Weekly Bake...Chocolate Mud Cupcakes

This week I thought I would share a recipe for delicious chocolate mud cupcakes. I love the ease of cupcakes, and that they are a little individual serve of sweet goodness.  When there is cake in my home, the size of the slices my children like to cut themselves are insane! So at least with cupcakes I can limit their cake intake!

I have tried this recipe a couple of times now and it is really easy, and so moist and delicious! Apparently the cupcakes also keep well and can be frozen (minus the frosting), though I couldn't tell you because they never last long enough in my home!

For the frosting/icing in this recipe I doubled it, only because I pipe the cupcakes and this tends to use a lot more icing.  If you are going to spread the icing, no need to double the recipe. I also use a gel food colour, as I find it doesn't change the consistency of the frosting. 

Ingredients

Cupcake
200g butter
250g dark chocolate
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup self-raising flour
Frosting
125g butter, softened
1 1/2 cups icing sugar mixture
1 teaspoon vanilla extract          
1 tablespoon milk
Food colouring (I use a gel food colour)

Method

Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
Place cupcake liners in cupcake tray.
Place butter, chopped chocolate and hot water in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH (100%) for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute until smooth.
Add cocoa to warm chocolate mixture. Stir until smooth.
Stir in vanilla, caster sugar and eggs.
Sift flour over chocolate mixture. Stir gently to combine.
Pour mixture into cupcake liners.
Bake cupcakes for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a chocolate mud cupcake has moist crumbs clinging.
Allow cupcakes to cool completely before icing.
Frosting
Using an electric mixer, beat butter in a bowl until pale. Gradually add icing sugar and milk, beating constantly until combined.  Add food colouring a little a time, until you have your desired colour.  If you want your frosting thicker for piping, add more icing sugar a little at a time until you have your desired consistency.

My Pick - Pretty Printables for March...

I love updating my home decor, and one of the easiest ways to switch things up is with a beautiful printable.  There are so many gorgeous free printables out there, created by many talented gorgeous guys and gals! Though sometimes it can take a little time, scrolling through pages and pages to find what your looking for, so I thought I would share some of favourite printables. Simply click on the link below the image and it will take you straight to the site...happy printing!

chicfetti

house of hipsters

chicfetti

the project girl

two zero one

ashley ella design

chicfetti

 

chicfetti

house of hipsters

house of hipsters

Weekends...

Weekends are always crazy busy for me...Working full-time doesn't leave much time for anything else during the week other than the must do list. So when the weekend comes around I try and accomplish as much as I can on a Saturday, and then Sundays are for relaxing and family. I always wake early around 5am so I can squeeze as much as I can from my weekends! Here's whats on my to do list today -

 

- Laundry (I do wash daily, but I still have about 3 loads to do of towels etc.)
- Deep clean, weekends I do windows, dusting, vacuuming, mopping, scrub bathrooms
- Once over of cupboards as washing gets put away
- Fridge clean out
- Mowing and edging
- Weeding, general tidy of the gardens
- Wash car and vacuum (I find if I do this weekly it's so much less work, my kids like to leave everything in the car!)
- Menu planning for the week
- Groceries (if I don't get this done on a Saturday, which I usually don't...I do first thing Sunday)
- Pantry once over as groceries go away (on a Sunday if groceries are done then)
- Trip to Bunnings, I need to pick a couple of items for some DIY
- Hopefully start one of my smaller DIY projects (I always leave this for last, I look forward to this and if I do this first up nothing else will get accomplished!)

 

The kids always help with most of the to do list...there is always some whinging but we all live here and it is our home and everybody needs to contribute daily to running of our home, after all we are a team! How do you spend your weekends?  Have a wonderful weekend friends! xx

 

 

This weeks finds...Madeit

I love handmade and there is nothing sweeter than a gorgeous handmade gift.  When looking for a gift I always start with Madeit a gorgeous online marketplace.  You will find everything from accessories to homewares and all lovingly handmade.

This week for my Monday finds with Easter fast approaching, I thought a little Easter roundup of some sweet, choc free, gifts under $20 would be perfect.  Just click on the link below the pictures to take you straight to the handmade loveliness.

Yellow lavender bunny with Liberty bow

Bunny softie

 Finger puppet Rabbit - Embroidered Felt Bunny

Felt purple Easter egg clip - handmade

Yellow Rabbits - Laser Cut Acrylic Stud Earrings

Easter Bunny Softie

Easter Egg Basket Hand Crochet

Bbamboo fleece lined stay on/soft soled shoes

Easter Bunny Softies

Easter Bunting Two Cute Bunnies Kraft Paper and Jute String

Sir Hopalot scrap bunny

Happy shopping! xx

Weekly Bake...Lemon Slice & Lemon Cupcakes

I love lemons and I especially love lemons in baking and desserts.  So when presented with some gorgeous lemons I decided that a little baking was in order, delicious Lemon Slice and Lemon Cupcakes.  Both recipes were super easy, and a hit with the kids! Happy baking...

Lemon Slice

Ingredients

Slice

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

100g butter

200g granita biscuits

1 cup desiccated coconut

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind

Lemon Icing

2 cups pure icing sugar

20g butter, softened

2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

Slice

Grease a 3cm deep, 15.5cm x 25cm slice tin. Line base and sides with baking paper, extending paper 2cm above edges of pan.

Place condensed milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until smooth and combined. Remove from heat. 

Using a food processor, process biscuits until fine crumbs. Transfer to a bowl. Add coconut and lemon rind. Stir to combine. Add hot butter mixture. Mix well to combine. 

Press mixture over the base of prepared pan. Cover. Refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours or until firm.

