raspberry trifle cupcakes

I'm just going to put this out there... these are the best cupcakes I've ever made, quite possibly the best cupcakes I've ever eaten. They are THAT. DAMN. TASTY.

I've had this recipe bookmarked in the Hummingbird Bakery's "Cake Days" book for 4 years. I knew I wanted to make it at some point, but due to my aversion to recipes which don't use the whole egg I've always grumbled at the 5 egg yolks listed in the custard topping ingredients and flicked the page. When was I ever going to have 5 egg yolks lying around?

Well guess who had exactly 5 egg yolks spare after making a meringue roulade last week? The stars had finally aligned!

These cupcakes were definitely worth the 4 year wait. Hell, I would make another meringue roulade just to have an excuse to make these cupcakes again. I need to stop being such an ass about not using whole eggs.

The creamy, custard topping is to die for. It pairs beautifully with the soft, fluffy, vanilla sponge and jammy, raspberry filling.

My only change to the recipe was baking the raspberries inside the cupcake as I love the squidginess of a baked raspberry. It also means that the cupcakes keep better, not that these will hang around for long. They are pretty addictive.

I could quite happily shove endless quantities of these cupcakes in my mouth and not get fed up with them. I have no shame.

I am also delighted to report that there were no tiny bugs in these raspberries. Each raspberry was thoroughly inspected. This is the first time I've bought raspberries since *that* incident. Wow, that was almost two years ago. You'd almost think I held a grudge...

Raspberry trifle cupcakes 
Recipe from Hummingbird Bakery, "Cake Days", barely adapted.
The recipe looks long, but it really isn't that complicated. Don't feel put off!

sponge:
80g (3oz) unsalted butter, softened
280g (10oz) caster sugar
240g (8.5oz) plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
240ml (8.5fl oz) milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, large

filling:
punnet of fresh raspberries
jar of raspberry jam

custard topping:
500ml (18fl oz) milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
5 egg yolks
100g (3.5oz) caster sugar
30g (1oz) plain flour
30g (1oz) cornflour
200ml (7fl oz) double cream

Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5 and line two cupcake trays with paper cases. (The mixture gave me 18-20 cupcakes.) Mix together the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl with a mixer set at a low speed. The mixture should look like fine breadcrumbs.

Whisk together the milk, vanilla and eggs in a jug with a fork. Pour 3/4 of this into the dry mixture while mixing on a slow speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything gets mixed in. Add the rest of the egg mixture and mix again on a higher speed until the batter is smooth.

Fill each cupcake cases with the batter until about two thirds full and press a raspberry into the centre of each cupcake. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until well risen, light golden and springy to touch. Leave to cool in the trays for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

While the cupcakes are in the oven you can make the custard topping. Combine the milk with the vanilla in a saucepan and bring to the boil. In a bowl, combine the egg yolks with the sugar, flour and cornflour to create a paste. Add 1 tbsp of the heated milk if necessary. Remove the saucepan from the hob once the milk has boiled and pour 4-5 tbsp of it into the paste. Give the paste a mix then pour it into the saucepan with the milk and return to the heat. Bring the milk back to the boil, continually whisking to avoid lumps, and boil for a further minute to fully cook the flour. Pour this custard mixture into a baking tray and cover with cling film to prevent a skin forming. Leave to cool for 30-40 minutes.

Once cool, tip the custard into a large bowl (feel free to sieve the custard like me if you discover that it's a bit lumpy!) and beat with a wooden bowl to break it up. In a separate bowl, whisk the double cream into soft peaks, then fold the cream into the custard mixture. Now your topping is ready!

Using a sharp knife, cut a circular disc/hollow in the centre of each cupcake (until you reach the top of the raspberries baked inside), place roughly 1/2 tsp of raspberry jam in the centre, then press the cut off sponge back on top. Pipe or spread the custard on top of each cupcake, topping with an extra raspberry and some sprinkles for full on party trifle effect.

