cakeandcouture

What are you doing on Sunday?

2011-12-14T15:14:00.001-08:00

We are doing a stall at The Secret Emporium Christmas Market in Shoreditch - so looking forward to this as it's organised by the same peeps as Secret Garden Party and they know how to put on an event!

Winter Wedding Cupcakes

2011-12-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

I love a Winter Wedding, the depth of the colours and themes you can have is fabulous. We were excited to design make lots of these bauble cupcakes for Lucy and Dan who got married last weekend after they fell in love with our Christmas fondant range.

Alice In Wonderland Cupcakes

2011-12-14T15:04:00.000-08:00

Staff at Amnesty International ordered these for a colleague's baby shower - what a great little project they were.

Which one is your favourite?

Fashionistas

2011-12-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

Andre Leon Talley, Karl Lagerfeld, Anna Wintour

Donatella Versace, Victoria Beckham, Vivienne Westwood

The British Fashion Council

It was really funny to receive an email containing pics of the entire staff of the British Fashion Council so they could be turned into Face Cake Pops for their Christmas party, oh and they also asked for Karl, Anna, Donatella, Victoria, Andre Leon and Viv to join them . Apparently they'd got Bompas & Parr to do the savouries - how fab.

Interview for a US magazine

2011-12-11T14:55:00.001-08:00

Star Wards Cake

2011-12-11T14:54:00.000-08:00

Oh what fun it was to make this for Adrianos' 5th birthday. The handmade fondant figures are based on Star Wars lego figures. How cute is Yoda?! Then for the cupcakes it was all about hand stencilled Stormtroopers and Darth.

Leo's Christening

2011-12-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Dean & Anna who sent me these beautiful photos of their little Leo's Christening. They decided on a Willy Wonka themed and we were so excited to design cakes and cake pops for it!

Pics courtesy of Alex Rumford.

LOTS of Christmas orders

2011-12-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

Insanely busy but we refuse to close the order book - keep them coming! As Bel said when we saw Friday's ENORMOUS Selfridges order "we can do it!"

Cookies & Cream Giant Cupcake

2011-12-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

Remember kids there's cookies on the inside as well as outside!

Morrissey Cake

2011-12-03T03:28:00.000-08:00

"I've come to wish you an unhappy 30th birthday". Hannah ordered this fabulous birthday cake for her boyfriend who loves Morrissey and The Smiths. Love the sense of humour!

We hand stencilled and painted the fondant decorations and hand piped the royal icing music notes and writing. Delicious Victoria Sponge cake with lashings of vanilla buttercream.

Molly Bakes Christmas Cakes!

2011-12-03T03:21:00.000-08:00

Mama Bakes has been making this delicious Christmas Cake recipe for as long as I can remember. It took some arm twisting but we finally managed to convince her to share the recipe with us. Unlike most fruitcakes we can guarantee you will love this one - this cake is actually a Cypriot recipe packed full of glyka (fruit preserves) as well as booze meaning it's super moist and contains many wonderful surprising and rich flavours.

Our traditional design features a Christmas reef handmade out of fondant. The cake is covered the way it should be - with apricot glaze, marzipan and fondant icing.

US Press!

2011-11-29T03:19:00.000-08:00

The US book is making waves all across America it seems. How exciting! Here's a little article in the El Paso Times (Texas).

Thank You Cupcakes

2011-11-27T03:16:00.000-08:00

What better way to say thank you to our wedding photographer Evagoras who loves cupcakes than with a dozen of these beauties! Gold buttercream with black and white wedding themed details.

Sweet 16 Cupcakes

2011-11-25T03:14:00.000-08:00

Mince Pie Pops

2011-11-22T03:12:00.000-08:00

Yes actual mince pies on sticks - made with pastry not cake and candy. Buy a box now!

United Colours of Cake Pops!

2011-11-21T03:10:00.000-08:00

The beauty team at Stylist Magazine enjoyed these pretty face cake pops which were sent as a gift from a PR company.

Angie's Wedding Cake Pops

2011-11-20T03:06:00.000-08:00

Angie sent us this beautiful pic taken by Nick Tucker Photography of her wedding cake pops we made back in the summer. Angie had an alternative wedding down in lovely Cornwall. The bride asked for Totoro themed cake pops as favours to compliment the quirky style of her day.

It's beginning to look alot like...

2011-11-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS!

Classic Christmas Fondant Cupcakes

Pastel Christmas Fondant Cupcakes

all £21 per box of 6.

Dachshund Cupcakes

2011-11-15T15:34:00.000-08:00

Lots of birthdays last week - what do you buy the girl who loves Dachshunds and cupcakes?

Giant Battenburg

2011-11-15T15:30:00.000-08:00

When Laura asked for a two tier giant battenburg for her birthday party - how could I say no?! Possibly the most ridiculous cake I have ever made and it was a 3 hour battle to put together. The bottom layer is a huge 12" by 6". Needless to say the top layer was a doddle and it was so hard not to eat all the marzipan as we went along.

