Burns Delight...

With it having been Burns Day on Friday, what better time to go Scottish and make a batch Shortbread.

I looked up many a recipe but thought I'd settle on experimenting with this one from Nigella.

Shortbread

100g icing sugar
200g plain flour
100g cornflour
200g unsalted butter

Pre heat oven Gas Mark 3/160C

Measure the icing sugar, plain flour and cornflour into the food processor and whizz, great tip from Nigella to save sieving there. I can’t stand sieving.

Add the butter and mix until dough forms.

Turn the dough out into a tin lined with baking paper and form into an even layer. I used a small rolling pin to get a nice even finish.

Cut the shortbread into fingers, and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Shortbread should be pale, but not doughy and perhaps slightly golden at the edges. 

Allow to cool and enjoy... perhaps with a wee dram.

It just melts in the mouth...heaven

Happy Baking

Muffin Minx

Banana and Malteaser Muffins

After last weeks cake party you'd forgive me for not wanting to add to the vast amount of cake in my home. But as I looked at the fruit bowl I noticed a bunch of overly ripe bananas that would be perfect for a bake.

So I give you... Banana and Malteaser Muffins

Made 24

220g plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
115g butter
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
60ml milk
125g Malteasers cut in half
3 ripe bananas, mashed

Again my trusty food processor came out to play, everything went in, apart from the Malteasers and then mixed, then add the Malteasers into the mix and stir.

Divide into muffin cases and bake at gas mark 4 for 18 minutes.

I've forgone icing this week, these are lovely and moist and seem perfect without.

And they count as one of my five a day right!?

Happy Baking

Muffin Minx

Cake Party!!

So every now and again I like to enjoy all things baking by having a little cake party with some of my friends.

A chance to share our baking efforts and eat lots of cake, and well who doesn't love cake lets be honest!

So the start of my weekend focused on baking my own offerings.

Giant Doughnut

I have a Big Top Giant Doughnut Mould  that I was keen to give a try, so my first bake for the evening was a cake with a hole.

The moulds come with a recipe book, and I went for the classic sponge recipe.

Sandwiched the two halves together with butter cream.

"Cup"cakes

One of my Christmas presents were these cute Teacup Cake Silicone Cupcake Cases from Lakeland.
Filled with my standard vanilla cupcakes, and topped with butter cream.

Sprinkled with choco powder to make them look like little cappuccinos. Think next time I'll serve them with little biscuits or with marshmallows.

Flowerpot Cakes

Along with the teacups, I also got these clever little Flowerpot Silicone Cases

Which also then meant I got to experiment with my Grass Icing Nozzle. Which was quite frankly fabulous!! And so easy to use.

And here's what my wonderful friends made....

Neil's Cheesecake

 Lovely and creamy..

Paul's Chocolate Fudge Cake..

David's Slutty Brownies

These brownies hide double stuffed Oreos in them!!

Susie's Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ian's Chocolate Chip Cake

Sarah's Camembert Brioche 

And what I can only describe as the star of the party!! My lovely friend Sarah made a Camembert Brioche, it was warm and the cheese just oozed from it, was unbelievable!

So what would you have off the table!?.....

Happy Baking.

Muffin Minx

Jaffa Cake Cakes!

Hi lovelies

Keeping with the theme of adding something different to my cupcakes, I've experimented with this time Jaffa Cakes!

Cupcakes - makes twelve.
150g Butter/Margarine
150g Caster Sugar
175g Self Raising Flour
3 Eggs
12 Jaffa Cakes

Half fill the cupcake case with mixture, then place a Jaffa Cake on top and cover with further mixture.

I found that some of the Jaffa Cakes rose to the top of the cakes and some stayed perfectly in the middle. I think this depended on how far down the case they originated.

Decorate with butter icing and a slice of Jaffa Cake. Perfect!!

Happy baking

Muffin Minx

After Eight Cupcakes

Happy New Year my dears. After a little Christmas break MuffinMinx is back for the new year and raring to go.

So with lots of christmas sweets left over what better way to use them up, than to add them to a bake.

With this in mind, I bring you After Eight cupcakes.

Cupcakes - makes twelve.

150g Butter/Margarine

150g Caster Sugar

175g Self Raising Flour

3 Eggs

24 After Eights

After making the mixture, it's then a case of layering it in between two After Eight mints.

Make sure to leave a reasonable layer of mixture between the two mints to ensure that the two mints don't become joined in the baking process.

I decorated with green buttercream to add to the mint theme and added slices of After Eights to decorate. Delicious. 

Happy Baking

Muffin Minx