Cupcake frenzy!

 

As the title suggests - there's been a bit of a cupcake frenzy in the McCarthy household over the last week. Mainly due to the delivery of my Wilton 1m star nozzle. This gives the classic cupcake icing look and it's really simple - I just seem to run out of icing after the first two and then the rest of the batch looks a bit pathetic and neglected.

So this technique was used on the chocolate, cappuccino and rainbow cupcakes. The rainbow cupcakes were inspired from Becky's baby shower cake. Although by the time you keep separating the batter to mix different colours the batter reduces so next time - double the mixture. These were for Kat's bday and she loved them (can't believe the popcorn cupcakes were a year ago!) The cappuccino cupcakes were lovely - so nice. the icing was white chocolate and this has become James's favourite cupcake! Recipe from Nigella's 'how to be a domestic goddess': http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/cappuccino-cupcakes

Today I experimented with another nozzle - a leaf one which I used for the pink petalled cupcake - followed this tutorial on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbnfgOJ9VXc&feature=related).

Chocolate cupcakes

Cappuccino cupcakes

Rainbow cupcakes

Pink petalled cupcakes

Sweet things

Looking through my unpublished food snaps, I realised that 1) I bake A LOT 2) No wonder why I put on weight in the last year and 3) this has been a good couple of months in the McCarthy household with all these cakes. So have decided to put them all in one post.

Date Oat Bars

James's favourite thing I've ever baked apparently - an accolade indeed! the dates tasted like caramel once cooked in water - lovely. A Rachel Allen recipe.

Apple almond cinnamon muffins

A lovely Saturday morning breakfast - must make again. From Nigella's 'Kitchen' book.

Raspberry bakewell

I've made this twice in a few months! Everyone who's tried it loved it. With a pastry bottom, jam and fresh fruit middle then an almond cake sponge on the top this was lovely, fruity and almost a sweet tartness to it (an oxy moron I hear you cry?) no it''s possible, this was lovely, I must try a plum version in autumn with plum jam - that would be amazing! Or maybe a rhubarb and ginger version....

Chocolate beetroot cakes

When I was on my pre-wedding diet I still wanted the occasional treat at the weekend and knowing these weren't unhealthy made me feel better about my diet sin :p Dark chocolate, beetroot and honey instead of sugar - they were great and gluten free so my mother in law could eat them.

Coffee walnut cake

A layered coffee walnut cake! I made this to go with a new 1979 tea set I bought from a charity shop (that I hid from James for a year in my wardrobe - a long story). Why did this cake go out of fashion? It's lovely and I'm not a massive coffee fan but the sweet coffee taste/scent is so lovely. MUST make again or try cupcake versions.