Cakes Archives - Munchies and Munchkins

Allergy Friendly Muffins

March 28, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 5 Comments

I’m just starting to get to grips with this new style of baking.. I miss my normal flours which work in the way I’m used to. The rich butters which give so much flavour and being able to just toss in ingredients whenever I fancy but I have to try and make food and especially snacks more appealing for Chloe. Yesterday we had a bad day with her health wise and a massive lack of sleep and I was grouchy and frustrated so I used that negative energy to create this delicious cakes for her.

Chloe Coconutty Cakes

150g Dove Gluten free SR flour
100g caster sugar
1 small mashed banana
1.5 tsp of vanilla paste or extract
75ml water
15 ml of coconut milk
6 tbsp of melted coconut oil

Mix together the sugar, oil and vanilla in a high speed stand mixer – I advise this because coconut oil solidifies quickly so you need to move fairly fast. Add your mashed banana, flour, water and coconut milk. Blend until smooth.

Place into muffin cases and bake for approximately 15 mins or until golden and spring back when pressed lightly on top.

When slightly cooler, dust lightly with icing sugar or Cocoa powder mix of both.

This made 6 decent size muffins with a large spoonful or so leftover. Its quite a firm mixture so I used it to make cocoa dusted truffles..more on that to come.

This recipe is Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free and Soy Free. It’s also actually pretty tasty too! Chloe demolished hers in record time and considering her appetite is pretty shocking right now that’s brilliant.

I’ve popped one in the freezer just to see if it freezes well and I’ll keep you posted on that.

Cooking In The Kitchen Having Fun – Cherry & Coconut Rock Buns

September 22, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 6 Comments

It’s been aggesssssss since I last wrote one of these posts so I apologise for that but we have still been baking together and having fun – sometimes I forget to take pics or write down recipes while make lots of mess and eat all the cake mixture!

Last week we baked a few times together firstly in preparation for her birthday party – cupcakes freeze well don’t ya know?

And secondly we made some rock buns which always go down well as it means Izzy can put her hands in the mixture and have a good play about in the kitchen. This time around I gave her some more challenging jobs such chopping the cherries up and helping me weigh the ingredients out and we had a ball.

Izzy preparing to bake with one of the lovely spoons that was gifted to us by Flora as a present when Chloe was born:

Cherry & Coconut Buns

You will need:

225g Self Raising Flour
100g Butter/Margarine ( we used flora buttery)
50g caster sugar
1 medium beaten egg
1 large handful of glacé cherries ( roughly chopped)
30g Sweet shredded coconut
2tbsp of milk

Preheat oven to gas mark 6.

Rub your butter into your flour – this is the fun and messy part for kids!
Add your sugar, cherries and coconut and mix well. Now add your egg and 1tbsp of milk and mix to a stuff dough – kids may need help here. If it’s too dry add your second tbsp of milk. Place in balls on a greased baking tray or you could use a silicon cupcake mould. Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden.

Izzy chopping the cherries.. one for the bowl ..one for her belly.

And the only pic I have of the finished product. They were devoured still warm in about 10 minutes. Oops.

I’m linking up to Tasty Tuesdays with Honest Mum

My Not So Naked Fruity Cake – A Waitrose Recipe

July 9, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 2 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

I’ve been thinking about naked cakes for a while. Ever since I read an issue of BBC Good Food magazine and Frances Quinn a finalist from GBBO was showing how to create one. Since then they are everywhere. And they are just up my street. I like icing but it’s definitely not my favourite part of a cake and also. I’m not the worlds best cake decorator which means it takes me AGES to create a fancy looking cake. Anyway I was invited to take part in a campaign with Waitrose and I thought it was a great opportunity to try it out and make it a bit fruity and special.

First of all I went to do my shopping at Waitrose.. Choosing completely the wrong time to go at late on a Sunday afternoon when it was close to shutting but I got everything I needed. I was inspired when I first walked in by the Pimms and strawberry display. I’m a sucker for a Pimms so I had to nab a bottle.. I did then go onto buy LOTS of fruit and veggies so it’s ok.

I always love the wide variety of fruits and veggies sold at Waitrose, lots of varieties and exotic fruits as well as my favourite Pink Lady Apples 🙂 I’m a sucker for their herbs too!

I also HAD to buy their rosemary and seasalt foccacia which is more than a little bit special ..ooh and TWO new plants. Chilli and Greek basil.

To start off my naked cake I made up two batches of lemony victoria sandwich cake.

To make enough for this cake you will need:

450g of SR Flour
450g of caster sugar
8 eggs
450g of butter
4tsp baking powder
1tbsp vanilla
2 lemon zests.

Place all ingredients into a mixing bowl or stand mixer:

And blend for 2-3 minutes.

I split it between a 23 inch springform pan and two sandwich cake tins.

Bake for 25 mins or so at gas mark 4 until they spring back when pressed.

Whilst I was waiting for my cakes to bake I made up some Pimms summer tarts.

Now back to my naked cake..

Cakes now baked and cooled I split them in half using an awesome tool I picked up from amazon a while back. I then began the process of layering.

