Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes and/or Dessert Bowls {recipe}

This is the first Thanksgiving, I think since I moved to the UK, that I haven't made pumpkin pie. It felt a little odd, but there were no complaints with the alternative.

This recipe suits cupcakes if you don't happen to have a 6 cavity dessert shell that makes cake bowls! After a quick look around the 'ol internet they don't seem to exist any more if you come across one pop a comment below and let us all know!

The special tin isn't necessary though because the recipe makes great cupcakes and when topped with the cream cheese frosting and toasted walnuts and drizzled with salted caramel it's perfection all in one little cake.

Cupcakes aren't generally something that is thought of as a dessert, but as a birthday treat or a snack with coffee. However, I would argue that cupcakes make a great dessert, who can say no to an individual cake?

I mean they can... but I don't understand those people.

No matter if these are baked as cupcakes or dessert bowls or, if you adjust times slightly, as a tray bake the cake itself is a good cake. It's a nice texture and the spices are popularly paired with pumpkin because they work well together.

So, if you are looking for an autumn or winter treat that fills your kitchen with the best smells give this one a go!

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes or dessert bowls

4 large eggs
400g sugar
200ml vegetable/sunflower oil
1 can (425g) of pureed pumpkin
325g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp bicarb of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Heat the oven to 170C and line your cupcake tin or grease your 6-cavity dessert shell tin with butter or shortening.

Beat the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin together. Then beat in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, bicarb, salt, ginger, and cloves until just combined. Using a medium ice cream scoop fill your cupcake cases or your 6-cavity dessert shell tins. I made a dozen cupcakes and 6 dessert bowls; you could probably get a dozen and a half cupcakes or about a dozen bowls. If you are making bowls you don't need the frosting below, just fill with ice cream or whipped cream and sauce and nuts and whatever you want to top it with!

Cream Cheese Frosting
100g cream cheese
70g butter
1 tsp vanilla
300g icing sugar
walnut halves, toasted (optional)
salted caramel drizzle (optional)
ice cream (optional, but highly recommended)

Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together. Slowly beat in the icing sugar until combined and smooth. Place about a tablespoon or so of frosting on top and smooth out with a spatula.

Finish off the cupcakes by sprinkling or placing the walnuts on top and drizzling over about 2 tablespoons of salted caramel by placing it in either an icing bag or sandwich and just snip the tip. If you made dessert bowls, then ice cream is always a great filler, whipped cream and toasted walnuts would make a suitable alternative in my opinion!

Pumpkin spice is one of my favorite spice combinations and even though you can use it any time of year, it just feels right in the autumn months leading to winter. English winters are wet, cold, and grey a far thing from my snowy, cold, and grey winters back home, but I still like this time of year. I love sweaters and hats with bobbles and my scarf collection is endless I could literally wear a different one every day of winter... well maybe not every day!

If you like winter as much as me please leave a comment below! And if you try this recipe I hope you like it!

Pumpkin Pie Swirls - cookie or pastry?

In one of my previous posts I had made a delicious pumpkin spice cake - the recipe only calls for half a can of pureed pumpkin, so not wanting to be wasteful I thought I'd use it in these delicious cookie-pastry-cross swirls/pinwheels.

Sounds a little confusing, but it's not really they are cookie like, but the dough is more pastry like. Whatever you want to call them they are sooooooo good!

It's the time of year for pumpkin. I used to think that pumpkin pie was only for Thanksgiving, but in reality pumpkins are totally a Halloween thing. So, pumpkin pie and cake and lattes are comfortable in October and November. Neither month owns the pumpkin. It even flows over into December.

Perhaps I should stop sharing my random thoughts and get to the recipe! The dough or batter or whatever you want to call it needs to spend some time in the fridge so be sure to read the recipe through and note the times!

Pumpkin Pie Swirls

270g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
225g unsalted butter
225g cream cheese
225g pumpkin puree
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
115g light brown sugar

Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and cream cheese until creamy and there are no lumps. If using a free-standing mixer or hand mixer slow it down and add the flour and salt mixture little by little. Continue to mix until completely smooth. It is a sticky dough. Lay out a piece of cling film and lightly dust with flour, also lightly dust your hands and form the dough into a ball and place on the cling film tightly wrapping it up and chilling in the fridge over night.

