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A few weeks ago I bought  a silicon cameo mould from a company called ClassiKool and when it came through the post I didn't quite realise how small it was going to be... note to self... read the information provided detailing the size! I had a wedding project in mind when I bought it but it was a bit too small for what I had planned, so,  I decided it would be perfect to make mini cupcake toppers with.  I finally had the perfect opportunity to try it out when I was asked to make some engagement celebration cupcakes for someone at work.

It was my first time using a mould and my first time using edible paint and I was pleased with the results.   I am looking forward to future experiments!  The cameo is moulded out of sugar paste and I made the little blossom flowers with gum paste with a sugar pearl painted with gold edible paint in the centre.

The cupcakes are vanilla sponge filled with jam and topped with vanilla buttercream coloured blue.  I used the same recipe for the sponge and buttercream detailed in my ice cream sundae blog post.

I still haven't found the perfect cameo mould but when I do I shall be sure to blog about it!

I spent Saturday at the beach with my boyfriends 5 nieces and nephews which was great fun.  It was one of their birthdays so I took some cupcakes with me.  The beach always makes me think of ice cream which gave me the inspiration to make some ice cream sundae cupcakes. Here they are..

One of the things I struggle with is making cakes for men.... as soon as someone asks me immediate panic sets because (sorry to be sexist as there are some exceptions) I can't cover it in pretty decorations i.e. flowers.  Most of the men I speak to about cakes seem to prefer novelty cakes and although I don't mind making novelty cakes I don't get as excited about it as I feel sometimes the taste is compromised.

So when my Aunt asked me to make a cake for my cousins 30th I was relieved when she said she wanted a chocolate cigareolles cake she saw I had made recently for someone else.  I think this cake is a great cake option for men as it doesn't have to have pretty decorations on it to look impressive.

For my friend at works birthday this week I decided to try out caramel cupcakes with caramel icing.  All I can say is WOW the caramel icing was delicious and after a quick taste test it was a struggle to not eat the entire saucepan full!  The caramel icing would work well with chocolate and caramel cupcakes.

I of course made enough so my boyfriend and I could pile a caramel cup cake high with icing for our dessert that evening and I even tried popping the second half in the microwave for 20 seconds and eating it warm.  Also amazing and would have tasted great with ice cream.

That's probably enough about my love for this icing recipe....  I got this recipe (once again) from the marvelous Primrose Bakery book 'cupcakes' by Martha Swift and Lisa Thomas.

You will need:
60g unsalted butter at room temperature
6 tablespoons milk at room temperature
220g light soft brown sugar
240g icing sugar sifted
1/2 tsp good quality vanilla essence

• Place the butter, milk and brown sugar in a saucepan over a high heat and stir to combine.  Bring to the boil for 1 minute while continuing to stir.
• Remove from the heat and add approximately half of the icing sugar and stir until combined.
• Leave the mixture to cool for a bit and then add the rest of the icing sugar and vanilla essence.
• Stir until combined and at the desired consistency.

I found the icing set quickly which is mentioned in the recipe and it is definitely best to use it straight away.  If you are preparing it in advance then you will need to thin it slightly with double cream.  I tried this and the icing thinned well making it smooth to spread.  I also tried putting a little in a piping bag and microwave for a few seconds to thin a little as I needed a small amount to attach some fondant flowers and this worked well also.

The final result:

As I was in a rush I admit my decorating efforts were limited...

The Royal Wedding gave me a great excuse to bake some wedding cookies and use my new wedding themed cookie cutters.  I am still very new to cookie decorating and this is my first proper attempt at trying something with a bit of detail.  I was pleased with the results.  The hard part was keeping my arm steady as it seemed to have a mind of it's own as soon as I held the piping bag! I did have a couple of practice goes which gave me an opportunity to learn control of the crazy arm!  Here are the results:

Tomorrow I am off to visit my friend Helen and her parents at their home in Suffolk and I wanted to take something tasty with me as they are always cooking me fantastic home cooked food.  I decided to make Carrot Cake as according to Helen it is her mum's favourite.  The recipe I use creates a deliciously moist carrot cake and has been slightly adapted from a recipe I found on the website all recipies.com and the post was called 'best ever carrot cake'. 

The finished product: