Banana & Walnut Cupcakes

The cupcakes have a muffin like texture to them - the topping is very sweet but is nicely counter balanced by the actual cake. I found this recipe in The Cupcake Book by Susanna Tee.

The Recipe

225g plain white flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp bicarb of soda

2 ripe bananas, mashed

115g butter, softened

115g caster sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

4 tbsp soured cream

55g walnut pieces, roughly chopped

Topping

175g butter, softened

350g icing sugar

some walnut pieces, roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5. Line a cupcake tine with 14 paper cups. Sift together the flour, baking powder and bicarb of soda.

2. Whisk the butter, caster sugar and vanilla extract together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, then stir in the mashed bananas, soured cream and walnuts. Fold in the flour mixture.

3. Put the mixture into the paper cups and bake for about 25 mins until risen and firm and golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin for about 10 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool properly.

4. For the frosting, beat the butter until light and fluffy, then sift in the icing sugar and mix well together. I added a little bit of vanilla extract too.

5. Decorate the cupcakes when cool with the icing and chopped walnuts.

The Prettiest Macaroons

La Duree do the prettiest macaroons. I love this selection, especially the gold leaf ones!

Slightly over the top 60th Birthday Cake

I made this cake with my nieces and newphew - I had the best fun baking it with them. I think Barbie would like it......!

Custard Cake

Sorry for lack of posts - I've been on holiday in Ibiza. I had a fantastic cake there 'Flao' - I'm trying to track down a recipe for it.

When I was young my Mum used to make a Custard Cake which was amazing - it was in fact legendary as I remember friends used to come round and ask for it. Last night I found a recipe for this cake but I'm not sure where it's from as it was written on a piece of paper. So I made it and it definitely took me back to those childhood days! I didn't get the chance to speak to my Mum before I made it but have done so since. She used to make a buttercream and mix it with actual custard for the filling. This recipe just puts the custard powder into the buttercream with some hot water. Next time I'm going to try my Mum's version of the filling. The custard powder makes the cake so light and fluffy.

The Recipe:

200g plain flour

3 tbspns Birds Custard powder

2 tspns baking powder

1/2 tspn bicarbonate of soda

4 eggs

225g soft butter

200g caster sugar

2-3 tbspns milk

1. Preheat Oven to 180c

2. Butter & line 2 x 20cm sandwich tins.

3. Mix all ingredients except milk together until a smooth batter. Add the milk tbspn at a time to make soft dropping consistency. Put in 2 x cake tins and bake for around 20mins until skewer comes out clean.

Once the cake has cooled add the filling.

125g icing sugar

4 tspns Birds Custard powder

75g soft butter

1 1/2 tspns boiling water

1. Process the icing sugar and custard powder. Add butter.

2. Feed boiling water into mix while running.

Ricotta & Tomato Tarts

I thought I'd bake something savoury for a change. These would be nice picnic food....if we get some nice weather....

The recipe:

375g puff pastry (ready rolled/ready made)

250g ricotta

100g grated Gruyere

2 egg yolks

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

slices of baby plum tomatoes

olive oil to drizzle

fresh thyme leaves

1. Heat oven to 200c/180c fan/gas 6. Roll the pastry out. Cut out 10cm diameter circles and place into a greased muffin tray. Make sure the pastry doesn't overlap and there are no holes in the base.

2. Mix the ricotta, Gruyere, egg yolks and mustard together. Season and spoon into the cases. Finish each tart with 2 slices of tomato and a sprinkling of thyme leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes until pastry is brown and filling is set.

Lemon Polenta Cake

I have to say the thought of baking this afternoon and heating up an already overheated flat further with the oven didn't really appeal. However 75 degrees + or not I made the pact to bake something every weekend I was at home. So it got me to thinking that I wanted to bake something that smells of summer - or should I say an Italian summer. This cake, even in its raw mixture form, evokes freshly picked Sicilian lemons. I think it originated at The River Cafe but this recipe is a variation that I found in a weekend supplement. Anyway I soon found this afternoon that with a glass of something cold and white in hand and some chill out tunes on, sunny baking can be lovely....

The Recipe:

175g unsalted butter, softened (another bonus of baking on a hot day - butter softens v quickly....)

225g caster sugar

200g ground almonds

3 eggs

zest of 4 unwaxed lemons and juice of 1 of these

115g polenta

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 160c/gas mark 3.

2. Line a 20cm tin with baking parchment.

3. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and whizz to a smooth batter.

4. Spoon into the lined tin and bake for 45-50 mins. Cool in the tin.

Tarte aux Pommes

I was in France this weekend so didn't actually do any baking myself. However our lovely friends did make a very French, very delicious Tarte aux Pommes. I asked them for the recipe and here is what I got.

Recipe:

1. Peel, core and slice 3 apples (eating). Then fry the slices in butter with a couple of teaspoons of sugar until slightly soft (do this slowly and gently so they don't burn).

2. Roll out the pastry and put in a tart tin. (They used ready made sweet dessert pastry.)

3. Drain the apple slices and then lay them on the pastry so they overlap.

4. Bake for about half an hour at approx 200c.

5. Before serving brush with apricot jelly to glaze.

Picture on its way.....

I'm having camera problems and the pic won't load.....