Happy Monday everyone!



Today the sun is shining through my window and for the first time in many mornings I'm feeling really motivated to get on with all the things I have planned, but first I want to share with you all the Banana and Chocolate chip cupcakes we made yesterday, Sundays being our only day off, we always reserve it for family day, we try and tackle our huge to-do list, have pancakes, do gardening, make roast dinners and watch movies but all very chilled of course, yesterday I spent all day in my pj's the kids changed clothes like 1000x and Pedro was a total sweetheart and went out to get a few bits we needed for dinner, all in all it was a very chilled Sunday.


I have been in the mood for cup cakes for a few days now, and as miss Petal has now decided she no longer likes bananas I had a whole bunch of them sitting in the fridge getting ripe, and I don't know about you but I really don't like ripe bananas... I have made banana loaf cakes a few times and only River and I eat it so I thought banana and chocolate cupcakes would be a better way to use up all the bananas, these cup cakes at not at all sweet, but the chocolate give them a bit more groove.
I adapted this recipe from a super healthy one my mum had sent me a while back, and I'm really happy with how they turned out, hope you give them a go, they are super quick and easy to make and a good one to let the kids to help out too.


-What you will need-

For cup cakes:

• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 ripe bananas 
• 2 medium eggs or 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup fine brown sugar
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted
• 1 bar dark chocolate chopped or chocolate chips
• big handful of walnuts (optional)

For Crumble top:

• 1 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 tablespoon dry oats
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 table spoon fine brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted cold butter  

Let´s Get Baking!

1.  Preheat your oven to  to 180c/ gas mark 4 and place your chosen cupcake cases into cupcake tin.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
3. Mash bananas with a fork and mix in eggs, melted butter and sugar.
4. Then slowly combine the dry ingredients with the banana mixture, once all combined fold in chocolate bits or walnuts. ( I did half the batter with just chocolate and the other half with chocolate and walnuts)
5. using an ice-cream scooper or a spoon scoop batter into cupcake cases, about 1/3 of the way.
6. set aside and make your crumble 

For crumble! 

1. In a medium bowl mix flour, sugar and oats.
2. Add cold butter, and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingers to make a crumble.
3. Once you have yourself a nice looking crumble spoon over cupcake batter so its covered in the crumble!
4. Place your cupcakes in the over and bake for 15minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes before taking them out of the tin. 

Tip:
Cupcakes bake really quickly so make sure you preheat your oven, and if you think they are still not done after 15minutes bake them for a further 5minutes before checking again. 

And Enjoy! 

Is there anything better at this time of year, than hot tea and cake? I think not!!! I've been craving cake for a few days now but something always seemed to happen that was more important, and my cake making plans would flew out the window, but today was the day! I had everything on hand and I had the time... well I should really have done the washing but the washing can wait a bit longer, Cake is definitely more important than making sure we have clean clothes to wear. lol This time of year always makes me crave comfort food, it gets so cold here in Portugal especially at home, sometimes it's colder at home than out side, thanks to the fact that the houses don't have central heating!!! I know crazy right, I'm used to London's cold weather, but I'm also used to getting home and having a nice tropical temperature in doors while it's pouring with rain out side. Here it's just cold everywhere, i don't think i have ever owned so many woolly clothes and scarves like I do now.

I'm definitely a summer girl and I'm the first person to moan about the colder seasons, but deep down I do like it, i like being all warm and cozy at home, hot tea and cake, stews and oh Christmas! I would hate it if it was hot at Christmas time, for me Christmas is cold and snowy, although there is no snow here in Portugal, and i do love the fact that it's not too cold, but yes where were we... ah! Cake. Today I made a gingerbread loaf cake with cream cheese frosting, there are maybe 3 slices left sitting in the kitchen as I type this, and I keep hearing Petal shouting at River to not touch the cake, so I don't think they will be there much longer.


I thought you guys might also like some tea and cake so here is the recipe so you can make your own

-What you will need-

For Cake:

• 250g self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 medium sized eggs
• 150g light brown sugar
• 50g granulated sugar 
• 80ml vegetable oil
• 120g cream cheese
• 120ml buttermilk*

For Frosting:

• 150g icing sugar (sifted)
• 50g cream cheese
• 40g unsalted butter (at room temperature) 
• 1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract

Lets Get Baking!
1. Preheat your oven to 180c/ gas mark 4
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
3. Cream together the, sugar, eggs, oil and cream cheese.
4. Then combined the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix, once all combined, add the buttermilk and mix until smooth.
5. Pour the batter into a greased loaf tin or line your tin with wax paper (I like to cut a long strip and place it long ways)
6. Cover loosely with tin foil and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (I like to take the tin foil off 10 mins before the cake is done so it browns a bit on top)
7. Allow the cake to cool in the tin completely before removing and frosting.

For The Frosting
1. Cream the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer
2. Add the sifted icing sugar slowly to the butter mixture and keep mixing until smooth
3. Spread over cake and Enjoy.
Tip: 
* If you don't have buttermilk you can make your own by mixing 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar to 250ml of milk (1cup) leave for 5 minutes, then its ready to use!





Enjoy :)

-Love Denny-