Chocolate and Mint Ice Cream Cupcakes

In addition to the Chocolate and Mint Giant Cupcake that I baked for the Macmillan Information Centre, I also made these chocolate and mint ice cream cupcakes. I used the same chocolate cake mixture and mint buttercream icing but I added chocolate chips to the buttercream icing to make it a mint chocolate chip icing! I also made some chocolate ganache to go on top and decorated it with sprinkles and a cherry on top. 

I'm entering this to Treat Petite hosted by Kat from The Baking Explorer and Stuart from Cakeyboi. The theme this month is 'Who will you bake for?' in conjunction with World Baking Day on May 18th. I baked these for my local Macmillan Information Centre and I hope they were impressed with them. 

I'm also sending it to the Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... The theme this month is favourites. Chocolate and mint is one of my favourite flavour combinations and I also love ice cream and ice cream cupcakes. 

This would also fit in nicely with this month's Calendar Cakes challenge hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes as the theme is Bank Holiday Bakes and we are asked to share what we make to relax, share with friends or take on picnics. 

 I used some foil to support the ice cream cones whilst baking. Try not to overfill the cones as I did here - 2/3 full is more than enough 

 I used an ice cream scoop to place a scoop of mint chocolate chip icing on top 

 Drizzled some ganache on top 

 added some sprinkles 

 and a cherry on top! You can also pipe a 'star' of whipped cream before adding the cherry for added decadence. 

 I used the ganache as a 'glue' to stick the cones to a cake board. They were still a little wobbly and have to be transported with great care. 

For the chocolate cake, follow the link for Nigella's Old fashioned chocolate cake - I used about 1/2 a cake recipe to make 9 ice cream cones - as mentioned in my previous post, I made a double recipe and used it to make 1 giant cupcake and 9 ice cream cones.

For the buttercream frosting - feel free to halve the quantities, I made a large batch as I needed it for my giant cupcake and these ice cream cupcakes

300g butter
600g icing sugar
1 tablespoon peppermint extract + 1 teaspoon (or adjust to taste)
a few drops of milk
green food colouring

100g chocolate chips 

For the chocolate ganache

100mls double cream

75g dark chocolate, chopped 

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Prepare the cake batter as instructed.
• Place a ring of foil as shown to support the ice cream cones in a cupcake tin. 
• Carefully fill each ice cream cone until about 2/3 full - do not overfill as the cake will spill over. 
• Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 
• Allow to cool completely before decorating. 
• Make the icing by beating the butter and icing sugar until smooth. Add in the peppermint extract and green food colouring. You may need to add a few drops of milk depending on the consistency required.
• Finally stir in the chocolate chips by hand. 
• To make the chocolate ganache, heat the cream in a small saucepan until just boiling. 
• Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted.
• Keep stirring until smooth. 
• Decorate as shown above 

Homemade Waffles with bacon, berries, poached egg and maple syrup

I've made this quite a few times now for brunch but have not gotten round to sharing it until now. It's a decadent and indulgent brunch perfect for lazy weekends. I don't have a waffle maker but I found a silicone waffle baking mould for a few quid at Aldi which works perfectly. It does take a while to cook compared to using a waffle iron but it does the job and it doesn't break the bank! I have found that it tastes even better if you pop it in the toaster on a low setting after it's cooked for added crispiness. The waffles also keep well overnight and you can re-heat them in a toaster. This particular waffle was served with crispy bacon, berries, maple syrup and a poached egg. 

I'm sending it to Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes. The theme is Bank Holiday Bakes and we are asked to share what we make to relax, share with friends or take on picnics. 

 selection of berries, milk, flour, sugar, eggs, bacon and maple syrup 

 making the waffle batter in my food processor

this is the silicone waffle mould which I sprayed with non stick spray

 1 recipe makes 7 waffles

 fresh from the oven

 with crispy bacon, berries and a drizzle of maple syrup 

 and a poached egg on top! 