Christmas Fondant Cupcakes - Sneak Peek!

2011-11-06T09:42:00.000-08:00

We haven't actually finished these yet - there are more - YES MORE on the way! We just couldn't wait to share!

Fondant cupcakes £3.50 each. Gift boxes available.

Marble Pops

2011-11-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

We made these for a birthday party in Knightsbridge. Lots of colours, they were super fun to make. £2.50 each.

More Christmas Cake Pops

2011-11-06T09:30:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few of the cake pops on offer for Christmas 2011...

our snowmen complete with scarves, earmuffs and hats are £3.50 otherwise you can have them naked for £3.

Christmas puds come in truffle and pop variety and are £2.50 each.

Baubles are £2.50 each.

Hen Party Cupcakes

2011-11-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

We really loved making these cupcakes for Andria's Hen Night, she's a make up artist so we combined lips and sticks with the usual L plates and willies! (I haven't used that word since school!). Bespoke Hen Party cupcakes £2.50 each.

Christmas Class Dates

2011-11-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

New dates for Christmas themed cake pop and cupcake classes

Cake Pops £90 for 4 hours
Tuesday 15th November: 2-6pm
Tuesday 22nd November: 2-6pm
Tuesday 6th December: 2-6pm

Cupcakes £60 for 3 hours
Wednesday 26th October: 2-5pm
Wednesday 23rd November: 2-5pm
Wednesday 7th December: 2-5pm

Book now! info@mollybakes.co.uk

Liquorice Cupcakes

2011-10-30T06:07:00.000-07:00

It's Halloween tomorrow so why not bake something that sounds abit weird but tastes delicious?

Ingredients:
170g soft liquorice
4 tbsp water
120g unsalted butter, softened
120g light brown sugar, packed
100g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
2 large Baking Eggs

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cases.
Gently melt the liquorice in a small pan with 2 tbsp of water. Stir occasionally then add the rest of the water. Leave to cool.
Sift the flour with the baking powder, soda and salt. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, leaving a minute between each addition.
Add the liquorice and mix in well.
Gently stir in the flour mixture.
Spoon the mixture into the cupcake liners, filling ¾ of the way and bake for 18 mins or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Buttercream

120g butter, softened
200g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
Black food colouring

Cream the butter until smooth, gradually add the icing sugar and continue to cream until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla until combined.

Add a few drops of black food colouring to the buttercream and mix until it reaches a mid-grey colour. Spread onto each cupcake using a palette knife. Add a few more drops of black colouring to the remaining buttercream until it reaches the desired shade of black. Spoon into a piping bag and cut the tip off. Pipe the black buttercream onto the cupcakes into a spiderweb design.

Pumpkin Double Bundt Cake

2011-10-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

This cake is made by making two medium sized bundt cakes and stacking them to get a pumpkin shape. A simple, chic alternative to spook overload.

Preparation time: 20 mins

Baking time: 35-45 mins

Serves: 12

You will need;

2 Medium Original Nordicware Bundt Cake Pans

Ingredients:
400g self raising flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
600g caster sugar
340g pureed pumpkin
4 Large Baking Eggs
250ml vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease and flour the bundt pans.
Sift the flour with the spices, baking powder, soda and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl mix together the sugar, pumpkin, eggs and oil.
Gently fold in the flour mixture.
Divide the mixture equally between the two pans, filling ¾ of the way and bake for 35-45 mins or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. Leave to cool for 20 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Glace Icing

Glace Icing

40g unsalted butter, softened
125g icing sugar, sifted
2-4 tbsp water
Orange food colouring

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the icing sugar. Add water , one tablespoon at a time and stir until it reaches the consistency of a thick syrup. Place the bottom of each cake together to form a pumpkin, place on a cake stand and drizzle the icing over the cooled cake.

To Decorate

You will need;

100g green sugarpaste

Knead the sugarpaste until soft and pliable. Roll with your hands making one end thinner than the other. Twist to make grooves and the place into the hole at the top of the cake.

Sticky Toffee Cupcake recipe

2011-10-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

Sticky Toffee Cupcakes

Preparation time: 20 mins

Baking time: 18 mins

Serves: 12

Ingredients:
170g dates, chopped
250ml water
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g self raising flour
1tsp baking powder
30g unsalted butter, softened
165g light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp treacle
2 large Baking Eggs

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cases.
Heat the dates in a saucepan with the water. Bring to the boil and remove from heat. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda. Leave to cool.
Sift the flour with the baking powder. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and treacle, then the eggs one at a time, leaving a minute between each addition.
Gently stir in the flour mixture until just combined.
Fold in the date mixture.
Spoon the mixture into the cupcake liners, filling ¾ of the way and bake for 18 mins or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Sticky Toffee Sauce

80ml double cream
40g unsalted butter
50g dark brown sugar
4tbsp treacle
4 tbsp golden syrup

In a saucepan gently melt the butter and sugar together, then add the double cream, treacle and golden syrup. Bring to the boil and remove from heat. Spoon over cooled cupcakes.

