Oreo and Marshmallow Chocolate Cupcakes

During my recent baking adventure with Eilis, we had a very important job to do and that was whipping up Kat's belated birthday cupcakes.

We chose a recipe from the Primrose bakery as usual and this was a particularly chocolatey, Oreoey, marshmallowey one which we thought work work as Kat and Eilis are part of a family of big chocolate fans. Plus, everyone loves an Oreo!

We found these really fun to make, even though we were in quite a rush as Eilis had a horseriding lesson to get to. The really fun part was whisking the egg whites to stiff peaks which Eilis had never done before - it was pretty cool to show her the old trick of holding the eggs above your head and no, we didn't end up with any egg on our face.

The Primrose bakery's Marshmallow Icing used on these bad boys I've made a few times now and have never managed to get it quite right. In the recipe it recommends working with it when it's still warm which we had to do as we didn't have time to wait for it to cool down. The result was icing flying out all over the place and all over our hands. I think it would be best to let the icing cool, I'm going to try that next time.

I hope that Kat enjoyed her birthday cakes! She sent me a lovely photo of them that evening with the candles lit so we know she got a second happy birthday song and I hope it was a fun affair!

Recipe:
115g dark chocolate
85g butter
2 large eggs
185g plain flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
250ml semi-skimmed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Marshmallow Icing
120g granulated sugar
80g golden syrup
1 tbsp water
2 large egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

To serve
1 packet of Oreos

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C / gas mark 5. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Separate the eggs. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together before adding just the yolks of the eggs one at a time and mixing them in. While the chocolate is still fairly warm, add it to the mixing bowl as this will help get rid of any butter lumps.

Take another bowl and sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a separate bowl and stir together. Take a jug and mix the milk and vanilla extract together. To the original large mixing bowl, add a third of the flour and mix well, followed by a third of the milk mixture and mix well. Repeat this until all of the flour and milk has been added to the mix. Stir until nice and smooth.

Finally take the egg whites and whisk until stiff peaks have formed. Fold the egg whites into the cake mixture using a plastic spatula or spoon.

Take a muffin tin and add a load of cupcake cases to it. Add dollops of the cake mix into the cases until they're about two-thirds full.

Bake the cakes in the oven for around 25 minutes. Allow them to cool in the tin before taking them out to finish off cooling on a wire tray.

Meanwhile, make the icing. Put the sugar, golden syrup and water into a saucepan and cook over a high heat until the mixture is absolutely full of big bubbles right to the edges.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Then gradually add the sugar mixture to the egg whites but carry on whipping the egg whites until the mixture is glossy and has cooled down a fair bit. At this point add the vanilla extract.

I would recommend letting the mixture cool down for a bit before icing the cupcakes, but we didn't have time so had to use it straight away which meant the icing went everywhere!

Bash up the packet of Oreos so you've got loads of Oreo bits. Ice the cupcakes using the Marshmallow icing and top with large chunks of smashed Oreos.

El Rincón de Rafa

Our foodie 'to do' list for Manchester is huge. No matter what we seem to do it is always growing rather than shrinking as we seem to add places onto it more often that we cross them off. This does at least mean that we are able to be very selective about what goes on said list, and hearing anything but 100% glowing reviews is enough to get a place struck off for good.

El Rincón de Rafa has been coming off and going back on the list for years - we've heard such mixed reviews, one minute you'll hear someone saying it's the most amazing Spanish food they've ever tasted then the next minute you hear tales of terrible microwaved tapas and hour-long waits for mediocre food. When my friend Nat recently told me she had been and had a "sensational" meal, I started to consider adding it back onto the list - it is a Manchester "classic" after all. Well, fortunately we didn't need to wait long as Nat liked it so much she decided to invite us all to go with her for her birthday meal!

I was very impressed that as soon as we arrived at El Rincón I felt like we were in Spain - it is an awesome space with high ceilings and a rustic feel to it which really reminded me of L'Ovella Negra where we used to drink before Razzmatazz in Barcelona (the Marina branch, not the one in El Raval that's full of tourists). There was a fantastic friendly Saturday night atmosphere and we were even treated to some card tricks by this brilliant budding magician child from the neighbouring table. Another similarity to L'Ovella Negra was the jugs of Sangría that were flying about the place. This was sweet and very drinkable (and drink it we did - a lot!) but I felt it lacked the winey depth I'd expect from a Sanny G at a bar (or even out of a carton of lovely Don Simón) in Spain and tasted more like a Tinto de Verano.

