Carrot, courgette and pineapple garden cake

Today is one of my good friend's birthday! I managed to meet up with her last week for a celebration and of course I had to make a cake. Last year I made a raspberry ripple cake which was fraught with disasters but luckily tasted very good. This year I wanted to do something different so I decided to push the boat out and looked through my copy of The Birthday Cake Book by Fiona Cairns. I've never made anything from this book as they all look quite scary and complicated but I was feeling brave! 

When I saw her vegetable plot cake, I decided I wanted to make a garden cake as my friend loves gardening. So this cake is inspired by Fiona Cairns but I've created my own 'garden vegetable' cake recipe. I thought it was only fitting that the cake should be full of fruits and vegetables. I also used spelt flour for the extra "earthiness" and healthiness and the result was a delicious, moist and flavourful cake. It went really well with the cream cheese frosting and I'll definitely be making these again perhaps in a muffin form for breakfast/snacks. 

My friend was really pleased with the cake and said it was the best cake she's ever had!! :) I feel so touched but am also slightly worried that I won't be able to make anything as good as this for future birthdays! 

Happy Birthday Charlotte!! 

As this is a birthday and celebration cake, I'm also entering it to Tea Time Treats who are celebrating their first birthday this month and the theme is cake. Tea Time Treats is hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage and Kate from What Kate Baked. 

 You need courgette, carrots, pineapple and I threw in a banana as well as I had one going brown - it adds to the moistness of the cake 

 mash the bananas, grate the carrots and courgettes and open the tin of pineapple (you can also use fresh pineapple)

 ready to go in the oven. I love the colour of the batter from the spelt flour 

 sandwich the cakes with cream cheese frosting tinted green. Cover the top and sides 

 Buy 2 boxes of matchmakers to make the fence 

 roll a small piece of green fondant into a sausage like shape with tapered ends 

 press the end of a paintbrush to create an indentation for the pea pod

 neaten the ends like this 

 roll 3 small balls of green fondant and place in the pod - these are a little big but I'm sure you get the idea! 

 Roll some orange fondant to a similar shape and use a knife to score ridges across to make it look like a carrot. I shaped the green fondant by hand and stuck it on top of the carrot 

 roll a piece of green fondant into a small ball. flatten with your palm. use a sharp knife to cut out a star shape pattern like this 

 roll a small ball of red fondant. place the green 'star' that you cut earlier. Use a paintbrush to make a hole in the centre. Please tell me they look like tomatoes!

 To assemble the cake - cover the top and sides with green cream cheese frosting. Place the matchmakers around the cake to create a fence. I made them different heights but you can keep it even. Blitz 5 oreo cookies in a food processor and spread on top of the cake. I made some 'grass' from green dessicated coconut which I sprinkled on the cake board using the same cream cheese frosting to stick it to the board. 

 I also made some potatoes by rolling small balls of brown fondant and making indentations with the end of a paintbrush 

 I bought some coconut mushrooms as I didn't have time to make my own 

 The finished cake 

An original recipe by bakingaddict

For the cake

65mls or 1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon salt

400g brown sugar

375g spelt flour

200g carrots, grated (approximately 2 medium sized carrots)

200g courgette, grated (approximately 1 medium sized courgette)

225g tinned pineapple, drained

1 banana

120g pecan nuts, roughly chopped 

For the cream cheese frosting

225g cream cheese

113g butter

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

400g icing sugar

green food colouring

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Grease and line 2 sandwich tins.
• Mix oil, eggs, vanilla, spices, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar in an electric mixer or large bowl.
• Add in the flour and mix well.
• Add the grated vegetables, fruits and nuts and mix well.
• Divide the batter evenly between two pans (I usually weigh mine).
• Bake for approximately 50minutes to 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
• To make the frosting, beat the butter, cream cheese and vanilla extract in an electric mixer until smooth.
• Slowly add in the icing sugar and continue mixing until smooth. 
• Add the green colour at the end. 

For the decorations as shown

5 oreo cookies

2 boxes of matchmakers

ready rolled fondant icing - you can either buy them coloured or colour your own using paste colours

I used green, orange, red and brown

1 paintbrush

1 small, sharp knife

dessicated coconut

green food colouring

coconut mushrooms

wafer daisies

2 red m&m's

black writing icing 

Jasmine Green Tea Cupcakes

When Caroline announced that this month's AlphaBakes letter is 'J', I struggled to think of J related bakes apart from jam. I thought last month's 'N' was quite challenging (check out the amazing entries here) but I think J is even harder than N! Caroline has already posted homemade Jaffa cakes using the same recipe I bookmarked so I thought I'd try something different and came up with Jasmine green Tea cupcakes.  I used the hummingbird bakery earl grey cupcakes recipe but substituted earl grey for jasmine green tea. I also added 1 teabag of leaves to the batter for extra flavour.  The result was subtle but delicious. You can't really taste the tea at first especially if you eat it with the frosting but if you let the cake sit for a while in your mouth then you can definitely taste the tea. 

