green tea, apple and walnut cupcakes

This week's cupcake is delicate and fruity and basically a fluffy pillow of comfort for your taste buds. Like with the green tea cupcakes I made for Mother's Day (You can find them here), I poured a tiny (but strong) amount of tea-infused water into the mixture although this time I used to cranberry instead of mango and lychee. Small chopped up pieces of apple are hidden in the sponge and walnuts were sprinkled on top before baking :-)

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Rhubarb crumble cupcakes

Wishing all my UK readers a lovely bank holiday! A three day weekend, more than any other weekend, is perfect for consuming the above. 

Homemade coconut scones anyone? (served with a cup of tea, naturally).
I have discovered that adding coconut milk to a smoothie makes it even more flavorsome, which is what I did with the avocado, banana and almond milk one photographed here. It's a great way to kick start the day! As is a boiled egg in an egg cup that comes prepared with its own hammer. (eaten with soldiers, of course)
Or, if brunch is more your thing, my new favourite crumpet topping is avocado and walnuts. So delicious.

Finally, today's recipe (which you may have gathered by the title) is for rhubarb crumble cupcakes. Made from freshly picked rhubarb from my back garden, these make the tastiest dessert.

To make them, you will need...

• About 140g rhubarb
• 60g butter
• 60g brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 60g wholemeal flour
• 25g oats

What to do...

• Cook the rhubarb beforehand. This takes about 20 minutes
• and then mix together the butter and sugar
• Beat in the egg and then combine half of your rhubarb.
• Add the flour and then the rest of the rhubarb. 
• Mix in the oats.
• Now you can spoon your cupcake mixture into its cases. Once you've filled them up, sprinkle some more oats on top to give it more of a crumble effect.
• Cook for about 15 minutes.

Best served with vanilla ice cream and a scatter of almonds. Enjoy :-)

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the ideal nut roast

On multiple occasions when I have told a meat eater I had/ I'm having nut roast for my Sunday dinner they have laughed. I've never understood this but I guess it's because it's the complete opposite end of the scale for them.

In the past I have looked on the internet for various nut roast recipes but there isn't a huge selection and there's been nothing that's particularly grabbed my attention. Similarly, supermarkets are the worst. They have nothing. Which is why, everybody, cooking your meals from scratch is always the best option. The recipe for the one I'm sharing began with a version by Pearl Lowe (AKA Daisy Lowe's mum) which my mum and I used for the base of our's and have since been continuously modifying it to make it all the more delicious.

If your bikini diet is underway and you need a healthier/less fattening alternative to a meaty dinner or you're veggie, this is packed with flavour and goodness that will completely satisfy your tummy. (Best served with roasted potatoes, honey-roasted vegetables, spinach or kale, and Yorkshire pudding)

You will need...

• 4oz mixed chopped nuts
• 3oz chopped dried apricots and dates
• 1oz wholemeal bread crumbs
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder (vegetable stock)
• 1 teaspoon Marmite
• mixed dried herbs to taste (rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley)
• black pepper
• mixed seeds (sesame/ poppy, pumpkin and sunflower)

What to do...

• Put the nuts, dried fruit and breadcrumbs in a large bowl (These can be previously mixed together in a blender)
• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and lightly brown the onion then add to the mixture in the bowl and stir in the herbs and pepper
• Dissolve the vegetable stock and Marmite in 1/4 pint of boiling water then pour into the bowl with your ingredients and mix together thoroughly
• Lightly grease an ovenproof baking dish and place the nut roast mixture evenly in the dish
• Sprinkle assorted seeds on top and then bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes
• Dish up and enjoy :-)

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Lindor cupcakes

I am a lover of chocolate. I mean, who isn't? and I do believe that Lindor chocolate is by far one of  the tastiest of them all. Thankfully, my friend Katharine agrees and as it's her birthday tomorrow I thought it would only be right to treat her...but in a slightly different way by combining two of my favourite things! You too can have a go if you want to experience the wonders of a chocolaty foodgasm. The recipe below is for two people- so, perfect for you and somebody special :-)

You will need...

