Cakes | Happy Recipes

Butterscotch Cake – A Delicious Treat For A Special Occasion

Drenched in delicious butterscotch sauce and generously sprinkled crunchy Praline on top of the subtly sweet cream frosting, make this cake something to indulge for! There is no doubt that the sensational butterscotch sauce and the butterscotch Praline contribute to the glorious taste of this cake and make sure you get the taste and the consistency right while making them both.

You might find the recipe quite daunting with a long list of ingredients and an equally long list of instructions. However, if you get organised in advance, it is not a cumbersome task to assemble everything together. To make the whole procedure easy to follow, I have given the recipe in steps along with relevant pictures.

You just need to read through the recipe and jot down all the ingredients needed. Once the ingredients are gathered, it’s just a matter of organising the whole process and get to baking!

Happy Baking!

Important tips :

Make the Praline and butterscotch sauce a day or two in advance and place in the fridge
Make the cakes on the previous day and store in an air-tight box or wrap in a cling film
Make the frosting on the previous day and store in the fridge
Wash the fruits and keep ready on a side
Place the mixer pins in the freezer and make sure the mixing bowl is dry
Everything is ready in advance means, the remaining tasks are super easy for you!

1. Make the two round cakes – diameter 23cm

Ingredients needed:

Caster sugar	250 g
Margarine / Butter	250 g
Self-raising flour	250 g
Eggs	4
Milk	1/4 cup
Baking powder	1 tsp
Salt	3 pinches
Lemon juice	1/2 tsp

Set the oven to 180C – Must pre-heat at least 10-15 mins
Beat Sugar and Margarine together, using an electric hand mixer until creamy – (3 mins )
Add eggs one by one and beat after each addition (1 min after each egg)
Swift flour with baking powder and add. Mix with a wooden spoon
Add salt and lemon
Pour in milk
Combine all together until a creamy batter is formed
Divide into 2 equal parts and bake in two round trays (Trays must be lined with parchment paper)
Once baked, let the trays rest for 5 mins and take the cakes out and leave to cool on a wire rack
Your cakes are ready!

2. Make the Butterscotch sauce

Ingredients needed:

Double cream	1/2 cup
Sugar	1/2 cup / 100g
Butter/Margarine	1/4 cup / 50 g
Milk	1 tbsp
Salt	2 pinches

Heat sugar in a pan until golden brown
Add butter gradually while stirring continuously
Add cream little by little and add salt
Keep stirring until the sauce is thick and runny (10-15mins)
Pour into a glass jar and let it cool
Tip: If the sauce goes too thick either microwave for 30 seconds or a little more or pour 1 tbsp of hot water and mix thoroughly

3.Make the Praline

**Butterscotch sauce and Praline triangles**

**Crushed Praline and Praline Triangles**

Ingredients needed:

Peanuts (no husk)	150 g
Sugar	200 g
Butter	2 tbsp
Salt	2 pinches
Double cream	250 ml

Dry roast peanuts until crunchy
Grind roughly
Heat sugar until golden brown – Do not stir
Add butter and let it melt
Add double cream
Add peanuts
Quickly mix with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon
Flatten on a buttered tray and let cool
Cut a few triangles and keep them for decorating the cake
Place the rest in a bag and crush using a rolling pin or a bottle
Store in a jar until needed
Your Praline is ready!

4.Make the Cream Frosting

**The right consistency of Frosting – Peaks!**

Most importantly the mixing bowl and mixer pins should be cold and dry. Double cream should be taken straight from the fridge ( Ideally, place the mixer pins in the freezer for 5 mins for best results)

Ingredients needed:

Double cream / Whipping cream	250 ml
Icing sugar	4 tbsp
Strawberries or Cherries for decorating

Beat double cream until thick (2 mins)
Add icing sugar gradually (ideally in three steps)
Beat until snowy peaks foam
Store in the fridge until needed

5.Assemble the Cakes

Scrape off tops from both cakes
Stab the cakes in several places and make small holes, using a skewer
Mix 3 tbsp of butterscotch sauce and 1 tbsp water and pour over cakes
Drop a spoon of frosting in the middle of a round cake stand and place one round cake on it (this will make the cake stay steady on its place)
Smear a generous dollop of frosting on the top
Place the other round cake on top of it and sandwich both cakes
Smear frosting on the top and sides and flatten

