Peaches and Cream Cupcakes

from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook:

120g plain flour

140g caster sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

40g unsalted butter

120ml full cream milk

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

400g tinned peaches *I used fresh

1. Beat the flour, sugar, baking power and butter until the mixture has a sandy consistency

2. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until it is just incorporated

3. Whisk the egg, vanilla and remaining milk together in a separate bowl then pour it into the flour mixture.
4. Beat until the mixture is sooth

5. Divide the sliced peaches between the patty pans (I like to put enough pieces in so that the bottom is completely lined)

6. Fill the patty pans until two thirds full

7. Bake on 170 degrees celsius for 20 or 25 minutes, until the tops are golden

For Vanilla Frosting:

250g icing sugar

80g unsalted buter

25ml full cream milk

a few drops of vanilla extract

Beat the icing sugar and butter together until the mixture comes together

Mix in the milk and vanilla extract

Turn your mixer up to high speed and beat for about 5 minutes or until the frosting is light and fluffy

Then ice 'em

*I used fresh peaches because I thought they would be better, but I won't know until I make them again with canned peaches. Peach season is August so get baking!!

Oreo Truffles

guest post: Berkshire Baker!

2 pkg of oreos

200g cream cheese (Philadelphia)

200g milk chocolate or whatever suits you like white chocolate or even dark!

Makes about 12

Put Oreos in a food blender and make into crumbs, you have to lift and shake the blender otherwise it doesn't really work. I like to leave mine with some chunks but completely up to you!

Then in a bowl mix crumbs with cream cheese using your hands. Put in the fridge to set about 15 minutes. Then roll into balls about 1-1 1/2 inches and place in cake cases.

Finish off by melting the 200g of chocolate and spooning over each one. Return to fridge until ready to eat.

You could add more cream cheese to make it creamier, but would be a bit runny, more like frosting but would still taste great!! I want to try this using Double Stuffed Oreos!!

~ Berkshire Baker

First seen on Bakerella!!

Lemon Drop Cupcakes

taken from Better Homes and Gardens

3/4 cups butter

3 eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup limoncello (Italian lemon liqeur) or milk
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp finely shredded lemon peel
1 recipe lemon frosting
1/2 cup lemon drop candies, finely crushed
1 recipe glazed lemon slices

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg.  Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temp for 30 min.  In a medium bowl, stir together baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a 2-cup glass measuring cup combine the 2/3 C milk and the limoncello and set aside.
2. In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on med. to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar and lemon peel; beat until combined. Add eggs, one and a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and milk mixture to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined. 3.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups (about 20) filling each about 3/4 full.  Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups.  Bake for 18 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched.  Cool cupcakes in pan for 5 min, remove to wire racks, cool completely. 
4.  Up to 1 hour before serving, generously spread or pipe lemon frosting onto cupcakes.  Sprinkle crushed candies over frosted cupcakes.  Top cupcakes with glazed lemon slices.

LEMON FROSTING
Allow 1/3 C butter sto stand at room temp. for 30 min.  In a large mixing bowl beat butter, 1/3 C shortening, and 1 tsp vanilla with an electric mixer on med. speed for 30 sec.  Slowly add 2 C powdered sugar, beating well.  Add 2 Tbsp lemon juice.  Gradually beat in 2 C additional powdered sugar.  beat in 1 - 2 Tbsp milk, 1 tsp at a time., until frosting is spreading consistency.  Makes about 2 1/3 C frosting.

GLAZED LEMON SLICES
Slice two small lemons into 1/4 in - thick slices.  Remove seeds.  Roll slices in sugar to coat well.  Coat an unheated large skillet with nonstick cooking spray.  Preheat skillet over med-high heat.  Arrange slices in a single layer in the skillet. Cook for 6-8 min or until sugar dissolves and lemon slices appear to be glazed (do not let them brown), turning once. Transfer to a piece of foil; cool completely.  Roll cooled lemon slices in sugar again before serving.  These slices are edible, if desired.

lemon peel

lemoncello

guest post: IN Baker

Keep Calm and Bake On

I want one of these!!

 For more necklaces like this check out Pretty Whimsical Esty site!!

