Pecan Butterscotch Blondies

We went to America a few weeks ago for a holiday to celebrate J's significant birthday. We had a brilliant time and it was also a good opportunity for me to stock up on American baking goodies. I bought a few bags of butterscotch chips as I love the flavour and really enjoy baking with them. However, my favourite combination is still butterscotch and pecans so I decided to make some blondies with them. The flavours work really well together and they were quite addictive! I brought this along with the Irish tea bread to work but these were devoured much quicker. I'm sure I will be getting repeat requests for this one! 

 adding butterscotch chips and pecan nuts 

 ready to bake 

 fresh from the oven 

 delicious! 

Makes 1 large traybake

225g buttter

200g brown sugar

75g caster sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

250g plain flour

100g pecan nuts, chopped

300g butterscotch chips

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
• Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue mixing.
• Stir in the flour and mix well. 
• Finally stir in the butterscotch chips and pecan nuts.
• Press into a traybake tin and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

Tea Bag Cookies

How's everyone feeling this first week of January? We've had a nice little break away and feel refreshed for the year although I'm pretty sure it won't last long! I mentioned in my previous post that I had an afternoon tea party on New Year's Day and as expected from a baking addict like me, I baked everything myself. The menu was quite extensive and it took hours to prepare but it was good fun and more importantly my guests enjoyed themselves and really enjoyed the treats. 

This is what the table looked like on the day. I had to cater for vegetarian and gluten free so I made sure there was a good selection for everyone. I've included links to recipes on my blog if available. The menu consisted of:

• Variety of sandwiches inlcuding vegetarian and gluten free options (corncakes and ricecakes instead of bread) 
• Homemade plain scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream
• Homemade cheese scones with bacon jam and cream cheese 
• After eight chocolate mint cupcakes (recipe to follow)
• Rocky Road (gluten free) 
• Lemon Meringue Kisses (gluten free) 
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (recipe to follow) (gluten free)
• Earl Grey Tea Cookies
• Tea Bag Cookies
• Victoria Sponge Cake
• Black Forest Gateau
• Selection of teas

I came across this idea whilst googling afternoon tea ideas. As the saying goes, the devil is in the detail and I wanted the table to look perfect. I bought a mismatched china tea set from a charity shop and a lovely tea pot in the sale. I also got the cute disposable placemats on sale which look great on the table. My friend bought me a beautiful set of colourful dishes from Royal Doulton for Christmas which went well with our colourful napkins. 

These cookies are basically shortbread cookies cut to look like a teabag. I bought some craft supplies to make my own 'teabag tag' and finally dipped them in chocolate for extra indulgence. I found some really cute sparkly cupcake stickers which I used for the teabag tags and everyone was really impressed! 

I'm sending this to the Biscuit Barrel challenge created by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... This month it's guest hosted by Alexandra from The Lass in the Apron and the theme is Innovation and Discoveries. This is certainly a new discovery for me as I've never really tried decorated cookies before. They are time consuming but the final result is well worth it. 

 

 I used the tea bag as guide to cut out the cookie shapes 

 I used a straw to poke a hole at the top before baking 

 how cute is that? 

 a close up of my cupcake 'teabag tag' 

100g butter
250g flour
100g icing sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
50g chocolate

• Place the butter and flour in a bowl and rub together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you can use a food processor using the pulse function.
• Add in the egg, icing sugar, vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste and mix until a dough forms.
• It will be quite soft and sticky at this stage.
• Roll into a ball and wrap in clingfilm. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.
• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Roll out the dough and using a tea bag as a guide, cut out the shape of a tea bag. 
• Place the cookies spaced apart on the baking tray.
• Use a straw to poke a hole near the top of the cookie as shown.
• Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. 
• Allow to cool on a wire rack.
• Place the chocolate in a small bowl and melt in the microwave using 10 second bursts making sure not to burn the chocolate.
• Dip the end of the cookies in the chocolate and place on a piece of parchment paper to set,
• Once completely set, tie a tag through the hole.

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes and a review

I am hosting this month's AlphaBakes which is the letter "H". Frankly, it's a bit of a relief as the last 2 letters have been slightly tricky being "K" followed by "I". In case you missed the late announcement, there is a lovely prize for 1 lucky winner selected at random this month. It's a copy of 500 cupcakes by Fergal Connolly & Judith Fertig sponsored by Quarto Publishing. 

I decided to select a recipe from the 'H' index for my Alphabakes entry this month. There's 21 recipes under 'H' some of which are variations on the same recipe. There were a few interesting ones but in the end I decided on these hot chocolate cupcakes as I've been craving chocolate.