6.Decorating the cake

Take sauce into a piping bag and make it stand in a tall glass
Cut the tip of the piping bag
Pour around the cake making patterns. Let the sauce drip down
Pat Praline on the bottom ends and sprinkle some on the top
Decorate the top placing strawberries or cherries or any other suitable fruit
Stand praline triangles around and sprinkle more crusty praline on the cake
Place the cake in the fridge until needed
Always place it back in the fridge after taking out to serve. This cake will last up to 3-4 days in the fridge
Enjoy!

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December 20, 2019December 25, 2019

Manori2 Comments

1 Minute Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake – A Quick Yummy Treat To Cheer You Up!

Indulge in this beautiful chocolate mug cake and forget all your troubles! Addictively warm and chocolatey, you will love to scoop it out while its chocolates, melting down from the spoon!

Make this super quick treat for kids, who are coming home after a long day from school or playground and it will instantly cheer them up!

The chocolates on the top that melt into the middle of warm spongy cake make it an absolutely divine chocolaty dessert that you can present in a minute even for a friend or a special guest who drops by just to say hello.

Just jot down the recipe and stick on the fridge because, you will never stop making this. Who can resist this melt in the mouth cake?

Remember to pick wide mugs, not the tall ones or mugs with narrow bottoms. Also, it’s very important to fill only 1/4 of the mug because it can spill and make a mess all over while cooking in the microwave.

Ingredients you will need for 2 mug cakes

To Whisk
Egg	1
Sugar	4 tbsp
Milk	2 tbsp
Butter (melted)	2 tbsp
Vanilla and Salt	A few drops
Salt	2 pinches
To Seive together
Plain flour	4 tbsp
Baking powder	1/2 tsp
Cocoa powder	1 tbsp

Let’s make:

Whisk the egg with a fork until frothy
Melt the butter in the microwave or on the pan
Add sugar, milk, melted butter, vanilla, salt and whisk with a balloon whisk or a fork until the sugar dissolves completely
Add flour, baking powder and cocoa powder
Thoroughly whisk the batter with the fork until all comes creamy and runny
Pour only up to 1/4 of two wide mugs
Drop some chocolate shavings
Microwave one mug for 1 minute on full power
Take out and sprinkle more milk chocolate shavings on the top
Microwave the second mug and drop chocolate shavings on that too
Your gorgeous two chocolate mug cakes are ready to devour!

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August 11, 2019November 9, 2019

ManoriLeave a comment

Chocolate Butter Icing – Silky and Smooth

You will fall in love with this silky smooth chocolate butter icing which is indeed the most delicious, perfect frosting for your chocolate cake!

Make this beautiful icing in advance and store it in a plastic box and place in the fridge to use it whenever you need to frost a cake. Super easy! It will stay fresh for several weeks!

Never forget to add the required amount of lemon juice. It creates magic! Do an experiment without it and with it! You will instantly notice the beautiful blend of sweet flavours enhanced by lemon juice.

Also, it’s very important to stick to the 2:1 proportions in measuring icing sugar and margarine to achieve the best results. Always the amount of margarine should be exactly half of icing sugar.

You will need the following ingredients;

Icing sugar	300 g
Margerine / Spread	125 g
Cocoa powder	4-5 tbsp
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Salt and Vanilla essence	3 pinches and 1 tsp
Milk	2 tbsp

**The best electric hand mixer for cakes – Kenwood HM520**

Let’s whip it;

Using a sieve, swift the icing sugar until no hard bits remain
In a large bowl add margarine and beat in high speed with an electric hand mixer, until creamy
Add icing sugar, cocoa powder, lemon juice, salt and milk
Beat for several rounds until everything blends into a smooth and creamy texture
You chocolate butter icing is ready to use

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April 4, 2019November 23, 2019

ManoriLeave a comment

Delicious Frosting/Icing For Cakes

1 Buttercream Icing

Whip up this creamy butter icing in less than 2 mins for frosting your cake and it will whisper a delicious story to anyone who tastes a slice from it!

