Carrot Cake Cupcakes and a review

I've been getting repeated requests for carrot cake at work so I decided to bake some but in a cupcake form instead of a layer cake. I wanted to give some away as a gift and it's much easier to present cupcakes as a gift than slices of cake. I used the recipe that I made up previously with a few minor changes. The first is a tip from my mum which was to soak the raisins in fresh orange juice overnight. The raisins were really plump and juicy and tasted great! I also added in a banana as I had one brown banana on the counter begging to be used and I think it adds to the moistness of the cake. I also omitted the nuts as one of my colleagues is allergic to walnuts. Overall, the cake got great reviews - it was moist, juicy and not too sweet. The cream cheese frosting was the perfect complement and the little carrot chocolate decorations were literally the icing on the cake. 

The cupcakes looked great after baking and decorating and were screaming to be presented in a lovely cake stand. I decided it was the perfect opportunity to use my new cake stand from dotcomgiftshop and to tell you a little about it. It's the Petit Four Botanical Cake Stand made of ceramic with a scalloped edging and glass top. It fits 3 cupcakes perfectly and will fit a small layer cake. It would also be good to display whoopie pies, cookies or mini cakes. The cake stand is surprisingly light but sturdy. The flowers on the glass stand are beautiful and I've taken pictures from different angles to give you an idea of what it looks like in 3D. 

My verdict - It's a great little cake stand to display your baked goods. It's light and easy to wash and keeps your baked goods fresh. It is petit as the name suggests so don't expect to fit a large layer cake in there! A perfect gift for the baker in your family or a treat for yourself. 

 wholemeal flour, olive oil, muscovado sugar, ground cinnamon, ground mixed spice, orange, cream cheese, carrots, raisins soaked in fresh orange juice 

 adding in the ingredients to the flour mixture 

 ready to go in the oven 

 fresh from the oven 

 rows of pretty carrot cake cupcakes 

 cake stand 

 different view of the glass cover 

 yet another view of the glass cover 

 fits 3 cupcakes perfectly 

  view from the side 

 view from the top 

For the carrot cake
150ml olive oil
150g muscovado sugar
3 eggs
240g wholemeal flour
1.5 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
zest of 1 orange
100g raisins soaked in fresh orange juice overnight and then drained
300g carrots, peeled and grated
1 ripe banana (optional)

For the orange cream cheese frosting
300g cream cheese
150g icing sugar
zest of 1 orange
1-2 tablespoons fresh orange juice (depending on consistency of icing requred)

• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil, sugar and eggs until the sugar has dissolved and the eggs are slightly fluffy. 
• In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, bicabonate of soda and spices and add to the egg mixture.
• Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well. 
• Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases and bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 
• Allow to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before turning out to a wire rack to cool completely. 
• Meanwhile make the frosting by beating all the ingredients in an electric mixer until smooth.
• Spread the frosting on top of the cupcake using a palette knife and finish with a chocolate carrot decoration or as desired. 

Disclaimer: I was sent the cake stand for review purposes free of charge. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Lemon Frosting Cookies

I hate kitchen waste. I try to recycle as much as I can and I try to make use of all my ingredients if possible. I had quite a lot of leftover lemon buttercream frosting from making these lemon cupcakes and some leftover cream cheese from making these nutella whoopie pies. So I got to thinking about what I could do with them apart from eating it straight from the bowl. Yes that was a very viable option! Anyway, I started thinking about my frosting which is basically butter and sugar with some lemon juice. That sounded like the basis of a cookie to me - add some flour, an egg, leftover cream cheese and more lemon zest and you'll have cookies. Leftover lemon frosting cookies to be exact. I was really surprised at how well the cookies turned out. They were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with the distinct taste and zing of lemon. I ate 3 straight from the oven as they were highly addictive!

I'm entering this to No Waste Food Challenge which is guest hosted by Elizabeth from Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary and created by Kate from Turquoise Lemons. The theme this month is anything goes.