• 60g butter
• 1 egg
• 60g brown sugar
• 75g wholemeal flour
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
• 3 Lindor chocolates
• 75g butter
• 175g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

What to do...

• Preheat the oven to 180 
• Mix together your butter and sugar, then add the egg followed by the flour and cocoa powder for your typical cupcake mixture
• Put 1 to 2 tablespoons into the cases and even out
• Then cut your Lindor chocolates in half and scoop out the incredibly delicious soft bit that's found inside. Put those bits to one side (these will be used for decorating the cakes later) and then cut the outer part of the chocolate balls up and sprinkle some inside your cases
• Layer with another few tablespoons of mixture and add the remainder of the chopped up Lindors. (They will melt on top and make it extra gooey. yum)
• Place in the oven for about fifteen- twenty minutes and then take out and leave to cool
• For decorating, make your buttercream by combining the butter and sugar and then the cocoa powder.
• Next form a mountain on top of your cakes and finish by placing those incredibly delicious soft bits amongst it. (Saving a bigger piece for the top)
  
  
  I really hope this makes sense because I am so bad at explaining, sorry!!

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meal for one

I thought I would diverge from baking this week. The reason being is my mum went off for the weekend leaving me alone with nothing but my rabbit Seb, the television and lots of revision to keep me company. Sure watching Jenson Button drive around a race track is nice and David Walliams back in my living room on a Saturday evening is super sweet but I was still predominantly on my own and I have realised that I don't want to grow up and have to live by myself because it's actually quite depressing.

This is really easy to make but I wanted to combine some of my favourite flavours into something that wasn't too time consuming. Therefore all it is is spaghetti with roasted tomatoes and pepper, carrot, and a broccoli and pine nut pesto (Topped with grated cheese and served with homemade garlic bread men) I think Italian restaurants should follow my lead and serve garlic bread men with their dishes because it definitely makes eating all the more enjoyable.

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Can you spot a theme?

Today my mum and I hopped on a train to a not-so-distant land filled with brilliantly blossomed flowers, quaint and quirky ornaments and an adorable Yorkshire Terrier named Dinky who's unfortunately at an age where he coughs uncontrollably when excited (i.e. a lot). Yes, it could only be the home of Linda and Alan: old family friends whose bungalow is always full of character and charm like them themselves.

I attempted to make them some doggy cupcakes, consisting of chocolate chip sponge, chocolate buttercream and icing figures, and the necklace is a latest addition to my jewellery collection. It was originally a key-ring from Harrods but through the power of DIY I transformed it into a necklace knowing I would get lots more use out of it. I hope everyone is having a fantastic week :-)

On the playlist: Frank Turner Recovery; The Virgins Teen Lovers; Jay Jay Pistolet We Are Free

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walnut and cinnamon bread.

All is peaceful and content. Your mind's at ease, taking a hiatus from the hustle and bustle of the week gone by. You step into your kitchen and the irresistible aroma of freshly baked goods hugs your nose, its presence welcoming and delightful. Is this not a way you'd like to spend your weekends? A cup of tea with buttered toasted slices of a walnut and cinnamon loaf is definitely a way I'd like to spend my Saturday mornings and now so can you.

It was whilst my mum and I were in London's Westfield shopping center that I first encountered this. After we kept walking past a stall selling a large variety of freshly made breads, we realised we couldn't leave without buying something and it just so happened to be the walnut, apricot (I think it was) and cinnamon one that was just yelling to be brought. A few weeks later and I decided to have a go making it myself, minus the dried fruit because I forgot to add it. Even though bread is so time consuming to make, there is always something extra satisfying about knowing you've made it yourself and because of that it always tastes nicer.

For this you will need...