The next day.....

Before taking the dough out of the fridge mix the pumpkin puree with all the spices and sugar.
Lay out a piece of grease proof baking paper and as the dough will still be a little sticky sprinkle a little bit of flour over the top and bottom to avoid stick-age. Then roll it all out into an oblong shape. Spread about half of the pumpkin puree mixture over the top and leave about a half an inch border. Add more filling if you need it, if you don't then don't!
Starting with the longest side towards you and using the baking paper for support start to tightly roll up the dough. Some of the filling will squish out and that's okay. Once rolled pinch the edges to avoid too much of the filling squishing out and wrap in the baking paper and then cover tightly with cling film. Place in the fridge for a minimum of

2 hours later.....

Heat the oven to 200C/400F and line your baking sheets with grease proof paper. Take the roll out of the fridge and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place on the prepared baking sheets with space between the pinwheels and bake for 12-14 minutes. They should be a light golden brown in color. While the swirls are cooling make the frosting.

frosting:
40g unsalted butter
250g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-3 tbsp boiling water

Beat the butter, icing sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. I tend to add my icing sugar a little at a time to avoid it exploding everywhere, but to each their own. Add a tablespoon of hot water one at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. tip - to make these even more pumpkin pie like add about a tsp of cinnamon to the frosting and beat well! 

Once the swirls are cooled spread the frosting on top of each one with a spoon! Then enjoy!

These are one of those treats that ticks all the boxes - they are easy, although they take a bit of time. Also they taste good and best of all they are full of all the spices I associate with comfort and winter!

Are you feeling the pumpkin love? Check out some of my other pumpkin bakes: Spiced Pumpkin Cake; Pumpkin Cupcakes; Pumpkin Spice M&M Cookies; Pumpkin Pie; Pumpkin Pasties (another great recipe for half a can of pumpkin puree); Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins; Pumpkin Spice Latte Meringues; Pumpkin Cake.

*recipe is adapted from a recipe in Sugar Sugar: every recipe has a story by Kimberly Reiner and Jenna Sanz-Agero

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

One of the books on my summer reading list was Heartless by Marissa Meyer. I read it in a day or two, I was completely taken with Lady Catherine Pinkerton, the future Queen of Hearts. We all know the end of the story, but we don't know the beginning....until now.

Catherine is a keen baker, the story opens up with her making the perfect lemon tarts. We also quickly learn of her dream of opening her own bakery, but of course being a proper lady her parents have different plans for their only daughter. 

When I was trying to figure out which delicious bake to make out of the many Catherine makes I didn't know if I should go with the lemon tarts, rose macaron's, or the climatic bake the Spiced Pumpkin Cake. 

If you want to know exactly what that means then I suggest you get a copy of this book right away and give it a read! It was an easy read and I loved being taken back to Wonderland even if it was only for a short time....well until I re-read it! 

This Spiced Pumpkin Cake turned out perfectly soft and spiced. The slight tartness of the cream cheese frosting perfectly matches the cake and as Catherine did I topped it with toasted coconut. Which did give it an extra something, she really knows how to bake. 

Spiced Pumpkin Cake

165g plain flour

115g sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2/4 salt

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground nutmeg

115g light brown sugar

225g (1/2 can) canned pumpkin

2 large eggs

150ml vegetable oil

Heat the oven to 180C and line the bottom of two 7 inches or 20cm round cake tins. 

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarb of soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl and set aside. Beat the brown sugar and pumpkin together until combined, using a whisk or hand mixer. Add the eggs and beat until just combined, then add the oil and beat until it too is combined. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and gently beat until combined, then add the other half and again beat until completely combined. Pour half of the batter into one prepared tin and fill the other prepared cake tin with the rest of the batter! 

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until sponge comes back when gently pressed or used the skewer test. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before taking out of the tins and leaving to cool completely before icing. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

170g cream cheese

45g unsalted butter, room temperature

170g icing sugar (plus 1-2 tablespoons)

1 tsp of vanilla extract 

Beat the cream cheese and butter together until soft and completely combined. Add the vanilla extract and the icing sugar bit by bit. I added a couple of extra tablespoons to my frosting to make it come together better. If it's too runny add a tablespoon as a time. 

to finish: 

approx. 25g desiccated coconut, toasted 

Place the first layer of the cake on a cake stand and spread half of the cream cheese frosting on top leaving a bit of room around the edge, when the top layer goes on it will smooth it out to the edge. So, go ahead and gently place the top layer on. Then put the rest of the frosting on top and spread nicely. Before covering with the toasted coconut. 

