Super Basic Easter Cupcakes To Make While On Lockdown!

Hey beaut's!

It's been a while...about 3 weeks to be exact and that's all down to the horrendous situation we are all in! The place I work thankfully closed it's doors a week and a half ago, and although that means I'm temporary out of work until the store re-opens I'm just so glad I can stay home and keep as safe as possible! Making sure we all stay at home can be boring but it's absolutely essential right now to protect our NHS and ourselves, so something fun you could do alone or with your kiddies is bake!

The recipe I'm sharing today is pretty basic (plain sponge and chocolate buttercream) and is made up of the simplest ingredients which hopefully you'll already have in your cupboards at home, I bake a lot so I do always have a stash of ingredients in my baking cupboard and the Easter mini eggs I already had as I was planing on doing lots of Easter recipes for you guys, but that's not worked out as I'd hoped so I'm using up the bit's and pieces I'd bought already! 

What You Will Need For The Cupcakes - Makes 12
125g butter
2 free-range eggs
125g self raising flour
100g caster sugar
25g light brown sugar
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
splash of milk

What You Will Need For The Icing
150g unsalted butter
300g icing sugar
15g cocoa powder
2-3 tbsp milk
Any Easter treats you have to decorate.

How To - Cupcakes
1. Firstly pre-heat your oven to gas mark 4 /180 and line a muffin tin with your cupcake cases.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whack in your butter and both of your sugars and cream together, then pop in the rest of your cupcake ingredients and mix until smooth with a hand whizzer or standing mixer. If the mixture is a bit thick then add a splash of milk to loosen things up.
3. Pop a heaped tablespoon of the cupcake batter into each cupcake case and bake in the oven for around 16-18 minutes or until the top of the cupcakes are springy to the touch, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool.

How To - Icing
1. In a large bowl, beat the butter until it becomes smooth and silky, then start adding the icing sugar and cocoa powder slowly to avoid the dreaded icing sugar cloud and mix again until combined. If your buttercream becomes thick just add in a tablespoon of milk at a time until you get the perfect consistency.
2. Pipe or spoon the icing on top of the cupcakes and decorate how you wish, I used up some Cadbury Mini Eggs and some Smarties Orange Eggs for mine.

 And there you have it, a simple yet effective bake which can be adapted if needs be, if you don't have any light brown sugar then just add an extra 25 grams of caster sugar or vice versa, if you only have light brown just use that. If you only have plain flour that's fine too but you'll need to add some baking powder!

Do let me know if you give these a go beaut's!

Galaxy Enchanted Eggs Cupcakes Perfect For Easter!

I bloody love Galaxy chocolate, so it's quite shocking that I haven't created a bake or cake with the yummy stuff yet, well until now I should say! Yup, today I am bringing you a scrumptious yet easy Galaxy chocolate cupcake recipe decorated with those pretty rose gold Enchanted Eggs to add an Easter feel! The cupcake itself is just a regular chocolate cupcake but it's been spruced up with chunks of chopped up Galaxy bar within it, it's so yummy and perfect for any chocoholics out there!

What You Will Need For The Cupcakes
125g butter
2 large free-range eggs or 3 medium
100g self raising flour
25g cocoa powder
125g light brown sugar
100g Galaxy chocolate chopped up into chunks.

What You Will Need For The Icing
150g unsalted butter
300g icing sugar
15g cocoa powder
2-3 tbsp milk
2 bags of Galaxy Enchanted Eggs to decorate

How To - Cupcakes
1. Firstly pre-heat your oven to gas mark 4 /180 and line a muffin tin with your cupcake cases.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whack in your butter and sugar and cream together, then pop in the rest of your cupcake ingredients (apart from the Galaxy) and mix until smooth with a hand whizzer or standing mixer.
3. Chop up your Galaxy bar into chunks, these can be as big or as small as you like then gently fold them through the batter.
4. Pop a heaped tablespoon of the cupcake batter into each cupcake case and bake in the oven for around 16-18 minutes or until the top of the cupcakes are springy to the touch, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool.

