Pumpkins are one of my favourite things. I love how they look, how they smell, how the taste and how much joy they bring me when I get to carve them, I’m a pumpkin addict!
This year, I went for slightly less traditional pumpkin carvings going for a few of my favourite things; a unicorn, a cupcake and the Deathly Hallows (shout out to all the Harry Potter fans).
With all of these lovely pumpkins I had lots of lovely pumpkin seeds hanging around. I usually just roast them but this time I wanted to get a little experimental, so I divided them into two bowls and flavoured one sweet with pumpkin spices and brown sugar and one savoury with salt, pepper and paprika and I tell you now, they were delicious!
As they were an experiment they weren’t going to get an official write up but it’s been requested of me by a few people on social media so here it is! Enjoy!
If making both flavours, split into two bowls (or put in one bowl for the one flavour)
Pour in the melted butter and mix well
Add in the dry ingredients depending on your flavour
Spread into a single layer on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper or foil
Bake at 180°C for 15-20 minutes
Leave to cool slightly and enjoy!
The savoury ones are great warm on a salad and the sweet ones are delicious on their own or in a flapjack recipe or to top granola! Get creative with your flavours. The possibilities are endless!
Most of my pumpkin recipes also have in them pumpkin spice. This is something readily available in some countries and is basically a mix of yummy spices that set off the pumpkin taste really well! I had a bit of trouble finding it ready made in the U.K. and so I decided to make my own. Now, I make a big jar of it and use it whenever I use pumpkin! My house is currently filled with pumpkins after a recent trip to PYO Pumpkins, check out my vlog here!
I’ve used it in several of my seasonal recipes including Pumpkin Spice Slice, Pumpkin Macarons and of course, Pumpkin Pie. Follow the recipe below and check out the video on how to make it at home!
Pumpkin Spice
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 ½ teaspoons ground mixed spice
1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves
Mix well. Keep in a jar and use as and when needed.
If you want to turn your baking hobby into a career, check out my book Cakes, Bakes & Business for everything you need to know about running a successful baking business, including pricing, marketing, insurance and much more!
This trio of toppers are perfect for your Halloween bakes! Here I show you how to make a ghost, witches hat and pumpkin! Check out below the tutorial for a video on how I made it!
These decorations can be made ahead of time. I recommend using modelling paste for stability and keep the toppers in a cake box or another container that the air can get to (not in a sealed box, otherwise they may melt). For more on types of icing, check out my blog post here. The green and orange was white modelling paste, readily available which I have coloured green using Sugarflair Party Green and Tangerine colour respectively and pre-coloured black modelling paste
I recommend using actual edible glue as opposed to water as water can make your shapes soggy. My top tip with edible glue is less is more! Only use a small amount.
Roll a smooth round ball of white modelling paste, elongate this shape to create a ‘tic tac’ or ‘minion’ shape. Set aside.
Roll out white modelling paste onto a side dusted with cornflour and cut out a large circle. Paint the moulded shape with edible glue and place the large circle of modelling paste on top, fixing down the sides. Make sure there are pleats around the ghost as this is essentially the ‘duvet’ he is hiding under!
For the face, roll out three small balls of black modelling paste and flatten the third to create an O shape. Stick these on using a small amount of edible glue.
Witches Hat
Roll out black modelling paste and cut out a small circle, this is the base of the hat. Then roll a ball of black modelling paste, tapering it into a cone shape. Stick this on top of the circle using a small amount of edible glue.
Roll out a longer piece of black modelling paste and check it goes around the circumference of the base of the cone. Then cut a strip using a cutting wheel or sharp knife. Glue this around the base of the hat.
Lastly, roll out a small piece of green modelling paste and cut out a small star. Stick this to the front of the hat using a small amount of edible glue.
Pumpkin
Roll out a smooth round ball of orange modelling paste. Using a ball tool or the end of a paintbrush indent the top of the pumpkin, this is where the stalk will go.
Roll a small amount of green modelling paste into a sausage. Then taper the end slightly and bend it over. Stick this into the hole we created with a little edible glue.
For the leaf, roll a small ball of green modelling paste and flatten it slightly, squeeze the end to create a point then, using your dresden tool, mark a line down the middle and a few either side to create the leaf pattern. Fix this to the side of the stalk using a little edible glue.
Roll out black modelling paste quite thinly, then using a triangle cutters, cut out two eyes. Then, cut out another triangle but make it a little smaller by cutting off the end using the same triangle cutter. This will be the nose.
For the smile, cut out a small circle of black modelling paste and then cut it again using the same cutter to create a crescent shape. Use the same circle cutter to cut the points off. Using the triangle cutter, cut out two points from the top either end of the smile and one from the bottom in the middle.
