Marbled Cupcakes

 

Both Naomi and I have been wanting to make Marble Cupcakes for a while and since our exams and assignments were over we decided we would finally get round to making them. We really liked the idea of mixing vanilla and chocolate sponge together.

We made the sponge mix as instructed, they took a little longer to cook than suggested but we just put this down to our Uni ovens. When it came to the frosting we decided to pipe some of them using a duo-icing piping bag.  The ones we pipe did look quite good although we don't think the frosting was quite piping consistency as it was quite hard to pipe. For the rest of the cupcakes we decided to use a palette knife to spread the frosting.

Apart from them taking slightly longer to cook, everything else went well and they were quite straight-forward to make.  Overall the cupcakes were really nice, all of our housemates enjoyed them! The sponge was really light despite it being chocolate sponge and frosting and I think the vanilla and chocolate flavours went really well together

Recipe 
(Cake Days - Hummgbird Bakery)
Makes 12-16 cupcakes

For the chocolate and vanilla sponges:
80g (3oz) unsalted butter
280g (10oz) caster sugar
240g (8 1/2oz) plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
20g (3/4oz) cocoa powder
2 large eggs
240ml (8 1/2fl oz) milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

For the chocolate frosting:
200g (7oz) icing sugar
50g (13/4oz) cocoa powder
80g (3oz) unsalted butter
25ml (1fl oz) whole milk


For the vanilla frosting:
250g (9oz) icing sugar
80g (3oz) unsalted butter
25ml (1fl oz) whole milk
1/4 tsp vanilla essence

one or two 12-hole deep muffin tins

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5 and fill a muffin tin with muffin cases.
• First make the flavoured sponges, beginning with the chocolate one. Using a handheld electric whisk or freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together half each of the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt,along with the cocoa powder, on a low speed until they have the texture of fine breadcrumbs.
• Break the eggs into a jug, add the milk and whisk by hand, then pour half of this mixture into the second jug a set aside for the vanilla sponge.
• Take the first jug with the egg mixture, pour three-quarters of this mixture into the dry chocolate sponge ingredients and mix on a low speed to combine.  Increase the speed to medium and keep mixing until smooth and thick. Scrape down the side of the bowl, add the remaining milk mixture from the first jug and continue to beat on a medium speed until all the ingredients are mixed in and the batter is smooth.
• For the vanilla sponge, repeat step 2 with the remaining half of the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt, but this time no cocoa powder.  Take the second jug of the egg mixture, whisk in the vanilla essence, then repeat step 4, pouring into the dry vanilla sponge ingredients and mixing as described.
• Divide the chocolate batter between the muffin cases, filling each by about a third.  Top with the same amount of vanilla batter and use a teaspoon handle to swirl the two mixtures together. If any batter remains, use it to fill more cases in a seperate muffin tin.
• Place in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until well risen and springy to the touch. Let the cupcakes cool in the tin for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely before you frost them.
• To make the chocolate frosting, whisk the icing sugar with the cocoa powder and butter on a low speed in a freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment, or using the electric whisk, until the mixture is sandy in consistency. Pour in the milk, still mixing on a low speed, then increase the speed to high and whisk the frosting until soft and fluffy.
• Repeat this step for the vanilla frosting, but omitting the cocoa powder and mixing the vanilla essence with the milk before adding it to the frosting.
• When the cupcakes have cooled, spread 1 tablespoon of each frosting on to each cake using a palette knife, then swirl the two for a marbled effect.

Thanks for reading,

Olivia xx

Chocolate Baileys Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for my friend as part of our secret santa but have only just got round to posting about them. She loves Bailey's so I thought I'd incorporate it into some baked goods, a standard present from me (as well as giving her a bottle of it). The recipe is from 'Making Cupcakes with Lola' and I've been wanting to make them for a while. The sponge is chocolate with both whiskey and Bailey's added to it and on top is a Bailey's buttercream. After piping the icing onto the cakes I topped them off with a simple florist paste flower which I made using the large blossom cutter.

I was a little disappointed with myself for these cupcakes as I got carried away with Christmas T.V and over baked them slightly, however my friend was still very happy with them. The buttercream was really nice as it had just the right amount of Bailey's in it without it being overpowering or sickly.

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Year, hopefully Olivia and I can keep up with our baking this year but bare with us as we sometimes find it hard to balance both university work and baking. I got a lot of baking goodies for Christmas so I might write a post about those this week at some point.