My personal opinion is that you should never use butter for this recipe despite it is being named as ‘Butter Icing’. Butter leaves a lumpy heap and melts soon. Also, it is very dense and sticky too. Good quality spread or margarine is the best choice to make butter icing which will never let you down in taste. It will come out light, creamy and satin silk, making it a joy to frost your cake!

Ingredients:

Icing sugar (Swift using a sieve to get rid of hard bits)	300 g
Margarine or Spread (I use Stork UK brand) Under room temperature	125 g
Fresh milk	3 tbsp
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Vanilla essence	1 from bottle cap

Let’s whip it:

Swift icing sugar to get rid of hard bits
Beat icing sugar and margarine together
Add milk, vanilla and lemon.
Beat in high speed until the consistency is creamy
You can frost your cake now!

2 Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

Icing sugar (Swift using a sieve to get rid of hard bits)	300 g
Margarine or Spread (I use Stork UK brand) Under room temperature	125 g
Fresh milk	3 tbsp
Cocoa Powder	4-5 tbsp
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Vanilla essence	1 from bottle cap

Let’s whip it;

Swift icing sugar to get rid of hard bits
Beat icing sugar and margarine together until creamy
Add cocoa powder and mix
Add milk, vanilla and lemon.
Beat in high speed until the consistency is silky and creamy
You can frost your cake now
The excess frosting could be stored in a plastic box and place in the fridge up to a month

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April 1, 2019October 19, 2019

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Victoria Sponge Cake With Silky Butter Cream Icing- Lusciously Rich Cake For Any Occasion

This lusciously rich Victoria Sponge cake, topped with creamy butter icing and sandwiched with homemade strawberry jam, is an ideal creation for any occasion.

Victoria Sponge, named after Queen Victoria, who was known to enjoy a slice of this cake with her afternoon tea, is now a classic teatime favourite in England. Traditionally, this cake is round in shape and the top is dusted with icing sugar. However, I made both heart shapes and round shaped cakes and smeared butter icing generously on the top to make them yummier!

Now that the strawberries are in season, it will take less than half an hour to make fresh and juicy jam at home to fill this sponge. Please click on the link below for my easy jam recipe. I must emphasize that the enticing flavours in this homemade strawberry jam complement hugely to the delicious taste of this cake. If the time doesn’t permit to make the jam or you are in a region where straws are hard to come by, then opt for the best brand of strawberry jam in the shop shelves.

Strawberry Jam – A very British, Strawberry Jam with white sugar in just 15 mins

Also, the butter icing should be smooth and creamy to enhance the overall taste. I used Stork spread for this purpose and am quite happy with the outcome. However, you can opt for any soft butter of your choice, but remember to stick to the right proportions and whisk it until silky and smooth.

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Ingredients needed to make the sponge :

Self Raising flour / Cake flour	250 g
Margarine or melted butter under room temperature	250 g
Caster sugar	250 g
Eggs under room temp	4
Milk	3 tbsp
Lemon juice and Vanilla essence	1 tsp each
Salt	2 pinches
Baking powder	1 tsp

Let’s start :

Let’s make it: Set the oven to 180 C .

Cream it

Cream butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy, using an electric hand mixer. Go clockwise (3 – 4 mins)
Add eggs, one at a time. Make sure you beat after each addition ( Beat 15 seconds after each egg)
Add vanilla essence, lemon juice, salt, milk and whisk two rounds (1 min)
Mix baking powder to flour and sieve onto the cake batter
Fold the flour gently with a wooden spoon until everything comes together as a creamy batter

Tray it

Divide the batter equally into two parts ( If you have two similar trays, both cakes could go to the oven at the same time. Otherwise, bake one and use the same tray to bake the other)
Line up the bottom of the baking tray with a parchment paper cut according to the shape and rub butter and dust flour on the sides
Spoon one part of the batter into the baking tray and flatten with a spatula.
Lift up the tray and drop it twice onto your kitchen-top gently, allowing the batter to spread and settle evenly on the try

