Mojito Cupcakes

Ingredients

4oz Caster Sugar

4oz Margarine or Butter

4oz Self raising flour

2 Eggs

1tbsp Rum

1tbsp Lime Juice

Zest of half a lime

Mint Syrup

10 Mint Leafs

100ml Water

4tbsp Caster Sugar

Icing

100g Butter

200g Icing Sugar

2tbsp Lime Juice

between 1tsp-1tbsp Rum (depending how strong you like them)

Food colouring

Mint leafs to decorate

Zest of half a lime

Pre heat the oven to 180oC. Whisk the sugar and margarine together until light and fluffy then whisk in one egg at a time. Sift the flour in and add the lime zest, juice and rum. Mix it all together thoroughly and spoon into cupcake cases. Bake for 15-18 minutes until springy to touch and golden brown. Then remove from oven and allow to cool.

Once cool prick holes in the surface of the cakes with a cocktail stick. Then in a pan boil the water, mint leaves and sugar for 5 minutes. Remove the leaves and allow to cool a little then drizzle over the cakes. Leave the mint syrup to sink in for about half an hour then make the icing.

Cream the butter and sugar together then add lime juice, rum and food colouring (I opted for a lemon and lime colour) once mixed together  pipe onto the cakes. Then top with a sprinkle of lime zest and a sprig of mint. 



Mojito Sorbet

Ingredients

235ml Water

200g Caster Sugar

15g Mint Leaves

25g Grated Lime Zest

235ml Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

355ml Citrus Flavoured Sparkling Water

30ml Rum (Optional)

Heat the water, sugar and mint leaves in a pan over a medium heat gently stirring until the sugar melts then let boil for 3-5 minutes so that the mint flavour is released. Sieve out the mint leaves and let the sugar mixture cool. To this add the lime juice, lime zest and sparkling water giving it a good stir add the rum now as well if you are using it.

Place the mixture in a Pyrex dish and put in the freezer going back every 30 mins to an hour to stir it around so it doesn't freeze solid. (Or if you have an ice cream maker follow the manufacturers instructions) After 3-4 hours in the freezer you should have a good sorbet consistency.

Once set serve with a spring of mint or a slice of lime and save any remaining sorbet in an air tight container in the freezer.

Enjoy :-)

Mint Choc Feast

Ingredients

12oz Butter

12oz Caster Sugar

6 Eggs

9oz Self Raising Flour

3oz Cocoa

Icing

18oz Icing Sugar

8oz Butter

Food Colouring

1tbsp Mint Flavouring

200g Dark Chocolate

5tbsp Honey

2tbsp Coffee

2tbsp Vanilla Extract

To Finish

2 packets of  mint matchsticks

A little Grated Chocolate

First pre heat your oven to 180oC. Now mix butter and caster sugar together in a large bowl using an electric whisk. Into this break one egg at a time and whisk. Then mix in the flour and cocoa. Divide the mixture equally into three tins and bake for 30-35 minutes until springy to touch or until you can insert a skewer and it comes out clean. Take the cakes out of the oven and let them cool thoroughly.

Once your cakes are cooled mix up your icing. Firstly your butter icing. Mix the butter, icing sugar, colouring and flavouring. Now spread some of this on the bottom layer of your cake and the middle layer not going over the edges.

Now make your second icing melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Once melted take of the heat and add coffee and vanilla. This will make the mixture seize up but don't worry add the honey and it will loosen up again. Drizzle a little of this over the two sponges you have mint icing on.

Now layer your cakes. I insert one or two matchsticks into the cake to make sure it doesn't move. Pour the remaining chocolate mixture over the top and sides of the cake. Once the chocolate icing has set a little place the matchsticks around the edge of the cake. Place what is left of your butter icing on top of your cake and spread out. Grate a little chocolate over the top and if you have any matchsticks left break these up and place in the centre of the cake.

Et Voila! A mint chocolate feast of your very own!

Chocolate Snaps

This is my take on a Jamie Oliver recipe.

Ingredients

300g Milk Chocolate

2 Crunchies

Bash the Crunchie into crumbs and sprinkle evenly over grease proof paper melt your chocolate then drizzle over the Crunchie in all sorts of shapes and let cool. Once set break up into fragments and sprinkle with edible glitter if you like :-)

For a minty take

Ingredients

300g Dark Chocolate

4tbsp Demerara Sugar

2tbsp Mint Flavouring

1-2tsp Green Colouring

Mix the sugar, colouring and mint flavour, sprinkle over your greaseproof paper and leave for 30 mins so the sugar dries out again. Melt your chocolate and then drizzle as before over the sugar and then let set. Again break it up into fragments to serve.