1600/m.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513857252943027794" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TIUn9TfhXlI/AAAAAAAAAig/tqgG71Am9No/s320/m.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-1151876936285638822010-09-01T13:37:00.000-07:002010-09-01T14:17:04.110-07:00Extreme Cakeage<div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">My SINCEREST apologies dear cupcakers! I know I'm very late this week (just started a job in a cake shop! :D) and I've been wearing the guilt of not feeding bloggers with more delicious pictures and stories of my baking exploits. But I hope now I can be relieved with this weeks abundance of cake filled pictures!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Last week my friends, I were involved in <a href="http://www.madartiststeaparty.com/">Cake Britain</a>; an all edible art exhibition! The best art out there and accessable, and digestable, to all!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So here is my photo diary of 2 days of blood sweat and tears to get about 200 cakes ready:</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Day 1 in The Big Cakey House:</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Ellie begins the mammoth task of preparing the cake mixture. (After weeks of cycling to and from town accumulating a load of ingredients)</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">This is like my little factory consisting of my trusted friend Mr. Kitchen Aid, a cup to put me mixture ladel, another cup to put me odd bits of stuff covered in cake mixture (you would think I would only use 1 spoon to mess with the mixture but somehow I used 6 in about 2 hours...) Ahem, my 'dripping towel' to catch the drips from Mr. K Aid, because he dribbles a lot when he doesn't have his bowl with him. And last but not least my giant bucket of cake mixture!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68b2RF_YI/AAAAAAAAAiM/_4NEjQ9Je9s/s1600/ch13.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512050180557766018" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68b2RF_YI/AAAAAAAAAiM/_4NEjQ9Je9s/s320/ch13.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Mmmm, dinner in itself...I could eat it all easily...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">I'd just be really, really sick afterwards...but proud of myself. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68bv1YEMI/AAAAAAAAAiE/9_RJalIjBZs/s1600/cb13.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512050178830897346" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68bv1YEMI/AAAAAAAAAiE/9_RJalIjBZs/s320/cb13.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">The ingredients counter where everything is checked, weighed and introduced to it's fellow ingredient friends as they're about to get very personal and very hot with each other and introduced to the boss: Mr. Cake.<br /></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68bXy6gyI/AAAAAAAAAh8/Ck2vhH3Ccrg/s1600/cb12.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512050172378120994" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68bXy6gyI/AAAAAAAAAh8/Ck2vhH3Ccrg/s320/cb12.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />Some cakes trying to escape to get a cup of tea...Cakes get thirsty to ya know...<br />Where did you think the term 'Tea Cake' came from?! Obviously refers to those cakes who like a cuppa after all that thirsty work that is being baked in an oven for 20 minutes...anyone would need some refreshment</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68bLCgu5I/AAAAAAAAAh0/c5GYLUEZRwg/s1600/cb10.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512050168953879442" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68bLCgu5I/AAAAAAAAAh0/c5GYLUEZRwg/s320/cb10.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />Butter, creamed to within an inch of it's life!<br /><br /><br /></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68ISIiFyI/AAAAAAAAAhs/6LKLX-I_phE/s1600/cb11.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512049844440667938" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68ISIiFyI/AAAAAAAAAhs/6LKLX-I_phE/s320/cb11.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />Big tasty tub of buttercream! Did ye ever see a more delicious sight in yer life?<br /><br /></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68INDvR1I/AAAAAAAAAhk/J-wF2B0aETU/s1600/cb5.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512049843078383442" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68INDvR1I/AAAAAAAAAhk/J-wF2B0aETU/s320/cb5.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />My Jam Jar Cakes! Took me weeks of getting my family to eat lots of pasta sauces and jam but I finally got me jars!<br /><br /></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68H4f3MRI/AAAAAAAAAhc/St3kuQ5iQeU/s1600/cb9.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512049837559197970" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68H4f3MRI/AAAAAAAAAhc/St3kuQ5iQeU/s320/cb9.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></span><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68HhJb4sI/AAAAAAAAAhU/q4QnRnH5AWw/s1600/cb8.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512049831291118274" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68HhJb4sI/AAAAAAAAAhU/q4QnRnH5AWw/s320/cb8.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />And my beloved Cup Noodle of course...