The book is a lovely sized hardback with 288 pages including index. It starts with a brief introduction which covers basic equipment and ingredients, making and decorating cupcakes, serving ideas and cupcake gifts. The chapters are then divided into

• Classic Cupcakes
• Fragrant and spiced cupcaes
• Chocolate cupcakes
• Decadent Cupcakes
• Celebration Cupcakes
• Cupcakes for Kids
• Cupcakes for special diets
• Designer Cupcakes

All the cupcake recipes fit onto 1 page with a one line summary followed by ingredient list and methods. The instructions are simple and succint.  Most of the main recipes include a picture but there isn't a picture for each recipe. Each recipe has variations listed on a separate page. For example, these chocolate orange cupcakes pictured below are a 'main recipe' 

The variations page looks like this and the variations for chocolate orange cupcakes include chocolate orange marshmallow-centred cupcakes,chocolate orange & vanilla centred cupcakes, white chocolate & vanilla cupcakes and chocolate crystallised orange-centred cupcakes. I particularly like that there is a little picture at the top corner of the basic recipe the variations refer to just in case you're not sure.

The hot chocolate cupcake recipe that I chose was actually a variation of their morning latte cupcakes. The instructions were to prepare the basic cupcake recipe (for morning latte cupcakes) but to omit the coffee flavouring in the icing and to sprinkle chocolate sprinkles on top of each cupcake.

The cupcakes themselves were delicious. It's a plain vanilla sponge topped with a thick chocolate icing. It's quite a fudgey consistency which  was easy to spread. It was then topped with marhsmallow fluff and finished with a dusting of cocoa powder. I couldn't find my mini mallows which would look good on top. Initially I thought the cupcake should be a chocolate cupcake but it works better this way as you can taste the chocolate and the marshmallow separately. It's quite messy to eat as the marhsmallow fluff is extremely sticky but it's really tasty.

My verdict - This is a cute little book which is perfect if you are new to baking but there's also some lovely recipes for the advanced baker. I like the layout and presentation of the book. There is also a large variety of recipes and I know I will be using this book again and again. My only negative as always is that there isn't a photo for each recipe. It will make a great gift for a baking friend and I would have happily bought this book for myself. 

As mentioned I'm entering this to AlphaBakes hosted by myself this month and co hosted by Caroline from Caroline Makes. The letter is 'H' for Hot chocolate cupcakes. Remember to email your entries by 25th November and you will be in with a chance to win a copy of this book. 

I only managed 11 cupcakes with my batter 

 ready to be iced

 the icing looks a little messy but it's quite thick so it's difficult to spread evenly.

delicious marshmallow fluff 

Update 17/11/14

Recipe from 500 Cupcakes by Fergal Connolly & Judith Fertig. Published by Apple Press. Reproduced with permission. 

For the cupcakes

225g unsalted butter

115g caster sugar

225g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

For the icing & decorations

100g plain chocolate, roughly chopped

60g unsalted butter

100g icing sugar

215g jar Marshmallow Fluff or 200g mini marshmallows, melted

18 craft pipe cleaners or chenille sticks (I didn't use these) 

• Preheat the oven to 175C/350F/Gas Mark 4. 
• Place 18 paperbaking cases into muffin tins. (I only managed 11 cupcakes of size shown)
• Combine all the cupcake ingredients in a medium bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth and pale, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Spoon the batter into the cases.
• Bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove the tins from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.
• Remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack.
• To make the icing, gently heat the chocolate and butter in a small, heavy saucepan, stirring until melted.
• Remove from the heat and beaat in the icing sugar.
• For each cupcake: Ice the top. Pipe or spoon marshmallow fluff on top of each cupcake. Double the pipe cleaner and insert both ends into the side of each cupcake handle to form a 'handle'. 

Disclaimer: I was sent a review copy of 500 cupcakes. A positive review was not required and all opinions expressed are my own. This is not a sponsored post. 

Summer Berry Cake

I baked this cake last week for a birthday at work. It was so good I made the same cake again at the weekend and it's all gone! It's a vanilla sponge cake filled with fresh berries topped with creme fraiche and more fresh berries. The birthday girl wanted something with fresh fruit so I loaded the cake with lots of it! I used fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.  The sponge was really light and moist and the vanilla flavour really lifts the fruits. Everyone enjoyed the creme fraiche topping which was flavoured with ground vanilla beans as it was lighter than cream and helped cut through the sweetness of the cake and fruit. 

As fresh berries are still in season, I'm entering this to Simple and in Season hosted this month by Elizabeth from Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary for Ren from RenBehan.com.

I'm also sending this to Celebration Cakes & Bakes hosted by Mummy Makes Cakes as this was made for a birthday celebration and it's perfect for any celebration. 

And to Bake of the Week run by Casa Costello which is guest hosted by Kirsty from Hijacked By Twins. 

