Happy Baking- Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes

It's cupcake time! I haven't baked cupcakes in ages, I've been decorating them at work but haven't got around to baking any so I thought it was about time to change that! These little beauties are a chocolate sponge with a swirl of marshmallow fluff running through them...just lovely!

The chocolate sponge is loosely based on the chocolate cupcake recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook, but it needed to be a firmer mixture so the marshmallow wouldn't sink!

Marshmallow fluff is a soft spreadable marshmallow that originates from America and has luckily made its way over here too. I buy mine fromWaitrose however per supermarkets also sell it and you can buy it online too.

If you can open a jar without mixing it with Nutella and slathering the whole lot on toast then I strongly recommend you give these a go :)

I like to use these cases from lakeland which are slightly bigger than most cupcake cases so I would recommend that this recipe will make about 9 cupcakes using these cases or 9-12 using your normal cupcake cases.

Makes approximately 9 large cupcakes

Ingredients-

Cupcakes-

150g Soft Brown Sugar
100g Unsalted Butter
2 Eggs
110g Plain Flour
30g Cocoa Powder
1.5 Teaspoons Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
50ml Milk
Marshmallow Fluff

Icing-
200g Icing Sugar
80g Marshmallow Fluff
50g Unsalted Butter
1 Tablespoon Milk

Method-
1) Preheat your oven to 180C and line a muffin tin with 9 paper cases.
2) Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy- this can take a few minutes.
3) Add the eggs one at a time- beating the mixture well after each one.
4) Sieve the dry ingredients over the creamed mixture and mix through.
5) Add the milk to the mixture and mix carefully in- This will loosen the mixture.
6) Put a tablespoon of the cake mixture into each paper case.
7) On top of the cake mixture put a heaped teaspoon of the marshmallow fluff, then top with more cake mixture (your case should be about 3/4 full now- if not add a little more of the cake mixture)
8) Take a skewer or something thin and swirl the cake mixture and marshmallow fluff together.
9) Bake in the oven for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean of cake crumbs, and any marshmallow exposed on the top is turning golden. Remove from the tin and let cool on a wire rack.
10) While the cupcakes are cooling you can prepare the icing- place all of the ingredients into a bowl and start mixing together slowly and carefully. When all of the icing sugar is incorporated beat for a few minutes until it looks nice and fluffy- using an electric hand mixer if you have one as it will save your arm!
11) When the cupcakes are fully cooled transfer the icing to a piping bag with a nozzle and pipe a swirl onto the top of the cupcake. Alternatively you can spoon the icing on and smooth it down.

What's new?

I would love to delight you all with entertaining stories of my recent goings on, be able to boast about my super cool and hip life right now, but actually it would be a lie!

I've had the last 3 days off work and rather than doing super cool things I've spent the majority of the time in my pj's watching crap TV and Harry Potter films...That's the life hey! Yesterday I really pushed the boat out by walking to Tesco! Although my time could of possibly be better spent, I've enjoyed lounging around and not feeling guilty about it!

Then last week I had to go to Shoreditch for an afternoon of coffee training, this area is definitely too cool for me! I wondered around in a circle for a while, getting more lost and confused, all the while walking past students who look like they just stepped out of some glossy magazine wearing the latest fashion and drinking cappuccinos on tables outside. Meanwhile I was still lost, getting sweaty because the weather was so hot and dreading the coffee training in case they made us drink it and I HATE coffee...I eventually managed to find the place, managed to be 15 minutes early (Purely because I arrived in Shoreditch 45 minutes early) and you guessed it, we had to try the coffee...YUK!

On Friday I've been asked if I can help out in the kitchens in my new job and do some baking :) EEP...It's my first shift, and the first time I've baked in a commercial environment like that and I'm really nervous, but also really excited, it's going to be my first time baking in a commercial kitchen away from uni! Luckily I don't have to start till 8:00...I was dreading hearing my start time, I thought it might be 3:00 or some silly time like that...I really should of thought about these ridiculously early mornings when I decided I wanted to be a baker...Never mind. Maybe I'll be the next Mary Berry and I'll call all the shots...Then again, maybe not!