I made these cupcakes for my last day at work (yes I know I recently left my old job and started this one but this job was only for 1 month. I have a new permanent job next year - more details to follow). I wanted to make them special so I decided to try out different piping techniques. I baked 75 cupcakes that evening - 1 batch of jasmine green tea, 1 batch of lemon cupcakes, 1 batch of chocolate cupcakes and my Polka Dot Pudsey Cupcakes. It took me hours and hours to bake and decorate but it was worth it :) I really wanted to try piping a chrysanthemum but discovered I didn't have the correct piping tips (guess what's going on my Christmas wish list?) so you may see them here in the future. 

As mentioned, I'm entering these to AlphaBakes hosted this month by Caroline from Caroline Makes and co hosted by myself on alternate months. The theme is J for Jasmine Green Tea. 

I'm also entering these to Tea Time Treats hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage and Kate from What Kate Baked.  They are celebrating their first birthday so the theme is cake. I think these flower cupcakes would be perfect for a birthday celebration! 

 

 Mix the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in an electric mixer until it resembles fine breadcrumbs

 add tea leaves to the batter 

 I love the little specks of tea leaves 

 ready to be frosted 

 I'm not sure what flower this is but I experimented with a petal piping tip 

 The completed collection - I think they look good together :) 

Jasmine Green Tea Cupcakes

Makes 14 cupcakes

4 Jasmine Green Tea teabags
3 tablespoons just-boiled water
80g butter, softened
280g caster sugar
240g plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ tsp salt
200ml milk
2 large eggs

• Brew a strong cup of tea by placing 3 teabags in 3 tablespoons of just boiled water for at least 30 minutes. 
• Preheat the oven to 190C.
• Mix the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in an electric mixer until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. 
• Whisk the eggs and milk together then add in the brewed tea, squeezing every last drop from the teabags. 
• Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients slowly and continue mixing until smooth. 
• Cut open 1 teabag and add leaves to the batter (optional).
• Don't worry if the batter looks liquid - it will still turn into beautiful cakes! 
• Fill cupcake cases 2/3 full.
• Bake for 18 - 20 minutes or until well risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

I made swiss meringue buttercream again for the frosting (recipe at bottom of link) - I made 2 recipes of this and 1 recipe of vanilla buttercream to frost all 75 cupcakes. 

Sunflower Cupcake Bouquet

Recently I was asked by a friend to make a birthday cake for her colleague. She knows I've been wanting to make a cupcake bouquet for months so even though it's for a guy, I was given the go ahead for a cupcake bouquet and reassurances that he would love it. I researched a few recipes and decided on a sunflower bouquet as I love sunflowers and I think they appeal to  both men and women. 

This project took longer than I expected so will have to plan ahead next time. I made this over 2 evenings - baked all the cakes the first evening then decorated on the second evening. It's the first time I've tried swiss meringue buttercream and I wonder why I've waited so long!! It's absolutely amazing!! It has a silky smooth texture and delicious buttery taste without being too sweet (like normal buttercream) and it holds its shape very well when decorating cakes! I used the recipe from my Martha Stewart Cupcake book but there are plenty of recipes online and they are all very similar - egg whites, sugar and butter. 

Unfortunately I was quite ill towards the end of the second evening and as the cake had to be delivered, it was unfinished - there were a few gaps in the bouquet. However, the birthday boy was absolutely delighted and all the cupcakes including the un-iced ones were eaten! 

Happy (Belated) Birthday Yogi! 

 How to make swiss meringue buttercream - heat egg whites and sugar until the sugar has melted. Beat in a stand mixer until peaks form.

 add blobs of soft butter and continue whisking. Don't worry if it looks curdled at this stage - it will be fine! Just keep whisking... mine took about 10 minutes in total. 

 You should end up with a nice, light, creamy frosting

 Oreo cookie, food colouring, red m&m's (for the ladybird), a leaf tip, black writing icing and a piping bag. Plus cupcakes and buttercream. 

 Close up of the piping nozzle required 

 Yellow frosting, green frosting, chocolate cupcakes. 

 start by spreading green icing on the cupcakes. Don't worry if it's a little messy - you will be covering most of the cupcake. 

