cute chick

Easter is fast approaching and it time to make masses of yellow fondant chicks and white bunnys, there's nothing quite as synonymous as these little critters and Easter.
Also you have to make the cake either lush lemon or deeply indulgeant chocolate, or as a traditional option there's simmnal cake.
I'm thinking outside the box a bit this year I might do a few spring lambs as a little something different
As for frosting, my favourite for Easter has to be the chocolate whip
200g icing sugar
100g butter (soft)
2 tbsp chocolate spread
2 tbsp mallow fluff
And a splash of milk

Another alternative cake decoration for this time of year is Flowes. So what do you preferre? Mature classic flowers, or cute and kidsy? ;-)

Easter Cake

Be my valentine

Do you know where valentines day comes from?

fondant or buttercream?

I don't know about you but im torn on how to decorate both cupcakes and cakes. I've been noticing a bit of a switch in trends recently. It always used to be cupcakes were topped with buttercream and cakes were covered in fondant. But I've seen more and more cupcakes decorated with fondant and more cakes decorated just with buttercream. There's a lady who goes by Arti Cakes and all her masterpieces are done in buttercream and I have to say she's a master!
This stems from the old debate that's been raging on since cake decorating started! People are usually in either the buttercream camp or firmly in the fondant camp. Lettering the lush tasting buttercream or the smooth finish and malleability of fondant.
I personally like both and think especially now there's room for both in the cake decorators camp. You only have to search the internet for images to see the possibilities both offer.
Here's some examples
http://www.mywedding.com/blog/planning/wp-content/gallery/resource-guide-2/ivory-pearl-quilted-wedding-cake-73514.jpg

http://www.wilton.com/img/ruffles-and-roses-cake-main.jpg
Where do you stand or are you in the middle like me?

daisyhillcakes bolton: American Cupcake month at Daisy Hill Cakes

daisyhillcakes bolton: American Cupcake month at Daisy Hill Cakes: The month of January we are paying homage to America & Canada! They have some fabulous ingresdients there that can be whipped, wisked, and m...

American Cupcake month at Daisy Hill Cakes

The month of January we are paying homage to America & Canada! They have some fabulous ingresdients there that can be whipped, wisked, and mixed together.
Last weeks delectable delights were, an all  American classic cake in cupcake form: the Boston cream pie. For those who don't know its a lovely fluffy vanilla sponge with a hidden custard centre and topped with rich velvety chocolate ganache topping, its making my mouth water just writing about it!
We also wipped up a national dish so to speak the huge classic peanut butter and jelly. Surprisingly this combination tranfers fantastically into a cupcake bringing the delightful taste sensation of salty peanut butter with the sweet fruity jelly. This has to be one of my all time favourite cupcakes, as it really has got everything to make your mouth water:-P. 
I used smooth peanut butter, but you could use the crunchy stuff to add some extra crunch to it.
Ingredients
200g S R flour
200g butter
3 tbsp peanut butter
3 eggs
1tsp baking powder
50ml buttermilk (add as required)
Frosting
500g icing sugar
250g butter
5tbsp peanut butter
1.5 tbsp raspberry jam
Cupcake filling:-
I reduced some berry's and suggar and added a bit of gelatine to give it a semi firm consistency but not to make it set firm! Or you could just water down some jam;-)
Bake your cupcakes and when cool put your jam in the middle of the sponge by removing a section of the sponge. Then you just pipe your frosting on top:-P ( that is unless you have accidently eaten it all!)

Go on have a go, they are a lovely cupcake to eat especially if you like peanut butter.


This weeks cupcakes are maple syrup, a sweet delight usually associated with Canada and pancakes, and the do make delisious cupcakes with a peacan topping.
For more cupcake ideas or if you want to give the gift of cake why not visit my Facebook site at http://facebook.com/daisyhillcakes

the wonderful world of cake

The craze that is cupcakes just seems to be going from strength to strength. It's no wonder as there's just so many choice's! There's a cornucopia of flavours to choose from, a variety of sizes from a 'pop it in your mouth whole' to giant's and the there's decoration!
Theres just so much posibility and for someone who bakes, its great.  My personal favourite is a resent one I descovered,  the all American peanutbutter and jelly! This particular cupcake offers a great mix of sweet and salty:-P for those who like snickers these are wonderful! I also like the zingtastic lemon cupcake it's pack with that sharp citrus kick, I could go on but it may get a bit silly! I think the way forward is just to get a selection box then you can sample a variety ;-)

daisyhillcakes bolton: expanding

daisyhillcakes bolton: expanding: I have made it my mini mission this year to try and expand my little venture (that is daisy hill cakes!) im in a catch 22 though. While I am...

expanding

I have made it my mini mission this year to try and expand my little venture (that is daisy hill cakes!) im in a catch 22 though. While I am making a proffit, is it Dell'boys old addage spend money to make money? Do I reinvest my proffit into selling at farmers markets and fetes? Or advatising and try to remain an online business? Its like picking from 2 identical doors and being told 1 leads to happy and prosperity and the other leads to failure and doom! A bit dramatic I know but if am to make this venture a success I need to do it before my youngest starts school, otherwise I may have to find a 'real job'! ;-) lol. Not that people who bake don't have "real jobs" ,but those who have any length of time off there origional career to look after there children must go through a similar desission?
Here now im rambling! Can you make a life changing desission from a dream?
Enough of pondering my life, my orders won't fill themselves and I have a particularly delusious set of American style cupcakes to make:-P

my new kitchen assistant!

My new kitchen assistant despite being male is very good! In fact I go so far as to say he's the best yet. He completes task quickly and can do it on his own without me having to stand over him. Which gives be time to do other things. He can make a huge variety of things with seeming ease, whipping butter cream to perfection, egg whites into light airy peaks, cake batter is smooth and combined beautifully. He also claims he can make many more things with the right equipment, from ravioli to bread dough. He's fairly tidy and keeps mess to a minimum. My only complaint is he can be a bit noisy when hes working, i suppose you cant have everything! So all in all, welcome to the family Ken! (aka Kenwood classic) lol

follower of fashion

Well for someone who's not exceedingly technical I thought I follow the millions of others out there and start a blog! As if I don't have enough to do with tweeting and Facebook and then there's linked in! Then I have to find time to bake (that's what I try to do!) also I have to try and control my 2 beautiful little girls. When I say control what I really mean is to minimize the damage they do to my house and each other! Even while writing this I find myself shouting at my eldest (2 1/2 years) "stop that... Don't lick it oh NO, please stop it!" i can only hope its a phase and she's not actually part cat!
Ah well its time to roll up my sleeves and give my hands a wash! ( for those with kids yes i stole that line from 'i can cook')