Salted Caramel Cupcakes

As featured on: http://www.kategowing.blogspot.co.uk/
and: http://www.jimmerickstheblog.blogspot.co.uk/

As this is someone else's recipe that we haven't made any significant changes to, We are going to link the posts where the recipes for the cupcakes, icing and caramel can be found on Kate's blog - it really is worth a looking at anyhow - and we will just pop a few of the pics that we took of our finished products below. It honestly is an amazing recipe, and is so easy to make - the caramel was surprisingly easy to whip up also, especially for such a useful and delicious ingredient.

The caramel can be used for so many different things: coffee, cakes, ice cream topping etc.

So, go and have a look at Kate's Blog! Thanks!

Kate's Blog 
Her Salted Caramel Recipe
Her Cupcakes and icing recipe

Our Cupcakes:

Ginger Crème Brûlèe

Crème Brûlèe with a ginger twist, this recipe is a perfect dinner-party dessert, it is elegant, sophisticated, and looks fabulous, especially if you caramelise it with a blowtorch.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
40g Ginger, peeled and finely diced
150g Soft Brown Sugar
4 Eggs, separated
500ml Whipping Cream
150ml Water

Method:
1. Heat the oven to 140c/fan 120/gas1.
2. Combine the water and half the sugar in a sauce pan, dissolve on a low heat then bring to the boil.
3. Add the ginger and simmer for 20 mins.
4. Drain the ginger.
5. Whisk the eggs with the remaining sugar and cream.
6. Divide the candied ginger between six ramekins.
7. Cover with the Crème Brûlèe mixture and cook in a bain marie for 45 mins.
8. Chill for one hour.
9. Sprinkle with some extra brown sugar.
10. Caramelise under a frill or with a blow torch before serving.

Baked Lime and Ginger Cheesecake

Ingredients:
75g Butter, plus more for greasing
10 ginger biscuits
2 large eggs
400g full fat soft cheese
1 lime
1 unwaxed lemon
125g caster sugar
4tbsp créme fraíche

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°c/Gas 4
1. Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat.
2. Grease the inside of a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin with a little butter.
3. Put biscuits in a freezer bag and crush with rolling pin until they resemble crumbs. Mix into the biscuits and tip into the tin. Spread evenly and press down firmly with the back of a large spoon to make a firm base.
4. Break eggs into a a large bowl and whisk well. Add the soft cheese.
5. Grate the zest of the lime and lemon and then squeeze the juice out of them both into a seperate bowl.  Then add the zest and 3tbsp of each the lime and the lemon juice into the cheese mixture.
6. Add the sugar and créme fraíche. Use a spoon to combine the mixture until smooth, then whisk to get rid of lumps.
7. Put the cheese mixture ontop of the biscuit base and bake it in the oven for 30-35 mins.
8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before serving!

Choco-Coffee Knickerbocker Glory

Ingredients:

500ml Milk

Coffee Syrup

4 Scoops Vanilla Ice Cream

4 Scoops Chocolate Ice Cream

Squirty Cream

Method:

1. Put 4 glasses in the freezer to chill.

2. Put milk and syrup in a blender and whizz until frothy

3. Put a scoop of each ice cream into the glasses

4. Pour over syrup/milk mix

5. Finish with a generous dollop of squirty cream!

Quick 'n' Easy Strawberry Mousse

A quick dessert for entertaining or an indulgent treat!

Ingredients:

300g Strawberries

A little Icing Sugar

3 Egg Whites

50g Caster Sugar

150ml Double Cream, Softly Whipped

Method:

1. Whisk strawberries with icing sugar.

2. Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks, then whisk in the sugar to make a glossy meringue, add the the purée.

3. Fold the cream into the purée

4. Leave a few swirls for presentation!

5. Spoon into glasses, dishes or bowls and chill till serving.

Spider Web Jelly

Ingredients:

1l Smooth Orange Juice

25g Dark Chocolate

6 Strips of Gelatin

Method:

1. Heat the orange juice in a medium-size pan until nearly boiling.

2. Cover the gelatine with cold water and leave for 5 mins until spongy and softened.

3. Squeeze out any excess water.

4. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the gelatine until dissolved.