Our tactic as a table of seven was to choose two tapas each off the menu each and get stuck in. This turned out to be a fantastic idea as I got to try absolutely loads of different dishes, including several I wouldn't have thought to order myself. I was also expecting a long wait on the food as it was busy but it seemed the kitchen were just sending stuff out to us as and when it was ready which was great, every new arrival at the table was met with excitement and a collective "ooh!"

First up were some baskets of bread, a wee plate of Boquerones en Vinagre and some Allioli. Being a classy bird, I obviously immediately made a boquerón and allioli sandwich which was AWESOME. The Allioli was off the hook - so garlicky I really feel for anyone sat near us in the pub later. I recommend you get this with your tapas if you visit El Rincón because it will make anything amazing.

After living in Catalonia I can tell you that no two restaurants' plates of Patatas Bravas are the same. The shape and crispiness of the potatoes, the sauce (sometimes even resembling more of a ketchup), whether or not there's a dollop of allioli on top etc, varies from place to place. I liked the sauce on El Rincón's version and thought they tasted ace but I would have liked the potatoes to have had a moment or two longer in the fryer as I think being drenched in sauce can make a plate of bravas go a bit soggy.

I was excited to see Pimientos de Padrón on the specials menu but surprised when they arrived deep fried in batter; I'd not seen them done like this before and it didn't explain this on the menu. The batter was light and crispy but I don't think I'd have ordered them had I known, I love these little peppers so much and get my hands on them so rarely that it seems like sacrilege to put anything other than oil and salt anywhere near them!

Pan Catala (another dish that looks different wherever you go) was nice and crunchy and piled high with flavoursome tomatoes.

Queso Manchego was obviously of a good quality as it didn't have that plasticky texture you can sometimes get with it and I thought the membrillo to Manchego ratio was good.

The Gambas Pil Pil were beautiful and even as a hater of all things prawn, Bailey couldn't stop dipping his bread in the spicy, smoky oil they had arrived in.

Pulpitos en Salsa was lovely too - nicely cooked octopus with a rich tomatoey sauce you also wanted to dip your bread into.

One of the last things to arrive at the table was one of the dishes I'd most been looking forward to - a huge plate of Razor Clams. I'd never eaten a razor clam before and haven't prepared them at home (I'm pretty sure Bailey wouldn't touch them with a barge pole) so was quite intrigued. They were delicious but unfortunately the razor clam I got was accompanied by a large mouthful of sand. Apparently I was the only one around the table who got this so I think I was unlucky. I'm looking forward to trying a less sandy version in future!

There were also quite a few meaty treats floating around the table which obviously I didn't try but were also apparently really good. The Albondigas, according to Bailey were fantastic, and although the Pork Cheeks split the group with some finding them too chewy, Bailey was also fan of these.

So our food at El Rincón was most enjoyable so what about the service? Well we had two different members of staff dealing with us and both were excellent. I was too shy to speak to them in Spanish but the fact that they were Spanish added to the holiday feeling. The food and drink was all brought out speedily but not so much so that we had too much food going cold on the table at any time. They were also great at knowing which plates to take away and which little pots of leftover sauce  to leave in case we wanted to dip (dipping is one of the best parts of eating tapas for me, they should really only give you the bread at the end!) Even though we were taking up a big space in the restaurant and the place was busy, they never made us feel rushed and we did stick around for quite a bit of time to finish our drinks after finishing eating. 

The most pleasant surprise of the meal was getting the bill at the end and seeing what a bargain the whole thing had been. Despite having drunk crazy numbers of jugs of sangria and beer, the bill for seven people was notably cheaper than our recent surprisingly expensive bill for four at Yang Sing, and the evening was just as enjoyable. I couldn't believe that after ordering basket after basket of bread the total charge for this was a mere £1.60! 

I would definitely return to El Rincón but I think I would make sure I went as part of a large group, I don't think I'd have liked it as much had it just been me and Bailey. Our expectations were definitely exceeded and as an indication of how much I obviously got stuck into this meal, I will tell you that I later found an alarmingly large blob of tapas on my right bicep... How that got there I have no idea but I was obviously having too much fun to notice!

