Vanilla sponge, the simplest and probably one of the most baked cakes! Everyone has their own recipe and this one is mine, passed down from my Mum and adapted slightly by me. I could bake this with my eyes shut I think and it makes a wonderful light, fluffy sponge every time! This is my go to sponge for birthday cakes, cupcakes and classic Victoria Sponge. This recipe makes two 7 inch round cakes or approximately 18 cupcakes or 24 fairy cakes. The pictures on here all used this recipe for the actual cake itself. You have Banana Split Cupcakes that I made yesterday, vanilla sponge with Banana Split flavour buttercream icing (icing sugar available from Sugar & Crumbs). A Salted Caramel Drip Cake that I made last year for my Husbands birthday, vanilla sponge with Salted Caramel Buttercream Icing (again Sugar & Crumbs), caramel drip and topped with homemade meringues, honeycomb, dark chocolate shards and popcorn. And also my Flower Topped Cake (my first attempt at my own flower-paste flowers) that I made for my Mum's birthday this year, a vanilla sponge cake topped with vanilla buttercream and homemade sugar paste flowers.
Ingredients
6oz Self Raising Flour
6oz Caster Sugar
6oz Butter (I use Stork)
3 Eggs
1 tsp Baking Powder (if making cupcakes)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract (not essence!)
How To Make
1. Preheat your oven to 170'c and grease and line two 7 inch cake tins (or whatever size cake it is you're making).
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then, one at a time, beat in the eggs adding a tablespoon of flour with each egg to prevent the mixture curdling.
3.Then fold in the rest of the flour, baking powder (if making cupcakes) and vanilla and once combined give the mixture a quick beat so its light and fluffy.
4. Bake in the oven for about 20mins until risen, golden and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in its tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
Last year my sister had her 30th Birthday party and it was a "Cocktail & Canapes" theme. My Mum organised all the savoury canapes and asked me to do the sweet ones. They needed to be easy to pick up and not require a plate and so, sticking with the cocktail theme, I decided to do cocktail jelly shots and cocktail cupcakes - complete with "Shot Tops" which are little pipettes that you fill with a liquid of your choosing and stick them in the top of the cupcake. When eating you can infuse the cupcake with the liquid - or squirt it in your mouth as some did at the party!!! Anyway, after lots of research I settled on 3 flavours and Gin & Tonic one was one of them. I adapted my lemon sponge recipe to incorporate the Gin and once baked and iced (I tinted mine yellow) I decorated them with a slice of lemon and a shot top filled with gin and tonic. Makes 12.
Ingredients
6oz Stork
6oz Caster Sugar
6oz Self Raising Flour
3 Eggs
Zest of 1 Lemon
1 tbsp Gin
For the icing...
200g Stork
400g Icing Sugar
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Gin
How to Make
1.
Preheat the oven to 160'c and place 12 cupcake cases into a muffin tray.
2. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then gradually add the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour to prevent curdling.
4. Fold in the rest of the flour and the lemon zest. Lastly stir through the gin. Spoon the mixture evenly between the 12 cases. Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden and a skewer test comes out clean.
5. Leave them to cool on a wire rack. Once cooled make the icing. Beat the butter until soft and fluffy and then mix in the icing sugar, lemon juice and gin. Pipe onto the cupcakes and decorate however you wish.
Last year my sister had her 30th Birthday party and it was a "Cocktail & Canapes" theme. My Mum organised all the savoury canapes and asked me to do the sweet ones. They needed to be easy to pick up and not require a plate and so, sticking with the cocktail theme, I decided to do cocktail jelly shots and cocktail cupcakes - complete with "Shot Tops" which are little pipettes that you fill with a liquid of your choosing and stick them in the top of the cupcake. When eating you can infuse the cupcake with the liquid - or squirt it in your mouth as some did at the party!!! Anyway, after lots of research I settled on 3 flavours and one of them was a Rossini, which is Prosecco and strawberries. I used my vanilla sponge recipe and subbed the vanilla for prosecco and for the strawberry element I soaked some fresh strawberries in prosecco and popped them in the middle of my cupcakes as a little surprise. I topped them with vanilla buttercream, freeze dried strawberries, wafer butterflies and a prosecco shot. Makes 12.