5. Let the mixture cool a little, then divide between 10 serving dishes.

6. Place in the fridge for at least 5 hrs, or preferably overnight.

7. Cover a baking sheet with some baking parchment.

8. Melt the chocolate either in the microwave (1-2 mins should do it) or in a bowl set over a small pan of boiling water.

9. Pour the melted chocolate into a small freezer bag.

10. Make a piping bag by snipping off a tiny piece of one corner.

11. Now pipe out 10 spider-web shapes onto the baking parchment: pipe a circle with a smaller circle inside, then pipe lines coming out from the centre like the spokes of a wheel.

12. Place the chocolate spider webs in the fridge to harden. Just before serving, carefully peel away each spider web from the parchment and place on top of a jelly.

Apricot Eton Mess

This Recipe is perfect for Halloween. Orange in colour, perfect. Put in a cauldron/pumpkin shaped bowl and serve freshly made as a perfect halloween treat. Great for halloween parties and easy enough for the kids to just get stuck in! 

Ingredients:

Meringues

Apricot Yoghurt, Large Tub
Apricot/Peach Fruit Purée/coulis (Passion fruit coulis will also do)

Dried Apricots

Tub of Double Cream

Method:

1. Break up the meringues.

2. Whip up the double cream

3. Mix the Whipped Double cream and the apricot yoghurt.
4. Chop the dried apricots into small pieces.

5. Add the chopped apricots, fruit purée and meringues and stir.

Enjoy your classic dessert with a halloween twist!

Classic Toffee Apples

As Halloween and Bonfire night approach, these toffee apples will be a treat with everyone!

Ingredients:

6 Granny Smith Apples

6 Lolly Sticks

4x 100g Packs of Toffee

2 Tbsp Water

1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Method:

1. Insert the sticks into the stem end of the apples.

2. Place them on a baking tray, lined with slightly greased foil.

3. Combine the toffee, water and vanilla in a saucepan over low heat, stir often till the toffee melts and the mixture is smooth.

4. Get each apple and dip in the toffee, run round edge of sauce pan to let excess toffee run off.

5. Chill in fridge until ready to serve!

Mango Delight

An easy exotic dessert, perfect for entertaining!

Ingredients:

2x 425g Cans Mango slices, Drained

Zest of an Orange

300ml Double Cream

2 tbsp of Orange Liqueur (Optional!)

Orange Slices

Method:

1. Purée the mango with the zest in a blender.

2. Whip the cream with the liqueur until it stands in soft peaks.

3. Pour the purée over the cream, using a spoon gently swirl the purée through the cream to create a marbled effect.

4. Divide the delight between 4-6 glasses or bowls, cover with foil and chill for 15 minutes.

5. Decorate with the orange slices before serving.

Rich Devon Apple Crumble Cake

Served with a generous dollop of fresh Devonshire clotted cream

Ingredients:

4oz butter

4oz caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs, beaten

6oz self raising flour

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon milk (optional)

12oz cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced

For topping:

3oz butter

4oz self raising flour

3oz caster/superfine sugar

1 tablespoon water

Method:

1. Par-boil the apple slices in some water with plenty of sugar until apples are soft and surrounded by a sugary slightly thick water syrup.

2. Cream the butter and sugar until pale in colour and fluffy in texture.

3. Add the vanilla extract and then the eggs, one at a time.

4. Fold in flour and salt.

5. Add a little liquid if needed, such as milk or a little water to get a “dropping” consistency.

6. Spoon into a greased cake tin.

7. Arrange already par-boiled apple slices on top.

8. To make the topping rub the butter into the flour and add the sugar and water.

9. Sprinkle the topping over the apples on top of the cake.

10. Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for about 1 hour to 1 ¼ hours

11. Check with a long skewer to see whether the bottom cake is cooked through and the crumble topping is golden in colour.

