Pink Ombre Cake

I created this cake last year for my 20th birthday. It is a gluten free sponge cake with gluten free icing and decorated with real flowers.

Ombre is really popular for cakes and I attempted this ombre style tiling for the base of my cake which came out really well which I learnt from YouTube.

Again the recipe for the icing is featured on my summer cupcakes post!!

Chocolate Ruffle Cake

Made this chocolate ruffle cake for my Mum's birthday xx

The recipe is one of my Mum's favorites :) 

Chocolate Cake Recipe

You will need:

125g dark chocolate 

1/2 cup milk 

1 cup soft brown sugar

1 separated egg

2 cups standard flour 

1 tsp baking soda 

1/4 tsp salt 

125g unsalted butter  

1 cup sugar

2 separated eggs 

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup milk 

1 tsp vanilla essence 

Method 

1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Over some hot water in a pot, mix together the chocolate, milk, brown sugar and the one egg yolk, stirring until the mixture has thickened.

2. In a separate bowl sift 3 times over the flour, baking soda and salt.

3. In a third bowl beat butter until it is as white and creamy as possible, then beat in the sugar. Beat in the other 2 egg yolks.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Then add water, milk and vanilla essence. Finally add the chocolate mixture.

5. with the remaining 3 egg whites beat together until white a fluffy, then fold gently into the mixture.

6. Pour the mixture in two 23cm cake tins and bake for 35 minutes. Let the cakes stand in the tins for 5 minutes and then transfer onto cooling racks.

Icing

For the icing refer to my recipe on my summer cupcakes post :) 

To make the ruffles use a Wilton petal nozzle any size will work!!! 

For extra decoration I added real flowers but you can do whatever you want 

Maddie's Floral Birthday Cake

20th birthday cake for my lovely best friend Maddie.

This cake is gluten free including the icing which I have a recipe below (icing only) on how to make in my summer cupcakes post so check it out!!!

Here is the beautiful birthday girl with her cake xxx

Lavender Cupcakes

Today I created these simple lavender cupcakes. They are so easy to make and ice yet look so unique.
Continuing on from my last post these cupcakes are a great statement for those summer get togethers.

Lavender Cupcake Recipe (makes approx 10)  

What you will need: 

1/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp lavender flowers
115 g butter (softened)
2 eggs
1 cup standard flour
1 tsp baking power

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and place cupcake cases into tin

2. Combine sugar and lavender in a food processor. Put lavender sugar into a bowl and beat in butter until it becomes a creamy consistency.

3. Beat in eggs one at a time, then sift in flour and baking powder and fold in together. Add milk.

4.  Add mixture to cupcake cases and bake for 18 minutes. Make sure they are cooked and then place on a wire rack to cool.

Glossy Icing

What you will need: 

1 cup icing sugar
1 egg white
purple food colouring
Lavender flowers to decorate

Method: 

1. Mix icing sugar and egg white together. Check its consistency and add icing sugar if necessary to thicken the icing. Add purple food colouring.

2. Spoon mixture onto the cupcakes and let it spread onto the cupcake.

3. Finally place one lavender flower on each cupcake.

Summer Cupcakes

 For my fist ever blog post I will be sharing with you theses summer inspired cupcakes. As I live in New Zealand it is summer at the moment and I am loving the weather!!! I thought these basic vanilla cupcakes are perfect for those summer picnic get togethers and tea parties.

These cupcakes are really simple to create yet will make a perfect addition to whatever summer occasion you have.

Vanilla Cupcake recipe (makes 12):

You can use whatever cupcake recipe you prefer but here is my go to vanilla cupcake recipe that I use.

What you will need

Standard size muffin tin (12)
Cupcake cases (12)
125g softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 eggs (room temperature)  
1 1/2 cups standard flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk (room temperature)

Method

1. preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and place cupcake cases in tin

2. Add softened butter, sugar and vanilla essence into a bowl and beat together until smooth and light. Then add eggs while beating.

3. In a separate bowl sift and combine flour and baking powder, then add to wet mixture. Fold together with the milk.

4. Spoon mixture into cases about 1/2 to 2/3 full and bake for around 15min. When time is up insert a skewer to test if they are cooked.  Place on a wire rack to cool.

Vanilla Buttercream Icing Recipe:

What you will need

1 cup white vegetable shortening (you can buy this at Millie's Kitchen in Ponsonby and Parnell if you live in Auckland)
1 teaspoon of vanilla flavouring (make sure it is clear to get true to colour icing when adding food colouring)
3-4 teaspoons of cold water
450g icing sugar (sifted)


Method

1. Cream/beat vegetable shortening, flavouring and water together

2. Add icing sugar and beat until all the ingredients are combined.

3. make sure your icing is a good consistency to pipe, not too thin or thick.


Decorating!!!!!

What you will need

Wilton 1M piping nozzle
Wilton 2D piping nozzle
Wilton 3 piping nozzle
3 disposable decorating bags (or reusable)
Baking paper
Gel food colouring (green and yellow)

Method

1. split your icing into 3 bowls with the majority of the icing in the first, about 2 heaped spoons in the second, and 1 in the last. Adding green colouring to the first, leaving the second white and yellow colouring to the last.

3. Add the green icing to your piping bag with the 1M nozzle. Piping ice-cream like swirls onto your cupcakes starting from the outside of the cupcake working your way in and upward.

4. Place some baking paper onto the bench. Add the white icing to the piping bag with the 2D nozzle. Placing your nozzle lightly onto the paper, position your elbow outward at a 90 degree angle and while squeezing the icing turn your arm back towards you clockwise to create a swirl that will become the base of your daisy flower. Make 24.

5. Add the yellow icing to your piping bag with the 3 nozzle. pipe small circular spots into the middle of the flowers to create the centre.

6. Put flowers into the freezer for 5-10 minutes to set. when they have set take a few out at a time (as they soften quickly) and remove them off the baking paper and place them on top of the cupcakes.