Lemon Icing

Sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add butter and lemon juice. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and combined. Spread icing over slice. Stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or until icing has set. Cut into pieces. Serve.

Lemon Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

150g unsalted butter

150g caster sugar

175g self-raising flour

3 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 lemon rind finely grated

Lemon Frosting

150g unsalted butter softened

250g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp hot water

1 lemon rind finely grated

Yellow food colouring (optional)

Instructions

Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line a 12 hole muffin tray with cupcake cases.

Place all of the ingredients into a bowl or food mixer and beat until creamy but light.

Evenly divide the mixture into the 12 cake cases.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until they have risen and are firm to touch.

Cool on a wire rack.

Lemon Frosting

Place the butter and icing sugar into a bowl or food mixer and beat well until smooth and creamy.

Add the vanilla extract, the hot water and the grated lemon rind (and a couple of drops of yellow food colour if desired). Beat again until smooth. 

Once the cupcakes have cooled, spoon or pipe the frosting evenly onto the cupcakes.

This weeks finds...Target

This week I have decided to do a roundup of some Target lovelies featured in their latest home sale catalogue (catalogue ends 25 March 2015).

I must say Target have done a great job, there are definitely a few items on my wish list, and with some great savings, it's a perfect time to spoil yourself to something a little pretty!  To take you straight to the item in Target's online store, click on item details in the lists below...happy shopping!

a. World Canvas Print - 60 x 90cm

b. Pillar Candle 7.5 x 10cm - Black Fig and Apricot

c. No Place Like Home Canvas Print

d. Brooklyn Pillar Stand - Black

e. Marquee Star Light - Black

f. Geo Throw - Black

g. Australia Type Framed Print - 90 x 60cm

h. Sailor Mirror

i. Giant Metal Clock

j. Brooklyn Pillar Stand - White

k.  Parsley In Burlap

l. Brooklyn Pillar Stand - Grey

m.Lakehouse Set of 3 Display Shelves

n. Marquee Heart Light - Industrial

o. Oskar Tripod Floor Lamp

p. Sage In Burlap

q. Vintage 1892 Standard 40cm Clock

r. Rosemary In Burlap

 

s. Anne Yellow Ceramic Jug

t. Chevron Throw - Yellow

u. Scatter Print - 35 x 50cm

v. Je T'aime Canvas Wall Print - 40 x 50cm

w. Target Cable Knit Throw Blanket

x. Canvas Wall Print 30 x 30cm - Hola

y. HoldIt Ceramic Pot - White/Blue

z. Wall Words - Hello

z.1. Kitchen Framed Wall Print

A little sunshine...

A little sunshine is headed to Miss Eva's bedroom, here's a sneak peek at some of the lovelies I picked up for a little bedroom refresh...

Project desk...

For a little while now my eldest daughter (13) has wanted a desk in her room...whilst we have a designated office, she wanted her 'own' desk in her room. Since she has been doing so much to help me out, and really is a wonderful daughter and big sister I thought I'd surprise her. 

When I set out to do any redecorating or purchase any new furniture for our home, it is always done on a minimal budget (for this project I had $50 set aside). The first thing I always do is shop my home.  In 'shopping' my home first I realised all I would need to purchase is a desk, I had an old chair in garage and all the decor items I found scattered throughout the house. I went online and found the desk at Kmart...oh I am loving you of late Kmart, for anyone on a tight budget Kmart offers bang for your buck! 

I purchased the desk and black and white notebook from Kmart, and sprayed the lids gold of two jars I had sitting empty (the gold just adds a little something special). All up the project cost me $32 for the desk and notebook, everything else used we had.  All up the project took me a couple of hours...and the verdict, she loves it! 

Simple white desk from Kmart - $29.00

These items we already had, but the Effiel tower, clock and 'Do what you love everyday' print were also from Kmart (not sure if they are all still available)

The black and white notebook is from Kmart $3.00, the skull planter was also from Kmart (again not sure if they are still available).  The back jar was from Ikea and the front jar was from the two dollar shop, I just gave the lids a quick wipe and used metallic gold spraypaint to paint.  The clear stapler was purchased from Officeworks some time ago.

Weekly Bake...Weetbix Slice

Today was fortunately one of the few days in the past months that I have not been consumed with fatigue and pain, to mark the occasion I decided some afternoon baking was in order.  My poor children have spent the last few months, pretty much consuming an autoimmune protocol paleo diet...so I decided a little sweet treat for afternoon tea would be perfect.  It was super easy, with little clean up (my kind of recipe) and to top it off the kids loved it!

I spotted this recipe for Gluten Free Weetbix Slice on the lovely Leanne's blog Organising the four of us (click link for original recipe).  I made a couple of changes, replacing the rapadura sugar with coconut sugar.

Ingredients

Slice
170g gluten free Weetbix
200g butter (melted)
30g cacao powder (or cocoa)
170g (or less) coconut sugar
40g coconut
1 egg
Icing
1 cup icing sugar (I make mine using milled coconut sugar)
1 tbsp cacao powder
1 tbsp soft butter

Boiling water

Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C
- Crush Weetbix you could do this in a food processor, I just crushed them by hand into a bowl
- Place melted butter into mixing bowl
- Add Weetbix, cocao, rapadura, coconut and egg and mix until combined
- Press into a lined slice tin
- Bake at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes
- Set aside to cool completely before icing

Chocolate icing

To make the icing, add the icing sugar and cacao powder into a bowl, add the butter, mix adding boiling water, a tablespoon at a time, until the icing in a thick spreadable consistency. Spread the icing onto the cooled slice.