Soft Sugar Plum Treats ♡

“She created her very own Land of Sweets, baking an array of the softest sugar plum treats. At her snow frosted tea-party she presented an array of delights; strawberries and cream cupcakes topped with creamy Lindt truffles, milky sweet Bailey’s Strawberries and Cream, sugary mince pie cupcakes topped with pastry stars, pastel snowflake sugar cookies and jolly gingerbread men….”

A Sprinkle of Sugar Plum Fairy Magic…

Hello snow angels! Christmas Day is only a few slumbers away. I hope you have your gifts wrapped, stockings ready, decorations assembled and of course, your festive treats baked! Today’s recipes will bring a sprinkle of sweet magic this Christmas. With a wave of my fairy wand, an array of scrumptious treats fit for a sugar plum fairy shall appear before your very eyes…

Strawberries and Cream Dreams ♡

Strawberries and Cream Lindt Truffle Cupcakes

The first set of cupcakes are inspired by my favourite chocolate truffles from Lindt. Each one consists of a fluffy sponge infused with fresh strawberries, topped with a swirl of irresistibly sweet vanilla frosting and crowned with a dainty strawberry truffle.

These darling cakes are so easy to recreate, just follow these simple steps… (the recipe is adapted from Cupcake Jemma)

Ingredients:

for the cupcakes:

125g self raising flour

125g caster sugar

125g unsalted butter (softened)

1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 large free range eggs

1 1/2 tbsps whole milk

for the strawberry filling:

a punnet (400g) of strawberries

2 tbsps sugar

for the vanilla buttercream:

150g softened butter

300g icing sugar

1tbsp vanilla extract

lindt strawberries and cream truffles for decoration

Method:

for the cupcakes:

♡ Pre-heat the oven to 170°c and line a 6-hole muffin tin with cases.

♡ Add your flour, caster sugar, butter, bicarbonate of soda and eggs to a mixing bowl

♡ Beat all the ingredients on a medium speed until combined. Then add your whole milk and vanilla extract ~ raise to medium speed and beat for 30 seconds.

♡ Make a strawberry goo by heating the chopped up strawberries on a low heat until they soften and form a liquid texture.

♡ Take a few tablespoons at a time of the strawberry mixture and add it gradually to the cupcake mix.

♡ Fill your lined cupcake trays with the mixture and bake for 20-22 minutes.

♡ Once you have measured out the butter, place it in a mixing bowl and mix it with an electric whisk for five minutes. Don’t stop mixing until it reaches a white, fluffy consistency.

♡ Gradually add in the sifted icing sugar, one heap at a time and combine the butter and dry ingredients at 2-3 minute intervals.

♡ Once they have been well mixed, (they should form a light, whippy texture) add in a couple of tbsps of milk and the vanilla extract – you may not need to use all of the liquid, just use as much as you think you need.

♡ To test the consistency of the buttercream, grab a spatula and see whether the mixture is easily spreadable.

♡ Once you are happy with the result, place your icing in a piping bag and fit with a star nozzle and begin piping your cupcakes.

♡ To finish, place a lindor strawberries and cream truffle in the centre of each cupcake.

Bailey’s Strawberries and Cream 

During the winter months it is a lovely idea to treat yourself to a luxuriously sweet drink and I recently purchased the Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur in the Strawberries and Cream edition.

It is described as a delicious cream liqueur blended with milk, white chocolate & strawberries. I’m going to try it for the first time on Christmas Day but I think it would be lovely to create a milkshake or a white hot chocolate…

A Cute Christmas Classic ♡

Mince Pie Cupcakes with Pastry Stars

Mince pies will always be one of my festive favourites! I adore the warming combination of soft buttery pastry, dried fruit filling and icing sugar dusted on top! I thought I would take a twist on this classic by making a set of adorable mince pie cupcakes which I topped with dainty pastry stars (the recipe is adapted from Cupcake Jemma)

Ingredients:

for the pastry stars:

♡ 100g plain flour

♡ 50g cold butter

♡ 4-5 tbsps water

♡ Demerara sugar 

♡ 1 egg 

for the cupcakes:

♡ 125g self raising flour

♡ 125g caster sugar

♡ 2 tsp mixed spice

♡  1/4 tsp ground ginger

♡ 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

♡ 65g caster sugar

♡ 60g light soft brown sugar

♡ 75g mince meat

♡ 3 tbsp currants

♡ 100g browned butter, left to cool completely

♡ 40g soft butter

♡ 2 large eggs

♡ 1.5 tbsp milk

for the vanilla buttercream:

♡ 150g softened butter

♡ 300g icing sugar

♡ 1tbsp vanilla extract

♡ 1-2tbsp milk

Method:

for the pastry stars:

♡ pre-heat the oven to 170°c and line a 6-hole muffin tin with cases.

