The Hummingbird Bakery Home Sweet Home: 100 new recipes for baking brilliance

Jaffa Cake Cupcakes

This is one of the most popular flavours from our biscuit tin range. The tangy orange marmalade goes so well with the sponge and chocolate frosting. You can decorate the top with mini Jaffa Cakes or cut up normal-sized ones if you prefer.

MAKES 12–16 CUPCAKES

FOR THE SPONGE

70g (2½oz) UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED

210g (7½oz) PLAIN FLOUR

250g (9oz) CASTER SUGAR

1 tbsp BAKING POWDER

½ tsp SALT

210ml (7½fl oz) WHOLE MILK

2 LARGE EGGS

1 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT

100g (3½oz) SMOOTH ORANGE MARMALADE

FOR THE FROSTING

450g (1lb) ICING SUGAR, SIFTED

60g (2oz) COCOA POWDER, SIFTED

150g (5½oz) UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED

60ml (2fl oz) WHOLE MILK

MINI JAFFA CAKES, TO DECORATE

EQUIPMENT

ONE OR TWO 12-HOLE DEEP MUFFIN TINS

1. Preheat the oven to 170 °C (325°F), Gas mark 3, and line the muffin tins with paper muffin cases to make the number you require.

2. First make the sponge. In a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or using a hand-held electric whisk, mix the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together until they form a crumb-like consistency.

3. In a jug, mix together the milk, eggs and vanilla extract by hand.

4. With the mixer or whisk on a slow speed, gradually pour half the liquid into the flour and butter and mix thoroughly until combined. Turn up the speed and beat until the batter is smooth and thick with no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go along. Once any lumps are gone, turn the speed back down and gradually pour in the rest of the liquid, continuing to mix until smooth and combined.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared paper cases, filling them two-thirds full. Using a 50ml (1¾fl oz) ice-cream scoop can make this process easier and will result in even cupcakes.

6. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until the cupcakes are golden brown and the sponge bounces back when lightly touched. Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tins and placing on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

7. Using a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand-held electric whisk, gradually mix the icing sugar, cocoa powder and butter together on a low speed until combined and there are no large lumps of butter. Gradually add the milk while mixing on a slow speed. Once incorporated, increase the speed and beat until light and fluffy.

8. Once the cupcakes are cool, use a sharp knife to make a hollow in the centre of each cupcake, approximately 2cm (¾in) in diameter and about 3cm (1¼in) deep. Retain the cut-out piece of sponge. Spoon about 1–2 teaspoons of orange marmalade into the hollow. Replace the cut-out piece of sponge, trimming to fit and pressing down gently to ensure that the top is level with the rest of the cake.

9. Spoon a generous amount of the frosting onto each cupcake, then gently smooth over with a palette knife, making a swirl at the top if you wish. Top each cupcake with a mini Jaffa Cake.

Mint Humbug Cupcakes

Mint and caramel combine beautifully together to recreate this old-fashioned boiled sweet in cupcake form. They can also be dusted with mint-flavoured fudge if you can’t find real mint humbugs.

MAKES 12–16 CUPCAKES

FOR THE SPONGE

70g (2½oz) UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED

210g (7½oz) PLAIN FLOUR

250g (9oz) CASTER SUGAR

1 tbsp BAKING POWDER

½ tsp SALT

210ml (7½fl oz) WHOLE MILK

½ tsp PEPPERMINT ESSENCE

2 LARGE EGGS

50g (1¾oz) TINNED CARAMEL OR DULCE DE LECHE

FOR THE FROSTING

500g (1lb 2oz) ICING SUGAR, SIFTED

160g (5½oz) UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED

50ml (1¾fl oz) WHOLE MILK

¼ tsp PEPPERMINT ESSENCE

20g (¾oz) TINNED CARAMEL OR DULCE DE LECHE

6 MINT HUMBUG SWEETS, ROUGHLY CHOPPED INTO BITS, TO DECORATE

EQUIPMENT

ONE OR TWO 12-HOLE DEEP MUFFIN TINS

1. Preheat the oven to 170 °C (325°F), Gas mark 3, and line the muffin tins with paper muffin cases to make the number you require.

2. First make the sponge. In a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or using a hand-held electric whisk, mix the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together until they form a crumb-like consistency.

3. In a jug, mix together the milk, peppermint essence and eggs by hand.

4. With the mixer or whisk on a slow speed, gradually pour in half of the liquid and mix thoroughly until combined. Raise the speed to medium and beat until the batter is smooth and thick, with no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Once all lumps are gone, turn the speed back down and gradually pour in the remaining liquid, continuing to mix until the batter is smooth and combined.