I toasted my coconut after the cakes came out of the oven, as it was already warm, by spreading about 25g of desiccated coconut on a baking sheet it only takes like 3-5 minutes so watch it! 

I'm not 100% sure this cake would stand up to the Queen's standards nor am I sure it would win any baking competitions, but it is delicious!! If you want to read more about Heartless check out my review in the previous post or linked here. 

5 Medieval Fun Foodie Facts & No-bake Medieval Gingerbread & fun at Reading Museum in Reading Berkshire

That's probably the longest post title I have ever had ..... but it's the best way to describe this post!

As it is the summer holidays I am always looking for things to entertain my children and after exhausting our craft supplies at home we ventured out with a friend to the Reading Museum! During the school holiday's they always have various activities going on. One half-term we went on a trail looking and drawing local trees, we've made hats at another event, and sometimes just explored the museum!

The Reading Museum is full of local history and host various events; family, special events, and talks & tours. It's definitely a place to stop if you ever happen to find yourself in Reading! I like writing about local events and things to do in Reading, but this was a one-off event and although it can't be repeated at the museum I am going to share the recipe we made here and you can then make it at home with your little ones teaching them about life and food during those times.

Here are a few facts you could include!

5 Fun Foodie Facts during the Medieval Times: 

1. Bread - if they (the people)  ran out of grain before a new crop could be harvested they would have to use old rye to make bread, but old rye could be contaminated with ergot a fungus that could cause hallucinations, gangrene, or death or possibly all three. 
2. Poultry - Chickens weren't the only birds they ate. Today Swans are protected animals, but back then they were a delicacy for the rich with recipes for roasted swan or swan pie! They also ate loads of other birds such as peacocks, turtle doves, cranes, and blackbirds. 
3. Bringing home the bacon - they ran wild and were quite vicious due to reports of them biting and killing people and back then animals would stand trial and if found guilty would be put to death and I assume cooked and eaten!  
4. Travel - the majority of people aka peasants probably didn't travel very far, however the trade business during those times were booming! Silks from China, amber and furs from the Baltic, and spices from Asia. Christopher Columbus at the end of the Medieval times was on a trip to Asia and ran into what we know today is America. The spices used in this recipe would have been expensive and considered a real treat! 
5. Pottage - Peasants ate pottage which was basically anything they had hanging around and cooked as a stew. Usually consisting of various root vegetables and sometimes meat. 

No-bake Medieval Gingerbread

1 cup breadcrumbs (brown/seeded)
4 tbsp water (warm)
2-4 tbsp honey
1 large pinch cinnamon
1 large pinch ginger

In the case of using a cup of breadcrumbs, we were given an actual plastic cup full of breadcrumbs so I would say an average mug would work too. Pour the breadcrumbs into a bowl and then add the honey and give a bit of a stir quickly to stop it soaking into just some of the bread. In the same cup mix 2 tbsp of water with the cinnamon, and ginger. Add the spiced water slowly to the bread crumbs, get your hands in there and mix together. The breadcrumbs should be moist, but not wet. When you can mold the breadcrumbs into little balls without falling apart then you can stop adding the water. Then leave in cupcake cases or on a plate.

If you want you can also decorate paper plates with medieval-ish patterns here are some great examples!

My mini-bakers and their friends had a great time making the gingerbread probably more then they were interested in eating it. They did try it, but weren't too fussed they were more interested in decorating their plates with medieval patterns (some not so medieval), and exploring the museum. Definitely give the website a look for other events and activities. Most events are free or like this one had a minimal fee and as it's all drop in, make sure you get there early to get a spot! 

*I paid for my children to attend the event and as stated above was invited on the day by a friend. For more information see my contact/policy page.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Avocado Icing {Veggie Desserts + Cakes by Kate Hackworthy}

This week Kate Hackworthy had her very first book published Veggie Desserts + Cakes: Carrot Cake and Beyond! After having followed her blog for a few years and interacting with her on social media I was delighted to have the opportunity to check out her book!

