100 Cupcakes

Choco-Banana with Nutella Buttercream - AKA my breakfast.

Yesterday was the big day and after spending about four days in the kitchen  and telling the boys to find sustenance elsewhere, I managed to make just over 100 cupcakes. Chocolate with chocolate frosting, chocolate-banana with Nutella frosting and Apple, pear & cinnamon muffins (In a bid to offer a healthy option which surprisingly didn't go down too well - although saying that I haven't got any left).

Taste Testing Lubna - Note ecstatic look on face :)

Most people just wanted to indulge in a classic chocolate or vanilla cupcake with lashings of frosting and sprinkly bits on top - which is just how it should be!

My friend managed to make 350, extremely tasty, very pretty cupcakes in a wide range of flavours - which is pretty damn good for one lady in her own kitchen!

I had a brilliant time making, baking and selling the cupcakes and meeting new people and would definitely do it again.

Super Excited!

I am. A friend and I were at a very nice event over the weekend chatting about cupcakes (as you do) when she mentioned she will be selling hers for the first time ever at a charity event - she'll be making 500 cupcakes all by herself! I asked if she needed any help and she said yes! So in a couple of weeks I will be taking on a cupcake challenge of mammoth proportions - and that's what is getting me jumping-up-and-down excited.

If there's one thing I like more than baking it's researching what I'm going to bake, thinking about what I am going to bake and then of course eating what I have already baked...that's what I am doing now except for the eating part. Right now I am deciding which cupcakes I'll be making and how in hell will I make around 250 cupcakes with one muffin pan :)

The challenge begins...

The Bread Experiment

The smell of freshly baked bread is instant happiness for me, and back in the day when I was young and naive I imagined that one day my home would be filled with that same satisfying scent every morning. Of course that never happened - until today.

I finally found the time and energy to give the most basic of loaves a try using the following recipe from BBC Good Food. I chose it mainly because it has 'easy' in the title and because it lists olive oil and honey amongst its ingredients - a combination I find attractive when it comes to bread.

It's so easy I even had time to dance with my three-month-old in the kitchen to the sounds of the Flashback Cafe, and then pick up my 6 year old from school (while it was rising).

The inside of my oven.

The result was aroma-filled, tasty and texturous.

Bread in Four Easy Steps

500g wholewheat or white flour
2 1/2 tsp fast-action dried yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey


1. Put flour, yeast and salt into a large bowl and mix together with your hands. Stir 300ml hand-hot water with the oil and honey, then mix into the dry ingredients to make a soft dough.

2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 mins, until it no longer feels sticky - sprinkle with a little more flour if needed.

3. Grease a loaf tin with oil and put the dough in, pressing it down to even it out. Put in a large plastic food bag and leave to rise for 1 hr, until the dough has risen to fill the tin and it no longer springs back when you press it with your finger.

4. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Make a few slashes across the top of the loaf with a sharp knife, and bake for 30-35 mins until the loaf is risen and golden. Tip it out onto a cooling rack and tap the base of the bread to check it is cooked. It should sound hollow. Leave to cool.

What's Xmas without Gingerbread Men?

I wanted to decorate the tree with cookies this year, and I saw quite a few cute ideas online featuring Gingerbread Men..alas I didn't have a man-shaped cookie cutter - so I improvised and used the shapes I had.

From a whole load of gingerbread recipes I chose one from the joyofbaking.com, just because it was Xmas Eve and my first time to make gingerbread cookies, I wanted the cookies to be ready for Xmas morning, so I didn't have time to try different recipes.

As suggested in the recipe I made the dough and put it in the fridge overnight, this dough is really sticky - so yes that was definitely a good idea. Baking on Xmas morning and eating freshly made cookies was a bonus too.

I didn't make any changes, except I didn't use confectioners frosting and we just made a simple icing using icing sugar, hot water and food colouring.

Gingerbread Men Recipe: 

3 cups (390 grams) all purpose flour 

1/4 teaspoons salt 

3/4 teaspoon baking soda 

2 teaspoons ground ginger 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature 

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar 

1 large egg 

2/3 cup (160 ml) unsulphured molasses 

(To prevent the molasses from sticking to the measuring cup, spray with a non stick vegetable spray.) 

Confectioners Frosting: 

2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted 

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1 1/2 tablespoons milk or light cream 

Gingerbread Men: 

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices. 

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated. Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half 

in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the 

dough. 

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.  Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies.  With an offset spatula lift the cut out 

cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart.  If you are hanging the cookies or using as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookies with a straw or end of a wooden skewer. 

Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies.  Small ones will take about 8 minutes, larger cookies will take about 12 minutes.  

They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown. 

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minute.  When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

If desired, you can press raisins, currants, or candies into the dough for eyes and buttons while the cookies are still warm.  Otherwise, confectioners frosting can be used to decorate the cookies.  You can also use the icing as a glue to attach candies, raisins, and sprinkles. 

Confectioners Frosting:  In an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract.  With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar.  Scrape down the sides of the 

bowl and beater.  Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).  Add a little more milk if too dry.  Place the frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip and decorate the gingerbread 

men as desired. Tint portions of frosting with desired food color. Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on the size of cookie cutter used. Store in an airtight container.