<br /></span></div><div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68HLj3GaI/AAAAAAAAAhM/TZ2hfKV_ZmE/s1600/cb.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512049825496373666" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH68HLj3GaI/AAAAAAAAAhM/TZ2hfKV_ZmE/s320/cb.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />The product of my labours: A Sea of Cake<br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH67pgst9lI/AAAAAAAAAhE/YHRCy1-7IMw/s1600/cb7.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512049315774592594" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH67pgst9lI/AAAAAAAAAhE/YHRCy1-7IMw/s320/cb7.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />My little snails! Some of them have dodgey eyes because they were born that way...I thought my cakes should represent a cross section of Cupcake Snail Society and not shun the ones who wern't born with perfect Sugar Silver ball eyes...I do not judge.<br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH67pfmPv9I/AAAAAAAAAg8/-Rfzxlmc8uQ/s1600/cb6.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512049315479011282" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH67pfmPv9I/AAAAAAAAAg8/-Rfzxlmc8uQ/s320/cb6.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">A Big Box of Cupcakes!<br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH67o3nBKDI/AAAAAAAAAg0/bC0nUPAD5F4/s1600/cb3.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512049304744831026" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH67o3nBKDI/AAAAAAAAAg0/bC0nUPAD5F4/s320/cb3.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />Me little monsters. You didn't really think it was just cake in your cupcakes did you?!<br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH67oQPkfdI/AAAAAAAAAgs/-HrZJSwcNJ0/s1600/cb4.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512049294177500626" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH67oQPkfdI/AAAAAAAAAgs/-HrZJSwcNJ0/s320/cb4.jpg" /></span></a></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">And of course the star of the show, Cake Plants! With a little leaf 'an all!<br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH67oBDvO9I/AAAAAAAAAgk/ZaCI6kCLVCQ/s1600/cb2.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512049290101341138" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TH67oBDvO9I/AAAAAAAAAgk/ZaCI6kCLVCQ/s320/cb2.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></span><div></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">So that's it my fellow cupcakers! The most individually designed collection of cupcakes I think I've ever done, but it was totally worth it and a lot of fun to do! </span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Couldn't feel my feet at all though when I'd finished. </span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-39675539333194515252010-08-23T05:13:00.000-07:002010-08-23T05:55:08.486-07:00Sugar<div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">I nearly had a mini heart attack last night dear readers. Not because my arteries are clogged with cakey goodness, and not because Johnny Depp turned up on my doorstep. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Nope, it was because my worst nightmare came true. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">I had no caster sugar.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">I panicked, I cried a little, I tried to convince myself that it would be OK to wait until tomorrow to make cakes. But nothing worked. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And then, in my time of need, inspiration struck. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Why do I always default to using caster sugar in my cakes? </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">I have Ready Roll icing...and I have icing sugar. Both of which...are sugar. So maybe I could use them instead of caster sugar?! </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">I stood nervously for a good minute until deciding that although I had come to considering drastic measures for the sake of cake, it had to be done. A lack of caster sugar wasn't going to get in the way of Cake. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So my friends, can you subsitute any sugar for caster sugar? Honestly? Yep! Read on...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">I got my trusty big box of ready roll out and it is seriously like a brick of icing. Ooh that's given me an idea, I could live in a house of icing with icing bricks and liquorice windows and a door made of cake with a garden of buttercream and sugar flowers...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Ahem, where was I. Experiment 1: Ready Roll Icing Sugar</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508578068087799298" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/THJmkTXhfgI/AAAAAAAAAes/2OUIIXWxFp8/s320/sug9.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">As we all know, ready roll is a nightmare to roll straight from its cosy foil bed in a box. So instead of waiting around for it to warm itself up and get acclimatised to my kitchen, I cut off a big chunk and threw it in the microwave where it bubbled up and went mushy. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508579833232411442" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/THJoLDCyyzI/AAAAAAAAAgM/9KWW7apmjjI/s320/sug5.