Hummingbird Cupcakes new store details

I've just found out that the new Wardour Street branch of the fabulous Hummingbird Bakery is Lee Stafford's old Salon so I will be easily able to find it (used to get my hair cut there till they moved and upped their prices loads).

It's quite a little space - it did have a downstairs section as a salon, but I suppose they may use that as a kitchen? I can't wait to see what they've done to it - I know from their Twitter that their theme for the store is cupcake pop art! According to my sources it opens on the 9th December - I have a gig that night in Brixton but I'm hoping that my lovely hubby might leave work a bit early with me for a pre-gig cupcake :) Or maybe I should just take the day off and camp outside for the opening?

In other Hummingbird news Tarek will be at Heals in the Kings Road signing copies of the Hummingbird cookbook this Saturday from 1.30-3.30, and some cupcake demo's and a baking Q&A are promised. There are several cupcake outlets within walking distance of Heals if you want to make a cupcake day of it including Crumbs and Doilies, Love Bakery and Hummingbird - Buttercup is also less than 30mins walk away but after the last time I'd give it a miss. Oh and if you walk to Harrods you can have a Lola's cupcake or if you're all cupcake'd out a Laduree macaroon.

On a non-cupcake note - Paul A Young and Hope and Greenwood will also be signing their books at Heals on Saturday

Lots of cupcake stationery gift ideas from Hummingbird

Hummingbird Bakery make some of the best cupcakes in London (actually the world!) and their cakes are always gorgeous, as well as tasty. They are the kind of cakes that even people who don't like cupcakes (odd people) drool over. And if you, or someone you're buying a gift for is a fan there is a whole range of stationery available with their cakes on from Amazon (and from Waterstones (thanks Sarah)).

There are approx 10 items available in all but I've put a few of my faves on here for you - the full range is available here from Amazon or from the Waterstones link above. My favourite is the mini notebook and the notecards I think, but they're all just make your mouth water!

Also I noticed that a Hummingbird Cupcake Kit is available for pre-order (due out Feb 2010) which includes a cookbook and 100 cupcake cases - I'm assuming the cookbook is a edited down version of the original as it only includes 25 recipes.

And on a final Hummingbird note, don't forget their third store, in Wardour St, Soho, will be opening early December - perfect for a pre-Xmas shop treat :)

Not the prettiest cupcakes

but the couple Manny allowed me to try tasted FAB! I love coconut so just had to give the pineapple and coconut cupcakes in my Hummingbird cookbook a try! The cakes were really moist - the pineapple chunks in them made them nice and sweet (Manny also felt it contributed to his five a day...hmm not sure!) and the coconut frosting was yummy. I deviated slightly from the recipe and put some vanilla in the frosting as I tried it with just the coconut milk and it was a little bland - some yummy Nielson-Massey vanilla upped the yum factor though :)

I think they'd have looked better if I'd not used the giant cases from Waitrose - think I'll stick to the slightly smaller ones. Also next time I'd get some of the food colouring that turns your frosting white - I meant to buy it from Jane Asher but just didn't get a chance to pop there. 

After my first disastrous attempt at chocolate cupcakes (the Hummingbird cookbook let me down -they came out a bit lumpy and the frosting went very lumpy) I decided to try Hannah's Rolo chocolate cupcakes and they worked out a treat. You can get the recipe here - I didn't use the frosting as I wanted to have a chocolate overload with them, so gave the Hummingbird chocolate frosting another go and thankfully this time it came out absolutely gorgeous! I'm not usually a fan of chocolate cupcakes but even I managed a couple of these!

I shall be making another batch tomorrow to give out at the punk rock bingo, so fingers crossed they turn out as tasty!

I baked you a cupcake

I had today off work so decided to try my hand at the Hummingbird red velvet cupcake recipe!