This recipe was created for Ella Valentine Baking Eggs.

Halloween Cake Pops

2011-10-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

You might recognise some ol' favourites, with the new addition of witches, tombstones, mummies and devils. It's too late for orders but you can find them at Netil Market on Saturday and at Selfridges all week.

Chill-tern Hills

2011-10-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

Love this time of year but it was pretty cold up there! Nothing like a countryside walk on a Sunday afternoon...not that I get to see much country with the amount of time I spend in the bakery!

Halloween Cupcake Class

2011-10-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

More fun in the bakery...

Halloween Cake Pop Class

2011-10-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

Such a fun time! Here's what they made...

Such a fun time! Here's what they made...

Halloween Classes

2011-10-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

Lemon Drizzle Recipe

2011-10-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Here's how to make the perfect lemon drizzle loaf.

Preparation time: 20 mins

Baking time: 35 mins

Serves: 12

A fresh and zingy favourite. Using good quality lemons will really make a difference to the flavour of this delicious cake.

Ingredients:
120g butter, softened
140g caster sugar
grated zest of one lemon
2 large Ella Valentine eggs, room temperature
180g self raising flour
125ml milk

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 23cm by 13cm loaf cake tin.
Sift the flour and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest then the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
Add half the flour and then half the milk and mix until fully combined. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 35 mins or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool for 20 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon drizzle

Juice and zest of 2 lemons
80g icing sugar sifted

Stir together the sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Spoon the mixture over the top of the cake. Garnish with the lemon zest.

Recipe written for Ella Valentine Baking Eggs.

MARRIED!

2011-10-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

Here we are leaving the chapel, having confetti and all sorts of random things over us! Oh and that hideous pointy thing is not my shoe it's a confetti cone...I'd have to have very big feet if it was my shoe. Ha.

This pic was taken by my cousin. Official pics coming soon which were taken by amazing photographer Evagoras.

Greetings from Cyprus!

2011-09-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

Oh yes even when I am on a much deserved vacation there is no escaping them! CAKE POPS! Aaaaargh!

Actually, I'm in Cyprus for my wedding! Yes my own wedding! My aunt is a cake maker here so I have been roped into making cake pops with her....!

And, no I won't be making my own wedding cake! Aphrodite Hills will be taking care of that.

Fabulous Magazine Cake

2011-09-24T15:38:00.000-07:00

Fabulous Magazine asked us to make a slightly gawdy, beauty pageant style cake for writer Laura Miller's 40th birthday. Laura is a real life-female-Peter Pan who refuses to grow old. Well we like that and we think the cake was perfect for her!

Cake Peep Show?

2011-09-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

Love this gawdy sign when it's all lit up in Stoke Newington.

Cake Pops book USA!

2011-09-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

My book is being published in America on the 11th October! Not long to go!

It's called Crazy For Cake Pops, with a new cover, US measurements and spelling! I can't wait to go to America again (one day) so I can see if for real on the shelves. In the meantime if anyone would humour me and take some pics of it in Barnes & Noble I might just start believing it's real!

Links of London

2011-09-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

For Vogue's Fashion Night Out we were taken back to school when Links of London asked us to create a periodic table cake to celebrate their range of friendship bracelets - suitably titled The Chemistry of Friendship. We also made super cute friendship bracelet cookies.

Last summer recipe

2011-08-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

Summer is nearly over - boohoo.

But surely a pina colada cupcake would brighten up your day? This is one of my favourite recipes!

INGREDIENTS

250g self raising flour
2tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
200ml coconut milk
1 tsp white rum
120g unsalted butter, softened
150g caster sugar
2 Ella Valentine eggs, room temperature
125g canned pineapple, diced and patted dry
200ml coconut milk
1tsp vanilla extract

Buttercream:

120g butter, softened
200g icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp coconut milk

EQUIPMENT
12 hole muffin tin
12 cupcake cases

METHOD
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together and set aside.
Combine coconut milk and rum in a small bowl, set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Fold in half the sifted flour, then half the coconut milk mixture, then the rest of the flour, followed by the remaining coconut milk.
Stir in the vanilla and fold in the pineapple.
Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Place on wire racks to cool completely.

Coconut buttercream:

Cream the butter, gradually add the sugar until smooth and creamy.
Add the coconut milk and continue creaming until fully combined.
Divide the mixture so each of the 12 cupcakes can be frosted. Pipe onto the cupcakes using a piping bag and then, garnish with glace cherries, dried pineapple and cocktail umbrella.

Strawberries & Cream cupcake recipe

2011-08-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

Another of the recipes for Ella Valentine Baking Eggs.

The sunny days of Wimbledon might be long gone but it's still technically summer so no reason why we can't still have strawberries & cream, right?

INGREDIENTS

170g self raising flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
120g sugar
55g unsalted butter
1 Ella Valentine egg, room temperature
180ml natural yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced

Buttercream:

60g butter, softened
60g mascarpone cheese, softened
200g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract

EQUIPMENT
12 hole muffin tin
12 cupcake cases

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (350F), Gas Mark 4. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.

Sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg, yogurt and vanilla, blending until smooth.
Add the flour, then fold in the strawberries.
Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cocktail stick comes out clean.
Frosting

Cream together the butter and mascarpone cheese until creamy.
Gradually add the icing sugar and cream until smooth, finally add the vanilla.
Divide the mixture so each of the 12 cupcakes can be frosted. Frost the cupcakes with a palette knife or piping bag. Garnish with fresh strawberries.

Big Issue Taiwan

2011-08-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

How cool to be featured in an article about East London all the way in the Far East! Can anyone translate it for me?

Standard Pops

2011-08-18T15:07:00.000-07:00

When a friend I hadn't seen for some time told me he'd just started taking pictures professionally I invited him down to the kitchen to grab some cakes and take these gorgeous pics. Like what you see? I'll put you in touch with John the Mann!

Here's some of the standard cake pops on offer £2 each.

Classic Cucpakes

2011-08-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

Since cake pops (sort of) stole the show we've been itching to give our cupcake range some TLC too. After all if it wasn't for cupcakes Molly would still be sitting at home twiddling her thumbs wondering what to do next! So here it is, a delicious selection of flavours which we will of course be updating seasonally (and when we feel like something new). Visit our stall on Saturdays to get your hands on them!

Coconut & Lime recipe for Ella Valentine Baking Eggs

2011-08-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS

120g butter, softened
160g caster sugar
2 Ella Valentine eggs, room temperature
200g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
125ml coconut milk
50g desiccated coconut
Zest of lime

Buttercream:

120g butter, softened
200g icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp coconut milk

EQUIPMENT
Piping bag
Nozzle small
12 hole muffin tin
12 cupcake cases

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (350F), Gas Mark 4. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.

Sift the flour and baking powder together and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the lime zest. Should your buttercream not feel stiff enough for piping, simply add a couple more teaspoons of icing sugar until it is at a consistency you are happy with.
Fold in half the sifted flour, then half the coconut milk, then the rest of the flour, followed by the remaining coconut milk.
Gently fold in the desiccated coconut.
Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Place on wire racks to cool completely.

Buttercream:

Cream the butter, then gradually add the sugar until smooth and creamy.
Add the coconut milk and continue creaming until fully combined.
Pipe onto the cupcakes using a piping bag and garnish with desiccated coconut.

Rose & Pistachio cupcake recipe for Ella Valentine

2011-08-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

Here's the first of 60 recipes I have created for Ella Valentine Baking Eggs. Will be posting these during the coming months and look out for them online and in articles too! The stunning photography is by Georgia Glynn Smith, it's an honour to be working with her - she does all of Peggy Porschen's books!

The combination of beautifully fragrant rosewater and the texture of pistachios give this flavour a delicious taste of the Mediterranean.

INGREDIENTS

200g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
120g butter, softened
160g caster sugar
2 Ella Valentine eggs, room temperature
1 tsp rosewater
2 tbsp milk
50g chopped pistachios, toasted

Buttercream:

120g butter, softened
200g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp rosewater
2 tbsp milk

EQUIPMENT
12 hole muffin tin
12 cupcake cases

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F), Gas Mark 4. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.

Sift the flour and baking powder together and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the rosewater.
Fold in half the sifted flour, then the milk, then the rest of the flour.
Gently fold in the pistachios.
Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Place on wire racks to cool completely.

Buttercream:

Cream the butter, gradually add the sugar until smooth and creamy.
Add the rosewater and milk.
Divide the mixture so each of the 12 cupcakes can be frosted. Pipe onto the cupcakes using a piping bag and then, garnish with candied rose petals and toasted pistachios

Molly Bakes Well

2011-08-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

Victoria's Wedding Cake Pops

2011-08-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

My long time friend Victoria got married recently so naturally I made the cake pop favours! Here's crazy and super kawai Yami with them. Pretty Vicky's colour scheme was ivory, peach and gold - BEAUTIFUL!

Essentials Magazine

2011-08-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

Some coverage on the Ella Valentine/Molly Bakes collaboration!

New Market Stall

2011-08-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

Excuse the bad pic but photography on an iphone just don't cut it!

Molly's got a brand new market stall!

Every Saturday we'll be at Netil Market in London Fields. How convenient - it's right round the corner from the kitchy. No need to shove boxes into cars we just carry them over!

Catrin's Wedding

2011-08-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

Here's some lovely pics from Catrin's wedding. We sent these beautiful cake pops all the way to Wales along with the displays! Don't they look fab?

Some Cakey Perry Pics

2011-08-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

Wild Wild West

2011-08-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

Couture t-shirt brand Wildfox created a Western themed reservation in Selfridges. We were super excited when they asked us to make cactus cake pops for it but alas no pics!

LoveFilm?

2011-07-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

Some cupcakes I created for Lovefilm. The logos were custom hand cut to look like a signpost.

