Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon icing

30/10/2012

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More pumpkin! I have to admit I don't really have any interest in Hallowe'en myself but I went to Alton Towers scarefest last week with my flatmate who absolutely loves Hallowe'en. So for her I made these pumpkin cupcakes with a 'broken glass' topping (you definitely need a sugar thermometer for this decoration but it's sooo worth it!)

As I wanted to decorate these cakes with sugar shards that actually stick into the cakes themselves I didn't want a buttercream icing/frosting. This icing is very sloppy but does set slightly!
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Adapted from Allrecipes.co.uk and Martha Stewarts broken glass (Oct 2011)
Makes 24-28 cupcakes
Cooking time: 25 mins
Ingredients:
280g plain flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
110g butter, softened
200g caster sugar
5 tablespoons brown soft sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
180ml milk
250g pumpkin puree

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Spiced Pumpkin Fudge Cookies with Salted Caramel Glaze

22/10/2012

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It's really starting to feel like Autumn around here so when I saw cans of pumpkin puree on a website for £1.29 each I just had to stock up and use it for some baking. Plus Starbucks have launched their Autumn flavours in the UK... spiced pumpkin latte for the first time, and salted caramel mocha/hot chocolate. 
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I'm absolutely in love with any seasonal syrupy concoctions from coffee shops so when I saw this recipe I knew it had to be the first thing I made with my new pumpkin tins! 


In the UK you can buy pumpkin puree from Waitrose/Ocado if you prefer that over online shopping.


These cookies turned out pretty cakey for me, I think if I made them again I'd melt the butter first as this usually turns out really chewy cookies.


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Introduction

15/10/2012

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Lemon curd cakes with diamond Jubilee decorations from Summer 2012
For quite a few years now I've dreamt of owning a little bakery/cafe. Not your 'get up at 5am to bake loaves' sort of thing, but a place where people could go for good cakes, a cuppa and relax in an armchair. A place where calories are definitely not counted, and cupcakes are more about the taste of the cake than the fancy buttercream frosting (although I sometimes let the odd bit of decorative icing slide!)

Now, this is never going to happen unless I win the lottery or have some other sort of massive windfall. Why? Well, besides the obvious risks of owning a small business... I'd probably eat most of the profits myself. Yes I love to bake, but even more so I love to eat cake! It's probably best that the bakery I daydream about stays just that: imaginary.

This blog will eventually end up as a sort of online recipe book of all my favourite recipes (tried and tested, a lot!), and everything I would want to sell in my imaginary bakery. Here goes...



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