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Parkin Cupcakes with Toffee Buttercream & Popping Candy

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Parkin Cupcakes with Toffee Buttercream & Popping Candy
As the nights are drawing in much earlier I’m starting to get in the mood for Autumn and everything that comes along with it. One of those things are fireworks. I absolutely love how they light up the sky and enchant you. Every year my dad and stepmum host a bonfire party at their house. This involves a huge bonfire in their garden, setting off fireworks, and most importantly eating homemade hot pot and parkin, the latter of which I like to bring along. I decided to jazz up my parkin this year by adding sweet toffee buttercream, and to represent the fireworks I’ve garnished them with popping candy chocolate and a sprinkle of gold edible glitter. The best thing is they are so simple to make and they will delight people of all ages!

To make the cupcakes I used my tried and tested Parkin recipe which I’ve made in the past as a tray bake. I filled 12 cupcake cases with the mixture but I reckon it could be stretched out to 16 as I was quite generous.

I baked the cupcakes on 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 25 minutes, then let them cool. Parkin tastes best after being stored for a few days in an air tight container, so I made these cupcakes a couple of days before decorating and eating them. You don’t have to do this, but it is recommended for developing the flavour.

I melted 250g dark chocolate and poured it onto a lined baking tray to create a thin layer of chocolate. I sprinkled popping candy all over it.

I made the buttercream from 220g butter, 440g icing sugar and 2 tsp caramel extract. I piped it onto the cupcakes using a piping bag and nozzle.

I broke the chocolate into shards and stuck it into the buttercream. I also sprinkled the cupcakes with some gold edible glitter for extra sparkle!

Just for fun I stuck a cake sparkler into one of the cupcakes for a photo – how cool does it look?! I can’t wait to have a sparkler on bonfire night, write my name in the air with it, and then tuck into one of these cupcakes!

I am entering these into myself and Cakeyboi’s monthly challenge Treat Petite. This month’s theme is Autumn.

I am also entering them into Cook Blog Share hosted by Hijacked By Twins.

Charlotte's Lively Kitchen - Food Year Linkup

 

And into the Food Year Link Up hosted by Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen – these cupcakes are to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night.

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Parkin Cupcakes with Toffee Buttercream & Popping Candy

Ingredients

  • 100 g Butter
  • 100 g Soft brown sugar
  • 100 g Black treacle
  • 100 g Golden syrup
  • 150 g Oats
  • 150 g Plain flour
  • 2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 3 tsp Ground ginger
  • 1 tsp Mixed spice
  • 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
  • A pinch of Salt
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 tbsp Milk
  • 250 g Dark chocolate
  • Popping candy
  • 220 g Butter
  • 440 g Icing sugar
  • 2 tsp Caramel extract
  • Gold edible glitter

Instructions

  1. In a pan on a low heat melt together the butter, soft brown sugar, black treacle and golden syrup. Don't let the mixture boil. Black treacle and golden syrup are very sticky and gloopy so put the pan on your scales and measure them directly into it
  2. In a large bowl mix together the oats, plain flour, baking powder, ground ginger, mixed spice, nutmeg and salt
  3. Pour the warm treacle mixture into the oat mixture and combine the ingredients with a spoon
  4. In a small bowl beat the eggs and milk. Add it bit by bit, mixing in well each time
  5. Bake the cupcakes on 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 25 minutes, then let them cool. Parkin tastes best after being stored for a few days in an air tight container, so I made these cupcakes a couple of days before decorating and eating them. You don't have to do this, but it is recommended for developing the flavour
  6. Melt the dark chocolate and pour it onto a lined baking tray to create a thin layer of chocolate. Sprinkle popping candy all over it and leave to set
  7. Make the buttercream by mixing the butter, icing sugar and caramel extract together. Pipe it onto the cupcakes using a piping bag and nozzle
  8. Break the chocolate into shards and stick it into the buttercream. Sprinkle the cupcakes with some gold edible glitter for extra sparkle!

Gingerbread Bonfire Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce

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Gingerbread Bonfire Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce
The night’s are drawing in and getter darker, which makes me feel excited for Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas, but damn does it make it difficult to get any natural light for my cake photos! Oh well, this cake is all about darkness anyway. Made with treacle, dark brown sugar and even some Guinness for good measure. It was described as ‘Bonfire Night in a cake’ by my lovely colleagues which is why I titled it appropriately. It really is the perfect cake for this time of year. Here’s how I made it…

I started with the salted caramel sauce as it needs time to cool and thicken up. In a pan I melted 57g Stork. Once melted I added 165g dark brown sugar and 175ml double cream. I kept stirring and let the sauce bubble for 5 minutes. I then added 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 salt. I poured it into a bowl and cooled it in the fridge. It took a good few hours to thicken up.

I baked the cake in a ring bundt tin, you can easily pick one up if you don’t have one. I greased it with butter and dusted with flour to ensure the cake didn’t stick.