12. Serve with the clotted cream and enjoy warm, or cold as a morish dessert or as a plentifully moist coffee break treat.

White Chocolate Fondue

There are so many different things that you could do with this recipe - the possibilities are endless! If you were to take the 'Halloween Themed' approach, you could even find a large pumpkin and serve in a bowl that will fit inside the pumpkin for the ultimate table show-stopper at a Halloween party!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup double/whipping cream

12 oz white chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

1. Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until hot, about 2 to 3 minutes.

2. When hot, add the chocolate and stir until it is just

melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla. Transfer to a warm fondue pot.

3. Serve with your choices of fresh strawberries, bananas, apple wedges, pound cake, ladyfingers, and biscotti. Serves 6 or more.

Variations:

At Halloween/Autumn - try adding a splash of orange food colouring and perhaps a little orange flavouring in the place of the vanilla, for a pumpkin colour-inspired Halloween mess!
At Easter - try adding a dash of pink or pastel yellow food colouring for that baby-pastel coloured Easter time colour theme!
At Christmas - substitute 2 to 3 tablespoons of kirsch, brandy, rum, or orange liqueur for the vanilla. You could even add a little pinch of cinnamon or a quick zesting of a fresh Clementine for that exceptionally distinct Christmas taste!

Passion Fruit Pots

A lovely light and refreshing dessert that goes perfectly after a meal.
Serves about 10 people (Or you can half the recipe by all means)


Ingredients:
900ml Double Cream
125g caster sugar
8 ripe passion fruit
1 lime


Method:
1. Combine sugar with cream in a heavy-based saucepan. Heat gently, stirring occasionally, until all the sugar has dissolved, then bring to boil. Boil fiercely for 3 mins but no more than that! Take off heat immediately.


2. Cut the passion fruit in half and scoop pulp and seeds into a sieve, push through with a spoon into a mixing bowl. Set the seeds aside. Squeeze the lime into the passion fruit pulp and then stir in the cream mixture.


3. Pour into ramekin dishes and leave in the fridge to cool until needed.

(You can spoon some of the passion fruit seeds on the top as a nice cruchy decoration)

Sweet Berry Fool

Ingredients:
1 Pack of Strawberries
1 Pack of Raspberries
2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
200ml Fresh Whipping Cream
100g Natural Yoghurt

Method:
1.Whizz the berries in a blender (take the tops off the strawberries) with the sugar.
2. In another bowl whisk the cream until it stands in stiff peaks.
3. Fold the blended berries and yoghurt into the cream.
4. Divide between four bowls and garnish with a slice of strawberry.
5. Chill for half an hour then serve.

Banana Choc Chip Cookies with Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

2 Bananas

175g Unsalted Butter Cut Into Pieces

175g Demerara Sugar

2 Eggs, Beaten

175g Plain Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

100g Jumbo oats

2x 100g Bars of Chocolate Cut Into 1cm Chunks

600ml Semi Skimmed Milk

3tbsp of Drinking Chocolate Powder

In a can Squirty Cream (As Required)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°c, gas mark 4. Lightly grease or line 2 large baking sheets. Peel the bananas and slice. Place in a food processor with the butter, sugar and eggs and process until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder and oats and blend until well combined. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in 150g of the chocolate chunks.

2. Drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture on to prepared baking sheets, spacing them well apart (you may need to bake the cookies in batches if they will not fit comfortably on two sheets). Bake for 15-20 minutes, moving the trays around once during cooking to allow for even baking, until the cookies are lightly golden and still slightly soft to the touch. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

3. If making the hot chocolate, heat the milk in a small pan, then stir in the remaining chocolate chunks and the drinking chocolate powder. Whisk gently with a balloon whisk until the chocolate has melted, then pour in to 4 small cups. Top with a swirl of the cream and dust with a little extra drinking chocolate, and serve with cookies!

Makes: 30-32 Cookies

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Cooks tip:

These cookies are best eaten on the day they are made. If 30 cookies are too many, freeze some of the dough for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Simply defrost as required  and cook as above.