RECIPE LIST
These are the pinkest of cakes – perfect for little girls – decorated with strawberry icing and swirls of strawberry laces. Little girls love these cakes! Put a mini strawberry on top for added wow factor! I love making them with Dixie, who piles the icing high and decorates them with as many sweets as she can possibly fit on.
PREPARATION TIME: 25 MINUTES | BAKING TIME: 20 MINUTES | MAKES 12 CAKES
FOR THE CUPCAKES
200G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
220G CASTER SUGAR
4 EGGS
220G SELF-RAISING FLOUR, SIFTED
2 TEASPOONS BAKING POWDER
4 TEASPOONS VANILLA BEAN PASTE OR VANILLA EXTRACT
A FEW DROPS OF PINK FOOD COLOURING
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
300G ICING SUGAR, SIFTED
150G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
A FEW DROPS OF PINK FOOD COLOURING
2 TEASPOONS STRAWBERRY ESSENCE
1–2 TABLESPOONS WHOLE MILK
TO DECORATE
12 STRAWBERRY LACES
PINK EDIBLE GLITTER
12 SMALL WHOLE STRAWBERRIES
SMARTIES
EQUIPMENT: MIXER, 12-HOLE MUFFIN TIN LINED WITH MUFFIN CASES, PIPING BAG FITTED WITH LARGE STAR NOZZLE
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
Using a mixer, whisk together the butter and caster sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs and whisk again. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, vanilla and a few drops of pink food colouring, using a spatula.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes, until the cakes are firm and spring back to your touch. Transfer to a rack to cool.
For the buttercream, whisk together the icing sugar, butter, a few drops of pink food colouring, the strawberry essence and enough milk to make a smooth, stiff frosting. Spoon it into the piping bag and pipe round swirls over the top of each cake. Decorate with a long strand of strawberry lace in a swirled pattern, sprinkle with edible glitter and finish off by topping with a strawberry and some Smarties.
As these cakes are topped with fresh fruit they are best served on the day they are made, although you can store them for up to 3 days in an airtight container if you omit the strawberries.
Strawberry Cupcakes
These little buzzy bees with their fondant wings and fizzy cola laces are great for kids’ parties. Kids just love them.
PREPARATION TIME: 25 MINUTES | BAKING TIME: 20 MINUTES | MAKES 12 CAKES
FOR THE CUPCAKES
200G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
220G CASTER SUGAR
4 EGGS
220G SELF-RAISING FLOUR, SIFTED
2 TEASPOONS BAKING POWDER
4 TABLESPOONS RUNNY HONEY
YELLOW FOOD COLOURING
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
300G ICING SUGAR, SIFTED
150G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
YELLOW FOOD COLOURING
1–2 TABLESPOONS WHOLE MILK
FOR DECORATION
24 WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTONS
24 BLACK SUGAR PEARL BEADS
STRAWBERRY LACES
WHITE FONDANT
FLAT FIZZY COLA LACES
EQUIPMENT: MIXER, 12-HOLE MUFFIN TIN LINED WITH MUFFIN CASES, SMALL ROUND CUTTER ABOUT 2CM IN DIAMETER
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
Using a mixer, whisk together the butter and caster sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs and whisk again. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder and honey, using a spatula. Colour the batter a bright yellow, using a few drops of food colouring.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes, until the cakes are firm and spring back to your touch. Transfer to a rack to cool.
For the buttercream, whisk together the icing sugar, butter, a few drops of yellow food colouring and enough milk to make a smooth, stiff frosting. Spread it over the top of each cake.
Fix a black sugar pearl bead on to each white chocolate button, using a little of the icing to secure it, and place a pair of white chocolate button eyes on top of each cupcake. Make a small mouth at one end of the cake using a little piece of strawberry lace. Roll out the white fondant and cut out wings using the round cutter. Pinch the circles at the end and press them into the yellow icing so they stick into place. Cut the cola laces into strips the same width as the cupcakes and place them on top of the cupcakes a small distance apart to make the bee stripes.
These cakes will store for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.
Bee Cakes
Young kids love farm animals, and these sheep cakes make a great treat to put in kids’ going-home bags at parties.
PREPARATION TIME: 25 MINUTES | BAKING TIME: 20 MINUTES | MAKES 12 CAKES
FOR THE CUPCAKES
200G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
220G CASTER SUGAR
4 EGGS
220G SELF-RAISING FLOUR, SIFTED
2 TEASPOONS BAKING POWDER
200G WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
300G ICING SUGAR, SIFTED
150G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
1–2 TABLESPOONS WHOLE MILK
TO DECORATE
MINI WHITE MARSHMALLOWS
STRAWBERRY LACES
24 WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTONS
24 SUGAR PEARL BEADS
EQUIPMENT: MIXER, 12-HOLE MUFFIN TIN LINED WITH MUFFIN CASES
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
Using a mixer, whisk together the butter and caster sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs and whisk again. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder and white chocolate chips, using a spatula.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes, until the cakes are firm and spring back to your touch. Transfer to a rack to cool.
For the icing, whisk together the icing sugar, butter and enough milk to make a smooth, stiff frosting. Spread it over the top of each cake and decorate with a layer of mini marshmallows to look like a sheep’s fleece. Add a smile with a small piece of red strawberry lace. Fix a black sugar pearl bead on to each white chocolate button, using a little of the buttercream to secure it, and place a pair of white chocolate button eyes on top of each cupcake.
These cakes will store for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Sheep Cakes
These frog cakes are not the slightest bit slimy, although they are very green. With white chocolate button eyes and red bootlace smiles, they will brighten up any rainy day.
PREPARATION TIME: 25 MINUTES | BAKING TIME: 20 MINUTES | MAKES 12 CAKES
FOR THE CUPCAKES
200G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
220G CASTER SUGAR
4 EGGS
220G SELF-RAISING FLOUR, SIFTED
2 TEASPOONS BAKING POWDER
A FEW DROPS OF GREEN FOOD COLOURING
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
300G ICING SUGAR, SIFTED
150G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
A FEW DROPS OF GREEN FOOD COLOURING
1–2 TABLESPOONS WHOLE MILK
TO DECORATE
24 WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTONS
24 PEARL BEADS
4 STRAWBERRY LACES
EQUIPMENT: MIXER, 12-HOLE MUFFIN TIN LINED WITH MUFFIN CASES
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F Gas Mark 3.
Using a mixer, whisk together the butter and caster sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs and whisk again. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder and a few drops of green food colouring, using a spatula. You want the batter to be a really vibrant green colour for best effect.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes, until the cakes are firm and spring back to your touch. Transfer to a rack to cool.
For the icing, whisk together the icing sugar, butter, a few drops of green food colouring and enough milk to make a smooth, stiff frosting. Spread it over the top of each cake. Use a small amount of the icing to fix pearl beads on to the white chocolate buttons to make the wobbly eyes, then place two eyes on top of each cake. Make a large smile on each cake using the strawberry laces.
These cakes will store for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Frog Cakes
Push pops are a new fashion that both kids and adults go mad for. They are quick and easy to bake with kids and take no time at all to prepare. My daughter Dixie loves to cut out the circles of cake herself, using a cutter, and her little fingers are perfect for pushing the cake into the tubes. The only help I need to give her is to pipe a swirl of icing between the layers, although older kids would easily be able to do this for themselves. When we are finished, Dixie and I love to decorate our push pops with stickers and ribbons to make them look extra pretty.
You can bake either two or three sponges to use for your push pops, depending on how many colours you want!
PREPARATION TIME: 25 MINUTES | BAKING TIME: 20 MINUTES | MAKES 20 PUSH POPS
FOR THE CAKE MIXTURE
225G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
225G CASTER SUGAR
4 EGGS
225G SELF-RAISING FLOUR, SIFTED
2 TEASPOONS BAKING POWDER
1 TEASPOON VANILLA BEAN PASTE
AN ASSORTMENT OF FOOD COLOURINGS OF YOUR CHOICE
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
260G ICING SUGAR, SIFTED
115G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
1 TABLESPOON MILK
AN ASSORTMENT OF FOOD COLOURINGS OF YOUR CHOICE
1 TEASPOON VANILLA BEAN PASTE
TO DECORATE
RAINBOW SPRINKLES
EQUIPMENT: 2 OR 3 × 20CM ROUND SANDWICH CAKE TINS, GREASED AND LINED, 4CM ROUND CUTTER, 20 PUSH POPS, 2 OR 3 PIPING BAGS FITTED WITH LARGE STAR NOZZLES
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
Using a mixer, whisk together the butter and caster sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs and whisk again. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder and vanilla, using a spatula.
