Valentine's day Guinness cakes and card

 Well as valentine's day is coming round the corner I thought it might be appropriate to do a valentine's post, even though I sadly don't have one myself. One thing I'm certain of though is that men like beer and women like chocolate, so why not put the two together? Today me and my Mum have been baking chocolate and Guinness cakes, the reason they're called cakes and not cupcakes is because we baked them in a muffin tin in muffin moulds but with cake mix so it seemed more appropriate. They were reasonably simple, the only vaguely difficult part was heating, and taste so good they'll be sure to win over your valentines! 

Chocolate Guinness Cakes 

(makes 12 muffin sized cupcakes)

we adapted the recipe from Nigella's chocolate Guinness cake

 Ingredients

• 125ml Guinness
• 125 grams of butter (cubed)
• 40 grams of cocoa powder
• 200 grams of caster sugar 
• 70 ml of sour cream
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 140 grams of plain flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda
• 
  
• 50 grams of softened butter
• 100 grams of icing sugar
• 1 200 gram tub of Philadelphia
• 
  

1.) Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C and line a 12 muffin tin      with cases
2.) Put the Guinness into a pan and put on a low heat before adding the butter, stir until melted. Add the cocoa and sugar and whisk together before taking off the heat.
3.) In a separate mixing bowl whisk the soured cream, egg and vanilla. Add the Guinness mixture (it doesn't have to have cooled) and whisk together.
4.) Add in the plain flour and bicarb, whisk again until the mixture is smooth with no lumps.
5.) pour the mixture into the cases and bake for about 20 minutes until they spring back when pressed and leave to cool.

6.) For the icing whisk together the icing sugar and butter until smooth before adding about 100 grams of cream cheese. If you like your icing sweet I suggest you stop there and it may be a little runny to pipe. If you want to pipe the icing you might have to add the whole tub like I did.
7.) Next cut out heart shapes from the top of each cake, as though making fairy cakes, and pipe the icing underneath before replacing the heart.
8.) enjoy while you create your valentine's card!

Adaptations

chocoholic? For even more chocolaty flavor add some melted white chocolate to the icing.
feeling guilty? Add some fresh or frozen raspberries to the cake mixture.

Simple and sophisticated Valentine's card

This card was just as simple as the cakes but looks really really nice and classy I think. All you need to make it is:
 1 sheet of white card
 1 sheet of coloured paper (I used red)
 Glue and glitter
 A craft knife and chopping board
 A black pen and pencil

1.) Take your white card and draw a large heart with a smaller heart within it on the top 1/3 like on the photograph. Cut out the hatched area with the craft knife on the chopping board.
2.) On the red paper in the exact same place as on the white card draw a big heart, glue around it and cover with glitter before shaking to remove any excess.
3.) Fold the paper and card in half before glueing the red paper inside, you might want to cut it a little smaller than the card so it fits in nicely.

4.) Write your message on the front and inside with the pen and send to your valentine's!

I hope you enjoy your cake, your valentine enjoys their card and you get one in return, happy Valentine's!