First layer used some leftover strawberry/Pimms mix with some jam follows by silky buttercream. For buttercream I used about 150g of butter to 300g icing sugar and a tbsp of vanilla. The next layer used lemon curd and then repeat:

I decorated using icing sugar, berries and Greek basil.. I’m a bit in love with basil in sweet dishes at the moment. Try it!

And whilst I know there are things I will change next time I do this..bigger layers and smaller layers etc etc I’m quite impressed with my first attempt at a naked or not so naked cake.. I can’t really call it naked when it’s covered in berries and herbs can I?

Cooking in the kitchen..having fun – Blueberry Muffins

February 7, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 1 Comment

I’m a mean mum. I don’t let Izzy eat anything sweet after 4.30pm and I try to limit the amount of chocolate/cakes she eats generally.

So maybe I’m a little strict about food. But she’s never hungry, she has lots of snacks – healthy ones mostly and the occasional treat.

What I do like to do is bake with her at home. She has all the fun of baking and I know exactly what has gone into the food she is eating. Cakes are our biggest treats. I especially like to teach her to make fruit cakes, banana bread, rock cakes with raisins and new to our recipe repertoire BLUEBERRY MUFFINS. Yum.

Izzy loves blueberries. Loves them. She also likes cake. A lot. A combo of the two was always going to be a winner.

To make these muffin/cakes ( it’s a bit more cakey than muffiny ( is muffiny a word) but totally delicious all the same) you will need:

250g Plain flour
225g Caster sugar
120g Butter
2 Medium Eggs
150g Blueberries
130ml milk
10g Baking powder
1tsp Vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to gas mark 4(180).

Mix together your flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl cream your butter and sugar together before adding your eggs and beating in well. Add your dry ingredients to the wet, adding your milk and vanilla at that time also and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in your blueberries. Split between your cake cases/silicon muffin trays. The amount it makes depends on the size of muffin/cake cases you use… Also how generous your toddler is being with the dolloping. As a guide I made 12 normal sized cakes (cupcake size) and 6 mini muffins.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and spring back when pressed lightly with a finger. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

You could lightly dust with some icing sugar to pretty them up afterwards.

* I also let Izzy add some blueberries to the top of her mini muffins which she enjoyed.

They really are delicious and so simple to make. A perfect breakfast treat for all the family.

I heart my kitchen

November 14, 2012 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 2 Comments

Whenever I tweet a recipe or place a foodie pic on Instagram I get comments from friends/followers asking how I get the time or desire to cook different meals and desserts etc so often. I should clarify I don’t make 3 course meals every day. I don’t bake every week. However if I am having a bad week, if I’m sad or tired or unwell you will often find me in the kitchen, if I’m happy and planning something with friends or family again you will find me in the kitchen.

Cooking is my very favourite hobby. If I’m stressed then planning a meal or trying a new recipe will relax me, if I’m excited about an upcoming event such as a trip or party I will find a way to cook something for it. I took 48 homemade biscuits to Blissfields Festival in June. Everyone has hobbies, my other half loves surfing and if he doesn’t get in the water for a few weeks he gets a little grouchy. I imagine I would be the same without cooking but I very rarely have more than a few days before I am scrabbling around in the cupboard to see what I can make.

Making a cake is so much more than a sweet treat, it’s the smell wafting through you house on a rainy weekend or the smile on my dads face when I make his favourite Victoria sponge.

I cook to please, I love making dishes that I know my loved ones will appreciate and for more that is far more important than actually eating it myself.

Tonight I’ve made 12 mini custard tarts as well as a chicken and leek stroganoff. Of the tarts I will probably only eat 1, that’s enough for me (luckily).

My kitchen is far too small but I love being in it. Every meal creates a memory and for me this blog is a great extension of it. Yesterday I went to hunt for a recipe online and discovered it in my own blog archives, it’s like an online recipe binder.

This may seem like random waffle. I apologise if so, however if like me you heart your kitchen I’m sure you understand.

Cakes and bakes 2012 part 1

April 12, 2012 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

This year I have started to enjoy baking a lot more than I used to, perhaps it’s because I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of it or maybe its just the excitement I get when I pull a cake out of the oven and it’s turned out just how I wanted it to ( it’s possible I need to get out more) At the moment it seems as though nothing is guaranteed to be perfect ..work, going to sleep at night, eating an uninterrupted meal to name but a few and to make a perfect cake makes me feel good.

Here are some of the cakes I’ve made so far this year:

There is : Divine chocolate birthday cake, farmhouse orange Victoria sandwich and apple and almond cake which are all from Mary Berrys 100 cakes&bakes book which I made as part of the @weeklybakeoff on twitter

Also a basic Victoria sponge made from a family recipe which I will try to add later today and peanut & banana muffins from a new recipe by Rachel Allen which I found online:
http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/573813

And finally a lemon cake with fondant icing which should look like a surfboard (slightly more like a rugby ball in my opinion but it tasted good) which I made for my OH’s birthday.

Hope you enjoy reading, let me know what you think.

Allergy Friendly Muffins

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Cooking In The Kitchen Having Fun – Cherry & Coconut Rock Buns

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My Not So Naked Fruity Cake – A Waitrose Recipe

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Cooking in the kitchen..having fun – Blueberry Muffins

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I heart my kitchen

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Cakes and bakes 2012 part 1

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