Cake five - Red Heart Birthday Cupcakes

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Welcome to the  “Magic World of Cupcakes,” a rich and colourful universe of taste and looks! When you say ‘cupcake’ you only refer to the shape of your cake - a very small one, the size of a cup - and not to a specific cake. 

The secret ingredient is decoration: 
this time choco buttercream frosting with heart shaped candies.
150 gr self-raising flour
90 gr. softened butter
110 gr sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk 

Beat flour, butter, sugar and eggs with electric mixer for five minutes, then add milk and beat until mixture is of a pale colour. 
Preheat oven to 180°. Put mixture into paper cases and bake for about 20 minutes. 

 Decoration 

Choco Buttercream Frosting

125 gr butter

240 gr icing sugar

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Beat butter until as white as possible, add icing sugar and cocoa, then add milk. in two batches.. 

Use a piping bag with a large fluted tube, half-fill the bag with the buttercream. Pipe generoous swirls on top of each cake. Refrigerate.

Read Heart candies

30 hard candies, either clear or red

Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Unwrap hard candies and put them on baking sheet spacing them about 5 cm apart.

Preheat the oven to 200°. Bake for 5 - 10 minutes, checking
frequently after 3 min as some brands might melt quicker than others.

In the meantime dip the metal cookie cutters (hearts) into vegetable oil. 

Here they are! 

Remove the melted candies from the oven and leave for about 30 seconds to firm up slightly. 

Press the cutters firmly into the syrup and lift away immediately so clearly defined shapes are visible.

Let cool completely before lifting from baking paper and snapping away the excess sweets from the shapes.

also visit:
http://time-for-a-cake.blogspot.it/2012/07/cake-five.html

                                                      

Cake four - Black and White Twist

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This cake needs to be made one day ahead. It looks difficult to make but it’s not. You don’t need a magic wand for the swirls, just follow the instructions and oops there they are...

125 chocolate biscuits75 gr butter, meltedFilling 3 teaspoons gelatine60 ml water500gr cream cheese, softened110 gr sugar2 eggs separated250 ml cream 150 gr dark chocolate, melted100 gr white chocolate, melted2 tablespoons cream, extra

First thing line springform tin with plastic wrap.Process biscuits until fine, add butter and process until combined. Press the biscuits down into the base of the tin to form an even layer.Sprinkle gelatine over the water in small heatproof jug, standing in small saucepan of simmering water. Stir until gelatine dissolves. Refrigerate 30 min.Mix cheese, sugar and egg yolks with electric mixer until smooth. Add cream. Stir in dark chocolate and gelatine. Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into cheese mixture. Pour filling into tin.Combine white chocolate and extra cream in small jug.. Swirl white chocolate through cheesecake mixture.Refrigerate overnight. 

also visit:
http://time-for-a-cake.blogspot.it/2012/07/cake-four.html

Cake three - Tiny Sunshine Tarts

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Is it a day today you can spare some time for yourself? Good! The right time to try and make these tiny cakes. If it’s summertime, you need to be careful when handling this shortbread, don’t touch it too long and leave it in the fridge for some time before using it. 

There are lots of shortbread recipes but this is the one for these tartlets.

125 gr flour

60 gr butter

50 gr icing sugar

a pinch of salt

1 egg

Homemade apricot jam

Mix flour with butter, icing sugar, salt and egg. Knead for 5 minutes to make a soft dough.

Leave dough for at least 1/2 hour in the fridge.

Roll to 1 cm thickness. Cut dough into 8/10 cm circles (use a glass if you don’t have a round cutter).

Gently press circles in muffin pans. or paper baking cups. 

Heat the jam until it is slightly runny, then put two teaspoons into each circle. Press down edges. 

Roll out remaining dough and cut into strips about 8 cm long and 0,5 cm wide. Put strips onto tartlets  to look like a grid. 

Preheat oven to 180° C. Bake 10/15 minutes until lightly browned. Cool to room temperature.. 

also visit: 
http://time-for-a-cake.blogspot.it/2012/07/cake-three.html

Cake two - Sicilian Mountain

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It’s always baking time, especially when you feel blue and you find it diffiuclt to understand what’s going on inside you. 

250 gr ricotta cheese

250 gr sugar

250 gr flour

a packet of baking powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

50 ml vermouth

100 gr chocolate

orange marmelade (3 or 4 tb)

Mix ricotta and sugar well, then add eggs - one at a time, don’t forget to add a tb flour with each egg. 

Add remaining flour and baking powder, then lemon rind, and vermouth.. Chop chocolate and mix well until fluffy.. 

Line a loaf tin with baking pape. Pour half of the mixture into preapred tin,. spread with marmelade and finally pour the rest of the mixture on top.

Preheat oven to 180° and bake for 30/40° min (do the toothpick test after 30° and bake a little longer if necessary) 

also visit 
http://time-for-a-cake.blogspot.it/2012/06/week-two.html

Cake one - Rocky Flowers

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Why don’t you have a try? Leave reality behind you and open the door to the realm of baking.. You’ll soon feel the benefit.

125 gr butter 

110 gr sugar

120 gr almond meal

1 egg

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

orange marmelade and strawberry jam

Mix butter, sugar and almond meal until light and fluffy. Add egg. Stir in flour and lemon rind. 

Make little balls and place them on oven trays. (line them with baking paper). Flatten them slightly then make little holes and fill them in with little jam. (see photo).

Preheat oven to 180° and bake for 15 min

Also visit

http://time-for-a-cake.blogspot.it/2012/06/cake-one.html

It's always a good time for baking!!

Give yourself a chance! 

 ‘Say the word...... and be like me .......  Have you heard the word is love?'  The Beatles sing in 'The Word' 

                       

 And I say ...  ‘ Say the word ...... and do like me.....  Have you heard the word is........’: Time for cake making!