White Amaretto and Cherry Cupcakes

4oz Caster Sugar

4oz Butter

4oz Self Raising Flour

1Tsp Baking Powder

2 Eggs

1Tsp Almond Essence

1oz Ground Almonds

3oz Cherries (Chopped)

Cooking time: 180c / Gas mark 4 for 15 minutes on a pre-heated oven

Serving: 12 Cupcakes

1. Cream together the butter and sugar for a few minutes until well combined and creamy

2. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs and almond essence

3. Whisk the egg mixture into the butter mixture until well combined and a good consistency

4. Sieve the Flour and baking powder into the mixture

5. Chop the cherries and then coat them in the ground almonds and put this into the mixture

6. Fold in gently the flour and cherry mixture into the butter mixture

7. It should form a nice smooth dropping consistency

8. Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases and pop in the oven for 15 minutes or until risen and golden

9. Remove and leave in the tin for 10 minutes to cool before transferring to a wire cooling rack

Amaretto Syrup

1Tsp Almond Essence

70oz Caster Sugar

70ml Water

1. Combine the ingredients in a jug

2. Put this in the microwave and heat until the sugar has dissolved and it forms a syrup

3. Pour the syrup on to each of the cupcakes and leave to cool

Almond Buttercream and Decoration

40z butter

12oz Icing Sugar

1Tsp Almond Essence

Ground Almonds

Flaked Almonds

Cherries

1. Put the butter into a bowl along with the sieved icing sugar

2. Whisk this mixture together for a good few minutes

3. Add the almond essence (this may very depending how strong you like it)

4. Whisk until it is combined, be careful not to over whisk otherwise it will make it difficult to pipe

5. Put the icing into a pipping bag / knozzle and pipe onto the cupcakes in a swirl

6. Place 4 flaked almonds upright at the peak of the icing and a quarter of a cherry in the middle

7. Sieve some ground almonds on top and you are done!

Cherry and Coconut Cake with Coconut Buttercream

6oz Butter

6oz Caster Sugar

6oz Self Raising Flour

1Tsp Baking Powder

1Tsp Almond Essence

4oz Cherries (Chopped)

2oz Dessicated Coconut

3 Eggs

1Tbs M ilk

Cooking time: Gas Mark 4 / 180 Fan

Serving: 2 x 7 inch cake tin to make a double layer sponge

1. Cream together the butter and sugar for several minutes until well combined and creamy

2. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and almond essense until well beaten, approx. 2-3 minutes

3. Whisk the eggs slowly into the creamed butter mixture until well combined and it forms a nice pale, creamy mixture

4. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the creamed mixture and fold in gently

5. Cut the cherries into half and coat in the coconut (This prevents them from sinking)

6. Fold the cherries and coconut into the mixture along with the milk so that the mixture is a nice dropping consistency

7. Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins and spread out with a knife and then pop in the oven and bake for the prescribed time or until golden

8. Remove the tins from the oven and leave the sponge in the cake for 5minutes to cool before removing and transferring to a cooling rack

Buttercream Icing

I used the 'perfect buttercream icing' on this website and then added 3oz Desnicated Coconut and 1Tbs of Milk and whisked for several minutes until nice and creamy and light.

Then Divide the icing, leaving slightly more for the middle of the cake, I also put blackberry jam in the middle to give it that extra kick and sprinkled flake on top. You can never have too much in or on a cake.

Then eat and enjoy!

Blondies

200g Oats
100g Flour (Self Raising / Plain)
150g Butter
100g Light Muscovado Sugar
1 Can of Light Condensed Milk
1Tsp Vanilla Essence
1 Egg
A Parket of Chocolate Chips

Cooking time: 35-40 minutes on 180c / gas mark 4
Serving: Square cake tin 1 x 23cm. approx. 15 good size pieces

1. Preheat the oven and line a baking tin
2. Sieve the flour into the bowl and add the oats and mix
3. In another bowl beat together the butter and sugar until creamy
4. Beat in the condensed milk and vanilla essence until the mixture forms a smooth consistency
5. Add the oat and flour mixture and mis weel
6. Add the egg and whisk the whole mixture together for approx 2-3 minutes
7. Fold in the chocolate chips
8. Dollop the mixture evenly over the tin and spread out evenly
9. Place in the oven and bake for the prescribed time or until golden
10. Remove and leave in the tin to cool for approx. 10-15 minutes until scoring into pieces and moving the pieces onto a wire cooling rack

N.B. The Blondie will look cooked but may not feel inside that it is cooked, but it will harden up while it cools.

