apple, cinnamon and maple syrup cupcakes

....and fairy cakes. I couldn't decide which size to go for so I made both.

After seeing Sammie's maple syrup frosted apple cupcakes last week I immediately felt compelled to bake apple and maple syrup cupcakes, only I fancied pairing mine with cinnamon and a maple cream cheese icing. Other than that, the recipe is essentially the same, but Sammie's look way more photogenic. Haha! I intended to pipe my icing but there was a lot of air trapped in the piping bag which made the icing burst out the nozzle in a very uneven manner, so out came the palette knife to smooth everything over. I also didn't make enough icing which was a bit stupid. It's the flavour that counts, right?

It's hard to go wrong with apple, cinnamon and maple syrup; they're such classic, warm, autumnal flavours. The apples are grated into the mixture, rather than chopped, so the flavour is distributed evenly through the sponges. I don't think I need to elaborate much on the maple syrup cream cheese icing - it's very, very tasty.

Please don't be put off by my dull presentation, these are lovely, little cakes.

apple, cinnamon and maple syrup cupcakes

sponges:
6oz (175g) softened butter/margarine

6oz (175g) soft light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

7oz (200g) self raising flour

2 eating apples, grated (mine weighed about 5oz)

icing:
(this is enough to lightly cover 24 fairy cakes and a few cupcakes but I'd double, at least, if you want to pipe it on in swirls)
50g softened butter
100g cream cheese
125g icing sugar 
a few drops (or however much you fancy) of maple syrup

For cupcakes, preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. For fairy cakes preheat to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Fill your cupcake/bun trays with paper cases. In a large bowl beat together the margarine and sugar for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add a tablespoon of the flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture from splitting. Add the maple syrup and cinnamon followed by the flour and mix together until fully combined. Grate the apples and stir them into the mixture - you'll need to work quickly with the grater as apples brown quickly.

Spoon the mixture into the cake cases, filling them about 2/3 full. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes (12-15 minutes for fairy cakes as they're smaller) until well risen, golden and spring back when touched. Leave to cool in the tins for a couple of minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

For the icing, beat the butter until smooth then add the icing sugar. Once combined, add the cream cheese and the maple syrup and mix until the icing is light and fluffy. Feel free to adjust amounts to personal taste or if you want a different consistency. Spread the icing on top with a palette knife or pipe it on with a piping bag and nozzle.

a slightly underbaked maple syrup and pumpkin cake

My first bake on the blog in weeks and my first foray into baking with pumpkins, but sadly it didn't quite work. The cake skewer came out clean and the cake felt firm BUT MY CAKE SKEWER LIED. It became apparent that more baking was required once I cut into the cake.

However despite the very dense texture the flavours were lovely. I have to admit I was sceptical about baking with pumpkins (no idea why, just one of those unfounded notions) so I'm happy to have been proven wrong.

It tasted similar to a well spiced carrot cake but with the bonus addition of maple syrup. I added a few drops of maple syrup to the cream cheese icing as well which made it ridiculously tasty. I'll certainly try the recipe again and give it a little longer in the oven.

"Why suddenly bake with pumpkin when you think you dislike pumpkin?" I hear you ask. Well, I carved a small pumpkin this Hallowe'en in addition to my usual neepie lanterns ("neep" is Scots for turnip) and couldn't bear to waste the innards. I still think I prefer carving neeps as I like the physical challenge the Scottish tradition, however I enjoyed the orange glow of a pumpkin.

My neepie and pumpkin are on the far right. I appear to have a thing for angry teeth - it's probably the Nicolas Cage influence.

In the spirit of thriftiness I also roasted the pumpkin seeds - one tray with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and the other with oil and chilli powder/cayenne pepper. They were so tasty, bordering on addictive!

Maple syrup and pumpkin cake

Recipe adapted from a thanksgiving pumpkin cake in the "Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook" - I halved quantities to suit the amount of pumpkin puree I had, which resulted in a teeny weeny 6 inch cake.

for the cake:
125g plain flour

50g caster sugar

50g soft dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp mixed spice/ ground ginger

2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt

125g pumpkin puree
1 egg

60 ml sunflower oil

for the icing:
25g softened butter
50g cream cheese
50g icing sugar (I ended up adding a couple more spoonfuls to thicken my icing)
few drops of maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 200C/ Fan 180C/ Gas 6. Grease and line a 6 inch round cake tin. Mix together the flour, sugars, baking powder, spices, salt and maple syrup in a large bowl. Add the pumpkin puree, oil and eggs and mix together (in a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer) until everything is well combined.

