Chocolate Irish Cream Cupcakes...a (post) pregnancy craving

It is weird.  I didn't really have any cravings while I was pregnant, but over the past 6 months I have found myself craving things I never really HAD TO HAVE before.  I'm mostly talking about chocolate and other sweet things.  Sure, sure I have a bit of a reputation for loving all things cake...and YES most (all) of my new friends in Edinburgh are foodies and cake lovers but I really didn't crave sweet before I was pregnant.  I do now...that's for sure. 

Last night while shushhhing The Babe to sleep I had a sudden urge for chocolate cupcakes...chocolate cupcakes with Mocha buttercream.  Why I NEEDED that combination? I have no idea.  

I haven't made cupcakes in yonks and while I knew I had butter in the house, I knew I didn't have enough for cupcakes AND buttercream.  Dilemma, dilemma.  

Fear not! A quick google search took me straight to this recipe on the Add a Pinch Blog.  Decadent chocolate cupcakes made with vegetable oil.  Perfect! These cupcakes took about 15 minutes to whip up (in fact I had to go and calm The Babe at one point) and bake AND COOL very quickly.  In her recipe Robyn says that you can totally make these after everyone has gone to bed or first thing in the morning. They really are that simple.  Dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in the other...bish bash bosh SIMPLES. 

Last year at some point BTB (Before The Babe) I made some to.die.for buttercream icing where I creamed about 150grams of unsalted butter in a bowl with a wooden spoon and just gradually beat in sifted icing sugar and a drop of milk at a time until it was...perfect.  Since then I have never looked at recipes for icing....I go with 150grams of butter for a single layer or 12 cupcakes and just double it for a layer cake.  

I've been obsessed with the Beanies Flavoured Coffees I bought over Christmas so I mixed up a little bit of instant Irish Cream Coffee (extra strong for a deep flavour) and added that instead of milk into the buttercream.  Total indulgence. 

Cravings satisfied...until next time. 

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Brew Lab Coffee...the coffee house redux

I've been following the progress of artisan coffee enthusiasts Brew Lab on twitter for the last year or so and was temporarily miffed upon hearing that I would stuffing my face with pastries in Paris during the weekend that they opened in Edinburgh.  Two weeks later I have made my inaugural visit and can tell you the wait was well worth it.  

These guys are doing something different and different is good. 

Located on South College Street Brew Lab appears to be an instant success with the university types.  When I visited the place was buzzing with conversation, people catching up over lunch, students clicking away on laptops, and the ever present staff delivering orders to tables.  It was busy, but it felt good.  Exposed brickwork, old features (like an awesome wrought iron litter bin), reclaimed wooden furniture and a floor from an old gym exude a hip, fresh, and social atmosphere. 

I was so happy when I read that Brew Lab wasn't just going to be celebrating amazing coffee, but also the best of Edinburgh with sandwiches made with breads from Le Petit Francais, soups and salads from Union of Genius and cakes from lovecrumbs...celebrating Edinburgh's local producers.

The coffee is single origin and drinks are created through a process I can only describe as alchemy.  

I'll be back.

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it's the little things...coffee in the mall

In North America a good mall is a status symbol.  The better the mall...the bigger the names...the more people will come and spend their seemingly endless supply of disposable income.  When I was growing up in Toronto there were 2 main malls...the Eaton Centre downtown and Yorkdale uptown.  There were, of course, other smaller malls....many of which have grown into major malls in their own rights over the last decade or so...but for me the 2 big ones are the 2 main ones.  

During my short visit to Toronto my mum wanted to stop by the ever expanding Yorkdale to check out a few stores and to wander around "the new section" consisting of stores you have to provide evidence of your bank balance to enter...we were simply window shopping.  The day we planned to go we were up early so thought we'd venture over and put my mum's Starbucks gift card to good use before the shops opened. 

Only when we got there we found out that the Starbucks was actually IN the bookstore and therefore not open until the store was...onto plan B.  

The food court. 