Denise Van Outen shoot

2011-07-19T13:45:00.001-07:00

I was really excited to be asked to make the cakes for this Stepford Wives style cover shoot for Fabulous Magazine starring Denise Van Outen. Hope Ms Van Outen enjoyed shoving that Vicky Sponge down her gob!

Ella Valentine Shoot 2

2011-07-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

So the second shoot for Ella Valentine Baking Eggs was a couple of weeks ago. I've spent the last two months devising delicious recipes to go on their website and packaging. In case you haven't tried them, these are large free range eggs - perfectly sized for baking and come in a super cute pink egg box. You can buy them exclusively at Sainsburys stores.

Have been privileged to work with photographer Georgia Glynn Smith, the award winning food photographer who shot none other than Peggy Porschen's books.

More pics to come soon but here are some sneak peaks of what we did on the most recent shoot. If you fancy trying some of the recipes there are a few here

The Push Pop Cake is coming!

2011-07-10T13:26:00.000-07:00

Layers of sponge and buttercream in a push pop tube? Is this the no mess alternative to the cupcake? Well I am not ready to wave bye bye to the cupcake just yet but push pops are pretty fabulous. Easy to post and last more than a couple of days due to their sealed container. Molly Bakes push pops will make their debut at Cakey Perry and are already loved by Stylist magazine!

Cakey Perry Menu

2011-07-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

Isn't it lovely? Designed and illustrated by the talented Thefty , love the way she's done my Perry pops! Don't forget Cakey Perry is end of the month...have you got your tickets yet?

Isklar "Let's Do Different" Event

2011-07-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

Norwegian water brand Isklar asked me to provide "glacial" cupcakes and branded cake pops for their celebrity studded event recently. 90210 actress Jessica Lowndes hosted a special beauty event where she learnt the tricks of the trade from celebrity make up artists and then performed makeovers on 3 lucky members of the public. Apparently she also loved my cakes - a woman of good taste and many talents!

No7 Cake Pops

2011-07-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

Here's some pics of the cake pops I did recently for the No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colours Masterclass with celebrity nail artist Jamie Nunn. Here I recreated some of the colours from the range in cake pop form.

June

2011-06-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

Woah...I just realised I have blogged in quite a while. Rather than backdating (cheat) here's a quick round up of June 2011.

My book finally came out, it's so weird having this "little project" you have worked on for months all of a sudden come to life and be sold in bookshops! Who would have thought it?

I made these fab face cakes for Mencap's Bake With Me initiative - encouraging people to raise money by baking and making. You can even win your own box of cake pops on their facebook page.

Busty Babes & Clarke Kents for Lauren's birthday with her workmates

Nice bit of international press coverage in German magazine Jolie. The world is going mad for Gaga Pops!

Interview about Cake Pops in the Independent

Followed by a wee clipping in the Daily Mail

That's all I can think of for now but let's not forget you can now buy Molly Bakes
cupcakes, layer cakes and cake pops from the lovely Brewode's Cornucopia teashop in London Fields.

Woman Magazine

2011-06-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

Nice feature on my book.

ASOS Magazine

2011-05-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

More Gaga Pop

2011-05-15T10:08:00.001-07:00

Photo: Xposure

Wow this is even more than I bargained for! Lady Gaga stepped out last night clutching the cake pops I'd made for her and shared them with her Little Monsters who'd been waiting outside her hotel for days! Her record label have told me she was really happy when she received them and absolutely loved them!

Wow wee Lady G!

2011-05-15T05:05:00.000-07:00

No you're eyes are not deceiving you...that was my reaction when I first saw this pic! It's Lady Gaga with my Lady Gaga cake pop! I was asked to make these for a TV interview and they got the thumbs up. How freakin' exciting!

Eco Wedding Shoot

2011-05-09T01:06:00.000-07:00

Ah how could I forget to post this beautiful shoot that was arranged for LoveMyDress blog. I created a range of baked treats for this super cute dessert table, styled by Mary Herrington of Forever and Ever Events. The lovely stationary was created by Coquette Paper & Press - wish I had known about these guys when I was looking for my wedding invites, they're the hardest thing to find! The gorgeous photos were shot by Dasha of Exhibit Emotions Photography.

The emphasis of the shoot was to inspire ideas for eco friendly weddings. Here I used my usual nature friendly flour, unrefined sugar, free range eggs, organic British butter, replaced candy coating for fairtrade organic chocolate and replaced sugar decorations & sprinkles for natural crystal rose & violet petals.

I've always wanted to do a dessert table as I love all kinds of baked treats so we made rose and pistachio meringues, chocolate chunk cookies, white, milk & dark chocolate cake balls, vanilla cupcakes, chocolate dipped cupcakes and blueberry & banana scones. Everything tasted delicious as usual although I didn't get to try one of the chocolate dipped cupcakes. Oh well will just have to make some more!

We're off to see the Wizard!