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">However, as the picture below will reveal, it does harden up again crazy quickly, so when you mix it into your butter you will end up with a weird pool of melted butter with floating lumps of icing sugar...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">I have to admit I was a little alarmed at this point and feared for my cake in the making. But I continued readers, for the sake of Cake Science (a recognised and respected branch of science...)</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508578078110090146" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/THJmk4tBg6I/AAAAAAAAAe0/ljV1eB5Y_ws/s320/sug8.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Ok, I'm aware the image below doesn't exactly look appetising. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">It's melted butter, lumps of icing sugar, egg and flour...I can hear you drooling now...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">But! Although again alarmed at such an...interesting looking mixture, I figured I'd come this far now, so it was only right to throw my mix in the oven and pray for cake. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508579636244053410" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/THJn_lNG_aI/AAAAAAAAAf8/kWwtxLYdmmY/s320/sug7.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Experiment 2: The Icing Sugar</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Now, I really wasn't sure about this one. 'But you were about ready roll?!' I hear you mutter in doubt. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Well, no, but Icing sugar just seemed too powdery to be mixing with the likes of cake mixture. By rights it belongs with butter to make delicious buttercream, not getting down and dirty with eggs and flour...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">But I knew it was time to take Icing Sugar away from its pretty pink packaging and life spent sitting on top of The Cake. It was time for it to get beaten, mixed and cooked in the oven. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 181px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 181px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508578046124981122" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/THJmjBjLe4I/AAAAAAAAAeU/JKIhRKFPD2A/s320/sug11.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508579831164848434" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/THJoK7V2STI/AAAAAAAAAgE/rcQ32_eGMW0/s320/sug6.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Add a lil' egg and flour...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And as you can see this mixture looks a lot more like the cake mixture we all know and love. Largely because there are no lumps of Ready Roll floating about...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508580013475641746" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/THJoVigIOZI/AAAAAAAAAgU/cHYly2OhVzk/s320/sug4.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Now I know what you're thinking readers, 'There's no way using that weirdo sugar worked. What a waste of tasty Ready Roll icing and a cruel infliction of suffering for Icing Sugar'. But it did, and rather well I'll have you know...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Tudaah! Ready Rolls on your left, Icing Sugar on your right. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/THJoV0F39yI/AAAAAAAAAgc/-cmrGCWvinc/s1600/sug3.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508580018197362466" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/THJoV0F39yI/AAAAAAAAAgc/-cmrGCWvinc/s320/sug3.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div><div align="center"><div><div><div><div><div><span style="color:#999999;">No idea why they're different. I only bake the cakes for science, I don't actually know why strange and wonderful things happen...all's I care about is that the end result is edible!</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Of course as my aged and wise father pointed out after 'testing' the final products; a task that meant he had to consume all my cakes just to make sure there was consistency across the cakes...</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Sugar is sugar, no matter what form it is in. I can see how the idea of putting ready roll into a cake would appear not to work because it looks so solid, and it goes against every cakey bone in our body that screams at us that it is not normal and only Caster Sugar will do. </span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">But as I have proved dear readers, our screaming bones are wrong. </span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">So next time you've got a basement full of Read Roll and Icing sugar (like you do...), but no caster sugar. Do not panic! Go forth and bake that Cake!</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Next time, can you use bread flour...in cakes?! Stay tuned...<br /><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/THJmj667bqI/AAAAAAAAAek/MarWdWCsRRk/s1600/sug2.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508578061525413538" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/THJmj667bqI/AAAAAAAAAek/MarWdWCsRRk/s320/sug2.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> ^ Icing Sugar innards ^<br /><br /></span><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/THJmjThsGgI/AAAAAAAAAec/aVCDQhkLHjI/s1600/sug.