Three words that just scream fast food, squealing teenagers and poor choice.  Not here. The Yorkdale food court has had a facelift...it is no longer called The Food Court, it is called Dine On 3...posh.  There is still the same fast food element selection but there are also a handful of sit down places, and...the gem...on it's own level...an illy coffee shop.  

Epressamente was exactly what we were looking for to pass the 45 mins or so we had until the shops opened.  The cafe is separate from the food court and has its own seating area, and although it wasn't busy at 8:30 in the morning it was a nice escape from the mall...secluded, sedate.  

The coffee is illy so you know it is going to be good.  My coffee of choice, of late, has been a flat white but seeing as the Aussie style hasn't made it across to North America yet, I settled for a latte...but I knew it was going to be more coffee than steamed milk.  

The breakfast special...a latte, cappuccino, or espresso with a pastry for $4.50 is a bargain considering a coffee alone is $4.00!! I know...$4.00 for a coffee, albeit a fine coffee.  The breakfast special was great, a huge selection of pastries to choose from and a really good coffee.  I savoured my raspberry scroll and latte equally and my mum enjoyed her regular croissant and cappuccino while we peered through the glass and watched the people below.  

An excellent coffee at the mall.  

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Post Exam Cake-up

Monday morning, bright and early, I took the bus out to my college to sit the most terrifying exam I have encountered since finishing high school (not to brag but my university exams were for the most part not terrifying...thank you arts degree).  I've been studying Intermediate 2 Maths (aka GCSE or Grade 11) in the hopes that I might do well enough to get onto a course here at Edinburgh University...my 3 degrees don't count for much without a "post the age of dinosaurs" maths credit apparently.  

After 2.5 hours of torture I headed back into town to meet some friends for a celebratory cake-up at our favourite little cafe Bon Papillon.  Although all I wanted after my awful morning was course after course of Stuart's lovely cake I had some soup and a herb scone to calm myself down before I got stuck into the main event...

Date, Honey, Walnut and Banana Cake.  

We spent hours chatting about this and that and before I knew it, it was 3:30! What a fantastic way to take my mind off my exam and to spend the rest of my day off from work.  

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Edinburgh Larder...a fantastic escape from the rain

This blog didn't set out to offer reviews of restaurants and cafes...it is meant to be a log of my adventures in the kitchen and around the house...but since we've relocated to Edinburgh I can't help but want to SHARE with you some of the fantastic little (and large) finds I've...well...found!

It's a wonder I have any pennies left...coffee isn't expensive, but...I've been trying to limit my new experiences to once a week...it is only Tuesday and I've spent my coffee money for the week already!! Blame it on the rain (cue milli vanilli), blame it on my unemployment, blame it on the need to be out of the house for a few hours during the day...what ever I blame it on, the fact is...

Pottering equals coffee treat every time.

I found myself wandering around old town this morning (after a stop at the library and post office...no mail to Canada....strike) with a knapsack full of books, some un-mailable mail and the heavens threatening to open at any minute.  I can't say that today's cafe treat happened entirely by accident, I WAS on the hunt for a cafe...BUT the cafe that I had actually WANTED to try was CLOSED!!

So back along the Royal Mile I started walking (in the rain) past totally over priced tourist traps, wondering where I would be able to take cover...when I had to stop at the corner of a pretty small street to let a truck turn...and there I could just about make out a really lovely looking sign (awesome font and colours) for a cafe...Edinburgh Larder.

When I walked in I fell in love instantly...lovely wooden tables, big glass cooler case of salads, rustic breads...local produce...

I had a seat in the window, so I could watch the rain and the backpackers tumble out of the hostel opposite.  The windowsill was covered in cookbooks, some marked, some dogeared, some new...and a collection of cookery writing books as well...if I had all day I would have just sat there reading and eating and copying out recipes.

I had a huge bowl of porridge (cooked in milk....yum!) with brown sugar and a latte.  Major bonus points for the latte served in a mug...not a glass...hey! I am picky (I quizzed the guy working there...and he agreed with me) and yes, it would have made a difference.

Anyway, if you find yourself in Edinburgh old town close to the Royal Mile and North Bridge it is worth the detour to Blackfriars street.  I'll be checking them out for lunch next!

Edinburgh Larder