Recipe 
(Making Cupcakes with Lola - Victoria Jossel & Romy Lewis)
Makes 12 regular or 24 tiny cupcakes

For the sponge:
100g (31/2 oz) milk chocolate, chopped
125g (1 stick) butter, cubed
220g (1 cup) plus 1 tbsp caster sugar
120ml (1/2 cup) Baileys
2 tbsp whiskey
1 egg
a pinch of salt
150g (1 cup) plus 3 tablespoons plain flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder

For the buttercream:
125g (1 stick) butter, cubed and soft
500g (3 2/3 cups) icing sugar
3 tbsp Bailey's
1 tbsp milk

muffin pan lined with 12 muffin cases or mini-cupcake pan lined with 24 mini cupcake cases

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Put the chocolate, butter, sugar, Baileys and Whiskey in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water. Heat, stirring, until the chocolate melts and you have a smooth, glossy mixture. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. 
• Now add the egg and salt and beat with an electric hand mixer. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder into the bowl and beat until blended. 
• Divide the mixture between the muffin cases. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or a little less for tiny cupcakes. They should be well risen and a skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before decorating. 
• While the cupcakes are cooling down, make the Baileys buttercream. 
• Put the butter in a bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until very soft and smooth. Sift half the sugar into the bowl, beating until incorporated. 
• Add the second half of the sugar and beat on a low speed. Slowly pour in the Baileys and milk and when they are all mixed in, beat for 3-5 minutes on a higher speed. 
• Spread the frosting over the cold cupcakes using a spatula, or spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle/tip and pipe it on top of the cupcakes. 

Thanks for reading,

Naomi ♥

S'moreanne Cupcakes

Sorry about the lack of posts recently, assignments have been getting in the way of blogging and baking but now everything is handed in, we can get back to baking.

Around Bonfire night it was Naomi's house mates birthday so we thought we would combine the two events and make S'moreanne cupcakes, which we had both wanted to make for a while anyway.
S'moreanne Cupcakes are a chocolate sponge, sprinkled with crushed digestive biscuits and topped with meringue, so we thought that with all the different textures and flavours, these would be a good choice.

We attempted Italian meringue for the topping, however, we don't think we let the water and sugar get hot enough as the meringue didn't hold it's shape. When that went wrong we decided to resort to French meringue and have decided that we will practice Italian meringue a bit more in the future, which will hopefully work next time!

The cakes themselves were quite interesting as there was a lot of different textures, however, we both found the sponge slightly dry. They looked quite nice and our housemates liked them though, so that's the main thing but if we were to make these again we might change the sponge recipe to see if we could improve it a bit.


Recipe
(Cake Days - The Hummingbird Bakery)

Makes 12-16 cupcakes

For the sponge:
          30g (1oz) dark chocolate
          5 digestive biscuits
          80g (3oz) unsalted butter, softened
          280g (10oz) caster sugar
          200g (7oz) plain flour
          40g (1.5oz) cocoa powder
          1 tbsp baking powder
          1/4 tsp salt
          240ml (8.5fl oz) whole milk
          2 large eggs

For the topping:
          200g (7oz) caster sugar
          4 egg whites
          100g (3.5oz) dark chocolate, broken into squares
          one or two 12-hole deep muffin tins
cooks blow torch (optional)

Method:

•  Preheat the oven to 170C (325F), Gas Mark 3, and line a muffin tin with muffin cases. Use the finest blade on a cheese grater to grate the chocolate and then set aside. Crush the biscuits in a food processor using the blade attachment or in a plastic bag using a rolling pin.
• Using a hand-held electric whisk or a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt on a low speed until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Mix the eggs and milk by hand in a jug, then pour three-quarters of this into the dry ingredients and mix on a low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium and mix until smooth and thick.  Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the remaining milk mixture and keep mixing until all the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
• Spoon the batter into the paper cases, filling them by two-thirds. Any remaining batter can be spooned into more cases in another tin. Sprinkle the chocolate shavings and three-quarters of the crushed biscuits on top of the cupcakes, reserving the rest of the biscuit crumbs for later.
• Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until well risen and springy to the touch, then leave to cool completely. 
• Put the sugar in a small saucepan with 150ml (5.5 floz) of water and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, using the electric whisk or freestanding mixer with paddle attachment, whisk the egg whites until foamy. 
• When the sugar has boiled for 5-10 minutes and reached the soft ball stage, pour on to the beaten eggs while mixing on a medium speed.  Once added, adjust the speed to and whisk until the underside of the bowl feels lukewarm.  At this stage the meringue should have increased in size and become white, smooth and quite shiny.
• Smooth the meringue onto the cooled cupcakes, then swirl or mould into decorative spikes or waves using a palette knife.  With a cooks blowtorch, lightly brown the meringue to give it a baked appearance. Alternatively - pop the cakes under a hot grill - but only for a few seconds as the meringue will brown quickly and you don't want it to burn.  Decorate the cupcakes with biscuit crumbs and squares of chocolate.