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508578050950568450" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/THJmjThsGgI/AAAAAAAAAec/aVCDQhkLHjI/s320/sug.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> ^ Ready Roll ^<br /></span><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-57800164315775484632010-08-16T12:41:00.001-07:002010-08-17T15:51:36.757-07:00Chickpea Cake...no really<div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Ok I know, I'm a lil' late on this one...my sincerest apologies! BUT! I've been a lil' busy, and I have a lil' news...Next week my friends, I'm having some of my more unusual designs (See Plant Cake, Cup Noodle etc.) In a gallery in Leicester Square! It's part of an event called</span><span style="color:#993399;"> </span><a href="http://lily-vanilli.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#999999;"><span style="color:#993399;">The Mad Artists' Tea Party</span> </span></a><span style="color:#999999;">sponsored by Tate and Lyle promoting their fair trade sugars and it should be a lil' bit good...</span></div><div align="center"><div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">SO! 'Yes that all sounds rather swell but where's this week's post?!' I hear you cry, well, worry no more, tis' here! Chickpea Cake!</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">No I havn't gone all crazy and healthy on you, I wouldn't be that cruel. I did in fact stumble across a weird and wonderful <a href="http://www.foodbuzz.com/recipes/1157044-chocolate-chickpea-cake-"><span style="color:#993399;">recipe</span></a> for this Chickpea Cake whilst typing in 'unusual cake recipes' into Google on a wet and windy day and, having a can of chickpeas 'spare' in my emergency cupboard of cans of nameless things I will never eat but will probably put in a cake one day, I ventured forth to concoct this mystical sounding cake...</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">First thing I noticed about the recipe is its lack of butter. Now, either chickpeas are actually little pods of butter, or there's something magical about them that renders them a successful, and healthy (sorry) substitute to butter...but I'm not guaranteeing it'll be a tasty alternative...</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">So! First things first, chuck a load of chick peas (just thought I'd add, I don't think they're peas farmed by little chicks, unless they're genius chicks...I don't actually know why they're called chickpeas, but no doubt the mine of 'facts' that is Wikipedia will know...or guess...)</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506506792873910594" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TGsKwN6GYUI/AAAAAAAAAeM/rxTej1Rxx5o/s320/cp9.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Then blitz the lil' guys into a smooth puree. This does take like, 5 minutes. So I suggest finding out where chickpeas come from during this valuable time...Unless you really love staring at chickpeas being blended...which I have to admit is one of my past times...</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506506773480072226" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TGsKvFqP5CI/AAAAAAAAAd8/yW9agkSCjew/s320/cp7.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Drop a rather appropriate egg into the mix. Egg...being of the chick origin...adding it to chick peas...It's a stretch but yeah, chicks...eggs...moving on. </span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506506776491256434" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TGsKvQ4K6nI/AAAAAAAAAeE/oLQrWHIaYOc/s320/cp8.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Then for the best part of any recipe, add a load of cocoa powder! Guaranteed to cover up any foul, or delicious tasting pureed chickpeas!</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506506771297789090" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TGsKu9h85KI/AAAAAAAAAd0/vwmKI3do6cY/s320/cp6.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Blitzy blitzy...</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506506765153374290" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TGsKumpAkFI/AAAAAAAAAds/z28YEiRY5FE/s320/cp5.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Fortunatley, or unfortunately...the mix at this stage isn't exactly appetising, so at least you'll be left with a lot of it to actually make the cake </span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506502105287037346" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TGsGfXSTEaI/AAAAAAAAAdk/lFCCtrwyV0c/s320/cp4.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Plop into a pan...</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506502089152849378" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TGsGebLm5eI/AAAAAAAAAdU/5qjcw4h1VHI/s320/cp2.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Ok, it's not one of those sink your face into it and just eat your way through to the bottom kind of cakes, because it doesn't rise a hell of a lot. Who'd have thought chickpeas wern't a natural raising agent? But a ton of chocolate cream cheese topping soon makes up for this humble cakes lack of height, or 'vertical challenges' in life...</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506502096372297394" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TGsGe2E27rI/AAAAAAAAAdc/M56qWpCkkDI/s320/cp3.