Chocolate and vanilla jam cupcakes

I made these for my 19th birthday the other week, for friends and family. I hadn't made cupcakes for a really long time so loved doing it, and actually discovered that piping icing isn't so bad! I've never been that good at piping technique but realised that with some good piping bags stuffed full of lots of icing, it really is quite simple and fun to be creative with it. I wanted the contrast of chocolate and plain vanilla sponges as well as the contrast with the plain cream icing and pink icing so that they looked good on my cupcake stand. Make sure you use cute, colourful cupcakes cases to make these scrummy cupcakes look even more appealing. I use this recipe time and time again, I have probably posted them on here before. It's so versatile - you can pretty much do anything you like, adding fruit to the sponge, using different coloured icing and decorations etc etc. Just have some fun!

For the sponges (makes 24)

- 225 margarine/butter (or both)

- 225g caster sugar

- 4 eggs, beaten

- 225g self raising flour

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 2 tbsp semi skimmed milk

- 1 tsp vanilla essence

- cocoa powder (for the chocolate cupcakes)

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180 degrees. Line a few cupcake trays with cupcake cases.

2. Beat together the marg/butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding flour occasionally if curdling occurs.

3. Sift the remaining flour and baking powder into the bowl, then gradually whisk in the milk and vanilla essence.

4. Spoon half of this mixture into cupcake cases.
5. Sift cocoa powder into the other half of the mixture, stirring and adding more until it is dark brown in colour. Spoon this into the remaining cupcake cases.

6. Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool on a cooling tray.

7. Once cooled, you can begin making the buttercream. But first, take the vanilla cupcakes and cut a small hole in the middle of each to fill with a tsp of jam. I used raspberry but any flavour would work well.

8. Cover with the cut out bit of sponge, and they are ready to be iced!

For the buttercream

- 150g unsalted butter

- 225g icing sugar

- 2 tbsp hot milk

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- pink colouring (for vanilla sponge cupcakes)

1. Cream together the butter and sugar with the milk until smooth and silky. Stir in the vanilla extract.

2. Spoon this into a large piping bag with a nozel in (I ordered large, plastic disposable icing bags off amazon - you just snip off the end, pop in the nozel, fill with icing and are easy to use!) and start icing the chocolate sponge cupcakes - I go clockwise in a swirling pattern to get the effect you can see in the pictures.

3. Once all the chocolate cupcakes are done, add some pink food colouring to the remaining icing and stir until fully combined. Pipe this on to the vanilla cupcakes in the same way as the chocolate ones. Voila! You can decorate with fruit (strawberries or raspberries) or sprinkles or whatever really, but I just wanted to keep them simple.

Enjoy :)

Oh, and just wanted to show you this cute apron my friend bought me for my birthday, I love it, can't wait to wear it!!

Crispy chicken thighs with red pesto spaghetti

Sun-dried tomato pesto, cream, mushrooms, onions, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, parmesan - coating spaghetti on a bed of spinach leaves, with parmesan crusted chicken. Mmmmm. Chicken thighs can be quite difficult to eat since these ones had the bones still in, but I actually prefer having a chunk of meat with pasta, rather than it being chopped up inside (unless it's a pasta bake). I used chicken thighs because they still have the skin on and I love the crispy texture with the moist chicken. This is one of my perfect meals since I'm obsessed with pesto and pasta!

Serves 2
- 4 chicken thighs
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- dried italian herbs
- parmesan, grated
- 180g spaghetti
- 1 red onion, chopped
- handful of mushrooms, sliced
- handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered and some left whole
- 1/2 jar of red pesto (sun-dried tomato)
- dash of cream
- fresh basil, torn
- handful of spinach leaves


1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7. Cut slits in the layer of fat on the chicken thighs - this will help it crisp up.

2. Brush with olive oil, season, sprinkle with herbs and grated parmesan.

3. Bake in the oven for 35 - 45 minutes - cover with foil for the first half of the cooking time!

4. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions, and in a separate pan, fry the onions in some olive oil.