How To - Icing
1. In a large bowl, beat the butter until it becomes smooth and silky, then start adding the icing sugar and cocoa powder slowly to avoid the dreaded icing sugar cloud and mix again until combined. If your buttercream becomes thick just add in a tablespoon of milk at a time until you get the perfect consistency.
2. Pipe or spoon the icing on top of the cupcakes and decorate how you wish, because I wanted to make these Easter themed I used the new Galaxy Enchanted Eggs because they just look so freakin' pretty, but you could also use squares of the Galaxy bar or Galaxy Minstrels if it wasn't Easter time.

And there you have it, super yummy Galaxy cupcakes that are so easy to make and will look amazing on your Easter table this Easter! I will warn you, these are quite sickly and definitely for the chocoholics out there, my Nephew absolutely loved them and polished 3 off in one day (little piggy), one was definitely enough for me though he he!

How To Keep Your Home Warm For Less

There’s nothing worse than getting up in the morning or coming home from work to a cold home. It’s quite frankly miserable to have to wear multiple layers and wrap up in blankets in your own house. While it may seem like an endless battle between keeping your home cosy and trying to keep a lid on your energy bills, there are a number of simple tricks that can make a huge difference to your home’s temperature without breaking the bank! 

Here are some top tips for heating your home and saving money at the same time… 

Curtains 

If you don’t have curtains around your home currently, having them installed is one way to help insulate your rooms. They can be used to your advantage to keep heat in and stop cold air from getting in. Keep your curtains wide open when its sunny to allow the sun and heat to stream in, and firmly shut in the evenings to insulate the warmth already in your room. 

Investing in some long and thick draped curtains that go right to the floor and reach the ends of your windows will ensure no heat escapes or cold air enters underneath. Curtains are a useful temporary solution for homes that may have older window panes or doors with cracks where draughts can creep in.

Smart thermostats 

Another tip is to make the most of advances in boiler and central heating technology. Smart thermostats can be found in many homes across the UK and you should make the most of this. Smart thermostats can be programmed to turn on at certain times of the day or can be triggered by temperature so they kick in or turn off once your home hits a certain temperature. 

Most new boilers nowadays will come with a smart thermostat that can be controlled via a handy app on your phone. BOXT are leading providers and installers of combi boilers in the UK, offering top of the range Worcester Bosch and Vaillant boilers to homes and businesses. Their top priority is customer service and they are renowned for having boilers installed with minimal hassle, as soon as the next day. 

Don’t believe the old wives tale that leaving your central heating on low for longer periods of time is more economical. You should only use your boiler when it’s needed by setting it to come on around half an hour before you get up in the morning or arrive home from work. Doing this means your home is cosy as soon as you walk in but also allows you to avoid overspending on energy bills by having your boiler running constantly. If you have pets, you may want to set your thermostat to turn on for a short period in the middle of the day to make sure your home doesn’t become too chilly for them.

Keep your radiators clear 

Next, try to avoid blocking the heat from your radiators with any furniture. Radiators may not be the best looking items in your home, but placing sofas or other pieces of furniture in front of them will leave you spending more than necessary to keep your home warm. Leaving clothes or towels hung on your radiators to dry will also mean they absorb the heat that should be keeping you warm. Try to keep the areas around your radiator as free as possible to allow the heat to flow freely.

Insulate water tanks and pipes

If your home doesn’t have a combi boiler installed like most do these days, you should try to keep your water tank and pipes as insulated as possible. Minimise the amount of heat lost from your tank by using specially made insulation jackets and make sure your tank is installed in a space that isn’t prone to draughts. 

Pipe lagging can also make a difference by preventing heat from escaping on the journey from your boiler to the radiators around your home. Foam lagging can be found in any DIY store and is easy to fit. 

Draught-proof your home 

If you live in an older or period home, draught-proofing is essential to stop your energy bills from going through the roof. Check around your floorboards, window panes, door frames and more for any cracks or gaps where cold air can creep in. There are plenty of DIY options for preventing draughts like floorboard filler, rubber window seals, under-door draught excluders and more. You will notice a difference in the overall temperature of your home by stopping any pesky draughts from finding their way in. 

Heat reflectors

A final but still important tip for keeping a warm home for less is to place thin sheets of foil behind your radiators. This reflects the heat produced by your radiators into the room, rather than letting it hit the wall and be absorbed. 

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