National Cupcake Week 17th - 24th September: A cupcake round-up!

It’s that time of year again where you get to gorge yourself on lots of naughty, but pretty treats all in the name of supporting a national celebration week. And what exactly is it we are celebrating………CUPCAKES!

Unfortunately this year I have been celebrating from the side-lines! As close as I got to a cupcake was baking a few batches for a Macmillan Nurses Coffee Morning fundraiser, but even so, I thought I could contribute something to the table.

So here is a round-up of all of the cupcake-y goodness that I've brought to you in the past. They are some of my favourite recipes to cook and share, so please give them a go and share the cupcake love!

Enjoy!

First things first, you’ll need a basic fairy cake recipe! This is my go to recipe for any cakey needs.

These Lemon and Poppy Seed Cupcakes are the perfect grown up cake for a more sophisticated bake.

Kids and grown ups alike will LOVE these American inspired Oreo cupcakes

These Elderflower and Gooseberry Butterfly Cakes won a competition last year! Therefore this recipe is a must have in any cupcake collection.

My Lemon Meringue Cupcakes really are a show stopper!

This is my most favourite recipe EVER – the bakewell muffin is heaven on a plate!

One of my favourite muffin recipes, this is a twist on the classic American muffin – Blueberry and Lemon Curd muffins.

Not quite a cupcake, but these Miniature Carrot Cakes would look good on any cake stand

For a more deep and sophisticated flavour, look no further than my caramel cupcake recipe

The perfect cupcake for Christmas hosting – my After Dinner Mint cupcakes.

Another Christmassy cake, perfect for kids, red velvet Rudolfcupcakes

And that completes my cupcake-y round up for National Cupcake Week! I hope they have inspired you to get creative in the kitchen!

Easter Lemon Macaroons

Happy Easter!!!OK, I’m a day late, but I can be forgiven right? Easter’s a time for family so I had to pass on the season’s greetings yesterday. But today is a bank holiday and with the extra day off work, there’s no excuse for not getting into that kitchen!
And who doesn’t love macaroons? They are the perfect tea-time treat, especially at Easter when you can shape them like Easter eggs, and colour them nice spring-time colours. (Granted I didn’t manage either of those quite as well as I’d hoped, but you get the idea!) I don’t know where the idea came from but I think it worked out quite well in the end, and my family most certainly agreed.

Blueberry and Lemon Curd Muffins

I love cake as much as the next woman: big cakes, littlecakes, chocolate cakes, coffee cakes, butterfly cakes, fairy cakes and even cake pops. I wouldn’t be surprised if 50% of my posts were about cake in some way!

I was surprised however when I was going back over my posts in the last year that I did not have a basic muffin recipe! In the past I posted a recipe for cheese muffins and one for banana and chocolate, but I don’t have a double chocolate or blueberry recipe on here! I do surprise myself sometimes.

So, here, at last is an American-style blueberry muffin recipe, but, there is a twist!

I love the sweet syrupy goodness of a big fat blueberry but there is such thing as too much of a good thing, so my muffin recipe has a hidden surprise; a gooey centre of sharp lemon curd to cut those blueberries down to size.

National Cupcake Week – celebrating with Lemon Meringue Cakes

It is National Cupcake week, and we are already two days in! But I have been busy baking away and have an exciting new recipe to bring you in celebration of National Cupcake Week – Lemon Meringue Cakes!

This recipe is inspired by one of my favourite desserts, the lemon meringue pie, but is cute and dainty, perfect to serve at tea parties for special guests.