ASK FOR HELP

So many people take for granted getting up each morning and going about their day to day business. But what if you felt you had no reason to get up? What if due to mental illness or depression you found it impossible to find a reason to leave your bed? This is a challenge so many people face alone each day.We are normal after all and things such as stress can take a toll on our minds. My reason to get up and go is to bake. I get up every morning wanting to create something better than the day before.I call it baking therapy. . Focusing on the task to hand not the what if's.However I have asked for help and I have no shame in admitting it. Mental illness has a major stigma attached and is somewhat over looked by society as a serious illness.I decided to ask for help and I encourage anyone in a similar situation to do the same. If I walked into a shop on crutches everyone would ask how I am but with a mental illness such as depression the world can be a very lonely place. 6 weeks in a cast and some rehab won't fix it  for it requires enormous strength and courage.

People can be harsh rushing about in their daily lives and not stopping to see if someone they love needs a helping hand with theirs. Depression is like viewing the world in black and white all day everyday.Can you imagine that? Do your friends know they could speak to you about anything suicide or self harm included? Do you know how to recognise suicidal behaviour.
                                                

For anyone struggling at the moment I say its OK to ask for help. There are so many services available simply chatting to your doctor can help.There are a huge range of therapies too and my personal favourite is baking.Help available includes Console,1 Life Suicide Helpline,Samaritans and Pieta House are to name but a few. The far braver decision is to ask for help and tell your family and friends so they can support you. 

It's time to stand up and say not being OK is OK! A problem shared is a problem halved and suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. A problem that when chatted out with a friend may have looked entirely different. There are some wonderful people saving lives everyday in Limerick alone. CSPP suicide prevention Limerick patrol the bridges at night and the river areas preventing suicides. I choose life is a page set up only this week by Cormac Hayes encouraging people to speak out about teen suicide and Water Risk Aware a local voluntary movement to spread the word about the dangers of water aiming to save lives.

I hope this blog has given those who need it the strength to ask for help and those who overlooked it before to offer their hand in support!

My Halloween Challenge

It's that scary time of year again! For to mark the occasion I made a Haunted Halloween cake covered in fondant. Very bold decision for me as the closest thing I had practised with to fondant was kids play dough.Now we all saw how my John Deere turned out :). I'm definitely the easiest person to frighten in all of County Limerick.Therefore I dread October. One example in particular involved a trip to Roscrea. After returning from ambushing an ice cream van delighted with my ice cream boat I entered the house where everyone else was. On entry one of them jumped out screaming from behind the door. As they did my hands went for the roof and the boat followed only for it to land upside down in my hand.Talk about reflexes of a cat! For any of you that know me this is a classic Caitriona moment :). Hopefully we'll keep these moments to a minimum.Never the less Halloween seems to trigger them!

The cake will be baked in a 9 inch deep scary tin. Start by creaming 350g of butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy.Beat 6 eggs in a jug (not with your fist) and alternatively add 350g of Self raising flour and a pinch of salt. Pop into the tin and bake for over an hour. Once out of the oven allow to cool. I like to cut the cake into 3 layers . Doing this for the first time is not for the faint hearted. As the cutting commenced I wondered how I would lift each layer off without breaking them. Using more spatulas and spoons I started to look like Edward scissor hands but eventually successfully moved all layers. To my dismay I attended a course a week later to discover some genius invented a special cutting device which for all the world looks like a saw for cakes.This saw makes cutting the layers simple! Yet another Caitriona moment.
                                                     
                                                

The next step involves making the butter-cream filling. A nice chocolate butter-cream normally does the job. Whisking the butter until soft approx three minutes then add cocoa and icing sugar a dash of cow and vanilla essence. Vanilla essence now there's one I will never understand why it comes in such small bottles. It's a bit like buying 1 square of chocolate. Pointless! Whisk for another 2 minutes and spread on the layers. Once the layers are stacked now for the fun part. Butter-cream all sides of the cake. If any part is uneven cut it off .Continue until it's a bump free masterpiece.
                                                 

