Ginger Bonfire Cupcakes

As promised I have a Bonfire Night recipe for you. Today is Guy Fawkes Night celebrated annually on November 5th to commemorate the failure of the Gunpowder Plot. The traditional cake eaten today is parkin cake which is a sticky gingerbread cake. I've taken inspiration and come up with a fun cupcake that has flavours of traditional parkin.

These cupcakes are perfect for the occasion and relatively simple to bake. I baked these twice as I had to experiment with the spice levels and different frosting and I think they are now almost perfect. It has a sticky gingerbread cake base topped with  lemon buttercream and orange matchmaker sticks. The flavours work well together as the sweet and zesty lemon frosting sets of the fiery, spiced cupcake. My initial trial I made a golden syrup cinnamon cream cheese frosting which was absolutely delicious but unfortunately the icing was too soft to pipe tall peaks required for the bonfire effect. The lemon frosting worked equally well in terms of flavour pairing and visually it looks much better. 

I'm sending this to a few blog challenges this month.

Treat Petite hosted by Kat from The Baking Explorer and Stuart fromCakeyboi. The theme this month is Autumn.

Recipe of the Week hosted by Emily from A Mummy Too.

#FoodYearLinkUp hosted by Charlotte from Charlotte's Lively Kitchen. Lots of foodies events in November and this is for Guy Fawkes Night.

 adding golden syrup to the cake batter 

 ready to go in the oven 

 I made 2 bags of frosting - 1 yellow and 1 orange and then placed them both in another piping bag with a 1M star tip to create the two tone piping effect.

 Pipe the frosting a high as you can

 Add orange matchmaker sticks so that it looks like a bonfire and add a sprinkling of orange sugar if you have it. 

 This is my initial failed attempt with the cream cheese frosting - absolutely delicious but less visually appealing! 

Makes 15cupcakes 

For the cupcakes

150g butter

130g soft brown sugar

3 eggs

150g self raising flour

60mls golden syrup

2.5 teaspoons ground ginger

1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the frosting

110g butter

zest of 1 lemon

300g icing sugar, sifted

1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

food colouring - orange and yellow

For the decoration

Orange matchmaker sticks

Orange sanding sugar 

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
• Add in the golden syrup.
• Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
• In a separate bowl, sift the flour and spices and add it to the butter mixture.
• Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases - I use an ice cream scoop to get an even amount of cake batter per cupcake case.
• Bake for approximately 16-18 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Allow to cool completely. 
• I made a double batch of frosting and it's plenty to frost all the cupcakes - I didn't want to risk running out as it would be difficult to get the same colour again. If you have leftover frosting, you can use it to make cookies! 
• To make the frosting, beat the butter and icing sugar for at least 5 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Add in the lemon zest and slowly add in the lemon juice until you get the required consistency. 
• Add the food colouring and mix well - I use colour paste.
• Repeat for the second batch.
• As shown in the pictures, place each colour of icing in a disposable piping bag and snip the end of the bag off. 
• Place both bags side by side into another piping bag fitted with a 1M star tip ensuring that the ends of the bags go into the piping nozzle.
• Pipe the buttercream on a plate initially to get a good mix of colour then decorate the cupcakes as shown.

Carrot, Ginger and Rum Spiced Cake

When I think of Bonfire Night treats, I immediately think of toffee apples or a variation of toffee apple desserts. Something sticky with caramel and something sweet. This year I've made something a little different but still perfect for this time of the year. I had some leftover crystallised ginger from making my Crystallised Ginger and Beer Cake so I started to think about what else would go well with ginger. I had a root round my cupboard and my fridge and they provided the inspiration for this recipe. I based it on my favourite carrot cake recipe with a few amendments. I found some rum at the back of the cupboard and decided to soak the dried fruits in rum overnight. I also dug out my tropical cake tin as the rum and dried fruits felt tropical. 

The combination of ginger, carrot, dried fruits, rum and spices was heavenly. The flavours worked really well together and there's a bit of a kick to the cake. The ginger was the predominant flavour and every so often you get a burst of fruit with a hit of rum. I used my speculaas spice mix which really added a depth of flavour to this cake. The spices smelt amazing and really complemented the ginger. 

