Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with a smooth Vanilla Bananalicious Topping… Heaven!

Friday is finally here and how do we celebrate it?! How about with some yummy Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with a smooth Vanilla Bananalicious Topping??!! 😀 Yummy in your Beach 2013 Sugar and Spice tummy!! 😀

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with a smooth Vanilla Bananalicious ToppingChocolate Chip Cupcakes with a smooth Vanilla Bananalicious ToppingChocolate Chip Cupcakes with a smooth Vanilla Bananalicious ToppingChocolate Chip Cupcakes with a smooth Vanilla Bananalicious Toppingsugarandspicebaking20130419chocchipbanana

Recipe (makes 12 cupcakes)

Mixture

  • 65 g unsalted butter
  • 0.75 dl granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2.25 dl plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
  • 1 dl whole milk
  • 50 g chocolate chips

Topping

  • 3 cups icing/confectioners’ sugar,  sifted
  • 80 g unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract with seeds
  • 1 mashed banana

Muffins:

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C (325 degrees F) Gas 3.

Place 12 paper cases onto a baking sheet.

Stir the sugar and butter until fluffy in a bowl. Add the egg and continue to whisk. Pour the cocoa, vanilla sugar, baking powder and flour into the bowl.  Add the milk and continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips until everything is just incorporated.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes.

Leave the muffins to cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate chip muffin

Topping:

Beat the icing/confectioners’ sugar and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Turn the mixer down to slow speed.

Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture a little at a time. . Once all the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed. Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Finally, pour in the mashed banana and give it a good old stir until everything is just incorporated.

Cupcakes:

Use a piping bag to pipe a bit of the topping on top of the cupcakes. Don’t pipe out too much.

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with a smooth Vanilla Bananalicious Topping

Happy Cupcake and Friday Baking Everyone! 😀

Chocolate Yourself! Tasty Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes with a delicious Chocolate Frosting

Go and CHOCOLATE  yourself with some tasty Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes with a delicious Chocolate Frosting on. Mmmm…. yummy in your tummy! 😀Chocolate Coffee CupcakesChocolate Coffee Cupcakes with a Chocolate Frosting

Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes Sugar and Spice Baking

Recipe (makes 12 cupcakes)

Mixture

  • 65 g unsalted butter
  • 0.75 dl granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2.25 dl plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
  • 0.75 dl whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon strong coffee

Frosting

  • 2 1/3 cups icing/confectioners’ sugar
  • 100 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoons whole milk

Muffins:

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C (325 degrees F) Gas 3.

Place 12 paper cases onto a baking sheet.

Stir the sugar and butter until fluffy in a bowl. Add the egg and continue to whisk. Pour  the coffee, cocoa, vanilla sugar, baking powder and flour into the bowl.  Add the milk and continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes.

Leave the muffins to cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting:

Beat the icing/confectioners’ sugar, butter and cocoa in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.

Turn the mixer down to slow speed. Add the milk to the butter mixture a little at a time. Once all the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed. Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

Cupcakes:

Pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes.

Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes Sugar and Spice Baking

Happy Chocolate Coffee Cupcake Baking! 😀

Looking forward to Friday??!!! Vanilla Girlie Cookies

Are you looking forward to Friday?? Let me then introduce you to my home-baked Vanilla Girlie Cookies! 😀

Vanilla Girlie CookiesVanilla Girlie CookiesVanilla Girlie CookiesVanilla Girlie CookiesVanilla Girlie CookiesVanilla Girlie CookiesVanilla Girlie Cookies

Recipe (makes 14 cookies)

Cookie

  • 275 g plain flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 100 g granulated sugar
  • 75 g unsalted butter, diced
  • 1 medium egg, beaten
  • 2 tablespoons golden syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract with seeds

Icing

  • 500 g fondant icing
  • food colouring & sprinkles (if required)

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C/338 degrees F/Gas Mark 3.

Place flour, baking powder and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl and then add butter and rub together with your finger tips, until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.

Make a hollow in the centre and pour in the beaten egg, golden syrup and vanilla extract. Mix together well, until you have a ball of dough. Place the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough to 5mm thick and stamp out using a cookie cutter.

Place on a greased baking sheet 5cm apart with enough room to expand slightly.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, in the middle of the oven, until golden brown and firm. Remove from oven, allowing cookies to cool on a cooling rack.

For icing, roll out fondant thinly and cut out shape with same cookie cutter used for cookies.

Brush a thin coating of golden syrup on the baked cookie and gently place the fondant on top.

Vanilla Girlie Cookies

Happy Vanilla Girlie Cookie Baking Everyone!

😀

Rhubarb, Ginger and Apple Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

Yesterday, I baked some moist and yummy Rhubarb, Ginger and Apple Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting on! 😀

Apple Rhubarb Ginger Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting Sugar and Spice Baking

Rhubarb Apple Ginger Cupcakes Sugar and Spice Baking

Vanilla Frosting

Recipe (makes 14 Cupcakes)

Mixture

  • 65 g unsalted butter
  • 0.75 dl granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2.25 dl plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
  • 1 1/2 dl double cream
  • 3 tablespoons of Clippy’s Apples ‘Apple Rudebarb & Ginger’ fruit-tastic conserve

Frosting

  • 2 cups icing/confectioners’ sugar,  sifted
  • 80 g unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract with seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Dr. Oetker red food colouring

Muffins:

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C (325 degrees F) Gas 3. Place 14 paper cases onto a baking sheet.

Stir the sugar and butter until fluffy in a bowl. Add the egg and continue to whisk. Pour  the vanilla sugar, baking powder and flour into the bowl.  Add the cream and continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Finally, add the fruit conserve and mix until everything is just incorporated.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes.

Leave the muffins to cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting:

Beat the icing/confectioners’ sugar and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Turn the mixer down to slow speed.

Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture a little at a time. Pour the red food colouring into the mixture. Once all the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed. Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

Cupcakes:

Pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Rhubarb Apple Ginger Cupcakes Sugar and Spice Baking

Happy Cupcake Baking Everyone! 😀

The Magic Window; Memories, Positive Environment and Dementia

I did some craft with one of the Residents at my work. We called the session ‘The Magic Window’. The meaning of the session was to bring up positive memories, feelings and thoughts to create a positive environment. The Resident, a lady (90 years old) who got dementia, created a lovely window with a red background (her favourite colour). She painted a house and a garden (it was things she liked) as well glued a curtain to her window. She created snow flakes with help of ‘diamond stickers’ and glued on butterflies on the paper to her Magic Window. The lady enjoyed the craft session and said it was definitely worth to join in.

I created a Magic Window as well, which you can see below. My point with this Blog Post is that we can create a positive environment with being creative such as using simple stuff as glue, papers, old fabrics etc. Life can be at some point stressful, filled with obstacles and negative emotions and feelings, but if you allow yourself to take a break from your stressful lifestyle, to bring up happy memories, in your own way, you might notice that life isn’t so bad as it looks like. Most people have something to be grateful for. Everyone got unique skills and is good at something regardless if they’ve got Dementia or not.

  1. Allow yourself to be proud of yourself.
  2. Allow yourself to see what you are good at.
  3. Allow yourself to say thank you to people around you, even when it comes to little things, and don’t forget to tell them sometimes if you see that they are good at something.
  4. Be grateful for the things you got and never lose the inspiration to improve yourself and your life without comparing your life with others.

Look into your own Magic Window and see what makes you happy in life…

Magic Window Sugar and Spice Baking

Happy Magic Blogging Everyone!  😀