Easy Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Hi Everyone,

A few days ago we came back from a weekend trip and during a stop at the services, I found a little gem of a cupcake book called simply "The Cupcake" by Love Food, and just could not resist.

It is packed full of little cupcake goodness. My husband got the first choice of cupcake and as he loves carrot cake he chose the mini version.

They tasted absolutely divine so I just had to share them.

So here we go….

According  to the recipe, these ingredients should equal 12 cupcakes, however, when I made them, I actually got 18….. not sure why…..

Ingredients:

175 g/ 6oz butter, softened, or soft margarine

115 g/4 oz caster sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

300 g/ 10.5 oz carrots, grated

55 g/ 2 oz walnuts, finely chopped

2 tbsp orange juice

grated rind of 1/2 orange

175 g. 6 oz self-raising flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

12 walnut halves, to decorate

For the frosting:

115 g/ 4 oz full-fat cream cheese

1 tbsp orange juice

225 g/ 8 oz icing sugar

First of all you need to preheat your oven to 180 degrees (350 Fahrenheit) and put 12 cupcake cases into a tray.

Next, beat the butter/margarine together with the caster sugar until its really nice a fluffy. It will also get a little lighter in colour. Gradually start beating in the eggs. 

Once that's done, you need to add in your grated carrots, chopped walnuts, orange juice and orange rind. I used a spatula to fold the mixture together. Then sift in your cinnamon and flour and again fold it in. It is best to use a metal spoon because the mixture is less likely to stick to it.

The fill your cases and bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes. Keep checking them because the baking time will differ with every oven. They should be nice and golden and firm to the touch. Leave them on a wire rack to cool.

Now, we can make the yummy frosting. Add the cream cheese and orange juice to a bowl and sift in your icing sugar, then beat the mixture until it's fluffy.

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, you can add the frosting and top each with a walnut half.

All you need to do now is enjoy!!!

Let me know in the comments below what you think of them!!!

Lot's of love,

Linda

Disclaimer: The recipe is taken from the book "The Cupcake" by Love Food. The ingredients I took from the book but the instructions were re-written in my own wording.

Organix Moroccan Argan Oil

Hello ladies,

I have a new hair obsession.... the Organix Moroccan Argan Oil hair oil. I am absolutely loving this since the first use!! 
So I thought I give you a little review on it....

First of all, a quick explanation what argan oil is:

Argan Oil is an oil that is produced from the kernels of the Argan tree which is endemic in Morocco. It has been praised for a long time for its nutritive and cosmetic properties.

It is suitable for all skin types (even super sensitive skin!!) and is intensely moisturizing.

So, now to the actual product.

First of all, the packaging is gorgeous! I am obsessed with the rich golden tones and the shape of the bottle. Even the oil is a really beautiful shade of honey. 
Which make it a pleasure to use!

The scent is also really indulgent. It has a rich earthy / fruity scent to it which however does not linger on the hair for a long time after styling it. (Don't mind me describing scents… really not good at it).

The oil itself is incredibly nourishing and really smoothes out my fine, frizzy hair. It does not leave my hair looking oily unlike other products I have used in the past. It simply leaves I looking healthy. Another great thing about this product is , at least in my opinion, once you used it and wash you hands, it does not leave any yucky film covering your skin. :-) That is always a massive bonus point.

Overall this is an amazing product! 


It is available in: Boots, Superdrug and major supermarkets
Priced at: £6.99 for 100ml (but you can always find it on offer somewhere)


Love,
Linda

Clinique Exfoliating Scrub Review

Hi ladies,

About three month ago I popped into Selfridges with the intention to load myself up with high end skin care products for the very first time in my life.

I had never ever before bought any expensive skin product but started to become really unhappy with my routine.

It had basically always consisted of a drugstore facial wash and toner for combination to oily skin. But I started to become increasingly frustrated because nothing ever seemed to really have an impact on my skin. 

So I decided that it was time to switch it up. 

Don't get me wrong, I love everything drugstore but the product range for skin care just wasn't what I was expecting any more for my skin. But that's just me.

So, well... As said, I arrived at Selfridges, completely soaked from a massive downpour, my boots squeaking like crazy and in principle looking like a wet poodle. The salesclerk at the Clinique counter was really lovely and sat me down for a quick consultation to find out what exactly I was looking for and need.

In the end, she suggested that I go for the anti blemish solution system and I decided to go for the Cleansing Foam of that line and the Exfoliating Scrub and the Liquid Facial Soap from their general line.

Having used this for a bit more than three month now, I think I can truly say that I am over the moon with the products. However, of all three of these products, the exfoliating scrub has made the biggest impression on me and that's why I would like to give it a little shout out here.

So here is my review:

My skin, which is combination to oily, turns a little red after use but that does not put me off because my skin is quite sensitive anyways.

This scrub has a thick consistency with small exfoliating particles and does look a bit like toothpaste when you squeeze it out of the tube.

The packaging itself is the typical clean and sleek Clinique style in a very nice light green with silver lettering, and overall I am quite pleased with it.

It has a strong scent of menthol to it which is amazing if you are using the scrub in the morning as it will really wake you up and leave a nice cooling sensation on your face. That is if you are a fan of menthol of course. If not, then you might prefer to stay away from this.

The lady at the Clinique counter recommended using this scrub twice a week and having done so during the last month, I feel comfortable saying that it has made a significant difference to my skin.

My face feels much softer and smoother than ever before and my pores appear to be much smaller. I do tend to have breakouts quite frequently, and this seems to be helping to keep them in check and really take off all flakes / dead skin cells and remove all the gunk.

This scrub is my new Holy Grail. It exfoliates my skin like nothing else I have ever tried, and believe me, I have tried a lot and nothing ever did the trick to really improve my skin.

You can find the at any Clinique counter and it retails for £18.50 (100ml) which is not too pricey in my opinion as it will last for a very long time and you are getting an amazing product.

If you have tried this scrub, I would love to hear your opinion about it, or if you have any skin care you would like to recommend please let me know!!!

Lots of love,

Linda

Bringing Flower - Power to your bath tub

Hi Everyone,

I recently went to Lush to pick up some of their bath bombs and fell in love with Think Pink!!!!

 

The pretty print color and little flowers (which are selected at random) just screamed ‘Pick me up’.

 

It just looks so girly and instantly brings you a feeling of a bright summers’ day.

Besides the gorgeous vanilla and tonka scent, it also colors your bath water in a shade of baby pink.

And when you have settled in your bath, you can see little hearts that have been released!!!

 

Don’t know if there is anything more that I would want for my bath during summer.

 

I know that I will definitely be getting this one again!!

 

See you soon!

Linda XXX

 

P.S. Let me know which one is your favorite bath bomb!!!