Thanks for reading,

Olivia x x

Boston Cream Cupcakes

The majority of our baking nowadays is due to housemates or family birthdays, this time it was Olivia's housemates birthday again and after looking through the book in the past he'd mentioned that he liked the look of the Boston Cream Cupcakes, so of course it was these we made. These cakes are actually much simpler than you may first expect from the title and the picture in the book. The sponge is a plain vanilla, then filled with vanilla custard and topped with a chocolate buttercream.

We only had limited time to make the cakes due to afternoon lectures and the flatmate getting home so it was definitely time for teamwork and multitasking! I made the custard whilst Olivia made the cakes, therefore once the cakes were cooked and cooled the custard was cold enough to put straight into the cakes. The end result was good, the sponge was a really nice texture and the vanilla custard balanced out the rich chocolate frosting well. All the house seemed to like them and especially the boy whose birthday it was so overall they were a success!

Also, you guys should check out this new website I found, Bakery Box, it's basically like a baking version of a graze box. You choose a recipe from a large selection and they send you the ingredients you need for it, it's perfect for beginner bakers and people who want to bake but don't have much time on their hands to do so! They have a blog and facebook page too  which are both on their website so check those out too! 

Recipe
(Cake Days - The Hummingbird Bakery)

Makes 12-16 cupcakes

For the sponge:
          80g (3oz) unsalted butter, softened
          280g (10oz) caster sugar
          240g (8.5oz) plain flour
          1 tbsp baking powder
          1/4 tsp salt
          240ml (8.5fl oz) whole milk
          2 large eggs
         1 tsp vanilla essence

For the filling:
          250ml (9fl oz) whole milk
          1/2 tsp vanilla essence
          2 large egg yolks
          50g (1 3/4oz) caster sugar
          1 tbsp plain flour
          1 tbsp cornflour

For the frosting:
          400g (14oz) icing sugar
          100g (3.5oz) cocoa powder
          160g (5.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
          80ml (3fl oz) whole milk
          Finely grated dark chocolate, to decorate

one or two 12-hole deep muffin tins
piping bag (optional)

Method:

•  Preheat the oven to 190C (375F), Gas Mark 5, and line a muffin tin with muffin cases
• Using a hand-held electric whisk or a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butte, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt on a low speed until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Place the remaining ingredients in a jug and whisk by hand, then pour three-quarters of this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix on a low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium and keep mixing until smooth and thick, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.Add the remaining milk mixture and beat until combined and smooth.
• Spoon the batter into the paper cases, filling them by two-thirds. Any remaining batter can be spooned into more cases in another tin. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until well risen and springy to the touch, then leave to cool completely. 
• While the cupcakes are cooking, make the filling. Pour the milk and vanilla essence into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining ingredients together by and in a bowl until smooth and well combined. 
• Once the milk is boiling, remove from the heat and pour 4-5 tablespoons into the egg-yolk mixture to loosen, then return this mixture to the pan of hot milk, stirring to incorporate. 
• Return the pan to the heat and bring to the boil, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Boil for at least 1 minute to ensure the flour is properly cooked. Once thickened, tip the custard into a bowl and cover with cling film to prevent a skin forming, then leave to cool completely for 30-40 minutes. 
• To make the frosting, use the electric whisk or freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment to slowly beat together the icing sugar, cocoa powder and butter until sandy in texture. Gradually pour in the milk, then increase the speed to high and whisk until soft and fluffy. 
• Using a sharp knife, make a hole in the centre of each cupcake about 2cm (3/4in) in diameter and 3cm (11/4in) deep, reserving the scooped out pieces of sponge. Pipe or spoon the custard into the hole in each cake, then replace the sponge lid, trimming it if necessary to ensure the top i fairly level. Divide the chocolate frosting between the cupcakes, smooth the tops with a palette knife and add a swirl. Sprinkle with grated chocolate to decorate. 