There are no illusions that sugar and flour and all the things you need to bake exist in her recipes. In my review (in previous post) I mentioned in that Kate didn't write her book to hide vegetables away in baked goods, but to show how they can shine!

There were so many recipes to choose from and this one, even though it has more of an autumn feel, stood out to me. I love pumpkin and the spices used with it! I was unnecessarily weary of the avocado icing - I thought "this is never going to work."

It did.

It turned out beautifully. The avocado I had might have been on the small side and I did need extra icing sugar to get in into a spreadable consistency. It was when I could coat my spatula in the icing and turn it around without it dripping that I felt I had it right. 

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Avocado Icing 

125g unsalted butter, softened 

125g granulated sugar

2 large eggs

150g pumpkin puree (canned or puree cooked pumpkin or butternut squash)

2 tsp vanilla extract

175g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp salt 

100ml milk

Avocado Icing

1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled

250g icing sugar 

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Heat the oven to 170C and line your cupcake pan with paper cases.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and beating each one in well, then beat in the pumpkin and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt.

Alternating, add one-third of the flour to the egg mixture and stir to combine, then one-third of the milk. Repeat until all the ingredients are combined.

Spoon the batter (I like using my medium ice cream scoop) into the cupcake cases until nearly full. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

To make the avocado icing -
Puree the avocado with a hand blender until smooth and creamy, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the icing sugar and lemon juice and beat with an electric mixer until thick. You may need to add more icing sugar, depending on the size of your avocado, to get a thick piping consistency. Spoon into a piping bag and frost the completely cooled cupcakes as desired. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

*as I said above I needed to add more icing sugar - I didn't feel the need to pipe the icing I just used a palette knife to apply and smooth out the icing!

These cupcakes turned out great for me! The cake is nice and soft and has a great taste with all those great spices and pumpkin! The icing, as I mentioned above, I was weary of, but it turned out well! The avocado acting as the butter for the icing gave it an interesting flavor that complimented the pumpkin cake well!

Visit Kate's blog Veggie Desserts or see more of her delicious recipes on one of social media channels - Facebook or Instagram or Twitter! 

Check out how these other bloggers got on trying out Kate's recipes:

Chocolate Cauliflower Ice Lollies - on Recipes from a Pantry
Cavolo Nero and Orange Cupcakes - on The Hedge Combers
Beetroot and Vanilla Sorbet - on Natural Kitchen Adventures
Carrot Gingerbread - on Farmersgirl Kitchen
Carrot Gingerbread - also on Ren Behan
Avocado Lime Tarts - on The Veg Space (check out this post to win a copy of Kate's book!!)
Pea and Vanilla Cake with Lemon Icing - on Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary
Kale Apple Cake - on Tin & Thyme
Courgette Poppyseed Loaf - on Family Friends Food
Courgette Poppyseed Loaf - also on Baking Queen 74
Strawberry and Spinach Swiss Roll - on Foodie Quine
Pea and Mint Cupcakes with Rose Water Buttercream - on Kavey Eats

Double Apple Post: Butterscotch Apple Pudding & Apple Butter

We have a gorgeous apple tree in our garden that my husband planted when he was younger. About two years ago we had apples everywhere! As I was handing them out to friends and family I kept getting asked what type of apples they were and I had no clue!

Well I was was on Twitter and saw a tweet promoting Winchester Mill’s Apple Day. When I looked into it further they said that if you brought in your apples they would identify them for you. So, of course I had to go! I was told that they were pretty sure they were Spartan apples. They looked at the skin, shape, and most importantly the seeds. If you cut them in half it’s how the star is shaped.

Well, last years apple hull was disappointing, as it usually is after a good year, so I didn’t go crazy with apples. However, this year we have had loads! So, I’ve got to baking and eating! Here are two things I have made so far.

The first being a simple apple pudding from Rachel Allen and the second an American favorite Apple Butter.

The Butterscotch Apple Pudding is a super easy and comforting dessert. Just before your comforting roast or stew or pie in the oven start preparing this dessert. It can bake in the oven while you eat and then will be warm and ready for a big spoon of ice cream!