I'm also entering it to Made with Love Mondays hosted by Javelin Warrior.  This is a simple recipe using basic ingredients including homemade vanilla extract.

Addendum 24/8/13 - I am also entering this to Credit Crunch Munch hosted by Elizabeth from Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary. This challenge was created by Helen from Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla from Fab Food 4 all. This recipe uses up a lot of leftovers so it's perfect for the challenge.

 leftover cream cheese, leftover lemon buttercream icing and lemon

 the dough is soft and sticky but don't worry as it bakes beautifully 

Leftover Lemon Frosting Cookies

Approximately 120-150g of leftover lemon buttercream frosting (I forgot to weigh it so it's a rough estimate)
60g cream cheese (optional)
185g flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
20g caster sugar (I was worried that the lemon would be very tart)

• Preheat oven to 180C.
• Grease and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
• Place the leftover frosting, cream cheese and sugar in a stand mixer and mix well (or mix by hand)
• Add in the egg.
• Add in vanilla extract and lemon zest.
• Finally stir in the flour and bicarbonate of soda.
• Place small scoops of dough spaced apart on a baking tray.
• Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
• Allow to cool on baking tray. 

Lemon cupcakes and a review

Cupcakes are one my favourite things to bake. I definitely class myself as more of a baker than cake decorator so when I was asked if I wanted to review Cupcake Decorating Lab by Bridget Thibeault I said yes as I wanted to learn some new techniques. It's a beautiful book published by Quarry Books. It has 144 pages in total with lots of colour photographs.

The book is divided into 10 chapters

It starts with an introduction from the author and also covers materials that you will need. The chapters are then divided into

1. Icing basics - frosting with buttercream, piping with buttercream, tinting buttercream, striping with buttercream, chocolate ganache glaze
2. Sugared Fruit & Flowers - sugared berries, basket of peaches, candied flowers, candied citrus slices
3. Fondant - covering with fondant, silicone moulds, impression mats, stamping on fondant, stenciling on fondant
4. Royal Icing - piping on fondant, brush embroidery, royal icing decorations, sugar cookie topper
5. Flowers & Garden - single buttercream flower, buttercream rosettes, fondant rose bouquet, sugar blossoms, sugar flowers, butterflies in the grass, herb pots
6. Fun Themes - krispie S'more cupcakes, doughnut cupcakes, gone surfing, white chocolate snowman, cupcake cake, cupcake fondue, espresso cups tea party mojito
7. Kids & Babies - tutu cupcakes, ice cream cone clowns, movie night cupcakes, soft serve ice cream, owl cupcakes, egg nests
8. Weddings - tiered wedding cupcakes, monogram cupcakes, shot glass tiramisu, PBJ Mason jars
9. Cupcakes with a Twist - cheesecake cupcakes, cake truffles, cake push pops, rose bundt cakes, flourless chocolate cake
10. Presentation - pedestals & cupcake stands, ribbons, wrappings & packaging

Each chapter is beautifully illustrated with step by step photographs. There's a list of materials required on your left and a helpful tip box on each page. I chose to work with fondant as it still scares me and I also wanted to try something new. I bought some impression mats at a cake show last year but have not used them yet so this was a good opportunity.

I made my favourite lemon cucpcake recipe as I wanted something light and refreshing. I followed the instructions for using the impression mat and decorating the cupcakes and I am pleased with the results. 

My Verdict - I really like this book for the following reasons. It's clear and beautifully set out with lots of colour step by step photographs. It covers everything you need to know to decorate a cupcake from the basics of frosting a cupcake with a spatula to more complicated techniques such as brush embroidery. It also has cupcake recipes at the back in both metric and US measurements. If I did not receive this review copy, I'd put it on my Christmas wish list! 

 ingredients for lemon cupcake

 my recipe only made 10 cupcakes

 impression mats

 place fondant over the mat and press with your fingers or roll with a rolling pin 

 it works! 

