June 8th, 2012 
Vicky 
Hello and welcome to my very first Big Bake-Off post. The Big ‘Saved by Cake’ Bake-Off was inspired by and is in fact my re-interpretation of Mama J’s challenge at Mama J Hearts Chick Lit.
I received my copy of the lovely Marian Keyes’ newest book, Saved by Cake in May and have been experimenting with her recipes ever since. Since I’m a huge fan of cakes and…well, everything that involves sugar, I thought it would be a great idea to change things up a bit with this new feature and treat you (and myself) to some lovely biscuits and cakes.
Just like Mama J, I challenged myself (it’s not really a challenge since I get to eat the cakes) to bake at least one cake or biscuit from Marian’s book each month. I will showcase the different cupcakes and goodies along with some pictures as frequently as I can. Mind you, I’m not a pro at baking, I’m far from it. I’m just a beginner but baking is fun and cakes are delicious, so here we go!
Sweet & Simple Strawberry Cupcakes
These strawberry cupcakes caught my attention right away. I was flicking through the book one day, trying to decide which cake I should start with and these cupcakes seemed to be the easiest. And indeed, they are very easy to make! All you need basically is just the basic eggs-flour-sugar combo and voilà.
It’s definitely one of those cakes that you just can’t go wrong with AND it only takes about 40 minutes to make it. (including the 30-minute baking time) I’ve tried them a few times since I got the book and they’ve always been a huge success. I used a bit more strawberries the second time (about 230g instead of 200) and I preferred them that way because it was a bit more fruity. But I think it’s totally up to personal taste, really.
Apart from the amount of strawberries I used, all I changed was the icing. You can put icing and some sort of a decoration on top of your cupcakes if you feel like it but it’s not necessary. I personally left them the way they came out of the oven – and the best thing is: they are still delicious. I’ll probably try them with icing as soon as I find a proper pastry bag but even if you’re in the same boat as me, there’s no need to worry: they’re perfectly all right without any extra decoration. 
And the finished cupcakes…
But what happens if you don’t have any strawberries left?
(a.k.a. you’re so obsessed with strawberry cupcakes that you just can’t stop…believe me, it does happen)
Try an alternative. I ran out of strawberries last week and had no choice but to use preserved cherries instead. I was quite sceptical at first but it actually works! It will be different from the strawberry ones, obviously, but it’s a great alternative if you don’t have anything else left. It’ll be a bit sweeter and less fruity I think, but other than that, it’s still delicious. You can serve them with a cherry on top or some icing, if you like.
For more recipes, see Marian’s brand new recipe book, Saved by Cake. Or if you’d like to hear what I think about the book, click here and check out my review.
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Awesome feature! I like it and am looking forward to the next ones.
I love baking too so maybe I should get this book. Cupcakes and Muffins are the best. Love them because they are always yummy and quick to make. Perfect sugar/chocolate/fruit kick!
Do you know that you can use a plastic bag (the ones for food storage) as a subsitute for a pastry bag. Just fill it and cut off on corner and violà!
Karin recently posted..… in books
Yes exactly! Thanks Karin! And yes I know!
I way just too lazy (and hungry) at the time and couldn’t be bothered. I’ll try them with the next cupcakes, though.
Your strawberry cupcakes look delicious and I love that you tried an alternative too. I love cherries so it’s good to know you can use them too for when strawberries are out of season.
I want a cupcake now…
Mama J recently posted..Book 2 – Finally Shrinking Word Count
Definitely! The cherry ones are not as good as the strawberry ones (they turned out to be sweeter and… well, different) but they’re not bad! I should have tried them with raspberries, though. That must be delicious!
I love baking more than I like cooking and so I am loving this feature of yours! Those Sweet & Simple Strawberry Cupcakes have caught my attention, too. =D
Thanks Sana!
I’m RUBBISH at cooking! But baking is fun and most of the cakes look relatively easy so they’re definitely worth a try! 
Oh man. This feature will be the death of me and my waistline! Haha. SO yummy! I love dessert. And your cupcakes look so yummy! Baking is the best.
Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl recently posted..Armchair BEA 2012: The Future of Book Blogging
*laughs out loud* Thanks Jana!
And it is indeed!
awesome comment Jana! Of course it will kill our waistlines but I am sure it’s worth it
Karin recently posted..… in books
Those look delish! I love strawberries, yum. Too bad I’m not a great baker. I’ll have to check out the book and see if my husband can do me the favor of baking. Thanks
Dalene recently posted..Friday Book Blogger Hop (Jun 8)
So do I!
And I’m not a great baker (or cooker, for that matter) either BUT here’s the best bit: it doesn’t matter! These cupcakes are so simple! Some of the cakes are more complicated and they’re not that quick to make but the rest of the cupcakes and the biscuit-y things look quite straightforward! 
I hope you’ll like them if you decide to give them a go!
Will your followers or anyone be able to participate with their baking contribution, just a thought maybe make it a linkup where every showcases the baked treat. Let me know what ya think the cupcakes look delish.