Thanks for reading,

Naomi ♥

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

I saw these cupcakes quite a while back and have wanted to make them ever since, so I thought they would make a perfect accompaniment to my brother's birthday cake. It may have been his 18 but these are so cute and everyone loves the cookie monster!

I've seen quite a few different ways of making these but I used a blue frosting and then dyed some desiccated coconut blue for the topping.  I really liked the texture that the coconut made, although my brother doesn't like coconut so I made some with blue sugar strands, they didn't look quite as good but they still did the job.  I used white chocolate buttons for the eyes and piped on melted milk chocolate to make the pupils, although you can also use icing. I then just cut a small hole for the cookie to go into!

They are a bit more time consuming than a regular cupcake but I think they are definitely worth it as they look really cute. Everyone liked them as well so they were clearly a hit.

The cupcakes are classic chocolate sponge, which doesn't go great with buttercream icing, but my brother really likes chocolate cake so I improvised!

I would definitely recommend giving these a go though, they're fairly simple but are pretty impressive.

Thanks for reading,

Olivia x x

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

I love the flavour combination of chocolate and orange and those two combined in cakes is just too good. I made these cupcakes after seeing the recipe on one of my favourite cake blogs, 'Sweethearts Cakes and Bakes'. The recipe stood out to me and the cakes all looked perfect so I thought i'd give it a go, although I still need to make the chocolate orange cupcakes in the hummingbird book so when I do I can compare them. 

The cake mixture is flavoured with orange essence and cocoa powder and they are topped with  chocolate orange ganache. Yet again though, this means that the cakes have to be stored in the fridge which really ruins the texture of the them, so leave them out for around an hour before hand. I had some sugarpaste flowers left from the birthday cake Olivia and I made a few days before, so I decided that instead of throwing them away I'd put them on the cakes to make them look that bit prettier. I was really happy with how the cupcakes turned out, although I look forward to making the hummingbird ones and seeing which, if any, I prefer. 

The recipe for these cakes can be found here, I really recommend giving them a go. All the cakes on Sweethearts Cakes and Bakes look amazing and i'm excited to try some more, especially the mint chocolate ones.

Thanks for reading,

Naomi ♥

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

 The plain peanut butter cup cupcake

The cupcake with the additional 'Reese's Pieces'

Firstly, sorry for the lack of posts over the past week, both Olivia and I were away for a bit, however we both have a few posts for the near future. 

I've recently acquired a new love for 'Reese's Peanut Butter Cups' thanks to a friend introducing them to me (although I'm sure this introduction will in no way benefit my health). Since becoming slightly addicted to them I've wanted to incorporate them into baking somehow and after browsing 'Pinterest' I decided I'd start with some simple cupcakes. The actual cake is just a chocolate sponge (I used the Hummingbird Bakery recipe) however I put a peanut butter cup at the bottom of each cupcake case. I then halved the cake mixture and in one half I put some 'Reese's Pieces' and left the other half plain. 

The cakes turned out light and fluffy and the peanut butter cup at the bottom went slightly soft which was really good. The cakes with the Reese's pieces in them were my favorites I think, (yes, I ate two) as the crunchy candy bits add a different texture to the cakes, the recipe below is therefore for this version. The cakes have a slightly salty taste to them from the peanut butter but I really like this aspect as it means they aren't too sickly. Making these cakes may be the start of a lot of peanut butter baking, I want to make peanut butter cup cheesecake brownies next, another calorific treat. 

Recipe

Makes 10

For the cakes:
          100g plain flour
          20g cocoa powder
          140g caster sugar
          1.5 teaspoons baking powder
          pinch of salt
          40g unsalted butter, softened
          120ml milk
          1 egg
          1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
          10 Reese's peanut butter cups
          1 packet of Reese's pieces

For the frosting:
          250g icing sugar
          60g unsalted butter
          25ml milk
          25g smooth peanut butter (the amount depends on personal taste)
          Reese's pieces of peanut butter cups to decorate