 I also got to use my cute button mould

 These were the only colours I had but I think they worked out in the end 

 Place a small amount of frosting on top of the cupcake

 cover with fondant circle 

 ta-dah! 

 it could be neater but I think they look great

 I also decorated some with butterflies 

Disclaimer: I received a free review copy from the publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Crystallised Ginger Biscuits

It feels like I've not baked for a long time so it was really good to get back into the kitchen and bake something. Last month was hectic and I do apologise for the lack of posts here and will try to post more frequently this month. As I'm hosting AlphaBakes this month, I thought I'd better get stuck in and make something before the end of the month. The letter this month is G which immediately made me think of ginger which I actually hate. However, almost everyone I know loves ginger so I knew there would not be a lack of taste testers for the recipe. 

I chose a recipe from Jo Wheatley's A Passion for Baking. She quizzed her team of biscuit tasters to find out which flavour they preferred and the response was ginger. I didn't know this but Jo doesn't like ginger either! I have to say I did taste one and it really was very good although it was very gingery! The biscuits are crunchy on the outside with a strong taste of crystallised ginger. I loved the chocolate bit on top! 

As mentioned I'm entering this to AlphaBakes which I co-host with Caroline from Caroline Makes. The letter this month is G for ginger. 

I'm also entering them to Feel Good Food hosted by Victoria at A Kick at The Pantry Door as the ingredient this month is ginger.

 lots of sugar and spice!

 crystallised ginger 

 the chocolate square did not melt into the cookie as I thought but remained whole and utterly delicious when you bite into it. 

Recipe reproduced with permission from the author Jo Wheatley. Taken from her book A Passion for Baking page 186

Makes 18-20

90g unsalted butter

110g demerara sugar

40g light muscovado sugar

250g plain flour

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon flavourless oil (sunflower or groundnut) * 

75g crystallised ginger, chopped

10 squares of dark or white chocolate

* I found my dough to be quite crumbly so I added an egg which worked well. Jo says that there was a typo in the book and the quantity of oil should be increased - I'll update once I know the correct amount. 

• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Cream the butter with the sugars until lights and fluffy.
• Sift the flour, ground ginger and cinnamon into the bowl and mix again. 
• Add oil and ginger and process until combined.
• Add an egg or more oil until you get a smooth dough.
• Scoop a small mound of dough into your hand and roll into a ball.
• Place on a lined baking tray and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. 
• Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Cut each chocolate square in half and push one piece into the top of each biscuit. 
• Bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown and firm.
• Cool on the baking trays. 

Nutella Orange Whoopie Pies and a review

Nutella is one of my favourite snacks so I was really excited when I was asked if I wanted to review a book of Nutella recipes. The book is by Jacqui Small and is called Nutella : The 30 Best recipes. It's in the form of a 3D nutella jar and is filled with a delicious collection of Nutella recipes. The recipes range from simple no bake recipes to more complicated desserts. There are 62 pages in total with a helpful conversion chart at the back.

The book is divided into the following chapters. I've included a selection of recipes from each section but there are a lot more in the book.

• Little Nutella Treats - nutella financiers, nutella souffles, mini nutella croissants
• Melt in the Mouth Nutella - nutella mousse, nutella creme brulee, nutella panna cotta
• Nutella for Sharing - nutella mini swiss rolls, nutella and chocolate terrine, nutella charlotte
• Amazing Nutella - nutella clusters, nutella macarons, nutella cigars

Each recipe is clearly laid out on one page and has an accompanying photo. There is a 1 line introduction to the recipe followed by information such as serving size and preparation time. The ingredients are listed in metric and cup measurements. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. 

It was difficult to choose to recipe to make as I wanted to make all of them but in the end decided on the Nutella and Orange whoopie pies. The whoopies pies were great - moist and crumbly with the chocolate hazelnut taste of nutella. The filling that I made was a little watery but it tasted good. The orange flavour was definitely there and it went well with the chocolate. 

My verdict - a cute little book perfect as a gift particularly for nutella lovers like me. The main plus points for me are the presentation (3D nutella jar) and that there is a photo for each recipe. 