5. When softened, add the mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, and continue to fry.

6. Place some tomatoes in with the chicken for the remaining 5 minutes of the cooking time.

7. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and return to the pan. Stir in the onions and mushrooms, and add the pesto and cream, stirring and tossing until coated. Add some fresh basil.

8. Place the spinach leaves in two bowls/plates and serve the spaghetti on top. Top with the chicken thighs and tomatoes. Garnish with some fresh basil and parmesan.

Enjoy :)

Lemon and parsley salmon

(Completely forgot to take a picture once cooked!)

This is a simple dressing/marinade for salmon that is guaranteed to produce wonderful flavours and moist fish. It's buttery and it's tangy mm mm. Perfect served with new potatoes also tossed in a buttery, lemon and parsley sauce.

- salmon fillet

- few knobs of butter

- handful of fresh parsley, chopped

- fresh lemon

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180 degrees.

2. Simply place the salmon on foil, dot with the butter, sprinkle on the parsley, and squeeze over the lemon.

3. Wrap in the foil, place on a tray, and bake in the oven for around 20 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Egg fried rice

My mum bought some 'sticky pork belly slices' from Sainsbury's the other week which you just bake in the oven, so I decided to whip up some egg fried rice to go with it. Usually I would add peas but I felt like using carrots and green beans for a change. This is super easy to make - probably not the best egg fried rice ever because if you make it properly you should let the rice cool down etc etc but who has time for that.... this is fine if you just want some yummy rice very quickly!

Serves 2

- 185g wholegrain rice

- 1 carrot, sliced

- large handful of green beans, chopped

- sesame oil (or olive)

- 1 egg, beaten

1. Cook the rice according to packet instructions in salted water, with the green beans and carrot. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the rice, stirring until coated. Gradually pour in the egg, stirring and frying until the egg is set. Voila!

Enjoy :)

Food, glorious food

Just wanted to do a quick post about some delicious food I've eaten recently (not cooked by me)!

I went to Ibiza on holiday with my boyfriend at the end of June and the all inclusive food was not anything special, but we did eat out a few times, my favourite being this caesar salad:

It was the most delicious salad I've ever tasted - the chicken was bread crumbed which added brilliant texture and it was still so moist, there were mini garlic croutons, lots of lettuce, but the best part was the sauce. The caesar dressing was creamy and refreshing but there was also a ton of balsamic vinegar (reduction) drizzled over the top. I would never have thought of putting balsamic vinegar with caesar (and I put it with most things!..) and I wish I had because it is genius. So next time you are making a caesar salad, don't forget to try it because the sweetness works perfectly with everything else.

On holiday, I also started an obsession with milka chocolate - this oreo one is amazing, and I also tried the caramel one and Daim one too. Nothing beats the oreo though! I haven't seen this oreo one anywhere in England yet, so let me know if you come across it :)

One evening we ate at this beautiful restaurant overlooking the sea with this view of the sunset:

 It was a beautiful place - I definitely recommend going on holiday to Portinatx. It's north of Ibiza, so the non-clubby part. The beaches are lovely, and our hotel was right on the sea, and the town had some lovely restaurants including this one.

The salads were great, mixing normal salad stuff (lettuce, carrot, tomato) with meat or fish (chicken and tuna), as well as lots of fruit (pineapple, strawberries, melon etc.) I wouldn't have thought so many flavours would taste so delicious together but they did. I particularly loved the pineapple chunks with the chicken - so refreshing and sweet, mm mm.

For main we both had a mixed grill which was steak, two different cuts of chicken, lamb and pork. It was all marinated beautifully and was very tender. It was a nice change from the normal British mixed grill of sausages, gammon and a ton of bacon!

