Wednesday, 13 June 2012

So I appear to have the baking bug again... I am completely addicted to THINKING about making cakes, I just don't seem to have the time to bake them... I've kinda set myself a challenge of baking weekly and swimming at least once a week. I Guess the two balance each other out? I decided to make some bog-standard (but incredibly delicious) chocolate coated fairy cakes last night and here they are! The recipe for this is one I know off by heart and can measure without aids, considering my grandmother and mother taught me it many years ago! Recipe for Chocolate Coated Fairy Cakes Cakes: 4oz Self-Raising Flour 4oz Caster Sugar 4oz Butter 1 Large or 2 small/medium eggs Splash of vanilla Cream the sugar and butter together. I do this by hand because I don't trust electric whisks haha! (Traditionalist!) Beat in the eggs until smooth and runny. Add flour gradually, stirring vigorously. If too thick, add splashes of milk. Vanilla always goes in last. I don't really know why! Give it another good mix, separate into 12 bun cases and stick in the oven at around 180C. It takes between 10-15 minutes depending on the oven you use, so keep an eye on them, you want them just as they turn golden and glowing! Icing: about 4oz melted chocolate (I used Ritter milk because I had some lying around, but any good eating/cooking chocolate works fine) splash of milk 1-2oz icing sugar Melt the chocolate (I use the microwave but this doesn't work too well with some chocolates like galaxy) Stir in the icing sugar in small amounts at a time, beating to keep it smooth. If it's too stiff to spread smoothly (i use a rubber spatula to decorate the cakes)then add a splash of milk! To decorate I would usually use sprinkles, chocolate buttons, fancy piped icing etc... This time I left them plain and simple (probably because I decorated them at 10pm last night!). Enjoy, my friends sure did.