XL Doughnut Birthday Cake

I'm hosting AlphaBakes this month and the letter is 'X' which is quite tricky. Fortunately, it arrived in Dec so we are accepting any Xmas related bakes this month - does not have to have 'Xmas' in the title to qualify. Suelle from Mainly Baking left a comment on my blog "If X can replace the sound ex- at the beginning of a word, then we can make Xtra special, Xceedingly good bakes. Not to mention Xciting!! ;)" That gave me the idea of this XL Doughnut Cake.

As there was a recent birthday at work, I decided it would make a good birthday cake and everyone was really impressed with the cake. It's really simple to bake as the mould does all the hard work ie making it look really impressive! I made my favourite vanilla sponge and filled it with raspberry jam, lots of whipped cream, pink glaze icing and sprinkles.

As mentioned, I'm entering this to AlphaBakes hosted by myself this month and co hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes. The letter this month is X.

 I bought this from Discount UK for only £3.99 which is a real bargain as it has an insert so you can add fillings and a decorating scribbler.

 sugar, flour, cornflour, homemade vanilla extract, soured cream, vanilla bean paste, butter 

 ready to go in the oven 

 looks like a giant doughtnut! 

 jam and cream for the filling 

 I used the insert to create a recess in one of the cakes... 

 Filled with raspberry jam 

 and a generous layer of cream as I wanted it to be visible from the side 

 place other cake on top 

 a doughnut cake 

 pink glaze icing and sprinkles 

 love the icing dripping down the sides 

 yum! 

For the cake 

125g flour + 1 tablespoon cornflour (original recipe states 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour + 1/2cup plain flour )
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

For the filling

300mls double cream

raspberry jam

For the icing

125g icing sugar

1-2 tablespoons warm water

red food colouring

sprinkles

• 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. 
• Turn off the mixer and fold batter by hand several times to make sure it is well mixed. 
• Divide the batter between the cake tins evenly. 
• 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.
• Whip double cream for a few minutes until thickened and stiff. Do not overwhip or the cream will split.
• Fill cake with raspberry jam followed by a layer of cream.
• To make the icing, sift icing sugar in a bowl. Add water a little at a time until it's the right consistency. Add in a little food colouring if desired.
• Drizzle the icing over the top of the cake using a spoon and finish with sprinkles.

Double chocolate, hazelnut and cherry muffins

Late last Sunday I felt like baking something. It was getting late and I didn't want anything overly complicated. I looked through my cookbooks for inspiration but nothing really caught my eye - the recipes were either too fussy or I didn't have the right ingredients to hand. I looked in my fridge and cupboards for inspiration. Earlier in the day, I'd bought some soured cream as they were on offer and that's how this recipe started. I wanted to use the soured cream so immediately I thought of a chocolate cake or muffin. I decided to make muffins as I didn't have to make frosting. I was recently sent a selection of baking goodies including chocolate chips from Dr Oetker to use so a chocolate chip muffin was forming. I also found a bag of hazelnuts so I added these in.  At the last minute, I added chopped cherries on top so it looked festive. 

I was really pleased with how these muffins turned out - it was moist and chocolatey and I loved the taste and texture of the roasted hazelnuts (which I left whole as I was too lazy to chop them). The cherries were a nice touch and added a little sweetness to your first bite. 

These muffins are really quick and easy to make. No special equipment required and the washing up is done whilst the muffins are in the oven. I think they look quite festive with the cherries on top. You can also add a drizzle of white chocolate for the extra wow factor. 

I'm entering this to Made with love Mondays hosted by Javelin Warrior. 

And to 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 be a great alternative to traditional Christmas cake and cupcakes. 

I'm also sending these to the Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... The theme this month is Quick and Easy so these fit perfectly.

And to 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.

And to Treat Petite hosted by Stuart from Cakeyboi and co-hosted by Kat from the Baking Explorer. The theme this month is Happy Holidays and I think these are perfect for any holiday.

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

 adding chocolate chips to the flour mixture 

 adding roasted hazelnuts 

 mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients 

 decorate with chopped cherries on top 

 yum! 

Recipe adapted from 1001 Cupcakes, cookies and other tempting treats

250g plain flour
25g cocoa powder
85g light muscovado sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
100g plain chocolate chips
100g white chocolate chips
100g roasted hazelnuts
300mls soured cream
85g butter, melted
Chopped cherries (optional)

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Roast hazelnut in the oven - approximately 6-8 minutes or until fragrant and golden brown. 
• Set aside to cool.
• In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
• Stir in the chocolate chips followed by the roasted hazelnuts.
• Place eggs, sour cream and butter in a separate bowl and mix well.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Be careful not to overmix.
• Add chopped cherries on top for decoration. 
• Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Allow to cool completely or eat warm if you prefer. 

With thanks to Dr Oetker for the chocolate chips used in this recipe. 

Brown Butter Banana Bread Squares

I'm sure you know how much I love baking with bananas. I've made all sorts of banana bread so I wanted to try something a little different for a change. I remember bookmarking this amazing recipe from the Little Loaf when I first saw it back in May 2013 and having made these, I'm not sure why it's taken me so many months to try it! It's absolutely delicious and received rave reviews at work. The brown butter gives a lovely, subtle nutty texture, the yoghurt and bananas a lovely moist texture and the little bits of chocolate are pure heaven. Initially I thought some nuts would make a good addition but as I continuing eating slice after slice, I realise that it's perfect on its own. Sometimes less is more and this is definitely one of those times. I think I ate a quarter of this tray on my own as it was just so good!