• 1/4 pint of milk
• 6 tablespoons of butter
• 7g (1 sachet) easy bake yeast
• 2 eggs
• 40g sugar
• 320g strong wholemeal bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• walnuts
• 40g sugar
• 2 tablespoons of cinnamon 
• a few tablespoons of butter

What to do...

• Melt the butter in a saucepan with the milk and then leave to cool slightly.
• Pour the yeast on top and then stir around before leaving it for 10 minutes
• Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl and then mix in the eggs and sugar
• Pour the mixture from the saucepan into the bowl and form it all into a ball shape
• Take out onto a floured surface and kneed for about 10 minutes
• Pour a little oil into a bowl then place your dough ball into said bowl and cover with a tea towel.
• leave for at least 2 hours.
• Once it has risen, take out of the bowl and place onto a work surface. I then added the walnuts here, kneeding them into the bread. 
• Then roll out the dough into a rectangle shape
• For your cinnamon filling, simply stir together sugar and cinnamon. You will need more than the amount given but I didn't measure it so just go with the flow ;-)
• Melt some butter in a saucepan and then spread over the dough. The sugar and cinnamon then goes on top.
• Roll the dough up tight, folding in the ends, and then (if you like) you can press some more pieces of walnut into it. In the picture below you can see that I tried to add dried fruit. Please ignore that because they only fell out when I took it out of the oven.
• And then, yep you guessed it, pop in the oven at 170 degrees for 40 minutes and your bread is COMPLETE.

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Easter fun

Expressing my love for Ezra Koenig and the Easter bunny by 'wearing' a Vampire Weekend t-shirt and bunny ear headband (and cuddling up with my rabbit Seb).

What is Easter? Over the years, the real religious meaning behind it has begun to fade into a moneymaking fanfare, a consumer's dream, or more lucidly a chocoholic's heaven. 

Is Easter the handmade cards with cutely drawn chicks on made for your mum and dad whilst at primary school? 

Or is it the belief that going overboard with calories is totally fine and nothing to be guilty of because it's practically essential that you do so?
Maybe it's just a long weekend; a time to relax and make the most of not having to work.
For me, Easter is all about homemade hot cross buns and a festive cake; it's a total excuse to bake, bake, BAKE 

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creme egg surprise

I remember the days when the first cream egg of the year generated nearly the same excitement as the first mince pie of the year. It was a treasured experience having that foodgasmic taste take over my taste buds, producing the excessive levels of satisfaction that I had been waiting for for about 10/11 months. But now that's never the case because creme eggs are constantly available. Being on show twelve months a year means, to me, they have lost that Easter magic. I mean, I don't have have to buy them. I don't. Apart from on this occasion as these creme egg cupcakes were first made at the end of January. I just couldn't resist the temptation OK?! It was a one off though and I have now waited until now to make them again. As it's Easter a week on Sunday, I thought it would be only fitting to have these as my 'recipe of the week'. They are pretty darn delicious if not incredibly sickly.

To make two you will need...

• 60g butter
• 60g brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 75g wholemeal flour
• cocoa powder 
• 2 creme eggs

What to do...

• Pre-heat the oven to 180
• Mix all the ingredients together- starting with butter and sugar, then egg, flour...you get the idea.
• once your chocolaty mixture is complete, put approximately two table spoons of it into the bottom of a cake case and then place your creme egg on top. It is perhaps easier if you cut one of the ends off the egg just so it's a little bit smaller, therefore making the cakes less bulky when in the oven.
• Cover the egg with more mixture and then repeat for the next cake.
• Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
• When done and taken out, you have two options. You can either decorate the tops (like above) with buttercream and maybe grated chocolate or, if you're feeling extra indulgent, whilst still warm you can cut it in half (so all the gooiness begins to stream out), add some whipped cream and eat it like some kind of yummy dessert. 

Happy baking!