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 170C (325F), Gas Mark 3.
• Put the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sugar, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on a slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. 
• Whisk the milk, egg and vanilla extract together in a jug, then slowly pour about half into the flour mixture, beat to combine and turn the mixer up to high speed to get rid of any lumps. 
• Turn the mixer down to a slower speed and slowly pour in the remaining milk mixture. Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix.
• Mix in the packet of 'Reese's Pieces' until evenly dispersed.
• Place a peanut butter cup in the bottom of each cupcake case.
• Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the sponge bounces back when touched. Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tins slightly before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
• For the frosting, beat the icing sugar and butter together with a freestanding electric mixer with paddle attachment or handheld electric whisk until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. 
• Pour the milk into the mixture and continue to beat until the icing becomes light and fluffy. Mix the peanut butter into the icing by hand, taste it to see whether to add more peanut butter. 
• Once the cakes are cool, pipe the icing onto the cakes accordingly and decorate how you wish.

Thanks for reading,

Naomi ♥

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Olivia and I have been wanting to make cookies for a while now as neither of us have made any in so long! I love big American style cookies (I usually microwave them so they're nice and warm) so that's the type we went for. We used a recipe from a website I found called 'Our Kitchen', it's a really lovely site with lots of tasty recipes to try. 

Our cookies were white and milk chocolate chunk, we made the chunks quite big simply due to our own personal preference. They tasted really good and we were both happy with them, the only thing is, was that they took quite a bit longer in the oven than the website initially suggested. We decided to try two ways of molding the cookies, some we flattened out and others we simply left as mounds. There wasn't really a difference between the two, apart from that the flattened ones took slightly less time in the oven (so were maybe a bit more ideal). The recipe is American so the measurements are given in cups, however you can easily convert it, or just use some measuring cups as we did.

Recipe
(Our Kitchen)

Makes 20

Ingredients:
          2 cups plain flour
          1/2 tsp salt
          1/2 tsp baking powder
          170g unsalted butter, melted and allowed to cool a little
          1 cup light brown sugar
          1/2 cup granulated sugar
          1 large egg, beaten
          1 egg yolk
          2 tsp vanilla extract
          1 1/2 cups chocolate chunks

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 165C on fan bake and arrange the oven shelves so they are spaced evenly at about 1/3 and 2/3 down the cavity and the hot air can circulate freely around them. Lightly grease or line two baking trays.
• Sieve the flour, salt and baking soda into a medium-sized bowl.
  •  
• • Combine the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl. Add the eggs, extra egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
• • Add the flour and chocolate chunks and stir until just combined.
• • • Divide the dough evenly into twenty pieces and roll into balls. Space them evenly on the oven trays, allowing plenty of room for them to spread. Bake for between 15 – 20 mins until light brown. The darker the cookies, the crisper they will be.
  • • 
      
      • • 
          For triple choc cookies, try adding 1 tbsp cocoa when sieving flour

Thanks for reading, 

Naomi ♥

Rocky Road Cupcakes

This cupcake recipe isn't from the Hummingbird book, but a friend and I really wanted to make them so I put the Hummingbird challenge on hold. These cakes are from the 'Making Cupcakes with Lola' book, which contains recipes from Lola's cupcakes, a cake business with various stores around London including one inside Topshop Oxford Street. All the cakes in the book look perfect, and vary from your standard flavours, with options such as Toffee Apple (which I want to try ASAP), maybe Olivia and I can bake our way through the Lola book when we eventually finish the Hummingbird one aha. 

I love rocky roads and I love cake, so when I came across the rocky road cupcake it was an immediate baking must. The sponge is a marbled vanilla and chocolate mix, which is then topped with a standard chocolate buttercream. That's not where it ends however, the next bit is the part where your inner child can be released, where the cupcake truly takes on its 'rocky road' title. The piling of marshmallows, almonds and chocolate chips allows complete creativity and then topping it with melted chocolate really does make it a cupcake dream. I was happy with how they turned out as they don't look too dissimilar to the ones in the book and they taste pretty good too! 


