Coconut and chocolate stripey cake

This cake was made for my mums birthday, I first saw it on Fiona Cairns fabulous cakes, she was the lady that created the Royal wedding cake. I personally think she comes across as really patronizing but she sure knows a lot about baking!

For the cake:
350g unsalted butter, really soft, diced, plus more for the tins
2tbsp cocoa powder
350g self-raising flour
2tsp baking powder
6 eggs, lightly beaten
350g golden caster sugar
2tsp vanilla extract
90g creamed coconut, grated, or grated fresh coconut

For the coconut frosting:
300g cream cheese
150g icing sugar
45g creamed coconut, grated, or grated fresh coconut
1tsp vanilla extract
For the buttercream:

150g 70% cocoa solids chocolate
225g unsalted butter, softened
300g icing sugar, sifted
1tsp vanilla extract

Bit of a lengthy one but worth it!

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Butter two 20cm round sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment. Make an 8cm high collar of baking parchment for each tin too. Mix the cocoa powder with 12 tbsp boiling water, and set aside to cool.

Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl, add the butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Beat until well blended, taking care not to over-mix. Remove half the batter to another bowl.
Gently stir the coconut into one bowl and scrape into one of the tins.
Add the cocoa paste to the other, stir and scrape into the other tin.
Bake both cakes for 30,40 minutes, or until a skewer emerges clean.

Remove from the oven and leave the cakes for a minute or two, then run a knife around each to loosen it from the tin. Turn out on to a couple of wire racks. Remove the papers and leave to cool completely.
Meanwhile, to make the coconut frosting, place the cream cheese in a bowl. Sift over the icing sugar and whisk until well blended.

Add the coconut and vanilla and mix well. To make the chocolate buttercream, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Set aside to cool.

Beat the butter until really pale and fluffy, then add the icing sugar and vanilla.
Beat for five minutes until light and creamy. Add the chocolate and beat again. Take a few spoonfuls and, with a palette knife, place into the icing bag. Only half-fill the bag, or it will make a mess.

Level the tops of the cakes, turn upside down and place on a work surface.(I cut each cake it half length way,as I was aiming for a checked effect) Cut the cakes into 2cm strips; each should make 10 strips. Alternate them so each cake has 10 strips of the two flavours (do this with both cake but alternate with the second eg if the first starts with coconut then chocolate start the other stripe chocolate then coconut!,

Using half the coconut frosting, sandwich together the strips of cake put the cake together and spread the rest over the top and sides. Rest in the fridge for an hour to firm up.

To decorate the cake, place it on to an upturned 15cm cake tin.
Pipe chocolate roses of varying sizes, from the inside outwards. Practice first on a small plate and scrape the buttercream back into the bag to re-use. Lift gently on to a serving plate.

Mr Greedy Birthday cake

Here is a photo of a Birthday cake I made last week, Mr Greedy!

Macmillian coffee morning results!

As you know Lady Muck's teamed up with Cafe La Strada in Frome to hold a coffee morning in aid for Macmillan cancer support. I really enjoyed the morning it was a really good turn out, the regular  customers were a massive help. Everyone seemed to really welcome the event and helped to spread the word. I managed to raise £150 from my cake sales and Jude the owner of Cafe La Strada generously matched that!, We finished on a total of £300. I'd like to thank everyone for their donations Macmillian is such a great charity and I like to think we made a difference with the money we raised!  Thanks again x

Chocolate Orange cupcakes

This morning I woke up thinking of chocolate orange (for some strange reason), So naturally I decided to bake some choc orange cupcakes,

Makes 12
100g SR flour
140g Caster sugar
40g Butter
20g Coco powder
Orange essence
Zest of 1 orange
120 ml Milk
1 Egg

250g Icing sugar
80g Butter
Orange food colouring
Chocolate sprinkles (optional)

Put the flour ,coco powder, sugar and butter into a mixer or mixing bowl combine until the mixture forms a bread crumb like texture, put the egg in with the milk along with the orange essence mix, slowly pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients to form a batter.

Pour into cupcake cases 1/3 of the way up. Bake for a bout 12 minutes

while the cakes are baking make the orange buttercream, Place the icing sugar and the butter into a mixer cream together, once combined add a few drops of milk beat together for at least 5 minutes this will make the buttercream light and fluffy, add a few drops of orange essence along with a few drops of orange food colouring mix again until the icing is a mic even orange colour.

Wait for the cakes to cool down, pipe the icing on ,cover in sprinkles ,
Finished!

Worlds biggest coffee morning

Worlds biggest coffee morning in aid of Macmillan cancer support is only a week away Lady Mucks are teaming up with Cafe La Strada in Frome Friday 28th 9-12!

Popcorn & Golden syrup

This recipe was made to see if popcorn worked in a cupcake, it's safe to say it does
So as usual a simple vanilla sponge recipe is used the only difference being is that golden syrup is added to the batter, the amount is entirely up to you!
Bake 12 cupcakes
While there in the oven make the popcorn, you can get popcorn kernels in any whole food shop if not I'm sure the microwave popcorn will work as long as its sweet!
When the popcorn has all popped and is cooled down add sugar and some golden syrup give it a good stir to make sure the syrup is covering it all, when the cupcakes are done put to one side to cool
Make a vanilla buttercream adding golden syrup.
Pipe the buttercream and finish with the popcorn!

Burger cupcakes

I saw these whilst doing some cupcake research and I had to try them!

Really simple
Bake 12 vanilla cupcakes,12 chocolate cupcakes and 1 amount of buttercream

Bake the vanilla cupcakes and the chocolate cupcakes leave to cool, make the buttercream divide into 3 colours red, green and yellow. Remove the vanilla cupcakes from their cases and cut in half, remove the chocolate cupcakes and cut the tops off to form a flat burger. Place the chocolate burger on top of the bottom cupcake bun, pipe the icing one colour at a time yellow,green then red!, put the top half back on! Done