Chilli Chocolate Ginger Cupcakes - Gourmet Garden's Blog Off Cook Off

Gourmet Garden are the the producer of fresh herbs and spices easy for weekday cooking.  Their passion is organically-grown herbs and spices packaged in a convenient squeezable tube that lasts for up to 3 months in your fridge.  They are currently running a Blog Off Cook Off competition where one lucky blogger can win a trip to Australia and a whopping £3000!

Using some of their great range of fresh herbs and spices, I have to develop and make a recipe to be judged by the great Rosemary Shrager.

So here we go - here's one of my entries to the fantastic Gourmet Garden's Blog Off Cook Off competition.

Chilli Chocolate Ginger Cupcakes  - makes 12

Cupcakes
140g self raising flour
115g unsalted butter (softened) or liquid Stork margarine
115g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 medium eggs
1 tbsp Gourmet Garden ginger

Buttercream
200g icing sugar, sifted
100g unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp cocoa powder mixed with 1 tbsp hot water (cooled)
1 tsp Gourmet Garden chilli
12 strawberries, washed and wiped

1. Add all of the cupcake ingredients to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 3-5 minutes until all the ingredients are well combined.
2. Divide between 12 large cupcake/muffin cases and bake in a preheated oven (Gas 4) for 12-15 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire cooling rack.
4. For the buttercream; beat the icing sugar and butter for 5-6 minutes until pale, light and fluffy.  Add the cooled cocoa powder/water and the chilli - mix until well combined.
5. Pipe swirls of the buttercream on top of the cooled cupcakes and top with a fan-cut strawberry.
6. Serve and enjoy!

Sandy Saturday!

WOW, what a day!  I've been on my feet all day but have achieved loads!  Even managed to squeeze a trip to the beach in - OK, OK, for those who do know where I live, the excursion only takes 3 minutes to get the sandy shores!  However, the whole trip lasted about 10 minutes (including travelling time!) as the wind was whipping up a sand storm! 

After tears from most of us (2 adults, 5 children and a dog!) we made an executive decision and came back home :(  But it did make us realise why the Egyptian princesses all wear veils in the desert; you can't blinking see otherwise!

On a "cakey" note, all the cakes have been baked and decorated for tomorrow's craft fair.  Here are a couple of pictures to show you what's on offer!

Rose Cupcakes...

Chrysanthemum Mallow Cupcakes...

And my personal favourite... "Ice Cream" surprises!

Yes, it's a cake topped with buttercream!  The un-meltable ice cream, which in this weather is a good idea!

I'll hopefully post more pictures for "Silent Sunday" tomorrow and then detailed instructions on the "how-to" next week!

Anyway, I'm off to bed for another busy day tomorrow!  Nos da!