The publishers have kindly offered my readers a special price for this book. Details are listed below. 

To order Nutella: The 30 Best Recipes at the discounted price of £7.00 including p&p*, telephone 01903 828503 and quote offer code JS229. Or send a cheque made payable to: Littlehampton Book Services Mail Order Department, Littlehampton Book Services, PO Box 4264, Worthing, West Sussex BN13 3TG. Please quote the offer code JS229 and include your name and address details.

*UK ONLY - Please add £2.50 if ordering from overseas.

If you fancy your chances and want to win a copy then complete the rafflecopter form below. Entries open to UK residents only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 sample page

 main ingredients 

 adding the nutella 

 time to use my whoopie pie pan! 

 yum! 

Recipe from Nutella: The 30 Best Recipes published by Jacqui Small - reproduced with publishers permission

Makes 15 Whoopie pies (I made 12 large ones) 

 • preparation time : 30 min • cooking time : 10–15 min • chilling time : 1 hr

For the cream filling 

1 orange

75 g (5 tbsp) unsalted butter 

50 g (¼ cup) caster/superfine sugar 

1 egg 

75 g (¹/3 cup) philadelphia-style cheese

For the whoopie pies 

125 g (1¼ cups) plain/all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

40 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter 

40 g (scant ¼ cup) caster/superfine sugar • 1 egg 

100 g (scant ½ cup) nUTELLA® 

20 g (2 tbsp) cocoa powder 

100 ml (scant ½ cup) semi-skimmed milk 

 a pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).

2. Make the cream filling. Finely grate the orange zest and squeeze the juice. 

Melt the butter in a bain-marie or in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Add 

the sugar, egg and the juice and zest of the orange. Beat continuously until the 

mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Beat in the cheese 

then chill for 1 hour. 

3. Make the whoopie pies. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. In 

a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, NUTELLA®, 

cocoa powder and milk. Mix well then add the flour and baking powder mixture.

4. Place 30 small spoonfuls of the mixture on a baking sheet covered with baking 

parchment. Bake for 10–15 minutes. Remove from the oven, leave to cool on a 

cooling rack, then sandwich together with the cream filling. 

Disclaimer:  I received a free review copy from the publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

AlphaBakes August 2013

Welcome to the August AlphaBakes. If you've not already seen the amazing collection of "F" recipes then do head on over to Caroline's blog for the round up. I'm sure lots of people will be on holiday this month, myself included, but I do hope that you'll have a chance to make something for us. I think we've done all the easy letters now and there's not many more to choose from so after excluding duplicates, the random letter generator came up with... 

 G 

I guess I was wrong and this may the last easy letter left that we've not covered! So get your thinking caps on and give us a Great recipe! The usual rules apply which are listed below. Please make sure you email alphabakes@gmail.com by 25th August with your entry. 

1. Post your recipe on your blog and link it to The More than Occasional Baker and Caroline Makes, stating the relevant month's host. If you do not have a blog, email us a picture and a brief description of your entry which we will include in the round-up at the end of the month.

2. You can use your own recipe or someone else's recipe. The recipe can be sweet, savoury or a mixture! Anything goes as long as the random letter is predominantly featured in the recipe as one of the main ingredients or flavours or in the name of the bake itself (i .e . not as a garnish , or using 'flour' for the letter F!) You can also republish old posts/recipes but you must include the information for this challenge as stated in these rules.

3. Add the logo to your post and add 'alphabakes' as a label to your post.

4. Email your entries to alphabakes@gmail.com by midnight (GMT) 25th of each month. Please include:

Your name (that you want included in the round up or we will use the name of your blog)
Your blog post URL
Recipe title
Photo of recipe (to be included in the round up)

5. You can submit as many entries as you like.

6. You do not have to participate every month to join in.

7. You may submit your entry to other challenges as long as it complies with their rules.

8. If you use twitter, please use the tag #alphabakes and mention @bakingaddict and @Caroline_Makes. We will retweet all those that we see.

9. Have fun! :)