Quick Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

6oz Butter
6oz Caster Sugar
6oz Self Raising Flour
1Tsp Baking Powder
3 Eggs
1Tbsp Vanilla Essence
100g Packet of Chocolate Chips

Cooking time: 12 minutes on 180 Fan / Gar Mark 5 in preheated oven
Serving: 18 cupcakes

1. Pre heat the oven and get 2 cupcake trays out and place cupcake cases in them
2.Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl with a whisk for a few minutes
3. In another bowl whisk the eggs until beaten with the vanilla essence
4. Whisk the eggs into the creamed mixture until it is well combined
5. Sieve in the flour and baking powder and fold in gently
6. Divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases
7. Sprinkle chocolate chips on each cupcake (Be generous)
8. Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes or until golden
9. Leave in the baking tray to cool for approx 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

Icing
200g Bar of Dark Chocolate
50g Icing Sugar
Chocolate Buttons

1. Place a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of boiling water on a low heat
2. Add the chocolate to the bowl and melt slowly, stirring occasionally to ensure it does not burn
3. Once melted, sieve the icing sugar into the chocolate mixture and mix
4. Keep over the boiling water and mixing to help the mixture become a smooth consistency but still thick
5. Divide the mixture between the cupcakes, putting approx. Tsp of melted chocolate on each cupcake and make a little swirl
6. Add a chocolate button on top and then enjoy!

N.B. This recipe is great if you are short of time!.
N.B.You can use any kind of chocolate chips for this mixture.
N.B. If you prefer milk or white for decoration you can use this instead or even do a mixture!

Birthday Cakes

Here are a few Birthday Cake designs that my family love!

Both of these cakes we used the chocolate chip cake mixture found on this website!

For the 80th birthday cake we used;

A packet of Fondant icing

1/2 a batch of the Perfect Buttercream Icing but with a few drops of green food colouring mixed into it

Strawberry Jam

1. Roll out the fondant icing so that it just under a cm thick

2. Lay out a plate on top of the icing and cut around it and then roll out the icing again and cut out strips the height of the cake and the length the circumference of the cake

3. Put a smooth layer of the jam over the cake (This helps hold the icing in place)

4. Lay the circle shaped icing on top of the cake and the strip around the cake making sure it joins at the top

5. Put the buttercream icing in a piping bag and using a flower knozzle, pipe a decoration onto the cake

6. We did it near the top so it helps hide the join between the top and bottom of the fondant rolled icing

7. With the icing that is left over, we rolled it out then using a cookie cutter cut star shapes to go around the cake to add some even more glam.

For the 21st Birthday cake we used;

A batch of the Perfect butter cream icing with a tint of green food colouring

2 tubes of smarties

1. With the buttercream icing do not whisk it for as long and add slightly more icing sugar, this makes the icing sugar stiffer and therefore easier to spread and make smoother on the cake, which makes it easier to decorate

2. Smooth the icing all over the cake, ensuring it is an even layer

3. With the smarties, make any design you like, as you can see we did 21

4. We then got some ribbon and put this around the cake, this just makes it a slightly higher class and looks fab.

Chocolate Crunchies

8oz Digestive Biscuits

4oz Butter

3 Tbsp Golden Syrup (Heaped)

2oz Cocoa Powder

2oz Dried Fruit

2oz Glace Cherries

4oz Dark Chocolate

Cooking time: Just melting and then chilling time (2 hours)

Serving: 9 good size pieces

1. Grease a 7" square tin

2. Crush biscuits in a food processor or with a rolling pin in a bag into fine

3. Melt the butter and syrup on a low heat in a large saucepan

4. Add the cocoa, cherries and raisins to the melted mixture and mix well

5. Stir in the crushed biscuits and mix until the mixture is well combined

6. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin evenly and press down until firm

7. Put in the fridge to set for approx 1/2 an hour

8. Remove from the fridge and melt the dark chocolate and pour oven the biscuit mixture, spread this evenly with a knife

9. Put back into the fridge and leave to set for another 1 1/2 hours

10. Once set remove from the fridge and cut into sqaures and enjoy!

FlapJack

8oz Butter

2oz Brown Sugar (or muscovado)

4 Tbsp Golden Syrup (Heaped)

1 Tsp Ground Ginger

16oz Porride Oats

Cooking Time: 25 Minutes on pre heated oven 160c/Gas Mark 3

Serving: 12 good size pieces

1. Preheat oven and grease proof a 8 by 12" baking tin

2. Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a large saucepan over a low heat, so as not to burn

3. Stir in the dry ingredients into the mixture and mix well

4. Spread evenly in the tin and press down until firmly packed

5. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden (Make sure it does not burn)

6. Leave in the tin to cool for 10 minutes and then score out squares to cut and when cooler enough to touch cut and leave to cool on a wire cooling rack or eat warm!

N.B. If you like you could add dried fruit of chocolate drops to this mixture, I recommend 3oz.