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 160px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506502083826155730" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TGsGeHVoANI/AAAAAAAAAdM/gy17-CoCa9c/s320/cp1.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 160px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506502086001993698" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TGsGePcYp-I/AAAAAAAAAdE/57xCS67D6fA/s320/cp.jpg" /></span></div><div><br /><span style="color:#999999;">Ok, I'll be honest. This cake didn't taste amazing, but then I do think it's down to eater preference. It's quite a bitter cake, not really 'chocolatey' as such. BUT! Fear not, cover it in enough chocolate cream cheese and all thoughts of 'ew, of course this cake doesn't taste good, it's full of chickpeas. I hated chickpeas before and now, not only do I still hate them, but I've wasted what could have been a delicious chocolate cake...' </span></div><div></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">It's a Marmite cake. You love it or you hate it. Personally, at least I need no longer wonder what Chickpea Cake tastes like...Now to ponder over mashed potato cake...<br /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-13828292953439198192010-08-04T00:45:00.000-07:002010-08-04T01:22:26.415-07:00Why stick to cupcake pans?!<div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So I was thinking...why do all cupcakes fundamentally look exactly the same? All round with a flat bottom and some kind of delicious spectacle on top...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">What if you could make them look a lil' different?</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So out came my brioche pan! </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Admittedly, I've never actually baked brioche in it, I just thought the shapes were pretty...which is always a good excuse to buy baking equipment. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And I thought to myself dear friends! Surely if you can bake brioche in it, baking cakes in it isn't such a crazy idea...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So I did.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 160px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501461456809733218" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TFkeDAalrGI/AAAAAAAAAb8/tfcGph8W1LQ/s320/cc8.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">It were rather simple really, just greased it up and plopped about 4 tsp of mixture in. But as you can see my cakes got a little cooking happy and blew up over the edges, so maybe just 2-3 tsp next time...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TFkednutdgI/AAAAAAAAAc8/r1tddM4KxnQ/s1600/cc7.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 160px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501461914039711234" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TFkednutdgI/AAAAAAAAAc8/r1tddM4KxnQ/s320/cc7.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And they look so sweet! Perfect to be served individually on a plate with a lil' bit of frosting swirled on top (mine were eaten by my trusty 'cake tester' aka The Dad before I could frost them...but the idea was there!)</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TFkedkJR3vI/AAAAAAAAAc0/u1pYX-SNUo0/s1600/cc6.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 160px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501461913077407474" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TFkedkJR3vI/AAAAAAAAAc0/u1pYX-SNUo0/s320/cc6.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;">I also tried out a multi-layered one for visual effect although it is a little in the chocolate's favour...but is that a bad thing?! </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><br /><br /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 120px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501461896243479154" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TFkeclbwgnI/AAAAAAAAAck/J0afNrR64yY/s320/cc1.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">The grooves were begging to have lemon icing poured down them...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TFkec7Y1CJI/AAAAAAAAAcs/W4Lc1vo9O3s/s1600/cc5.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 179px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 139px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501461902136772754" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TFkec7Y1CJI/AAAAAAAAAcs/W4Lc1vo9O3s/s320/cc5.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And then a little more icing...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">OK a lot more... </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><br /> </div></span><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 181px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 143px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501461463676986706" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TFkeDZ_3pVI/AAAAAAAAAcE/lTlnvcNTAqs/s320/cc4.jpg" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">And then! I figured, why stop at cake? Why not attempt making a cheesecake in it...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So behold the, 'What is that?!'...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TFkeERmk2PI/AAAAAAAAAcc/YhiMrwD8K30/s1600/cc.