On the playlist: Vampire Weekend Diane Young; Vampire Weekend Step

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weekend mode

nectarine, pear, banana, yoghurt and almond milk smoothie

breakfast cupcakes (see below)

hot chocolate with cream and cinnamon

homemade mini pizzas with cheese, spinach and avocado

Mmm aren't weekends satisfying? This week's recipe fully embraces Saturday mornings, which are made for lounging about in your pjs and indulging in your favourite things. But don't be mislead by the connotations of cupcakes because (like many of the recipes I post on here) these won't leave you feeling guilty about what you've consumed. Instead, you'll be all set for the feelgood day ahead :-)

You will need...

• 60g butter
• 60g brown sugar
• 75g wholemeal self-raising flour
• 1 egg
• an orange
• dried fruit
• nuts
• oats

What to do...

• As always, start by creaming the butter and sugar together
• Combine the egg and fold in the flour
• Squeeze out some juice from your orange and add to the ingredients for extra flavour
• Grab a few handfuls of nuts (I used cashew and brazil nuts) and chop them into small pieces before mixing them into your bowl
• Do the same with the dried fruit
• Spoon into your cake cases and then sprinkle a layer of oats on top
• Bake for about 15 minutes

Simple!  Happy baking :-)

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green tea cupcakes

Wishing a happy mother's day to all the wonderful mum's out there! I decided to bake my mum some treats with a selection of all her favourite flavours. It's incredibly simple, takes hardly any time and the results are delicious. So if you feel like your mum's missing an extra little something today, why not have a go at one of these? :-)

The pictures above are for the green tea cupcakes, which definitely went down the best, and their delicate taste is well suited for today's occasion. Please bare in mind that my recipe is for 12 mini ones and I divided the mixture up into three different flavours (coconut and lemon were also included) so you can always modify yours.

You will need...

• 60g butter
• 60g sugar 
• 75g self-raising flour
• 1 egg
• 1 green tea teabag
• pistachio nuts
• (dessicated coconut)
• (lemon food colouring)
• (walnuts)

What to do....

• Boil the kettle, as you would when making a cup of tea, and pour a small amount of water into a jug, cup, whatever. Then pop in your teabag (to be precise, the one I used was a mango and lychee green tea because that's my mummy's favourite) and leave it resting in the water

• Next, cream your butter and sugar then combine the egg and fold in the flour.

• Take out the teabag and then pour the tea into your mixture and give it a nice mix so it's all soaked in.

• Chop up some pistachio nuts (if you had some) as these make a pleasing topping :-D

• Spoon the mixture into cake cases and then sprinkle some of nuts on top of each.

• Bake for about 15 minutes

• If doing any of the other flavours, simply follow the same steps but for the lemon I sprinkled chopped up walnuts on top and for the coconut I used dessicated coconut.

As you can see below, I did not stop there. Nu-uh. I also make some tarts for dessert. Again this could not be easier to make. I added dessicated coconut to the (homemade, of course) pastry and baked for 15 minutes. Then, once cooled, I added a fine layer of jam to the middle and topped with blackberries and pistachio nuts. We are not sure how it tastes yet as we're saving them for after dinner but for the sake of this post and selling these recipes to you... IT WAS FANTASTIC.

Hope you have a good day/ had a good weekend. I'm off to do coursework now. Fun, fun, fun.

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Banana, coconut and raisin cookies

Mmm doesn't this look delicious? scroll down for the baked result which, I can assure you, is delicious. (I thought it was best to stick with the step-by-step photo theme despite the photos not being too appetising)

It has now become a 'thing' of mine to add banana to the cookies I make. The reason being is it tastes so good!! (and they come out with a lovely soft texture). The first batch I did the other week contained banana, nuts and dried fruits. However, for these ones I opted for a more tropical touch with added flavour from coconut. Admittedly, I still prefer the first ones but banana and coconut go together as satisfyingly as Ant and Dec and I just had to share it with you all!

You will need...

