Rose Cupcakes

Until the awesome Hummingbird Bakery book, Cake Days, I had never contemplated the idea of making a cupcake with the fragrant hint of...flowers. But knowing how reliable the recipes from this book are, it would have been silly not to try such an intriguing recipe. Very silly indeed, because they were delicious! Be warned: the frosting is the kind you want to make just to eat with a spoon. 

Cola Cupcakes

I'd been wanting to make these cupcakes from The Hummingbird Bakery for a while; the only thing I needed was Cola syrup. I looked far and wide at many supermarkets, and didn't want to pay postage rates for buying it online. I had accepted I would never experience a Cola cupcake. But then - in the pet shop, of all places - I had finally found not only Cola syrup, but a whole variety of syrups from Cream Soda to Lemonade! To sum up how good these cupcakes are, I'll leave you with one final thought: a family member, who shall remain unnamed, ate three in one day. 

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Back in September 2011 when I started this blog, one of the first recipes I posted was for Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes. This recipe is quite similar, but made in cake form rather than cupcakes. Both are delicious and have only slight changes, but I can verify they are both delicious. The cream cheese frosting is to-die-for and is so easy to make, as is the other recipe (which uses double cream). Whatever recipe you go for, you must make one of them. So moist and chocolaty, enhanced by Guinness. YUM! 

Mint Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Studying for your exams can be stressful. Today was my first exam and *touchwood* I think I made it. Yesterday, after a long and dreary day of studying, I made these cupcakes. From the awesome book Making Cupcakes with Lola, they consist of chocolate cake filled with a refreshing minty filling and topped with a light and fluffy peppermint frosting. Whether you're doing exams or not, you deserve to eat these cupcakes.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Whenever I eat out, nine times out of 10 I'll get the Sticky Toffee Pudding. And if I don't, it's only because of a legally-binding contract with someone else at the table stating that I'll get a bite of theirs. I love the sweet, sticky satisfaction that oozes from each mouthful, which is why I like to make it at home sometimes a lot. This recipe is from an M&S book but I used a different sauce recipe - I'll post both and you can decide which one you want to try, but both are yummy.

Sweet & Salty Chocolate Cake

I don't like salt. I don't like adding a large amount in baking, and I don't like sprinkling it over food. Yet this recipe, from the Hummingbird Bakery: Cake Days book, looked interesting as I had heard about the wonders of salted caramel. I was curious as to how salt would work in caramel, let alone this cake, so I made it. It took hours - I started at around 5:30pm on Wednesday, first making the salted caramel, then the silky chocolate caramel frosting. Then it was time to bake three layers of intensely chocolaty cake, one layer at a time as I only had one tin. After a thorough cleaning of the kitchen, it was almost midnight, so I thought I would wait until the morning to assemble the cake. The frosting had hardened in the fridge overnight - waiting on it to soften was agonizing as I couldn't wait to put all the yummy elements together (as it turns out, I love salted caramel). Assembling the cake was exciting. Each layer of chocolate cake was spread first with the salted caramel, then the frosting. The result? A moist chocolaty cake with a twist: caramel that oozes from each layer with salt that only serves to complement a unique, decadent flavour. After one bite, my sister declared it the best thing I have ever made. And I've made a lot of stuff.

Sticky Toffee Cupcakes

Sticky toffee pudding is one of my favourite desserts; the moist, sticky sweetness is just irresistible. After the success of Cookie Dough Cupcakes from Making Cupcakes With Lola, I decided to try another of their recipes. The cake part is essentially sticky toffee pudding - delicious. The topping is not the traditional butterscotch sauce but a luscious mixture of home made rum-infused toffee with white chocolate ganache. It certainly puts the 'sticky' in sticky toffee! If you don't already own the book, this is just one reason to buy it, as it's filled with loads more delicious recipes like this one. If you like sticky toffee pudding, you'll love these cupcakes. 

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Have you ever wanted to whip up a batch of cookie dough just to eat it straight from the bowl? Or have you been in the midst of making some, and decided you'd rather not have the long, torturing wait while they bake? This is a recipe for cookie dough lovers everywhere: a chocolate chip cake (which is just like cookie dough except being lighter to work as a cake), an egg-less cookie dough filling and a frosting which, yes you've guessed it, possesses that delicious cookie dough taste. If you've ever had Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough Ice Cream, you'll know what I'm talking about. The recipe is from one of my newest baking books, Making Cupcakes With Lola, from the owners of the famous London bakery. 

