SPRING BAKES & GIVEAWAY - ENDED

Woohoo! it's spring which to me means warmer weather, flowers everywhere and our local school's easter bake sale with lots of pretty cakes.

Here I have a couple of cake recipes to hopefully inspire you to get baking.  You don't have to be raising money with them, maybe you want to make a random bake of kindness for someone or just scoff them yourself.  What ever your reason for baking, have fun.

To help you make your cakes even more special I have a brilliant giveaway for you. Jo from Just Bake is offering a gorgeous array of easter themed decorations including cute iced bunnies and chicks, sugar strands, iced daffodils and easter eggs, she's even throwing in the cake cases, all you need to do is make the cakes.

To Enter:    A) 'Like' my Face Book page and spread the word on Twitter
                  B)  Leave a Comment on the Blog
                  C)  Take a Look at all the lovely cake supplies at Just Bake

You've got until Friday 30th to to enter the giveaway - Good luck

So, now the cakes.  Of course with those great iced bunnies from Just Bake I couldn't resist a carrot slice and   I drew inspiration from the camomile that's just coming up in my front garden to make a camomile cupcake with honey frosting.  The Iced chicks finished them off nicely along with mini eggs and some tiny weenie mini eggs that are now available.

CAMOMILE CUPCAKES with HONEY FROSTING

Makes 12

140g Self Raising Flour
125g Butter
125g Sugar
2 Egg Yolks                        
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
70ml Sour Cream
20ml Milk
2 Camomile Tea Bags

150g Cream Cheese
1 Dsp Runny Honey

Cream the butter and sugar till fluffy.  Beat in the egg and yolks along with the vanilla extract then add the butter. Mix the milk and sour cream together then add this to the mixture.  Cut open the tea bags and stir the contents into your mixture. When all is well combined, divide between cake cases and bake for 25 minutes.  Allow them to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Once the cakes have cooled, mix the cream cheese with the honey and top each cake with the frosting

CARROT SLICE

Makes 12

350g Grated Carrots
200g Light Brown Sugar
225g Self Raising Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Mixed Spice
75g Chopped Nuts
3 Eggs
150ml Sunflower Oil

300g Cream Cheese
1 tbsp Icing Sugar

In a large bowl combine the sugar, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and mixed spice.  In a jug whisk together the eggs and oil then add this to the dry ingredients.  When well combined stir in the carrots and nuts.

Pour the batter into a 9" x 7" lined baking tin and bake for 25-30 minutes at 160C Fan

Once the cake has completely cooled, stir the sugar into the cream cheese top your cake and slice into 12 portions.