Buttercups & Unicorns

Vegan Chocolate, Banana and Walnut Cupcakes

Eating Dirty 01:35

Ingredients

For The Cakes

3 mashed bananas (the more ripe the better)

55g Trex

200g light brown sugar

250g plain flour

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tsp salt

100g walnuts

For The Chocolate Frosting

115g Trex

170g Icing Sugar

1tsp Vanilla Extract

60g Cocoa Powder

To decorate

Walnuts

Freeze Dried Banana Pieces

Recipe

1. Preheat your oven to 180C/ Fan 350C/ Gas Mark 4 and prepare a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.

2. Beat the mashed bananas, Trex and sugar together with an electric whisk or mixer

3. Sieve the flour and add the bicarb and salt in a separate bowl.

4. Using a food processor (or alternatively your Nutribullet's milling blade) finely chop the walnuts. Add the chopped nuts to the flour mix and stir well.

5. Slowly add the flour mix to the banana mix. Ensure thorough mixed. I used a stand mixer for this.

6. Add your mix to the cupcake cases. My trick is to use and ice cream scoop - this ensure the same amount of mix and gives the muffin a nice shape.

7. Bake for approximately 22-25 minutes and leave to cool on a wire rack.

8. Whilst the cakes are cooling prepare the chocolate frosting. Sieve the icing sugar and cocoa powder together in a mixing bowl.

9. Next add the Trex and vanilla extract to the mix. Using a stand mixer or an electronic whilst beat the ingredients until you have a nice consistency.

10.Using a star nozzle on your piping bag ice the cooled cakes and add any additional decorations.

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Pistachio. Lime and Dark Chocolate Cupakes

Eating Dirty 15:17

Ingredients

For The Cakes

100g Shelled Pistachios

140g Golden Caster Sugar

140g Softened Unsalted Butter

140g Self Raising Flour

2 Medium eggs

5tbsp Milk

For The Icing

250g Softened Unsalted Butter

500g Icing Sugar

Zest 2 limes

Juice 2 limes

Green Gel Food Colouring

Recipe

1. Preset the oven to 160C/ Fan 140C/ Gas Mark 3

2. Like a 12 hole muffin tin with your cupcake cases.

3. Use a food processor to finely chop 85g of your pistachios with half of the sugar. I used a Nutribullet with the milling blade attachment for his.

4. Tip the mix into a large mixing bowl and add the butter, eggs, four, milk and the rest of the sugar. Beat this by hand or using an electronic mixer until the batter is smooth.

5. Divide the mix between the 12 cupcake cases and bake for 22-25 minutes before taking out the cool on a wire rack.

6.Add your 250mg of softened butter with the lime zest and juice to your mixing bowl. Add half of the icing sugar and beat until well mixed and fluffy.

7. Continue to gradually add the remainder of the icing sugar until completely combined. Add a few drops of green colouring and beat the mix at high speed for approximately 1 minute.

8. Using a piping bag with a star tip, ice your cooled cupcakes.

9. Decorate your iced cakes - I used a pieces of dark chocolate which I feel compliments the flavours well. I also added a pistachio too. You could think about using candied lime peel or chocolate sprinkles.

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Bowness and Grasmere

On The Go 05:00

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Baked Oats

Eating Clean 13:08

INGREDIENTS

40g plain porridge oats

1 tbsp sweetner

1 beaten egg

1/2 pot of Muller Light (I would recommend Vanilla/ Banana and Custard)

A few drops of Vanilla Essence

100g of berries (Raspberries, Blueberries or Blackerberries)

RECIPE

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/ Fan 180C/ Gas Mark 6

2. Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir well until thoroughly mixed

3. Add the contents of the mixing bowl into a small casserole dish. Bake in the oven for approximately 35 minutes or until the top is a nice golden brown

4. Serve with more fresh fruits and yoghurt

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Kendal

On The Go 12:16

Where to stay: We stayed at the Stonecross Manor Hotel. We booked last minute and bagged a room for £110 a night including breakfast. The breakfast was delicious and included a Full English, cereals and fruits. We also had an evening meal there too. I had the Pork Stack which included a black pudding mash that was delicious! There were also Spa facilities on site which we didn't use but which were available to guests.

The hotel is approximately 20-25 minutes walk from the centre of Kendal. It makes a nice Sunday morning stroll!

I adore the quaint signage on the local shops! I think this local Dog Boutique is adorable! There are plenty of independent and boutique establishments to visit - as you walk deeper into the heart of the town there are more high street brands and eateries.

The ye olde world streets are pretty to walk along. There are lots of hidden alleyways - I love the art work in this one!

I love this signpost!

There were plenty of places to eat in the town centre. We stopped off at the Booths Cafe for afternoon tea which was delicious and very reasonable too at £20 for two people. This included a selection of sandwiches (salmon, cream cheese, coronation chicken), a scone each with clotted cream and jam and also a selection of cakes. We were so full we had to take some home with us!

For more ideas of things to do in Kendal and in the Lake District take a look at the Visit Cumbria Website

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Apple Strudel

Eating Dirty 10:48

Winter is coming - the pinch of autumn is in the air and the shops are full of not so subtle hints that Christmas is just around the corner. If you are looking for a yummy hot dessert to see you through the cold nights then this quick Apple Strudel recipe is perfect for you. The shop bought puff pastry means this dessert can be made in only half and hour.

Ingredients

5 Apples

10 dates or a handful of sultanas

A handful of chopped nuts (I used walnuts but pecans would be just as yummy!)

Brown Muscavado Sugar 75g

The juice and zest of 1 lemon

2 tsp of cornflour

2 tsp cinnamon

Puff Pastry (1 sheet of pre-made)

1 beaten egg and 1 further tbsp of brown muscavado sugar to finish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (lower is fan assisted)

2. Peel the apples and cut into 1cm cubes. Chop the dates and nuts into small chunks.

3. Pop the following ingredients into your mixing bowl and stir; apples, nuts, sugar, lemon juice and zest, corn flour, cinnamon

4. Your puff pastry should already but a perfect size for your strudel. Place on a piece of greased proof paper and sit on a baking tray

5. When it comes to gulling your strudel, simply spoon the mix down the centre of the pasty sheet - just make sure it isn't too close to the far edges!

6. Here comes the part which will make you look like a pro baker! Slice the pastry either side of the mix into inch long strips. Cross the strips alternately over the mix in the centre - these strips should overlap and give the appearance of a plait.