Salted Caramel Cupcakes

As of recently. salted caramel has been my favourite flavour combination.

The salty and sweet taste just melts in your mouth, which is why I have been meaning to make these cupcakes for some time.

A vanilla cupcake filled with salted caramel, topped with caramel buttercream and salted caramel sauce, they're just divine, and my mouth is now watering thinking of how good they were. (so making these again later.) For the drizzle on top I used Tesco Finest Salted Caramel, this stuff is amazing! Drizzled on cupcakes, spooned onto icecream, poured into mouth...

Please just try these and you will understand what i'm saying!

Ingredients:
For 12 cupcakes:
-200g unsalted butter
-200g light brown sugar
-3 large eggs, beaten
-2 tsp vanilla bean extract
-200g self raising flour

For the caramel filling:
-100g butter
-100g brown sugar
-397g tin of condensed milk (I used carnation)
-1 tsp salt

For the buttercream:
-250g unsalted butter
-500g icing sugar
-2 tbsp leftover caramel

For the salted caramel drizzle:
- Tesco Salted Caramel (alternatively, save a bit of the salted caramel you made.)

Preheat your oven to 180c and line a muffin tin with 12 cases.

In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Gradually add your beaten eggs, then the vanilla extract.

Sift over the flour. then gently fold in with a large metal spoon.

Divide the mixture between the 12 cases and place into the oven for 15-18 minutes.

Once baked, leave to cool on a rack until cooled completely.

For the caramel, heat the butter and sugar together on a low heat until melted. Add
the condensed milk and salt,then simmer together for 10 minutes. Take off the heat and allow to cool. (you don't want thick caramel)

To make the buttercream, beat the butter until pale in colour. Gradually add the icing sugar and caramel until combined.

To assemble, cut a hole out of each cooled cupcake and fill with a teaspoon of caramel. Replace with the lid.
Then pipe or spread the buttercream on top. Warm up the salted caramel, and drizzle on top.

Peanut Butter Oreo Cupcakes

Who doesn't love peanut butter? peanut butter on anything sounds pretty damn good in my books.

I have been waiting to make these cupcakes for ever but never got round to it. What inspired me this time were the peanut butter (yes peanut butter) oreo's my boyfriend bought for me. He's definitely a keeper. ;)

They're my favourite oreo by far, if you haven't tried them you gotta!

Vanilla cupcakes topped with crunchy peanut butter buttercream and a peanut butter oreo.
Because you can never have enough peanut butter. Or even say the words peanut butter (because I have far to many times in this post.)

Ingredients:

12 Cupcakes-

• 200g unsalted butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200g self raising flour

Buttercream-

• 250g unsalted butter
• 4 tbsp crunchy peanut butter (or smooth if you prefer)
• 500g icing sugar
• 12 peanut butter oreos

Preheat your oven to 180c and line a muffin tray with 12 cases.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and creamy.

Add the eggs, beating after each addition, adding the vanilla with the last.

Sift over the flour and gently fold in with a large metal spoon.

Divide between the 12 cases, then place into the oven for 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Once baked, leave to cool completely before icing.

For the buttercream, beat the butter until light in colour, gradually add the peanut butter and icing sugar until a nice spreading consistency. Add a drop of water if its too thick.

Spread onto each cooled cupcake and top with an oreo!

Banoffee Cupcakes

Banoffee pie is one of my favourite desserts, banana and caramel together is just so damn good.

It is also a very easy dessert and as I didn't want to post a recipe so simple,  I made it into cupcakes!

These cupcakes are amazing, really, my mum (who is extremely picky) just could not express how good they were after her first bite and the cupcake was gone in a second.

Banana cake topped with a caramel frosting, banana chips, grated chocolate and drizzled with even more caramel. You can never have enough caramel, am I right?

Ingredients:
(makes 12)

For the cakes-
-200g unsalted butter
-200g caster sugar
-3 large eggs, beaten
-1 banana, mashed
-200g self raising flour

For the topping-
-200g unsalted butter
-350g icing sugar
-3 tbsp caramel (I used the carnation brand)
-2 tbsp full fat cream cheese
-1 tsp vanilla extract

-banana chips
-grated chocolate
-1 tbsp caramel

Preheat your oven to 180c, and fill a muffin tray with 12 cupcake cases.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and creamy.

Gradually beat in the eggs until combined. Add the mashed banana and mix.

Sift over the flour and fold in gently with a large metal spoon.

Divide between the 12 cases, then place into the oven for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Once baked, place them on a cooling rack to cool completely before icing.

For the frosting, beat the butter until light in colour, gradually add the icing sugar, caramel, cream cheese and vanilla until a thick but spreadable consistency.

Pipe or spread on the top of each cooled cupcakes.
Top with a couple of banana chips, sprinkle over the chocolate and drizzle over the caramel.
(To loosen the caramel pop into the microwave for 30 seconds.)

Enjoy!

Chocolate Zombie Cupcakes

My boyfriend and I have become obsessed with The Walking Dead.
We kinda got on the bandwagon late but instantly we were hooked.

We also now just seem to be obsessed with zombies, anything zombie makes us excited, so I couldn't wait to bake these cupcakes!

Moist chocolate sponge topped with chocolate buttercream, grated chocolate 'dirt', a fondant zombie hand and drizzled blackcurrant 'blood'.

