March 7th 2015 - swirl cakes

March 7th 2015 - swirl cakes

Today's pin is 1 I have done before and that is make swirl cakes.  They are very easy to do, using normal cake mix (home made or shop bought) add nothing but what you need for the mix so it is still the creamy/white/lemon colour.  Then add the mixture to cupcake cases as you would normally but before you put them in the oven add a couple of drops of food colouring to ech cake and using a cocktail stick swirl the food colouring into the mixture so you get a pattern.  Then bake as normal.  Once they are cooked you may not see the swirls on the top of the cakes but you will when you bite into them.  I added a couple of drops of the same colours into the icing and added that to the cakes so the red ahve red swirl icing and the blue has blue. (see pics).

There is a reason for my baking and its not a birthday or party (well it is my friends 18th today but thats not the reason.)  Tomorrow we are going for dinner with our neighbours at their house, they are cooking pheasant (which none of us has tried) and a chicken encase we don't like the pheasant.  I was always told you never turn up to a dinner or party empty handed and as I know they are on medication I decided not to go for a bottle of wine but some cakes.  I will take 1 each round there for after dinner.

Heres my pics:

Rainbow rice and pancake day

About 2years ago I found a post on the net about Rainbow rice.  I copied it and made some for my son.  I also added lentils and split peas and black beans to it.  He loved playing with his diggers in it.  A few days ago he added water to it and it all went mushy and mouldy and I had to throw it all out.

I've spent today re-making it (well some of it as hadn't got many food colouring in the cupboard).  He now has red (more like pink), purple, plain rice and lentils, split peas and red beans all in the tub.  I will get some more food colouring and make him some blue rice and orange and some black beans when I can get to tesco.

It's very simple to make, you need the following:
rice (dry not cooked)
food colouring
white vinegar
cooking trays

place the rice on the cooking tray (I use one bag per colour as we have big tub to keep it in), add a few drops of food colouring (more makes darker/brighter colours) and 2 capfuls of white vinegar, mix really well so that all the rice becomes covered in the food colouring.  Once it's all mixed together you need to re-dry it, so place in oven on low heat for about 5minutes or out in the sun for about 20minutes.  It is advisable to mix it round the baking tray half way through so that it all gets dried.  Once it's dried and cooled add to a plastic tub and mix all the colours together, it looks like a rainbow!  It lasts ages as long as doesnt get wet.  My son has had hours of fun with it.

Rainbow rice in tub

rainbow rice close up

Also today I have made 2 batches of pancake batter ready for tea.  I'm sure it will be enough but then again knowing my boys it may not be and I will have to make even more!!!  Toppings for the pancakes are lemon & sugar, golden syrup, and chocolate spread.