I had to buy some ingredients I'd never used before, buttermilk, and added vinegar to a sweet thing for the first time ever in my life but they worked out really well and having sampled a newly frosted one I can say they really are scrummy! I'm pleased they turned out so red as I only had one bottle of scarlet food colour (serves me right for not reading the recipe carefully before going shopping) but I added some pink colur and they came out very red!

I know usually red velvets are naked cupcakes but I couldn't resist a few sprinkles!

I heart my Hummingbird Bakery cookbook :)

This is not just any cupcake...

This is a Marks and Spencer cupcake.

After months of publicising the fact that they're going to launch a cupcake range, M&S are finally launching them in store tomorrow.

There was an article in today's Metro today about them which featured a bit of background about the research the M&S cupcake guru, Matt McAuliffe, did to come up with their new range, including eating at 40 different NY bakeries in a week (if he'd gotten in touch I could've emailed him my extensive list of NY cupcake places, reaching about 47 at last count!)

Not sure I agree with his assumption that the UK isn't ready for full on New York style cupcakes...

The problem is there is a big difference in taste over the pond, he reckons. 'Brits have a sweet tooth but not as sickly as Americans. This large amount of icing was the biggest challenge when making our cakes. In the end, we decided to balance the sweetness in the buttercream with fruit.'

I think cupcakeries/bakeries such as Hummingbird, Buttercup and Primrose (to name just 3) are doing very well selling American style cupcakes and whenever people ask me where to get cupcakes they tend to ask for "American style". I will give these a try - I'm hoping to get my hands on some tomorrow on the way into work so expect an update soon!

The whole article can be viewed here, and includes recipes for Hummingbird Bakeries banana chocolate cupcakes (from their FAB book) and a M&S 'all natural' strawberry cupcake recipe, although I personally wouldn't make it as it has oil in (the article says that in NY rapeseed oil is often used instead of butter but I know this isn't the case in the better bakeries we visited so I'll just stick to baking buttercream cupcakes - oil cupcakes when I've had the misfortune to try them just seem oily to me and I just can't imagine myself pouring oil into a cake mix!)

Will report back on these asap!

Horray for peeps!

So I ventured away from the pink cupcakes this time..well kinda! I still made some pink ones (I can't help it I love pink!) and some yellow and some blue. I was hoping the blue would be kinda pastel blue but it first went kinda concrete grey/blue, then I added some more and it was still kinda blah blue...taste nice though! The yellow isn't too great either - I added quite a bit, and it does look better, in the pic I think my blue walls/black worktops are reflecting a bit and making it appear darker - its quite a vibrant yellow honest! Hope the people at work appreciate my effort!

I also made some brownies, again from the Hummingbird cookbook - they fell apart a bit when I tried to remove them from my stupid new silicone brownie tray but they are perfectly brownie-ish - ie still moist in the middle - however they are way too chocolatey for me - hope Manny is hungry when he gets home! The pic above shows it pre-baking in its full ooey gooey Green and Blacks glory!

Punks love the pink cupcakes!

They look quite similar to the last lot and tasted just as good - although I think my frosting was even nicer this time - I whipped it for 8mins rather than 5 so it was even fluffier! Nothing better after a bad week at work than licking the frosting bowl!

Currently winging their way down to Plymouth with Terminal Decline and Dirty Love in a pink transit van!

The next lot will be a different colour I promise!

I am a master baker

Well not quite but I did manage to make some exceptionally yummy cupcakes tonight following the recipe from my gorgeous Hummingbird Bakery cookbook.

I think that perhaps the cupcake cafes of London should be worrying about the downturn in their profits following my discovery that I can bake 12 yummy cupcakes for the price of a couple, although if I continue to home bake, and eat, then any money I save on cupcakes will be spent in the clothes shops of London as my girth expands..lol

I highly recommend the book -the cake is very moist and melt in the mouth -and the frosting is simply divine!!! And it's not just me blowing my own trumpet honest...I'd be the first to admit if they tasted ropey!