Ingredients:
Makes 12 large cupcakes

Cupcakes-
-180g unsalted butter
-180g light brown sugar
-3 large eggs,beaten
-4 tbsp cocoa powder
-180g self raising flour
-1tbsp golden syrup
-1tbsp milk

Decoration-
-250g unsalted butter
-500g icing sugar
-1tbsp golden syrup
-150g milk chocolate, melted
-50g chocolate grated
-green fondant
-1tbsp blackcurrant jam

Preheat your oven to 180c and line 12 muffin  holes with cases.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Gradually beat in the eggs.

Sift over the cocoa powder, add the golden syrup and mix together.
Sift over the flour and the dash of milk then fold in gently with a large metal spoon.

Divide between your cases then place into the oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Once baked, leave to cool completely on a cooling rack before decorating.

For the buttercream, beat the butter until pale in colour. Gradually beat in the icing sugar, golden syrup and melted chocolate until a spreadable, but thick consistency. Spread over each cupcake to cover.
Grate the 80g chocolate into a bowl then dip each cupcake in to cover for the 'dirt'.

To make the zombie hands I rolled a ball of fondant into a tear drop shape. On the large end, with a knife, I cut in to make 5 'fingers' then rolled each piece into a finger shape. Push a hand into the top of each cupcake.
Heat the blackcurrant jam in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to loosen, then drizzle over each cupcake.

Zombie and chocolate fix sorted!

Simple Chocolate and Raspberry Cake

Raspberry seems to go with everything, and so does chocolate in my mind ;)
So what better way to combine the two then a big sponge cake. I baked this for my nan's birthday, chocolate cake is always the winner in her eyes.

Its simple but delicious and never lasts longer then a day around here.

Ingredients:
For the cake-
-200g unsalted butter
-200g light brown sugar
-3 large eggs, beaten
-2 heaped tbsp cocoa powder
-200g self raising flour

For the buttercream-
-250g unsalted butter
-400g icing sugar
-250g milk chocolate, melted
-fresh raspberries

Preheat your oven to 180c and grease and line two sandwich tins with baking paper.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Gradually add in your eggs.

Sift over the flour and cocoa powder, then fold in gently until all incorporated.
Divide between the two cake tins then place into the oven for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Once baked, leave to cool completely on a cooling rack before decorating.

For the buttercream, beat the butter until it is pale in colour, then gradually add the icing sugar and melted chocolate. You may need to add a splash of milk so its spreading consistency.

To decorate, spread a third of the buttercream onto one layer of the cake, top with raspberries. Add the other layer, then spread on another third of the buttercream.
With the rest of the buttercream, I piped around the edge with a 1M wilton tip then filled the inside with more raspberries, yummy!

Caramel Apple Popcorn Cake

When throwing together random ingredients, sometimes it can go bad, but sometimes it can go reaally reaally good. This is that time.

Moist apple cinnamon cake, filled with a layer of caramel, caramel buttercream, topped with popcorn and drizzled with even more caramel.

Yeah you drizzle that caramel!

Ingredients:

Cake-
-180g unsalted butter
-180g light brown sugar
-3 eggs, beaten
-180g self raising flour
-1 tsp cinnamon
-2 apples peeled,cored and grated

Buttercream-
-250g unsalted buttercream
-500g icing sugar
-2 tablespoons caramel

Decoration-

-1 package microwave popcorn (I used this brand,Butterkist Microwave Sweet Popcorn )
-2 tbsp caramel

Preheat your oven to 180c and grease and line two sandwich tins with baking paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

Gradually beat in the eggs.

Sift over the flour and then add the cinnamon and fold in until just before incorporated.

Add in the grated apple and fold in until everything is combined.

Divide between the sandwich tins and place into the oven for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Once baked, leave to cool on a cooling rack completely before decorating.

For the buttercream, beat the butter until pale in colour then gradually add the icing sugar and caramel until a spreadable consistency.

Spread a layer of caramel onto one sponge cake then top with half of the buttercream, sandwich on top the other sponge cake then spread on the rest of the buttercream.

Cook your popcorn in the microwave for how ever long the package tells you (burnt popcorn smells awful!)
then sprinkle all over the top of the cake.

Place the 2 tablespoons of caramel into the microwave for about 20 secs, enough so its easier to drizzle.

Then drizzle that caramel goodness all over the top of the cake, yum!

Pink Lemonade Cake

This weekend it seems that spring has sprung! (in Kent anyway)
We've had sunshine and blues skies all weekend and its been very welcome!

So I thought why not celebrate with a bright pink lemon cake!
Decorated with multicoloured sprinkles and ombre buttercream, this will definitely bring a smile to anyone's face.
It is lemon but doesn't actually have lemonade in it, strangely though it tastes like lemonade!

Ingredients:

For the cake-

• 200g unsalted butter
• 250g caster sugar
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 200ml lemon juice
• 2 tsp pink food colouring
• 350g self raising flour
• zest of 2 lemons 

For the buttercream-

• 400g unsalted butter
• 550g icing sugar
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• pink food colouring 

Preheat your oven to 180c and grease and line two sandwich tins with baking paper.

In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Slowly beat in the eggs and lemon juice until incorporated. Then add in your pink food colouring until a vivid pink colour (may need more or less then I used.)
Sift over the flour and add the lemon zests. Fold in gently to combine.

Divide between the sandwich tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Leave to cool completely on a cooling rack before decorating.

To make the buttercream, beat the butter until pale in colour then add the icing sugar and lemon juice until a thick but spreadable consistency.
Divide into two bowls and add pink food colouring too each, so you have two shades of pink.

To decorate, sandwich each cake together with a bit of buttercream.
For the outside, start at the bottom of the cake and spread around the sides with the darker buttercream.
Then cover the top with the lighter buttercream and blend into the sides.

Top with sprinkles.