Chocolate Button Cupcakes

6oz Self Raising Flour

6oz Granulated / Castor Sugar

6oz Butter

3 Eggs

2oz Cocoa Powder

Cooking time: 15 Minutes on Gas Mark 5 / 180c

Serving: 15 Cupcakes

1. Fill 2 cupcake tins with cupcake cases and preheat the oven

2. Cream together the butter and sugar with a whisk until smooth

3. Whisk the eggs together for a few minutes in a separate bowl

4. Whisk the eggs into the creamed butter mixture until the mixture is well combined and forms a smooth consistency

5. Sieve the Flour and Cocoa Powder into the mixture

6. Fold this in slowly into the butter mixture as not too loose the air gained from the eggs (a figure of 8 motion with a wooden spoon I find is best)

7. Once it is all mixed together well, divide the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases

8. Put in the pre heated oven and bake for approx 15 minutes or until well risen

9. Remove and leave in the tin for 5-10 minutes before removing and placing on a wire cooling rack

Buttercream Icing

12oz Icing Sugar

4oz Butter

1 Tbsp Milk

2oz Cocoa Powder

1. Cream the butter until smooth

2. Add the icing sugar and crumble together with your fingers or a whisk until the mixture forms together

3. Now that the icing is smoother with a whisk, whisk together for approx 5 minutes until the mixture becomes nice and light and fluffy

4. Add the cocoa powder and milk and whisk for a further 3-5 minutes until it is well combined and light

5. Spoon a dollop of icing onto each cupcake and with a wet knife smooth out the icing making a little peak in the middle

6. Top each cupcake with a chocolate button and enjoy!

Perfect Buttercream Icing for a double layer cake!

14oz Icing Sugar

5oz Butter

1. Sieve the Icing Sugar into a bowl

2. Add the butter and with a fork or your finger, crumble it together so the mixture begins to form together

3. Whisk the icing sugar and butter together for approx 5 minutes, this will then make it nice and fluffy - amazing!

N.B. Add any flavour you like to this; 2oz cocoa powder / 2 Tsp of any Essence / or Juice of half a lemon / orange.

N.B. You can also pipe this on to cupcakes or you can freeze it in the freezer for up to 3 months or leave in the fridge and just have a sneeky eat now and then!

Apple and Mixed Spice Crumble Cupakes (Royalties Crumble Surprise)

4oz Self Raising Flour

1 1/5 Tsp Baking Powder

3oz Light Muscovado Sugar (Or any brown sugar)

2oz Granulated Sugar

2oz Butter

1 1/2Tsp Mixed Spice

1 Apple Grated

100ml Semi Skimmed Milk

1 Egg

1Tsp Vanilla Essence

Cooking time: 170 / Gas Mark 3 for approx 15-18 minutes

Serving: 12 Cupcakes

1. Cream the butter and both sugars together in a bowl until well combined

2. Sieve in the flour, mixed spice and baking powder and whisk the mixtures together until it forms a sandy consistency and everything is combined

3. Whisk in the egg and vanilla essence and half the milk until the mixture is combined

4. Peal the apple and then grate the insides, coat in the insides in flour (This prevents it from all sinking)

5. Add the grated apple and the rest of the milk

6. Divide the mixture between the cupcakes and prepare the crumble topping

Crumble Topping

3oz butter

3oz Sugar

5oz Self Raising Flour

1. Put the butter, sugar and flour into a bowl and whisk with a whisk until it is well combined and has formed a lumpy sandy consistency or the method I prefer just get your hands stuck in and crumble it together

2. Divide the crumble mixture between the cupcakes

3. Put the cupcakes into the oven and bake for approx. 18 minutes or until golden

Leave the cupcakes in the tray for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack

You can ice this if you wish or leave them plain, if icing just use the normal buttercream icing recipe

Chocolate Mint Aero Cupcakes

4oz Butter

4oz Granulated Sugar

4oz Self Raising Flour

1Tsp Baking Powder

2 Eggs

3oz Aero Mint Chocolate Bar (Chopped)

1 and 1/2Tsp Peppermint Essence

Cooking time: 180c / Gas Mark 5 for approx 15 minutes

Serving: 12 Cupcakes

1. Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl until smooth

2. Whisk the eggs separatly in a bowl until combined

3. Whisk the eggs and peppermint essence into the butter mixture until well combined and smooth

4. Coat the aero mint chocolate in the flour

5. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the creamed mixture

6. Gently fold the flour mixture into the mixture followed by the chocolate

7. Be careful not to fold too much as the mixture will loose its air and not rise

8. Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden

9. Remove from the oven and leave in the tray for 10 minutes to cool before transferring to a wire cooling rack

Icing

12oz Icing Sugar

4oz Butter

2Tsp Peppermint Essence

A Few drops of green food colouring

1Tbs of Milk

Aero Mint Chocolate Bar

1. Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl

2. Add the butter to the icing sugar and with a whisk, whick the mixture until it is well combined and smooth, keep whisking to make it lightly, this should be for approx 3-5 minutes

3. Add the peppermint essence, food colouring and milk and whisk for another 1-2 minutes

4. The mixture should now be ready, once ready fill a pipping bag or tube with the icing and I placed a swirl knozzle on the end to pipe on to the cakes

5. Lastly break the left over aero mint chocolate bar on top of the icing and you are finished!