2011-05-01T02:14:00.001-07:00

One of my favourite orders yet - Wizard of Oz cake pops!

Will & Cake

2011-05-01T02:06:00.000-07:00

In celebration of the beautiful Royal Wedding Miss Cakehead hosted another spectacular pop up cake shop at Maiden. Here is what I had on offer for those who were lucky enough to come down.

Royal Wedding Pops

2011-05-01T02:02:00.000-07:00

What's this? The Queen's got my Princess Bride & Prince Groom Pops and their wedding cake!

Photo credit: Nathan Pask

Easter

2011-04-20T14:19:00.001-07:00

The last Easter order left the kitchen today. So long my friends, I am heading off into the vahhl-laaays of Waaaayyy-ahhls tomorrow for my annual Easter trip to the lovely Nantcaw farmhouse. I think a 5 day break is well deserved after the insanity of the first quarter of 2011. Four months into the year already! I don't know where it's gone. It seems like yesterday when I went for my first meeting in a Camden cafe with my publisher. How time flies. In just 6 weeks my booky wook is coming out! I cannot wait.

By the way apologies for the terrible pics this week - Heather has gone to America so I have had to revert to taking grainy, dingey pics on my iphone. Oops. Should really take a short course on photography - I am pants! It's kinda lucky I have at least one talent to make up for it!

Malibu Cupcakes

2011-04-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

Coconut & Lime cupcakes for a Malibu/Nails Inc event. More details coming soon.

Monsoon Cupcakes

2011-04-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

This week was a sea of cupcakes with rose swirl piping for Monsoon. 300 of these were gobbled up at an event at the Oxford Street store. The Monsoon girls tell me they went very quickly and described them as "scrumptious".

Matcha Green Tea Recipe

2011-04-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

OOPS silly me I meant to post this a while ago.

Remember the Sushi and Hello Kitty cupcakes & cake pops I made for Cakes For Japan last month? Those that were lucky enough to try them would have got to experience the delight of Matcha flavoured cakes.

Matcha is basically green tea in powder form and packed with antioxidants and nutrients. It can be used to make all sorts of yummy things like ice cream and smoothies. I first got into it when I tried a Matcha and white chocolate cake from a Japanese bakery in North London. I can't remember the name of the place unfortunately but it was one of the most delicious cakes I have ever had the pleasure of trying.

So when Cakes For Japan came about I decided this would be the perfect time to experiment and make my own Matcha cakes. I did indeed put white chocolate into my recipe and I totally made it up as I went along. Luckily as with about 90% of my experiments it worked first time!

I used Organic Matcha powder kindly donated by Teapigs. It's really fun to work with as it has such a vivid green colour which comes through in the cakes.

Green Tea Cupcakes Recipe

Makes 12 cupcakes

½ cup milk
30g Fairtrade white chocolate, finely grated
2tsp Teapigs Organic Matcha Powder
120g unsalted butter, softened
150g unrefined caster sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
190g nature friendly self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line a cupcake tin with cases.

Heat the milk to a simmer but do not boil. Add the matcha powder and white chocolate and stir until combined. Leave to cool.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

Add the eggs one at a time to the creamed mixture, leaving a minute between each addition.

Add half the flour to the creamed mixture, stir until just combined. Stir in the milk. Do not overmix. Repeat with the remaining flour and milk.

Scoop into each of the cupcake cases, about ¾ full and place in the oven for 18 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

White chocolate frosting

120g unsalted butter, softened
200g icing sugar, sifted
40g Fairtrade white chocolate, melted
1 tbsp milk

Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and carry on beating until smooth. Pour in the white chocolate and beat. Finally beat in the milk.

Frost the cupcakes once they have fully cooled, either using a palette knife or piping bag.

Caky Perry indeed

2011-04-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

Oh Heat Magazine you have amused me a great deal in the last week. First Heat staff said Wills and Kate should have royal wedding pops for their wedding now a whole "Caky Perry" feature!

Did I Mention It's Spring Yet?

2011-04-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

Really? I did? Like 5 times already?! Oh ok. Well here's some Spring Cupcakes.

Final Book Cover!

2011-04-09T03:51:00.001-07:00

Ah decisions, decisions! This was a hard one, we had many cover options to choose from over the last month but I think we got it spot on with this one.

It's Spring!

2011-04-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

Time to bring out the pastels.

Hed Kandi Bar

2011-04-03T12:32:00.001-07:00

Just found these pics of my cake pops online so thought I'd share even though this particular event was quite a few months ago! The Hed Kandi Bar opened in Clapham in December. You can book a booth, sip cocktails and dance the night away to yep, you guessed it Hed Kandi DJ's. With Ibiza season coming up what better way to get into the groove?!

New Lovehearts

2011-04-03T04:10:00.001-07:00

Fabulous Cupcakes

2011-04-03T02:25:00.000-07:00

Fabulous Magazine's Mother's Day spread features our gorgeous and whimsical cupcakes. Heather made the beautiful butterflies and bows while I hand twisted the roses.

