Butterfly Cookies

The sun (including some warmth) is finally out in London. It has only taken until the end of April and I still cannot believe it was snowing only 4 weeks ago. Snow. In April. Mental.

It has been a hectic start to the year and with May approaching I realised I am way behind in my blog updates, only two this month…eek! I have had a nice flow of orders to keep my busy, which is fantastic, however that does mean I have less time to try out new recipes for myself. I attempt to balance this out by baking for my friend’s birthdays and try out recipes mainly for my own curiosity… and because my friends are awesome and deserve cake!

Just recently, I baked the Brooklyn Blackout Cake from the first Hummingbird Bakery cookbook for my friend LK’s birthday. As LK loves cakes, I added a few bits to make it look like a cat and the fact she was wearing a matching shirt was merely a coincidence.




But back to the cookies. A few months ago, I subscribed to the Cake Decorating magazines to expand my baking skills. So far, I have received about 14 issues and have only just finished reading/trialling issue 1. The first thing in the book is these butterfly cookies, which are perfect for spring and great for beginners  learning about flooding cookies with royal icing.

Not a bad for my first at home attempt.

Happy Baking x

Apricot and Almond Cookies

I do not believe in superstitions, however after saying to my best friend over the weekend how I had not been sick all winter (or spring, if we can call it that), I was clearly asking for it. Maybe I should have thrown a black cat over my shoulder or put salt under a ladder whilst carrying an open umbrella inside? 

On day three of quarantine with Pete (who also managed to forget to do all the above things), I finally had some energy to get off the couch and bake something. After a quick look through the baking cupboard, surprisingly I managed to find a recipe with what I had in stock. 

I'm not quite back to 100%, but these cookies helped us both in meantime.

Apricot and Almond Cookies

adapted from Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days

makes 16 -18 cookies 

135g unsalted butter

80g caster sugar

80g light brown soft sugar

1 large free-range egg

½ tsp vanilla extract

190g plain flour

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

100g dried apricots, roughly chopped

60g ground almonds

20g flaked almonds

To roast the flaked almonds, put them in a non-stick frying pan and roast for 2-3 minutes on a medium heat. Ensure to keep an eye on them as they can brown quickly.   

Preheat the oven to 170C. Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper. 

With an electric mixer cream together the butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Mix in the egg, then the vanilla essence. 

Sift the flour, salt, cinnamon and bicarb soda together and add to the butter mixture in 2 batches, folding together until combined. Stir in the apricots and ground almonds.

Drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture onto the prepared trays. Leave a good  3 inches between each cookie to allow spreading in the oven. Sprinkle some flaked almonds over each cookie and press in slightly.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool for around 10 minutes on the trays then cool completely on a wire rack.

Happy Baking x

My week of baking orders

Just a quick update today to share the baking orders I have had over that last week that has kept me busy in the kitchen. 

For Ben: he requested some cupcakes for the office on his birthday. He finally decided on a dozen choc-mint cupcakes and a dozen raspberry ripple.

For Emma: she requested a chocolate cake with mini eggs (she cannot get enough of them apparently). I think I went a bit overboard with the piped icing and it weighs a ton! 

For Lulu, she surprisingly requested a carrot cake...



 For myself: hot cross buns. I had full intentions to have these ready for Easter, however time slipped away, however they have still be thoroughly enjoyed post-Easter.  



Happy Baking x

Coconut Macaroons - Recipe 30 of the Women's Weekly Challenge

Happy Sunday!!

Hope you are all enjoying a lazy Sunday, I know I am. It took a lot of effort to pull myself away from our comfy couch and Downton Abbey, however I somehow managed too. It has also been too long since I had baked anything for my Women's Weekly Challenge, and so it continues with... 

Coconut Macaroons

Makes 24

2 eggs whites

110g caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

35g plain flour

120g desiccated coconut

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius and line oven trays with baking paper. 

Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until dissolved between additions. Stir in extract, flour and coconut, in two batches. 

Drop level tablespoons of the mixture onto trays about 5cm apart. Bake for about 30 minutes and cool on trays. 

Serve with a cup of tea. 

Happy Baking Sunday x

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

It was about 6 years ago now that I first heard of a red velvet cupcake and   the best place to try them at the time in London was at Hummingbird Bakery.

There was a lot of hype around them and when I finally got to try it I think my hopes were too high and therefore I was slightly disappointed. I'm not sure what I was expecting exactly, however I could not see why this was anymore tasty than a plain vanilla or chocolate cupcake. To this day my feeling towards them hasn't changed but people love them and the one thing I can say is that the contrast between the red cake and white cream cheese icing a simplistic combination that is visually stunning. 

Despite not loving them myself, I do enjoy making cakes for others and seeing the enjoyment people get from my cakes. This order was a challenge as I had never actually made a red velvet cake before, only cupcakes. 

From the report back, I believe the cake didn't last very long after the 3pm tea break... so I would think my job here is done. 

Red Velvet Cake 
from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

60g unsalted butter, room temperature

150g caster sugar

1 free range egg

20g cocoa powder

40ml red food colouring

½ tsp vanilla extract

120ml buttermilk

150g plain flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1½ tsp white vinegar

for the icing

600g icing sugar, sifted

100g unsalted butter, room temperature

250g cream cheese, cold

Preheat the oven to 170°C and line three 20cm tins with baking parchment.

Put the butter and the sugar in your mixer and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy and well mixed. Turn the mixer up to high speed, slowly add the egg and beat until everything is well incorporated.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, red food colouring and vanilla extract to make a very thick, dark paste. Add to the butter mixture and mix thoroughly until evenly combined and coloured (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula).

 

Turn the mixer down to slow speed and slowly pour in half the buttermilk.



 Beat until well mixed, then add half the flour and beat until everything is well incorporated. Repeat this process until all the buttermilk and flour have been added. Scrape down the side of the bowl again. Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until you have a smooth, even mixture. Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Beat until well mixed, then turn up the speed again and beat for a couple more minutes.



Evenly measure out the mixture into the 3 pans.



 Bake for 25 minutes or until the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. 

Meanwhile, make the frosting by beating the icing sugar butter together in your mixer on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat it until it is completely incorporated. 

Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least five minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.

When the cakes are cold, spoon the cream cheese frosting on top, followed by another layer of cake and then the last layer.
 


Then completely cover the cake in icing.



 And maybe add some pretty edible pearls.

Happy Baking x