Cupcaking Competitions!!

Just returned from an amazing trip to Estonia, where we met some long lost relatives! Sadly I’ve not got a trip to NYC planned next as I didn’t win the Dr Oetker Cupcake Challenge!!!!!!!!!!! Realistically I knew I wasn’t in with a shot but it was fun to come up with some ideas for original cupcakes!!!



My favourite one to create and make was the Tea for Two. I even handpainted the pattern in my fave purple colour!!! The whole thing is completely edible (and tasty too!!).

These are very simple to make, Here’s how I did it;

Step 1 Bake or buy some cupcakes!!

Step 2 Take some ready roll icing (of course I use the Dr Oetker variety!!!) and roll out thinly. Gently drape the icing over an upturned glass, covered in cling-film, and trim with a sharp knife. Leave to harden. These will form the cups!

Step 3. Run across the road and borrow some plastic Barbie saucers from your 6 year old neighbour and use to mould the edible saucers, just like you did with the cups!

Step 4. Next roll out some ready-roll icing in your hands to make a small flat sausage for the handles. Using your cups as a guide curve the handle so they will sit happily on the cups. Leave to harden again!!



Step 5. Using edible glue, attach the handles to the tea-cups and leave to dry. You may need to support the handles with some sponges cut to size. When dried pop the cups and saucers off their moulds. Wash and return the Barbie saucers to generous neighour!!

Step 6. Pick your colours for the pattern on the tea-cups. In a paint palette add a few drops of water and a few drops of the chosen colouring to each paint grove and mix. Note; I use gel icing colourings as I think the colours work better, but liqud food colouring will work just as well, just use straight from the bottle, no need to dilute!!!! Sit down, pour yourself an actual cup of tea and get arty!!! Paint your pattern straight onto the tea-cup, using a cotton bud if needed to mop up any drips!! Leave to dry!

Step 7. Place a cupcake in the tea-cup and decide on your topping!! I used a chocolate cream, made by whipping together double cream and melted chocolate, but traditional ganache would look great too. I chose the whipped cream as I felt it would be lighter and not put too much pressure on the fragile tea-cups!!

Step 8. Finally display your fabulous creations on a tea tray with a mini version of your fave biscuit (Mine is dark chocolate caramel digestives, but sadly all we had were jammie dodgers  ) and an edible flower created in cake decorating class!!!! Photograph to your hearts content!!!!

Step 9. Devour with a real cuppa while watching ‘Revenge!’

Hope you enjoy my Tea for Two!! I thought it was an original idea but since the comp have been googling teacup cupcakes loads and discovered that others did get there first....... Oh well there’s always next year!!!



Here are my other entries, which failed to make the grade, but which entertained me for hours so himself could watch the Euros!!!!!

A bite out of th Big Apple (from the Hello Cupcake series of books!)

Up, Cake and Away!! (Modelled by Dylan!! My first attempt at basket weaving icing!! The balloon bit is Dr. Oetker mini marshmallows melted with rice crispies and shaped into a balloon!)

Fairy Cake of New York! The wings are made from Dr. Oetker edible paper. Her skirt is an up-side down cupcake and the rest is Dr Oetker Ready-to-roll icing, and their edible stars!!
Think I may have entered some others too, Will hunt down the rest of the pics!! Have a great weekend!!

xXx

Still Stuffed, but Craving Chocolate

Right so today is the first day of the healthier new me ~ my Lenty Be Good~ which will hopefully last beyond Easter....

I'm off chocolate and bread and am only allowed one serving of carbs a day (& a hot chocky in the eve, this is for everyone's sanity not just mine, a total withdrawal might cause total chaos and eventual melt-down of our home...) I'm also vowing to walk for an hour with Baba every morn while the wee man is at school.... (weather permitting) Geesh, I have a lot of conditions on my new 'lifestyle!'

Clare stayed last night and bought me brekkie this morn~ Mmmmm yummy and I was extra naughty as had a second hot choc this eve... To be fair it was a turkish delight flavoured one so I literally only had two sips~ Bleuch, not reccommended!!!

She really enjoyed her egg-free pancakes, her first time ever getting pancakes on pancake day, and we wolfed into the regular eggy version:

I tried a few variations this year which proved a big hit!!
For chocky pancakes I blended hot choc powder and cocoa powder with hot water and mixed into the batter (I never really bother weighing/measuring when making pancake batter, but used about a Tbsp of each to make 8-10 pancakes)
I  also made nutty pancakes and substituted some of the flour for ground hazelnuts, these were fabboo!
Finally I mashed a banana and mixed into some batter, these were a bit lumpy but uber-lip-licking gooood!!

