It's been time...

I am a useless bloggerer. Not enough hours in the day, the dog ate my camera, etc...
And, actually, I don't feel bad about cheating my way through this post either. So there!

Make all of these things right now.


 


Seven Sweet Links:

1. Peanut Butter Cup Smores. For real.
2. Take this survey from my favourite pizza blog. Cos I know you love pizza too.* 
3. Bake it in a cake?
4. Slightly strange
5. Make these. Yum.
6. And this. OMG
7. But this is the best one. I think.

*Having a favourite pizza blog is totally not lame.

xxx

Bananana nananana....cupcakes!

Banana Cupcakes

with vanilla bean buttercream

Cupcakes

2 Large Eggs

4oz Self raising flour

4oz Caster sugar

1oz Soft brown sugar

4oz Butter/margarine

2tbsp Sunflower Oil

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 mashed bananas 

• Weigh out all your ingredients so they are ready to go
• Mash up your bananas. I do it while they're still in the skin, that way you only have to cut one end off and squeeze the mush out. Plus no dirty extras... I'm on about washing up
• Cream butter and sugar together until light in colour, creamy and kinda fluffy
• add your little eggies
• Whisk like your life depends on it
• Sift in the flour and baking powder 
• Fold together until just combined
• Add your mushed up bananas
• Spoon into paper cases.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven at gas mark 7, 220 degrees Celsius for about 22 mins. Sorry I didn't tell you to pre-heat earlier... awkward.
• They will go fairly golden because of all the sugar. I made them in two sizes and the smaller ones seemed to dome slighty as you can see in the picture. Ah well. Boverrrrd.
• Allow to cool then buttercream those puppies up!

For the vanilla bean buttercream...

I use this recipe from browneyedbaker replacing the cream with milk..as I had no cream.

This frosting can be used for preeeetty much every cake ever, its a good staple and you can colour it with gel or liquid colouring too. Bingo. 

"Coffee?"

Sorry about the rubbish picture...I'm not getting on with charging batteries lately and this was the best of my three quick snaps before I had to go to work! Boo you batteries and work!

Coffee Bun Cake Muffin Thingies

Use the easy peasy egg measuring method I went on about in this recipe for Lemon Cupcakes.

(Weigh the eggs, then measure butter sugar and flour out at the same weight.)

Eggs

Self raising flour

Caster sugar
Soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup for every egg)

Butter/margarine
2 tbsp oil (per egg)

1/2 tsp baking powder (per egg used)

1 cup Strong coffee (plus half cup for afterwards)

1. Cream the butter and sugar, the usual. 
2. Add oil and eggs and whissssk.
3. Fold in flour and baking powder
4. Stirrrr in the coffee. Yum... smells nice!
5. Spoon into paper muffin or cupcake cases.
6. Bake for 25 mins, or until a skewer is left clean after insertion.
7. While cakes are still hot poke a skewer or cocktail stick through the top of the cake a few times to create tiny holes.
8. Pour/drizzle about 1/2-1 tbsp coffee on to each cake. (Don't worry it won't make them soggy if you do it while they are still hot)
9. Leave to cool before decorating

You can drizzle a bit of coffee flavoured glace icing (sifted icing sugar mixed with very strong instant coffee dissolved in a little water) over the top, as I have or pipe/spead with a coffee buttercream.
Chocolate or vanilla buttercream will work really well too.
Top with chocolatey type sprinkle thingies or walnuts..

XXX

Brown Knees

Chocolatey Naughtiness...

Mix flour, salt, cocoa and baking powder.

Melt butter and chocolate together.

I did it in the microwave.. Easy!

Whisk in the sugar...

...then your eggs

Add the mix to the flour etc

mix, then pour into buttered pan

chop up your Mars bars

you could use Snickers too

push into the surface of the mixture

bake for 40-45 minutes

they're supposed to be a bit squidgy..

EAT.

Squidgy Mars Bar Brownies

1/2 cup butter

8oz dark chocolate

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 large eggs

1 cup plain flour

1 Mars Bar or several mini ones

I used an 8 inch round sandwich tin at gas mark 4.

Test after 35 minutes and keep checking as ovens vary and non-squidgy mars bar burnties don't sound yummy at all!

xxx

Nice Things

Nice things to think about today:

1.  Waffles
   
   
   
   I got a waffle maker for Christmas
   The possibilities are endless.
   Please expect further Waffle-related posts.

2. Patisserie Valerie

This place is full of goodies. And nice coffee. Which is much better than not-very-nice coffee, isn't it.

I had the Blackforest and she (her, opposite me) had a cheeky slice of Carrot Cake that was, in fact,  LUSH.

3.Cookin' with Coolio

Why not? This is what the contents page looks like....

Yep. That does say 'Sweet Treats for That Sweet Ass' followed by that more than necessary 'Pimpclusion' that all good cookbooks should have. Ask Delia.

4. Dark Chocolate. 

Particularly Scharffen Berger Chocolate and their Chocolate Adventure Contest.

 

The site is great for chocolatey inspiration, it has loooooads of chocolate recipes and even has an interactive cupcake builder!

5. Friends and Family

They are very important. Make cakes for them. Make a mess for them :)

 

xxx

These are horrible. NOT!

Numero Uno - Black Dotty Banana Cake

Problem
Sometimes bananas over ripen and go all black and dotty. Don't ignore them. It's not their fault. Don't throw them away either, the riper they are the sweeter they are and the more banana-ry they will taste. Which is a good thing when it comes to cake.

If this happens to your bananas:

1. make this
2. find a friend
3. put the kettle on

Black Dotty Banana Cake

You will need:

3 cups self raising flour
2 cups Sugar
2 Eggs
a glug of milk
1 cup Butter
3 tbsp Oil
3 Very ripe Bananas

Then you will need to:

• Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Sift the flour first please.
•  So that's flour and sugar. Easy.
• Beat the eggs in a jug with a little milk
• Melt the butter. Mix the oil and melted butter in with the milk.
• Add the contents of the jug to the dry ingredients. Whisssssssk it all together.
• Peel your bananas and smoosh them up. Then you can stir them in to the mix.
• Pour into a greased tin, bake at Gas Mark 6 for about 20 mins, it will darken significantly but don't worry it is not burnt, unless somehow you accidentally burnt it - read the instructions, silly.
• Test it by poking with a skewer or knife which should come out clean. (Not dishwasher clean... but it shouldn't have sticky cake goo on it.)
• Turn cake out, slice and serve. It's yummy warm and it's yummy cold.