Two years ago I joined a lovely online community of 70 food bloggers from around the UK. What began as a group to share ideas and discuss the latest developments in blogging and social media has developed into a close-knit group of friends who chat, share life’s ups and downs, laugh, banter, and dish out virtual hugs when necessary.
So it was with shock and great sadness that we learned last month that one of the gang, the lovely Isabella King of Coriander Queen had lost her battle with cancer at the age of 29.
As a tribute to Izzie and to send lots of new readers over to her beautiful blog, members of the group have all recreated and photographed one of her recipes to post today. I chose to make these lovely Gingerbread Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream, (the original recipe was intended as a Christmas treat, but I eat gingerbread men all year round(!) so decided they were totally April-appropriate).
I’ve included at the bottom of this post a list of all the other blog posts in Izzie’s memory, and hope you enjoy browsing these, and most importantly, head over to Coriander Queen for a minute or two.
Izzie’s original recipe Gingerbread Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream is posted over at her blog Coriander Queen. I have vegan-ised the recipe using flax or chia seeds mixed with dairy-free yoghurt in place of the eggs, and have also increased the quantities a little, so that they fill deep cupcake cases rather than smaller fairy-cake cases.
- 3 tbsp ground/milled flax or chia seeds
- 135 g dairy-free yoghurt
- 170 g dairy-free margarine
- 170 g caster sugar
- 170 g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 3 level tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
- a little dairy-free milk
- 140 g icing sugar
- 280 g dairy-free margarine
- 6-7 tbsp orange juice
- a little grated orange zest
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Mix the ground flax/chia seeds with the yoghurt and place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes until turning gloopy.
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Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases and preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas 4.
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Meanwhile, beat together the margarine and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the flax/chia and yoghurt mixture, along with a few tablespoons of the flour.
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Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt into the bowl and fold in gently to avoid knocking out any of the air.
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Divide the cake mixture between the 12 cake cases and bake for 18-20 minutes until an inserted skewer or knife comes out clean. Leave to cool.
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To make the buttercream, beat together all the ingredients until pale and fluffy. Pipe or spread onto the cooled cupcakes.
Here’s a list of recipes from Coriander Queen posted on friends’ blogs today in tribute to Isabella:
Easy 5 ingredient pesto tomato tart on Amuse Your Bouche (vegetarian)
Globe artichoke with balsamic dip on Natural Kitchen Adventures (vegan)
Cider, apple and sausage casserole on Farmersgirl Kitchen
Chocolate orange oat bars on Veggie Desserts (vegan)
Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies on Tin and Thyme (vegetarian)
Arancini (risotto balls) on Coffee & Vanilla (vegetarian)
Rich coffee cupcakes on BakingQueen74 (vegetarian)
Gingerbread cupcakes with orange buttercream on The Veg Space (vegan)
Marmalade and ginger loaf cake on The Crafty Larder (vegetarian)
Ginger and oat cookies on Kavey Eats (vegetarian)
Amatriciana pasta on Kitchen Sanctuary
Treacle tart on Patisserie Makes Perfect (vegetarian)
Crispy fried halloumi on Supper In The Suburbs (vegetarian)
Chocolate fridge cake on Jo’s Kitchen (vegetarian)
Chocolate almond butter cookies on Rough Measures (vegetarian)
Eggless chocolate chip cookies on Simply Sensational Food (vegetarian)
Boozy decadent hot chocolate on Fab Food 4 All (vegetarian)
Easy no bake blackberry cheesecakes on Casa Costello (vegetarian)
Best coriander / cilantro recipes on Fuss Free Flavours (some vegetarian)
Easy gingerbread popcorn snack on Celery & Cupcakes (vegetarian)
Elderflower and vodka cocktail slush on The Hedgecombers (vegetarian)
Fruit flapjacks on The Petite Cook (vegan)
Tomato, garlic and prawn spaghetti on Hungry Healthy Happy (pesceterian)
Lemon drizzle loaf cake on Penne For Your Thoughts (vegetarian)
Chicken ramen on It’s Not Easy Being Greedy
Stuffed Nutella cookies on Munchies And Munchkins (vegetarian)
Easy Berry Compote on Eats Amazing (vegetarian)
Caipirinha on Lovely Appetite (vegetarian)
Garlic and Lime Coriander Prawns on Travels for Tatse (pesceterian)
Margot says
April 23, 2017 at 12:37 pmI agree with you, gingerbread men are absolutely acceptable all year… What a lovely tribute to Isabella!
Margot recently posted…Isabella’s Arancini – Risotto Balls
Nayna Kanabar says
April 23, 2017 at 2:56 pmHow very cute are these , they look so cute. A beautiful tribute to Isabella.
Kavey at Kavey Eats says
April 23, 2017 at 3:54 pmThese are adorable, surely Isabella would love them. Great variation on her recipe, and beautiful post. It’s been emotional taking part in this but uplifiting to celebrate her too.
Kavey at Kavey Eats recently posted…Isabella’s Ginger & Oat Cookies | In Memory of Coriander Queen
savy says
April 23, 2017 at 4:32 pmI enjoy the blog and the recipes. But please out of respect and love for your friend Isabella, stop using this offending and tired phrase “she lost her battle to cancer”. Dying does not make a looser, the overuse of this phrase suppose that had she fought a little harder she would still be with you. That’s just cruel and insulting.
Camilla Hawkins says
April 23, 2017 at 11:04 pmLove these cute gingerbread cupcakes, a wonderful tribute to the queen of cupcakes as I like to think of Izzie:-)
Ceri Jones says
April 24, 2017 at 8:54 amI agree gingerbread should be eaten all year round. One of my favourite flavours is ginger. A lovely way to remember Izzie, with these cupcakes 🙂
Janice says
April 24, 2017 at 6:43 pmI think this is the recipe I most associate with Izzie, and you have made them just as beautifully as she did. Beautiful cupcakes and a touching tribute.
Janice recently posted…Cider, Apple and Sausage Casserole and a tribute to Coriander Queen
Choclette says
April 24, 2017 at 8:09 pmI remember seeing these cupcakes when Izzie first made them. They’re so pretty and sound so tasty and I’d be very happy to eat either version. A very fitting recipe.
Choclette recently posted…Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with a Kick of Chilli
Sarah S. Snell says
May 7, 2017 at 8:14 pmMy two children Rony an Mathew are fans of yours. After seeing this Gingerbread Cupcakes, they just need that cupcakes with bunny.