Devil's food cupcakes

A couple of weeks ago, I went to stay with Lady Pink and Lord Fisherman. Since I was brought up never to arrive empty handed, I thought a home-baked gift would be in order.
 

My local Sainsbury's sells these rather nice gift boxes, which make the whole transporting and giving of cupcakes that little bit easier.

The recipe (below) is a modernised and metricated (is that a word?) version of a 1920s recipe. I originally found the recipe online sometime ago, but cannot find any longer. They were iced with chocolate fudge icing from Mr Oliver Peyton, using an icing gun supplied by the Mission Doctor as she headed off. It is my new favourite baking thing. Pretty icing swirls, minimal mess, and very quick.

Recipe
In three parts.

Ingredients for each part are listed under each part.  

Part One
220g dark brown sugar
115g butter
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Cream the sugar, butter and the soda together. Beat in the egg yolks. Set aside. 


Part Two
220g dark brown sugar
240ml milk (the original recipe specifies sweet milk, just so you know)
100g dark chocolate (here the original said 2/3 cup grated chocolate. I approximated)

Put the sugar, chocolate and half of the milk in a saucepan, set over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Take from the heat and add the rest of the milk.

Mix Part One and Part Two together and set aside.  

Part Three
255g plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together three times.

Add Part Three to Part One and Part Two. Mix well.

Bake at 160C for 20 minutes or until well risen and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (The original recipe just said "bake in a medium oven")

Leave to cool, then ice. And eat.

An Aran Hat For A Little Head

The Excellent Host and Hostess had a little boy. Since I have established a trend with them of knitting for their offspring (their oldest, Master Incredible, received Raja, and a rocket (not pictured), I produced a little something for this New Little Head.

Travelling cables on a moss stitch background.

Rib fold back edge.

With a little pointy top.

And, more excitingly, apparently it fits! (Although the Excellent Hostess declares it is not big enough for her head.)

Better Late Than Never, Better Never Late

I was busy, then the Computer Geek was busy, then I was busy, then the Computer Geek was busy (you get the gist). Aaaaaanyhoo, these are the photos of the presents I wrapped and the cake I made this last Christmas.

I made myself very happy - all in brown paper (recyclable, unlike normal "christmas" paper which often contains gold/silver/sparkles which can ruin an entire batch of recycling if they are included)

But to make them pretty, each one had a different colour curling ribbon round it (colour coded to recipient)

But in case the recipient did not understand the coded colours, they also had vintage-looking luggage tags.

The cake is a little special - we don't like icing in our family (but we do like marzipan) and we don't like artificial colours, so it's a neutral marzipan cake... mmmm, you kind of have to be there I suppose.

All photos: The Computer Geek

A Cabled Jumper

The Typographer and the Wedding Dressmaker had a little baby boy (I have not met him, so although his parents have given him a name, he does not have a blog name yet.)

To celebrate his arrival into the world, I made him a little jumper.

Sailor buttons, because they are "in" at the moment.

Navy and cream, because I think it will look sweet.

However, he is quite a big lad already, so I shall wait and see if it fits. If it does not I shall make another.

A Jumper For The Computer Geek

A long time ago, I was trying to persuade the Computer Geek that he needed to throw out a jumper that was falling apart at the seams. He has an attachment to anything that was ever once in his possession, and does not like to dispose of things. He promised if I made one just like it, then I could throw out the old one.

However, said jumper was unusual and made in cotton. Cotton is not fun to knit with. 3 years, and many episodes of RSI, later... It has been finished.

I still don't think he's going to throw out the old one...

A Top Secret Mission (2)

Now that the Ballerina and the Maharaja are married, I can show you the top secret mission, which was... bunting!

Sewing the binding to the flags,

clouds of bunting,

one string of bunting,

one suspended flag,

all the strings of bunting!

A Top Secret Mission

This week has been mostly about completing a mission. It involves bias binding.

And pins. Lots of pins.

And it's for the Ballerina and the Maharaja. More than that cannot yet be revealed.

Look what I got!

For which I am so very grateful and pleased.

The whole haul. That bright sunflower? From the Queen of Sheba.

Close up on the books - a wonderful collection of what my life is (and a bit of what I wish it only was) - God on top, some sewing, some cooking, some knitting and domestic organisation.

And this? This is an AMAZING halterneck apron, covered in Nasturtiums designed and made for me by the Kindred Spirit.

A Knitting Needle Case For Mama

Mummy wanted a knitting needle case for her birthday. After much browsing on Amazon, we both realised I could make one myself, and then she could have a greater choice of colours and fabrics.

So, I used one that I have to give me the outline for the design, but most of it was just a yard-stick and tailor's chalk.

A Gerbera For The Queen Of Sheba

Because, sometimes, you need a little pink reminder of God's good creation.

Bizet the pig

Made for an operatically named friend. From this pattern.

The Gift Hamper

A rather belated "House-Warming" present for a couple of my close friends from university. They rather like cheese, so it's a cheese based, and once again everything is made from  Gifts from the Kitchen (definitely my favourite recipe book at the moment). I also added in a small wedge of a mature cheddar.

Contents: Oatmeal Biscuits For Cheese, Chilli, Tomato and Onion Marmalade, Tickler Mature Cheddar (not shown), Coloured Sugar Lumps (alright, not exactly cheese related, but very cute anyway)

Raja the King of Elephants

From Elefante by Susan B. Anderson