Makes 7 waffles 

Recipe adapted very slightly from allrecipes.com

250g plain flour

400mls milk

100mls sunflower oil or vegetable oil

10g caster sugar

2 eggs 

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 

To serve

Bacon - cooked

Berries

Maple Syrup 

Poached egg (optional) 

• Preheat oven to 180C. 
• Place all the ingredients for the waffle in a food processor - I used the liquidiser and blitz until smooth. Be careful not to overmix. Allow the mixture to rest for at least 30 minutes before using. You may refrigerate the mixture at this point if needed. 
• Cook bacon in a grill or frying pan and set aside.
• Poach an egg if using. 
• Pour the waffle batter into the waffle mould and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes until golden brown and fully cooked. 
• Place the waffles in a toaster on a low setting for about 30 seconds for extra crispiness. 
• Serve with crispy bacon, berries, maple syrup and a poached egg or fillings of your choice. 

Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Quiche

Summer is fast approaching which means picnic season! I made this quiche for Easter as we had a lovely picnic on the one day that the weather was nice. I had some leftover smoked salmon and as the asparagus was on offer I decided on a smoked salmon and asparagus quiche. I added a lot of dill which really made the flavours stand out. The quiche also tasted great in a salad the following day. 

I'm sending this to Tea Time Treats hosted by Jane from The Hedgecombers and Karen from Lavender and Lovage. The theme this month is open top tarts, pies and quiches so this fits in perfectly. 

As asparagus is in season, I'm also sending it to Simple and in Season hosted by Ren.

As I used leftover smoked salmon and asparagus that was on offer, I'm going to send this to Credit Crunch Munch hosted by Alex from Gingey Bites this month. This challenge was created by Camilla from FabFood4All and Helen from Fuss Free Flavours.

This would also fit in nicely with the Family Foodies Challenge run by Vanesther from Bangers & Mash and Lou from Eat Your Veg. The theme this month is cheap and cheerful.

I'm also sending it to Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes. The theme is Bank Holiday Bakes and we are asked to share what we make to relax, share with friends or take on picnics. This is perfect picnic food and perfect for sharing.

 butter, flour, double cream, smoked salmon, asparagus, eggs 

 making the pastry

blind bake the pastry case

 place a layer of smoked salmon and scatter from fresh dill on top 

 add cooked asparagus 

 pour over the egg/cream mixture and season with salt and pepper

 

1 quantity of shortcrust pastry - I used the recipe from BBC Good Food
few slices of smoked salmon
9 asparagus stalks, trimmed and cooked
fresh dill
2 eggs
200mls double cream
salt and pepper to taste

• Make the pastry according to the instructions. 
• Preheat the oven to 180C and blind bake the pastry case by lining with parchment paper or foil and placing baking beans on top. Bake for approximately 10 minutes. 
• Remove the baking beans and continue baking for another 5 minutes until golden brown. 
• Allow to cool slightly.
• Place the smoked salmon in a layer on the baked pastry case. 
• Scatter over a large handful of dill. 
• Arrange the cooked asparagus on top as shown.
• In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and cream then pour into the pastry case.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until set.

Baked Stuffed French Toast

For J's birthday brunch, I made these baked stuffed french toast. It's a proper meal on it's own as it contains bread, ham, cheese, tomato, spinach, eggs and milk. We also added a drizzle of maple syrup for decadence and it works really well with the french toast as it gives the perfect balance of sweet and salty. You can prepare the french toast in advance and bake them when required which is ideal if you have guests staying over or just for a lazy weekend brunch. 

I'm sending it to Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes. The theme is Bank Holiday Bakes and we are asked to share what we make to relax, share with friends or take on picnics.