 Add an oreo cookie on top of each cupcake to form the centre of the sunflower. 

 start piping the sunflower petals with yellow buttercream using the leaf tip. Hold your piping bag at a right angle to the cookie and pull out sharply. My first attempt here looks like wilted petals :( 

 luckily things looked better after a bit of practice. I recommend watching a video on youtube to see how it's done - there are lots of free ones available. 

 I also made some ladybirds using the red M&M's and black writing icing. You could also use a small round nozzle and black icing. 

  They look so good together! 

 I bought a flowerpot from B&Q and got a floral oasis ball from a florist friend - thank you! Wrap the oasis ball in clingfilm otherwise you'll get green everywhere and it's unhygienic on the cakes! 

 Initially I started at the bottom but the pot was about to topple over so I started at the top and worked my way down. I used 3-4 toothpicks for each cupcake. 

 There's a green cupcake in there as I'd run out of sunflower cupcakes! It's suppose to look like leaves anyway :)

Finished off with some green tissue paper, clear cellophane and a ribbon. 

Lessons learnt from this project

1. Always allow more time than you think.

2. Make more cupcakes than you need in case the cakes fall apart - I had difficulty piercing some of the cupcakes with the toothpick and in some cases, the 'sunflower head' fell off which was very frustrating. In the end I used a sharp knife to make holes in the bottom of the cake.

3. Place the decorated cupcakes in the fridge for at least 30 minutes for the frosting to set before putting the bouquet together. It really helps! 

4. Have a wet towel handy as it starts getting messy when you are trying to put the bouquet together.

5. Don't cry when the cakes fall apart. Just eat them and smile :) 

6. Improvise if you have to - perfection is not required! 

If anyone has any tips and advice, please feel free to share. I'd definitely like to try again but I think it wasn't too bad for a first attempt! 

As this is a celebration cake, I'm entering this to Tea Time Treats hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage (host this month) and Kate from What Kate Baked. It's Tea Time Treats 1st birthday - congratulations! - so the theme this month is cake, preferably celebration cakes.

Chocolate cupcake recipe - I used the same recipe as for my flowerpot cupcakes as it's a mix all in one and absolutely delicious!

Black Midnight Cupcake
280g plain flour
250g caster sugar
80g cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cup water
170g butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Place all the ingredients for the cupcake into a large mixer bowl and mix on low - medium speed for a few minutes until well mixed.
Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Scoop into cupcake cases and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream - I used Martha Stewart's recipe which I've converted into metric units

5 egg whites

450g butter, cut into pieces at room temperature

280g caster sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

• Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.
• Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.
• Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don't worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.
• Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on the lowest speed to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes. If using buttercream within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.

Polka Dot Pudsey Cupcakes

I really enjoyed participating in the Baking Mad Children in Need campaign last year by baking Rainbow Pudsey Cupcakes and Smarties Cookies. When they approached me again this year, I could hardly say no. The brief for this year was to create a unique recipe for Pudsey Bear cupcakes or biscuits.  The team at Baking Mad will pick the most inventive recipe and announce a winner who will be featured on their homepage.

I really liked my rainbow cupcakes last year so had a hard time thinking of another idea. I know this is not terribly original but spots remind me of Pudsey bear so I decided to make Polka Dot cupcakes. It's a basic vanilla cupcake with Polka Dot sprinkles mixed in the batter. 

 You can buy polka dot sprinkles from most supermarket 

 they look so colourful! 

 you can still see the spots... just about 

 and even after they are baked 

 yum! 

I used my now favourite vanilla cupcake recipe - the ultimate vanilla cupcake

For the cakes
125g flour + 1 tablespoon cornflour
1.5 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
113g butter
225g sugar
1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 eggs yolk

35g polka dot sprinkles

For the frosting 
250g icing sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g butter

10g polka dot sprinkles to decorate

• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Sift the flours, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together butter, sugar, vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• In a measuring jug, whisk together sour cream, eggs and egg yolk until smotth.
• Pour half of the wet ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture and beat until smooth.
• Reduce mixer speed to low and stir in half of the flour mixture.
• Repeat with the remaining dry and wet ingredients. 
• Add in 35g of polka dot sprinkles and mix well. 
• Fill cases until 2/3 full. 
• Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 22-25 minutes. 
• Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the frosting, place the icing sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. 
• Add milk, vanilla extract and salt and mix on low speed until sugar is evenly moistened. 
• Add butter and gradually increase the speed from low to medium-high. 
• Beat until fluffy and light in texture, 3 to 4 minutes.