The Alphabet of Abbie - C is for... Cupcakes!

CUPCAKES!

I love cupcakes! It's something about their versatility in flavour and appearance, their cute size, the icing and the prettiness of it all! When it comes to cupcakes, what's not to love!? I came across something rather brilliant the other day... the Iron Cupcake competition. Originally a monthly bake-off in the USA where like-minded baking enthusiasts came together with their mutual love of cupcakes and battled for the coveted 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes for best cupcake. Each month there is a theme or ingredient as a starting point for the cupcake bakers. I recently discovered that the concept has travelled across to pond to us in Britain and a monthly Iron Cupcake competition in held in Leeds. Below are some of the yummy looking entrants to the last Leeds-based Iron Cupcake contest!

1st prize - Raspberry Fizz Cupcakes
Raspberry and champagne cupcakes with white chocolate and coconut, dulche de leche ganache and a vanilla bean topping.

2nd prize - Mixed Summer Berries Cupcake
This delightful looking cupcake had a raspberry ripple style cake base, with a mixed fruit coulis centre, topped with fresh currants, strawberries and a drizzle of summer berry juice. Delish!

3rd prize - Summer Fruit Basket
Strawberry and almond sponge cake, with marshmallow icing topping and summer berries, all sat in a sugar syrup basket.

Twirly Swirly Berry Bun
Vanilla and raspberry sponge filled with coulis with a vanilla topping finished with a chocolate covered strawberry and a sprinkling of pretty edible gold glitter.

Tayberry and Raspberry cupcakes
Tayberry and raspberry flavoured sponge cake base, with a tayberry and white chocolate mousse, drizzled with chocolate and topped with a rasberry.

Starwberry pavlova cupcakes
Strawberry and meringue sponge with strawberry buttercream and a cute little sprinkling of meringue to finish it all off.

Berry and white chocolate cupcakes
Berry and white chocolate sponge cake base with marhsmallow buttercream and topped with a strawberry.

Very berry good cupcakes
Strawberry sponge cake, topped with strawberry icing, a fresh chocolate dipped strawberry and an adorable teeny tiny meringue!

Eton mess cupcake
Vanilla and strawberry puree sponge cake base, topped with buttercream, finished with meringue pieces and a huge juicy fresh strawberry.

Strawberry Fields
Chocolate sponge with strawberry cream mousse, chocolate fudge ganache and a strawberry buttercream icing.

Black forest cupcake
Chocolate and brandy sponge base, filled with a cherry conserve, topped with a morello cherry buttercream, cherry and white chocolate heart.

The Great British Bake-Off - My New Favourite Programme!

I officially have a new favourite programme... The Great British Bake-Off! I have always really enjoyed food-based programmes, I watched Masterchef religiously with John Turrode and Gregg Wallace and occasionally catch The Great British Menu. But these are overshadowed by the BBC's new series. The basic premise of the programme is a group of 10 enthusiastic home bakers fighting it out for the title of best amateur baker. Each week they go to a different location in the country where they bake the particular area's signature food, with two people eliminated in the first week until only one winner remains. The judges are renowned baking writer Mary Berry, and professional baker Paul Hollywood. The programme is presented by Mel and Sue, and they trace the history of British baking by visiting baking landmarks and discovering why we bake what we do today.

The competition was kicked off with cake in the Cotswolds. The contestants had three challenges, the first being for them to bake their own signature cake to show the judges their tried and tested recipes that they love and are passionate about. Anita, with her caribbean inspired, rum soaked, black cake with strawberries and cream were a real highlight for me, it looked delicious and was a hit with the judges too.

I wouldn't have minded a nice big slice of this gorgeously indulgant looking chocolate brownie, raspberry and meringue layered cake... yum!

For the contestants second challenge they had to each make a victoria sandwich using identical ingredients so that the judges could see their true skills. It amazes me how different the cakes can all look even though they were made from identical ingredients... it just goes to show how baking is not an exact science, especially as the slightest variation at any stage of making a cake can make huge differences in the way that the cake rises, looks, tastes and feels.

Lastly the contestants had to bake a chocolate celebration cake that they were encouraged to decorate in whatever way their saw fit. I loved the look of the rich chocolate fudge cake (above) with the handmade chocolate buttons and flowers.

One contestant used edible glitter and stars along with some scrummy looking handmade truffles to decorate her chocolate cake.

The thing I love about this programme is that it will raise the profile of baking and help people get passionate about it. Baking was always a brilliant treat as a child, where me, my mum and sisters would make a mess in the kitchen, have fun together and make fairy cakes, cornflake cakes, sponge cakes, cheese straws and such like. There is nothing more satisfying than spending time making something yummy from scratch, imperfections and all!

The bbc website that accompanies the series is very good too, with recipes, tips and videos on how to get a firm grasp of the baking basics. So there is no excuse to avoid a spot of baking every now and then! Tune in to next week's episode of The Great British Bake-Off when they will be in Scotland making biscuits! Or catch up on iplayer and enjoy!


(All photos and screenshots are taken from the programme and any rights to the images belong to the BBC)

Tesco's Clothing - Fabfrock's Summer Wedding Outfit Competition!

I am an avid follower of the Lovely FabFrock's blog and I've also been following her on Twitter for a while as well... So, when she posted about a competition, I entered right away!

The hopeful entrants must create a summer wedding outfit from Tesco's Clothing, but with a catch, it must cost under £30! The lucky winner will win £30 to spend at Tescos. For more information on Fabfrock's competition, and to enter, visit her blog. I love a bargain, I love creating outfits, I love summer and I love a little challenge! If you do too, I suggest you get your calculator out, browse the Tesco Clothing website and get creating!

Here is my entry!

Tesco - summer wedding outfit by abbiehayden on Polyvore.com

The British Invasion - Debenhams Competition

Debenhams have just launched a competition on their website to celebrate their step in shipping internationally to USA, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Spain, Germany and France. So, using the marvellous platform of Polyvore, and with a focus on the brilliant designers at Debenhams (including Henry Holland, Ben de Lisi, Matthew Williamson and Julien Macdonald to name a few!) Debenhams have invited us to create some Polyvore sets to win some brilliant prizes... See more information below and enter the British Invasion competition here.

The British Invasion

Inspire us with a designer look from Debenhams

To enter the contest, simply create a set showing us your best designer look inspired by Designers at Debenhams. Each set must include at least 2 items from debenhams.com.

Winners will be selected by the style team for debenhams.com. Up for grabs is one grand prize of any handbag on debenhams.com worth up to £250 and four runner up prizes of jewelry from debenhams.com worth up to £50. The winning sets will be posted on the Debenhams Facebook page and Blog. Good luck!

Here are my entries for the competition... so get your creativity revved up and enter now!

Festivals By Henry Holland by abbiehayden featuring H! by Henry Holland

Rocha by John Rocha by abbiehayden featuring Oasis dresses