Yummmmyy's 1st Birthday Celebrated with Raspberry & Almond Cupcakes

I actually can't believe that it's been an entire year since I began to blog! It was at a dinner party with the college galz when I made a batch of my Chocolate Brownies with Triple Chocolate Sauce that I was convinced set Yummmmyy up. I must have impressed the girls with my dessert, especially Rhona, who was really keen to see what else I could make. I showed her my recipe book and she was adiment I set up my own food blog. I'm so happy I took her advice as I absolutely love want I'm doing and my dream is definitely still to one day own my very own bakery where I can bake all of my favourite recipes :) 

It's been such a good year and so much has happened with Yummmmyy. I've learned so much and I really like to think that my bakes are improving week by week. In February 2013, I was awarded the Liebster Award for best up and coming blog - which I was absolutely thrilled about. 

In March I was approached by an Irish company Ads on Bags, who asked if they could feature some of my recipes on their biodegradable supermarket bags - such a brilliant opportunity.

During the Summer, I was invited to the launch of Kenco Millicano's new travel mug designed by Orla Kiely - time to mingle with other Irish foodies, aaaand myself and my boyfriend Dave were pictured at the launch in the Irish Tatler!!! 

Also during the Summer, I was a recipient of a brilliant cooler box full of Philadelphia products to try, courtesy of Kraft Foods - I felt so important being asked to test a new product. 

Like I said, SO much has happened in one year! 

Yummmmyy's Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest pages are also booming with a great amount of likes and followers and the blog itself has over 21400 page views !!! I am unbelievably proud of what I have done over the past year and here's hoping that I'll have another post similar to this one for Yummmmyy's 2nd Birthday!

So, to celebrate Yummmmyy's big day, I tried out a new recipe which I adapted from one I found in a cookbook given to me by my Nana Barbara, which is simply called "Muffins". I LOVE anything almond - marzipan, bakewell tarts, almond slices, almond fingers, frangipan - the list is endless! So, these Raspberry & Almond Muffins were a must try...

You Will Need...

250g Plain Flour (sieved)

80g Chopped Almonds

2.5 tsp Baking Powder (sieved)

.5 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda (sieved)

50g Ground Almonds

140g Caster Sugar

250g Raspberries (fresh or frozen)

1 Egg (lightly beaten)

80 ml Sunflower Oil

275 ml Buttermilk

150g Marzipan

12 Raspberries (for decoration)

Fresh Cream (for decoration)

Icing Sugar (for dusting)

Method

1) Preheat your oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 5

2) Line your muffin tray with muffin cases and place it in the fridge while making the batter.

3) Put the Flour, Ground Almonds, Chopped Almonds, Bicarbonate of Soda & Baking Powder in a bowl and combine

4) In a jug or separate bowl, combine the Egg, Sugar, Oil and Buttermilk 

5) Fold the wet mixture and the Raspberries into the dry mixture until all of the dry ingredients are moistened

6) Cut the marzipan into cubes

7) Take your tray out of the fridge and fill each muffin case with one large spoon of the batter

8) Place a marzipan cube into the middle of each case and top with the remaining mixture

9) Bake for 20 mins

10) Leave to stand in the muffin tray when done and serve them warm topped with fresh cream and a raspberry

Vanilla & Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes

I've been so caught up with returning to college and continuing to work in The Coffee Shop that I haven't written a blog post in an entire month! So right now my main aim is to write as many posts as I can about all the baking bits 'n' bobs I've been getting up to over the past few weeks. I'm going to start off with these Vanilla & Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes which I baked last week for my boyfriend Dave who is a total chocolate monster. He absolutely LOVES these bad boys, so, seens as he hadn't been feeling the best I baked a batch for the patient to attempt to cheer him up :)

* PLACE A LARGE BOWL IN THE FRIDGE BEFORE DOING ANYTHING ELSE *

Ingredients

50g Butter (softened)

Half Cup Caster Sugar

2 Cups Self Raising Flour (sieved)

1 tsp Baking Powder (sieved)

1 Egg (beaten)

1 Cup Milk

80g Dark OR Milk Chocolate (broken into pieces)

80g White Chocolate (broken into pieces)

Drop of Vanilla Extract

1 tbsp Cocoa Powder

** TIP: You may not have taken your butter out early enough to soften, if this is the case, simply grate the butter into the mixing bowl so it softens much more quickly. **

Method

1) Preheat your oven to 190C/ 375F/ Gas Mark 5 and line a muffin tray with bun cases

2) Cream your butter and sugar together in a bowl until slightly fluffy in consistency

3) Add the beaten egg and milk into the mixing bowl and continue to beat

4) Add in the SIEVED flour and baking powder and continue to beat the batter.

