Ghostly Meringues

 

To make ghostly meringues follow the link and use the recipe for meringues.

 

Trace a ghost shape like the one above onto grease proof paper and pipe meringue mix into that shape.

 

Once baked and cooled use a little water, icing sugar and black food colouring (don't make it to runny) to add eyes and a mouth to your ghosts.

 

Spider Web Cup Cakes

Ingredients

 

4oz Margarine or Butter

4oz Caster Sugar

3.5 oz Self Raising Flour

0.5oz Cocoa Powder

2 Eggs

Black food colouring

 

Icing

60g Unsalted Butter

75g Icing Sugar

25g Cocoa Powder

Black Food colouring

 

For the Web

Some icing sugar and water.

 

Pre heat the oven to 180oC. Cream the margerine and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whisk the eggs in one at a time then sift in the cocoa and flour. Stir it all together and then add some black food colouring to give a rich dark colour. Bake for 15-18 mins (depending on oven) until springy to touch.

 

Once cooked allow to cool thoroughly.

 

Mix the butter, icing sugar, cocoa and black food colouring together then smooth the icing over the cakes. Now mix a little water and icing sugar together and place a dot of this in the centre of your cake using a cocktail stick then make two rings around the centre one. From the centre using the cocktail stick drag lines outwards so that you get webs. Enjoy!

Halloween Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

Follow this recipe for chocolate orange cakes adding black food colouring to the cupcake mix to make it really dark then bake in a halloween themed cupcake case such as this one from cakes cookies and crafts shop

 

 

Instead of topping with chocolate use orange sprinkles and a cake topper of your choice I like these ones that I found on cakes cookies and crafts shop I think they give the cakes  a spooky feel to them.

 

 

 

If you have a look around online you can find lots of cupcake cases and toppers at reasonable prices. Also experiment with food colouring try adding green food colouring to cake mixes or lots of blood red colourings.

 

Ice Cream in Northern Ireland

I was away in Northern Ireland this weekend for a wedding so I haven't had time to bake anything, however whilst I was there I sampled some of the best ice creams. So if your ever in Northern Ireland why not keep these places in mind. :-)



Delicious Ice cream Oyster from Cafollas in Lurgan



This beast came from Sam's paper shop in Bushmills, and it almost had me beat!
 

Morellis in Portstewart has the best sundaes this one is a yellowman.

An after eight form Morellis

A banoffee pie from Morellis

And a nuts galore also from Morellis I should point out I didn't eat all these sundaes myself :-)

 

Crumble Cream Biscuits

 

Ingredients

350g Unsalted butter , softened

80g Icing sugar

300g Plain flour

50g Cornflour

50g Cocoa

 

For the Filling

175g Mascrapone

4tbsp Caster sugar

25g Plain chocolate (Plus 75g to decorate optional)

2tsp Vanilla Extract

25g Cocoa Powder

 

Pre heat the oven to 180oC. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy then sift in the plain flour and corn flour mix it all together thoroughly then add the cocoa powder again mixing. Place grease proof paper on a baking tray. Roll into small balls and flatten down slightly on the tray. Try and make an equal amount. Bake for 15-20 mins. They may seem soft when they come out of the oven but they firm up once cool. (they are meant to crumble)

 

When the biscuits are cool beat the mascrapone together with sugar, melted chocolate, vanilla extract and cocoa powder. Spread a little onto the biscuits and sandwich them together. Drizzle chocolate over the top and there you have some crumble cream bicys!

 

 

 

Three Layer Coffee Cake

 

Ingredients

 

8oZ Caster Sugar

8oZ Margarine or Butter

4 Eggs

8oZ Self Raising Flour

3 tbsp Strong Coffee ( I prefer to use decaf)

 

Icing

250g Butter

450g Icing Sugar

5-8tbsp Strong Coffee (dependent how strong you like it)

Chocolates, sprinkle, chopped nuts. (whatever you like to decorate)

 

Pre heat the oven to 180oC, Grease 3 small cake tins and set aside. Cream the margarine and sugar together then whisk in one egg at a time, sift in the flour then stir in the coffee. Mix together thoroughly then spoon evenly into cake tins. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and springy to touch. Once cooked set aside on a wire rack to cool.

 

Once cooled mix the butter and coffee together and then sift in the icing sugar. Layer your cake with some icing in between layers and ice the rest of the cake. I chose to use chocolate balls around the side of the cake and as it was a birthday cake some happy birthday chocolates, you can choose whatever you like :-) walnuts go particularly nicely with coffee cake. Enjoy.