Red Velvet Cupcakes: Egg Free Recipe

If you are looking for an easy weekend bake to try with your children, how about some light Red Velvet Cupcakes? The beauty of these is that they are super easy to make, and use no eggs. I find this useful as I frequently run out of the things due to my childrens weekend boiled egg habit. Neeeeed some chickens! 

Also, if you have a child who is allergic to eggs you might enjoy this recipe. In fact, all you need do is swap out the milk for soya milk and you can have an entirely vegan cake. Yay!

INGREDIENTS:

200g self-raising flour
 200g caster sugar
20g cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4tsp bicarb
1/4tsp baking powder
200ml milk
20ml cider vinegar
80ml sunflower oil
1tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp red food colouring, paste/gel 

OVEN: Preheat to 180C/Gas Mark 4

Makes 24 fairy cakes

1. Line two cupcake pans with paper cases
2. Put the vinegar and milk into a jug and set aside for around 10 mins
3. Meanwhile, put into a large bowl the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, bicarb, & baking powder. Mix until combined.
4. Add the milk mixture, oil, vanilla and food colour to the dry ingredients mixing by hand with a metal spoon. This is fine if done by a child, lumpy is just right!
5. Spoon into the cake cases.
 6. Bake for 15 mins, cool in the trays for a little while, then transfer to a wire rack.

ICING: we iced ours with a cream cheese and vanilla icing, but you may want to modify this if you are making them for a special diet.  I completely ballsed up my cake icing and subsequently have NO photos of them because they looked icky - I have a complete blind spot when it comes to icing cakes. I literally cannot make icing, I have no idea why. So enjoy your cakes and this very nice photo of somebody elses red velvet cupcakes.

via Pinterest

Little Baking Bags

Just thought that I would show you some of the things that I have been working on recently. 

A few weeks back we were invited to a double birthday celebration, so as I am on a never-ending quest to find good birthday presents that don't cost me sqillions of pounds, I tried a different present idea. After making some little personalised drawstring bags, I purchased some child sized spoons and rolling pins from the hardware store, and a lovely cookie cutter each to co-ordinate with the bag. I hope they liked them! Strikes me that you could do this for any hobby - drawing - crafts - cooking - petcare and buy a few inexpensive fun items to put in a similar useful bag. These had a felt initial stitched on by machine but if you aren't very confident with machining around curves you could hand stitch these on easily. 

Making bread

What more pleasant way of making you feel like a total domestic godess is there than making bread?! I have to admit that I did not have any ambitions towards becoming a bread maker until after Great British Bake Off, but like many people have had my inner stonebaked fire kindled by watching all those other amateur cooks struggling with their proving, kneading etc. I nearly almost bought Paul Hollywoods book 'How to Bake', but then my inner scrooge kicked in. For now I will satisfy myself with the advice on the side of the flour packet.

Anyway, I was doing this with kids so an hour of rising in the airing cupboard was all the patience they could muster. Satisfied that the dough would rise, although dissapointed it did not rise as much as the dough in Henry Hugglemonster (?!sigh) the kids were happy to prod, pummel and finally eat our slightly yeasty tasting 'delicious' homemade bread (dough balls - I made tiny ones! I am into miniature food at the mo' to the horror of Mr D).

NB: If that picture confuses you you need to realise they decided to make rabbit shaped bread.

Half Term Hands On

Well snatching a few moments of my own on the computer, I thought I would check in, just lay a few ideas your way for Half Term.

We've been hangin out at one of those great mobile farms today, enjoying/being intimidated by ducks, kune kunes and the most adorable donkey. Also yesterday we went to the Zoo - what else can we do that does NOT involve animals?

The half term started early with a free day on Friday, which I foolishly decided to fill with a whole bunch of biggest daughter's friends. Still they had a great time making these:

The ones that didn't make it to photograph were even more laden with haribo and millions. This time, they have defeated me, as even I with my horrendous sweet tooth didn't want them! Still, look at that glorious pink icing. I made it using only icing sugar and blood orange juice. Tasty. Tasty AND no additives. Smile. The blue was .... blue food colouring of course. Bleurg.

What are you up to this half term?

Birthday Week

Both my children have birthdays this week. Arg! What I have mostly been doing is making cake. A lot of cake!

But the best thing about being busy baking is that you get to eat them afterwards!

Little birdies and a Flickr Group!

Another day another 5am start! It's alright for babies they can go back to sleep again whenever they want. Grr.

As I am up now I will tell you all about a few things I have been up to this week. First up, new item listed on Folksy, an applique bib which is the first in a series of Chicken Coop Bibs that I am making using some cute chickenwire pattern background fabric. Added a waterproof layer inside to make it all the more practical. I have been producing quite a few bibs lately but most of them are going straight onto the baby!

Also I have created a Flickr group to view by Made by Dolly Folky items, other makes, and hopefully in the not too distant future other people will post photos of stuff they have made from my Folksy Tutorials etc (when I have done some!!!!)

On the home front what I have mostly been doing is making 40 gingerbread biscuits for the toddler group party, which was a bit of a mammoth effort. They were put out as an activity with icing and sweets to decorate them with. Unsurprisingly, this table was very popular and the biscuits and sweets disappeared in the twinkling of an eye!

Happy Saturday!

Just got back from an almost 100% perfect saunter around Bishop's Palace with the babies, and what was on my mat but the fruits (so soon!) of the Noodle Bubble Button Swap. What a lovely selection and they came with chocolate buttons too! Truely a queen amongst buttoners, she who sent them. Am now having button performance anxiety as I hope she likes the selection I sent her!


Actually had a wobble in the post office as I got to the counter and realised I had parcelled them up in a craply fat way so they wouldn't fit through that stupid 'large letter' slot they make you adhere to now. AAAAGGGHH. I unpicked the package (thank god my Mary Poppins-style handbag contains sellotape) and redid it thinner. When I handed it back to the woman, she deadpanned 'Sometimes you have to learn the hard way'. ???!!!! Thank you So Much For That Completely Patronising Comment. Luckily nothing can steal my sunshine. I have bought bright cake tins, sail boat braid, red salad spoons and no food for tea. La di da.

Summer Fete Season

The first summer fete of the season, so time to get baking! Weather was lovely today and the cakes turned out OK too. When I got there everyone else had also brought cakes so there were so many I thought we would never sell them all. Luckily after school, the starving hordes (teenagers) descended upon the cake stall and soon there were none left. Equally empty was my purse after having the children raid it on multiple occasions for tombola, face painting etc.

Actually the chocolate cakes is such a winning recipe and so moist. Must post the recipe for others to try, it's so delicious but far too chocolatey for children (!). I used 75% for the topping! Strictly grown up cupcakes....