The Liquorists Ceylon Arrack Trail

We had tasted the sweet sweet booze provided by The Liquorists once before and since then had tried to go along on their tequila trail but didn't get round to it, there were also a few events around Christmas that also looked great and the odd chat about sorting out our own trail but none of it worked out for us.  Life is hard.  Luckily life is also full of nice surprises and just the other week The Liquorists invited us out on their new Ceylon Arrack trail.

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"Hold on you've lost me" I hear you say "what the dickens is CEYLON ARRACK?".  Well of course we knew exactly what it was when we accepted the invite, we'd known about it for ages, we drink it like tap water in our house.  That's a lie.  A huge big fat lie intended to deceive you.  A "Huhne" if you will. It's okay we can all be safe in the knowledge that not many people have heard of this intriguing liquor and the very fact that The Liquorists are putting on its trail to up its exposure means its only just arriving on our shores in any meaningful way.

Now if you had gone on the trail (its finished now I'm afraid) you would have received, as we did, a top notch run down of the production, the history and the applications of this tipple.  If you want that level of detail there is plenty of info provided by the producers.  For me I'll just let you know that this is a very unique spirit, its got a character all of its own when drunk straight (which is not advised but I quite enjoyed it) and when mixed still brings something to the party that other spirits don't.  It certainly has a unique production method with its core ingredient being the sap of the coconut flower obtained using the delightfully named method of 'Toddy Tapping'.

On to the trail.  As we had previously loved the Rum Trail our expectations were high, we also knew it is a whirlwind tour with very little time to catch your breath.  For that reason we were already a little worried when we left The Liquorists HQ 22 Redbank later than scheduled.  It didn't matter though, we caught up not too many drinks down the road and received a delightful gin and tonic while we were waiting in the surprisingly grand surroundings of 22 Redbank.  I also think its a great idea to have the meal at the beginning of the trail rather than the end, sets you up for the night!

The biggest surprise at the last trail was how good the Thai curry was, well the Sri Lankan variety also absolutely hit the spot.  The kick of the curry was a great partner to the kick of the first (and probably best cocktail) of the trail, a simple combination of the arrack with ginger beer, OJ and bitters.  This is a drink I will come back to again and again.  When I lay my hands on a bottle to live in my drinks cabinet it will be this simple bad boy that is rolled out to show non believers how good Ceylon Arrack can taste.

Out the door we went and we were whisked around the bars.  Where did we hit?  Apotheca (no idea why I've never been in here, right up our street!), Hula (old favourite, always brilliant when you can actually get to the bar, also managed to pick up some new trail members), The Whiskey Jar (new bar with a great interior, really liked this place and have already been back in) before ending up at Épernay (fancy pants Champagne bar with a very relaxed vibe, totally weren't prepared for our trail rolling in).  So again a really good variety of great bars, The Liquorists know their turf.

Obviously we need to talk about the cocktails, always a struggle when you are on a trail.  In each bar we received a glass of punch and a full on cocktail.  I liked all the cocktails we consumed, like I said before Ceylon Arrack really is quite unique. I don't think its possible to directly compare it to any of the other major spirits like rum or whiskey, its got its own thing going on and this brings a subtle individuality to any cocktail it is used in.  One word of warning, the Sazerrack served in Hula Bar is a badass drink not for everybody's palate, it is a SERIOUSLY stiff drink that coats your mouth with syrup and booze.  I liked it.  The next drink on the list was the super refreshing IPA based drink served in The Whiskey Jar so they were a good side by side combination.  I really would say that if you see a bottle of Ceylon Arrack on a bar then you should give it a go if only to taste a set of unfamiliar flavours that might become your new favourite drink, it will at least be an interesting diversion on a night out.

So I've heaped plenty of praise on The Liquorists before but there was one skill shown on our trail that needs mentioning because I think the success of the trails hinges on the very difficult skill of being all things to all people.  The trails are essentially pub crawls except you aren't going with your closest buddies, you are getting thrown in with a bunch of strangers.  Now the vast majority of people we've met on the trails have been absolutely lovely, really fun and we had a great time with them but on this occasion there were just one or two people who, from the moment they arrived, were indulging in the pastime of screaming terrible jokes, interrupting the background on the drinks with inane comments  and attempting to blag free drinks left, right and centre.  This should have been a recipe for disaster, derailing the night but it wasn't because we had Massimo who masterfully dealt with them.