Next up is the Orange fondant covering. I chose Orange as I think it has a certain significance this time of year. At first I thought 1 packet of fondant would cover a standard cake. Oh boy was I wrong it takes 3 and a whole lot of whoop ass to knead it. Knead all 3 packs together until they become smooth and flexible. Using a rolling pin roll the fondant out evenly. Spread some cornflour on the work surface to eliminate roller rage. Measure the size and say a little prayer :). Now to get it from the work top to the cake. Luckily my classes paid off for this snazzy manoeuvre. Rolling the fondant around the rolling pin I was able to lift it over the cake and gradually roll it on.
                                            
The next step involves patience. Smooth out all the creases and round off the sides of the cake.Trim the edges and it should look something like this!!!!
                                                   
Now for to make up some shapes. I cut out some bats,pumpkins witches, ghosts and a haunted house with a knife using black and white fondant.
                                                  

Using edible stick the shapes onto the cake.

                                       

I hope you all have a wonderful Halloween. I will be staying firmly indoors and away from ice cream vans :)

Mint Aero cupcakes

Chocolate has a very fond place in my heart. In fact at times I think perhaps I have a chocolate heart.Haven't we seen so many bars come and go? Curly wurly's, Fuse bars, Dime bars, Toffee crisps, Dairy milk .... have I made your mouth water yet? Another of my favourites with a cup of Barry's tea has to be the Aero collection and in particular the mint aero bar.Although it's rectangle shape has now turned into more of a bubble the taste remains the same. A bar with definite dunk-ability as the bubbles dissolve. I'm frothing at the mouth here :) . So how about we combine mint aero bars and a moist chocolate cupcake.....DIVINE!
                                             

Sieve 4 1/2 ounces of plain flour into a large bowl, then add 1 1/2 ounces of cocoa powder. It's fierce annoying that the only cocoa available in the supermarket you'd have to sell part of your left leg for.The price of it!!! After a rant add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder followed by 8 1/2 ounces of caster sugar. Stir them all up in a bowl then add 1 egg, some olive oil, boiling water and 150 ml milk. Whisk and pop in a 180 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

To add a little mystery to these cupcakes I've decided to add a mint filling. It will also give the illusion of the centre of the aero bar. In a bowl whisk creamed cheese, sugar, 1 egg yolk, some peppermint flavouring and finally some green food colouring. Now cutting into the top of the cupcake so that the top is hollowed off put a spoon of the filling inside.
                                        
 Trim the lid and pop it back on. Now for the icing. Cream butter in a bowl until your arms fall off otherwise known as 3 minutes then add a little icing sugar, milk and peppermint. Last but not least a tiny bit of green food colouring. Pipe onto the cupcake in swirls and to top it off place a piece of mint aero ontop.
                                        
Pop the kettle on, tea bags at the ready and enjoy :)

Girls night in cupcakes

Everyone deserves a night in every now and then and nothing compares to a girlie night in with friends. I constantly prey on sweet stands in shops in search of inspiration and this project was no different. I wanted a cupcake topper that spelt out PJ's, DVD's and pampering. I opted with nail varnish toppers.Although not your typical girlie girl I still know what a girlie night entails. I will be using large marshmallows for the bottle dipped in coloured sugar and a twirl as the cap.

Beginning by creaming 4oz of butter and 4 oz of sugar then beating in 2 eggs gradually and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Sift in 4 oz of self raising flour and a couple of tablespoons of milk and watch the magic happen. Spoon into baking cases and bake for 15 Min. For the butter-cream icing cream butter in a bowl add 1 oz of cocoa whisking for a further few minutes. Now for the piping! Using a star nozzle pipe out the icing like your pulling a cone. From my days of working in the arena supermarket I had plenty of practice and also plenty of accidents. The first few I pulled required 2 wafers I'm sure all of you out there working with cone machines will sympathise with me :)

                                                       

Piping complete next up it's time to create the nail varnish toppers. Placing caster sugar in a sandwich bag pop a few drops of your favourite colour dye into the bag and rub together. Then taking a few spoons of icing sugar add a couple of drops of water and mix until you get a sticky icing consistency. Roll the marshmallow in the sticky mixture followed by the sugar mixture. Finally take a piece of the twirl and place it on top. Assemble on the cupcake and there you have it girlie night in cupcakes!