Halloween Cake Pops

With Halloween in a couple of days I wanted to create some easy but delicious treats that one could serve at a party or just for fun.

The basic recipe is for caramel cake pops then decorated into pumpkins, you could also design them to be eyeballs, ghosts or other such like depending on what you have.I have always associated caramel with autumn as it is such a warming flavor.

Ingredients: (for 20 cake pops)
60g caster sugar
60g butter
1 egg
60g self raising flour
1 tsp caramel flavoring (just for ease)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan.

Cream the butter and sugar together.

Mix in a bit of the egg, then a bit of flour, then a bit of, then a bit of flour until all the egg is gone and there is half of the flour remaining.

Add the flavoring and mix.

Fold in the remainder of the flour, get as much air as possible in to the mixture.

Grease your cake pop tin and fill the bottom half of the mold with cake mix.

Put the lid on the cake pop tin and bake for 10 minutes so that they fill the tin.

Then leave to cool.

For decoration:
4 tablespoons Icing Sugar
1 tablespoon water
Orange gel coloring- to effect
Orange sugar crystals
Mixed peel
Green food coloring

Mix the water, sugar and coloring together so that it is thick paste. Pour over the cake pops and then cover in the sugar crystals.

For the stalk I used a piece of mixed peel which I painted green with food coloring. 

Happy Baking and Happy Halloween!

Gx

Top 5 Baking Books to Swear by....

This is a post I have wanted to do for a while but never got round to actually doing.... sorry about that.... Better late than never?

Although I make up my own recipes there is nothing I love more (other than the actual cake of course) than a good baking bible. So, whether you are looking to start a collection or just have the urge to buy more here are my favorites....

5. John Whaite Bakes by John Whaite

Most of you will know him as that guy that won Bake Off a few years ago. Well, this is the first of his currently two baking books. This is a book full of fun and simple recipes which often have a twist on an old classic. The only thing I don't like about it is the way it is organised; mood... It just doesn't make sense to me... but perhaps that is just me...

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/linda+collister/the+great+british+bake+off3a+how+to+turn+everyday+bakes+into+showstoppers/8782849/

4. The Great British Bake Off: How to turn Everyday Bakes into Showstoppers by Linda Collins, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood

For the novices among us this book could save you. Taking you slowly by the hand it gives you one basic recipe and then builds it up through three recipes until you reach the showstopper level. This is frankly, I think,amazing. Even if you're not a beginner this can give the perfect inspiration. 

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/linda+collister/the+great+british+bake+off3a+how+to+turn+everyday+bakes+into+showstoppers/8782849/

3. Annie Bell's Baking Bible by Annie Bell

This was the first cookery book I bought with my own money and to be honest it is still heavily relied upon. If you look right back to the first blog posts in 2012 (what?!) I mention it constantly and I still think it is great. There are bakes which I have never heard of before but the recipes are written simply and clearly so that it is almost impossible to go wrong. Ignore the red velvet cake meat fiasco..... (if you want to see it you can find it....) 

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/annie+bell/annie+bell27s+baking+bible/9180387/

2. The Penguin Cookery Book by Bee Nilson

It was published originally in 1952. Yep 1952. My edition is from 1973 but still, it's old. This book provides 995 recipes, not all of them baking, which are all gold. They are foolproof and fabulous and everyone needs one in their life. 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Penguin-Cookery-Book-handbook/dp/0140460179

1. How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

If you haven't heard of this book I don't know where you have been. This should be staple in any home and if you are going to buy one baking book it should be this one. I love this book so much and many of the recipes in it have often inspired my own, my Lemon Drizzle recipe was based on this one for example. Lovely Nigella covers every single base so that by the end of that book you should be able to bake anything. Yes anything. 

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/nigella+lawson/how+to+be+a+domestic+goddess/10348756/

Well those are my favorites, I hope this has inspired you too shop or to bake because let's face it those are two of the best things to do in the world. Leave a comment telling me any book I have left off but other than that...

Happy Baking!

Gx