Lunch at Teacup Kitchen, Manchester

Last week, an essay writing coffee break with a friend turned into lunch at Teacup Kitchen in Manchester. I have never visited Teacup before but I had heard very good things from a variety of people. So, when we decided that our coffee break would definitely benefit from added cake, Teacup seemed to be the perfect choice. 

Friendly staff sat us as soon as we entered and offered us menus and table service, something I thought was a nice touch for what I expected to be a little cafe. Teacup Kitchen is actually quite a large and bright cafe with modern but homely decorations. At first I was taken aback with the prices, £5 for a slice of cake?! However, I persevered because I had heard such good reviews. I ordered a latte and a slice of Victoria Sponge while my friend opted for a latte and lemon cake. We then also decided that this was not enough and we would split a brownie between us. 

My reservations about the price were short-lived as the waitress set down a gigantic piece of Victoria Sponge in front of me. It could have been a doorstop. A gorgeous layer of cream and fresh raspberries sandwiched between to think and light slabs of sponge, accompanied with a generous dollop of clotted cream. It was heavenly. 

The Lemon cake was equally gorgeous with a layer of homemade lemon curd and white chocolate curls on top, while the lattes that we ordered came up in cups the size of small bowls. Our eyes were definitely too big for our bellies when we ordered the chocolate brownie to share which came with large chunks of peanut butter and cookie dough and a scoop of ice cream. Everything we ordered tasted just as good as it looked and I am ashamed to say that I was beaten by a slice of cake. The mammoth portions were just too much and I left not being able to finish the whole slice! 

Needless to say, Teacup Kitchen is my new favourite place and I will be visiting again very soon to sample more of the delicious concoctions that they have on offer! 

Banana Cake Recipe (Halloween Edition)

As a cupcake lover, I am always looking for new ideas to spice up just plain vanilla cupcakes. I was taught this recipe for banana bread by a friend at uni (thanks Rachel) and I have stuck by it ever since. It makes a really moist loaf that falls somewhere between bread and cake and is great both cooked in a loaf tin and eaten plain or in cupcake cases and topped with icing :)

A lot of my baking is guess work and judged by eye so I will try to be as precise as I can

This recipe will make 12 cupcakes or 1 medium sized loaf.
It takes approx 1 and a half hours, depending on how much decorating you are doing!

  Ingredients for 1 batch of banana cake/loaf

• 2 bananas
• 2 eggs
• 170g self raising flour
• 170g caster sugar
• 170g butter
• vanilla essence

Ingredients for buttercream topping

• 270g icing sugar
• 135g butter
• splash of milk

To make Banana Cake;

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees

2. Break the eggs in a bowl, add a couple of drops of vanilla essence and whisk with a fork

3. Chop the 2 bananas into a small bowl and mash with a fork, getting out any large lumps

4. In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and the sugar together

5. Add the mashed banana and stir well

6. Add the egg bit by bit, stirring well. Add a spoonful of the flour if the mixture starts to curdle.

7. Add the flour and mix till smooth

8. If baking in a loaf tin, grease the edges before adding the mixture

For a loaf, bake for 1 hour or until golden brown and leave to cool before removing from the tin

Cupcakes take approx 12-15 minutes depending on your oven, leave to completely cool before icing.

To make Buttercream Icing;

1. Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl to get rid of any lumps

2. Soften the butter in the microwave (but not too much!)

3. Mix the icing sugar and butter together making sure that the butter is evenly distributed

4. If the mixture is too dry, it will not be smooth enough to pipe/spread on the cakes. Add a splash of milk and mix well (but not too much! or your icing will be gloopy)

In keeping with the Halloween theme, I used purple cases and Halloween sprinkles to accompany my cupcakes. If you are making a banana bread loaf then it is great eaten warm with ice cream or even completely plain! 

Happy Halloween!