Great cupcake recipe, cooks in 20 mins!

 Ingredients

• 150ml pot greek/natural yogurt (have used lower fat but not fat free)
• 3 eggs , beaten
•  175g caster sugar 
•  175g unsalted butter , melted
•  140g self-raising flour (sifted)
•  1 tsp baking powder 
•   100g ground almonds
• tiny pinch salt

Buttercream

• 140g unsalted butter
• 140g icing sugar
• desired flavouring e.g. vanilla, melted choc, strawberry, lemon etc.

 

   Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases and heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.  Mix yogurt,

eggs & vanilla extract. Melt butter. Mix dry ingredients salt, into a large bowl and make a well in the middle.    Add the yogurty mix and melted butter, and quickly fold in with a spatula or metal spoon - don't overwork it. Spoon into the cases (they will be quite full) and bake for 18-20 mins or until golden, risen and springy to the touch. Cool for a few mins, then lift the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely. Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze as soon as possible.

Decorate and enjoy!!

Mars x

Oh what a week!

What a week its been, Sunday again and it feels like its been a month and not a week since last Sunday, however onwards and upwards and lets hope this week will be a good one.  Lots to do too, I have a mountain of paper work to attack, lots of hospital appointments to sort out, appointments to attend and boring things like paying holiday home insurance and renewing TV license.  I do plan some fun crafting too though, have been asked to design and make some cards for a TV craft show and have to design and make some samples for a craft demo I'm doing in Suffolk on 15th October. 

I have some lovely ideas for cards, cupcake pics and decorations using Craftwork Cards fabulous Candi so hopefully I can put my ideas into practice and make things that I will be happy with, being a bit of a perfectionist can be a drawback when doing things for other people, it takes me twice as long as I keep redoing things!

A had a little bit of a baking blitz yesterday as my friend Katie came to spend the day with me.  Give Katie cake and she is happy forever, give her cake with chocolate and she absolutely glows.  In order to make her glow, and she surely did!, I made her a chocolate banana cake with rum soaked green sultanas, very yummy.  Its a recipe from Nigella and is the nicest banana cake I have ever eaten.

For my lovely friend Djamila I made some cranberry, almond and citrus biscotti, my own recipe, as she was having some special guests.  Unfortunately she hasn't been able to pop by to pick it up yet so the biscotti mountain is becoming more of a hill! Katie and myself had a couple of sneaky pieces yesterday and I had one this morning with a lovely large espresso....bliss!  Will post some pics later.

Watching the Great British Bake Off as I write this but will start crafting as soon as its over, love the show, second time watching this week, great for baking ideas. Programme over, TV off and off to the craft room for the afternoon, well a couple of hours at least, it is Sunday after all!! Back soon...........Mars x

A couple of pics so you know I haven't been slacking!!

Cupcake pics using paper, candi, ribbon &  diecut scalloped discs from Caraftwork Cards.  Decorate your cupcakes using your favourite butter cream or icing and pop a pic into topping to add a splash of pzazz!

Beautiful card stock from Inspire me and tiny little 3 layer (yes 3!!) flowers using a mixture of papers including Craftwok Cards and Inspire me, the centres of the flowers are made using tiny discs cut from pearlescent card using a tiny hole punch, tricky but effective.

Craftwork Cards winns they day again for card stock and supplies, watch out on their blog for details of how to make the flowers using Candi.

Mars x

Morning fellow crafters & cooks!

Its definitely a day for crafting here in London, its blowing a gale outside and raining heavily on and off.  There's nothing nicer than being all snuggied up indoors when its nasty outside, I love to hear the wind howling but be nice and warm and cosy indoors!!

The craft room is now lovely and tidy with everything in  its place (well most things!). I had a lovely weekend of crafting, tidying and laughing lots with two of my closest friends Bec & Djamila, no matter how bad life is we always manage to have a laugh or two and that's what makes them such fab friends.  Its Monday again, so am 'working' sorting out my cards and looking at what stock I have as I may have a stall at a craft fair on 25th September, have to ensure I have enough stock on the off chance that a stall becomes available.

The lovely Julie at Craftwork cards has posted some more of my 'creations' on their blog, that makes me happy - thanks Julie!

Off to have my first espresso of the day and start work.

Mars x

more Craftwork Card Samples

and there's more still more to add later!

Mars x

Second eventful/ happy day this week, things are looking up!!

Hello u out there

Have had some great feedback from the very lovely Julie at Craftwork Cards on the samples I made for them last week using their Warren Christmas collection and lots of Candi! It was a bit of a rush job over the bank holiday weekend to get everything ready for their trade fair, and I wasn't sure everything was good enough but thankfully Sue and Julie were really pleased so I'm very happy and have landed a little demonstrating job into the bargain. Its different from teaching English or training in interview skills and psychometric testing but I'm adaptable and can transfer my skills to teaching craft techniques and the bonus is that I'll love what I'm doing!!

Have just spoken with a lovely lady called Vikki at Capture the Magic in Soham and will be going along to her craft emporium in October (date to be arranged) to demonstrate using Craftwork Cards fabulous candi and maybe some of their other products.  Vikki has a great web site with tons of products so its well worth a visit.  Goes without saying that Craftwork Cards website is great too and their service always outstanding, will be going on later to buy the goodybags I didn't get this am when I noticed my creations on their blog, was so excited I forgot to checkout my basket!!

Over and out for now, speak again soon.

Mars x

A couple of samples of what I did for Craft Work Cards Trade Fair.....

Oh happy day!

Just so happy!  Have been looking at Craftwork Cards web site/blog and notice that Julie has posted some of my cupcake pick designs on thier site, great confidence boost for me..... , better get back to the craft room blitz or I'll never have time for anything else today! Mars x

So glad its Sunday!

Was going to have a day off today, but have decided to have a bit of a craft room clear out, know I will regret starting half way through but will be so pleased when its done.  Anything that I'm not going to use again will go on an auction site to make some money so I can buy more from Craftwork Cards, sounds crazy logic but its good for me!

Have been baking during the week with my good friends little girls and we had fun.  Will post some pics below.  Off to make a large espresso to set me up for the task ahead! Mars x

Been busy!

Life has never been more hectic, if I was mobile I'd definitely be meeting myself coming backwards!! Have just won a second competition with QVC for their Christmas Craft day and have been making samples for a trade fair at NEC for my favourite craft ompany.  Also attended QVC craft party a couple of weeks ago which was great, and all whilst trying to have a disabled bathroom fitted in our holiday home, sourcing supplies and chasing builders (not happy times!) and get used to not working and trying to establish myself as someone who makes cards and cupcakes for a living. 
The craft room, which used to be our dining room, and reverts to a dining room when we have guests, is in a state again, my lovely sister spent two days organising it for me on a recent visit from Ireland so will have to try and regain some semblance of order there before she demands an inspection via Skype! It keeps me out of mischief though and gets me through the not so good days when pain is worse. A little selection below of what I've been up to!

Am currently teaching two beautiful 5.5 year old twins to knit and making shoes and dresses for teddies named Hannah & Billie! Better head for bed so I can start all over again tomorrow.... Mars x