• 70g butter
• 50g sugar (I used brown)
• dessicated coconut (I didn't measure the amount but I'd say roughly 100g)
• 1 egg
• 80g flour (I used wholemeal)
• 1 banana
• raisins (again I didn't measure the amount)
  

What to do...

• Preheat your oven to 180
• cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until smooth.
• Mash up the banana (I did this in a mixer) and then pour into the mixture, before beating in the egg
• Add the flour then the coconut and raisins
• Form cookie shapes on a baking tray and then place in the oven for about 15 minutes (As the mixture is quite gooey, I formed the shapes using a spoon not my fingers)
• Take out, leave to cool and then save for lunchtime with a cup of tea or, if you can't resist, eat straight away ;-)

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Francesca had a little lamb...

I love the school holidays! These seven days off mean I can be stress free from most things sixth-form related, I can attempt to get my head around the Oscar Pistorius news, and I get to make stuff again. 

Meet Lulu the lamb. I can't remember where she came from. I think I brought her on a school trip during my early years of primary school and since then she's been quietly living on my desk. Until now, of course. I know it's still winter and the temperatures are dismal but it's been positively sunny for four days running now and from inside my house it looks fairly Spring-like. I guess that's a good enough reason for putting together this headband. If not, you could just say I was desperate for ideas.

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blueberry and avocado cupcakes

This week's recipe is a cupcake- a cupcake with a hidden surprise. BLUEBERRIES. (and avocado in the topping) So if you like to satiate your appetite with sweet fruitiness, this one's for you.

(My recipe makes 6 mini ones so you can always modify yours. The recipe for the buttercream was taken from How Sweet It Is )

You will need...

• 80g butter
• 80g brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 90g wholemeal self-raising flour
• small handful of blueberries

• 1 avocado
• 2 cups (I think that's about 350g icing sugar)
• 1 tablespoon butter

What to do...

• Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
• Beat in the egg and then fold in the flour
• scoop a spoonful of mixture into the cake case and then place a blueberry or two in the center. Cover with more mixture
• Repeat with the rest of the cases and then bake for about 15 minutes.

• For the topping, cream the butter and avocado in a mixer until smooth then pour in the sugar and mix again.
• fill a piping bag (or whatever you use) with the butter cream and squeeze on to the top of the cakes. 
• Save until the morning or eat and enjoy straight away :-)

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Happy Valentine's day!

Love is late night cuddles and cute kisses on the lips
it's an expensive box of chocolates
Love is walking hand in hand along the beach
and a candle-lit dinner at night
Love is giggling at each other's jokes
it's a surprise breakfast in bed
Love is saying "you're beautiful" in the most appreciative way
and all the other Valentine's cliches.

This themed post has certainly developed from last year's. (Although, having said that, I'd still like to be wearing Meadham Kirchhoff with Josh Groban singing his cover of Mumford and Son's 'Sigh No More' to me. And my rabbit Seb is still my valentine) At any given opportunity, Wish Upon A Smile's Tasnim and I are all for getting together and blogging up something special and, with February being the occurrence of Valentines day (Not sure if you would have heard of it. It's kind of underrated..), we thought it was the perfect time to revisit our 'secret garden' and photograph some outfits.

My blouse is originally from Boohoo.com but I cut out some felt hearts and sewed them onto the collar for a mushy touch and the flower crown was self-made using faux flowers I had in my bedroom. As for Tas, she's given her statement preppiness a romantic touch with the pastel pink and white- a combination that's as adorable as that smile of hers.

Keeping with the theme, I used my weekend afternoons to add my Valentine's twist on some simple, baking classics: coconut shortbread in heart shapes, dipped in melted chocolate; a fruit tart filled with chocolate mousse; red velvet inspired cupcakes- white chocolate chips hidden in the sponge and buttercream sprinkled with white and dark chocolate. Suffice to say, I ate them alone. (Just kiddin'. I shared them with my family, of course) Happy Valentine's day!

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kick start your weekend with a SMOOTHIE.