Blackout Cake

Since it's my birthday today, I decided to make a 5-layered cake from my favourite baking book. Baked In America is worth every penny, each of their recipes providing gigantic quantities of deliciousness. The Blackout Cake is a moist layered cake with lots and lots of chocolate frosting. For "true chocoholics", a birthday is the perfect excuse to make this masterpiece. It takes a lot of ingredients, but it's a lot of fun to make, and even more enjoyable to eat. We had to cut thin slices, then halve them to create pieces small enough for one sitting! Being left alone with this cake could be another story, however - you've been warned. 

Boston Cream Cupcakes

 Boston Cream Pie involves a cake being filled with custard and topped with chocolate frosting. This is a cupcake version as found in the awesome Hummingbird Bakery: Cake Days book. The vanilla sponge, which is very moist, is filled with a thick vanilla-infused custard - if that wasn't enough, there's another element to this masterpiece. Chocolate Frosting. Very rich and chocolaty, you could eat this as a dessert on it's own. It does use a lot of cocoa powder but it's worth it; the generous quantity of frosting means there are no scarce scrapings on the cakes - and what's even better is that you may have some left over. There's no shame in eating it with a spoon like I did. 

S'mores Cupcakes

Although I've never had "s'mores", I've heard about their famous elements of chocolate, biscuit and marshmallow. It had me at chocolate. The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days  book (a worthy addition to any baker's collection) has just the thing to fulfil your combined craving for chocolaty, gooey crunchiness all in one bite. A moist chocolate sponge is topped with melted-marshmallow-style meringue, with sprinkled biscuit crumbs and chocolate shavings hidden underneath. A traditional American treat in cupcake form - what's not to like? Next time, for added gooey indulgence, I might chuck some mini-marshmallows into the cake batter.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes are very popular; a vibrant red sponge with a rich chocolaty flavour, usually topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting. However messy they are to eat, they are certainly worth getting your face covered in cream cheese frosting, spilling it all down your shirt, sucking at the paper case to make the most of every last crumb of moist chocolaty sponge. Here's the recipe I always use for Red Velvet Cupcakes - perfect for Valentines Day, or any day for that matter.

Christmas Cake

This recipe is from years ago, passed down through the generations. Follow the recipe for the cake then decorate after letting it mature for a couple of weeks. A bit late if you want it for Christmas Day (tomorrow), but you could keep it for next year or just eat it through the year. 

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Yum. Simple ingredients, simple recipe, simply delicious. The best dessert recipe ever - imagine the most gooey, chocolatey brownie from your wildest dreams, multiply it by ten, then call it a cake for an excuse to have it with cream. This recipe is from "C'est fort un chocolat" (a brilliant recipe book I bought in Paris) and is guaranteed to please. Again, I must emphasise: YUM.

Jamaican Gingercake

If you haven't found your staple gingerbread recipe yet, and need a delicious, moist cake that's packed with that warming ginger flavour perfect for winter nights, then look no further. I kid you not, this cake will be  gone within moments of falling from the sky being taken out the oven. So give this Jamaican Gingercake a go; a guaranteed crowd pleaser and perfect for a cold winter night.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Fudgy Frosting

There are countless recipes all over the internet, and in cookery books, for the classic chocolate cupcake. Having tried many of them, I can empathize with your disappointment when a recipe you have high expectations for - and anything that involves chocolate, for me, oozes with this - produces a result that is less than satisfactory. But never fear - from this day forward you can make chocolate cupcakes safe in the knowledge that they will definitely NOT be a dry, tasteless waste of time; they will NOT fail to please. So, without further ado, here is your new favourite chocolate cupcake recipe (with the best chocolate fudge frosting - seriously).

Coffee Cakes

See this recipe as a video tutorial on our You Tube channel.

This is my favourite coffee cake recipe. Light, moist and delicious, they can be made as 12 cupcakes or as one two-layered cake. The recipe couldn't be easier! There's nothing much more to said about these - except that they are guaranteed to please.

Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

Alcoholic cupcakes are taking the baking world by storm. But why? Lots of people like alcohol; lots of people like cake. More than that, however, the guinness in this recipe contributes to a brilliantly moist cupcake, in perfect harmony with the lovely chocolatey-ness and cool cream cheese frosting. Intensifying the flavour and texture of the sponge, you don't even have to like Guinness to LOVE these cupcakes. (Plus, Guinness is said to have health benefits similar to those of fruit and vegetables - just incase you need another excuse to indulge!)

Kiwi Cake

When I first came across this recipe, I was skeptical - you're not the only one. Nevertheless, the few remaining kiwi's in the fruitbowl were in desperate need of being used, and let's face it, it was a good excuse to make a cake. If you're still unsure, just think of the classics - such as carrot cake or banana bread, that rely on their assigned fruit/vegetable to provide moisture, texture and of course, a mouth-watering flavour - and you'll understand. The kiwi, in my opinion, does not receive the praise it deserves. Trust me, you will be pleasantly surprised; give the kiwifruit a chance.