Cake Pops!

Yellow Candy Melts 

London was scorching today - what perfect weather to make cake pops! Sort of. Here is my first ever attempt! I made a quick drop in to one of my favourite cake decorating shops to pick up some cake dummy's for the two tier wedding cake class at Faircake today. When I walked in I was drawn in by the fountain of candy melts they had before my eyes! I knew from that moment that I had to ask the man behind the counter for the cake pop recipe for success. 

To make the cake pops I baked two 8" cake tins worth of Says Sugarcraft chocolate cake and then used a blender to turn the cake into a fine crumb. I then whipped up a 500g batch of buttercream and slowly added all of the crumbs to the mixture. After which I moulded each cake pop, stuck in the sticky and dipped each little ball into the candy melts! 

Bottom Right: Betty Crocker Red Sugar 

Middle: Betty Crocker Red White and Blue Sprinkles

Right: Peanut Butter Flavour Candy Melts Left: Yellow Candy Melts

Coffee and Walnut Cake

This was my first ever attempt at a coffee cake, I'd like to say I think it went down pretty well for a first go! But one can only slightly agree on such a subjective comment. The icing was rather sweet, but it counter-acted with the tart tasting sponge so there was equal balance. Again, (as I like to do) I glued two vaguely similar recipes together and a few additions of my own, taking bits from each - to create this cake. I used Primrose Hill's recipe with Nigellas! Two personal faves... One last thing, I think the addition of real butter is very important to this type of cake - Stork simply wont do! Hope everyone had a marvo weekend!

The Recipe:
225g golden caster sugar
200g plain flour
2 & a half tsp baking powder
Half tsp baking soda
50g chopped walnuts plus extra for decorating
4 medium eggs
4 & a half tsp good quality expresso powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g unsalted butter
Buttercream:
2 & a half tsp expresso powder
1 tbso boiling water
175g unsalted butter
350g icing sugar
The Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line two 8 inch cake tins with grease. 
• Cream together butter and sugar in a freestanding mixer for a few minutes, add eggs one at a time till smooth. 
• Chop the walnuts and put aside.
• Add baking powder/soda, expresso powder and vanilla to the mixture until just combined.
• Pour in flour in thirds also till just combined. 
• Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and loosely throw in walnut pieces. 
• Divide the batter into two and bake for 25 minutes.
• For the buttercream, cream the butter in a freestanding mixer and gradually add in all of the icing sugar once this is done. 
• Mix the expresso powder into the boiling water and gradually pour into buttercream.
• Once the cake has cooled, decorate as you please!

Mbakes x

Miette Gingersnaps

Here is another blog post where I desperately try not to over indulge in personal happenings, but after an intense week of work at Faircake, topped with mounds of uni work that requires writing about things I dont really care about, in a news style that I dont even pay attention to out of uni, I thought I'd treat myself to some 'me' writing. And, of course, writing about what I love the most. Which if you take a wild guess, perhaps you might know what it is...its flirtatiously written and if done well - can read as good as it tastes (its baking by the way). So after such a busy and tiresome (but half great) week, I give you Miette Gingersnaps! I wrote this recipe out on tuesday after work - but was so tired that I had to leave it until tonight! (yes it is a Friday night in the UK, YES I am 19 years old). 

Back to the Gingersnaps, I wasn't overly fond of the taste but I think it's because I left out the puree and candied ginger, and also substituted quite a few ingredients! But do give it a go, and follow the recipe methodically whilst I mentally prepare myself into writing 2 portfolios in 6 days... 

The Recipe:
2 cups all purpose flour
Half cup wheat flour (optional)
Half tsp salt
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp ground ginger
Generous Quarter tsp ground cinnamon
Eighth tsp ground cloves
Eighth tsp ground white pepper
Quarter tsp ground nutmeg
Quarter tsp cardamom
1 cup (226g) unsalted butter ( I used a turkish pastry butter called 'Sana')
Three quarter cup light brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp molasses (or golden syrup)
Half cup minced candied ginger (optional)
2 tsp ginger puree (optional)
granulated sugar for dusting
The Method:

• In a freestanding mixer, cream together the sugar and butter for a few minutes. 
• Pour in the honey and molasses until creamy.
• In a seperate bowl sift together all the dry ingredients. 
• Gradually add them to the butter mixture in thirds until you have a moist looking dough. 
• Wrap the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate for half an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
• Roll out the dough on a floured surface and use your favourite cutter to mould out 1/2 inch rounds.
• Place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment at least 4 cm apart.
• Dust with granulated sugar
• Bake for 10/12 minutes.
• Enjoy!

Mbakes x