I'm entering this to Bookmarked Recipes hosted by Jacqueline from Tinned Tomatoes.

 whisking brown butter into sugar and egg mixture

 adding mashed bananas and yoghurt

 adding flour

 adding in chopped chocolate

Recipe adapted slightly from The Little Loaf

I used what ingredients I had at home - low fat vanilla yoghurt and a mixture of milk and dark chocolate. I made a double recipe to fit a 32cm rectangle tray

55g butter
175g light muscovado sugar
1 egg
2 medium sized bananas, mashed
50g low fat vanilla yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
130g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
150g chopped chocolate

• Preheat the oven to 175C. Grease and line a 32cm rectangle 'traybake' baking tray as shown (You need a double recipe for this) Alternatively, use a smaller square baking tin. 
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for approximately 6-8 minutes until the butter is brown but not burnt. 
• In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs.
• Whisk in the cooled browned butter.
• Add in mashed bananas, yoghurt and vanilla. 
• Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix well.
• Finally stir in the chopped chocolate. 
• Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. You will need to reduce the baking time if you are using a smaller tin (probably about 15-20 minutes) 
• Allow to cool completely before slicing into squares 

Snickers cupcakes with peanut butter caramel buttercream

A few weeks ago I was asked to bake for a support group that my colleague was involved in . She definitely wanted lemon cupcakes so I whipped up a batch of those but I also wanted to make something else that involved chocolate. I brainstormed a few ideas and finally decided on a snickers cupcake. I made a dark chocolate cupcake and filled it with a caramel and chopped snickers filling. This was decorated with a peanut butter caramel frosting and added a drizzle of caramel, chopped, roasted peanuts and chopped snickers to finish. The peanut butter idea came from seeing peanut butter snickers in America and of course you know my love of peanut butter! The cupcakes were a huge success and I received lots of lovely compliments about them. My colleague's husband was so impressed he asked where he could buy them from! 

This really tasted like snickers in a cupcake form. The dark chocolate cupcake was not sweet at all and paired well with the sweetness of the caramel and buttercream. I loved the crunch of the peanuts and the filling in the middle was heavenly. 

 I used tinned caramel for this recipe as I was short on time and I hate making caramel but you can of course make your own. 

 making the cupcakes 

 ready to go in the oven 

 core out the middle of the cupcake - I used a melon baller 

 fill with snickers and caramel filling 

 pipe buttercream on top 

 drizzle with caramel - use a round tip or just snip the end off the piping bag 

 add a small piece of chopped Snickers on top and some crushed, roasted peanuts 

 yum! 

For the cupcakes (Makes 12) 
113g unsalted butter, chopped
60g dark chocolate, chopped
40g cocoa powder
105g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
130g sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
115g sour cream

For the filling

2 snickers bars chopped into small pieces

2 - 3 tablespoons caramel 

For the Peanut Butter Caramel Frosting

113g butter

85g smooth peanut butter

185g icing sugar

2 tablespoons caramel

1 - 2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To decorate

1 snickers bars chopped into small pieces

Chopped roasted peanuts

Caramel for drizzling (about 2 -3 tablespoons) 

• Preheat oven to 180C
• Combine butter, chocolate, and cocoa in medium heatproof bowl. 
• Set bowl over saucepan containing barely simmering water; heat mixture until butter and chocolate are melted and whisk until smooth and combined. 
• Set aside to cool until just warm to the touch.
• Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.
• Whisk eggs in second medium bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt until fully incorporated.
• Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. 
• Sift about one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogeneous and thick.
• Divide the batter evenly in 12 cupcakes cases. 
• Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.
• Cool on wire rack until completely cold before decorating.
• To make the filling, mix chopped snickers bars and caramel in a small bowl.
• Make the frosting by beating the butter and peanut butter until smooth.
• Add in icing sugar and continue beating.
• Finally mix in vanilla extract and caramel. 
• To assemble the cupcakes, core out the middle of the cupcake using a melon baller or cupcake corer.
• Fill with 1 teaspoon of chopped snickers and caramel filling.
• Pipe buttercream on top of each cupcake.
• Sprinkle chopped, roasted peanuts on top.
• Place caramel in a small piping bag with a round tip or a ziplock bag with the end snipped off and drizzle caramel on top of each cupcake.
• Place a small piece of snickers on top of each cupcake. 

AlphaBakes Dec 2013

Hasn't the year flown by? I can't believe it's December already.  AlphaBakes has been running for 22 months now so there's only 4 letters left of the alphabet. If you haven't already seen the amazing "O" round up on Caroline's blog then do head on over and check it out.

You probably won't believe me but this is the honest truth! The random letter generator selected "X" for December (after excluding all the letters we've previously used). I think it's fate as Caroline and I had discussed that we would pick X for December to enable everyone to enter any 'X-mas' related bakes. I can't actually think of another recipe or ingredient that starts with X so will be very intrigued if you do. As it's Dec and Christmas is almost upon us, we have a lovely prize for 1 lucky winner selected at random from all eligible entries. It's a copy of World's Best Cakes sponsored by Jacqui Small Publishing. I wrote a review on the book recently if you'd like a sneak preview. You will get 1 entry to the draw for each recipe entered and 2 entries to the prize draw if your entry is not "X-mas" ie if you can think of something else for X. As Christmas is on 25th Dec, the deadline this month will be extended to 28th December 2013 and a round up will be posted before the New Year. Please remember to email alphabakes@gmail.com with your entry. 

The prize is available for UK addresses only. 

A reminder of the rules.....

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! :)