Insanity Workout Review- Week Seven

What a terrible week this has been! I haven't done a workout since Tuesday!! So not really much to review!

On Wednesday I hit a wall as big ad the Great Wall of china and just couldn't bring myself to do a workout. It's now Sunday and I'm not sure where to go from here- do I continue and add an extra 4 days onto the end of the plan? Or should I just start again? I was starting to struggle a bit with the workouts anyway, and some of the exercises I had to modify quite a bit because I couldn't do them. 

Has this happened to anyone else? Where did you go from here?

I've started seeing some results, but I can only really notice when I look at a picture like this (these were taken at the beginning on the week) I definitely don't feel like I've got ANY smaller!

Happy Baking- White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I don't think you need a reason to have a cookie, apart from wanting one! So here's a little recipe for White Chocolate Chunk Cookies to fill that cookie shaped hole in your life!

Makes 12 cookies

Ingredients-
125g Unsalted Butter- Softened to room temperature
100g Soft Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
200g Plain Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
130g White Chocolate- Cut into chunks (You could use milk, dark, or a mixture of all if you would rather)
1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Method-
1) Preheat your oven to 180C and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
2) Cream the Butter and sugar together until light and creamy.
3) Add the oil (And vanilla extract if you're using it) and mix in the creamed mixture.
4) Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix together well- The mixture will start to get quite stiff at this point.
5) Add the chocolate chunks and mix through so they are spread out evenly in the mixture.
6) Table a tablespoon of the cookie dough and shape it into a ball using your hands, place on the baking tray leaving a gap between each one and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.
7) Bake for 12-15 minutes- Until the are just starting to get a bit of colour on the edges.
8) Let them cool on the tray for about 5-10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool properly.

What a busy month

In a week it'll be August, and not one to do things by halves it's going to be a pretty busy month! Not that I'm complaining, I've got some pretty exciting things to look forward to! 

The first pretty major thing I've got happening is I'll be starting my new job! I'm so excited to start as I'm going to be working in a bakery! Eep! It's opening in the first week of August so I'm going to be there from the beginning to see how everything works and ill be splitting my time between the kitchen and front of house :)

Then comes the 8th of August and Sam and I are going to Brussels for a long weekend, I don't actually know anything about Brussels so I don't know what we're going to do yet, I keep on meaning to download an app...but even so I can't wait to get away! 

We get back from Brussels on Monday and then on Friday I'm off again...this time to V festival with a friend from uni. The only other festival I've been to was bordmasters in Newquay, I went with Sam, his sister and cousin, it rained (standard) and we ended up sitting on a shower curtain in our taxi home, and then shimmying through the house on it so we didn't get the carpet muddy. I'm still trying to decide if I can justify buying a pair of hunter wellies to just wear them for the weekend. Unless I turn a bit farmer and decide to wear them on a daily basis, I could even tuck my chefs trousers into them?! Hmm maybe not...

V festival over and I've got to wait till the end of August for my next adventure. This time the big feastival. Food, music, camping = perfect! I'm dragging Sam along to this one, and we've bought one of those pop up tents that can not just fit Sam and his lanky legs in!

Onto September and my Parents are visiting London so there will no doubt be a large amount of Chinese, shopping and drinks going on! Then back to uni again!

Bring. It. On. 

Picnic Recipes- Raspberry and Almond Loaf Cake

The suns out, and it looks like it's staying for a while, which brings with it a good excuse to go for a picnic and eat some lovely cake. (Not that I need any extra reasons to eat cake!)