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

I think it will also fit in with with month's Tea Time Treats hosted by Karen from Lavender and Lovage and co hosted by Jane from Hedgecombers. The theme this month is Picnic Food and Picnic Treats. When I think of picnics, I think of summer and this cake definitely screams summer! 

 adding vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract 

 toss the berries in flour 

 press a few fresh berries on top

 ground vanilla beans in the creme fraiche

 fresh from the oven - you can clearly see the berries

 add a layer or sweetened vanilla creme fraiche

 top with fresh summer berries

 add a sprinkling of vanilla dusting sugar 

 I love how you can still see the berries inside the sponge 

I used my usual weigh your egg method for the sponge - use the same weight for your butter, sugar and flour

For the cake

4 large eggs = 266g in weight 

266g butter

266g caster sugar

266g self raising flour

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

60mls milk

366g fresh summer berries tossed in 2 tablespoons of flour

For the topping

300mls creme fraiche

ground vanilla beans

2 tablespoons icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

selection of fresh berries

• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. 
• Add in the eggs, one at at time, mixing well between each addition. 
• Add in the vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract.
• Add in the flour and then the milk. 
• Toss the berries in 2 tablespoons of flour and stir them into the cake mixture by hand. Set aside a small handful of berries. 
• Pour the batter into a 23cm cake tin. Press the reserved berries into the cake before baking. 
• Bake for approximately 45 - 50 minutes or until it's golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. It's a large cake so may even need an hour to cook!
• Allow the cake to cool completely before decorating. 
• Use a vanilla bean grinder to grind vanilla beans into the creme fraiche. 
• Add in 2 tablespoons of icing sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
• Spread the creme fraiche on top of the cake.
• Pile lots of fresh berries on top. 
• Sprinkle with vanilla dusting sugar or plain icing sugar. 

Vanilla Victoria Sponge and a giveaway

I love baking with vanilla. It's such a versatile flavour and absolutely delicious on it's own. Since I discovered how easy it is to make your own vanilla extract, I've not bought any but I do regularly buy vanilla pods and vanilla bean paste for baking. Taylor & Colledge have a great range of vanilla bean products including organic vanilla bean pods, vanilla bean dusting sugar, vanilla bean extract, vanilla bean paste and vanilla bean grinder. I was particularly intrigued by the vanilla bean grinder as I've never seen one before. I shortlisted a few recipes to showcase the vanilla flavour and in end decided on a classic Victoria Sponge. 

I filled it with vanilla cream and fresh strawberries and added vanilla to the sponge mix as well. The vanilla flavour was delicious and you can definitely smell the vanilla in the cake as there was quite a lot of it! The vanilla bean grinder was really easy to use - similar to a salt/pepper grinder. I loved the flecks of vanilla on the cream and it added to the vanilla flavour too. 

I have 3 sets of their full range of vanilla bean products to giveaway to 3 lucky readers. Entry is via the rafflecopter widget below. 

The prize consists of one of each of the following for 3 readers.

• Taylor & Colledge Organic vanilla bean pods 
• Taylor & Colledge Vanilla bean dusting sugar 
• Taylor & Colledge Vanilla bean extract 
• Taylor & Colledge Vanilla bean paste
• Taylor & Colledge Vanilla bean grinder

Terms and Conditions

• This giveaway is open to all readers over 18 with a postal address in the UK.
• Closing date is 7th July 2014 at 12 midnight GMT.
• The winner will be chosen at random via Rafflecopter and will be contacted by email. 
• I am running this competition on behalf of Taylor & Colledge who will be sending out the prize directly. By entering you are giving me permission to pass your email address on to Taylor & Colledge so they can contact you for delivery of the prize. 
• All entries will be checked and verified. 

 My selection of vanilla bean products for review - organic vanilla bean pods, vanilla bean dusting sugar, vanilla bean extract, vanilla bean grinder and vanilla bean paste 

 adding vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract to the cake batter 

 I used the vanilla bean grinder to grind some vanilla beans into the whipped cream 

 I also added more ground vanilla on top of the cream before adding the strawberries 

 

 finally a dusting of vanilla bean icing sugar to finish 

For the cake
Weigh 4 eggs in their shells and then measure out the same weight in butter, sugar and self raising flour.
My eggs weighed 265g so I used:

4 eggs (weight 265g in their shells)
265g butter
265g caster sugar
265g self raising flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

For the filling
300mls double cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a few twists of the vanilla bean grinder
Fresh strawberries - washed, hulled and sliced

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
• Mix in the flour.
• Stir in the vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract.
• Divide the mixture evenly between 2 sandwich tins.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown and springy to touch. A skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean.
• Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Whip the cream until it's set and add in the vanilla extract. 
• Using the vanilla bean grinder, sprinkle some ground vanilla over the cream. 
• Sandwich the cakes with the vanilla cream and a layer of strawberries. 
• Dust the top of the cake with vanilla bean icing sugar.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was sent a selection of products from Taylor & Colledge for review purposes. A positive review was not required and all opinions expressed are my own.