Pour the cake mixture into the tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 25-30 minutes until risen, firm to touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing, beat the butter until smooth then add the icing sugar. Once combined, add the cream cheese and the maple syrup and mix until the icing is light and fluffy. Feel free to add more cream cheese or icing to adjust the consistency or flavour to personal taste. Spread the icing on top of the cooled cake and finish with a dusting of icing sugar.

maple and walnut cake

Finally, a bake I can blog about! I haven't had much luck with baking recently. So far this year I have baked a chocolate banana cake which didn't quite hit the spot, a bundt which failed to come out the tin (again!) and a batch of sad looking cherry bakewells (burnt frangipane with barely cooked pastry). Annoyingly, they were all things I have baked before successfully.

Even this maple and walnut cake is a bit on the overcooked/dry/crumbly side, but it's the best bake I've produced so far therefore worth showing. Time for a tea party!

The best thing about this bake has to be the icing; it's so rich, sweet and creamy. However I almost thought I had a disaster with that too! Whilst mixing it looked as if it was curdling, so I swapped my beater attachment for a whisk and crossed my fingers. Thankfully it came together smooth and glossy.

I almost swapped the walnuts for pecans but I'm glad I stuck with the walnuts as their slight bitterness contrasted the sweet maple flavour nicely. It's a classic combination for a reason.

Three nights till I'm in Glasgow for the 2014 Strictly Come Dancing Tour, WOOHOO!!! Not that I'm excited.... much.

Sparkly clothes at the ready!

Maple and walnut cake
Recipe from "Vintage Cakes" by Jane Brocket. Published 2012 by Jacqui Small

150g butter, softened
150g soft light brown sugar
3 large eggs (I used duck eggs)
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2-3 tablespoons milk
75g walnuts, chopped
220g self-raising flour
extra walnut halves (or quarters in my case!) to decorate

icing:
200g full fat cream cheese
50g butter, softened
80g soft light brown sugar
3-4 tablespoons maple syrup (I used 3)

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4 and grease and line a deep 20cm square cake tin. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. In a jug, lightly whisk the eggs, maple syrup and milk. Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl, along with the chopped walnuts and flour. Carefully mix/fold everything together until just combined. The mixture should be of a soft dropping consistency. (Add more milk if the mixture doesn't drop off the spoon easily when tapped against the edge of the bowl.) Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes until well risen, golden and firm to touch or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool completely before turning out of the tin.

For the icing, mix together the cream cheese, butter, sugar and maple syrup in a large bowl until smooth and glossy. Spread the icing over the cake (don't worry about making a smooth surface. The more rustic it looks the better!) and divide the cake into a 4 x 4 grid pattern, cutting 16 square pieces of cake. Top each piece with a walnut half and serve.

Bundt-alicious!

My baking is too bundt-alicious for ya babe! I'm sure that's what Beyonce wanted to sing about, rather than her curvacious behind.

 

As well as Mary Bee, I received a bundt tin for my birthday. I was very excited about using it and decided to try this apple bundt cake recipe from Dollybakes, who is unquestionably Queen of the bundts.

 

If you own a bundt tin I urge you to try this recipe. It is like a hug in cake form, packed full of warming winter spices and a deliciously sweet, sticky, maple glaze. It reminds me of a sticky gingerbread but with a lovely addition of apples. I'm tempted to use this cake for a sticky toffee pudding at Christmas this year instead of my usual date traybake. I think it would make a heavenly dessert served with a thick toffee sauce.

 

It's safe to say I'm a full blown bundt convert, I can easily see myself making more. There is something very appealing about its shape and size. It makes a statement without having to faff about with icing and decoration.  This bundt also cut beautifully which made it great for sharing.

I also baked two apple and blackberry mini loaves using my new loaf cases. They completely spilled over during baking as I don't own smaller loaf tins and put them on a flat tray unsupported. Bad idea.

Please don't be put off by their unappealing appearance as they tasted lovely, especially fresh from the oven as the crumble topping was extra crunchy, although it went a bit soggy after a day. I really liked the addition of orange zest too. The recipe can be found on BBC Good Food.