I love picnics, and they're even more fun with my beautiful picnic basket! (Thanks Sam!) This recipe I've written is a perfect picnic cake as it's easy to wrap up and because it isn't covered in icing won't end up as a gooey mess by the afternoon!...Enjoy :)

Makes 1 loaf cake (The size of the one I use is 21cm x 8cm and is 6cm deep)

Ingredients-

175g Soft brown Sugar

175g Unsalted Butter- Softened

3 Eggs- Beaten

1 Tablespoon of Milk

100g Plain Flour

75g Ground Almonds

2.5 teaspoons Baking Powder

150g Raspberries (I personally don't like it overloaded with fruit, however you can add more if you want a fruitier cake, I would suggest an extra 50g-100g)

30g Flaked Almonds

Method-
1) Preheat your oven to 170C and grease a loaf tin with butter- Or line with greaseproof paper.
2) Cream the sugar and butter together until creamy and lighter in colour- This will take a few minutes.
3) Beat the eggs together in a bowl and add gradually to the sugar and butter mixture and making sure you mix thoroughly after each addition.
4) Add the milk and mix again.
5) Sift the flour, ground almonds and baking powder over the egg mixture and carefully mix in- Be careful not to over mix, when all the dry ingredients are incorporated stop.
6) Add the raspberries and fold into the mixture carefully.
7) Spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth down, so it's the same thickness throughout.
8) Scatter the flaked almonds over the top and bake for 50-60 minutes. Or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean and the top is a golden brown. (Depending on your oven you might need to cover the top of the cake with foil half way through baking to make sure that the top doesn't burn.- Make sure you don't open the oven door until at least 30 minutes into the baking time.)

It's lovely post picnic too- Serve with some nice yoghurt and some more raspberry's :)

Insanity Workout Review- Week Six

OUCH!

This week was definitely a tough one! They definitely don't ease you into the "max" sessions easily. The first day was both the fit test and Max Interval Circuit. I really pushed myself during the fit test, and managed to improve my score on every exercise (my scores are at the bottom of this post). This left me feeling knackered by the time I came to start the Circuit workout, and the warm up nearly killed me! But I finished it all and managed to burn 700 calories! Woo Hoo... Then Tuesday morning came with a whole host of achy muscles and joints which made Tuesdays workout equally tough!

These DVDs are definitely a step up from the first 4 weeks, and I can completely see why they don't have you doing it from the start- The exercises themselves are much harder, with the plyo DVD fast becoming my worst enemy due to the number of push up based moves...I can hardly do normal push ups so I definitely found it hard. The intervals have also got longer, moving from 30 seconds to 45 or 1 minute each. As well as the intervals being longer the overall workout length has also increased. Now the running time is 50-60 minutes, compared to about 40 for the first four weeks- Those extra 10 minutes make ALL the difference in turning you into a shaking, sweating mess...Sounds delightful hey!

I've decided to change my rest day to Friday as I get it off work so it means that I do have a full day off- Rather than working all day and then not having to do a workout- It doesn't really feel like a break!

Diet wise I have eaten much better this week. I did have a couple of treats, but also filled up on plenty of veg, fruit, protein and healthy grains like quinoa and I can really feel a difference. I've ran out of my Skinni Minni protein powder now, and I decided to do this week without it and then think about getting some more. I definitely think it helps though, I know the workouts are now harder but I definitely felt less achy when I was having it post workout.

Overall I'm feeling good after this last week, I feel like I'm finally starting to see a difference and my tummy is starting to feel flatter.

Only 3 weeks left now then it's holiday time! I'm actually going away before the programme ends, so I'll end up missing 3 workouts. I haven't decided if I'm going to risk being one of those fitness freaks I hate and take the DVDs with me or if I should just finish it when I get back?!

Here are my fit test results-

Move	Day One	Day 15	Day 36
Switch Kicks	50	57	63
Power Jacks	46	56	67
Power Knees	82	116	126
Power Jumps	22	29	35
Globe Jumps	9	13	14
Suicide Jumps	7	10	12
Push-Up Jacks	12	17	20
Low Plank Oblique	46	50	61

Afternoon Tea- Peppermint Mini Meringues

Meringues are gaining in popularity at the moment so I thought it was only right to add a recipe for some Mini Meringues!