Oven it

Place the tray in middle/bottom shelf of the oven (If your oven heats up too soon, set the temp. for 160 C degrees and bake the cake in the lower shelf)
Bake for 20 mins or the top turns golden yellow (Never open the oven door in the initial 10 mins. If the top is browned and the middle is not baked, do not worry, just cover the top with a parchment paper and continue to bake for further 10 mins)

Take out / Bake the next

After 20 mins, insert a skewer into the middle of the cake and if it comes clean, your cake is ready

Take it out from the oven and let it rest for 10 mins
Slowly remove from the tray and place the cake on a cooling rack
Now bake the rest of the batter in the same tray and let both cakes cool off completely
Meanwhhile, whip up the butter icing

Delicious Butter Icing Recipe

Icing sugar – 300 g (Sieve twice to get the best smooth icing sugar)
Stork spread/ Margerine 125 g
Lemon juice – 1 tsp
Milk – 3 tbsp
Vanilla essence – two drops

Let’s make the icing;

Cream up all together using an electric hand mixer
The icing should have no lumpy bits but a very smooth creamy texture

Let’s ice the cake now

Scrape the tops gently off

Smear strawberry jam generously on the bottom layer

Then spread buttercream icing on the jam layer
Place the other cake on top and sandwich the cakes
Spread a layer of buttercream icing on the top and decorate with strawberries or raspberries
Leave in the fridge for 1/2 hr before serving
Dip a long knife in boiling water, wipe clean and gently cut dainty pieces
Serve with more strawberries on the side
Enjoy!

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February 12, 2019October 21, 2019

ManoriLeave a comment

Sticky Date Cake – Soaked In Delicious Toffee Sauce

The perfect combination of the richness of dates and the sticky sweetness of the toffee sauce will make you fall in love with this cake instantly! Make this juicy cake to celebrate any occasion and you will never fail to disappoint your guests.

Rustle this up just the day before, allowing all the flavours and juices to infuse properly. Serve the daintily-cut, triangle cake pieces with a pool of toffee sauce. Heavenly!

The rich flavours and the thick toffee sauce that melts through the layers bring warmth and comfort in cold winter months. You can serve this to your family and friends at tea parties or small gatherings.

Incredibly, the batter is cooked on the stove, resulting in a very dense and flavourful texture! Follow the step by step recipe and make it today and enjoy the exotic taste!

Ingredients needed :

Wet dates (de stoned)	250g
Self raising flour	150 g
Brown sugar	150 g
Eggs	2
Margerine/Cake spread/Butter melted	65 g
Bicarb powder	1 tsp
Water	1 cup
Salt	3 pinches
For the toffee sauce
Brown sugar	5 tbsp
Margerine or butter	3 tbsp
Milk	3 tbsp
Salt	1 pinch

Let’s make it :

Cut the dates into small pieces
Place the date pieces and water into a deep pan and bring to boil – (3-4 mins) Do not over boil as the dates will become a sticky pulp

Switch the flame off and add 1tsp of bicarb and mix well

Add sugar and stir until dissolved
Next, add margarine and give a good mix
Beat the 2 eggs lightly and add to the mixture

Add the flour little by a little while mixing gradually

Finally, add a drop of lemon juice and vanilla and mix until everything combines properly
Pour the batter onto a round cake tray (line up the tray with parchment paper or rub butter and dust with flour)
Keep aside for 15 mins for all the flavours to incorporate properly

Bake in the lower rack of the oven for 20 mins under 180C degrees
After 20 mins stab a skewer and check if it comes clean. If not, keep in the oven for a little longer
Keep the cake to cool off completely in the tray itself
Once cooled off, take the cake out slowly and remove the lining and stab with a skewer in several places

Now make the Toffee sauce

Add 5 tbsp of sugar into a thick bottom pan and switch the flame on to medium

Let the sugar turn golden
Add butter immediately and give a good stir

Then add milk and a pinch of salt and stir under low flame until the sugar crystals melt and turn into a thick sauce

Take off the flame and keep to cool
Pour half of it over the cake letting the sauce run through the holes

Smear more sauce all over the top
Leave the cake overnight for the best taste!
Drizzle the rest of the toffee sauce over the cake slices and serve
Yum! Yum!