5. Add the dulce de leche and mix, making sure it is evenly incorporated into the batter.

6. Spoon the batter into the prepared paper cases, filling them two-thirds full. Using a 50ml (1¾fl oz) ice-cream scoop can make this process easier and will result in even cupcakes. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until the sponge bounces back when lightly touched. Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin and placing on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

7. Using a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand-held electric whisk, gradually mix the icing sugar and butter together on a low speed until combined and there are no large lumps of butter. In a jug, mix the milk and peppermint essence together. Gradually pour the milk into the butter and icing sugar, while mixing on a slow speed. When all the liquid is incorporated, turn the mixer up to a high speed and beat the frosting until light and fluffy.

8. Add the dulce de leche and mix through the frosting until even and smooth.

9. Spoon generous amounts of the frosting onto each cupcake, then gently smooth over with a palette knife, making a swirl at the top if you wish. Top each cupcake with a sprinkling of the chopped mint humbug sweets.

Doughnut Cupcakes

Part of our carnival range, this indulgent cupcake takes you straight to the fairground. It’s very tempting to eat the warm mini doughnuts as they come out of the pan … or just make some extra ones for baker’s perks!

MAKES 12–16 CUPCAKES

FOR THE SPONGE

70g (2½oz) UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED

210g (7½oz) PLAIN FLOUR

250g (9oz) CASTER SUGAR

1 tbsp BAKING POWDER

½ tsp SALT

210ml (7½fl oz) WHOLE MILK

2 LARGE EGGS

100g (3½oz) STRAWBERRY JAM

FOR THE CINNAMON SUGAR

1 tsp GROUND CINNAMON

100g (3½oz) CASTER SUGAR

FOR THE DOUGHNUTS

250g (9oz) PLAIN FLOUR, PLUS EXTRA FOR DUSTING

¼ tsp SALT

½ tsp BAKING POWDER

35g (1¼oz) COLD UNSALTED BUTTER, CUBED

35g (1¼oz) CASTER SUGAR

1 LARGE EGG

125ml (4½fl oz) WHOLE MILK

1 LITRE (1¾ pints) SUNFLOWER OIL

FOR THE FROSTING

660g (1lb 7oz) ICING SUGAR, SIFTED

1 tsp GROUND CINNAMON

210g (7½oz) UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED

60ml (2fl oz) WHOLE MILK

EQUIPMENT

ONE OR TWO 12-HOLE DEEP MUFFIN TINS

1-2cm (½-¾in) ROUND COOKIE CUTTER

SUGAR THERMOMETER

1. Preheat the oven to 170 °C (325°F), Gas mark 3, and line muffin tins with paper muffin cases to make the number you require.

2. First make the sponge. In a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or using a hand-held electric whisk, mix the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together until they form a crumb-like consistency.

3. In a jug, mix together the milk and eggs by hand.

4. With the mixer or whisk on a slow speed, gradually pour in half of the liquid and mix thoroughly until combined. Raise the speed to medium and mix until the batter is smooth and thick, with no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Once all lumps are gone, turn the speed back down and gradually pour in the remaining liquid, continuing to mix until the batter is smooth and combined.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared paper cases, filling them two-thirds full. Using a 50ml (1¾fl oz) ice-cream scoop can make this process easier and will result in even cupcakes.

6. Bake for approximately 20–25 minutes or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when lightly touched. Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin and placing on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

7. While the cakes are baking, make the cinnamon sugar and doughnuts. In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and caster sugar together and set aside. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture forms rough crumbs. Add the sugar and mix through.

8. In a separate jug, mix the egg and milk together by hand. Make a well in the middle of the crumb mixture. Pour the liquid into the well and mix all the ingredients together to form a dough.

9. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1cm (½in) thick. Using the cutter, cut out small round doughnuts. Place the doughnut balls onto the prepared tray.

10. Line another baking tray or large plate with kitchen paper. In a large pan, heat up the oil to 140–160 °C (275–320°F).

11. Using a slotted spoon carefully place the doughnut balls into the oil, one at a time. Don’t put more than 10 doughnuts in at a time. Fry the doughnuts until they are an even golden brown. When the doughnuts are done, carefully take them out of the oil using a slotted spoon and place them on the prepared kitchen paper to cool slightly. Once cooled, roll the doughnuts in the cinnamon sugar, making sure they are completely coated.