The recipe I've written here is for Peppermint and chocolate Meringues, however you can easily substitute the Peppermint Extract with Vanilla Extract if you want something a bit more neutral. Due to the size of these I think they're lovely for afternoon tea, and as the meringues themselves contain no fat, a slightly healthier alternative to that big slab of cake!

I think these are lovely as a dinner party desert- 
Simply serve next to a bowl of whipped cream for sticking together or dolloping on top, natural yoghurt, fresh fruit, a bowl of melted chocolate, sprinkles and anything else you fancy and let your guests create their own desert. It's a really fun way of serving dessert and a relaxed end to an evening. 

 Makes 30-35 small meringues (About 15 sandwiched together)



Ingredients-
100g egg white
200g caster sugar
1/4 tsp Peppermint extract
Dark chocolate- For dipping

Method-
1) Preheat your oven to 150C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. (A really good non stick tin should work if you don't have any greaseproof- I regularly run out!)
2) Beat the egg whites together on a slow speed for 1 minute until soft and foamy. (You'll need to use either a stand mixer or a hand mixer, your hand won't be able to beat quickly enough!)
3) Increase to medium speed until the meringue mixture reaches the firm peak stage- This is when the mixture can stand up on its own.
4) Add the Peppermint extract and start adding the sugar a table spoon at a time. Mixing the whole time until the mixture looks glossy and is stiff.
5) Transfer to a piping bag and pipe out small shapes onto the greaseproof paper.- I like to use a plain circular piping nozzle and pipe "drops" of the mixture.
6) Bake for 40 minutes, turn the oven off and let cool in the oven slightly for about 15 minutes, then remove from the oven.
7) When the meringues have cooled, and dried out completely in the oven melt some dark chocolate in a bowl and dip the bottoms of each meringue in the chocolate, then place back on the tray to set.

Serving-
* Lightly whip some double cream and use it to sandwich two meringues together.
*For a healthier option- Serve with natural yoghurt and fresh fruit.

TIP-
You will get better results if you use a clean glass bowl to whisk your egg whites in. It's important that the equipment you use is completely free of grease as this can effect the egg whites.

Flavour Alternatives-
Vanilla Meringues- Swap the peppermint extract for vanilla extract.
Chocolate Meringues- Leave out the peppermint extract and sift 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder over the meringue mixture and carefully fold through.- I think these are particularly lovely when spooned onto your tray, when baked they look like lovely chocolatey clouds. (If spooning the mixture onto the trays, and making them larger they will take longer to cook. I would start at about 1 hour 15 minutes)

A day exploring London

Today has been spent exploring London with the ever lovely Mr Ellis, and my Dad.

Sam and I went to meet my Dad at Victoria and from there we started out tourist adventure! We first walked along to Buckingham Palace where unfortunately the Queen was busy so she couldn't invite us in for a cup of tea...Next time though!

Then we took a little wonder through St. James's Park, past Big Ben (That clock is bloody big I'll give it that...Not much else to report on that really...Oh and it also tells the time...Marvellous!) then our walk took us to the river and along the South Bank where we spotted the London Eye (It wasn't hard, like Big Ben it's pretty dam big!) and onto Yo Sushi for lunch...YUM!

After lunch and nursing full bellies it was off for a quick wonder through the South Bank Food Market and onto a lovely pub called the Camel and Artichoke where we sat it the beer garden, soaked up some summer sun, read the paper, and had a much needed drink.

Next up was a much needed ice cream stop...Easier said than done...Sure London has plently of little vans and stalls selling Mr Whippy type ice cream, but all costing the price of a small car! This part of our expedition definitely took longer than the rest, but we wondered around taking in more of what London has to offer and I was feeling perfectly content. After finding a cheaper (But still VERY expensive ice cream) we started to wonder back the way we came, eventually ending up at Victoria train station again, where not ones to pass a pub and say no we went to Wetherspoons for a drink and chatted away what was left of the afternoon and early evening.

All too soon it was time to say those yucky goodbyes I hate so much and Sam and I went to get some dinner (I'm pretty sure we've eaten non stop all day...My excuse is we did lots of walking) then jumped on a train home again...

