Sweet Treats for Any Occasion

I got into a baking groove last weekend and made some yummy sweet treats for Mother’s Day and I want to share these Hummingbird Bakery recipes because they’re great for any occasion. They go down especially well with children – my oldest niece (7 years old) had a great time decorating the carrot cake cupcakes and my oldest nephew (5 years old) declared that whoever made the chocolate fridge bars was great, a.k.a me 🙂

These two recipes are both from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook – I rely on this book so much for cake recipes – next time I want to try my hand at one of their cheesecakes.

Recipe 1: Chocolate fridge cake bars

This is a great crunchy, chocolatey treat that requires no cooking. This recipe makes about 12 bars. You will need a relatively deep baking tray and greaseproof paper.

Ingredients

• 400g unsalted butter
• 200ml golden syrup
• 100g cocoa powder
• 800g digestive biscuits, broken into small chunks
• 200g raisins

Method

1. Put the butter, golden syrup and cocoa powder in a large saucepan over a medium heat and heat until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally.
2. Put the biscuit chunks and raisins in a large bowl and pour in the chocolate mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until everything is well mixed and the biscuits and raisins are evenly dispersed.
3. Press this mixture into the prepared baking tray using a tablespoon to flatten and compress it. Cover with a sheet of greaseproof paper, then a tray covered in jam jars or tins to apply pressure on the mixture and compress it further.
4. Leave to cool completely, then refrigerate for a couple of hours, or overnight if possible.

Recipe 2: Carrot cake cupcakes

I just used their normal carrot cake recipe and it made about 15 cupcakes. You will need a cupcake/muffin tray(s) and cupcake cases.

Ingredients

• 300g soft light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 300ml sunflower oil
• 300g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra to decorate
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 300g carrots, grated
• 100g shelled walnuts, chopped, plus extra, chopped and whole, to decorate
• 1 quantity cream cheese frosting: 300g icing sugar; 50g unsalted butter at room temperature; 125g cream cheese, cold

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius (325 degrees fahrenheit) Gas 3 – note for fan ovens it should be slightly lower.
2. Beat the sugar, eggs and oil until all the ingredients are well incorporated (don’t worry if the mixture looks slightly split).
3. Slowly add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and vanilla extract and continue to beat until well mixed.
4. Stir in the grated carrots and walnuts until they are all evenly dispersed.
5. Pour the mixture into the cupcake cases and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when touched.
6. While the cakes are in the oven, make the cream cheese frosting – beat the icing sugar and butter together slowly until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.
7. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated.
8. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy. TIP: Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.
9. When the cupcakes are ready, leave them to cool.
10. When the cupcakes are cold, spread the cream cheese frosting on them and decorate with walnuts and a light sprinkling of cinnamon.

Straight out of the oven

As decorated by my 7 year old niece – such a good job!

Happy baking! x