Duck Cupcakes

These cute duck cupcakes are perfect for any birthday party, as long as the birthday person adores ducks.

I made these for my sisters birthday party, and they went down a treat. Expecically with the cute white chocolate duck on top of the 'bubble bath' icing.

Cupcakes

makes 12

ingredients

175g butter

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup lemon curd

2 cups self-raising flour

1/4  cup milk

1. preheat oven to 190oc

2. line muffin cups with paper cases

3.beat butter and sugar together, until light and fluffy

4. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition

5.stir in the lemon curd.

6.fold the flour alternately with the milk.

7.divide the mixture evenly into the paper cases.

8.pop in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until well risen and golden.

9. put on a cooling rack until stone cold.

for the icing

100g butter

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

a few drops of any flavouring you like

about 1-2 tablespoons of milk

and drops of food colouring until you reach your desired colour

beat butter until pale and fluffy.sift icing sugar and beat into butter with flavouring and colourings. add milk until a piping consistency is made.

for decoration

blue sugar

silver balls

very small marshmallows

12 chocolate ducks

1 quantity of blue icing

pipe icing onto cupcakes then sprinkle sugar, silver balls and marshmallows the pop the duck on top.

voila. 12 cute duck cupcakes.

Hot chocolate with shortbread

With the cold, snowy spell just gone in England and lots of miserable rain on the way. I thought this post would certainly brighten up those rainy days, and fill you with warmth from head to toe.

Hot chocolate is so quick and simple to make with the added luxury of melted solid chocolate added, whipped cream and grated chocolate on top.

With the addition of a quick and easy shortbread, it makes this winter warmer a real treat.The shortbread isn't the best i've ever tasted or made but its certainly the quickest.

Shortbread

Ingredients

150g plain flour

100g butter

50g caster sugar (not salt, easily mistaken)

extra sugar to sprinkle on top

1. preheat oven to gas mark 3

2.put flour into a bowl, rub in the butter

3. stir in the sugar

4. squeeze together firmly with your fingers until the mixture forms a dough.( do not add any liquid, just be patient)

5. roll out to about 1cm thickness, cut into fingers or cut out shapes using cutters (you don't have to be traditional)

6. place on a baking tray. bake for about 15- 20 minutes or until golden brown. (the biscuits will firm and crisp up as they cool)

7. place on a rack and sprinkle with sugar.

8. when cool serve as wished.

Honeycomb

You may not call this delightful treat, honeycomb but all the same it still yummy.Some people call it cinder toffee, if your Irish you most likely call it yellow man. Scottish people call it puff candy, while people of NYC call it sponge candy. The tanned people of California call it sea foam, while people from Wisconsin its called fairy food candy.

I've always loved honeycomb from the first time i bit into a crunchie bar and it just melted away.This recipe is really easy to make and alot of fun. Its also great for gifts, as many friends got some this Christmas. Its great for everyone as it pretty allergy free, just grease with another flavourless oil, for nut allergies.

I've always thought honeycomb was part of NZ baking, perhaps its because it in hokey pokey ice cream or just every supermarket i go to i see crunchie bars beside the tills. but no matter where its from i still love the golden lumps.

ingredients

groundnut oil, for greasing
450g granulated sugar
300ml water
4 tbsp light malt vinegar
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp liquid glucose
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

grease a 23cm square tin 4cm deep with groundnut oil( i used greaseproof covered in ground nut oil, and bowls)
place sugar, water, vinegar, honey and liquid glucose into a massive pan( the biggest you can possibly find).
heat, stirring all the time until the sugar has dissolved.
bring to the boil..........
place a sugar thermometer in a pan and without stirring bubble the mixture until the thermometer reads 140c this takes about 20mins.
combine the magical ingredient (bicarb) with 2 teaspoons of cold water,mixing it well.
taking the pan off the heat once it has reached the correct temperature, pour in the magic ingredient and give a brisk stir. and watch the magic explode into so much awesomeness. it will bubble up like a foaming sea and you will probably wish you had a bigger pan.

immediately pour the toffee into the prepared tin and leave to cool.( immediately pop the pan into hot water, so you won't have a terrible time cleaning the pan). when cold prise out of tin and bash with hammer ( this is the easiest way and you have so much fun bashing the honeycomb)

if you want to create your own crunchie, just dip in chocolate and pop into the fridge to set.

Chocolate Rough

I first came across chocolate rough in a bakery in New Zealand near Christchurch.I remember it being quite soft almost fudge like, if you prefer a crisper and firmer rough just cook the base for longer and add less hot water and condensed milk to the topping.

ingredients

for base
120g butter
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup coconut
1 cup self raising flour
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
pinch of salt

for topping
25g butter
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
a little boiling water

melt butter in a bowl.stir in remaining ingredients.Press into oven-proof dish(i usally use a swiss roll tin). Pop into a preheated oven at  gas mark 3-4, bake until its firm but leaves a little indent, if you like the rough, fudge like. cook for longer if prefered crisper.cool slightly. spread on the topping while still warm.to make topping, melt butter, stir in remaining ingredients, add suffient hot water to a spreadable consistency. allow icing to set before cutting into slices.