Back in rainy England, I celebrated my birthday with my mum and sister at this lovely restaurant in London called Little Sicily - the website is http://www.littlesicilylondon.com 

The cocktails were so delicious but I'm here to talk about food so... we started with a bread basket of focaccia, breadsticks etc and a meat board of different salamis and hams which were scrummy. My sister and I also shared the calamari which came with a perfect tartare sauce. I'm not quite sure how I feel about squid yet... it wasn't rubbery which was good, but occasionally when I realised what I was eating I did feel slightly grossed out - I love fish but I'm not great with the more unusual seafood!

 For main course I had Pollo Creme which is basically a big piece of chicken served on papperdelle, with a creamy, mushroom and white wine sauce. I am a sucker for anything creamy so this was my perfect meal. The flavours were great and the chicken very moist, although I think it could have done with more sauce.

 The desserts were presented beautifully - I ordered the cheesecake with berry coulis and my sister had the hot chocolate souffle with pistachio ice cream. They were to die for!

I would definitely recommend this restaurant, the service was great, as was the atmosphere and the food was brilliant - a bit expensive but perfect for a celebration.

My friend also took me out for lunch on my birthday to the Blue River Cafe - http://www.thamesriviera.com/dining I had the rosemary foccacia filled with chicken, bacon and a blue cheese sauce, with a salad. It was so yum - and actually very filling. The chicken had a bit of a spice to it which was interesting but there wasn't enough blue cheese sauce so parts of it were a little dry, but it was a lovely lunch all the same.

My boyfriend and I decided to go less posh and ordered Dominoes for my birthday meal - what beats texas bbq and new yorker pizzas!? He then made me pancakes and porridge the following morning which was a lovely surprise.

I hope everyone else has been enjoying some delicious food recently, since the weather is so rubbish in England we need something to treat ourselves! I have a few posts lined up including egg fried rice, another salmon recipe, and the cupcakes I made for my birthday, so don't forget to check back :)

Prosciutto, parsley and mushroom pizza

The ingredients and method for the pizza base and tomato topping you can find in my previous post, here! I forgot to mention just how delicious these pizzas were, especially this one - it has so much flavour from the salty prosciutto and the parsley goes so well with the mushrooms. This is the pizza I will make time and time again, so definitely try it out. (Sorry again for the photo quality) I served these pizzas with a salad of lettuce, spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes, red onion, mushrooms, and fresh parsley and basil.

Pizza base and tomato sauce ingredients and instructions are here!

Toppings:
- 1 ball buffalo mozzarella, sliced
- large handfuls of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 pack of prosciutto
- button mushrooms, sliced
- handful of parmesan, grated
- olive oil


1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6 / 200 degrees. Once the tomato sauce is spread on the pizza dough, sprinkle with half the parsley and place the mozzarella on top.
2. Cover with the prosciutto and mushrooms, and drizzle with a little olive oil.
3. Sprinkle the remaining parsley on top, and all of the parmesan.

4. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Mozzarella, chicken, tomato and basil pizza

I love making pizza, it tastes so much better (in a healthier sort of way!) I have posted the recipe I use before  here but wanted to do two new posts on the specific toppings I used because they both worked so well. Sorry for the bad quality of the photos, the lighting is impossible with my camera sometimes, so this is the best I could do - plus I just wanted to eat it asap so was rushing a bit... This recipe is easy to follow and is so worth it for a delicious treat!

*the ingredients list for the bases and tomato sauce are for 2 large pizzas - the toppings are just for one of these pizzas, since I'm doing another post with the other toppings I used*

Makes 2 large pizza bases:
- 400g plain white strong flour
- 1 tbsp / 15g dried yeast 
- 50ml boiling water, 100ml cold water
- 1 tsp sugar- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing over base
- 1/2 tsp salt
- tepid water, to add to the dough
- extra flour for dusting surface

For the tomato sauce:
- 1 large jar of passata (crushed tomatoes)
- 2 cloves garlic
- pinch of salt
- handful of fresh basil, roughly torn
- 1 tsp dried mixed Italian herbs
- 1 tbsp green pesto