12. Using the freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or the hand-held electric whisk, make the frosting by gradually mixing the icing sugar, ground cinnamon and butter together on a low speed until combined and there are no large lumps of butter. Gradually pour the milk into the butter and icing sugar while mixing on a slow speed. When all the liquid is incorporated, turn the mixer up to a high speed and beat the frosting until light and fluffy.

13. Once the cupcakes are cool, use a sharp knife to make a hollow in the centre of each cupcake, approximately 2cm (¾in) in diameter and about 3cm (1¼in) deep. Retain the cut-out piece of sponge. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the jam into the hollow. Replace the cut-out piece of sponge, trimming to fit and pressing down gently to ensure that the top is level with the rest of the cake.

14. Spoon generous amounts of the frosting onto each cupcake, then gently smooth over with a palette knife, making a swirl at the top if you wish. Top each cupcake with a small doughnut ball.

If you don’t have a thermometer to check the oil in the pan is hot enough, drop a croûton-sized piece of white bread into the oil and it should go golden brown within 10 seconds. If it goes brown too early, reduce the heat and drop in another piece of bread. If it takes too long to turn brown then let the oil heat up a little more.

Blueberry & Amaretti Trifle Cupcakes

One Christmas we decided to mix things up and created this Italian biscuit-inspired recipe as an alternative to our Raspberry Trifle Cupcakes. You can put a tiny dash of amaretto liqueur onto the crushed biscuits if you want something boozier, but be careful not to get them too soggy.

MAKES 12–16 CUPCAKES

FOR THE SPONGE

70g (2½oz) UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED

210g (7½oz) PLAIN FLOUR

1 tbsp BAKING POWDER

½ tsp SALT

250g (9oz) CASTER SUGAR

210ml (7½fl oz) WHOLE MILK

2 LARGE EGGS

1 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT

150g (5½oz) BLUEBERRIES

FOR THE CUSTARD

330ml (11½fl oz) WHOLE MILK

3 LARGE EGG YOLKS

60g (2oz) CASTER SUGAR

20g (¾oz) PLAIN FLOUR

20g (¾oz) CORNFLOUR

150ml (5½fl oz) DOUBLE CREAM

FOR THE DECORATION

75g (2½oz) BLUEBERRIES

50g (1¾oz) AMARETTI BISCUITS, CRUSHED INTO CRUMBS

EQUIPMENT

ONE OR TWO 12-HOLE DEEP MUFFIN TINS

1. Preheat the oven to 170 °C (325°F), Gas mark 3, and line the muffin tins with paper muffin cases to make the number you require.

2. First make the sponge. In a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or using a hand-held electric whisk, mix the butter, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together until they form a crumb-like consistency.

3. In a jug, mix together the milk, eggs and vanilla extract by hand.

4. With the mixer or whisk on a slow speed, gradually pour half of the liquid into the crumb mixture and mix thoroughly until combined. Turn up the speed to medium and beat until the batter is smooth and thick, with no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Once all the lumps have been beaten out, turn the speed back down and gradually pour in the remaining liquid from the jug, continuing to mix until the batter is smooth and completely combined. Stir the blueberries into the cake batter by hand.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared paper cases, filling them two-thirds full. Using a 50ml (1¾fl oz) ice-cream scoop can make this process easier and will result in even cupcakes.

6. Bake for approximately 20–25 minutes or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when lightly touched. The blueberries will sink into the sponge – this is normal. Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin and placing on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

7. While the cakes are in the oven, make the custard. Place the milk in a saucepan and bring to the boil. In a bowl, mix together the egg yolks, sugar, flour and cornflour to make a paste, adding 1 tablespoon of the hot milk to thin if necessary.

8. When the milk has boiled, remove the pan from the heat and mix 4–5 tablespoons with the egg and flour paste, then pour this back into the pan with the remaining hot milk and return to the heat.

9. Bring back up to the boil, whisking constantly, and continue to boil for a further 3–4 minutes to ensure the flour and cornflour are fully cooked. However, be careful not to overcook or the eggs may begin to scramble. Remove from the heat and immediately pour the custard into a baking tray. Cover straight away with cling film and set aside to cool completely.

10. To finish the custard, pour the double cream into a medium bowl. Using a freestanding electric mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand-held electric whisk, beat the cream until it forms soft peaks. Place the cooled custard into a medium bowl. Using the mixer or whisk, on a slow speed mix the custard until it is smooth. Using a spatula, gradually fold the whipped cream into the custard.

11. Spoon generous amounts of the custard onto each cupcake, then gently smooth over with a palette knife, making a swirl at the top if you wish. Top each cupcake with 3–4 blueberries and a sprinkling of amaretti biscuit crumbs.