Baker's note: The cupcakes will keep/store better without the custard icing, so only ice as many as you're planning to eat at the time and keep the remaining custard in the fridge in a bowl covered with clingfilm.

groovy duvet dress

Yay I've finally made a summer dress..... at the end of summer. I'm smart like that.

And yay it matches my door and wallpaper!

This is a By Hand London Kim dress, the second variation with the sweetheart neckline, full gathered skirt and pintucks. I originally planned to make it with a different fabric, but had a sudden change of heart and was left a bit stumped. My mum  then reminded me of the 1970s duvet cover I bought last summer and a new idea formed: summery duvet dress!

I am still stunned that I only had to make two bodice toiles. It was almost disconcerting to fit something so quickly. I think I've discovered that I get a much better fit for my upper body if I just cut the size which matches my full bust measurement as opposed to the recommended waist or high bust measurement and then having to make bust and shoulder adjustments on top of my back alterations etc. It saves a hell of a lot of adjusting.

Sneaky pockets!

The only problem is that my waist (and hips) definitely fall in a smaller sizing category. There's a fair amount of ease around my waist in this dress, which is nice and comfortable for a summer day, but I might try grading down a size at the waist with the next version. It wasn't until I attached the skirt that the extra ease became obvious. It can easily be cinched in with a thin belt though if I fancy.

Now for the list of alterations. I cut a size 14 and made the following adjustments:

• 1 inch (overall) removed from the back, following BHL's useful gapey back tutorial.

• 1/2 inch sway back adjustment, also following a BHL tutorial (thank goodness for sewalongs!)

• 1/2 inch added to bodice length

• raising the neckline by sewing with a 3/8 inch seam allowance as I felt it was bordering on too low cut for my tastes.

• adding in seam pockets, borrowed from Christine Haynes' Emery dress pattern. They're sewn into the waistline which I like as it stops the pocket bags from flapping about.

• using a regular zip instead of an invisible zip, as it was a good colour match.

Regular readers of my sewing adventures may have noticed, and consequently fallen off their chairs, that I didn't add a skirt lining. I wanted this to be a breezy, summer dress for bare legs so decided against one. Interestingly, I have since discovered that I can wear tights with this dress as the fabric doesn't cling at all. Now that's what I can a win! I'm wondering if it's because the fabric is polycotton rather than 100% cotton(?)

 Tidy dress insides! I had enough duvet fabric to use it for the bodice lining.

Although there was nothing particularly complicated about the construction of the dress I had to unpick a fair amount of duff sewing. The zip, for example, did not want to comply. I usually have no problems inserting ordinary zips, but I think this took me 3 attempts. Not my neatest zip insertion, but it's there and it's functional. I don't see my back so it's fine.

I also had some problems turning out the inner scoop of the neckline, at the top of the princess seams. The fabric kept pulling and I struggled to make it sit smoothly. The folded over seams are a bit bulky, which I'm guessing were part of the problem, so I might press them open next time. I'm delighted with my pattern placement at the front though, I gave myself an armpit flower. It amuses me way more than it should.

I also love that I managed to place large flowers exactly where the side seam pockets sit, completely by accident. Big pocket flowers!

Another positive: pintucks! I've never sewn them before and found them immensely satisfying to make. They're so crisp. Now I want to sew pintucks on ALL THE THINGS! It's a lovely, subtle detail to add to a garment.

The fullness of the skirt is great fun too. It's very swooshy and great for twirling, always a good indicator of clothing success. The lighter weight of the fabric suits the style perfectly. If it was any heavier I think I would find it too bulky.

So all in all I'm very happy with my dress. It feels soft and comfortable to wear, fits pretty well and cost very little to make as the duvet cover was only £3 or £4. I'll leave you with a silly twirling photo. I'm ever so graceful.

