Lemon Drizzle & Blueberry Cupcakes

My boyfriend is quite a big health freak, he loves his blueberry's! Although cupcakes aren't at all healthy I thought I would make him some blueberry and lemon cupcakes for when I go and visit him. I miss him quite a bit, and he defiantly misses my cupcakes. He ate the entire box within 2 days.

Ingredients:

100g caster sugar

100g soft butter

100g self raising flour 

2 eggs

zest of one lemon 

Lemon drizzle:

Juice from one lemon

4 tbs of caster sugar 

Blueberry topping:

Small carton of blueberry's

100g soft butter

about 400g icing sugar

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 fan/ gas mark 4. Prepare paper cases in a bun tray.
2. Put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream it together. sift in the flour and add the lemon zest.
3. Add the eggs to the bowl and mix it all together.
4. Divide the mixture between the bun cases. Put the tray in the oven and leave for around 20 minutes or until golden.
5. Let the cakes cool on a cooling rack. Whilst cooling prick the tops of the cupcakes with a tooth pick then drizzle the lemon drizzle over the top of each cupcake.
6. Add the butter to a bowl and beat it a little to make it softer, gradually sift the the icing sugar mixing it as you go along, 400g is a estimate as I tend not to measure it. Add a hand full of blueberrys and beat them into the icing butter. You may find that it can make the icing go a little softer, so you make need to add more icing sugar.
7. Pipe the icing butter on to the cupcakes, and add a few blueberry's to the top.

Clare
xx

Banoffee Cupcakes

Ingredients:

100g self raising flour

100g softened butter 

100g caster sugar

2 eggs

1 finely chopped/ diced banana 

4 tbs carnation caramel 

Topping:

Carnation caramel

1 or 2 sliced bananas 

butter icing

grated milk or dark chocolate

Makes 12.

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 fan/ gas mark 4. Prepare paper cases in a bun tray.

2. Put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream it together. sift in the flour.
3. Add the eggs to the bowl and mix it all together. Mix in the finely chopped bananas, then stir in the carnation caramel to give the mix a marble looking effect.
5. Divide the mixture between the bun cases. Put the tray in the oven and leave for around 20 minutes or until golden.
6. Let the cakes cool on a cooling rack. Spoon a tea spoon of caramel on top of a cake and spread it around , add a layer of sliced banana, top with piped butter icing and sprinkle with grated chocolate.

Variance's:

- why not add a handful of small chucks of fudge to the cake mix. 

- use whipped cream to top instead of butter icing and drizzle with toffee sauce. 

Clare  xx 

Cookie Cakes

 I have a big love for cookies and an even bigger love for cupcakes. There for the ingenious that I am I decided to combine the two. Obviously it is apparent that some other more talented person has probably already came up with this wonderful and not that creative idea of a cupcake before me, but here is my version:

Ingredients: 

100g caster sugar
100g soft butter
100g self raising flour
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract

Icing:

100g soft butter
about 400g Icing sugar
vanilla extract

12 mini cookies
milk chocolate chips

makes 12

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 160C fan/ gas mark 4. Prepare paper cases in a bun tray, or a baking tray will suffice, as long as there is an inch between them,
2. Put the sugar and butter in a mixing bowl and mix it. Sift in the flour.
3. Break the eggs into a separate bowl. I do this because I am not the best egg breaker and its easier to spoon bits of shell out. Add the eggs to the bowl with the vanilla and mix everything together. Stir in a large handful of chocolate chips to the mixture.
4. Divide between the cases, I find it best to do this with a table spoon and a tea spoon. Each case should be filled about half way, or a tiny bit under. Put the tray in the oven and leave for around about 20 mins, or until golden.
5. Let the cakes cool on a cooling rack. Whilst the cakes are cooling, add the butter to a bowl and beat it a little to make it softer, gradually sift the the icing sugar mixing it as you go along, 400g is a estimate as I tend not to measure it. The icing butter should be think and you should be able to spoon some up and hold it upside down with out it dropping.
6. Pipe on to the cupcakes, leaving a  1cm rim around the out side. add the cookie to the top and sprinkle with a few chocolate chips.

Variance's:
- Crush a few cookies in a small bowl, hold the iced cupcake upside down and dip in the cookie crumbs.
- Add cookie crumbs to the cake mixture.
- Use mini Oreo cookies in stead.

Clare
   xx