Key Lime Pie

Hi everyone!

I absolutely love Key Lime Pie. Anything citrus-y actually! Its so fresh and light, you don't realise what you're eating and how naughty it really is!
So today I am doing a recipe that is based around a Key Lime Pie created by her majesty, Mary Berry. I have only adjusted a couple of things, just because of the resources/ingredients I had.
This recipe is soooo simple but just tastes so delicious, I could eat the whole pie to myself.
You can whip this up in no time so its ideal if you need a tasty dessert, last minute. 
Lets get started!

Mary's recipe called for a 9 inch loose-bottom flan tin, all I had was a 12 inch so that's what I used. In hindsight, I would've maybe increased the ingredient quantities by a quarter, just to make it a little thicker. Mine turned out quite thin but we just cut bigger slices, so it was ok ;). 

Recipe (9 inch tin):
Biscuit Base
5oz (150g) Digestive Biscuits
2.5oz (65g) Butter
1oz (25g) Soft Light Brown Sugar (Original recipe called for demerara sugar)

Filling
Grated zest of 1 large Lime and 1 small 
Juice of 4 large Limes
14oz (397g) / 1 can of condensed milk
300ml double cream

Method:
1. Measure your digestive biscuits into a plastic bag and crushed with a rolling pin (or get your boyfriend to do it because you find the rolling pin).
2. Melt butter in a medium sized pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the biscuits and brown sugar.
3. Press the crumb mixture into your tin until nice and compact and leave to set.
4. Add your lime juice (I added an extra small lime juice just to make the flavour a bit stronger), condensed milk, zest and double cream into a large mixing bowl and beat until nicely blended. Pour onto your biscuit base and level out. 
5. Leave to set for 2-3 hours before removing the tin to serve.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe. I can't stress to you how easy it really is AND how tasty it really is!!

If anyone has any citrus-y recipes, I'd love to see them and give them a go.

Have a nice bank holiday weekend everyone :D

Rosie

Mint Choc Chip Cupcakes

Hi again!

I don't know about you but mint choc chip ice cream is one of my favourite ice cream flavours! 
This cupcake recipe is super tasty and really does give the taste of mint choc chip ice cream, without the brain freeze. I was really happy with how they came out (even if I did forget the chocolate chips...oops) BUT, I added them on the top instead which worked out well too. The recipe is based around a normal cupcake recipe, with just a couple extra bits. Really easy, honestly!

Recipe: 
Chocolate Cupcakes
6oz Butter
6oz Caster Sugar
2oz Cocoa Powder
4oz Self-Raising Flour
3 Eggs
1x 100g Bag of Milk Chocolate Chips (Added into the cupcake or sprinkled on top)
12x Brown Cupcake Cases or colour of your choice.

Peppermint Buttercream
4oz Butter
A Splash of Milk
1tsp Peppermint Flavouring
12oz Icing Sugar 
I added a tiny bit of green gel colouring to get the minty colour but thats optional.
A Sprinkle of Choc Chips or any Chocolate decoration.

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 160c and pop 12 cupcake cases into your muffin tray.
2. Cream butter and caster sugar together until smooth.
3. Sieve Flour and Cocoa powder into seperate bowl. Add eggs and flour/cocoa gradually to the butter mixture. Mix until nice and smooth.
4. Pop your mixture into your cupcake cases and bake for 15-20 mins on a middle shelf.
5. Leave cupcakes to cool thoroughly before adding buttercream

Buttercream method:
1. Cream butter, milk and peppermint extract until blended.
2. Weigh 12oz Icing sugar into seperate bowl.
3. Add icing sugar gradually to butter mix. I like to use an electric mixer as it gives a nice pale colour and makes sure the mixture is nice and smooth.
4. Add your colouring at the last stage of your mixing.
5. I always like to pipe the buttercream so I used a star shaped nozzle for this cupcake. If piping, I find it easiest to measure up the nozzle and pop it in the piping bag then fold the bag over the top of a tall glass to hold the bag up, ready to be filled with your buttercream. Leave a couple of inches empty so that you can twist the top of the bag. 
6. Hold the piping bag upright and start in the middle of the cupcake, work your way around the edge and back up into the middle. 
7. Sprinkle with a few choc chips!

I hope you give these a go! If you do, send me your links or pictures or whatever else :)


Rosie

Classic Vanilla Cupcakes

Hi there!
This is my first ever post as "Rosie Loves to Bake" and I'm a bit nervous to be honest! But I hope you enjoy! 
I'm starting off easy, with the first recipe I ever learnt. Something simple with super easy ingredients: Vanilla sponge cupcakes with a delicious Vanilla buttercream.
This is the recipe my mum taught me when I first began baking. I base pretty much every sponge recipe I do nowadays around this simple set of ingredients. It always produces the most beautiful, light and fluffy vanilla sponge without fail. I have never met a single person who doesn't enjoy these cupcakes, they are absolutely scrum!

Recipe: 
Vanilla Sponge Cupcakes
6oz (170g) Butter, at room temperature.
6oz (170g) Caster Sugar
6oz (170g) Self Raising Flour
3 eggs, at room temperature

Vanilla Buttercream
4oz Butter, at room temperature
A splash of milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
12oz Icing Sugar

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 160c (Fan).
2. Line muffin tin with cupcake cases. I recommend using a muffin tin instead of a normal bun tin as they are a slightly deeper so help to keep your cupcakes upright and nice and neat. 
3. Measure butter and caster sugar and beat together until smooth and creamy in consistency.
4. Measure your flour and eggs into seperate bowls and gradually add them to your butter and sugar mixture. Beat until nice and creamy. The mixture should be able to hold soft peeks. (See picture below)
5. Spoon mixture into cupcake cases. (I like to use a soup spoon, it gives you a nice even starting measurement into each case)
6. Bake at 160c on a centre shelf for approximately 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden on the tops. 
7. Leave to completely cool before adding buttercream.

Buttercream Method:
1. Measure butter into large mixing bowl. Add vanilla extract and a light splash of milk. Mix until smooth.
2. Measure icing sugar into seperate bowl.
3. Slowly add the icing sugar, a couple ounces at a time, into the butter mixture. Electric hand whisks are great for this. They create a nice pale colour and a lovely stiff, fluffy consistency that is perfect for piping.

Piping Method: 
1. Choose the nozzle shape you are going to use. I used a classic large star nozzle as it is easy to pipe and produces a really pretty shape. 
2. Snip the end of your piping bag and drop your nozzle in, ready for piping!
3. Fold down the edges of the piping bag and use a spatula to load it with buttercream. Leave a couple of inches empty and twist the piping to stop any spilling out of the top.
4. Hold the piping bag upright and start in the middle of the cupcake. Keeping a steady pressure, go around the edge of the cupcake and swirl back into the middle. Release the pressure and pull the piping bag upwards to create the little clean point on the top of your cupcake.
5. Decorate however you like!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and have a go at it yourself!

Thanks for reading :)

Rosie