Recipe
(Making Cupcakes with Lola - Victoria Jossel & Romy Lewis)

Makes 12 cupcakes

For the sponge: 
          130g/1 cup self-raising flour
          100g/3/4 cup plain/all-purpose flour
          1 teaspoon baking powder
             1/4 teaspoon salt
          130g/1 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter, cubed and soft
          200g/1 cup (caster) sugar
             1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
          2 eggs
          120ml/1/2 cup milk
          1 tablespoon cocoa powder
          3 tablespoons flaked/slivered almonds
          25g/1/3 cup white mini marshmallows 
          40g/1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
          store bought chocolate sauce, to drizzle (or just melt chocolate as I did)

For the buttercream:
          135g/1 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter, cubed and soft
          410g3 cups icing/confectioners sugar
          45g/1/3 cup cocoa powder
          6 tablespoons milk 

muffin pan lined with 12 muffin cases

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4
• Sift together the flours, baking powder and salt in a bowl
• Put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until pale and fluffy. Stop occasionally to scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Slowly add the sifted dry ingredients in alternate batches with the milk ad beat no low speed until combined. 
• Transfer half the mixture to another bowl and stir in the cocoa powder. 
• Scoop 1 tablespoon of the vanilla mixture into each muffin case, followed by 1 tablespoon of the chocolate mixture. Repeat until you have used up all the mixture. 
• Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until well risen and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
• While the cupcakes are cooling down, make the chocolate buttercream. 
• Put the butter in a bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until very soft and smooth. Sift half the sugar and half the cocoa powder into the bowl, beating until incorporated. Add the second half of the sugar and cocoa and beat on low speed. 
• Slowly pour in the milk and when it is mixed in, beat for 3-5 minutes on a higher speed. 
• Spread the frosting over the cold cupcakes using a spatula. Cover with the almonds, mini marshmallows and chocolate chips. Finish by drizzling with chocolate sauce  (or melted chocolate). 

Thankies for reading,

Naomi ♥

Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Our second creation is the Chocolate Whoopie Pies, Olivia had made a batch of whoopie pies before however this was my first try, therefore neither us knew completely what to expect. I'd say they are in between a biscuit and a cake, not quite as crunchy as a biscuit or cookie yet not quite as spongy as a cake. 

The mixture is extremely chocolaty due to the large amount of cocoa used, however this is cut through with the marshmallow fluff based filling. The filling did cause some problems whilst assembling the pies, the recipe states that you should leave the icing in the fridge for around 30 minutes to set a little. We ended up leaving ours in the fridge for over an hour and when we took it out it seemed hard enough to use, however minutes after spreading the mixture onto the pies they were sliding all over the place and we were struggling to take a decent photo without them falling apart. Neither of us are still sure why this happened and we can only try again with another whoopie pie recipe to see how they turn out. 

Despite the mishap with the filling, I did enjoy the pies as they are something a bit different to a cupcake and I look forward to seeing how the rest of the pies in the book turn out. 

Recipe

(Cake Days - The Hummingbird Bakery)

Makes 8-10 pies

For the Sponge:

             1 large egg

          150g (5.5oz) caster sugar

          125g (4.5oz) plain yoghurt

          25ml (1fl oz) whole milk

          1/4 tsp vanilla essence

          75g (2.5 oz) unsalted butter melter

          200g (7oz) plain flour

          80g (3oz) cocoa powder

          3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

          1/4 tsp baking powder

For the filling:

             170g (6oz) unsalted butter, softened

          280g (10oz) icing sugar

          220g (8oz) marshmallow fluff

Method:

• Using a hand-held electric whisk or a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the egg and the sugar until pale and fluffy. Pour the yoghurt, milk and vanilla essence into a jug and stir together, then add to the beaten egg and sugar. Add in the melted butter and mix in thoroughly on a medium speed.
• Sift the remaining sponge ingredients together, then add to the creamed mixture in two batches, mixing well on medium speed after each addition. Place the batter in the fridge to cool and set for 20-30 minutes.
• Meanwhile preheat the oven to 170C (325F), Gas Mark 3, and line two baking trays with baking parchment. 
• Once the batter ha cooled down, spoon it on to the prepared trays, dividing the mixture into 16-20 mounds (8-10 per tray), each 3-5cm in diameter and spaced 2-3cm apart. Bake in the oven for 10-13 minutes or until springy to the touch. Remove from the trays and place on a wire rack, allowing them to cool completely before sandwiching them together.
• While the sponges are cooking, you can make the filling. Using the electric whisk or freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and icing sugar on a low speed until well blended. Add the marshmallow fluff, and lightly mix it in, then increase the speed to high and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Place in the fridge and leave for about 30 minutes for firm up slightly. 

• To assemble the whoopie pies, take one sponge and spread about 1 tablespoon of the filling over the flat side, adding a little more if needed. Then stick another sponge, with the flat side facing down on the filling to make a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining sponges and filling.

Thanks for reading,


Naomi xxx