Butterscotch Apple Pudding 

2 large or 3 average apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
125g self-rising flour
1/4 tsp salt
200g brown sugar,
100g butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
200ml milk
2 tablespoons golden syrup
150ml boiling water, be sure to measure after the water is boiled

Heat the oven to 180C. Scatter the chopped apples evenly into the bottom of a 20x30cm ovenproof dish.
Put the flour, salt, and half the sugar (100g) into a bowl and gently whisk. In a jug measure out the milk and then add the melted butter, vanilla extract, and egg. Like when making muffins, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and whisk just until it’s mixed. Pour the mixture over the chopped apples.
To make the butterscotch put the golden syrup in a sauce pan with 150ml boiling water and the rest of the sugar (100g). Stir while the water is starting to boil and continue until the sugar has dissolved. It is a bit more liquidy then I thought it would have been, but don’t worry it all sorts out in the oven! Pour the sugar mixture over the batter as evenly as possible.
Pop it in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes, the sponge should be a golden light color and spring back when prodded.
I served mine with salted caramel ice cream, but feel free to use cream or custard or any other flavor of ice cream!

Apple Butter: 

The next thing I made with all the excess apples we have hanging around was Apple Butter. There isn’t actually any butter in it, incase you didn’t know! There are many recipes out there and most of them American, because it’s an American thing. Apple Butter that is!

When you make Apple Butter it is better then having any-old smelling “Apple Spice” candle in your house, it makes the whole house smell delicious with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves how could it not?

My apple butter wasn’t as thick as I thought it should be, it’s possible because I didn’t do mine overnight, but through the day. So, when it was down to the 12th hour I was ready for bed! Perhaps I jumped the gun a little and blitzed it before it was ready. Oh well, it’s still tasty and a whole jar has already been used, with the majority of it being given to friends and family.

For the recipe visit Cakeyboi for his Easy Apple Butter which is the recipe I used! He’s also recently made Pumpkin Spice Latte Butter in his slow cooker! Thinking I might have to try that out next!!

notes: The recipe was adapted from Rachel Allen’s Home Cooking, but can also be found online here. The Winchester City Mill Day was talked about in this post here! I am currently rounding up the Apple Linky I hosted from early September to October so be prepared for lots of apple recipes! Apples have had a really good season this year!

Love Your Freezer Part 2: Vegetables & Herbs (General Tso’s Chicken & Frittata)

Yesterday I shared how I use frozen fruit to my advantage. Today I am going to share the way I use frozen vegetables and herbs with a recipe that highlights the best of both and another that is a family favorite!

When I was at University I used to treat myself to a General Tso’s Chicken from the local Chinese restaurant on the occasional weekend night I had to work late. I was shocked and appalled when I couldn't find General Tso’s Chicken on any menu here in the UK. So, I have tried a few different recipes trying to find the one that reminded me most of the one I used to get at home and this one so far has most resembled it!

This recipe really showcases frozen herbs as it uses 3 of the most common when it comes to making Chinese food: garlic, ginger, and chili! I also use frozen broccoli! 

General Tso’s Chicken:

3 tbsp corn flour

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

vegetable oil

3-4 chicken breast, cubed

400g frozen broccoli, blanched

rice, cooked according to the package

sauce:

1 tbsp corn flour

120ml/4oz cold water

1 tbsp frozen chopped garlic

1 tbsp frozen chopped ginger

1 ½ tsp frozen chopped chili

3 tbsp honey

2 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp Chinese rice wine

Combine the corn flour, salt, and pepper and coat the chicken cubes in the flour and leave to one side.

To make the sauce combine the corn flour and cold water and mix until there are no corn flour lumps. Then add all the chopped herbs, honey, soy sauce, and rice wine and mix until combined. Set aside.

Heat a splash or two of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan. Shake any excess flour off the chicken cubes and fry in the oil for 4-6 minutes. Add the sauce mixture, leave on a medium to low heat until the sauce has thickened. Make sure the broccoli is well drained before adding to the pan and coat in the sauce.

Serve with rice and enjoy!

I always have frozen spinach in my fridge because spinach is easily hidden in food and it’s super good for you. It works great it in Bolognese, curries, and as a side for almost any chicken dinner. However it is particularly great in this frittata from Jamie Oliver’s Save with Jamie.