Then, stick these to your pumpkin using a little edible glue.
If you want to turn your baking hobby into a career, check out my book Cakes, Bakes & Business for everything you need to know about running a successful baking business, including pricing, marketing, insurance and much more!
This week, in celebration of the final of The Great British Bake Off 2016, I’ve partnered with AEG to create this stunning Red Ombre Cake Showstopper!
I created this recipe which makes a 7″ round, baked wonderfully in the AEG oven! Check out the video below for how it’s made.
Earlier this year, I received an AEG SteamBake oven, (you can read my review here) and I absolutely love it! The steam cooking keeps the dough moist on the surface to create a golden colour and tasty crust on your bakes. As well as an excellent oven for baking, the SteamBake oven is also a great all-rounder multifunction oven (with up to 13 functions) that grills, roasts and bakes. Mine also features pyrolytic cleaning, a food probe and soft close door! It was awarded The Good Housekeeping Institute seal of approval after rigorous testing and SteamBake is now available on all AEG single built in ovens at no extra cost.
As mentioned on the website here AEG’s exclusive ThermiC° Hot Air cooking technology ensures higher performance for precise heat circulation for even cooking, temperature control and energy efficiency, meaning I can bake more than one cake at once and still get great results!
Add colour into the bowls in varying amounts for different shades
Mix to get your desired colours
Pour your mixes into lined tins
Bake at 140C for 40 minutes
Leave to cool on greaseproof paper
Make a buttercream filling by mixing together the butter and icing sugar, adding in the vanilla
Spread buttercream onto your darkest layer
Top with the second darkest and repeat
Add the third darkest sponge and repeat
Top with the lightest sponge and chill for 10 minutes
Once chilled, cover with a layer of buttercream
Chill again and repeat
Smooth the edges with a scraper
Cut into slices and enjoy!
This cake will last 4-5 days once covered in a layer of buttercream and 2 days once cut into. Make sure to wrap any exposed sponge in cling film to help keep it fresher for longer. It doesn’t need to be stored in the fridge as this will dry out the cake, just a cool dry room.
If you want to turn your baking hobby into a career, check out my book Cakes, Bakes & Business for everything you need to know about running a successful baking business, including pricing, marketing, insurance and much more!
I love this Jack Skellington Cupcake, it’s and one of the ones I did at my recent Cake & Bake Show demonstration at ExCeL in London. Check out below the tutorial for a video on how I made it!
I’ve used white sugarpaste for the top of the cupcake and pre-coloured black modelling paste for the details. I recommend using modelling paste for stability and keep your decorations in a cake box or another container that the air can get to (not in a sealed box, otherwise they may melt). For more on types of icing, check out my blog post here.
I recommend using actual edible glue as opposed to water as water can make your shapes soggy. My top tip with edible glue is less is more! Only use a small amount.
I’ve used my flat top vanilla cupcake recipe which can be found here.
Piping gel & silicone pastry brush (OR small amount buttercream)
White sugarpaste
Black modelling paste
Edible glue & paintbrush
Dry paintbrush
To top the cupcake
Roll out white sugarpaste on a surface dusted with cornflour and cut out a large circle, a little bigger than your cupcake.
Paint the top of the cupcake with either piping gel or a little buttercream and secure the circle of orange sugarpaste using your hand. Make sure to fix it all the way around and to the case so no cake is showing. This will help for the end design and also keep the cupcake fresh underneath.
For the face
To make the eyes, roll out two balls of black modelling paste. Flatten them slightly and pinch the one end to create the shape. Stick these on with edible glue.
Roll out two small balls of black modelling paste and elongate them into small sausages for the nose holes. Glue these underneath the eyes.
Roll two small sausages of black modelling paste and shape them into a curve for the eyebrows and glue them in place. It doesn’t matter if they are different shapes and sizes, as my beautician tells me “eyebrows are sisters not twins”. Haha!
For the smile, roll a large sausage of black modelling paste and stick down, then roll seven smaller sausages for the mouth detail and stick this down using a little edible glue.
If you want to turn your baking hobby into a career, check out my book Cakes, Bakes & Business for everything you need to know about running a successful baking business, including pricing, marketing, insurance and much more!
This Pumpkin Cupcake is one of my personal favourites and one of the ones I did at my recent Cake & Bake Show demonstration at ExCeL in London. Check out below the tutorial for a video on how I made it!
I’ve used orange sugarpaste for the top of the cupcake and modelling paste for the details. The green was white modelling paste, readily available which I have coloured green using Sugarflair Party Green colour and pre-coloured black modelling paste. I recommend using modelling paste for stability and keep your decorations in a cake box or another container that the air can get to (not in a sealed box, otherwise they may melt). For more on types of icing, check out my blog post here.
