Baking Sundays: Death By Chocolate Cupcakes

For a cake lover like myself, it really doesn't get much better than a classic beautifully fudgy, chocolately chocolate cake. Therefore finding that perfect chocolate cake recipe has been like finding the holy grail. I've searched high and low, in old cook books and new, magazines and phone apps and just about every corner of the internet for a flawless recipe that would produce a cake that'd be be, quite simply, delectable. But what's the secret to a faultless chocolate cake... cocoa powder or dark chocolate, sour cream or milk, muscovado sugar or caster? I've tried them all, but nothings been quite right. Nothing's been wow!

That was until I stumbled across this recipe from Sally over at Sally's Baking Addiction. Her chocolate cake was just what I'd been looking for- light, fluffy, moist and immensely chocolately- it was perfect. This has been my go to recipe for quite some time now.- it's one I love to bake up for special occasions and guests always love it. Follow the instructions and this cake is utterly flawless and exceptionally delicious- trust me, you shall never want for another chocolate cake recipe again. 

Baking Sundays: Delicious Chocolate Brownies

Since I returned from uni,  my sister's been incessantly requesting that I make her a batch of brownies (she'd do it herself but they'd only burn). Today I caved in and boy I do not regret it! I mean look at them in all their gooey glory... they're delicious. 

 I love a good brownie, and I'm not gonna lie to you, these are not exactly guilt free. They aren't secretly sugar free, I didn't find an alternative to fat and they're obviously stuffed full of chocolate, but don't we all deserve a naughty treat once in while? 

Clockwise from top left: Ingredients all ready to go, frothy whisked eggs and sugar, finished brownie mix, end result

They're super quick and easy to make and trust me, oh so satisfying. Just melt a little butter and chocolate, whisk up some eggs and sugar, and mix it all together with a touch of flour and cocoa powder and voila! your brownies are ready to bake, filling your house with that lovely brownie smell. And as if this wasn't bad enough for me already, I went and over indulged, making this gorgeous salted caramel sauce to pour alllll over the top. I recommend it- it's seriously good.

So give them a go, you won't regret it ;)

How can you resist?

Baking Sundays: Classic Vanilla Cupcakes (GF)

Gluten-free and perfectly pretty

Sitting opposite my dietitian during our first consultation she uttered the words no cake lover wants to hear -'Your health would benefit from a gluten free diet'. Great. As if it couldn't get any worse, M.E had now stolen away my favourite guilty pleasure. In that moment I was sure my life long relationship/ obsession with cake was over.

Boy was I wrong. Now I'm gonna be honest with you, I wasn't strong enough to be completely gluten free (I wasn't ready to give French baguettes and Dominos pizzas, basically); but I do try my best to eat gluten free about 80-90% of the time. But one thing I have been determined to do is find a gluten free cupcake recipe that works for me, so that I can enjoy my guilty pleasure slightly less guiltily.

I've tried many recipes from around the internet but have settled on a slight adaptation of my tried and tested vanilla cupcake recipe.  If  you're somewhat of an experienced eater in the gluten free field, you'll be aware there nothing ever really really tastes like the real thing. However these little lovelies are about as close as it gets- my ultra picky family demolished them without even questioning whether they were 'normal' or not... which is a good sign, trust me.