Primrose Cupcakes

Sorry guys, no SMS yet again! I can't abide coffee or coffee flavoured things (with the exception of coffee revels which are divine) so this weeks selection of chocolate espresso cheesecake just didn't rock my world. I'm sure the coffee lovers found this one to die for so as usual check out their blogs for unbiased testimonies.

Instead I fancied something a bit sunnier and much lighter than a cheesecake so I decided to test out the lemon cupcake recipe from the Primrose Bakery Cookbook. I've used this book quite a few times and I just can't decided whether I prefer it to the much loved Hummingbird book so I pit it against one of my favorite HBB recipes, a simple lemon cupcake.


I have to admit, I much prefer the Hummingbird cupcake, they just weren't lemony enough for my tastes but the frosting from Primrose was far superior. Mainly because I didn't have to make a double batch to ice my cakes. Put them together and I think I have a winner! Lovely!

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Snow Flecked Brownies

It's the first of December, my advent calender has been opened and eaten and a morning browse through my Google reader reminded me that it was also the day for the delightful Sweet and Simple Bakes to be posted. This was another Sweet and Simple bake I just couldn't bear to miss, snow flecked brownies from the one and only Nigella Lawson. I've made these decedent treats many times before but I'm always looking for an excuse to bake up a fresh batch!


I love how they look with a delicate dusting of icing sugar settled upon the crispy crust, doesn't it just look like Christmas?

Check out the Sweet and Simple Bakes homepage from the 2nd December for everyone elses brownies.

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Thrice as nice

I'm sad today, very sad indeed. I was really looking forward to this weeks SMS, raised waffles with brown sugar bananas. Now, doesn't that sound divine? Doesn't it just sound like the most perfect Sunday breakfast? Well, that's what I thought but unfortunately the waffle iron I ordered arrived whilst I was shopping in York and was carted back off to the sorting office, unable to be liberated till Monday morning. Sweet Melissa Tuesday maybe?


Since I found myself unable to participate this Sunday I decided to try a recipe I've had bookmarked for a rainy day, and boy was it a rainy day today! Triple lemon slice, that's right triple lemon. These bars are like a little ray of sunshine in this cold and blustery November. So light, so tangy, a tiny taste of Summer.

Triple Lemon Slice

For the base:
250g digestive biscuits
180g butter, melted
Zest of 1 lemon

For the first layer:
1 can condensed milk
2tsp gelatin
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup lemon juice

Topping:
1 pack lemon jelly
1pt boiling water

Lightly grease a 20cm by 30cm tin and put to one side.

For the base crush the digestive biscuits into tiny crumbs and add the melted butter and zest. Combine then press evenly into the prepared tin. Pop in the fridge to chill until cold.

For the filling dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water and leave to one side to cool. Combine the condensed milk and lemon juice before adding the cooled gelatin infused water. Mix together and pour carefully onto the chilled base. Place back into the fridge to chill until cold.

Follow the instructions on your pack of jelly to make 1 pint. Leave to cool slightly until the mixture goes slightly gloopy, like egg whites. Pour carefully upon the other layers and place back into the fridge till the jelly has set completely and cut into squares,

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SMS & British Food Fortnight

I know most of you will be expecting either my weekly SMS post or even my round up for British Food Fortnight. Well I'm afraid you won't find them here, not today!

I do have an excuse, a good one! My sweet, darling kitty, Marmalade was rushed to pussycat hospital on Thursday morning with a blocked urethra. Although I got him back on Friday afternoon I've spent the entire weekend nursing him back to health, worrying every time he went into the litter and force feeding him medication. Good news though, he's well on the way to normality and he's weeing like a champ so I can finally relax (easier said than done).

I've been so worried my face currently resembles a pizza! Yes, not only did I break out in worry spots but I also developed a stress cold sore. How wonderful!

Anyway, business as normal commencing very soon!

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Devils Food Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

This weeks SMS was supposed to be a huge layered devils food cake, smothered in peanut butter frosting, but as you can see, I decided to scale down the recipe and make cupcakes instead.


Not only are cupcakes much cuter than a layer cake, but I find a huge cake a lot harder to get rid of than their hand held counterparts. For example:

Me: 'hello mister postman/window cleaner/anybody who happens across my house. Would you like a cupcake?'
House Caller: 'Why yes, that would be lovely, thank you'
Me: *hands over cupcake, smiles and closes the door*

Rather than:

Me: 'Hello mister postman/window cleaner/anybody who happens across my house. Would you like a slice of cake?'
House Caller: 'Why yes, that would be lovely, thank you'
Me: 'How wonderful, let me cut you a slice, hold on, I'll also grab you a plate. Oh, and you'll need a fork too, won't you... and a napkin?'

See the difference?

Anyway, I digress. The cupcakes were awesome, utterly awesome! Saying this, I did use a different frosting recipe to the one Melissa stated in the book as I feel six sticks of butter is a little too close to a heart attack for my liking.

Check out the wonderful Holly of Phe/MOM/enon for the recipe and as always check the SMS ladies for more cakey deliciousness!

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