If you are going to enter in to some sort of banter contest I would advise that you avoid doing this with a man whose profession largely revolves around bartending.  There was nothing that could be thrown at Massimo that could not be turned around in to an actual joke that made us all laugh.  He managed to keep absolutely everybody happy and I think that's at the core of what makes The Liquorists successful, they are good dudes that make sure that everybody has a good time.  The great drinks and the nibbles are secondary to the experience.  Their trademark phrase 'no hangover guaranteed' as (catchy and true as it might be) could easily be replaced with 'good time guaranteed'.  Just realised that sounds a bit dodgy.  You get the drift.

A coupe of very simple recommendations.  If you haven't been on a trail with The Liquorists yet correct this at the earliest opportunity, there is a rum trail coming up and they will make sure you have a great time.  If you've already been on a trail with The Liquorists go on another trail with them, I've been assured that the upcoming rum trail is full of different bars and drinks so get on it. If you haven't tried Ceylon Arrack before make sure you keep your eye out for it and give it a try, maybe have a chat with any of the trusty bar keeps working at any of the establishments mentioned above and see what they can come up with.  If you have tried Ceylon Arrack before then your pants are on fire.

Special thanks to The Liqourists for the invite as well as to Manchester Foodies and Lickerish Split for the aide memoire.

Luck, Lust, Liquor & Burn

At the weekend the lovely Blob was over from Sheffield to help Bailey with a task that has been taking up much of his time and energy of late: building a wood-fired oven in the garden. As you can imagine this is thirsty work so the gents needed a night of good food and booze to prepare themselves for the hard graft ahead. Of course I wasn't about to let those two go and have all the fun so I tagged along. It was quite difficult to make a decision between taking Blob for a towering Big Manc burger at SoLIta or a juicy Burrito at the brand spanking new Luck, Lust, Liquor & Burn.

In the end the Burrito won - I was ecstatic at this as my mouth has been watering over their menu from the moment they first shared it on Twitter. It all sounded so delicious I was even willing to overlook the fact that it is run by the same dudes as Almost Famous - a place I vowed never to visit after seeing them tweet "F*ck vegetarians" and hearing they had items called "bitch juice" and "slut sauce" on their menu... (Apparently they now do a veggie burger but I am very stubborn. Also this doesn't excuse the sexism.)

Well I have to say after one visit to Luck, Lust, Liquor & Burn, all is forgiven. It is seriously good. I'm also always pleased when we have a visitor and you take them somewhere they like. Blob's verdict? "I think I'm a bit in love with this place".

Well just to get through the door we had to push our way through the queues of people waiting to get into Almost Famous and it seems Luck, Lust, Liquor & Burn is just as popular as we were asked to wait at the bar for a table to become available. Didn't mind this at all as we watched the friendly barmen efficiently make stunning cocktail after stunning cockatil. I started with the South of the Border Swizzle - a very drinkable, sweet and fruity little number. Bailey and Blob went for the Oil & Water Old Fashioned but were accidentally given a Martinez instead. This was brilliant for them as they sank the Martinez blissfully unaware of the boo boo before being approached by an apologetic barman telling them they would be bringing the correct drink to our table as well. Bonus!

We didn't have to wait long to be seated and while I did very much like the interior of the restaurant and the nice view we had of the Northern Quarter from the window, we felt the tables were a bit too cramped and due to this the waitress nearly tripped over my handbag a few times.

For starters I decided to go for the Cheese and Jalapeño Taquitos - light, moreish, crispy rolls of cheesy goodness with a lovely pesto drizzled salad. I was impressed that even the salad garnish was good. Even Bailey, who never touches a salad garnish, was also impressed (after I made him eat it).

Bailey and Blob shared a couple of starters. Firstly the Buffalo Chicken Blasts which caused quite a stir when the gents realised these contained no bones so could be popped into the mouth whole. These were great apparently - covered with a flavoursome hot sauce which had just the right level of kick and accompanied by a tasty but mild blue cheese dressing. Secondly the Beef Taquitos were described as "manly beef parcels".

