To mangle a quote from Mark Twain, the reports of the death of cupcakes has been greatly exaggerated. The trendy kids and the foodies looking for the hot new thing may ignore cupcakes but I’m here to tell you that whenever I take a plate of cupcakes anywhere people fall over themselves to get one. Often it is the adults pushing the kids out of the way, which probably says more about the company I keep but the fact remains that cupcakes are a popular item. Continue reading
I am in love. The objects of my affections are mini jam doughnut muffins. These sweet treats have captured my heart and occupy every waking moment of the day. Continue reading
Oooh, how cute are these little cakes?! I love mini individual cakes and these little loaf cakes are a nice change from cupcakes – and they are a smidge more sophisticated, too..
These mini raspberry and coconut crumble loaf cakes super easy to make using store cupboards so you can whip these up in no time at all. Because it is a Donna Hay recipe it is all simple technique with great results. Continue reading
Lemon is lovely, don’t you agree? I adore baking with citrus – the aroma of a zested lime or lemon coupled with the scent of general baking is amazing.
I recently found myself with a glut of lemons after my mum-in-law gave us a basket full from her tree. This recipe only used one of countless lemons but the freshness of these lemons really lifted the taste. Continue reading
Get your tasting spoons ready, bakers: the sauce in this cake is something you will be unable to resist.
Donna Hay created the salted burnt honey sauce in a recent edition of her eponymous magazine. Do not underestimate the bewitching properties of this sauce: four ingredients is all it takes to lift a lovely cake into superstar mode. Continue reading
I recently baked and blogged rich, dark chocolate brownies. These were a decadent treat and one for adults only.
This time it is sweetness and light in the shape of fresh strawberry and white chocolate blondies.
I made these as a thank you for a lovely friend, Maria, who was the first person to ‘like’ my brand spanking new Hungry Mum Facebook page! Feel free to like my Facebook page – and I’ll like yours back 🙂 Continue reading
Red velvet anything is my favourite. I don’t have an overly sweet tooth but when I am in a bakery/cafe/ on Pinterest and see the magical words ‘red velvet’ I am hooked.
I thought I would mix up my red passion for black with this recipe for black velvet cupcakes. Fun fact for those who don’t know – black velvet is a cocktail made from Guinness and champagne. Interesting, huh? I’m absolutely #TeamChampagne (see my pink champagne recipe here https://thehungrymum.com/2015/06/04/pink-champagne-cake-from-scratch/) and The Hungry Dad is partial to a Guinness come the colder months but the two combined doesn’t float my boat. Having never tried it, however, maybe I shouldn’t be so harsh in my judgment.
In any case, when I saw a black velvet baking recipe on the BBC Good Food site I knew it would be a perfect recipe to make for Sydney’s cold weather. I transformed their recipe from puddings into big cupcakes. Continue reading
I always thought pound cakes were heavy, rectangular-shaped items. I have long loved pound cake and have fond memories of eating frozen Sara Lee pound cake with sultanas at my nana’s house (nana wasn’t a baker, bless).
Then I saw my guru Donna Hay had made a pound cake in a circular shape and my mind.was.blown. #easilyImpressed Continue reading
Have you ever met a beekeeper? I have met several over the years in my day job as a journalist and I am here to tell you that people who dedicate their lives tending to bees, hives, and all the paraphernalia that comes with it, are amazing.
I recently interviewed a beekeeper who I have met several times now. She is passionate and knowledgeable about all aspects of beekeeping and at the end of the interview she gave me a jar of honey from her hives.
This honey is nothing like the stuff you buy at the shops. It is thick and unctuous and just begging to be via a spoon dipped in the jar. Mmmm, honey. As the hive is located a few suburbs away it is possible that the bees may have even visited my garden to alight on my lavender bush.
I was inspired by a recipe in Good Housekeeping’s The Baking Book for these cupcakes. I didn’t even notice how few ingredients it had until I was standing with the mixer going, and then I was happily amazed.
GATHER:
125 butter, softened and roughly diced
125g runny honey
2 eggs
125 grams self-raising flour, sifted
buds of two lavender blossoms, finely crumbled, plus extra for garnish – ensure they are chemical-free, ideally from a loved one’s garden. These are from The Hungry Nonna’s garden – thanks mum 😉
Whipping or thickened cream, for garnish.
LET’S GET TO IT:
Preheat oven to 170C and line 6 Texas-sized cupcake holes with wrappers.
In bowl of electric mixer beat honey and butter until combined.
Add eggs, one at a time, then beat. Mixture will look curdled, is fine.
Using a silver spoon stir in flour and mix until just combined. Scrape into wrappers and bake for 15-20 minutes / until a skwere comes out clean.
Remove to wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile beat some thickened cream until soft peaks, then dollop on top of cakes. Garnish with extra lavender buds.
So, exciting news sports fans: Miss9’s soccer team will be playing at half-time of tonight’s Matilda’s game! For those that aren’t into soccer, the Matildas are the Australian national soccer team and they are playing Vietnam tonight at a stadium half an hour away. Miss9’s team will take to the field at half-time to play a short game. Yippee!
To keep energy levels up I have made these brown sugar cookies for the team (Miss9’s, not the Matildas!). I have made brown sugar bickies many times but they have never been as good as these. Continue reading
the hungry mum 