Divide the cake mixture between 2 or 3 bowls (depending on how many sponges you are making) and add a few drops of different food colouring to each bowl. Fold in so that each cake batter has an even colour. Spoon one of the cake batters into each cake tin and bake your coloured cakes in the oven for 20 minutes, until they are firm to touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, with no cake batter on it. Transfer to a rack to cool.
For the buttercream, whisk together the icing sugar, butter and milk until you have a smooth thick frosting. Divide it equally into separate bowls and add a few drops of different food colouring to each. Whisk each icing well so that it has an even colour. Spoon one of the icings into each piping bag.
Using the cutter, cut out discs of cake. Place a disc in the base of each push pop and pipe a small star of icing on top. Cover with another layer of cake in a different colour and pipe a different coloured swirl of icing. Repeat until the pops are filled with layers of cake and icing in rainbow patterns. Finish with a swirl of icing and decorate with sugar sprinkles. Place the lids on top of the pops and store until you are ready to serve.
Rainbow Push Pop Cakes
Every little girl’s dream is to have cupcakes with more pink sparkles and sprinkles than can fit on one cake. These delicate cakes have rainbow sprinkles baked inside them and look magical when they are cut open. If you are short of time you can buy sugar crowns to replace the ones made in the recipe below, or top the cakes with sugar diamonds instead for a real wow factor.
PREPARATION TIME: 25 MINUTES | BAKING TIME: 20 MINUTES | MAKES 12 CAKES
FOR THE CUPCAKES
200G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
220G CASTER SUGAR
4 EGGS
220G SELF-RAISING FLOUR, SIFTED
2 TEASPOONS BAKING POWDER
A FEW DROPS OF PINK FOOD COLOURING
6 TABLESPOONS RAINBOW SUGAR SPRINKLES
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
450G ICING SUGAR, SIFTED
70G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
180G CREAM CHEESE
A FEW DROPS OF PINK FOOD COLOURING
TO DECORATE
200G READY-TO-ROLL FONDANT ICING
GOLD LUSTRE SPRAY
EDIBLE GLITTER
GOLD AND IVORY SUGAR PEARL BEADS
EDIBLE GLUE
EQUIPMENT: MIXER, 12-HOLE MUFFIN TIN LINED WITH MUFFIN CASES, PIPING BAG FITTED WITH LARGE STAR NOZZLE, CROWN SILICONE MOULD
Begin by preparing the crown decorations, as they need to dry before being used. Dab the silicone moulds with a little vegetable oil so that the decorations do not stick. Take small pieces of ready-to-roll icing and press them into the moulds so that they take the shape of crowns. Remove from the moulds and place on a silicone mat or a sheet of baking parchment to dry, trimming any excess icing with a sharp knife. Repeat with all the remaining icing. Leave the icing to set for 24 hours. Once the icing is dry, spray with gold lustre spray to decorate. Once dry, decorate the crowns with glitter and sugar pearls, fixing them to the crowns with edible glue.
If you do not have a silicone crown mould, roll out the fondant icing thinly on a surface dusted with icing sugar, into rectangles around 3cm wide and 10cm long. Use a sharp knife to cut diamond shapes along one long edge to make the top of the crown. Pick the crown up and join the two ends with edible glue to make a round shape. Leave to dry, then decorate with gold lustre spray, pearl beads or glitter to bring the crown to life and add some sparkle as above.
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
Using a mixer, whisk together the butter and caster sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs and whisk again. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, pink food colouring and sugar sprinkles, using a spatula, until the batter has an even pink colour.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes, until the cakes are firm and spring back to your touch. Transfer to a rack to cool.
For the icing, whisk together the icing sugar, butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl until light and creamy and add a few drops of pink food colouring. Spoon the icing into a piping bag and pipe pink swirls on top of each cake. Top each one with a decorated crown and add a little more edible glitter for extra sparkle.
Perfect Princess Cupcakes
You can go wild when decorating these pops. They are great for kids’ parties, as they can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator until needed. You can add different flavourings to the cake batter too, if you like.
