I like Big Bundts! {Strawberry & Champagne Bundt}

It’s National Bundt Day!!

Bundt cakes are the lazy decorators (ahem… me) dream. They are already gorgeous to look at, dust with a little icing sugar or a drizzle over a glaze and you have a masterpiece!

They are also great cakes for those who don’t like frosting/icing. A bundt cake could be frosted or iced, but it really doesn't need it.

They also can be a pain to get out of the tin.... The jam I used in this recipe was too close to the top and it made the cake stick to the top of the pan. That or the preserve added too much moisture to the cake.

It's also possible that I happened to turn off the new oven while setting the time and walked off and didn't realize until half way through that is what I did! O_o

Recently nothing I make turns out exactly how I'd like it too. Not sure what's going on? Here's how I made this cake. It was edible and very tasty, just doesn't look too good.

This is the first time I have ever had an issue getting my cake out of this pan and I've used it on various occasions! I didn't use the champagne glaze as the cake was a mess and I didn't want to waste the champagne, but I gave you what I would have done had it turned out right. I also re-wrote what I would do differently next time.

Strawberry & Champagne Bundt Cake

200g unsalted butter

500g golden caster sugar

60ml sunflower oil

4 large eggs

350g plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder

250ml full-fat strawberry yogurt

150-200g strawberries, hulled and chopped

½ jar of Mackays Strawberry and Champagne preserve

Preheat the oven to 180C/fan160C/gas4. Prepare your Bundt, I lightly grease it with sunflower oil and leave it tipped upside down to let the oil run down the sides, before adding the batter I lightly flour it and tap out the excess flour.

Cream the butter, sugar, and oil together until light and fluffy. Lightly beat the eggs together in a jug and add the eggs gradually (fully mix before adding more egg) Sift the flour and baking powder together before adding half with the batter, fold it in and add half of the yogurt and repeat until just combined and smooth. Fold in the chopped strawberries.

Spoon a third of the batter into the bottom of the bundt, swirl in 2-3 tablespoons of the preserve, and repeat once before top with remaining batter. Bake for an hour; use the skewer test to ensure it’s cooked through. Ovens vary so check it just before the hour is up and add more time if needed.

Spoon in half of the batter then swirl in 4-5 tablespoons of the preserve and then top with the rest of the batter.

Champagne Glaze

200-250g of icing sugar

2-3 tablespoons of champagne

Mix the icing sugar and champagne together, add more or less of either depending how thick or runny you want your glaze.

Serve with a glass of champagne! Is also great with cream or whipped cream and more preserve!

Bundt cakes are usually spiced pound cakes and make a great alternative to a Christmas cake or pudding. They are also low maintenance and pretty (if you manage to get it out of the pan) they would make a great table piece!   

notes: Mackays Strawberry and Champagne Preserve was provided for me as part of there Christmas with Mackays campaign. National Bundt Day! I bought my Nordic Ware Bundt pan. For more bundts visit Mary theFood Librarian (I like Big Bundts), she’s awesome she makes a bundt everyday in the month of November! Also if you made a bundt for National Bundt Day enter it on her site!  

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.

Lemon Cream Whoopie Pies with Bramble Preserve {#bakingwithmackays}

One day I was hanging out on Twitter, what I tend to do in my free time… That is time that isn't taking care of a family, baking, blogging, reading, playing Animal Crossing you know life stuff. Anyway I saw a tweet from Mackays looking for people to bake with their preserves, marmalade, and curds.

Now I use Mackays Scottish Strawberry Preserve on a daily basis sometimes on toast, scones, crumpets and so on, but always for Mini Baker’s jam sandwich in her lunch box. So, I jumped at the chance to work with them!

They basically asked me what I was interested in and I asked for the lemon curd, seedless bramble preserve, spiced ginger preserve and strawberry preserve with champagne. The first two are what I am working with today. Lemon and bramble go well together, so does lemon and ginger actually… 

I know whoopie pies have gone a bit out of style in the baking world, but they make a great base for a variety of flavors!

These were the perfect amount of sweet and tart. I complained last night on twitter because I don't own a proper zester for the lemon zest. I think they are a bit spendy for what they are. Yet, if I keep on making lemon or citrus flavored treats then I might have to invest in one. Do you own one? If the answer is yes could you live without it? 

Lemon Cream Whoopie Pies

300g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp bicarb of soda

¼ tsp salt

125g unsalted butter, softened

200g golden caster sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla paste

100 whole milk

50ml lemon juice

zest of 2 lemons

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas4. Line your baking sheet(s). First sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarb, and salt. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You can’t over beat so if it doesn't look fluffy enough keep beating. Add the egg and mix well. While the butter and sugar are being beaten, in a separate bowl mix the vanilla, milk, and lemon juice together. Combine with the butter mixture. Gradually add the flour mixture until just combined. Fold in lemon zest. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes minimum.

Drop even as possible scoops of batter unto your line baking sheet(s) not too close together. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10-12 minutes or 8-10 minutes depending on the size of your “pies”. They should have a slight impression when touched with a finger. Leave to cool completely.

Lemon Curd Cream

100g of whipped cream (100-150ml)

100g Mackays Lemon Curd

Mackays Seedless Bramble Preserve or Spiced Ginger Preserve (optional)

All you do is fold the whipped cream and lemon curd together. Chill for about 15 minutes before use. Spread a layer of Seedless Bramble Preserve on one side and the lemon curd cream on the other and smoosh together before serving. Or sandwich the whoopie pies with the lemon curd cream and place a small dollop of the bramble preserve on top!

notes: Follow me on Twitter!; I’m currently reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn; Mackays official website; Mackays can be found in most large supermarkets and online - get #bakingwithmackays; recipe is adapted from The Whoopie Pie Book by Claire Ptak of Violet;