Strawberry Cupshakes November 14, 2012

These cupshakes are great fun for a kiddies party.

Ingredients

250g self raising flour

225g caster sugar

225g butter

4 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

6 tsp strawberry milkshake powder

4 Tbsp milk

For the frosting

75g butter

200g mascarpone

450g icing sugar, sifted

2 tsp strawberry milkshake

2 Tbsp milk

pink food colouring

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C/gas 4 and line a cupcake tin with 10 cases.

Combine the flour, sugar, butter, eggs and baking powder in a bowl and mix until fluffy.

In a separate bowl add the strawberry milkshake mix to the milk and stir until it forms a paste.

Fold the milkshake mix into the batter until well combined. Here you can also add 1 – 2tsps of pink food colouring.

Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake cases and bake for 20 minutes.

Make the milkshake frosting

Whilst your cupcakes are cooling, make the milkshake frosting by creaming together the butter and mascarpone in an electric mixer.

Slowly add the icing sugar and beat until smooth.

Combine the milkshake mix and milk to create a paste then beat it into the frosting. Add 2 – 3tsp of pink food colouring, unless your using the gel type colouring in which case you’ll need less.

Once your cupcakes are cooled decorate as you wish.

Tip:

To make Chocolate cupshakes, replace the strawberry milkshake with chocolate milkshake.

Pink Princess Birthday Cake October 13, 2012

 

I made this for my Great Niece’s 4th Birthday Party

 

 

Ingredients for the cake

 

350g butter

350g caster sugar

6 eggs

350g self raising flour

6 Tbsp strawberry jam

 

Method

 

Pre heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

Line three 8ins sponge tins and grease one 1lb pudding bowl.

Cream the butter and sugar together until it’s light and fluffy.

Add the egg’s one at a time beating a little after each addition.

Sift the flour into the mixture and beat well.

Divide the mixture between the three tins and the bowl.

Bake what you have in the tins for 25 – 30 minutes until risen and golden brown, then put the pudding bowl of mixture in and bake on a lower shelf for approximately 55 minutes. Check with a skewer to make sure it’s cooked through, if longer time is needed you can cover it with foil to prevent any burning of the top.

Leave all to cool completely.

Once cooled, using a 2ins plain biscuit cutter, cut a hole through the middle of all four cakes.

 

Ingredients for the buttercream frosting

 

220g butter

120ml milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1Kg icing sugar, sifted

food colouring of your choice

 

Method

 

In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, milk, vanilla extract and half of the icing sugar until smooth. Gradually add the remainder of the icing sugar and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth and creamy. Add food colouring a drop at a time, beating well after each addition until you have the required colour.

 

To construct the cake

 

Spread jam on one sponge, buttercream on the second sponge and sandwich them together, then repeat using the third sponge. Repeat again, ending up with the pudding basin shaped sponge turned upside down as the top of the cake.

Cover the whole thing with a light covering of buttercream and leave in the Fridge for an hour.

Wrap the doll in cling film, this saves her getting covered in cake crumbs and buttercream. Then place her in the middle of the cake.

Spread more buttercream all over the cake. Using a small round ended/butter knife make swirls all over the dress to give it a pattern.

Using a star nozzle, pipe star’s around the base and top of the dress.