Sweet nothings...Everything!


I've recently been creating lots of desserts (new ones and old classics) for visiting friends, birthday-dos, wedding afternoon tea receptions and generally to satisfy the sweet cravings of myselves and friends (Leons, G, shan, O, XY...).

Some of these have been inspired by visits to Borough Market, PYO farms, Ready Steady Cook requests and just a general urge to practice baking therapy!

I've decided to share these recipes (along with great photo evidence!) with all of you. Please let me know how you get on with recreating these little beauties:

Mango and passionfruit cupcakes (Ready, steady cook - style request)
These were created combining the Magnolia Bakery (in NYC) cupcake recipe and inspiration from the muffin we had at Ottolenghi

Ingredients (makes 6 cupcakes, 170 degrees Celsius)

1/2 mango - deseeded, flesh cut into small cubes (icm cubes)

2 passion fruit + gelatin leaves + icing sugar - to create the passionfruit topping for the cupcakes

125g butter

3/4 cup plain flour

3/4 cup caster sugar

1 egg - lightly beaten

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup milk (infused with real vanilla bean pods)

Steps

1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.

2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3. Add beaten egg slowly whilst beating.

4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl.

5. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.

6. Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined.

8. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.

9. Fill cupcakes paper until 3/4 full, placing cubed mango pieces into the batter.

10. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

11. Remove from oven, leave to cool slightly and top with passionfruit topping.

Pavlova (english) - my style, my impromptu dessert

Meringue nests - you could make them or M&S sell decent ready-made ones. But these are basically egg whites and sugar beaten till tripled in volume and baked in a low oven.

Summer berries - blackberries, raspberries, strawberries

Raspberry coulis - macarate really ripe raspberries with a little icing sugar

Freshly whipped cream

Fresh mint leaves - roughly torned

Assemble as above.

Eat!!!