What a successful day's exploring!

In memory of Yuu- the best little fish

Something terrible happened this morning!

I was drying my hair and bent down to have a look in the fish tank, only to be greeted by a floating fish. Yuu was dead! (We did get warned they could die early on as they get used to the tank, but we didn't  think it would be this soon!!) I freaked out, started shouting at Sam to wake up and started flapping around unsure what to do. How do you get rid of a dead fish? I wasn't about to make sushi! 

With a bit of quick thinking from Sam, and a look out the window we decided the drain was the only option...and so off he went!

I've written a short poem in memory of Yuu!

You were the best fish with a name of Yuu,

I didn't want to flush you down the loo.

I loved you lots you poor little fish,

And if I could have one wish.

It would be that you were alive,

So we could watch you swim and dive.

So rest in peace little one,

Wherever you are I hope you have fun.

Happy Baking- Shortbread Style Biscuits

These biscuits are a little like shortbread. They're crumbly, but have a nice crisp to them.
They're so easy to make, and take less than 10 minutes to bake, perfect for those unexpected visitors, or when only home made will do!

Go on, stick the kettle on and bake some biscuits!

Makes approximately 24 small ish biscuits. (I used a pretty little flower cookie cutter from Lakeland- Find it here)

Ingredients-
140g Plain Flour
100g Unsalted Butter- Straight from the fridge
50g Icing Sugar
1 Egg Yolk
















Method-
1) Preheat your oven to 180C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2) Rub the flour and butter together until it resembles bread crumbs.
3) Stir in the icing sugar.
4) Add the egg yolk and start squeezing the mixture together until it binds into a ball of dough.
5) Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until about 3-4mm thick and cut out shapes using a cookie cutter. (Try to keep the cookies small to allow for a short baking time.)
6) Place the spaces onto the baking tray and bake for 6-8 minutes- Or until the edges are turning a light brown at the edges.
7) Let the biscuits cool and harden slightly before transferring to a wire rack.
8) Get a cuppa and dunk away!

Insanity Workout Review- Week Five

This fifth week of Insanity has been the "rest and recovery" week, and I've definitely needed it!

I found myself struggling and loosing momentum at the end of the last week so a week with some easier sessions was definitely needed. I've actually found this week the hardest week to commit to, and it's been a real struggle to make myself do the workouts every day. I didn't do the workout on Thursday or Saturday and so instead of having a rest day today I need to do Thursdays workout tonight. And either donor again straight after for Saturday or tag it onto a workout during the week- I think ill get it out of the way and do two tonight!

I don't know if it's the heat that made it harder, the fact I know it's about to get so much harder, that I'm only just over half way through or the fact I haven't seen results that has made this week tough- To be honest it's probably a mixture of all them.

Workout wise there was only one workout that was repeated for the whole week, it got a little boring near the end as I had got used to the variety during the first four weeks, but it was much more slow moving- More strength and balance work which was a welcome relief after the previous weeks.

My eating habits at the beginning of the week were really good, and I found it much easier to not snack on rubbish- Instead opting for fruit. Meals consisted of lots of vegetables, and grains such as quinoa. But on Thursday it all went a bit pear shaped again...I skipping dinner in favour of eating cake, had chinese on Friday evening and then had fish and chips and an ice cream on Sunday...Naughty!! (You can blame my dad for the last three!) But I'm feeling ready to get back on it now.

Although I'm pretty scared about how hard the sessions are going to be over the next four weeks I'm also feeling pretty determined to give them my full determination and commitment, even if that means giving up the cake! I WILL reduce the size of my cake belly!

Bognor Regis- Family, sun, sea, sand and the bird man

A little trip to Bognor Regis was on the cards this weekend, my Dad was also visiting so it seemed like a well timed trip!

Armed with my mini victoria sponges and biscuits ...(I would be in trouble if I went to see Dad with no cake!) I got to Bognor at about 9:00pm, also know as Chinese o'clock! I don't need to be asked twice about Chinese so off I munched!