Sweet Potato, Spinach, & Feta Frittata

2 sweet potatoes, roasted

200-300g frozen spinach

½ tsp ground nutmeg

6-8 large eggs

splash of milk

70g feta cheese

40g cheddar cheese or red leister, grated

Roast the sweet potatoes with a little bit of oil and salt in a pre-heated oven at 190C for about 50 minutes or until soft and smushy.

About 10 minutes before the sweet potatoes are done start the rest of the frittata by frying the spinach with a splash of oil, salt, and nutmeg.

While you are waiting for the spinach to wilt and the excess water to evaporate beat the eggs with a splash of milk. Once mixed crumble in half of the feta cheese and half the cheddar cheese, mix until combined.

The sweet potatoes should be out of the oven by now and slightly cooled.

Once all the water has evaporated take the pan off the heat, pour the eggy mixture into the pan. Sprinkle chunks of the soft sweet potato (skin, no skin up to you) all over the mixture and top with the remaining cheese.

Place in the already heated oven for 13-15 minutes. It should be nice and fluffy when it’s ready to come out. We cut it into wedges and serve with hotsauce and a fresh green salad!

What recipes that use frozen vegetables or herbs do you make on a regular basis? Are their any freezer tips or tricks you use? I’d love to hear them, please leave a comment below!

notes: In association with Sainsbury’s for their campaign Love Your Freezer. General Tso’s Chicken recipe is adapted from The Chew: Food. Life. Fun. by the cast of The Chew. Sweet Potato, Spinach, & Feta Frittata is as it says before adapted from Save with Jamie by Jamie Oliver.  

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins!!

Happy Halloween!!

I love Halloween! When I was little my mom always stayed behind and handed out candy while my dad used to take us around the neighborhood Trick or Treating. I have about 3 specific memories of Halloween in my youth.

First one was when we first moved to Indiana. I was 6 years old and I wanted to be a ladybug. So, my mom helped me cut a circle out of one of the moving boxes and we colored it red with black spots! I wore black leggings with a long sleeved turtleneck shirt and then we strapped the ladybug circle on my back with some string! I received so many compliments!

Then the year I told my mom and dad that I could go trick or treating by myself. I was probably about 11 and it was also probably the last year I went until…

I was about 15 and a friend and I decided that we wanted to go trick or treating. I used to baby-sit for this kid across the street so we “borrowed” him to go trick or treating! He was an only child and I think his parents were a little relieved that they didn't have to take him!

Now I get to make Halloween memories with my girls! I started this morning by making them Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins! I took the recipe off the label of Libby’s Pumpkin puree tin. As it’s American it’s in oz, but I will add the grams for all of you! Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

11oz/311g plain flour

14oz/397g granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cloves

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 medium eggs, lightly beaten

8oz/227g Libby’s Solid Pack Pumpkin

7 tbsp vegetable oil

2 peeled, finely chopped apples

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas4. Line a muffin tin and ½ of a second if you have two. In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients. In another bowl mix together the eggs, pumpkin, and oil. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened. Fold in apples. Then using an ice cream scoop fill each paper cup. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the batter (recipe below) Then bake for 40-45 minutes in the preheated oven.

Streusel topping:

2 tablespoons plain flour

2oz/50g caster sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

4 tsp/19g butter

Mix the flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Then between your fingers rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs!

Hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!!

notes: Day 4 of Apple Week! US to UK LadyBug = LadyBird. Libby’s Solid Pack Pumpkin can be found at Waitrose and other novelty stores! 

Halloween Pumpkin & Ginger Cupcakes!!

Usually I don’t pre-make holiday bakes. I know that’s what all the stores and multimedia things do, but I don’t. I like to bake and eat my holiday things on or closely around the holiday in question.

However I will make an exception for the Treat Petite baking challenge hosted by Cakey Boi and The Baking Explorer! When I saw that the theme was Halloween I was all over that! Halloween is my favorite holiday!!  Did you know it's less then a week away?? 

I wanted black and green swirled frosting but the black paste was very liquidy. It was no way a paste, even though it said paste on it. It turned out gray. However I didn't want too add too much more coloring. I was annoyed, but not annoyed enough to not use it. 