So when it came to choosing my main course, as a vegetarian I wasn't expecting to be faced with the agony of choice in a place run by Almost Famous. However Luck, Lust, Liquor & Burn have obviously put some serious thought into their veggie options. Although the Mac Attack Burrito Supremo sounded heavenly, it was the Sunny San Diego that stole my heart... with a portion of Mac N Cheese on the side as a compromise of course. Now what can I say about this burrito apart from that it tasted of awesome. I have spent the last few days daydreaming about this burrito, suffering withdrawal symptoms, wishing it was still in my mouth... Ahhh. It was incredible. Firstly, halloumi is amazing and to put it in a burrito is just genius. Seconly, artichoke hearts - what a wonderful idea. Then, a lovely mix of soft, perfectly roasted veggies, al dente tomatoey rice and more of that incredible pesto. All this is wrapped in the most beautiful paper thin (seriously, how are they that thin?) tortillas, slathered in the lovely hot sauce they've got on the table and the whole thing is amazing. It's also the perfect level of messiness that you'd want out of a burrito (you need a napkin but you keep your dignity). I really think that although the famous Pancho's Burritos is still on our to-do list, this must be simply the best vegetarian burrito in Manchester - you know you've got a good veggie option when the meat eaters are eyeing your dinner up. My only complaint, I was pretty drunk and it was too dark in the place to see how ace what I was eating looked. More lighting please!

The Mac N Cheese I wasn't quite so taken with, it was a decent, thick sticky sauce but I wanted a much stronger cheesy flavour and more seasoning. I think I have quite high standards for Mac N Cheese though as I have found the best recipe (off a Nintendo DS game would you believe) and have been unimpressed by other Mac N Cheeses in the past.

Bailey and Blob both went for the meaty Burrito Supremos which were both stuffed with tender meat and equally gorgeous ingredients. It was amusing to see Bailey, determined to get a bit of all the fillings at once, trying to shove the entire huge burrito into his mouth. I should also mention the fries were great - so fresh you couldn't pick them up, crispy and really nicely spiced.

We were too full for pudding, but there's always space for another cocktail or two (bad decision on my part actually) and we thoroughly enjoyed our choices of a couple of Joshua Trees and a Californication. Bailey, who loves a good cocktail, has always enjoyed beverages imbibed at Almost Famous; well the Luck, Lust, Liquor & Burn selection didn't disappoint either.

So Luck, Lust, Liquor & Burn turned out to be the perfect place to take Blob and the perfect place to wind down on a Friday night after a hardworking week. I honestly couldn't have been happier. The place really does do the most fantastic food and drinks; I can't wait to return to try more off the menu. A trip to Luck, Lust, Liquor & Burn also gets you in the mood for a good time as the cocktail drinking didn't stop there (to the detriment of my health/ability to stand). Service was mega friendly and super efficient. We were also gobsmacked when the bill arrived and it was about £40 cheaper than what we were expecting. This place has melted my icy heart and I actually think, like Blob, I am a bit in love. See you soon, delicious burritos!

Épernay Champagne Bar

Last weekend with my mum and dad visiting, I decided to take my dear mum Aída for a pre-Mother's Day treat. Having been introduced to the gorgeous Épernay Champagne Bar a few nights earlier on the Liquorists' Ceylon Arrack Trail, I knew it was the perfect place for a girly cocktail stop.

As we had spent a large portion of the day shopping to the point of dropping, we were tired, hungry and thirsty so were very grateful to be brought a couple of glasses of cucumber water and a bowl of peanuts before we'd even had a chance to browse the cocktail list. Since having been given cucumber water at Aumbry I really think this is a fabulous beverage. Drinking it makes me feel like some sort of 1920's socialite, I might start having it in the house.

The cocktail list at Épernay really is a sight to behold and you could spend hours reading the menu but me and Mum had a hot date with Primark so both quickly scanned the menu for our favourite ingredients to get our mitts on a pair of champagne drinks we knew we would like. Mum's choice was simple: it had to be an Aperol Spritz of course.

Aperol is Mum's all-time favourite drink and surely any drink you like can only be made better by being topped up with champers. Lurvely.

I decided to continue drinking like the 1920's socialite by going for an Elderbubble which combined the delights of cucumber gin and elderflower... and champagne of course. This was a very crisp, dry cocktail which was right up my street. I wasn't too sure about the presentation featuring huge wedge of cucumber but it tasted very lovely.

Mum and I had a splendid time at Épernay. I did tell her it was a shame we weren't able to go by night as it really is beautiful up there with all the twinkling fairy lights and pretty views of the city - I will ensure we revisit one evening. Épernay is brilliantly located if you are going to any of the places around Deansgate or THE FRENCH up the road which loads of people will no doubt be doing nowadays. OR if you are uber glam like us, you can go there before visiting Primark then walk around feeling really lightheaded and giddy and buy loads of stuff.