Food & Drink

Boys Get Baking

Queen of the cupcakes Lily Vanilli shows you how to get your boys into the kitchen

Think of all the famous chefs you know. Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Marcus Wareing, Heston Blumenthal, Marco Pierre White. Notice a trend? They’re all men. And traditionally, all the best bakers are male too. Recent research has shown that 46% of dads would rather BBQ than bake, but there is no reason why they would not excel in the kitchen.

The majority of baking at home is done by women, and there are also thousands of toys targeting young girls to help teach them to bake, even if it’s mud pies or a batch of imaginary muffins, however this is not the case for boys.

Now a new campaign is launching to show how easy it is for men and boys alike to express their creativity in the kitchen while retaining their masculinity. ‘Baking for Boys’ is an initiative coinciding with Fairtrade Fortnight – the Big Swap (Monday 22 February to Sunday 7 March), who are encouraging people to swap their usual products for Fairtrade ones. This could be switching to Fairtrade bananas or Tate & Lyle Fairtrade sugar which doesn’t cost you a penny more.

The research also shows that 47% of dads find baking with their child stressful. Well help is at hand. In the following video, cupcake queen Lily Vanilli and her godson Alfie prepare some simple and fantastic edible delicacies as she passes on her craft to an eager helper who shows men can bake.

For more information visit www.tasteandsmile.co.uk

Lily Vanilli’s Fairtrade Bacon and Banana Cake

Ingredients:
4 rashers unsmoked organic back bacon
150g ripe Fairtrade bananas (approx 2 small)
60g Fairtrade honey
100g unsalted organic butter (at room temperature)
40g Tate & Lyle Fairtrade caster sugar
140g organic plain flour (sifted)
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 large, free-range organic eggs (at room temperature)
Handful Fairtrade Brazil nuts (toasted & chopped)
1/2 tsp grated Fairtrade nutmeg
1/2 tsp Fairtrade ground cinnamon
12 paper cupcake cases

Method:

1. Lay rashers of bacon on a foil lined sheet and place in a cold oven with the temperature set to 200c for approx 20 minutes or until crispy. Allow to cool
2. Turn heat down to 180c
3. Mash bananas with honey in a small bowl and set aside
4. Sift together all the dry ingredients into a large bowl – flour, sugar, baking powder, salt
5. Cut butter into small chunks and add to the dry ingredients, blend with an electric mixer on medium speed until evenly incorporated
6. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition
7. Mix in the banana/honey mixture, spices and Brazil nuts to taste
8. Spoon into cupcakes cases, filling almost to the top
9. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean
10. Remove and leave to cool in the pans for approx 3 minutes – then transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.

Frosting:
55g unsalted organic butter (at room temperature)
325g Tate & Lyle Fairtrade icing sugar
1/2 cup (4fl oz) organic double cream
2 tbsp Fairtrade honey

1. Beat the butter until smooth, then add half of the sugar, the double cream and the honey
2. Continue beating, slowly adding the rest of the sugar to achieve a smooth, even texture
3. Ice each cooled cupcake with a thick swirl of frosting and top with strips of cooled bacon and chopped Brazil nuts.