I let my girls do some decorating and they had a lot of fun! Plus it kept them busy. They turned out really good! I loved the extra spice the ginger preserve gave them! 

Happy Halloween!! (early) :0) 

Pumpkin & Ginger Cupcakes:

120g unsalted butter, room temperature

250g light muscovado sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs, lightly beaten

85g canned pumpkin puree

250g self-rising flour

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

110ml double cream

12 tsps of Mackays Spiced Ginger Preserve

Pre-heat the oven 180C/gas4 and line your cupcake tin with Halloween themed cases!

Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla together until noticeably lighter. Little by very little add the beaten eggs until fully incorporated. Beat in the pumpkin mixture.

Mix the flour and spices together.

Mix in a third of the flour mixture, then half of the double cream. Repeat until everything is used up and it’s all incorporated.

Spoon in 1 heaped tablespoon (just a regular dessert spoon) into each of the cupcake cases. Then using a teaspoon make a dip in the batter before spooning in 1 level tsp of Mackays Spiced Ginger Preserve. Top with another tablespoon of the batter. You may need to push the batter down on the sides a bit to hold the preserve in.
I had some batter still left over so I made 6 fairy cakes and left out the ginger preserve. I figure most kids wouldn't like the ginger. So yeah.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Cream cheese frosting:

75g unsalted butter, room temperature

100g full-fat cream cheese

240g icing sugar

black & green coloring paste

Halloween Sprinkles

Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the icing sugar a little at a time. Then split the icing in half, should be about 200g, add black paste to one and green to the other. Then put them in the same icing bag or Lakeland’s duo icing kit and pipe! Then add sprinkles.

notes: Treat Petite Baking Challenge! Mackays Spiced Ginger Preserve #bakingwithmackays  Lakeland’sDuo Icing Kit is currently on sale! I bought this product myself please see contact/policy for further information. Recipe was adapted from Love Bakery by Samantha Blears.

Fluffy Puff Puffs: Gourmet Marshmallows {review}

Fluffy Puff Puffs are an online company that makes gourmet marshmallows. 

They want to show the world that marshmallows are versatile and make a great sweet treat for any occasion.

They offer a variety of flavors ranging from their best seller Key Lime & Ginger Pie Mallow, White or Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Drizzle Mallows, Sugar & Spice, Salted Caramel, Love Current, Lemon or Lime Punch, Toasted Coconut, Cookies & Cream… the list goes on and the possibilities are endless! 

They are made without preservatives and are gluten free. Please check the official site for more information on what and how the mallows are made!

Recently Fluffy Puff Puffs sent me a selection of marshmallows to try out. Here are the flavors I received:

Sugar & Spice

A vanilla marshmallow covered in sugar and warming spices like cinnamon.

It had a nice balance of flavors and a nice crunch with the coating.

Raspberry & White Chocolate Drizzle

A raspberry flavored mallow w/a white chocolate drizzle

This was probably my favorite. It had a strong lovely raspberry flavor. 

Love Currant

A blackcurrant flavored mallow.

My least favorite, but only because I don't like blackcurrants. The flavor was good and my girls liked it! 

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Drizzle

A vanilla marshmallow with a white chocolate peanut butter drizzle.

I was a little disappointed with this one. I thought the mallow was going to be peanut butter, but the only peanut butter taste I got was in the drizzle. I am a huge peanut butter fan so, would have liked a stronger peanut butter taste, but that's just me! The vanilla mallow was good though!

Lime Punch

A lime flavored mallow

It tasted like lime and that's what counts! 

Lemon Punch

A lemon flavored mallow.

A great citrus flavor and very refreshing!

Key Lime & Ginger Pie

A key lime flavored mallow on top of a ginger biscuit crust.

This one was very good! I can see why it's a best seller! The lime flavor is mellow enough (not quite as strong as the Lime Punch) to compliment the ginger base nicely! 

Next time you’re throwing a party or in need of a special gift or if you’re just a marshmallow fan and want to try out some fun flavors check out the official Fluffy Puff Puffs site! (website no longer available 2017)

A big thank you to Louise for giving me the opportunity to try out these lovely gourmet marshmallows!