A blog a day in september - 14th September 2013 - cakes, cakes and more cakes (blackberry muffins)

Day 14 - September 14th........ Cakes....cakes and more cakes

Mix a Cake, make a cake, bake a cake, eat a cake.

and share your pictures and recipes here.

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I promised the boys a blackberry picking session this weekend before the season finished (I only found out it started last weekend!)


So armed with buckets off we set for the common.  


Sorry (and very off topic) but to say I was disgusted was an understatement.  We go up here every year to pick blackberries but this year was the worst ever ........... for POO!!!!   Pray tell me dog owners (and I know it's not all of you) but in whose eyes is it acceptable for you to let your dog sh1t everywhere and then leave it for children to run in????

A lovely trip to the woods was spoilt by the fact I was steering the buggy and children around mounds of poo.  And being dogs a lot of this was in hidden grass - hence the trousers and shoes all ended up in the washing machine the minute we got in.

I have no problems at all with people walking their dogs there it's a fantastic place for exercise but please clean up after them.  

Ok rant over where was I ............ blackberries thats where.

Off went the boys to hunt out some brambles ..... and fill up their buckets ..........
They are getting really good and gently pincing the berries off ...... however if Noah manged to stay upright for more then 10 minutes he may have had more in his bucket.


They loved the fact that at the end of the woody walk there were 2 horses waiting for them to stroke.

we did of course have to stop at the shop on the way home for ice creams as Ben prickled his finger and we all know the only way to make prickled fingers better is an ice cream.  We also picked up some apples as Ben wanted to make blackberry and apple crumble.

Now we all know a crumble isn't a cake - so HOW was I going to write this post??  I can't write about crumbles. .... so with a bit of mummy pursuasion and a tiny white lie "we don't have any crumble mix" the boys were happy with Blackberry Muffins.

Blackberry Muffins

from Primary Times website.

Ingredients: 

300g self raising flour 

100g caster sugar  

1 Egg 

175ml milk 

125ml vegetable oil 

150g blackberries 

  

What to do:

Put the oven on 190°C, 170ºC (fan oven assisted) or Gas Mark 5.

Put the muffin cases into the muffin tray.... we use a silicone muffin tray much easier.

So while Ben was put in charge of throwing out the semi-red berries and washing the ones that were left me and Noah set about making the mixture ........

Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the caster sugar (all of the dry ingredients).

Break the egg into a small bowl.

Measure the oil and milk and stir them together with little stirs, in a large measuring jug (the liquids)

 Add the egg to the milk and the oil and mix well with a small whisk or fork............we put it all in a big food mixer

Add the blackberries to the dry ingredients...... stir these in - do not use the mixer!

Use a desert spoon, to spoon the mixture into the cases and use a bowl scrapper to get the last of the mixture out of the bowl.

Put the muffins into the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.

Enjoy - they tasted AMAZING!!!

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a sneak preview at Day 15 - September 15th........ Make a hat day

SERIOUSLY!!!  It's a real day .......... soo guess what today's challange is going to be ..........