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 169px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 145px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501461478603282674" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TFkeERmk2PI/AAAAAAAAAcc/YhiMrwD8K30/s320/cc.jpg" /></span></a></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">...'Ooooh it's a cheesecake!'</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Serving it upside down is of course optional, but I can't resist producing things in front of people and having them look at it quizzically, only to flip it up the right way and have them sigh with relief that it is indeed edible. Life would be boring if we always served food the right way up...</span><span style="color:#999999;"> </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"><br /> </div></span><div align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TFkeDwCKcuI/AAAAAAAAAcU/w_7CSXIkAbw/s1600/cc2.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 170px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 116px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501461469592187618" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TFkeDwCKcuI/AAAAAAAAAcU/w_7CSXIkAbw/s320/cc2.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"><br />Lovely little individual cheesecakes!<br /><br /></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TFkeD3iJxBI/AAAAAAAAAcM/n8DweJjvYQ4/s1600/cc3.jpg"><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 174px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501461471605408786" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TFkeD3iJxBI/AAAAAAAAAcM/n8DweJjvYQ4/s320/cc3.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#999999;"> </span><br /><span style="color:#999999;">And I guess you could do jellies...I did another mousse but again, eaten before photographed. </span><br /><span style="color:#999999;">Eeerm what else...ice cream! Ooor massive ice cubes, ooor...well anything you can think of!</span><br /><span style="color:#999999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#999999;">So basically, don't use a baking pan for the purpose the label tells you to, there's all kind of stuff you can do with pans to make weirdly shaped and unusual things. Why just the other week I baked a cake in a pint glass...so get creative with the stuff in your kitchen! (With the things that are oven proof of course or things could get a lil' messy...)<br /></span><div> </div><br /></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-75189142030777826072010-07-26T15:09:00.000-07:002010-07-26T15:57:00.550-07:00Sometimes a cakey flavour is just staring you in the face...<div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"> So, I have my staple cake flavourings: Vanilla, chocolate, rose water, lemon, orange blossom, peppermint, strawberry, lavender and almond. But I'm tired of relying on the limited imagination of the flavour shelf in the supermarket. What if, for example, I want a blackcurrant and ginger flavoured cupcake but don't want to put whole blackberries and ginger bits in me cakes?! What then Dr. Oetker?</span></div><div align="center"><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Well, I'll tell you what. You invest in some rather tasty cordials...</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;">There's so many flavours! I tried out the 2 I happened to have in my kitchen because I figured they taste nice, and surely if I add a drop to some humble vanilla cake mix...I can make my cakes taste like the drinks...</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">So, observe my friends! Cordial Cakes :D </span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">To begin, we have the humble vanilla mix in all its simple glory:</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498342517266814226" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TE4JY1MdlRI/AAAAAAAAAbU/FsSCOt8w2cw/s320/lime6.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Next, choose your weapon...(cordial/flavoured drink) Basically anything like Ribena or those kinda drinks you add to water to make them taste rather nice.</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498342417454939682" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TE4JTBXdPiI/AAAAAAAAAas/gkRxnIBUYsE/s320/lime.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Then! Add abooooout 2-3 tbsp of your chosen drink (this is for a 2 egg vanilla mix btw) BUT! Be warned, the amount of drinkage you add does depend on the strength of the drink, as the lime cordial wasn't that strong so it needed quite a lot of cordial (so I had to add more flour which as you shall see made me cakes turn out rather solid looking, but its all in the name of cake experimenting! Still edible of course...)</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Anyway! So yes, before you go and add 3 tbsp of your drink, check for how strong it is. Because something like ribena is crazy strong so you might only need about 1 1/2 tbsp. You have been warned...</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Really, it's about tasting it as you go. I mean I like quite strong flavours so I'd have quite happily poured an entire bottle of cordial into my mix, but I hear others arn't as partial to drinking straight cordial so best to play it safe and go for that 'hint' of flavour, rather than a smack in the face load of it :D</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498342444738715810" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TE4JUnAaoKI/AAAAAAAAAbM/M7sJcctqFak/s320/lime5.