 Haha I look like a bell!!

strawberry meringue roulade

Meringues give me "the fear". I never really know what they're meant to look or feel like so they send me into a bit of a baking panic. Making sure the baking bowl and whisk are completely oil free and successfully separating multiple eggs makes me feel nervous. I also live in fear of the "bowl above your head" test not working. What if I haven't whipped the egg whites enough and the mixture actually does fall on my head?  The whole thing stresses me out.

However I decided to push myself out of my baking comfort zone this week. I was not going to default to a victoria sponge which, let's face it, I do a lot. The double cream and strawberries in the fridge were going to be put in a meringue roulade!

Unfortunately my lack of understanding for meringue structure shows. This was barely cooked enough, perhaps too much on the mallow-y side. I think I put too much faith in the recipe's estimated baking times as it soon became apparent that my meringue needed longer in the oven. The resulting roulade was still very tasty, but a bit sloppy. I don't know whether it needed more cooking at the first stage with the hot temperature or the latter cooler setting. Feel free to share your meringue making wisdom with me!

I've done it though. I didn't die despite panicking when I saw the meringue going all gloopy when I tried to roll it up ("waaaaah it's not cooked enough, it still feels hot and I've already put the cream on!") and I have a better idea of what to expect next time. I'm sure it's something I'll try again.... and photograph in better light!

Now I need to think of something to do with 5 egg yolks. Custard, anyone?

Strawberry meringue roulade

Recipe from Mary Berry's Baking Bible, substituting raspberries for strawberries

for the meringue:

5 large egg whites

275g (10oz) caster sugar 

50g (2oz) flaked almonds

for the filling:

350g strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped

300ml (1/2 pint) whipping or double cream 

Preheat the oven to 220C/ 200C Fan/ Gas 7 and line a 33 x 23cm tin with baking parchment. In a clean, oil free bowl whisk the egg whites on a high speed on your mixer until very stiff. If you can hold the bowl upside down above your head without the egg mixture falling out, it's ready! Add the sugar to the eggs a teaspoon at a time, whisking well between each spoonful. 

Spread the meringue mixture evenly into your tin and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Bake on a shelf fairly near the top of the oven for about 8 minutes until pale golden, then turn the temperature down to 160C/ 140C Fan/ Gas 3 and continue baking for a further 15 minutes. Remove from the oven when the meringue is firm to the touch and turn it out, almond side down, onto a sheet of baking parchment. Remove the baking parchment from the base of the meringue and leave to cool for around 10 minutes.

Whilst you're waiting for the meringue to cool, hull and roughly chop up the strawberries and whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks. Gently fold the strawberries into the cream then spread this mixture evenly over the meringue. Start rolling up the meringue fairly tightly, starting from the long end, until you have a roulade. (This is when I started panicking as my meringue was still pretty hot and was turning into a squidgy lump as I tried to roll it up!) Wrap in baking parchment and chill in the fridge before serving.

coconut and lime drizzle dinosaurs

Admittedly there isn't a huge amount of coconut in this recipe, but there's enough to give a bit of flavour and texture so I felt it was worth including in the title.

But you're not here to question the coconut content are you? You're here because you're excited about dinosaur shaped cakes. DINOSAUR SHAPED CAKES.

Remember the super cool 3D dinosaur biscuit cutters  my friend gave me for Christmas? Well the same friend gave me silicone dinosaur shaped moulds for my birthday last year. She's awesome like that.

Although I have used these a few times, this is the first they've made it on to the blog. Tasty, bite sized dinosaurs sneaking into people's mouths, unphotographed. How dare they!

There was a lonely lime sitting in the fruit bowl this week which presented me with the perfect opportunity for dainty dino drizzle cakes. Drizzle cakes are perfect for little moulds like these as there's no icing to spoil the definition. Ideally I would have preferred two limes as I like my drizzle cakes quite punchy with citrus flavour, but one lime worked fine. 

I added desiccated coconut into the mix as I fancied another flavour and discovered that I *still* had a bag of coconut in the baking cupboard left over from the chocolate and coconut cake I made back in January. I've been working my way through the desiccated coconut stash throughout the year but thought I had finally come to an end last month. Nope. I have no idea what I was thinking buying so much coconut, but I am determined to use it all!

