Unicorn Topper and a Photography Cheat

This was my first modelled creation for 2017.  I posted her on Instagram (@tea_cake_and_create), with the caption  Lots of unicorns around at the moment - it must mean it's going to be a magical year. 
Let's hope so!!
You've got to leave room in your life for a little magic, right?

Talking about magic - what do you think of the bokeh in these pictures (that's a fancy term for the out-of-focus lights in the background of a photo)?
You can achieve it by using a decent camera to take a picture with a small f-stop (large aperture) - so that the background gets blurred.

Or you can do what I did and print out an A4 picture of bokeh and stick that behind your cake...
hashtag photography_cheats101!
 ;o)

One of these days I'll to get around to ordering a larger-sized real photography backdrop.
But until then, with some angling and cropping - my home printer and colour cartridge is all I need to create a bit of background magic.

Happy decorating and photographing!
xxM

Apple Squares

I like to bake. I like to bake if it's quick and easy. And I like to bake with fruit and nuts. 

This recipe gets three checks ✓✓✓

 😊                          

              

It's adapted from numstheword.com.

The first thing I did was reduce the sugar, and then doubled everything else. If you're going to make something delicious, you need enough of it - right?! 

And I added the butter topping. It gives a delicious crisp surface to these moist and flavourful squares. 

Apple Squares
Recipe adapted from numstheword.com

Pre-heat the oven to 180'C
Grease and line a 22cm square baking pan.


Ingredients
125g butter, melted
250g light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
320g flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs custard powder
2 medium apples, diced
100g chopped pecan nuts


Method:
Mix together the melted butter and sugar.
Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.
Sift in the baking powder, flour, cinnamon, custard powder and salt.
Stir until well combined. The mixture will be stiff.
Stir in the diced apple and pecan nuts. Mix well.

Topping
Mix together:
2 tbs butter, melted
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Pour the topping mixture over the batter and spread evenly.

Bake at 180'C for approx. 40minutes.

Don't over-bake these squares - you want them to remain moist and soft. But if you do, well it's the perfect excuse to serve them up with some ice-cream or drizzled cream. 

Num num num! 

Thanks numstheword for the inspiration! 

xxM 

Taupe Cookies

I think I've found my colour for 2017:
Taupe.
Ok, it may not the most exciting colour.
But it's solid and stable and makes every other colour around it look great (BFF material, right?!)

To get this hue add a few drops of Chocolate Brown (Cake Flora / Americolor food colour gel)  and a couple of drops of Super Black to your royal icing. Add more black if you want a grey undertone, and more brown if you want it a shade warmer. I 💛 warm neutrals! 

                               

Experiment, go wild ... go 50 shades of greige. 

😉

Happy decorating!

xxM 

Nutella Swirl Cupcakes

I wasn't planning on baking anything for NYE this year ... which seems to be a repeat-habit of mine.
I scrolled back through Tea, Cake & Create's photos on Facebook looking for an I'm-not-baking-anything-this-year-but-here's-something-from-a-previous-year picture to post, and couldn't find anything from the past four years.
So, I baked.
Nutella swirl cupcakes with Nutella icing.

You're welcome.
;o)

Happy 2017!

Nutella Swirl Cupcakes 
Recipe by Tea, Cake & Create

Preheat the oven to 180'C
Line a muffin pan with cupcake cases.
Makes 12-15 large cupcakes

Ingredients
250g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarb) 
1/2 tsp salt 
200g caster sugar
180g butter at room temp. 
4 large eggs
250ml buttermilk or sour cream 
1 tsp vanilla extract
* I also added a few drops of Vanilla Girl hazelnut extract. 
200g Nutella


Method
Sift together the flour, raising agents and salt in a bowl, and set aside. 

Cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer. 
Add the eggs, one at a time, with the mixer on low speed. Scrape down the bowl between additions. 
Beat in the vanilla extract, and hazelnut extract if you're using it. 

With the mixer on low speed, alternately beat in the sifted dry ingredients and the buttermilk or sour cream -  begin and end with the dry ingredients. 
Beat until just combined. 

Spoon a large dollop of the batter into the base of each cupcake case  (the case should be about 1/4 -1/3 full).
Follow with a generous teaspoon-ful of Nutella  (it's easier to use the Nutella if you heat it slightly). 
Repeat with another dollop of batter. The Nutella should be covered by the cake batter. 

Bake at 180'C for 20min, or until the cupcakes spring back when touched. 

Nutella Icing

Recipe by Tea, Cake & Create

(Enough for  approx. 15 rosette-type swirls)  

100g butter, at room temp
250g cream cheese (use a dense medium or full fat cream cheese like the Woolworths brand or Lancewood.) 
90g sifted icing sugar 
50g sifted unsweetened cocoa powder

100g Nutella

1 tsp vanilla extract

Use an electric mixer to beat the butter until pale and soft before adding the icing sugar.

Beat the icing sugar and butter together. 

Add in the cream cheese, vanilla and cocoa. Beat well. 

Mix in the Nutella. 

Ice onto the cooled cupcakes. 

Some of the Nutella will stay as a lovely gooey blob in the centre and some of it will ooze out towards the edges.

(Oooo-oh! There go those New Year's resolutions!)  

Happy baking in 2017!

xxM