In a bowl I whisked together 250ml Guinness (you could also use another dark stout), 340g black treacle, 165g dark brown sugar, 170ml vegetable oil and 3 large beaten eggs.

I sifted together 255g plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 2 tbsp ground ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp salt. I added this to the wet ingredients and mixed in.

I baked on 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 45 minutes until it was a deep rich brown and a skewer came out clean.

Let it cool for 5 minutes then tip it out of the tin. If it doesn’t come out straight away, run a knife along the edges and around the middle ring. Leave to cool before smearing on the sauce and garnishing with some chopped crystallised ginger.

I ended up making this cake twice, one for the Macmillan Coffee Morning bake sale at work, and again for my colleagues as I got caught up in organising the bake sale and forget to take any photos the first time round! It was enjoyed both times and I even came second in the Bake Off competition we ran in conjuction with the bake sale. I was pretty pleased! It’s a really moist cake, full of warming smokey flavours and the rich caramel sauce is to die for!

Recipe slightly adapted from Chow.

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Gingerbread Bonfire Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

  • 57 g Butter
  • 330 g Dark brown sugar
  • 175 ml Double cream
  • 2 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 250 ml Guinness
  • 340 g Black treacle
  • 175 ml Vegetable Oil
  • 3 Eggs
  • 225 g Plain flour
  • 2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 2 tbsp Ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp Crystallised ginger chopped

Instructions

  1. To make the salted caramel sauce. Melt the butter in a pan, then add 165g of the dark brown sugar and the double cream. Keep stirring and let the sauce bubble for 5 minutes. Then add the vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp of the salt. Pour it into a bowl and cool it in the fridge for a few hours to thicken up
  2. Grease the cake tin with butter and dust with flour
  3. In a bowl whisk together the Guinness, black treacle, 165g of the dark brown sugar, vegetable oil and eggs
  4. In a separate bowl, sift together the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/2 tsp of the salt. Add this to the wet ingredients and mix in
  5. Pour into the cake tin and bake on 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 45 minutes until it is a deep rich brown colour and a skewer comes out clean
  6. Let it cool for 5 minutes then tip it out of the tin. If it doesn't come out straight away, run a knife along the edges and around the middle ring. Leave to cool before smearing on the salted caramel sauce and garnishing with the chopped crystallised ginger

Sticky Ginger & Lemon Drizzle Cake

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I featured this BBC Good Food recipe on my last post, Six Things To Do With…Stem Ginger. It really stood out to me and I got a couple of comments about how good it looked. I just couldn’t wait to make it, so only a few days later, I did! I also moved house just over a week ago so it was my first time baking in my new kitchen!
I started by lining and greasing a deep lose bottomed 22cm cake tin. I got this one from Wilkinsons a while ago, they have some really good value baking products there.

In my food mixer I whizzed together 300g self raising flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 4 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp mixed spice, 1 tsp cinnamon and 140g Stork until it resembled breadcrumbs. I have started using Stork a lot lately as I find it mixes well and is easier to work with.

In a saucepan I gently heated 140g black treacle, 140g golden syrup, 140g dark soft brown sugar and 300ml whole milk.

The recipe said to use dark muscovado sugar, but I used this Whitworths dark soft brown sugar and it worked really well!

I poured the heated treacle mixture into the flour mixture and combined with a wooden spoon. I also added 1 egg and mixed well before pouring into the cake tin.

I baked for 1 hour and 10 minutes on 160C/325F/Gas Mark 3. It cooked beautifully thanks to the wonderful oven I am now able to use!

While the cake cooled in the tin, I made the fillings. First I chopped up 2 balls of stem ginger and mixed with half a jar of lemon curd.

This is the lemon curd I used. The recipe said to use a ‘good’ jar of lemon curd, I got this in the Co-op and seen as it is called ‘Luxury Lemon Curd’ I thought it fit the bill. Anything that says luxury on it, I consider to be fancy!

I cut the cake in half using a large bread knife and spread the lemon curd mixture on the bottom half.

I put the top half on a plate and covered it with a mixture of 100g caster sugar, and the zest and juice of one lemon.

I whipped up 200ml double cream, 100g cream cheese, 4 tbsp stem ginger syrup and 3 tbsp sieved icing sugar. I dolloped this on top of the lemon curd, then sandwiched the two cake halves together.

And the cake was done! It looked and smelt glorious!

It had a beautiful shine to it too.

I was ready to get stuck in straight away! I had a slice with a dollop of the leftover cream mixture. It was so rich and moist, the ginger and lemon flavours are such a punchy mixture, they make your taste buds tingle in all the right ways! I highly recommend this cake, it is truly amazing!

I’m entering this post into Feel Good Food August 2013, ran by Victoria at A Kick At The Pantry Door, this month’s theme is ginger.

