First Up :: Black Bottomed cupcakes

With the dawning of 2010 I didn't have to wait long for a birthday to bake for.

Now, I think cupcakes for birthdays are quite a brilliant idea, but I have started to wonder if there is a downside to them in that you get less cake than you would with a full size birthday cake.

Personally I find that they're easier to prettify (real word? don't know. Definition? To make something look pretty), and I think there's something quite endearing about them too. Is there something slightly disappointing about getting cupcakes for your birthday instead of a big fat full-on cake? Thoughts, anyone?

Anyway, onto these babies:

Black bottom cupcakes :: Recipe courtesy of The Hummingbird Bakery

Every now and then, I look at the ingredients list on a recipe and think. 'really?! will that actually work?'
I had that very thought when I looked at the recipe for the bbc's.
This cake is two-in its nature - a little bit of sponge and a little bit of cheesecake. Not your usual combination, but hey, The Hummingbird Bakery seems to be doing pretty well so I'm not ready to dispute them just yet.

The chocolate bottom of the cake involves making a sponge-type cake with oil instead of butter - something that I've come across in carrot cake recipe's a lot, but never in chocolate cake.
Then there's the cheesecake element, which has egg in. Also seemed a little weird to me, but I just rolled with it, did as the recipe said, and procurred some delicious cupcakes.

Cake Count :: 12

Bake 2010 :: What's the vision?

Hello. I'm Hannah and I love to bake.

One day at the beginning of January, I was blogging over here about my first baking session of 2010. In a slight moment of madness, or perhaps inspiration, I had an idea, a challenge form in my mind:

Why not try and bake 2010 cakes this year?

I often wonder just how many cakes I bake over the course of a year, but have never attempted to keep a running record. This is the year when that changes.

Here is the little space where I will document all that I bake this year, which is going to mean making sure I always have my camera in tow wherever I go to bake. (I am a lodger which means I don't have my own kitchen, and so I'm a bit of a mobile baker, going to various different kitchens of friends, and my church, to meet my baking needs.)

Will you join me in my adventure?

If you have any requests of things you'd like to see me bake, please do make suggestions, although I guess it's not as fun if you don't get to eat it. But, if you live in the UK, there's always the possibility of posting cake, so long as it's not some delicate little thing. Cookies and loaf cakes travel best, I've found, just fyi.

Over the next few days I'll be filling you in on all I've baked so far, so please bear with me as I catch up with myself...