Please note the cupcakes are NOT currently available in Selfridges - only cake pops! Apologies for anyone who is inconvenienced by this small editorial error!

Faun Fashion Bloggers Event

2011-04-03T02:21:00.001-07:00

Gorgeous and feminine new fashion label Faun launched last week with a blogger's tea party. We provided the beautiful cupcakes and cake pops that one fashionista in particular told me was her dinner for the evening! I suppose I might consider sacrificing an entire meal for one of these if I had to choose between calories!

Au naturel

2011-03-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

Go for the slightly "healthier" alternative to our candy coated cake pops with the new range of gourmet pops & balls. Coated in Green & Blacks Fairtrade Organic chocolate. The candied fruit & crystallised petal toppings add a touch of luxury.

Booky Wook!

2011-03-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

So I've finally been given the green light and can tell you that I've spent the last few months writing this amazing book! Some of you may have noticed it sitting on Amazon for the last week. It was abit strange seeing it on there for the first time!

I have the most talented team working on this with me - from the photographer to prop stylist and my wonderful editor. Not to forget the designer who put the beautiful cover together and the layouts inside the book. Can't wait til June 2nd when it's published I am pretty sure you will love it! A whopping 50 cake pop recipes - I have worked on lots of new designs which I am going to leave as a surprise! I know I know - I'm the kind that hates surprises too but it will be well worth the wait.

In the meantime some books I highly recommend which were recently released by my publisher are British Baking by Peyton & Byrne and The Whoopie Pie Book by Claire Ptak. Both beautiful with delicious recipes.

Hello Kitty Cake Pops

2011-03-19T04:19:00.000-07:00

Here are the Hello Kitty cake pops @ Cakes For Japan photographed by Nathan Pask.

Spring Is In The Air

2011-03-19T03:59:00.000-07:00

Pretty Vicky

2011-03-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

I love a Victoria Sponge. There is something so quaint and English about it. Maybe it's simplicity makes it the most delicious cake ever. We use British butter, free range eggs, unrefined sugar and nature friendly flour for our Vicky plus lashings of raspberry jam from a farm in Essex. Keeping it local with the ingredients!
Here's a pretty one we did this week for our new stockist Cafe Vintage. Apparently the cake proved very popular and sold out within a day!

Hello Kittea

2011-03-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my customer Nuala who was lucky enough to nab one. Nuala sent me this pic of the inside of the green tea matcha cupcakes and said they were delicious! They were made using Teapigs Organic Matcha Powder. For those who couldn't make it to the Cakes For Japan event I will be posting the recipe very soon so you can make your own!

Cakes For Japan SOLD OUT!

2011-03-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

WOW! So amazing! You never know how a cake sale like that will go - but London showed a love not only for cake but for Japan with all the cakes selling out in the space of 3 hours!

Well done to all the bakers who took part for such a worthy cause. I can't reveal too many details just yet but I am going to be involved in another fundraiser for Japan in April which is going to be music related and HUGE! Dates and venue being finalised and I am hearing big names being thrown into the mix. Watch this space.

Going back to Cakes For Japan - we collectively raised £2000 for the Japanese Red Cross. Not bad at all for such a small amount of time. We really hope the funds can make a difference to people in Japan no matter how small.

Here are some of my cakes. I ended up adding some Hello Kitty cupcakes and pops as well as the sushi ones. Forgot to take pics of the cake pops but I'm sure they'll be making an appearance again soon!

Cakes For Japan

2011-03-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

I'm sure everybody will have seen the immense devastation unfolding in Japan over the last few days. As usual Miss Cakehead has organised a great cake event to help. Visit Maiden on Friday where you can buy cakes, cookies and other baked treats from the likes of myself Molly Bakes, Edd Kimber, Sugargrain and Ms Cupcake.

Here is a taste of what will be on offer; matcha flavoured cake pops and cupcakes inspired by sushi! A special mention must go to my friends at Teapigs who supplied me with their organic matcha powder. I just opened the tin and was greeted by a cute cloud of green dust. It was very Harry Potter like.

Also thanks once again to my assistant Heather Clifford for her superb photography skills.

100% of proceeds will be going to help the victims of the crisis. Miss Cakehead will choose the most suitable charity to make sure the money goes directly to those who need it most.

Cafe Vintage

2011-03-11T12:25:00.000-08:00

I love finding new places. You know the ones off the beaten track that noone wants you to know about. The locals are gonna hate me as I am about to let the cat out the bag.

Finsbury Park/Arsenal is a place close to my heart - it's where I grew up. It's amazing how much it's changed from my memories in the early 80s - I remember it being so dodgy right up until the late 90s! Blackstock Road is a haven for independent shops, not a chain store in site. It really has that local feel to it and you can tell it's thriving. Hopefully it will stay that way.

One place I never knew about was a little road off Blackstock called Mountgrove Road, it leads onto Clissold Park where Islington meets Stoke Newington. There's a small and unusual stretch of shops on this road, well worth a visit despite the seemingly long walk from Arsenal station. There's a vintage bicycle shop, an antiques shop, an art gallery and wait for it, a Sylvanian Families shop. Random.