PREPARATION TIME: 30 MINUTES | BAKING TIME: 45–50 MINUTES | MAKES 12–15 POPS
FOR THE CAKE MIXTURE
200G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
200G CASTER SUGAR
200G LIGHT BROWN SUGAR
8 EGGS
320G SELF-RAISING FLOUR, SIFTED
120G COCOA POWDER, SIFTED
1 TEASPOON BICARBONATE OF SODA
160ML SOURED CREAM
4 TEASPOONS VANILLA BEAN PASTE
A PINCH OF SALT
FOR THE ICING
300G ICING SUGAR, SIFTED
150G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
1–2 TABLESPOONS WHOLE MILK
TO DECORATE
330G CANDY MELTS
SUGAR SPRINKLES OR SUGAR SAND
EQUIPMENT: MIXER, 20CM SQUARE CAKE TIN, GREASED AND LINED, CAKE POP STICKS
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
Using a mixer, whisk together the butter, caster sugar and light brown sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs and whisk again. Gently fold in the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, soured cream, vanilla bean paste and salt, using a spatula.
Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 45–50 minutes, until the cake is firm to touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, with no cake batter on it. Transfer to a rack to cool.
For the icing, whisk together the icing sugar, butter and milk.
Once the cake has cooled, put it into a food processor or make it into crumbs with your hands. Mix it with the buttercream to make a mouldable cake mix. Roll the mixture into balls weighing about 35g each. Leave them to set in the fridge overnight (or if you are short of time, you can freeze them for 15 minutes instead).
Melt the candy melts in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Candy melts can also be melted in the microwave: stir at 20-second intervals until smooth and runny. If they are not as runny as you would like, add 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable oil. Dip each pop stick into the candy melts and stick them into the ends of the cake pops. Leave to set so that the sticks are secure. Once secure, dip the pops into the melt and, before the chocolate sets, decorate with sugar sand or sprinkles.
Cake Pops
‘Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!!!’ No pirate party is complete without these fantastical cakes topped with treasure chests and gold coins. Boys (and girls too) just adore these.
PREPARATION TIME: 25 MINUTES | BAKING TIME: 20 MINUTES | MAKES 12 CAKES
FOR THE CUPCAKES
200G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
220G CASTER SUGAR
4 EGGS
220G SELF-RAISING FLOUR, SIFTED
2 TEASPOONS BAKING POWDER
ZEST OF 2 LEMONS
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
450G ICING SUGAR, SIFTED
70G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
180G CREAM CHEESE
YELLOW FOOD COLOURING
4 DIGESTIVE BISCUITS
TO DECORATE
200G READY-TO-ROLL FONDANT ICING
BROWN FOOD COLOURING
GOLD SUGAR SAND
GOLD AND IVORY SUGAR PEARL BEADS
30G GOLDEN MARZIPAN
GOLD CHOCOLATE COINS
EQUIPMENT: MIXER, 12-HOLE MUFFIN TIN LINED WITH MUFFIN CASES, PIPING BAG FITTED WITH STAR NOZZLE
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3.
Using a mixer, whisk together the butter and caster sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs and whisk again. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder and lemon zest, using a spatula.
Spoon the cake mixture into the muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes, until the cakes are firm and spring back to your touch. Transfer to a rack to cool.
For the frosting, whisk together the icing sugar, butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl until light and creamy. Add a few drops of yellow food colouring and mix again. Pipe it over the top of the cakes. Blitz the digestive biscuits to fine crumbs in a food processor and sprinkle over the icing to look like sand.
For the decorations, colour the fondant icing brown with a little food colouring, kneading it in your hands on a surface dusted with icing sugar until it is an even colour. Make small chest shapes by making rectangles for the bases of the chests around 3cm deep, 3cm wide and 5cm long. Make tops for the chests that are the same size but curved. Using a sharp knife, score wood marks into both the bottoms and tops of the chests to make them look more realistic. Press a dent into the top of each rectangular base and fill this with gold sugar sand and gold and ivory pearl beads.
Roll out the marzipan on a surface dusted with icing sugar and cut out small circles to look like small gold coins, using a small round icing nozzle. Place a treasure chest top on each of the rectangle bases, pressing down lightly on one long side so that it looks like an open trunk containing treasure. Place a chest on top of each cupcake and decorate with chocolate coins as well.
Decorating tip: To make a treasure map, cut a piece of ivory fondant into a square and roll out thinly on a surface dusted with icing sugar. Break the edges to make them look jagged and curl them up to look like an old map. Using an edible ink pen, draw a map on the icing. Leave to dry before putting on top of the cakes. The decorations, and the treasure chests, can be made up to a week in advance.
Treasure Island Cupcakes