The cake was so good I made it again when I needed some 'thank you' cakes. I've been having a nightmare with Ikea delivery so I had to rely on my friend's parents to house sit. I also needed a 'thank you' cake for a colleague who very kindly carved a gorgeous cat pumpkin for me for Halloween. Plus I gave some to my neighbours who we asked to put out our bins and keep an eye on the house whilst we were away. I baked them in mini loaves this time which are ideal for gifts and they were very well received. 

 The cat pumpkin carving

I actually baked these cakes just before November so I'm really pleased that I can enter them to a number of blog challenges this month. 

Tea Time Treats hosted by Jane from The Hedge Combers and Karen from Lavender and Lovage. The theme this month is Bonfire Night. 

Treat Petite hosted by Stuart from Cakeyboi and Kat from the Baking Explorer. The theme this month is Thank You and as I mentioned earlier these were made to thank various people for their kind deeds. It's very fortuitous that Stuart picked this theme for November!

Biscuit Barrel hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... The theme for this month is Winter Warmers and this ginger, rum and spiced cake will definitely warm you up!

Baking with Spirit hosted by Janine from Cake of the Week. I rarely get to enter this challenge so I'm really pleased that this fits in November's challenge which is warming and alcoholic. This cake definitely fits the bill! 

Credit Crunch Munch hosted by Alida from My Little Italian Kitchen on behalf of Helen from Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla from Fab Food 4 All. This recipe used up leftover crystallised ginger, mixed dried fruit and the end of a bottle of rum. 

Extra Veg hosted by Helen from Fuss Free Flavours and Michelle from Utterly Scrummy. The carrots here are an extra portion of veg and it's well hidden in this cake.

Love Cake hosted by Ness from Jibber Jabber. The theme this month is 'In with a Bang' and this cake definitely fits the bill with the spices, ginger and rum!

Cook Blog Share hosted by Lucy from Supergolden Bakes.

 adding eggs and oil to the flour mixture

 the fruits plumped up nicely after being soaked in rum overnight 

 adding grated carrots, chopped crystallised ginger and rum soaked fruits 

  

 Add a sprinkling of icing sugar for definition and wow factor

 You can see the bit of ginger, carrot and fruits 

 Mini loaves baked as a thank you

An original recipe by bakingaddict

175g self raising wholemeal flour

150g soft dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

100mls vegetable oil

2 eggs

250g carrots, peeled and grated

100g mixed dried fruit

60mls rum

100g crystallised ginger, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon gound nutmeg

1 teaspoon allspice 

OR 2 teaspoons Speculaas Spice

• Place the mixed dried fruit in a small bowl and soak in rum preferably overnight or longer if you can. 
• Preheat the oven to 170C
• In a large bowl, mix the wholemeal flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices.
• Add in the eggs and vegetable oil and mix well.
• Stir in the grated carrots, chopped crystallised ginger and rum soaked fruits. 
• Pour into a tin and bake for approximately 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 
• The mini loaves will take about 30-35 minutes - check with a skewer at 25 minutes. 

Crystallised Ginger and Beer Cake

I've missed joining in Random Recipes for a few months now for various reasons so I'm really pleased that I managed to bake something for it this month. Dom from Belleau Kitchen set us the task of using the internet to do a random recipe search and his only criteria is that the recipe is something sweet. I  knew what ingredient I wanted to start with as I found 2 bags of crystallised ginger which I bought ages ago and it seems the perfect time of the year for a ginger cake. I also wanted to incorporate beer as Kate from What Kate Baked recently posted a Honey, Ginger and Beer Cake which I've bookmarked to try. So with that in mind, I typed "crystallised ginger and beer cake" into google and this is the first image result. My cake looks nothing like the picture but it definitely tasted good. 

I made a few changes to the recipe - I used black treacle instead of light molasses and I added in chopped crystallised ginger to the cake for extra flavour and texture. I didn't get to try any of the cake as J took it to work and I'm not a huge fan of ginger. His colleagues claim that this is the best cake so far which is high praise indeed. The cake was moist, sticky and very gingery. They particularly liked the bits of ginger in the cake and in the icing itself. They couldn't really taste the beer as the predominant flavour was ginger so I may have to tweak the recipe a little. Overall, a huge success and I am sure I'll be baking this again particularly in the colder, winter months. I am also quite keen to try a slice despite my dislike of ginger after the positive comments! 

As mentioned, I'm entering this to Random Recipes hosted by Dom from Belleau Kitchen. The theme is random internet search for something sweet. 

