Jubilee Glee

Once every so often, you get the chance to celebrate something big, and this year it is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Ten years ago, my mum was in the procession down Pall Mall and as we watched on, we celebrated with ribbons on sticks which looked amazing by the way, all the way down the Mall.

This coming bank holiday weekend, I have decided to embrace all the celebrations with gusto! You should have seen me during the Royal Wedding last year, I was telling my, then, one year old all about happily-ever-afters already!

So, regardless of television adverts milking the party element to it, I will be excited to be living in England celebrating our Queen and making the most of that fairytale feeling and i hope we can all get to a street party, even i its not our own.

I will be at Bicester Avenue Big Lunch on the 3rd (Sunday) with some jubilee themed cupcakes and treats.

I hope you are feeling the Jubilee Glee too! More on Facebook

Lucy x

Oxford Bake Off

When I found out that the judges for The Oxford Bake Off included Benoit Blin, is Chef Patissier at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons in Oxfordshire and Kate Shirazi, a baker whose book, Cake Magic, I had been given as a gift about two years ago, I was excited and nervous. 

Shirazi, whose recipes  I had turned to many a cold winter's evening for comforting cookie recipes were down to earth, so I naturally felt a little comfort in that fact but the sheer thought of these professionals merely eating what I had created was a privilege in itself, let alone them judging me winner for Cupcake Connoisseur and overall Star Baker! 

Wedding Cake Finished

I completed the Oxford School of Sugarcraft's Tiered Wedding Cake course a few weekends ago and decided that, since it was for a two tiered cake, I would add a third tier to make it more 'wedding-y'. There wasn't the time, during the two days, to learn to stack and decorate weddings cakes AND add the third tier, so I did it at home.

Website Refresh

www.cupcakesandkeepsakes.co.uk 

is having a bit of makeover. And we will soon be selling our product range on Etsy.com. Its an American based website which sells things in the UK too. This is the next phase! Ok, Luce, calm  down and have (another) cup of tea.

We're moving to Bicester, so it makes sense to update all the information on the website and bring you a little more when it gets re-launched in July.

I'm super excited about the new house and it will be a cake making paradise! With my very own light and airy space ot take pictures and work in the evenings. I can't wait to show you what I've been working on, mum too (keepsakes) and will be posting my wren blacka nd blue bird mini cake How To soon

Love, hugs and chocolate biscuits xxx

Objects of Desire

Pretty things are nice, I've decided.

I thought I'd take the time to show you the Cupcakes and Keepsakes current surroundings in pictures. Its mum's house, so its really the Keepsakes' point of view you're getting this from. Don't worry, she said it was OK.

Don't worry, there are fruit bowls with actual fruit in. What can I say, we're magpies. Attracted to anything shiny

More sparkly stuff

The Big Man

Oh gosh, is that the time?! I use this clock even though its set five minutes fast. I think they moved the minute hand to avoid being late. Its powers as a time saving device are yet to be proved

 This is my Roberts radio, which I mostly have on when I'm at home on UCB Radio. I listen to Scott Mills on my way home from my part time job but I'm not so keen on Radio One DJs in the day and this seems to fill my ears with good things while I bake or wash up.

I've left the cellophane on the handle for when we move into the new house in Bicester. Geek.

There were no toffees in this when we bought it. Not sure what state they'd be in if there were. Mum found it in an antiques shop in Yorkshire. I love old retro kitchen stuff. Tesco have tried to replicate stuff like this, but the originals always win.

A pretty jug for when the queen comes round for tea.

Mum's love of form and colour influences her handmade creations.

This is a corsage brooch with a handmade ribbon rose.

Vanilla Frosting Recipe

Vanilla Frosting Recipe

This recipe is a take on a Hummingbird bakery vanilla frosting, which I have adapted to get the best consistency. I have doubled the book's quantities and I use Sugarflair Claret.