Coconut and lime drizzle dinosaurs

Makes 8 dinosaurs, or a tray of cupcakes, or a loaf. Remember to adjust baking times if you're making a loaf!

 

cake:

125g margarine

125g caster sugar

2 large eggs

zest of 1 lime

100g self-raising flour

25g desiccated coconut

lime syrup/drizzle:

juice of 1 lime

30-50g caster sugar (depends how sweet you want it. I guessed!) 

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Spray your moulds with cake release spray and coat with a light dusting of flour (or grease and line your cake tin.) Beat the sugar and margarine together until light and fluffy. Add the first egg and beat well. Put a spoonful of the flour in with the second egg to stop the mixture from splitting. Mix together. Add the lime zest, desiccated coconut and remaining flour and mix until everything is fully combined.

Spoon the mixture  into the dinosaur moulds until 2/3 full and bake on a tray in the oven for 25-30 minutes until well risen, light golden and springy to touch. Just as your cakes are about to come out the oven, combine the lime juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir over a gentle heat, allowing some of the sugar to dissolve. Don't let it boil though. 

Leave the cakes to cool in the moulds for a minute before inverting onto a wire rack then immediately pour the warm lime syrup on top of each dinosaur. I sprinkled on a little extra caster sugar as I thought it looked pretty! 

florals and pyrex

It's great having thoughtful family members who know my tastes and love a charity shop rummage as much as I do. Sometimes they buy lovely things for me! 

My sister in law always seem to spot great pyrex pieces and this tray is no exception. It matches the sugar bowl she gave me two years ago. Then in a weird run of luck my mum found matching dishes a couple of weeks later. They're missing their lids, but are very handy little dishes as they're surprisingly deep. They have already become well used pieces in the kitchen.

My mum also found an orange Taunton Vale jug on her travels. I'm delighted to have another Taunton Vale piece in my possession, and in the orange colourway!

You can't fail to smile looking at this riot of colour and pattern. So much 1970s floral goodness.

My Taunton Vale family! Any other fanatics out there?

latest knitting achievement: a baby cardigan

Hey, look, I knitted an item of clothing which will fit a tiny human being. Go me!

After the success of my two hats earlier this year (which I have already worn loads thanks to a poor Scottish summer) I have ventured into garment knitting: a cardigan for my friends' baby which is due this month. I chose red (acrylic) wool as it's gender neutral and funkier than generic pastels. It'll look great teamed with pinks, blues, greens, yellows.... as my duvet cover helpfully demonstrates!

I don't know why the right arm looks longer, I swear it's exactly the same length as the other arm.

The pattern is the round neck cardigan variation from Stylecraft 4821. I chose it as it looked like a good beginner clothing project - plain stockinette stitch, ribbing, minimal shaping and all the pieces are sewn together by hand. My biggest challenge was picking up stitches for the buttonbands and neckline. I didn't enjoy that at all, but I got there after a few attempts. 

I also struggled with making the buttonholes as I kept miscounting stitches. I felt an immense sense of achievement once I finally made it to the end of the row. "I made buttonholes, yessssss!!!" 

I was going to wait until the baby was born to chose girly or boyish buttons, but in the end I decided I liked these chunky, plain red buttons from my stash. Ultimately they're more practical than awkward shaped novelty buttons. 

This may be a small project, but there was a lot of handsewing involved. A trade off for not knitting in the round I suppose. I'm still not sure what is the neatest seaming method (feel free to hit me up with links if you have any!) but I constructed the cardigan as neatly as I could manage.

Awww, tiny wristband!

Here's hoping my friends will love the cardigan! I'm very proud of my first knitted garment and feel more prepared for starting a bigger project, such as a cardigan for myself. I might even try knitting in the round!

All of my knitting progress is documented on my ravelry page so feel free to check it out if you're over there too.