It also fits in nicely with Love Cake hosted by Ness from Jibber Jabber UK as the theme this month is 'dark'. 

 adding the dark treacle 

 adding chopped crystallised ginger 

 lovely dark cake - you can see the bits of ginger in it

 add whipped cream frosting 

 decorate with more crystallised ginger 

Recipe adapted from bon appetit

For the cake

225g butter

200g brown sugar

315g plain flour

2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2 eggs

350g dark treacle 

250mls Guinness stout 

150g chopped crystallised ginger 

For the frosting

3 x 300mls whipping cream

45g icing sugar, sifted

approximately 10 pieces of crystallised ginger, chopped and extra for decoration

• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Cream the butter and sugar for a few minutes
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing between each addition.
• Add in the treacle and mix.
• Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl.
• Pour 1/3 of the flour mixture followed by the stout and continue alternating the dry and wet ingredients until it's all incorporated.
• Finally stir in the chopped crystallised ginger.
• Divide the mixture evenly between 2 sandwich tins and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until cooked and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. (I couldn't find my second tin so I baked mine in 1 large tin which took about 75 minutes to cook) 
• Allow the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.
• Make the frosting by placing the whipping cream and icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.
• Mix until the cream holds it's own shape - this takes quite a while due to the volume of cream. 
• Stir in the chopped crystallised ginger.
• Place 1 cake on a cake board or serving plate and spread a generous amount of frosting on top. Place the second cake on top and cover the top and sides with remaining frosting. 
• Decorate with chopped crystallised ginger as shown or as desired. 

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Golden Syrup Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

The lovely people at Tala sent me a selection of Xmas baking goodies to review. This included cupcake cases, Christmas silicone chocolate mould, holly leaf plunge cutters and Christmas tree cookie cutters. I decided to make gingerbread cupcakes with chocolate gingerbreadman and candy canes and some cookies.

I'm not a fan of gingerbread or ginger but I know I'm in the minority so in the spirit of Xmas and sharing I made these cupcakes to give away. Most of the recipes I saw online have similar ingredients of treacle, dark brown sugar, ginger and spices. I chose this recipe from King Arthur flour which had good reviews.

I made a golden syrup cream cheese frosting with cinnamon as I thought it would pair well with the sticky gingerbread. The frosting tasted heavenly! The feedback I received from the cupcakes were that "It's Christmas in a cupcake". The cake is moist and sticky and full of ginger and spice. The frosting complemented the cake very well and everyone was amazed by the decorations.

The chocolate moulds were really easy to use - melt chocolate, pour in the mould and leave to set. They were easy to remove with no breakages. I sprayed them gold which really brings out the detail. The cupcakes cases are sturdy and strong and does not become transparent after baking which I was really pleased about.

Check back tomorrow/weekend as I have a very exciting project to share with you using the tree cookie cutters and a giveaway from Tala.

I'm sharing this with several challenges this month :-

AlphaBakes which I am hosting this month and co host with Caroline from Caroline Makes. The letter this month is X and we are accepting any Xmas related bakes. These apparently are Xmas in cupcake form so I think it's perfect.

Tea Time Treats hosted by Kate from What Kate Baked and co-hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage. The theme this month is Festive Food Gifts and I think these would make a great festive gift.

Calendar Cakes hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes and co-hosted by Laura from Laura loves Cakes. The theme this month is Jingle Bell Rock. These definitely rock! :)

 Treat Petite hosted by Stuart from Cakeyboi and co-hosted by Kat from the Baking Explorer. The theme this month is Happy Holidays.

Four Seasons Food hosted by Anneli from Delicieux and Louisa from Eat your Veg. The theme this month is Party Food and these cupcakes would be perfect for any party.

Let's Cook Christmas Party Food hosted by Nayna from Simply Food.

The Spice Trail: Cooking with Cinnamon hosted by Vanesther from Bangers & Mash.

Secret Recipe Club Holiday Treats Party

Cooking with Herbs hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage. The theme this month is cooking with Herbs and Christmas spices so I think my cinnamon in the frosting will qualify.