Ever since I can remember whenever I went to stay at my Aunty and Uncles I used to sit half way up the stairs, waiting for the cuckoo clock to chime...for old times sake I was going to so the same this time (yes, I am 21...immature you say?!...no not me, you must be thinking of somebody else!) but my plan didn't materialise, the clock was still there, but I never heard the little cuckoo!

I was only staying one night because I had to get back for work, so keen to make the most of the day I woke up at 8, and proceeded to nearly drown myself in tea...my family, my Dad especially are even more obsessed with tea than me! I'm pretty sure that if you took tea away from my Dad it would be like making a drug addict go cold turkey! 

Our morning and early afternoon was spent having a wonder around by the sea front. It was bloody lovely to see the sea again! I've missed that big blue expanse!! In the end we settled upon fish and chips to quieten our tummy rumbles and went and sat on the pebbled beach while we ate. Today was also the start of the International Bognor Birdman! If you haven't heard of this, it's a load of crazy people with homemade wings and para gliders, running off the quay in the hope that they will be able to get the furthest off the end of the pier...I'm pretty sure I'm going to enter next year. I can already see my crazy wing set adorned with cupcakes...so keep at eye out for me next year! Ill be the one dithering around on the edge too scared to jump off the edge and probably bellyflopping in after being pushed! What fun!

 

On our way back we stopped off for an ice cream (it was needed, it was hot!) and went back to my Aunty and Uncles to catch up with some of the family that had popped round...lovely! 

All too soon it was time to hop on the train and head back to the big smoke...I'm not really complaining though, I'm rather fond of the smoggy, thick, unclean air that surrounds me! :)

Afternoon tea- Mini Victoria Sponges

The way to my heart is cake. I think it's the perfect accompaniment to breakfast, lunch, dinner, a cup of tea, a chat with friends, a picnic in the park, or a night in front of the TV. For me there is nothing better. That's why I think these little beauties are the perfect recipe to have, being mini sponges they are the perfect size for one person to munch upon, and look really lovely when dusted liberally with icing sugar and arranged on a cake stand.

I've just made these to take to my Aunty's house tomorrow, as I'm going to visit. The mixture below was enough for 8 mini sponges using the muffin tin, and also 4 heart shaped sponges, using 10cm tins.

So what's stopping you, pre heat the oven, invite your friends round, and host an afternoon tea feast!

12-15 mini victoria sponges

Ingredients-

Sponge-
225g Plain Flour
225g Caster Sugar
225g Unsalted Butter- Softened
3 tsp Baking Powder
4 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Butter icing- 
500g Icing Sugar
160g Unsalted Butter- Softened
4 tbsp Milk
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

Method-

For the sponge-
1) Preheat your oven to 180C and grease a muffin tin with butter.
2) Weigh all the ingredients into the same bowl and mix together until just combined- Be careful not to over mix.
3) Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin- Filling each hole a couple of millimetres from the top.
4) Bake in the oven for 20 minutes- Or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
5) Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for about 15 minutes, then carefully remove and place on a wire rack to cool fully.
*You might find you have a small amount of mixture left- Don't be tempted to fill the muffin holes all the way to the top as the mixture will overflow when baking and you won't be able to get them out!*

Butter icing-
The butter icing can be made when the cakes are in the oven cooking to save some time.
1) Sieve the icing sugar and place the rest of the ingredients into the bowl with it-Start mixing using a folk.
2) When the mixture has come together mix with an electric whisk (Or a lot of arm power) for around 5 minutes- Or until the icing is really light and fluffy.

Constructing- 
1) Take a sponge and cut it in half across the middle (This is easier if you use a serrated knife.)
2) On one half of the sponge pipe a swirl, or spoon on the butter icing.
3) If desired- Spoon some jam onto the other half of the sponge and stick the two halves back together and sieve some icing sugar over the top.
4) EAT!!!!

Sponge-

 

  

Icing-

Constructing-