I recommend using actual edible glue as opposed to water as water can make your shapes soggy. My top tip with edible glue is less is more! Only use a small amount.
I’ve used my flat top vanilla cupcake recipe which can be found here.
Piping gel & silicone pastry brush (OR small amount buttercream)
Orange sugarpaste
Black modelling paste
Green modelling paste
Edible glue & paintbrush
Dry paintbrush
Dresden tool (or something sharp to make the lines of the pumpkin)
Ball tool
2 triangle cutters, one smaller than the other
Small circle cutter
Small square cutter
To top the cupcake
Roll out orange sugarpaste on a surface dusted with cornflour and cut out a large circle, a little bigger than your cupcake.
Paint the top of the cupcake with either piping gel or a little buttercream and secure the circle of orange sugarpaste using your hand. Make sure to fix it all the way around and to the case so no cake is showing. This will help for the end design and also keep the cupcake fresh underneath.
With a dresden tool (or something sharp), mark three lines on the pumpkin, one straight down the middle and two either side going from the top centre line to the bottom centre line.
Then, with a ball tool or the end of a paintbrush, make a hole in the top for the stalk to go into. Dust off any excess cornflour with the dry paintbrush.
For the stalk and leaf
Roll a small amount of green modelling paste into a sausage. Then taper the end slightly and bend it over. Stick this into the hole we created earlier with a little edible glue.
For the leaf, roll a small ball of green modelling paste and flatten it slightly, squeeze the end to create a point then, using your dresden tool, mark a line down the middle and a few either side to create the leaf pattern. Fix this to the side of the stalk using a little edible glue.
For the face
Roll out black modelling paste quite thinly, then using the larger of the triangle cutters, cut out two eyes. Then using the smaller triangle cutter, cut out the nose.
For the smile, cut out a small circle of black modelling paste and then cut it again using the same cutter to create a crescent shape. Use the circle cutter to cut the points off. Using a small square cutter, cut out two half squares from the top either end of the smile and one from the bottom in the middle.
Then, stick these to your cupcake using a little edible glue.
If you want to turn your baking hobby into a career, check out my book Cakes, Bakes & Business for everything you need to know about running a successful baking business, including pricing, marketing, insurance and much more!
This week, inspired by The Great British Bake Off, I’ve partnered with AEG to create this delicious Apple & Blackberry Pie!
Earlier this year, I received an AEG SteamBake oven, (you can read my review here) and I absolutely love it! The steam cooking keeps the dough moist on the surface to create a golden colour and tasty crust on your bakes. Ensuring a crisp pastry and no soggy bottoms!
I created this recipe which makes a 8″ round, delicious and very British Apple & Blackberry Pie, baked wonderfully in the SteamBake oven! Check out the video below for how they it’s made.
As well as an excellent oven for baking, the SteamBake oven is also a great all-rounder multifunction oven (with up to 13 functions) that grills, roasts and bakes. Mine also features pyrolytic cleaning, a food probe and soft close door! It was awarded The Good Housekeeping Institute seal of approval after rigorous testing and SteamBake is now available on all AEG single built in ovens at no extra cost.
Grease an 8″ fluted loose-bottom pie tin and line with greaseproof paper
Mix together the flour and butter until it resembles breadcrumbs
Add in the caster sugar
Add in the egg to form a dough
Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for 30 minutes
On a floured surface, flatten the dough
Start to roll out
Gently place over your tin and push down onto it
Prick with a fork and chill for 30 minutes
Preheat your oven to 170C
Mix all of the filling ingredients together, cover and chill until needed
Crumple greaseproof paper and cover your pastry
Top with baking beans and blind bake for 15 minutes
Carefully take out the beans and paper and bake again for a further 10 minutes
Time to SteamBake! Pour 100ml water into the well at the bottom of the oven. Press the SteamBake button and leave it for 5 minutes to create steam – perfect for pastry!
Roll out the leftover pastry and cut into strips
Fill your pastry case with your fruit filling
Lay over the pastry strips in a criss cross pattern
Wash the top with egg and bake for 45 minutes!
Enjoy warm with custard and ice cream!
Happy baking!
Britt xo
This is a sponsored post in partnership with AEG. All views and opinions are my own.
This cute and creepy Cauldron Cupcake is a small replica of a larger cauldron cake I made a few years ago and is my favourite Halloween cupcake ever! It’s got a few elements to it but when you bring it all together it looks amazing and will grace any party table this season very well indeed! Check out below the tutorial for a video on how I made it!