Recipe adapted slightly from King Arthur Flour
Makes 14 cupcakes

For the cupcakes

206g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
113g unsalted butter, softened
106g dark brown sugar
170g black treacle
2 medium eggs
125ml water

For the frosting 

60g butter

200g cream cheese

175g icing sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons golden syrup 

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the decoration

150g plain chocolate, melted

Edible gold spray

• Preheat oven to 175C. 
• Sift the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
• Beat butter, sugar, black treacle and eggs in an electric mixer until pale and smooth.
• Add 60mls of water to the butter mixture and mix well.
• Add half the flour mixture and continue mixing.
• Add remaining water followed by flour mixture and mix well. 
• Spoon into cupcake cases and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 
• Allow to cool completely before decorating.
• To make the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth in an electric mixer.
• Add in the icing sugar and continue mixing.
• Add in the golden syrup (you may want to add more depending on taste) and ground cinnamon and continu mixing until smooth.
• Make the chocolate decorations by melting 150g plain chocolate and pour them into the moulds. Allow to set in the fridge or freezer until firm. Gold spray optional. 
• Use a round tip to pipe frosting on the cupcakes and decorate with a gold chocolate gingerbreadman or candy cane.

Disclaimer: I was sent the items above to review free of charge. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I paid for all the ingredients myself. 

Pumpkin Pie

Today is Thanksgiving so Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who's celebrating. It's mainly celebrated in America as a way of giving thanks for the harvest of the year. There are lots of traditional foods associated with Thanksgiving such as roast turkey and trimmings, pumpkin pie, pecan pie and sweet potato pie. My friend is hosting a Thanksgiving party tonight and I offered to make a pumpkin pie for the occasion. 

I bought a tin of pumpkin puree from America and it has a recipe on the back which I loosely followed. I added in some elements of a recipe on joyofbaking.com. I used my mum's recipe to make the crust and filled the base with crushed, roasted pecan nuts and ginger biscuits which hopefully gives added crunch, texture and flavour to the pie and prevents a soggy bottom as it will absorb the moisture of the filling. I added ground cinnamon, mixed spice and ground ginger to the filling. I managed to make a mini pumpkin pie as I had some leftover pastry and filling so I've already had a little taster and it tastes good. It does not have thepecan/ginger layer so I am curious to find out what that tastes like!  The pumpkin pie itself has a lovely buttery crust with a smooth filling and a hint of spice. It's not overly sweet probably because I reduced the sugar amount but goes well with sweetened spiced cream.  I'll update my blog later when I have photos of the sliced pie.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

 making the crust 

 adding spices to the egg and sugar mix 

 adding pumpkin puree 

 for the pecan/ginger base 

 smash into pieces 

 line tart tin with pastry 

 add a layer of pecan/ginger mix 

 add filling 

 freshly baked 

 crust looks good! 

 a slice of my mini pie

Update 29/11/13

 My first pumpkin pie! It was a huge success at the party (phew!) Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it mainly because it was light and not overly sweet. You can just see the pecan/ginger biscuit layer but it did not really add to the texture or flavour - I will double the amount and pre bake it slightly next time to see if that helps. The sweetened spiced cream definitely paired very well with the pie. 

Pie crust
200g plain flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
115g cold butter
2 - 3 tablespoons ice cold water

Topping for pie base (optional) 
25g roasted  pecans
25g ginger biscuits

Pie Filling
2 eggs
110g light brown sugar ( This is a reduced amount, would recommend 150g if you prefer a sweeter pie)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon mixed spice
1 can pumpkin puree
1 can evaporated milk

To Serve
300ml whipping cream
65g icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• Make the pie crust sifting the flour and salt into a bowl.
• Cut butter into cubes and rub into the flour until it resembles bread crumbs.
• Slowly add water one tablespoon at a time until a dough forms. 
• Shape into a ball and wrap in clingfilm.
• Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and line a pie tin, pressing the corners into the tin. 
• To make the pie base topping, place pecan nuts and ginger biscuits in a ziplock bag and bash with a rolling pin. 
• Sprinkle the pecan and ginger biscuit mix over the base of the pie and press it down firmly. Place in the refrigerator to firm up. 
• Preheat the oven to 190C. 
• Make the filling by whisking the eggs and sugar together.
• Add the spices then the pumpkin puree and whisk.
• Finally stir in the evaporated milk.
• Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and bake for 45-50 minutes.
• The crust should be brown on the edges and the filling should be set with a slight wobble in the middle. 
• Insert a sharp knife or palette knife into the filling and it should come out clean.
• Allow to cool completely.
• Pour whipping cream into a bowl and whisk until it just holds its shape. Add in sugar and cinnamon and continue whisking until it's a spreadable consistency. 
• Decorate with spiced whipped cream and pecan nuts.