Cinema Themed cupcakes! Banana, Pecan, Chocolate chunk, Caramel and Toffee Popcorn cakes and Chocolate and Peanutbutter Icecream Scoop cupcakes

There's nothing like a good gathering to set the cake inventing cogs in my brain in motion.

I was attending a hen do, but one with a difference. An outdoor cinema screening on one of the last summer evenings of the year!

After taking quite some time trawling the internet for the cupcake cases I envisaged in my mind I found them! Then I created these...

Banana, Pecan, milk chocolate chunk, caramel and toffee popcorn cupcakes! And also these...

Chocolate and peanutbutter cupcakes with peanutbutter buttercream and sprinkles!

I have never baked with these sort of cases before. They are like small icecream tubs and don't need to go into cake trays to hold their shape like paper cases would (although putting them in one makes it easier to put them in and out of the oven).

First I made the banana cakes. This was based on a recipe for banana and pecan cupcakes. However, when I really thought about it (this didn't take long) I thought they would be much improved with the addition of some milk chocolate chunks. Most recipes are...

Lots of chunky pieces of pecan and milk chocolate chunks to add to my banana cake mixture.

And a bit more chocolate. That's better!

Then, I carefully dolloped the banana, milk chocolate and pecan cake mixture into their cases...

It wasn't long in the oven before they came out, smelling of banana, chocolate and pecan with just a hint of cinnamon. A lovely comforting smell...

I could have scoffed the lot right there. Mmmmm... But there were more delicious additions in store for these rich, moist little cakes!

Next I dolloped caramel on top of each cake.

Then I spread it out evenly over the surface. Do not be tempted to taste any of this caramel at this point! Not even a teensy tiny little bit. PUT THE REST IN THE BIN WHEN YOU HAVE FINISHED. Or you will find yourself drinking it straight out of the tin and feeling rather squiffy minutes later (whilst also, at the same time, being aware that if there was another pot of this wonderful stuff in the vicinity you would down the lot) I am like Winnie the Pooh with a pot of honey with this stuff, its VERY moreish and rather dangerous. Treat with caution, you have been warned!

Next, pile some toffee popcorn on top of the caramel.

Then, step back and marvel at how bloody brilliant they look. You might want to skip around the kitchen singing a song about popcorn.

I mean, you don't have to.

You could just eat one.

I was feeling rather smug at this point. This was just what I had imagined! Little popcorn boxes hiding delicious morsels of secret scrummy cake!

I resisted the temptation to try one just yet.

There was more cake that needed making and it was only 10.30am. If I timed this just right I could have a cake only lunch (after all, I needed to test them before taking them to the party that night surely?) and I do love a cake lunch!

So i ignored the warm banana, chocolate, pecan caramel aroma and turned my hand to making chocolate and peanutbutter cupcakes.

This was the same Mary Berry chocolate cupcake recipe I usually use but with two extremely generous dollops of crunchy peanutbutter stirred into the mixture.

And before long, they were baked. Chocolate and peanutbutter scents now enveloped the whole house. Mmmm!!

The decoration took a little longer for these.

I mixed up buttercream, added two generous tablespoons of smooth peanutbutter and then split these into three bowls. To the first I added pink dye to, the second a little cocoa powder and the third, I left as it was.

Then I set about, what I thought would be the simple task of using a sorbet scoop to create little ice cream scoops.

This picture gives the misleading impression that this was rather simple, but really the teaspoon in the background was also used along with the sorbet scoop to help create these little 'icecream balls'.

After rather longer than I'd anticipated, I had topped all of the cakes and finished them off with sprinkles!

Hooray! Now its time for lunch!

Cake testing lunch! My favourite!

First the banana, pecan, milk chocolate chunk, caramel and toffee popcorn cakes!

Just as pretty outside its little striped case as it was inside. If not, more so, with the caramel having oozed into the slightly warm cakes at the point they were decorated and also down the sides.

And the inside?

Mmmm! Moist, rich banana cake with intermittent pieces of pecan and still molten milk chocolate chunks of differing proportions in each mouthful. Delicious on its own but all the more addictive when in the same mouthful is a layer of caramel and a bite of toffee popcorn. Utterly delicious!

This cake made me think of cosy autumnal evening. A hefty wedge would be delicious with a large mug of steaming hot tea after facing the wind and rain of a blustery day outside. A hug in a cake. Or a great treat to eat instead of your usual tub of popcorn at the cinema whilst sitting back to watch your favourite film. In the same way that watching an old favourite film is comforting and relaxing, so was this cake, like a hug from your grandma when you were little. Instant relaxation that envelops you and paints a big smile on your face.

Next was the chocolate and peanutbutter cakes.

These really were delicious. The chocolate cake on its own is a very moist recipe as it uses a large amount of melted chocolate in the mix. This was made even moister with the addition of chunky peanutbutter in this recipe. Because I used chunky peanutbutter rather than smooth the peanutbutter flavour came through in texture as well as flavour. The rich cake, almost bordering on brownie-like texture was wonderful with the light peanutbutter buttercream. This topping was a delicate, sweet flavour that made the cake luxurious in flavour and texture. I really couldn't stop myself eating this one and when I took them to the party, they vanished in minutes.

So how was the cinema themed hen party?

I set out my cakes in the garden as the sun went down, along with the other snacks. Here they are...

And here is the magically decorated garden, ready for our viewing of the Labyrinth!

