Once bitten forever smitten - Towers create impact

Have you ever thought of having a cupcake tower for your birthday, anniversary or engagement party? Stunning and versatile a cupcake towers provides the perfect centrepiece for a buffet table without the formality or expense of a stacked cake. This Butterfly and Buttercream tower is pictured on my kitchen table - but it still looks fantastic

I also made some chocolate versions with rich chocolate fudge icing and ivory fondant butterflies

 best wishes, Janet  

Once bitten forever smitten - double deckers for impact

Based on a 4 tier wedding cake design this scaled down double decker will still have fantastic impact and the benefit of two cakes is that you can have more than one delicious flavour.

This cake has a lemon sponge filled with lemon curd and a Limoncello buttercream (a bit alcoholic but its for adults only) the top tier is a traditional victoria sponge with raspberry jam and vanilla buttercream, so something for everyone.

This cake was made for my lovely sister Linda ( she is a gardener hernce the flower theme) and I did get a slice when it was nearly a week old and it was still luscious and moist. 

best wishes Janet

Once bitten forever smitten - How many calories in a cake?

Are you interested in the calories in your cake or do you just love to be transported to cake heaven by the softest sponge and sublime vanilla buttercream? Last week a question was posed to me on twitter - how do I work out the calories in a cake - I cannot explain in 140 characters so scroll down and all will be revealed

If you wanted to make a small sponge cake at home you would use 2 eggs, 100g sugar, 100g flour, 100g sugar and 100g butter. Sugar and flour are 100% carbohydrate which has 4 calories a gram, butter is 80% fat and fat has 9 calories a gram, (the other 20% is mostly water). Eggs are a fantastic source of protein containing all the essential amino acids but there is 5g of fat in an average yolk, with 6.5g of protein in a whole raw egg (the rest of the weight is water).

Once again to quote Jennifer - now for the science bit:

200g carbs x 4cals = 800 cals

80g fat x 9cals = 720 cals 

10g fat x 9 cals = 90 cals

13g protein x 4 cals =52 cals

Grand total = 1662

So if you divide the cake into 10 portions its166 calories per slice. For all true cake lovers that may be a bit too small and what about the filling I hear you shout at the screen. Well as an example and to make your mouth water here is another picture of a birthday cake I made this week - pure perfection - and with a strawberry jam and vanilla buttercream filling its .....

366 calories for a 90g portion

this is a picture of the cake for "Maureen" it travelled all the way to Glasgow with my best friend - her daughter - hope you guys had a great birthday weekend.

best wishes. Janet 

Once bitten forever smitten - Fresh Ideas

Research and development is always so enjoyable when your day job is making delicious cakes. I have now perfected Parsnip and Ginger cupcakes to add to the existing vegetable options of Beetroot and Chocolate and the traditional favourite Carrot cake. Can't think of a tastier way to get 5 a day.

Does anyone remember a cookery programme last summer when Valentine Warner made lavender meringues which he called 'fairy tits' - amazing he said that on the BBC - anyway I have been experimenting with a lavender infused Italian meringue mixture that makes a sublime topping for almond sponge cupcakes - perfect for an indulgent afternoon or a luxurient pudding when profiteroles are just on the menu too often.

And just to finish this weeks blog a beautiful sugar rose that will grace the cake of my good friends Jo and Nick who get married this summer.

best wishes, Janet