Sonya@sonythebooklover recently posted..Follow Friday Blog Hop Giveaway
Yep, I was thinking about adding a linky but I’ve no idea how many people have read the book, to be frank. Plus, I don’t want this to be a weekly feature – it’ll probably be a 3 weekly/monthly one and the chances of everyone baking the exact same thing are v slim. I don’t know…I’ll think about it.
Thank you!
You could always let people link up with recipes from a different book or their own creations?
Melissa @ Harley Bear Book Blog recently posted..Weekly Event: What’s Next?
Yup, but then it wouldn’t be The Big Saved by Cake (which is the title of the book) Bake-off.
BUT if people say they’d like to join in or link up their own recipes then why not? Just let me know. 
I. Love. This!!!! I’m a huge fan of baking so I’ll definitely be checking this out every month. Those look delicious and they don’t look like they need icing to be yummy. =) Happy Friday!
Melissa @ Harley Bear Book Blog recently posted..Weekly Event: What’s Next?
Thank you so much!! And they don’t! I’m not much of an icing fan anyway but I love the fact that they taste great without any additional decoration.
Happy Friday and thanks for stopping by! xxx
Nice job. I just one question. Where is mine?
Em recently posted..Inspiration and Fuel
Yummy!! Thanks for sharing
They look so nice, Vicky! Well done
I’m a huge fan of baking, but I have to try to not do it so often… I’ll be looking like the sponge soon, otherwise ;P
I might have to try this book to be honest – it looks really good!
Dani xx
Dani (Pen to Paper) recently posted..Blog Tour Stop: Shift by Em Bailey **Review & Guest Post**
Love the idea of this…and I’ve been toying with buying her book:) Maybe you can help me with a question? Are all the recipes with Metric measurements? Will I have to be constantly doing conversions or have they provided both for those of us in the US?
Melissa recently posted..Book Review: God Gave Us Love by Lisa Tawn Bergren
Yes they are, I’m afraid. We use metric measurements over here and it’s been published in the UK, obviously
But I don’t know whether there’s going to be a US version or if it’s going to be the same thing measurement-wise.
According to TBD, it’s going to be released in a paperback form on March 26th, 2013 by Plume Books (Penguin USA) – I’ve no idea if it’s going to be any different but if you can wait another 8 months or so, I think you’d better give this one a try! -> click here
Thanks Vickie! I think I’ll wait on this one then…but I do love your idea of a trying a new recipe monthly…I was going to start this a few months ago on my other blog but never got around to it!
Melissa recently posted..Book Review: God Gave Us Love by Lisa Tawn Bergren
Yeah, it’s “only” 8 months anyway, it’s not that bad. I think they’re more likely to change the measurements in this one since it’s supposed to be a US publication, but I’ve seriously no idea. I’m the same with US measurements so I know how annoying it must be
It’s so time consuming when you have to convert every single item on the list :/
Ohhhh, this is such a great idea. I still very, very much want this book! I was flicking through a copy in ASDA today and it made me hungry just looking at it.
Can’t wait for your next post
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Saved by Cake is a great title, and any novel that includes recipes is a winner by me!
KarenG recently posted..Best Blogging Day of the Month
Yum..these looks good!
kimba88 recently posted..Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown
Ohhh, what a wonderful feature! I will show this to my sister, because she is addicted to cooking (something I always like, because I get to taste everything :p) Great! And your muffins sure looks tasty ^^
Mel@thedailyprophecy recently posted..Review 25. Julie Kagawa – The immortal rules.
Aww, thanks Mel!
I hope she’ll like them!
(it must be GREAT having a sister who loves cooking!)
OMG these look amazzzzzzing! And they’re making me so hungry :’( I’m actually allergic to raw strawberries but I’m hoping I can eat these because they’re so scrummy!
Laura Hartley recently posted..What’s Hot? Movies.
Oh I DO hope so!!! Or just use .. I don’t know, raspberries instead?
They’re so yummy!
I’m allergic to those too :’( It is a bummer …
Laura Hartley recently posted..What’s Hot? Movies.
Oh no
Are there any fruits you’re not allergic to? The cherry version was pretty good as well. (not as good as the strawberry ones but still, it’s quite good!)
Hmm.. mangoes, bananas, oranges… nothing that would taste that great in a cupcake!! I can usually eat them once they’ve been cooked so I may test this out anyways
Thankfully I’m not deathly allergic!
Laura Hartley recently posted..What’s Hot? Movies.
Hmm, orange actually sounds pretty good! Not that I ever had an orange cupcake before…
But yeah, it’s worth a try!
Wow, those strawberry cupcakes look scrumptious! I’m an (amateur) baker myself, so I definitely look forward to your future recipes and pictures.
I’ve never heard of this cook book beofre, but I’ll certainly check it out soon!
The cherries look better than the strawberries, in my opinion.
They really are super yummy!
As you know I started off with the same ones. If you use the glaze icing you don’t need a bag you can just spoon the icing on and spread it with a spoon or knife.
I did my blueberry ones of these today, pics are on facebook
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