♡ measure out your butter and plain flour, combine them together with your fingers until they form breadcrumbs

♡ slowly add a few tbsps of water at a time and bring the mixture together with a fork ~ stir until the mixture starts to hold itself

♡ place it on a work surface and form into a ball ~ leaving it to chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.

♡ once chilled, roll out the dough onto a floured surface to a 1-inch thickness and begin by taking a cookie cutter in any shape you like.

♡ cut out your shapes and arrange on a baking tray ~ bake in the oven for ten minutes at 180°c. 

for the cupcakes:

♡ place the flour, mixed spice, ground ginger, bicarbonate of soda, caster sugar, light soft brown sugar through a sieve.

♡ then add your mincemeat and currants to the mixture, followed by your burned butter (you can make this by placing butter in a saucepan and stirring it over a low heat until it begins to go brown ~ leave it to cool completely in the fridge until it solidifies) then add your regular butter and eggs, mix on a medium speed for a minute or until combined. Finally add your whole milk and beat for a further 30 seconds. 

♡ Place your mixture in the cupcake cases and place in the oven for 20 minutes or until a fork comes out clean. 

for the buttercream:

♡ Once you have measured out the butter, place it in a mixing bowl and mix it with an electric whisk for five minutes. Don’t stop mixing until it reaches a white, fluffy consistency.

♡ Gradually add in the sifted icing sugar, one heap at a time and combine the butter and dry ingredients at 2-3 minute intervals.

♡ Once they have been well mixed, (they should form a light, whippy texture) add in a couple of tbsps of milk and the vanilla extract – you may not need to use all of the liquid, just use as much as you think you need.

♡ To test the consistency of the buttercream, grab a spatula and see whether the mixture is easily spreadable.

♡ Once you are happy with the result, place your icing in a piping bag and fit with a star nozzle and begin piping your cupcakes.

♡ To finish, place a pastry star in the centre of each cupcake.

Sweet Snowflakes ♡

Snowflake Sugar Cookies

There’s no better way to warm yourself up than with a freshly baked batch of sugar cookies alongside a marshmallow hot chocolate…

To create this darling set of snowflake sugar cookies I used my ‘Pretty Snowflake Cookie Cutters’ from Peggy Porschen.

I followed Peggy’s dreamy sugar cookie recipe which filled my kitchen with a heavenly vanilla scent… You can find a full recipe in this blog post.

Pretty Pink Gingerbread ♡

In my opinion, nothing cures the winter chills like a freshly baked batch of gingerbread men ~ a childhood classic no one can resist! Whether you prefer them plain, with buttons and bows, or with Smarties for eyes, baking and decorating gingerbread men is fun at any age! In primary school, my favourite biscuit that my mum would select for me would be a gingerbread man. With its smooth texture and warming flavours, it always went down a treat!

It has now become a tradition for me and my mum to bake a batch over the festive season, especially on Christmas eve. My brother and I would take turns cutting out the silhouettes of each biscuit and then we would attempt to decorate them as best we could! Whilst making these little delights, I made sure to light my ‘Snowflake Cookie’ candle and I had Michael Bublé’s Christmas album on repeat. Here you can find a link to the recipe I followed!

Frosted Fairy Treats ♡

If you find you don’t have the time to create your own homemade treats, you can always purchase some from the shops! 

I discovered this adorable set of snow fairy chocolate lollipops in M&S which would make the perfect stocking filler!

Lindt Lindor Strawberries and Cream Truffles

The Lindt Truffles I placed on top of my cupcakes also make the perfect treat on their own.

The delicious and indulgent white chocolate truffles have delicate strawberry pieces and are filled with the famous Lindor irresistibly smooth melting filling.

Peggy Porschen also have their own set of champagne truffles in their Pretty Parlour advent calendar ~ each one is dusted with dreamy icing sugar! 

I truly hope you’ve enjoyed the first post on my beautiful new blog! I feel so blessed and grateful to welcome in the New Year with a whimsical design that encompasses all my ballerina dreams come true. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the design blog and what you’ve been baking lately!

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