When In Doubt ....

Finding the perfect cupcake recipe isn't as easy as it may seem. Apparently in London you are either a Hummingbird or a Primrose Hill lover. I'm not convinced and think that I must typically be somewhere in between. I've tried to get to that middle point with my own recipes but haven't quite got it right yet, resulting in Alex eating some pretty dodgy cakes along the way.
I'm sure I will get there soon, but for me nothing quite beats resorting back to the Victoria sponge recipe when you're feeling a bit deflated with it all.... Obviously re shaped, resized and decorated as I please!


Victoria Sponge Ingredients:

225g/8oz butter or margarine
225g/8oz caster sugar
4 medium eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
225g/8oz self raising flour
milk, to loosen

A Strand Too Far?

It's official..... I've over ordered. It had to be done, but now I think I'm slightly regretting it!

It all started when I made it my mission to find somewhere that sold more than just a small pot of sprinkles. I found somewhere, doubled my order and signed offline feeling pretty chuffed with myself after having succeeded on my task for the night. Now let me tell you I never been very good at weight conversion but this time I really messed up. Imagine the look of horror on my face when I opened 2 Kilo's, yes that's 2 Kilos of Sugar Strand Sprinkles ... Kiddy heaven! There's no going back on this baking lark now then.

I'm off to find a cupboard to put this lot in! Until Next time x

Baked Children

I suspect towards the end of the school holidays many parents feel like baking their children rather than baking with their children!* Today I was faced with the dreaded task of cooking with kids and I can tell you the order of the day did not seem that appealing at first....Carrot and Courgette muffins. Not the first thing I'd imagine a 4 year old to choose to bake, but somehow it worked. We ended up with something quite tasty (even if though was in a loaf tin rather than muffin cases) and a pretty much mess free zone.

If your a mum (or nanny like myself) I'd suggest trying this recipe.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/icancook/makes/carrotandcourgettemuffins/

*Zoelee in no way condones or suggests you bake your own children!

Let there be Cake

The big problem I have with my new cake baking venture is that a) I'm not really meant to be eating wheat and b) If I'm spending more time at home baking cakes then I may actually end up looking like a little porker! Luckily, so far I have found that baking too many cakes and treats is a great cure for wanting to eat them. It's the poor people closest to me that are going to end up rolling around oinking for the duration of my baking fad!

Today I made my first attempt at piping the frosting onto the cupcakes.I usually find smearing it on a whole lot faster and also a lot more 'home-baked' like. The piping didn't go so well - No big dramas, it just didn't quite look like it does in the shops. Firstly I had the wrong nozzle and then I couldn't quite bring myself to put too much frosting on... Do you know how much hazelnut spread goes into these things - Oh, the guilt!

I'm off to try and clean the remainder of the frosting out of the piping bag… Another advantage of just spreading it on with a spoon.