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January 1, 2019November 9, 2019

Manori2 Comments

Yule Log Cake – Christmas Yule Log Filled With Butter Cream Frosting

Yule Log 🎄is a very special part of Christmas celebrations dating back to medieval times. In the yesteryears, around Europe, this tradition was one of the highlights during Christmas time. An entire tree was carefully chosen and cut down, cleared of all branches and brought to the house. Then one side of it would be placed in the fire hearth while the rest of the log would be lying in the room. Then the tree would be lit up by the remains of the last year’s log and slowly fed into the fire through the Twelve Days of Christmas bringing such cozy warmth and festive spirit to the family.

Making this chocolate Yule Log cake, which is filled with buttery chocolate icing, is easy and fun! I particularly loved decorating it, giving it a real Christmassy appearance; fixing a few holly leaves on the top with red berries and dusting it with icing sugar to make it look like snowflakes made my heart swell with glee!

So, let’s gather the following ingredients and get on with making this delicious cake before the Christmas day dawns.

For the cake you will need;

Plain Flour	50 g
Sugar (white caster or soft brown sugar)	120 g
Eggs	3
Baking Powder	1 tsp
Corn Flour	2 tbsp
Cocoa Powder	1 & 1/2tbsp
Salt	2 pinches
Vanilla	1/2 tsp

For the butter icing

Icing Sugar	200 g
Margarine or spread	100 g
Vanilla and a few drops of lemon juice
Cocoa Powder	1 & 1/2tbsp
Fresh Milk	1 tbsp

Let’s make the cake

Set the Oven to 180 C

Beat it

Separate the egg whites and yolks carefully (not even a drop of yolk should be in the whites)

Beat the egg whites using an electric hand mixer, in high speed for 2 mins until peaks appear

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Add sugar in three times while beating in high speed for 1 min (Never drop all the sugar at once)

Add egg yolks and beat for 2 mins

Add chocolate powder, baking powder, cornflour, and plain flour together and sieve on to the batter
Add salt and vanilla

Do not use the electric mixer at this point. Fold the flour using a spatula until the batter becomes creamy.

Prepare the tin

12″ x 10″ size swiss cake tin is the right size for the sponge

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Line up with a parchment paper

Prepare the parchment paper for rolling the cake

Lay a wide parchment paper on a kitchen towel
Sprinkle granulated sugar and keep it ready for rolling out the cake

Bake

Spread the sponge batter on the tray
Lift and drop the tray twice on the kitchen top for the batter to settle evenly
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 mins

Take the cake out of the oven

Lay the cake face down on the sugar sprinkled the parchment paper
Sprinkle some water on to the lining parchment paper, so that it comes out easily. Peel it off gently

Roll out

While the cake is still very warm, roll out the cake with the parchment paper

Leave it to cool off completely for 1 hr.

Let’s make the butter icing

Mix 200g of icing sugar and 1 & 1/2 tbsp of cocoa powder and sieve on to 100g of margarine/spread and beat it in high speed for 2 mins
Add 1 tbsp of fresh milk, vanilla and a few drops of lemon juice
Beat all together until creamy
Chocolate butter icing is ready to use!

(You can make an extra batch of butter icing and keep it in an airtight plastic box in the fridge for future use. For the next cake, place the box of icing in the microwave and heat up for 15 seconds to melt it and spread on the cake)

Ice it

Open the cake flat on a tray
Spread a thick layer of butter icing

Roll it gently

Smear a generous amount of chocolate butter icing on top
Run a fork across the surface, making it look like a real log!
Dust with icing sugar
Decorate to your heart’s content and bring your inner Christmas spirit out!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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December 22, 2018October 29, 2019

ManoriLeave a comment

No Mixer Chocolate Cupcakes With Fudge Frosting – Easy Peasy Glorious Cupcakes

Making cupcakes cannot be easier than this! And, getting the utmost sponginess, the intensely chocolaty flavour and the eye-popping beautiful glazed chocolate icing are all a great big bonus!

Try this out today and you are sure to get addicted to both the taste as well as the easy method of making it!

The best part of making these glorious cakes is that you don’t even have to take your electric hand mixer out. Hence, no extra washing up and storing all back! Just by mixing all the ingredients, you get the right consistency, tempting colour and the most satisfying taste of a luxury cake!