Ingredients
6oz Stork
6oz Caster Sugar
6oz Self Raising Flour
3 Eggs
150ml Prosecco plus 2 tbsp
12 Whole Strawberries
For the icing...
450g Icing Sugar
200g Butter
1 tsp Vanilla
2 tbsp Milk
How To Make
1. Soak your strawberries in 150ml of prosecco. Preheat the oven to 160'c and line a 12 hole cupcake tray with cases.
2. Cream together the butter and sugar. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time with a spoonful of flour. Fold in the flour and stir through the 2 tbsp of prosecco.
3. Spoon into the cases and bake for 20-25 minutes until risen, golden and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool.
4. Once the cakes have cooled, cut a strawberry sized hole in the cakes (I used a cupcake corer). Pop a strawberry into each one.
5. For the icing, cream the butter until soft and then combine the rest of the ingredients. Pipe over the cupcakes and decorate as you wish.
Last year my sister had her 30th Birthday party and it was a "Cocktail & Canapes" theme. My Mum organised all the savoury canapes and asked me to do the sweet ones. They needed to be easy to pick up and not require a plate and so, sticking with the cocktail theme, I decided to do cocktail jelly shots and cocktail cupcakes - complete with "Shot Tops" which are little pipettes that you fill with a liquid of your choosing and stick them in the top of the cupcake. When eating you can infuse the cupcake with the liquid - or squirt it in your mouth as some did at the party!!! Anyway, after lots of research I settled on 3 flavours and one of them was Baileys, I know its not strictly a cocktail but with a chocolate sponge I thought this would go down a treat at the party and it was a nice contrast to the two other flavours I had devised. For this one I used a recipe on Bakingmad.com which makes 24 fairy cakes but I used it to make 12 cupcakes. I decorated them with chocolate covered coffee beans and a baileys shot.
Ingredients
40g Butter
140g Caster Sugar
100g Plain Flour
20g Cocoa Powder
1.5 tsp Baking Powder
1 Egg
50ml Baileys
80ml Whole Milk
For the icing...
125g Butter
500g Icing Sugar
15ml Milk
45ml Baileys
How To Make
1. Preheat your oven to 170'c and line a 12 hole cupcake tray with cases. Mix together butter, sugar, flour, cocoa powder and baking powder until it resembles breadcrumbs.
2. In a jug mix together the egg, baileys and milk. Then add slowly into the mixer to combine. Divide between the cupcake cases and then bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden. Transfer to a rack to cool.
3. For the icing mix together the butter and icing sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs. Then add the milk and baileys and pipe over the cupcakes. Decorate as you wish.
Vanilla sponge, the simplest and probably one of the most baked cakes! Everyone has their own recipe and this one is mine, passed down from my Mum and adapted slightly by me. I could bake this with my eyes shut I think and it makes a wonderful light, fluffy sponge every time! This is my go to sponge for birthday cakes, cupcakes and classic Victoria Sponge. This recipe makes two 7 inch round cakes or approximately 18 cupcakes or 24 fairy cakes. The pictures on here all used this recipe for the actual cake itself. You have Banana Split Cupcakes that I made yesterday, vanilla sponge with Banana Split flavour buttercream icing (icing sugar available from Sugar & Crumbs). A Salted Caramel Drip Cake that I made last year for my Husbands birthday, vanilla sponge with Salted Caramel Buttercream Icing (again Sugar & Crumbs), caramel drip and topped with homemade meringues, honeycomb, dark chocolate shards and popcorn. And also my Flower Topped Cake (my first attempt at my own flower-paste flowers) that I made for my Mum's birthday this year, a vanilla sponge cake topped with vanilla buttercream and homemade sugar paste flowers. 