 

 Make a slit in the bread 

 fill it with ham, cheese, spinach and tomato or fillings of your choice 

 let it soak in the egg/milk mixture for about 30 minutes 

 turn it over and soak again or place in the fridge overnight 

 For extra decadence, I added a slice of ham and cheese on top before baking 

 Fresh from the oven - the cheese melted beautifully on the outside  

 With a drizzle of maple syrup 

Makes 2 large servings (enough to feed 4 or 2 very hungry people)

2 large slices of bread from a large loaf (I used a poppyseed bloomer)

4 slices of ham

2 slices of cheese

2 tomatoes, sliced

handful of spinach

4 eggs

2/3 cup milk 

salt and pepper to taste 

Maple syrup to serve (optional) 

• Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add the milk and stir.
• Pour into a large shallow dish.
• Prepare the bread by making a slit in each slide of bread - you need quite a thick slice of bread to fit the fillings
• Fill your sandwich with fillings of your choice -  used a slice of ham and a slice of cheese, some sliced tomatoes and a few spinach leaves
• Place the bread in the egg/milk mixture and let it soak for about 30 minutes.
• Turn the bread over and soak for a further 30 minutes. You can wrap it in clingfilm and place in the fridge overnight at this point if required. 
• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Place a slice of ham and cheese on top of the sandwich (optional)
• Bake in the oven for approximately 20-25 minutes until the cheese has melted and the egg mixture is set. 
• Slice and enjoy with a drizzle of maple syrup. 

Chocolate Easter Eggs with a Twist

I'm really excited to share this Easter treat with you. I made it 2 years ago and everyone was so impressed by it I thought it was time to make them again.  It's a really simple idea but it's so effective and it's guaranteed to impress. Last time I made multi coloured pastel eggs but this time I chose to make chocolate eggs (cake) and some lemon ones too. I used my favourite Nigella's old fashioned chocolate cake recipe but substituted the sour cream for yoghurt as that was what I had in the fridge. I also made up a lemon sponge batter and made some lemon cupcakes as well.

The most time consuming part is saving the eggshells. I saved a total of 40 eggshells over the course of a few weeks. I poked a small hole at the top with a sharp knife and gently peeled back the edges to make a hole large enough to pour the egg out. You will need a skewer to help get all the egg out especially the egg yolk. Then rinse the eggshells thoroughly in water and place in a large bowl of salted water. The salt helps the eggshells sink to the bottom and also helps to clean them. Soak for at least 30 minutes.  Then rinse the shells again and dry them upside down (hole side down) on a paper towel until completely dry -this is very important as the shells will go mouldy otherwise. Store in an airtight container until you need them. 

Pipe the cake batter into the eggshells and bake in the oven for about 15-18 minutes until cooked. The cake batter will overflow as there is not much room for the cake to expand. If you underfill the eggshells, you won't get a full egg shaped cake but a half egg. Remove the excess cake gently and wipe the eggshells with a damp towel. I cracked a few eggs doing this so it was a good thing I had extra! I also have a lot of excess cake which is good for making cake pops.

I'm sharing this with a few blog challenges

We Should Cocoa founded by Choclette from Chocolate Log Blog and hosted by Rachel from Rachel Cotterill. The theme this month is Easter.

Treat Petite hosted by Stuart from Cakeyboi and Kat from the Baking Explorer. The theme this month is 'Spring into Easter' and these are perfect for Easter.

The Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... has the theme of 'fun' this month. These were really fun to make and especially fun to watch people's reactions on receiving the cake and eating them as you crack the eggs open to reveal cake inside.

Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes. The theme this month is Easter Bakes.

Made with Love Mondays hosted by Javelin Warrior where the idea is to make everything from scratch.

Easter Bake & Make Competition hosted by Ruth from The Pink Whisk and Two Little Fleas 

 

 Scrunch up a small piece of foil to use as a base to support the egg shells 

 Fill up to about 3/4 full of cake batter 

 Don't worry if they look like this when they come out of the oven! Just peel away the excess cake and wipe the shells with a damp towel 

 How cute are these? 

 Here's what the cake looks like once you've peeled the shell 

 They make great gifts for Easter - I also saved up egg cartons in addition to the eggshells and decorated them with Easter stickers and easter chicks and bunnies. You can also paint the eggshells. 

 I also made some lemon cupcakes with the extra batter. I spread some chocolate cream cheese on top and sprinkled over some green coconut 'grass' (leftover from my minecraft cake) and topped it with mini eggs.