5) When fully mixed, divide the batter in two.

6) To one half, add the cocoa powder and dark/milk chocolate chunks and mix

7) To the other half, add the white chocolate chunks and the vanilla extract

8) Half fill each bun case with the white mixture and then top with the brown

9) Bake the muffins for 20 mins and when done, leave to cool on a wore rack while you prepare the mousse topping...

For the Mousse Topping...

You will need...

700g Heavy Whipping Cream

350g Icing Sugar

180g Cocoa Powder

Pinch Salt

1) Place all your ingredients in your chilled bowl you placed in the fridge earlier and whip together until the mixture holds a peak

2) Put the mixture back in the fridge for a further 10 mins

3) Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes in whatever fashion you wish

Strawberry & White Chocolate Cupcakes

So, last week was my friend Molly's Birthday and she was having a night out to celebrate but, because of work, I couldn't make it up. I thought I better make it up to her so, yesterday I baked a batch of Strawberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes and brought them up to college and she was delighted :) 

These cupcakes are quite simple to make and you can substitute the strawberries and/or the white chocolate for whatever you please :)

The strawberries can be a little sticky and messy as they sort of dissolve when they're cooking but, I still think its safe to say that everyone loved them....

Ingredients

10oz/285g Self Raising Flour (sieved) 

5oz/140g Caster Sugar

1 tsp Baking Powder

5oz /140 g Frozen Strawberries (doesn't have to be exact)

5oz /140 g White Chocolate (doesn't have to be exact)

100ml Plain Yogurt

75ml Milk 

1 Egg (lightly beaten)

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

5oz/130g Butter

Method

1) Preheat oven to 200 C/ 400 F/ Gas Mark 6

2) Put the Flour, Baking Powder, sugar, berries and chocolate in a bowl and mix

3) Melt the butter in a separate bowl over a pot of simmering water  

4) When its fully melted, take the butter off the heat and add in the Milk, Yogurt, Essence and Egg

5) Pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir briefly

6) Leave the mixture sitting and line you muffin tray with bun cases

7) Spoon approx. two spoonfuls of the mixture into each case

8) Place in oven for 20 - 25 mins until golden 

9) Dust the cupcakes with icing sugar and leave them to cool on a wire tray while you make the buttercream

For the Naturally Flavoured Strawberry Buttercream...

Cream 380g Icing Sugar and 125g Butter together in a mixing bowl.

When blended, add 2 finely sliced strawberries and mix again.

Then, using a piping bag or a spoon, ice each of the cooled cupcakes.

I used this shape piping nozzle to ice these
Cupcakes

I did have a few left over for my little cousins to try
too - I think its safe to say they liked them!!! :)

  

Nutella Hearts

I hadn't made muffins in a while and was dying to use my new heart shaped silicon muffin molds so, last night I tried out a new recipe and made these Nutella Muffin Hearts. They're dead handy to make and they don't take long at all, 15-20 mins max preparation time. I'm a huge fan of Nutella so I absolutely love these gooey, nutty, chocolaty muffins - I hope you do too!

INGREDIENTS

10 oz/ 285 g Self Raising Flour (sieved)

1 tsp Baking Powder (sieved)

5 oz/ 140 g Caster Sugar

100 ml Plain Yogurt

125 ml Milk

1 Egg (lightly beaten)

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

4.5 oz/ 130 g Butter

Handful of chopped and peeled Hazelnuts (optional)

Nutella (as much as you like!!)

5oz/ 140g Milk Chocolate (chopped into small chunks)

METHOD

1) Preheat oven to 200 C/ 400 F/ Gas Mark 6

2) Put butter in a bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir until fully melted

3) When fully melted, take the butter off the heat and add in the Milk, Yogurt, Essence and Eggs & mix it well

4) Put the Flour, Baking Powder chocolate chunks & hazelnuts into another bowl and mix

5) Pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and only stir it FIVE times - no more even though it seems as if it isn't mixed properly

6) Leave the mixture sitting and line a muffin tray with muffin cases

7) Spoon one spoonful of the mixture into each case

8) Put a spoonful of Nutella on top and finally put a second spoonful of the muffin mixture over that again and use a spoon to swirl the mixture 

9) Place in oven for 20 mins until golden 

10) When cooled slightly, cover the top of each muffin in a huge dollop of Nutella - YUMMMMYY

I used these heart-shaped muffin molds for mine
and I also added white chocolate chunks