frostings

It was a whirlwind of cupcake baking last weekend. A birthday party isn't a birthday party without cupcakes. A first birthday party requires extra special cupcakes. Am I right or am I right??

So I made some different ones like red velvet ones and chocolate ones and as time was, as always, precious and ever decreasing, I also made a batch of Nigella's fairy cakes and just added some different flavoured frostings, and they worked well!

So I made up a batch of the fairy cake mix (omitting the vanilla extract) and divided it into two bowls. In one bowl I added a teaspoon of vanilla extract and in the other bowl a teaspoon of lemon extract. Then baked as normal -scratching a little cross on the cake tin to mark the lemon side!

When baked and as the cakes were cooling I made up the frosting. I made up a batch of vanilla frosting (again, omitting the vanilla extract) then as with the cake mixture I divided it into two bowls and for the vanilla cupcakes I made a strawberry frosting and for the lemon cupcakes, well, you guessed it, I made a lemon frosting.

Vanilla Frosting (from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook) 12 Cupcakes

250g icing sugar, sifted

80g unsalted butter, at room temperature

25ml of whole milk

a couple of drops of vanilla extract (or a teaspoon if you love vanilla like I do or none if you are making other flavoured frosting!)

Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.

Turn the mixer down to slow speed. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture a couple of tablespoons at a time.

Once all the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

Strawberry Frosting 6 Cupcakes

Make up the vanilla frosting as above. Omitting the vanilla extract if also making other flavoured frosting. If using all of the mixture ( to cover 12 cakes) simply double the quantities below.

4-5 large ripe strawberries, washed and hulled,

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

sugar flower decorations, sprinkles, silver balls or scrolls of white chocolate to decorate

Simply chop the strawberries into small pieces and mush slightly with a fork. Mix into the vanilla frosting with the vanilla extract.

If the frosting now seems to be too runny add a tablespoon of sifted icing sugar and beat well. Add small quantities of icing sugar to get back to the desired consistancy of frosting. Top the cakes with a palette knife or plastic spatula. Decorate as you wish!

Lemon Frosting 6 Cupcakes

Make up the vanilla frosting as above. Omitting the vanilla extract. If using all of the mixture ( to cover 12 cakes) simply double the quantities below.

grated zest of ½ lemon

½ tsp of lemon extract (optional)

½ tsp yellow food colouring (optional)

sugar flower decorations, sprinkles, silver balls or scrolls of white chocolate to decorate. Or simply use some lemon zest strands as I did.

Add the lemon zest and extract to the vanilla frosting. Beat well together. Add the yellow colouring if using by adding very small quantities at a time. A good way to do this is with a cocktail stick to avoid that bright yellow egg yolk look. You want to try to get a lovely pale lemon colour.

Top the cakes and decorate as you wish.

Cream Cheese Frosting ( From the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook)

This is used to top the red velvet cupcakes but can also be used as an alternative to buttery frosting. It is less sweet and has a creamy texture. It is quite yum I have to say! Cream cheese frosting can be coloured with food colouring if desired but looks so beautiful left white I think!

300g icing sugar, sifted

50g unsalted butter, at room temperature

125g cream cheese, cold

To frost 12 cupcakes (double quantities for a 20cm cake)

Beat the icing sugar together and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or a handheld electric whisk) until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the mixture is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Do not overbeat as it can quickly become runny.

baby birthday banana buns

I looked high and low on the internet for a birthday cake with no sugar. That's right no sugar. Yuk! You might think? Not so.

I found all sorts of recipes online, carrot cakes, courgette cakes, yoghurt cakes..... All had mixed reviews and as they were posted by readers there were no accompanying photos. And I do like a good photo. Some of them contained unusual ingredients or just slightly more 'exotic for a corner shop at 5pm the night before' sort of unusual and unattainable.

So after all that searching would you believe I found this recipe in my tried and trusted and flour spattered copy of Nigella's How to be a Domestic Goddess. I hadn't even thought to look there because Nigella not putting a vat of sugar/cream/lard into a recipe is a bit like Gordon Ramsay getting through a sentence without swearing....It just never happens, or so I thought, wrongly it turns out.

Anyhoo, these are good. Very easy to make.

I topped mine with a yoghurt coating and scattered blueberries on top. The recipe I used { 1 cup yoghurt :: ½ cup icing sugar :: 1 tsp vanilla extract - whisk together } was far too much for 12 buns so next time I'd halve it. Also should have used greek yoghurt as natural yoghurt was a bit runny although it set ok with some chilling time. Any left over buns will need to be stored in the fridge if they have the yoghurt coating on them as this will not last long in a warm room....As discovered!

Banana Muffins

30g unsalted butter
60g (two heaped 15ml tablespoons) clear honey
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 large very ripe bananas
150g plain flour
1 heaped tablespoon baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt (I didn't use)

12 bun muffin tin and papers ( I used 12 silicon cases on a baking tray)

Preheat oven to 190ºC/gas mark 5

Put the butter, honey and vanilla extract in a pan on a low heat to melt, then remove and set aside for a few minutes.

Mash the bananas and, in another bowl, measure out the flour, baking powder, bicarb, cinnamon and salt. Mix the melted butter mixture with the bananas and then mix that into the dry ingredients. Don't over mix: just stir a couple of times; you will have a not terribly attractive lumpy sludge.

Fill the muffin cases (paper or silicon) in the tray about two thirds full with mixture. Put in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. Leave in the tins for about 5 minutes, then remove the muffins in their cases to a wire rack for another 5-10 minutes until cool.

I left mine in the silicon cases for serving.

Makes 12.

It's testament to how good these are and how well they were received by a small gathering of one year olds that I only have a photo of the empty cases and a dusting of crumbs to show you.

Or it's testament to the stressful morning I had with the birthday girl who refused to nap and insisted on screaming and emptying the kitchen cupboards, that I failed to take a photo before these were devoured!