Half term is already nearly upon us and its difficult to find things to do especially with Christmas just around the corner and probably for most like me funds are short or are being preserved for Santa, what better to do than some half term baking with the kids its fun keeps them engaged and bring out the creative in them. We were kindly sent some amazing Cake decorating items from Dr. Oetker which made the cake decorating exciting and really let them explore their creative side.
We used a really simple recipe that I remember off the top of my head and I have been using for fairy cakes since I was a little girl remember when it comes to kids baking it doesn't have to be perfect nor does it have to be a piece of art like you see splashed all over the internet, baking should be fun, messy and inexpensive that is exactly what it was in my house.
Ingredients
- 110g/4oz butter or margarine.
- 110g/4oz caster sugar.
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten.
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional).
- 110g/4oz self-raising flour.
- 1-2 tbsp milk.
Method
- heat the oven to before you do anything to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and fill 2 x 12 fairy cake tins with paper cases.
- Mix the butter and sugar together in a bowl it should turn pale once you have done this. Beat in the eggs, a little bit at a time, and stir in the vanilla extract (you don't have to use this).
- Fold in the flour or if its kids miking them stirring is just fine use a large spoon if you can. Add a little milk until the mixture is a soft dropping consistency and spoon the mixture into the paper cases until they are half full.
- Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until golden on top and using a skewer or knife insert it into one of the cakes if it comes out clean then they are cooked. Set them aside to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool and let them cool.
There is so much choice to choose from with Dr.Oetker and it is certainly not going to break the bank this is what the boys used to get creative with theirs.
- Super Hero Sprinkles
- Fairy Princess Sprinkles
- Chocolate Mix Sprinkles
- Bright and Bold Sprinkles
- Chocolate Footballs
- Food Colour Gels
- Easy Swirl
- Writing Icing
- Heart Marshmallows
To see more from the Dr. Oetker range of baking goodies and toppings visit www.oetker.co.uk
Below are two more recipes from Dr. Oetker if you would like something a little more challenging or with a different taste, however, if you don't fancy any of these recipes you can find plenty more inspiration over on the Dr Oetker website Here You will also find all the toppings that they make on their website through there online shop so you can purchase them and much much more!
Chocolate Heart Mallow Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the recipe Chocolate Heart Mallow CupcakesFor the Cupcakes:
Dr. Oetker Cupcake Cases
220 g Margarine softened
220 g Caster Sugar
Medium Eggs x 4, beaten
5 ml Dr. Oetker Madagascan Vanilla Extract (1 tsp)
2 Dr. Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder (x2 sachets or 50g)
170 g Plain Flour
3 Dr. Oetker Baking Powder Sachets x 3 (3 tsp)
For the Decoration:
150 g Butter softened
350 g Icing Sugar
2 Dr. Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder (x2 sachets or 50g/6 tbsp)
25 g Dr. Oetker Heart Marshmallows
Preparation
Chocolate Heart Mallow CupcakesPreheat the oven to 190°C (170°C Fan, Gas Mark 5). Line a cupcake tin with 12 Cupcake Cases.
Beat the margarine with the sugar until light in texture.
Gradually whisk in the eggs and Madagascan Vanilla Extract.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder and Baking Powder. Using a metal spoon, fold the dry ingredients into the mixture.
Spoon the mixture into the Cupcake Cases and bake for 20-22 minutes until risen and just firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
For the icing, place the butter into a bowl and beat until soft. Gradually sift and beat in the icing sugar and cocoa powder to make a smooth buttercream. Add a little milk if the buttercream is too thick.
Fit a piping bag with a 1cm closed star nozzle then fill with buttercream and pipe onto the cupcakes. Place a Heart Marshmallow onto each cupcake to finish.
Strawberry Marshmallow Cheesecake Bites
Ingredients
For the Cheesecakes :Dr. Oetker Baking Cases
115 g Digestive Biscuits, (4oz) finely crushed
65 g Butter, (2 1/2 oz) melted
150 g Strawberries, (5oz) washed
1 Dr. Oetker Free Range Egg White Powder Sachet, (5g)
50 g Caster Sugar, (2oz)
150 g Full fat soft cheese, (5oz)
Dr. Oetker Platinum Grade Leaf Gelatine, 3 sheets
Dr. Oetker Bright Red Gel Food Colour
To decorate:
150 ml Whipping Cream, (1/4pt)
100 g Strawberry Jam, (3 1/2 oz) sieved
Dr. Oetker Heart Marshmallow, 1 bag
Preparation
For the CheesecakesLine a 12 cup muffin tin with Baking Cases. Put the crushed biscuits in a bowl.
Stir the melted butter or margarine into the biscuits until well coated. Divide the mixture equally between the cases and press down into an even layer to make a smooth base. Chill until required.
For the filling, remove the green stems from the strawberries, roughly chop the fruit and blend in a food processor for a few seconds until smooth. Spoon 30ml (2 tbsp) into a small bowl, cover and chill until required for decoration.
Make up the Egg White Powder according to the pack instructions and whisk until stiff. Gradually whisk in the sugar to make a thick, glossy meringue. In another bowl, beat the soft cheese until smooth.
Put the Leaf Gelatine in a shallow bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for 5 minutes then drain and squeeze out the excess water. Place the gelatine in a small bowl and spoon over 45ml (3 tbsp) very hot water. Mix well until thoroughly dissolved. Stir into the remaining strawberry purée.
Using a spatula, scrape the meringue onto the soft cheese and carefully mix them together. Gradually and gently, mix in the strawberry purée until well blended.
Spoon the mixture on top of the biscuit bases to fill the cases. Chill for at least 1 hour until set.
Carefully peel away the cases and put the marshmallow bites on a serving plate. Whip the cream until softly peaking and load into a piping bag fitted with a large closed star nozzle. Pipe a swirl on top of each. Mix the reserved strawberry purée with the jam and drizzle a little over each cheesecake. Top with a Heart Marshmallow to serve. Serve any remaining sauce as an accompaniment.
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