I've been visiting Mountgrove Road for the last 3 years as my boyfriend's brother lives there with his wife. It's got a great vibe and none of the shops I mentioned seem to have changed hands in that time - ever. That's got to be the sign of a good 'hood.

Recently a right little gem opened up. It's called Cafe Vintage and we spotted it before Christmas. A combination of vintage clothing and cafe/tea shop/deli. It's fabulous. Even Mary Portas paid this place a visit and found it worthy of a mention on her twitter; "Came in about a month ago! Liked it very much" she tweeted @cafevintage. If it's good enough for Mary...

I finally went in a few weeks ago and met the lovely owner Aysha who runs it with her sister. I was on my way to work at my kitchen and was just passing through so only managed to get some breakfast and it was pretty damn tasty. They had a good selection of cakes and a lovely display of foodie gifts, all with a homemade feel but I didn't have time to check out the vintage.

Luckily I did find the time to leave my card with Aysha and gave her a tip to check out my cake pops. I was very pleased to receive an email enquring about selling them. My second stockist after Selfridges starting from next week! Yep, you'll be able to buy cake pops and a selection of layer cakes from me, very proud to be supplying this great new indie. Like you needed another reason to pay them a visit.

XO

2011-03-11T02:30:00.000-08:00

It might seem I'm in music mode at the moment but a cake update is coming soon I promise! The last few weeks have been insane - last week alone we did over 2500 cake pops and this week I have been working on something very special. I can't tell you what it is just yet I've been sworn to secrecy! It will be worth the wait though.

Anyway, back to the music. I'm not the only person with exciting things happening, my super talented boyfriend Olly has been working very hard on producing music. I wanted to share with you this great track that has just been released on the European edition of Mike Posner's album. Olly produced the backing track along with James his co-producer.

Apparently Mike played this track at his gig last night @ XOYO in Shoreditch and we totally forgot to go! How exciting would that have been?

If you like it go download it from itunes and help towards funding my shoe addiction ;)

Julian Cake-etta

2011-02-27T03:23:00.000-08:00

Have y'all met my friend Julian Perretta? The half Italian singer from North London is already a huge star in France and has even supported Beyonce and Girls Aloud on tour! Perez Hilton is a huge fan and he's set for UK stardom in 2011. We made this Face Cake for Jules afew weeks ago. Striking resemblance me thinks. Check out his music and videos on youtube. Boy can sing!

Pigs Pugs & Frogs

2011-02-26T11:07:00.000-08:00

My sister's colleague texted her this pic from her friend's party last night "did your sis make these?" she asked. Her sis did make these indeed! Such a small world, it's actually the second time this kind of thing has happened! My boyfriend's brother once turned up to his friend's birthday party at Shoreditch House to find my cakes there - the friend never actually knew of the connection. I never realised my customers were quite so close to home :)

Cake Pops waiting to be packaged

2011-02-26T11:04:00.000-08:00

Just your average day at Molly Bakes!

Royal Wedding Overload

2011-02-26T10:55:00.001-08:00

Since I'm also getting married this year I am actually very excited about the Royal Wedding. Not only do we get an extra bank holiday - and seriously who can complain about that? All of a sudden there's a real buzz about Britain and London in particular - was Wills nudged into popping the question to help boost the economy perhaps?! We're sure to expect an influx of Royal obsessed Americans with loadsa cash. Just look at the amount of memorabilia this has already spawned. My favourite items I've come across so far have got to be these Royal Plates which poke some lighthearted fun at the whole thing. Available from KK Outlet on Hoxton Square, I'm so buying the full set. It can be my wedding present to myself!

Cake and COUTURE!

2011-02-26T09:47:00.000-08:00

I've decided we need a little more couture on this blog - after all I was meant to be sharing my love of fashion as well as my love of cake (hence naming the blog cakeandcouture!) To be honest MB has been a little too busy on the cake side to even dream of looking at fashion. However you may be pleased to know I aim to get things back on track starting with these shoe clips by Cleo B. Pom Poms and jewels that clip onto shoes? How marvellously novel! Paloma Faith has been spotted donning a pair at London Fashion Week. They're already on my wishlist. Shame my birthday has already passed.

If you join Cleo B's facebook page you'll get exclusive invites to the fabulous events at their Belgravia boutique. The last one was a tea party to celebrate the start of London Fashion Week and with cake pops provided by yours truly - you definitely don't want to miss out!

Brownie Pops

2011-02-25T11:35:00.000-08:00

Drizzled with chocolate candy and nuts or chocolate shavings or cookies & cream crunchies.

Tranny Trout Pout.

2011-02-23T12:41:00.001-08:00

Here's what we did for tranny Jodie Harsh's celeb studded 26th birthday bash last week!

Bouquet Pop

2011-02-22T13:43:00.000-08:00

Mother's Day April 3rd!