a link list full of caffeine

First, I just wanted to say thankyou to everyone who commented, tweeted and e-mailed after seeing my guest post on Frosting for the Cause. As I have mentioned (several times) I think it is such a great project and worthwhile cause and I hope more people get involved or consider making a donation.

So while I was thinking and obsessing over coffee flavoured cupcakes, my mind wandered to other caffeinated treats:

... like these e-cards from Kate Spade (and while we're loving Ms Spade I love this thermos too)

... and this Je t-aime coffee cup wrappers from Eat Drink Chic that I fall in love with every time I see them

... I have been meaning to make tiramisu since like forever and will most definitely be getting round to it now I've seen these Tiramisu Cups from Sprinkle Bakes

... Vietnamese coffee ice-pops - you know I am obsessed with these already!

... I bought coffee filters witht he hopes of making these coffee filter pom poms spotted on Creature Comforts but mine looked nothing like those lovely white discs... so I used them to wrap beignets with instead

... and of course my Coffee Cakes for Latte Lovers featured on Frosting for the Cause

espresso print via artocrat

Today is the day! Join me for coffee (cupcakes) over at Frosting for the Cause 

A little sneak peak from my guest post for Frosting for the Cause this Wednesday! Hope to see you over there friends.

Blue Skies (and steaming black coffees)
Charlotte xo

from the kitchen - sicilian lemon cake

Wow, I just noticed I have done nothing but bake for the last week. I guess while I've been working on my Frosting for the Cause post, my mind has been pretty cake crazy. There were the chocolate dipped biscotti,  guinness cupcakes,  breakfast beignets (with more chocolate) and now Sicilian Lemon Cake.

I think it is due to the impending Spring, who keeps popping up then disappearing again, that I have been craving the sunshiney yellow of a real Sicilian lemon.

And like I mentioned before, while I was planning my Frosting for the Cause bake-off, I couldn't settle on one recipe, so I decided to make all of them to be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support. And since Macmillan are famed for their fundraising coffee mornings, I decided to go with a caffeine friendly theme.

So while you're sipping your espresso, wishing you were sat outside a street cafe in Roma, enjoy a slice of Sicily in this sunshiney drizzle cake.

Sicilian Lemon Cake:

- Pre-heat oven to 180c

- Beat together the 225g soft butter and 225g caster sugar until pale and creamy

- Add the 4 eggs, one at a time

- Sift in 225g plain flour, then add the zest of two lemons (save the juice for later)

- Mix well until combined - this is quite a thick and gloopy batter

- Line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper or do what I did and butter up some mini loaf tins to make individual cakes - pour in your batter and level the top with the back of a spoon

- Bake for 45-50 mins for the large tin, 25-30 for the smaller tins - until a skewer inserted comes out clean

- Meanwhile mix up 85g caster sugar and the juice of 1-2 lemons (I used 2)

- Once your cooking time is up, remove the cake from the oven and prick all over with a skewer

- Pour over the syrupy glaze and leave to cool completeley, still in the tin

I know this isn't a flashy cake, there is no beautiful fondant work or bright colours but let me tell you, a slice with a black coffee, for breakfast, preferably eaten outside, is to die for. I made the big cake and four mini ones and they were gone before the day was over

Beignets for the Cause

So earlier this week I mentioned that I'll be guest-posting over at Frosting for the Cause next week, if you don't know what it's all about check out the details here.

When I first thought about what to bake for my post, one cake recipe popped into mind straight away. It was the first cake of my semi obsessive baking hobby and is always my favourite. But I rejected it at first, in favour of something fancy, unexpected flavour combinations and lots of sprinkles. But I knew that my first choice was the right one. And as I was thinking about it, some other ideas popped in my head that would be perfect accompaniments. So of course, I made them all. Hence the biscotti of previous post-fame and these lovely little beignets.

I have been thinking on and off about beignets for a couple of weeks now, and fantasising. Majorly. I just couldn't think of anything better sounding than pillowy batter deep fried and rolled in powdered sugar.

I'm not sure it's entirely kosher to dip them in warm Nutella, but since my pancake brunch I have been enjoying a love affair with chocolate spread.

I used this recipe from the frenchfood pages of about.com and while some of my beignets were the size of tennis balls and hours later my house still smells like grease, I have to say my first beignet experience; warm chocolate, strong coffee, liberally sugared - was perfection.

I have a couple more posts before the big day (March 30th, make sure you join me) In the meantime, check out Frosting for the Cause, follow the project on Twitter and if you want to make a donation to Cancer Resarch UK you can do that HERE.

Blue Skies,

Charlotte xo

Bicotti for the Cause

I am super excited because on March 30th I will be guest-posting over at Frosting for the Cause a great project where bakers are coming together to 'bake a difference'. Raising awareness and raising money for cancer charities (all the guest-posters have agreed to make a $25 donation to a cancer charity). Plus all the baked goodies are donated to hostels and hospitals, hopefully bringing a smile to a patient, their loved ones or the people caring for them.

There have been some amazing creations featured already like these meyer lemon beignets, these cinnabon cupcakes (from my new favourite foodie blogger), these pink camo cookies,  these strawberry cupcakes and my favourite hot chocolate cupcakes! There are so many talented bakers and so many touching stories of lives affected by this terrible disease. As you can tell, I'm pretty hooked, which is good because there are at least four months worth of bakers lined up to post, you can sign up HERE.

I had a couple of ideas for my guest-post and me being well... me, I decided to make them all (more lovely things to donate to my chosen hospice right?).  They're all based around the same theme as my final project, like these chocolate dipped almond biscotti (get the recipe here) but you'll have to wait until March 30th when my finished post goes live to see what exactly I've been whipping up in my little kitchen.

In the meantime, check out Frosting for the Cause, follow the project on Twitter, consider taking part and if you want to make a donation to Cancer Research UK you can do that HERE