For the topping:
- drizzle of olive oil
- 2 small chicken breasts, cut into chunks
- 1 tsp dried mixed Italian herbs
- 1 ball of buffalo mozzarella, sliced
- few handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
- fresh basil, torn
- handful of parmesan, grated

1. To make the pizza bases, sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the middle

2. In a jug, mix the yeast with the boiling water, cold water and sugar. Stir constantly until dissolved and leave in a warm place until it becomes foamy - around 20 minutes

3. Pour the yeast mixture into the hollow in the flour, along with the salt and the oil, and knead everything together for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. You can do this on a floured work surface

4. Return to the bowl and cover with cling film, leaving a small gap. Put in a warm place and leave to rise for about an hour and a half, or until doubled in size.

5. Once risen, knead briefly and gently, then split into two pieces and roll out on a floured surface. Place on a baking sheet on a baking tray - it is ready to put toppings on!

6. For the tomato sauce, in a bowl mix all the ingredients together and season to taste. Spread generously on the pizza bases (should cover 2 or 3 so you might have some leftover)

7. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6 / 200 degrees. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken with the dried herbs. Set aside to cool.

8. Place slices of mozzarella on top of the base, followed by the chicken, tomatoes and basil. Sprinkle generously with parmesan and bake in the oven for around 15 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Pan-fried duck breast and noodles with plum sauce

This isn't quite as fancy as the title makes out - you know in Tesco they do the 3 for £3 on noodles, stir fry veg pack and a sauce - well, that is really all this is - plus the duck! So it is egg noodles, the plum & hoisin sauce which is delicious and a vegetable mixture of spring greens, bean sprouts, carrot, broccoli, onion and pepper (we added mushrooms too). The duck breasts were from a pack from Costco, and I have never cooked duck until last night so I was a little concerned... The meat was tender though and the fat crisp, so it turned out well and of course went perfectly with the stir fry. This is a perfect stir fry if you want something a little more special than just chunks of chicken or pork.

Serves 2
- drizzle of olive oil
- 1 tsp chopped ginger
- 2 duck breasts (with the fat)
- 1 pack of egg noodles
- range of stir-fry vegetables (see above for details)
- plum and hoisin sauce

1. In a large shallow pan, heat the oil and fry the ginger for a few minutes.

2. Score the fat on the duck breasts, then place fat-side down in the pan. Cook for around 10 minutes, or until the fat is crispy.
3. Heat some olive oil in a wok and stir-fry the vegetables for a few minutes. Add the noodles and cook for another few minutes, then add the sauce and continue to cook on a low heat.
4. Turn the duck breasts over and cook for around 5 minutes. Cut open to check the colour inside - depending on how you like it, cook for longer or serve. I found that it wasn't cooking so well in the pan so we put it in the oven for around 5-10 minutes on 200 degrees, then returned to the pan fat-side down to crisp up again.
5. Once everything is cooked to your preference, Serve the stir fry and place the duck breast cut into diagonal strips on top.

Enjoy :)

Soy, honey and garlic salmon

This marinade was a bit of an experiment, and it worked out really well. The sweetness of the honey with the salty soy sauce went perfectly well along with the garlic which I didn't expect! The salmon was incredibly moist and tender - I wished I had someone to share this with! I was just cooking for myself, since my mum doesn't eat fish. So please try this and let me know what you think. I wasn't very hungry at the time so I just served it with broccoli that I stir fried with sesame seeds, but this would be lovely with wholegrain rice.

(Sorry for the lack of posts - can't believe I only did 7 in June! I have been on holiday recently as well so quite a lot of these recipes are from a few weeks ago that I just haven't had the time to post. Hope you enjoy and sorry again for being so silent recently)

Serves 1

- 1 salmon fillet 

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tbsp honey

- 1 tbsp soy sauce

- 1 clove of garlic, crushed

1. In a small dish, mix all the above ingredients half an hour before cooking to allow time to marinate.

2. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees / gas mark 4. Wrap the salmon in foil and place on a baking tray in the oven for around 20 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through and flaky

Enjoy :)