Sugar Paste Revolution!

I mentioned last time that I had gone out and bought some tools of the trade, and by heck! What a difference they made!

I also got to have a chat with the lady in the shop who gave me some tips, which made a difference for me as everything I do has been self taught! I have also re-discovered YouTube which has loads of tutorial videos - my handy tip of the day!


It was at this sort of point I would say I got the cupcake bug BAD! It has been ever since this moment I think about it all day every day, I make sketches of how I want things to look, and what ingredients to use, and lay in bed thinking of new recipes...  I realise this is not the markers of a well balanced person! But I am embracing and running with it!

The Christmas Snowman sketches

All quite individual little characters!

And here follows the sugar paste revolution

Mum's Christmas cake I iced for her

Amongst the flurry of sugar past I tried out a new recipe, well a couple actually. 


Chocolate and Hazelnut:  
I used the Humming Bird Recipe to which I added in 20g of chopped roasted hazelnuts to the sponge, personal preference really, but it worked out really well. It balanced out the smooth Nutella (the most wicked loveliness in the world!) which was now stuffing the hollowed out cupcake. The Icing also took advantage of the industrial size jar of nutella I just HAD to buy! Quite simple, finished with some whole hazelnuts and a dusting of coco powder. Bon appetite! Mmmmmm!

Mmmmm!

 

 

 

 

Sticky Toffee:
My goodness, what a blimming palaver! (sp?!) But probably one of the tastiest little morsels I have made! I gave some of the batch for Darren to take into work, I have recently found out that I have had multiple requests to re make them! They were lovely, but such a lot of effort! To be fair I was making them on mass at the time for lots of Christmas hampers for my friends and family which has probably scarred me more than the recipe! The biggest stress of the whole thing was actually sourcing the Dulce De Leche... I still to this day have not found a supermarket that sells it (if anyone knows of somewhere, let me know!) Instead I used Carnation's caramel which I guess did the job but the icing was very soft, more dribbled on the perfectly piped! I must take this opportunity to make a confession, which I am not proud of. I near on fought an elderly lady for the last tin of caramel in Asda! If you can imagine the store is heaving a few days before Christmas, and our hands both reach out at the same time for the last prized tin of caramel... I got there first! For that I am eternally sorry and I hope her Christmas wasn't ruined. There, I have said it! Not very Christian at all, but was reassured when my grandad replied "survival of the fittest!!"



After I had got over the stress of a distinct lacking of Dulce De Leche it was onto soaking prunes in vanilla and goodness knows what, I do prefer a more simple recipe!
I must just say the only reason I was hell bent on baking these sticky toffee beauties was for my Dad, a true Eastender who loves a sticky toffee pudding. Would he eat these cupcakes I had slaved over, with him in mind. No! Apparently he doesn't like cupcakes?!!!! Im sure I was adopted! He never tasted one, not one. Total disaster, but more for me!

The finished Sticky Toffee

After all this, and I most probably have put you off, but this is the recipe!

http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/634889 

Enough for today! Clearly the Dulce de Leche has effected me quite deeply! I will seek some support and move on!      

Laura xx