Jolly Jammer Cupcakes

This recipe is fantastic for those with a little more time to spare. We like to make the little biscuit decorations for the top, but you can use shop-bought mini Jammie Dodgers or other jam-filled shortbread biscuits.

MAKES 12–16 CUPCAKES

FOR THE COOKIES

100g (3½oz) UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED

140g (5oz) CASTER SUGAR

1 EGG

200g (7oz) PLAIN FLOUR, PLUS EXTRA FOR DUSTING

¼ tsp CREAM OF TARTAR

FOR THE SPONGE

70g (2½oz) UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED

210g (7½oz) PLAIN FLOUR

250g (9oz) CASTER SUGAR

1 tbsp BAKING POWDER

½ tsp SALT

210ml (7½fl oz) WHOLE MILK

2 LARGE EGGS

1 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT

FOR THE FROSTING

660g (1lb 7oz) ICING SUGAR, SIFTED

210g (7½oz) UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED

60ml (2fl oz) WHOLE MILK

½ tsp VANILLA EXTRACT

FOR THE DECORATION

100g (3½oz) SMOOTH STRAWBERRY JAM

EQUIPMENT

3½cm (1½in) ROUND, FLUTED COOKIE CUTTER

1cm (½in) PIPING NOZZLE

2 PIPING BAGS

ONE OR TWO 12-HOLE DEEP MUFFIN TINS

1. Preheat the oven to 170 °C (325°F), Gas mark 3, and line a baking tray with baking parchment.

2. To make the cookies, put the butter and sugar in a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or use a hand-held electric whisk and cream until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated.

3. In a small bowl, sift the flour and cream of tartar together. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture. Mix on a slow speed until a dough forms. Don’t overmix.

4. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 3–4mm (⅛in) thick. Using the cookie cutter, cut out 32 (or more) cookies. Then use the piping nozzle or a small sharp knife to make smaller holes in the centres of half the cookies (these will be the cookie tops). Carefully place them all on the prepared baking tray. Any excess dough can be made into more cookies or frozen and used again at a later stage.

5. Bake the cookies for approximately 10–13 minutes or until they start to go a golden brown around the edges. Set aside to cool completely for later use. Leave the oven turned to 170 °C (325°F), Gas mark 3.

6. Meanwhile make the sponge. Line the muffin tins with paper muffin cases to make the number you require. In a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or using a hand-held electric whisk, mix the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together until they form a crumb-like consistency.

7. In a jug, mix together the milk, eggs and vanilla extract by hand.

8. With the mixer or whisk on a slow speed, gradually pour in half of the liquid and mix thoroughly until combined. Raise the speed to medium and mix until the batter is smooth and thick, with no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Once any lumps are gone, turn the speed back down and gradually pour in the remaining liquid, continuing to mix until the batter is smooth and combined.

9. Spoon the batter into the prepared paper cases, filling them two-thirds full. Using a 50ml (1¾fl oz) ice-cream scoop can make this process easier and will result in even cupcakes.

10. Bake for approximately 20–25 minutes or until the cupcakes are golden brown and the sponge bounces back when lightly touched. Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tin and placing on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

11. Using the freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or the hand-held electric whisk, gradually mix the icing sugar and butter together on a low speed until combined and there are no large lumps of butter. Gradually pour in the milk and vanilla extract while mixing on a slow speed. When all the liquid is incorporated, turn the mixer up to a high speed and beat the frosting until light and fluffy.

12. To assemble the mini cookies for decoration, place a small amount of the prepared frosting into a piping bag. Gently heat the strawberry jam in a pan over a low heat until it is smooth and slightly melted. Put a small amount of the strawberry jam in a second piping bag.

13. On a tray, lay out the cookies without the holes in the centres. Pipe a small amount of frosting onto each cookie, and a small amount of strawberry jam into the centre. Top each one with a cookie top with a hole in its centre to create a mini ‘jolly jammer’ sandwich cookie.

14. Once the cupcakes are cool, use a sharp knife to make a hollow in the centre of each cupcake, approximately 2cm (¾in) in diameter and about 3cm (1¼in) deep. Retain the cut-out piece of sponge. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the frosting into the hollow. Then top with 1 teaspoon of strawberry jam, reheated if necessary to make it smooth and spoonable. Replace the cut-out piece of sponge, trimming to fit and pressing down gently to ensure that the top is level with the rest of the cake.

15. Spoon a generous amount of the frosting onto each cupcake, then gently smooth over with a palette knife, making a swirl at the top if you wish. Top each cupcake with a mini jolly jammer sandwich cookie.