Let’s make them with a smile!

You will need:

Self Raising Flour	250 g
Margarine or Baking spread (I used Stork baking spread)	250 g
Caster sugar	250 g
Eggs (large)	2
Milk	1/2 cup
Cocoa Powder	3 tbsp
Baking powder	1 tsp
Salt	4 pinches

For the icing
Icing sugar	150 g
Margarine	75 g
Cocoa Powder	2 tbsp
Milk	2 tbsp
Milk or dark chocolates	150 g

Let’s make :

Preheat the Oven at 180 C Gas mark 4

Easy to follow the oven temperature conversion chart :

Oven Temperature Conversion

In a heavy bottom pan, place milk, margarine, sugar, cocoa powder and salt
Heat until all melt into a chocolaty sauce, being careful not to let it boil. When everything comes together as a sauce take out from the flame.

Mix baking powder and flour together and sieve on to a bowl
Using a fork, whisk the eggs until frothy
Now slowly pour the chocolate sauce on to the eggs and mix well

Add the liquidy chocolaty mixture on to the flour while rapidly mixing
Mix with a wooden spoon or a spatula until no lumpy bits remaining
The mixture will be very watery. Keep aside for 15 mins until it turns into a thick sauce

Pour on to silicon cupcake cases, paper cupcake cases or just rub butter and dust flour the muffin tray and carefully pour the batter leaving a little space from the top allowing the cake to rise

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 mins (Important: never open the door of the oven in the initial 10 mins)

Take out the cupcakes and place on a tray to cool off completely

Now make the chocolate icing

For the icing
Icing sugar	150 g
Margarine	75 g
Cocoa Powder	2 tbsp
Milk	2 tbsp
Milk or dark chocolates	150 g

Melt all the ingredients mentioned under ‘Icing’ in a heavy bottom pan until everything comes to a runny liquid. This is a very quick task. do not boil or overheat
Leave to cool

Pour over cupcakes

Decorate with white chocolate and milk chocolate shavings
Place all the cupcakes in a tray and stick in the fridge for the icing to settle
After 1/2 hr your cupcakes are ready to devour!
Store in a plastic box in the fridge

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October 30, 2018November 19, 2019

ManoriLeave a comment

Banana And Walnut Cake – Better Than Starbucks’s

This beautiful cake with delicious fruity twist is a classic treat that you would love to make again and again to share with your friends and family. The taste and scent of bananas and the crunchiness of walnuts is a real temptation!

While trying to make something similar to Starbucks’s banana and walnut cake, I ended up creating something far better and simply irressistable, much to my delight and utter surprise – and of my friends. Adding golden syrup, milk and lemon juice on impulse didn’t disappoint me, as they all nicely blended into a fountain of flavours, highlighting the taste of bananas.

Over-riped bananas with black patches on the skin are the best for this cake, as they are high in flavour and moisture, which in turn gives a delicious scent and taste to this cake. Also, do not forget to add brown sugar as it gives a beautiful broze browen colour to the cake

Let’s gather the necessary ingredients to make it:

Over riped bananas	2 large
Soft brown sugar	170 g
Margerine or butter (under room temp)	150 g
Self raising flour	225 g
Eggs	2
Fresh milk	2 tbsp
Golden syrup	1 tbsp
Salt	3 pinches
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Bicarbonate of soda	1 & 1/2 tsp
Walnuts crushed (extra handful for sprinkling on the top)	60 g
Golden syrup	1 tbsp

Let’s make :

Set the Oven to 180 C

Mash the bananas

Using a fork gently mash the bananas and keep aside

Cream the batter

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Cream margerine with sugar using the electric hand or stand mixer
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition
Beat for 2 mins until creamy
Add the mashed banana and beat just one round
Add salt and bicarb to flour and sieve on to the batter
Add lemon juice and vanilla
Add golden syrup
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix all into a smooth batter
Add crushed walnuts and give a good mix with the spoon

Tray it

Best choice is the classic loaf tray for this cake

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Rub butter inside walls of the tray and sprinkle flour until all sides are coated or lay a parchment paper
Spoon the batter into a loaf tin
Sprinkle a handful of crushed walnuts on the top

