No one has food poisoning... yet!!

Well... we - me, the boyf and a few unsuspecting friends - have now sampled the delights of the cupcakes and we're all still here to tell the story! Phew!

For anyone who was wondering, the recipe is below.

Tia Maria cupcakes

14-16 cupcakes

Ingredients:
110g castor sugar
110g butter or margarine
110g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp organic cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 tsp Tia Maria
1 tbsp milk

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas mark 5. Line a cupcake baking tray with paper lines.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well, then add the Tia Maria.
3. Sieve in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and mix well. Add the milk and mix.
4. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake tray, up to about 1/2 full. Place in the centre of the oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the baking tray and place on a wire rack to cool.

Part three in the story of the cupcakes!!

Here are the finished product! Just got to leave them in the fridge for the icing to set a bit and then for the tasting!

The end.

The cupcake story so far... (Pt 2)

These are the cupcakes straight out of the oven! I plan to ice them tomorrow night and will post another photo then. Don't know how they taste but the leftovers in the bowl certainly tasted good.

Tea time

There is nothing better - in my humble opinion - than the smell of cakes baking in the oven. It is a smell that takes me right back to my parents' house when I am about 9 or 10 and my mum was baking a birthday bake for me or my sister.

My first attempt at baking a cake was in my first year at university. It was an unmitigated disaster. Despite being in the oven for nearly two hours it never set! I have no idea what we did to it but something was not right.

In the last year however I have learnt to love baking. Cupcakes are a particular favourite of mine these days. I usually make vanilla or chocolate cupcakes with a lovely buttery icing on top. Tonight however I might attempt Tia Maria cupcakes from the rather lovely cupcake recipe book that my mum gave me for my birthday.

I'll keep you posted on how they turn out (and post a pic if they are any good!). Love, SG

Hysteria for Hummingbird

Like many I am completely infatuation by the institution that is the Hummingbird Bakery. This bakery, which is not content with being every fashionistas dream in NYC, made it's way across the pond to London several years ago to entice us with its sweet treats.

I ventured to the Notting Hill branch last weekend and was confronted by queues of sugar-craving adults, who like me simply couldn't decide which delicious cake, cupcake, brownie, pie or cookie to choose from. I was torn between my old favourite, the red velvet cupcake and the daily special nutella cupcake. In the end I went for the nutella, which was divine, if not a little sickly sweet. Don't let the queues put you off, it is definitely worth the wait.

The delectable cupcakes are a dream of heaped buttercream icing, gorgeous colour, finished with dusting of sprinkles, You can also be assured that they are all cooked from scratch in-house.

The shop itself is a style haven with frosted windows, the inside is decorated in sumptuous cupcake shades of pink, brown and red that entice you in with even the merest glimpse of the treats on offer.

When you're in here, you're greatest life dilemma is not the newly announced recession but what flavour your cupcake will be. Indulgence never tasted so good.