Those who follow me on Instagram (or have looked at the photos at the side of my blog) would have noticed the seemingly copious amount of homemade smoothies captured this week. The reason for that is last Saturday, after what felt like forever, I decided to blend up a refreshing accompaniment for my breakfast and have since become somewhat addicted. I then thought it was only appropriate to use this for my recipe(s) of the week feature so if you're fighting a winter cold, looking for new healthy alternatives to begin your day, want a flavoursome (but not annoyingly fatty) dessert, or just genuinely love a smoothie, why not treat yourself to one of the easy-to-make, unoriginal recipes I have been loving the past seven days :-)

(from left to right): 1. This one was taken from the awesome women at Tone It Up and includes orange, banana, spinach, kale, and almond milk.
2. avocado, orange, banana and almond milk served with my Sunday morning crumpets ;-)
3. banana, plain yogurt and fruit juice served with a peanut butter and yogurt dip ;-)
4. peanut butter, cocoa powder, banana and almond milk.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, whatever you've got coming up. I'm just going to pretend I'm at New York fashion week when in actual fact I'm in a totally boring city in England doing coursework. YAY for good times.

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cheese and sun-dried tomato biscuits

Sometimes (always) it's nice to indulge in Italian-style flavours midday when your tummy's calling for yummy food. These biscuits are ideal for a Saturday lunch, which is why I'm presenting them to you on this Friday evening :-) I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

You will need...

• 100g wholemeal flour
• 50g butter
• 50g cheese
• 50g sun-dried tomatoes
• dried basil
• dried oregano 

What to do...

• In a large bowl, simply rub the butter and flour together until breadcrumbs are formed
• Then put in the rest of the ingredients by grating the cheese, chopping up the tomatoes into small pieces (perhaps smaller than I did), and adding a dash of basil and oregano for extra flavouring
• pour in a bit of water to form a dough-like mixture and then flatten on a lightly-floured surface using your hands. 
• cut out the shapes, pop onto a a tray and then place into a preheated oven at 160 for 10-15 minutes.

It really is nothing complicated at all.

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hooray for the weekend

RECIPE OF THE WEEK. I've thought maybe this could be a new feature for my blog as it is becoming part of my weekend routine to bake up some mini treats (partly due to the cupcake maker I unexpectedly received for Christmas) and I like to share them with you because, well, everyone likes cakes and stuff, right?

I understand that many hate bananas and if you are one of those many then I am sorry but this one's heavily banana based. It's an ideal breakfast cupcake as it's packed with healthy energy to hopefully help keep you feeling awake and active throughout the morning. It's also incredibly simple and quick to make! To do so, you will need...

• 2 bananas
• 1 egg
• 50g butter
• 50g brown sugar
• 65g wholemeal self raising flour

what to do...

• Preheat the oven to 180
• Mash one banana and the egg together. (I did this in a mixer and then poured it into a bowl)
• In a larger bowl, beat together the butter and sugar
• Add the banana mixture and then fold in your flour
• Finally, divide into cases and bake for 15-20 minutes. I placed a slice of banana on top of mine, as you can see 

As it's the weekend, I'd like to leave you with this thought: wouldn't it be wonderful to spend the week as a princess, living in these dresses from the Valentino spring 2013 couture collection? luxuriant, exquisite, dainty... wouldn't it be a dream?

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snow inspo

The sight of snowflakes descending from the sky is like that of fairy dust trailing from Tinkerbell's wand. A thick covering of snow has the ability to turn an everyday view into a magical scene and, when fresh and untouched, it's delicate and beauteous. As I type this, I am sat by a blazing fire in my living room while outside there's nothing but snow. Snow, snow, snow that's all the UK can talk about right now and it would be an understatement to say it doesn't fill me with excitement. I mean if it's going to be frrreeeeezing, it might as well snow or what is the point?

Feeling inspired, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to embrace all things white and whip out the coconut, making a moreish treat that will warm up your taste buds and leave you feeling deeply satisfied.

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