Bake it

Place in the bottom shelf of the oven as this is a very wet cake
Bake for 30 – 40 mins or when stabbed with a skewer, it should come clean
After 1/2 hr, if the top of the cake is browned but the middle is still soggy, cover the top with a foil paper or baking sheet and bake further more
After 40 mins stab a skewer into the middle and check if it comes clean
Take out of the oven
Let the cake rest in the tray itself for 10 mins
Take out and wrap with a foil paper and keep until it cools down completely (This will evenly distribute the warmth and make the cake moist)

Serve it

Take a long bread knife and dip it in boiling water for 2 mins. Wipe the water (This will prevent the cake from crumbling while cutting)
Now cut the cake into dainty slices very gently as the walnuts can come between the knife
Serve with a hot cup of coffee or tea
Enjoy!

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May 15, 2018March 4, 2019

ManoriLeave a comment

Red Nose Day Cup Cakes – Pretty cupcakes with facial expressions

Creating these pretty cupcakes for the Red Nose Day charity cake sale held by my little son’s school gave both of us unlimited fun. The delight in my sons’s eyes told me that all the time and energy spent on those never gone wasted.

You can see the moods created on top of the iced cupcake to imply that expressions are unique to us, humans : Cool faces, mild faces, wild faces, glamours faces with pouting lips and guys with cool glasses and some sad faces with a single tear dropping. You can set your creative ideas to take over and enjoy doing something unique and beautiful. After all, it’s all for a good cause.

I used ready to roll icing in different colours to make the features of the faces. You can simply kneed the icing and roll it out to make any shape, just like the playing clay. You can even cover the whole surface of the cupcake with a layer of this icing, cut into shape which is quicker and easier but the cake won’t taste good. Delicious home-made butter icing (recipe given below) spreaded liberally on top could taste the cake heavenly! After all, the cakes should not only look pretty but also taste delicious in every bite.

You can even decorate similar type of cakes for any party or just to amuse your little ones. They will love to join in making them too.

I normally bake the cupcakes on the previous day and let them cool completely. Next day, you have all the time and energy to spare for decorating them elaborately. If you couple both on the same day, you could be too tired to launch yourself in decorating them at ease.

So, let’s start,

You will need the following items:

Self Raising flour	250 g
Margarine or butter softened (30 secs in the microwave )	250 g
Caster sugar	250 g
Eggs	4
Milk	1/4 cup
Lemon juice and Vanilla essence	1 tsp each
Salt	3 pinches

Let’s make them: Set the oven to 180 C . (Temperature conversion is given under Tips)

Beat butter and sugar together until creamy, using an electric hand mixer (3 mins)
Add eggs, one at a time. Make sure you beat well after each addition for 1/2 min
Add vanilla essence, lemon juice and beat for two rounds.
Mix baking powder to flour and salt and sieve onto the cake batter, holding the sieve well above it, allowing the air to escape.
Do not use the electric mixer at this point. Fold the flour gently with a wooden spoon until everything turns into a creamy batter.
Add milk and mix well.
Your cake batter is ready now.

Fill the cupcake cases and bake now:

Fill the paper cupcake cases 3/4 th with the batter, leaving space for cakes to rise.
Place the cakes in the cupcake tray.

Pop it in to the oven.
Bake for 13-20 min.
Insert a skewer into the middle of the cake and if it comes clean, your cake is ready.
Take the tray out of the oven and let it rest for 10 mins.
Slowly remove the cupcakes from the tray and place them on a cooling rack.
Let the cakes cool off completely !!!

Let’s make the butter icing now :

Icing sugar (seived)	300 g
Butter or Margarine	125 g
Lemon juice	1/2 tsp
Milk	1 tbsp
Vanilla a few drops

Let’s make the icing:

Cream up all together using an electric hand mixer
Spread a layer of icing flat on the top
To decorate you can opt for any kind of sweets ; smarties, m&m, jelly babies, sprinkles
To set features like those below, roll out different coloured royal icing and arrange on the top
Your pretty cup cakes are ready
Have a happy Red Nose Day!

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March 2, 2018March 13, 2019

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