Pretty Whimsical's Scrabble tile pendants are affordable and trendy. Scrabble tile pendants make fun gifts for teens, friends, moms, teachers and coworkers. These unique necklaces would make lovely party favors or bridesmaids gifts. Scrabble tile pendants can be made into cuff links, rings, pins or key chain fobs, upon request. taken from the pretty whimsical esty page

 

Keep Calm and Carry On was a poster produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of World War II, intended to raise the morale of the British public in the event of invasion. Seeing only limited distribution, it was little known. The poster was rediscovered in 2000 and has been re-issued by a number of private sector companies, and used as the decorative theme for a range of other products. There are only two known surviving examples of the poster outside of government archives. Taken from Wikipedia

Irn Bru Cupcakes

Adapted from Cola Cupcakes by the hummingbird bakery Cake Days

80g unsalted butter, softened

280g golden caster sugar

240g plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

100ml + 5 tbsp* Irn Bru

140ml full fat milk

2 large eggs

*I started with 100ml and added more to up the taste, but I think you really do need the syrup for this if you know a pub owner who has Irn Bru on tap you’re in luck!! You’ll only need a tbsp of syrup and 240ml of milk then follow the recipe as stated below.

Pre-heat oven at 190*C and line your muffin tin

I softened the butter in the microwave so some of it was liquid, then I mixed it with the caster sugar, plain flour, baking powder, and salt until it looked like sand.

In a jug I beat the Irn Bru, milk and eggs together.

I then poured about 1/3 of the wet mixture into the dry and beat on low then medium to make a smooth mixture.

Then I poured the rest in and mixed until smooth.

I then baked for 18-20 minutes I rotate half way through because my oven is uneven.

Then I cheated and used pre-made Betty Crocker vanilla icing.

golden tops

the tops were so good I almost didn't put icing on them!

The big question do they taste like Irn Bru. No. See * note above. Although they did not taste of my husband’s favorite soft drink, they did turn out good. They have a nice golden top (see pictures) that’s sort of caramelized and very yummy.

It’s the first time I sort of adapted my own recipe from someone else’s. I originally got the idea from this blog. I might try her recipe some day to see if it tastes more like Irn Bru.

Has anyone else tried baking with soft drinks and if so…What did you try? Did it work out? What would you do differently if anything?

My husband's co-workers loved these!! ;0)

Stinkerdoodles (Snickerdoodles)

My kids lovingly call these cookies "stinkerdoodles". I like these because I often have these ingredients on hand. ~IN Baker

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375 deg.
2. Combine butter and sugar.
3. Blend in eggs one at a time.
4. Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in separate bowl.
5. Add flour mixture to the rest a little at at time.
6. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish.
7. Shape dough into 1/4 in balls and roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
8. Bake on a cookie sheet for 9 min. Makes about 2 dozen.

guest post: IN Baker

Chocolate Macaroons

Taken from How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

(if you haven't noticed I have a new book!!) 

250g icing sugar

125g ground almonds

25g cocoa powder

4 large egg whites

25g caster sugar

for the ganache filling

90ml (6tbsp) double cream

150g plain chocolate, chopped

45g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter

1. Pre-heat oven 180*C/gas mark 4 line your baking sheets (I used whoopie pie tins….see pictures)
2. Sift icing sugar, ground almonds, and cocoa powder.
3. Whisk the egg whites until half-stiff, then sprinkle over the caster sugar and continue whisking until stiff, but not dry.
4. Gradually fold in the sifted ingredients
5. Fit the icing nozzle into the bag, sit it in a tall glass, turn the bag back to form a cuff and fill with the macaroon mixture. Pipe out 5cm rounds and leave to stand for 15 minutes to form a skin. (I don’t have piping bags so I used a Ziploc but was over zealous and didn’t think it through when I filled the small makeshift-piping bag with the batter. So, when I went to squeeze it out it all came out the top!!)
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes: you want them dry on top, but still chewy underneath (I think I baked mine too long as they were too dry)
7. When cool sandwich with the ganache (which I never made because I couldn’t get mine off the pans without smooshing them so I shoved them all in a Ziploc container)

To make the ganache: heat all the ingredients in a saucepan until the chocolate is just melted. Off the heat, whisk until thick, and when cool spread with a knife on the underside of one macaroon, than stick another macaroon to it.

trying to get them out of the pan...

all the macaroons smooshed in a ziploc container

I scraped up my pan... oops.

This was my first ever attempt at macaroons. Although a few bumps along the way, not using a proper piping bag, pan, and baking too long (I think?) they tasted good! I cut them into chunks like a cake or brownie and smothered in the double cream which was suppose to be for the ganache.