Some people don't sieve their icing sugar as they believe that it doesn't make a difference. I tried this and it does! The finer the sugar (American's refer to it as confectioner's sugar)

The longer you whisk frosting, the fluffier it gets. I've invested in a good handheld mixer by Breville but i've burnt out three in my time! A larger mixer with paddle attachment will work well on high speed but remember to use a rubber spatula to encorporate all the butter from the base of the dish.

The recipe suggests unsalted butter. Some lightly salted butters are a suitable alternative, as you may have bought this for your cake recipe. The end result will not be bitter due to the ratio of sugar to butter. Always use room temperature butter and never margarine. Your frosting would be greasy and will not hold any shapes which you pipe.

Invest in a good bottle of Vanilla extract. I use extract instead of essence. This gives you a deeper flavour and is made from natural ingredients.

If you have made my chocolate cupcakes from my blog, you will have enough frosting from this recipe for these and enough to keep for emergencies. Do as Nigella does and keep it in the fridge for a sweet hit at nighttime, or freeze in an airtight container with cling film under the lid for up to a month. Defrost and re-whisk for a few minutes to get a perfect consistency.

500g Icing sugar, sifted.

160g butter, at room temperature (this is important)

50ml Whole milk (semi-skimmed works if that's all you have)

A couple of drops of vanilla extract

Put the icing sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl.
Use the back of a wooden spoon to work the sugar into the butter. This will take around five minutes.
Add the vanilla extract to the milk and add a few tablespoons to the icing sugar and butter mixture.
Once the mixture all comes together, use an electric whisk to get a smooth consistency.
If using supermarket bought colouring, add your food colouring now, before the rest of the milk mixture until you are happy with the colour. If using Sugarflair colour, add a small amount with the end of a toothpick until you are happy with the colour.
Add the milk mixture a splash at a time until it reaches a soft peak consistency, taking into account the amount of colouring you used. This will avoid a runny mixture.

Cupcakes Traditional vs. Contemporary

I've been thinking about which I prefer in the cupcake stakes and I think it boils down to two types, traditional (i.e. pretty) and contemporary (a bit different) My repertoire has taken most forms, mostly whatever takes my fancy for bake sales and village fairs and then exactly what people want for celebration cakes. What I want to know is, which do people prefer?!

VS.

When it comes to the type of cupcake, I have found a good chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting goes down very well. But! Of course, a cupcake which looks appealing is important too.

 I'm torn, because you get the likes of Hello, Cupcake! who were one of the original ambassadors for the weird and wonderful cupcakes, like the corn on the cob feast for the eyes (above) and the trend at the moment, which is the traditional tea party style. Florals, intricate hand piped patterns require a degree of skill, which I admire, but the funky and head-turning cupcakes seem to be great for the male audience, great for kids and add more colour to the table.

I made these baby cupcakes for an nct picnic

And these Elvis cupcakes got some great comments but weren't as popular as...

Chocolate with a rose or...

hand piped mini cakes!

I asked some friends and the general opinion is that taste is paramount. You can make an OK looking cupcake but if it has a soft, sponge with delicate sweet topping, people are happy. There's nothing worse than seeing a beautiful cupcake and it tasting average. I find this with most supermarket tray bakes and mass-produced cakes. This must be down to quality of ingredients. Free range eggs and god flour make a difference.

Strangely, some comments I have had, such as "they look like ornaments" or some say soaps, even, because they are very neat looking. I sometimes wonder if a more handmade style would appeal more. But I'm aiming for a bit of perfection for your eyes and your tongue!

I'm happy to compromise if it means a good cause gets a look-in. Hosting a bake sale for kids who are affected by cancer is a fab idea. Here's a link to their downloadable marketing pack:

httpwww.cupcakesforacause.orgbakesalebakesale_toolkit.pdf

But I think, after all my research, a mix of the traditional and modern wins every time.

Tiffany ringbox mini cake

www.cupcakesandkeepsakes.co.uk

Peggy's cupcakes on notonthehighstreet.com

Notonthehighstreet is another blog for another day. Is it worth the charges? What do the charges cover and what is the benefit over having your own website?