It may be a good time to mention at this point that this was a Labyrinth themed fancy dress party! I don't want you thinking that as standard I normally spend my Saturday evenings with human sized owls and people in big billowy white shirts and 1980s wedding dresses (not that there's anything wrong with that but it would probably make my weekends sound a tad more unusual and interesting than they actually are)

So as we sat down to watch the film on a balmy evening in early September, relishing the last of the summer weather, sipping wine and relaxing in the magical atmosphere, each taken back to the first time we watched this magical film, still believing in magic and either in awe of or repulsed by David Bowie's trousers (depending on who you asked), we indulged in our little popcorn bag cakes and icecream tub cakes. I tested a couple more as well, just to be sure that the exposure to the night air had not altered their quality, flavour or texture in any way. They were fine. Actually I had three. Just to be sure.

But most importantly of all, the beautiful Bride to be liked them! And that is true praise indeed given her appreciation for a good bit of cake (much like myself!)

Garden party cake with a difference!

Chocolate, Hazelnut and Praline Triple layer cake topped with Caramel Spiked Hazelnuts

Another family gathering and I needed an impressive cake as a centre piece.

I wanted to try something a little different but it needed to be pretty and preferably contain chocolate. After the success of my chocolate and peanutbutter triple layer cake (probably my favourite cake in terms of texture and flavour, that I have made to date) I decided to combine chocolate with another nut. This time the hazelnut!

And here she is in all her glory!

The sponge contained ground hazelnuts and grated dark chocolate. This gave the vanilla sponge a lovely nutty, chocolaty flavour.

To make sure that the sponge was super moist, each layer was brushed with a home made amaretto syrup before assembling. I had tried to get hold of some Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) but there really was none to be found! It didn't seem to affect the flavour of the cake. It just made the light sponge extremely moist. The syrup was essentially sugar and water simmered until the sugar had fully dissolved, left to cool and then with the addition of a few tablespoons of amaretto.

After the layers had been drizzled with the syrup I assembled the cake.

I made a rich chocolate fudge frosting to go in between the layers and on the outside of the cake. I also made some praline by making home made caramel, dropping hazelnuts into it and whizzing up to a fine power when solidified.

So this...

Turns into this...

This sweet, nutty powder is then sprinkled on top of the chocolate fudge frosting in between each layer.

This soaks up the chocolate fudge frosting and really, just melts into it. You can't detect that there is anything other than a slightly different flavoured frosting to the outside of the cake, when you bite into a slice. The frosting in the middle just takes on a sweeter, nuttier, hazelnut praline flavour.

I built up the layers and smoothed the chocolate fudge frosting onto the outside of the cake. It looked a bit like how I would imagine Miss Trunchbull's cake looked in the book 'Matilda' at this point. So I piped some of the frosting onto the bottom to neaten it up.

Then came the tricky bit.

This is the bit where I sustained a caramel burn on my hand and realised that no mater how pretty and tasty spiked caramel hazelnuts are, I'm not entirely convinced I could be bothered to make them ever again.

First was the creation of the caramel.

Its just sugar and water. How difficult could that be? It turns out, its not that simple.

Its knowing when to take the caramel off the heat, too soon and its not caramel, not soon enough and it burns. I made two attempts. The first caught and burned and the second wasn't quite caramel enough but did set and tasted yummy. That'll do for me.

To make the caramel spikes you carefully insert skewers into your hazelnuts.

Then, when your caramel is ready, quickly dip the hazelnuts into the mixture, attempt not to burn yourself with the boiling hot caramel but ensure you are doing this quickly enough so that the caramel doesn't completely set before you get chance to dip all of your hazelnuts. Then, leave these hanging off the edge of your work surface with something heavy on top of the sticks to stop them falling off and lots of foil/paper/tea towels underneath to make sure you don't ruin your kitchen floor.

You may also wish to ensure that your kitten is not allowed access to the kitchen at this point as these searingly hot strings of caramel look like an awful lot of fun to a kitten. (a kitten and caramel related accident was thankfully averted. My little kitty did wander into the kitchen but thankfully I noticed him before he noticed the fun new caramel strings that were now hanging enticingly in the kitchen. Phew!)

Gosh that looks fun!

Then you let them harden. Several will fall apart, not look quite right or the spikes won't have developed. If you make sure that you do a lot more than you intend to use, you should have enough to top your cake. You should also make more than you need so that you can pop one in your mouth every now and then to keep your strength up during the mammoth task of constructing this dobber of a cake.

Then you need to cut the tails using scissors to the length you want them to be.

Then, hold your breath and remove the hazelnuts from their skewers and try and avoid thoughts like 'if this doesn't work now after all this I'm going to be really miffed'. Actually, I had no problems at this stage but really wasn't sure how easy it would be to get them off the sticks.

Then simply pop them on top of your cake!

Mmmmmm! Yum!

Then you just have to wait for your guests to arrive before you cut yourself a slice (its polite apparently)

Now time to try it...

The cake itself was very moist and rich with a lovely hazelnut and chocolate flavour. The fudge frosting in between the layers melted in the mouth and was a wonderfully rich and sweet hazelnut praline chocolate flavour. This contrasted well with the chocolate fudge frosting around the outside of the cake. The frosting was smooth, intensely chocolaty and very moreish and was the perfect partner to the extremely moist but light hazelnut chocolate cake.

The spiked hazelnut was also delicious to pop into your mouth. The sweet caramel encasing the whole hazelnut. Utterly delicious!

Of all the cakes I've made, this is certainly up there with the chocolate peanutbutter triple layer cake. Its rich, moist and sweet with a multitude of flavours and textures in each bite. Rich indulgent chocolate fudge frosting, moist but light hazelnut chocolate cake and sweet, nutty praline chocolate frosting. Mmmm... delicious.

Mmmmm... indulgent, rich, light, decadent triple layer chocolate, praline and hazelnut cake. The perfect addition to any tea party!