The time consuming part of this design is the decorations, however the decorations on top of the cupcake can be made ahead of time, so when the time comes to make them, all you need to do is top the cupcakes with sugarpaste and buttercream and decorate!
I recommend using modelling paste for stability and keep your decorations in a cake box or another container that the air can get to (not in a sealed box, otherwise they may melt). For more on types of icing, check out my blog post here. Ideally, leave your shapes to dry overnight until they are firm before using to decorate.
I recommend using actual edible glue as opposed to water as water can make your shapes soggy. My top tip with edible glue is less is more! Only use a small amount.
For this I have used white modelling paste and coloured what I needed using Sugarflair colours in Tangerine, Melon, Party Green and Grape Violet. I use pre-coloured black modelling paste for the cauldron details and pupil of the eyeball and pre-coloured black sugarpaste for the top of the cupcake.
I’ve used my flat top vanilla cupcake recipe and vanilla buttercream recipe, both of which can be found here.
Piping gel & silicone pastry brush (OR small amount of buttercream)
Black sugarpaste
Black modelling paste
Orange modelling paste
Yellow modelling paste
Green modelling paste
Purple modelling paste
Smoother
Scalpel or sharp knife
Edible glue & paintbrush
Dry paintbrush
Drying foam
Blue edible pen
Ball tool
Green buttercream
To top the cupcake
Roll out black sugarpaste on a surface dusted with cornflour and cut out a large circle, a little bigger than your cupcake.
Paint the top of the cupcake with either piping gel or a little buttercream and secure the circle of black sugarpaste using your hand. Make sure to fix it all the way around and to the case so no cake is showing. This will help for the end design and also keep the cupcake fresh underneath.
Then, for the cauldron rim, roll in your hands a sausage of black modelling paste. Then, roll it out more using a smoother. This ensures an even roll without finger prints. Lift this gently and place it around the edge of the cupcake to gauge size. Then with a scalper or sharp knife, cut off the excess.
Using a paintbrush and a little edible glue, fix this rim in place. Then, with a dry paintbrush, brush off any excess cornflour.
For the tentacles
Roll your chosen tentacle colour of modelling paste (in my case, orange) into a smooth round ball. Then, roll it into a sausage and using your fingers, mould this into an ‘S’ shape and leave to dry on foam.
For the suckers, roll small pieces of a contrast colour modelling paste (in my case, yellow) and roll small round balls, then using a ball tool or the end of a paintbrush, indent them with a small round. Using a little bit of edible glue, stick these along the side of the tentacle. Leave to dry completely on foam.
For the bubbles
Roll small balls of whichever colour modelling paste you like to make the ‘bubbles’ in the cauldron. I’ve gone with a green to match the buttercream I will be using and also a purple. Leave to dry on foam.
For the eyeballs
Roll balls of white modelling paste. Make them larger than the bubbles but not as big as the tentacles. Leave these to dry on foam.
Then, using an edible ink pen in your chosen colour, colour in a circle in the middle of the eye ball. Then roll a small ball of black modelling paste and stick on top using a small amount of edible glue and do the same with an even smaller bit of white modelling paste for the ‘twinkle’ of the eye.
To decorate
Spread into the cauldron some green buttercream, as it’s meant to be a bubbling concoction you can be as messy as you like! Then stick in all of your dry decorations. For effect, I stuck a few ‘bubbles’ to the side of the cauldron using a little edible glue.
If you want to turn your baking hobby into a career, check out my book Cakes, Bakes & Business for everything you need to know about running a successful baking business, including pricing, marketing, insurance and much more!
Last week, I was fortunate enough to be given special access to one of my favourite places, the PYO Pumpkins field in Hoo, Kent!
Autumn and Halloween are my favourite times of the year and I absolutely LOVE Pumpkins! Baking with them, carving them, just having them in the house makes me so happy. When I was a little girl in Canada, my mum and I used to pick pumpkins every Autumn but I didn’t know there was anything like that here in the UK. A few years ago I discovered a place called PYO Pumpkins which was only half an hour from me in Hoo and it was everything I had imagined.
Pumpkins as far as the eye can see in so many varieties, it was a pumpkin dream! So, imagine how happy I was when they got in touch and asked if I would like to go to the farm before it opened to the public to get my pick of the pumpkins!!
PYO Pumpkins started seven years ago with just a handful of seeds and has grown over the years thanks to social media and it’s amazing experience that people just want to talk about! Over 300,000 seeds get planted every year making more than 30 different types of pumpkins.
Check out my video below of my awesome day and make sure to go down and check it out! They are open weekends in October, including half term. For full details check their website here.