The wee man and me pulled out my moulds for Easter eggs nd found a whole load of fun moulds in the box.
This year be sure to keep any plastic packaging from your Easter eggs, it makes great chocky moulds. Last year the wee fella got a Mr Potato Head Egg from his Granny n GrandDad;

So we kept the tray the eyes etc came in and re-used it this year, Wee man can play mascarades with the pieces, we even gave his sister a full set of teeth at only 4 months old!!!!

Who knows what goodies the Easter bunny will bring this year,

Only 39 more days to go...

xXx

Happy Pancake and Women's Day!!!

2  of my fave things~ Us girlies and yummy scrummy pancakes!!

One of my bestest best buds is coming to visit tonight but is allergic to eggs to I've been looking everywhere for a good pancake recipe containing no eggs,

Here's a brill one:
Art of Dessert

We just did a trial run and D claims they're better than regular pancakes... Hence there only being 4 remaining for Clare~ She better get here quick!!!!

I'm scoffing loads before my lenten diet, I'm off chocky and bread..... We'll see if I can survive the 40 days!!

xXx

Keeping Busy While Baby Keeps us Waiting!!

So yesterday was my due date, but there's still no sign of ought happening...

Last week I spent my days tidying the house, scrubbing it from top to bottom and getting rid of all the big and little dust bunnies... (Needless to say the long weekend undid most of that hard work)

With Dylan off school this week, and with his cough and the frosty wet weather, we've been looking for ways to keep us busy.

We've put up a giant spider web:

Gone for a walk in the woods and made an autumnal wreath (we didn't do much foragng- hense the sparse decoration!!):

This was really easy to do...
Just get somebody with super-human strength (in this case, my Dad!) to bend a wire coat hanger into a circle, attach pine-cones, conker shells etc with garden wire and tie on a ribbon.... Quick and painless- will look for more foresty finds to spruce (ha ha) it up a bit if baby still hasn't arrived by the weekend...


We made spooky halloween biscuits this morn, and have just finished decorating (and unsticking our fingers, lips and chins) them! For the biscuits just rub together butter (150g) & flour (225g) in a bowl. Mix in caster sugar (125g) & a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Roll out the dough and cut. Bake for 15-20 mins @ gas mark 4/ 175'C:

I Heart Autumn

Today I sent off my 'First Day ofAutumn' Postcard to my partner on Swap-Bot, Can't wait to get mine in the post as I just love Autumn!!! It was my first swap so will have to see how it goes, really excited about the upcoming chocoholics swap....

Anyways back to Autumn, my favourite time of the year (after Christmas of course!!) I love all the changing colours and that crisp, cold, earthy, chill smell in the air. One of my favourite things to do in Autumn is pull the wellies on & go for a walk in the woods with my boys.

We love to gather conkers and pine cones and pick blackberries.

And when we get home all soggy and cold, it's nice to pop the kettle on, make some cocoa and tea and bake the blackberries in a pie or crumble. I especially like when I have a big box of apples from my parents' apple trees waiting there ready to be baked. Thanks Dad!!

So here is a quick and easy recipe for a delicious Autumn Crumble:

For the Filling:

• 
  
  2-3 Cooking apples
• 
  
  A cereal bowl of blackberries
• 
  
  Sugar to taste (about 2-3oz)

For the Crumble:

• 
  
  50g butter
• 
  
  100g flour
• 
  
  50g brown sugar
• 
  
  handful/ eggcup of porridge oats

What to do Now:

1. 
   
   Peel & slice the apples and put in a pot with a little water and the sugar and stew gently. When the apples are almost fully softened add the blackberries
2. 
   
   While the fruit stews, sieve the flour into a bowl and rub-in the butter. Add the sugar and oats, and mix.
3. 
   
   Spoon the stewed fruit into a pie dish and sprinkle the crumble on top.
4. 
   
   Bake in a pre-heated oven at about 175'C for 20-25 mins

                           ENJOY with a big dollop of custard!!!!

And after all that with the evenings drawing in, it's easier to get the little fella off to bed and enjoy some fab Autumn telly by the fire...