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">^ Lime ^</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498342436172567922" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TE4JUHGFlXI/AAAAAAAAAbE/jwEDCeaSgDQ/s320/lime4.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">^ Blackcurrant and Ginger ^</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498342433976566642" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TE4JT-6hQ3I/AAAAAAAAAa8/rWWQsEqjApk/s320/lime3.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Granted, this picture looks like mashed up intestines. But don't fear ladies and gents, for it does become the beautiful shade of lilac you may view below...</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498342424172194402" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TE4JTaY-amI/AAAAAAAAAa0/g_aJMGqDswI/s320/lime2.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">So here's the rather odd looking Lime cake you were warned about. It were quite dense inside but to be fair I did chuck a load of flour in the mix in a desperate attempt to save my mix from being like lime flavoured slop. But I've always found if any mix does get watery, just add another table spoon of butter, flour and sugar and that usually sorts the mix out and doesn't cause the ingredients to become insanely unbalanced.</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498347838877930962" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TE4OOlvbFdI/AAAAAAAAAb0/DpUPUXn_L24/s320/lime10.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498347832010956402" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TE4OOMKNXnI/AAAAAAAAAbk/tlYwrlQVoh0/s320/lime8.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">Now here you have folks, what happens when you plop your mixture into cases without putting them into a cupcake tray! Love 'em or hate 'em all splayed it, I think they look rather interesting like that...(honestly, I only resorted to cooking them like this because I couldn't be bothered to make the long and trechorous 5 minute journey downstairs to find my cupcake pan...forgive me.)</span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 282px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498347834269198482" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TE4OOUknaJI/AAAAAAAAAbs/xMu1f73932U/s320/lime9.jpg" /></span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;">These Blackcurrant ones, unlike Limey, came out beautifully. Really moist, purple, and a lovely sweet hint of blackcurrant from the cordial. </span></div><div><span style="color:#999999;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#999999;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5498347827137001890" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TE4ON6AKuaI/AAAAAAAAAbc/RHX96N_Sg5s/s320/lime7.jpg" /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div><p align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">So! Cordial Cakes, enjoy :D x</span></p>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-69548494294967858092010-07-20T03:45:00.001-07:002010-07-20T04:20:52.476-07:00Ice Cream Cakes...<div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span><span style="color:#999999;">Continuing with the chilly theme...I have for you...Ice cream cakes! No, not the cake baked in a cone we all know and love. Actual cakes made with ice cream.</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#999999;">Observe...</span><br /><span style="color:#999999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#999999;">Ice cream my friends, is simply a combination of eggs, sugar and some kinda fat. </span><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color:#999999;">Cake, is simply a combination of eggs, sugar, some kinda fat and flour. So how does one make a cake using ice cream? Simply add some self-raising flour to your favourite ice cream of course :D</span><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color:#999999;"></span><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495944612135705746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TEWEgYeSHJI/AAAAAAAAAaU/BRTGcIxXbzE/s320/7.jpg" border="0" /><br /></span><span style="color:#999999;">I chose Hagen-Daz Dulce de Leche ice cream because it's rather tasty. </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#999999;">Simply let it melt, scooped out 6 tablespoons of the lovely stuff, added 6 tablespoons of self-raising flour, mixed it all together (ate a bit) scooped it into cases, baked for 15 minutes and tudaah! Cupcakes made from ice cream :D The easiest cupcakes to bake, ever. No creaming, no egg cracking, just a tub of ice cream and a bag o' flour. </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495944605886111714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TEWEgBMQ3-I/AAAAAAAAAaM/ItXG0hj_21g/s320/6.jpg" border="0" /></span><br /><span style="color:#999999;"></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495944435594320994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TEWEWGziXGI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/Y3_BHnK6LNU/s320/4.jpg" border="0" /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495944433078583234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TEWEV9bvP8I/AAAAAAAAAZ0/Pbx7EXQXGHA/s320/3.jpg" border="0" /></span><br /><span style="color:#999999;"></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495944427526404018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TEWEVov_t7I/AAAAAAAAAZs/LcqDu2fkbTU/s320/2.jpg" border="0" /></span><br /><span style="color:#999999;"></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495944615221641506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TEWEgj-BwSI/AAAAAAAAAac/etLZ7sNt8H4/s320/5.jpg" border="0" /></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#999999;">And the best part is you get to lick the bowl and the ice cream tub...