Things To Do With… Leftover Black Treacle

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Things To Do With… Leftover Black Treacle

Black Treacle is one of those ingredients that you use a little bit of to make parkin or Christmas pudding, and then half a tin of it sits in your cupboard (usually hidden at the back!) until the year after. But there are so many other exciting, delicious and interesting recipes you can also use in it! I’ve featured some of the recipes I’ve made with it below and also gathered some other ideas from around the internet you may like to try…

 

Spiced Treacle Cookies Courgette & Pepper Bruschetta Lyle’s Beany Goulash
Uses 1 tbsp Black Treacle Uses 1 tbsp Black Treacle Uses 2 tbsp Black Treacle
Gingerbread & Apple Muffins Cardamom & Black Treacle Ice Cream Chocolate Treacle Sandwich Cake
Uses 2 tbsp Black Treacle Uses 2 tbsp Black Treacle Uses 2 tbsp Black Treacle
Sticky Toffee Pudding Sticky Treacle Apple Pudding Christmas Pudding Cake
Uses 2 1/2 tbsp Black Treacle Uses 3 tbsp Black Treacle Uses 3 tbsp Black Treacle
 
Pecan Treacle Tart Gateau Moeleux au Chocolat Black Treacle & Banana Bread
Uses 40g Black Treacle Uses 50g Black Treacle Uses 50g Black Treacle
Treacle Scones Mixed Seed Rye Bread Parkin
Uses 60g Black Treacle Uses 75g Black Treacle Uses 100g Black Treacle
Parkin Cupcakes with Toffee Buttercream & Popping Candy Treacle Toffee Chewy Treacle Cookies
Uses 100g Black Treacle Uses 115g Black Treacle Uses 120g Black Treacle
Dark Treacle Tart Chocolate Treacle Sheet Cake Sticky Ginger & Lemon Drizzle Cake
Uses 125g Black Treacle Uses 130g Black Treacle Uses 140g Black Treacle
Treacle Flapjacks Spiced Gingerbread Pudding Ginger & Treacle Spiced Traybake
Uses 175g Black Treacle Uses 200g Black Treacle Uses 200g Black Treacle
 
 Gingerbread Cake with Orange Icing Treacle Gingerbread Loaf Gingerbread Bonfire Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce
 Uses 225g Black Treacle Uses 250g Black Treacle Uses 340g Black Treacle

Let me know in the comments if you try any of the recipes above and what you think!

 

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Parkin

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Bonfire Night is one of my favourite nights of the year (or Firework Night, or Guy Fawkes Night depending on your preference!) I love fireworks and find them so pretty and mesmerising. I gasp at every one like it’s the first time I’ve ever seen anything like it! When you are outside watching fireworks or standing by a big glowing bonfire you need cosy food to warm you up. Parkin is a sticky moist cake flavoured with ginger and black treacle that originated in the North of England, and it’s perfect for cold Autumn nights. Here’s how to make it…

First I lined a square tin with baking paper.

In a pan on a low heat I melted together butter, light brown sugar, black treacle and golden syrup. Don’t let the mixture boil. Black treacle and golden syrup are very sticky and gloopy so put the pan on your scales and measure them directly into it.

In a large bowl I mixed together porridge oats, plain flour, baking powder, ground ginger, mixed spice, nutmeg and a pinch of salt.

I poured the warm treacle mixture into the bowl and combined the ingredients with a wooden spoon.

In a small bowl I beat eggs and milk. I added it bit by bit to the bowl, mixing in well each time.

I poured the mixture into the lined tin and baked it for 35 minutes.

Once it was cool, I cut it into squares, now this is the hard bit… put into an airtight container and leave for 3 – 5 days! Yes this will make it more moist, and even stickier.

I managed to wait 3 days before having a piece of this – very proud of myself! It was nice and sticky, and had a great shine to it. The oats give it a great texture, and the ginger is delicious. Custard was made to go with parkin! It also tastes good with double cream. Parkin is somewhere between a brownie and a cake. It’s hearty, filling, and very moreish – just what you need for these cold dark nights!

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Parkin

Servings 12

Ingredients

  • 100 g Butter
  • 100 g Light brown sugar
  • 100 g Black treacle/Molasses
  • 100 g Golden syrup
  • 150 g Oats
  • 150 g Plain flour
  • 2 tsp Baking powder
  • 3 tsp Ground ginger
  • 1 tsp Mixed spice
  • 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
  • A pinch of Salt
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 tbsp Milk

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/300F/Gas Mark 2 and line a 12" x 9" traybake tin with baking paper

  2. In a pan on a low heat, melt the together the butter, light brown sugar, black treacle and golden syrup

  3. In a large bowl mix together the oats, plain flour, baking powder, ground ginger, mixed spice, nutmeg and salt

  4. Pour the warm treacle mixture into the bowl and combine the ingredients

  5. In a small bowl beat the eggs with the milk. Add them bit by bit to the rest of the mixture, mixing in well each time

  6. Pour the mixture into the lined tin and bake for 35 minutes. It must be firm on top all the way to the centre

  7. Allow to cool, then cut into squares. You can eat it immediately or for a stickier cake, put it into an airtight container and leave for 3 - 5 days