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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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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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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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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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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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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post-Christmas cupcakes

OK, hands up: who's feeling the consequences of Christmas with stodgy, bloated stomachs and the desire to detox for the new year? It's natural, it's common, it's understandable yet why deprive yourself of yummy food when you know, deep down, that's the last thing you want to do. Well these poppy seed and lemon cupcakes are a healthy alternative that still have the appearance of being indulging but are filled with fresh lemons- a successful component in detox dieting because of the ability to break down the build up of toxins in the body while contributing to short term weight loss. Result ;-)

You will need...

1 lemon
50g wholemeal flour,
2 table spoons of poppy seeds,
50g butter,

1 egg,
50g sultanas

What to do...

• mix the butter with the sugar in a bowl and then beat in the egg. 
• Squeeze the juice out of a lemon and pour into the bowl of ingredients
• combine the poppy seeds and then fold in the flour
• mix in the sultanas and then spoon the mixture into cake cases.
• bake for approximately twenty minutes at 180 degrees.
• I then juiced a second lemon and lightly spread it on top for extra flavour and a shinier finish but this is entirely optional.