</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#999999;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495946145471278562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TEWF5ol-LeI/AAAAAAAAAak/ChXchPEVwM4/s320/1.jpg" border="0" /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Iced with a tasty honey flavoured buttercream</span></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#999999;">Enjoy!</span></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-9009727192486817862010-07-09T04:10:00.000-07:002010-07-09T04:20:48.498-07:00Frozen Cupcakes<div align="center"> <span style="color:#666666;">Don't you hate it when The Cupcake Cravings start, so you get up to assemble the ingredients only to realise you have everything but the eggs, and really can't be bothered to make the 5 minute walk to the shop to get more. </span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Well, panic no more! For as I sat pondering at my laptop ways in which to abolish these fridge-y disappointments, it occurred to me, what if you could just freeze lots of cupcake mixture for the day when you have no ingredients and have to call upon your emergency frozen back up batter?</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Does frozen cupcake mixture actually work?! </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Yes my friends, yes it does. And here is the proof...</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491864420818444226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TDcFl_V9X8I/AAAAAAAAAZM/pr9zkfjd9N0/s320/frozen.jpg" border="0" /> <br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491864430429129874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TDcFmjJUzJI/AAAAAAAAAZc/B3hKoGO1YpY/s320/frozen3.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491864421397372690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 153px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TDcFmBf_HxI/AAAAAAAAAZU/1cAyyRw92sg/s320/frozen2.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Admiteddly I had wondered if crazy things might happen during the freezing time, like the eggs getting too cosy with the flour and exploding or something before I'd had a chance to blast them in the oven. But actually, apart from a little dippage in the centre (which lets face it can easily be masked with a mountain of buttercream) They turned out edible! Which is all you really need from a cake...</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">I cooked these literally from frozen. I did for the sake of Cakey Science (It's a recognised branch of science...honest) Leave 2 cakes out to defrost to see if it would make a difference but the only difference was I had to wait an extra hour before I could eat my cakes...which is not recommended. Plus you get exactly the same result, so why put yourself through the agonising wait?!</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">So yes, frozen cupcakes! They work :D</span></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199540299190852514.post-11294015751806200382010-07-03T15:49:00.000-07:002010-07-03T15:58:59.018-07:00A blast from the past!<div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">I'm a sentimental gal at heart really, and I felt my little golf cake flew under the radar being modest as it is in the early days of what can I can only diagnose as my cupcake-mania period in life. This was one of the first cupcakes I really 'designed' so to speak that wasn't just a pretty pink swirl a'top a cupcake. And surprisingly, it was influenced by my dear ol' grandpapa who loves himself a bit o' golfing! So naturally I thought to put some chocolate golf balls and a flag on top of a cupcake. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">Admiteddly, he didn't really have a clue what they were to begin with, they 'didn't have cupcakes in my day' apparently so some explaining had to be done with regards to the fact that yes its edible, no don't eat the flag, for they are just an addition to the whole brilliance of a golfing inspired cupcake...because you like golfing grandpa...stop looking confused...just eat the cake. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;">So yes! Welcome back dear golfing cupcake friend, you still live on in my heart and waistline...</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"></span> </div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TC-_c0gGb4I/AAAAAAAAAZE/0LpxAaHeZFM/s1600/golff.jpg"><span style="color:#666666;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 234px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489816972638449538" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VkwJYkkhbBc/TC-_c0gGb4I/AAAAAAAAAZE/0LpxAaHeZFM/s320/golff.jpg" /></span></a><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span><br /></div>Cupcakes ate my Soulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026943455236488870noreply@blogger.com0