Birthday Mini Coconut Cupcakes 2 ways – Chocolate and Coconut & Lime Butterflies

On Saturday A invited me round to his house for a film night with some of his friends. Everyone was bringing something to share and I decided to bake some mini cupcakes. It’s my birthday today, so I think my brain was already thinking about cake! I love how mini cupcakes are cute and individually sized, the perfect thing to share around when you want just a little something sweet.

I decided to make coconut cupcakes and then decorate them two different ways with two different flavours in the hope there would be something to suit everyone. Plus, I always think a mix of colours and flavours look more appealing than having everything the same.

 

Half of the mini cupcakes were topped with chocolate frosting and some lightly toasted coconut, while the other half I turned into mini butterfly cakes, filled with some of my leftover zingy lime curd. I was happy with how they both turned out but I loved the lime curd butterflies. I’ve not made butterfly cakes for years. They always used to make an appearance at birthday parties, lightly dusted with icing sugar. I felt quite nostalgic making them.

 

I thought most people would go for the chocolate topped ones, but the lime butterflies actually disappeared first. I still love its zesty vibrant flavour. Both varieties had disappeared by the end of the night though. Of course I had to taste one of each beforehand, for photography and quality control purposes you understand.

 

A is taking my out for dinner tonight to celebrate my birthday, and then my family are coming to visit during the May bank holiday, so I’m going to have a special couple of weeks!

Mini Coconut Cupcakes

Ingredients

60g gluten free flour (I used 40g brown rice flour, 15g buckwheat flour, 5g tapioca starch)

50g butter

35g creamed coconut (from a block, not the liquid)

60g caster sugar

1 egg

¼ tsp xanthan gum

¼ tsp coconut extract

¾ tsp GF baking powder

Butterfly Curd Filling

2 tbsp lime or lemon curd

Chocolate Icing (makes enough for 24 mini cupcakes)

70g butter

25g dark chocolate

10g cocoa powder

140g icing sugar

1 tbsp milk

Decoration

2 tbsp desiccated coconut

Mini Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 170C. Line a mini cupcake tin with 24 paper cases.

Soften the block of coconut cream in the microwave until softened. Make sure the butter is very soft too. Weigh out all the ingredients into a bowl and beat together until smooth, light and fluffy.

Divide the batter between the paper cases using a teaspoon.

Bake for 12-14 minutes until risen. They will remain quite pale.

Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Chocolate Icing

Make sure the butter is soft and beat until soft and fluffy. Melt the chocolate, pour over the butter and mix until combined.

Sift over the icing sugar and cocoa powder and mix together carefully using a spatula, until most of the sugar has combined.

Add the milk and beat with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add a little more milk if necessary.

Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. Pipe on top of the cooled mini cupcakes.

Decoration

Heat a dry frying pan over a low heat. Add the coconut and mix slowly with a spoon, until lightly toasted and golden. Do not walk away as it can go from white to burnt in seconds.

When toasted, transfer to a plate and leave to cool.

Lime Butterflies

Run a sharp knife in a circle, cone formation around the top of the cooled cupcakes, about 3mm in from the edge. Remove the middle cone of sponge.

Fill the cone void with half a teaspoon of lime curd, or filling of your choice.

Cut the removed sponge cone in half to create two 3D triangle shapes.

Place these at a slight angle back on top of the filled cupcake, to look like the wings of a butterfly.

Dust the top lightly with icing sugar.

Makes 24 mini cupcakes

The Cake Slice January 2013: Banana Cake with Coffee Walnut Buttercream

I was intrigued when this cake was voted as this months bake. Banana and walnut cake is a classic and so is coffee and walnut, but banana, coffee and walnut was not something I had come across before.

The cake was a plain banana cake, with the coffee and walnut coming in via a smooth meringue based frosting to which you add a nutty coffee spiked puree. I love meringue based buttercreams like this as they are silky smooth and creamy without the usual grittiness you can sometimes get from the more traditional butter and icing sugar buttercreams.

The recipe made a triple layer cake which was far too much for me, so I halved the recipe and baked them as cupcakes instead. You can see from the photos that the walnuts on top of my cupcakes look suspiciously like pecans, which is because they are! Having just bought a bag of pecans I decided to use those instead of walnuts in the buttercream, the flavour combinations still worked together well.

Things got off to a bad start when my digital scales ran out of batteries half way through weighing gout the cake ingredients. It needed a big rectangle battery which I didn’t have. I improvised with a coffee mug and tried to work out American measurements which seemed to work ok. I then didn’t have a sugar thermometer for measuring the temperature of the meringue for the buttercream, and to top it all when I added my nutty coffee concoction to the fluffy mounds of frosting the buttercream split and went very runny. Argh!

I put the buttercream in the fridge for several hours and thankfully it seemed to come together but not quite as light and fluffy as it should do. It tasted divine though, so silky, it just melted in the mouth. I really liked the boozy coffee nutty flavour too (yes there is booze in the buttercream too!)

The cake part however I found slightly disappointing. The cakes were quite dense and closely textured and only had the faintest flavour of banana. I made sure to use ripe bananas too. The super soft and creamy frosting made up for the slightly bland cake though. The cakes were quite moist, but by the following day I found them to be a little dry.

I’m pleased I tried the recipe but I wouldn’t make them again. I love the idea of the boozy nutty coffee cream though, so will try and use these flavours together another time. Click here to see the other Cake Slice Bakers banana cakes

Banana Cake with Coffee Walnut Buttercream

(Recipe from Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson)

Banana Cake
375g gluten free plain flour

1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda

3 ripe mashed bananas (around 270g peeled weight)

170ml buttermilk

240g butter

420g caster sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

Coffee Walnut Buttercream
120g toasted walnuts (I used pecans)

50ml corn syrup (I used golden syrup)

50ml Bourbon (I used amaretto)

2 tbsp instant espresso powder

6 egg whites

260g caster sugar

¼ tsp cream of tartar

440g butter, cut into small cubes

2 tsp vanilla extract

Banana Cake
Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line 3 x 8inch round cake tins.

Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and set on one side. In a small bowl mix together the mashed banana, vanilla and buttermilk and set to one side.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.

Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with half the banana buttermilk mixture in-between each flour addition.

Divide the batter evenly between the three cake tin and smooth out the surface.

Bake for 28-30 minutes until the cakes spring back when lightly pressed. Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for 30 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Coffee Walnut Buttercream
Start by making a nut paste. Puree the toasted walnuts in a food processor until they begin to form a paste. Add the corn syrup, bourbon and espresso and puree until combined. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Now make the buttercream. Lightly whisk the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar together in a large heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and continue to whisk until the mixture becomes white, thick and sticky. It should read 55C/130F on a sugar thermometer.

Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk using an electric mixer, until the mixture has tripled in volume, become glossy and holds a stiff peak. Reduce the whisking speed and continue to beat until the mixture is cool to the touch.

Once cool, keep whisking while slowly dropping in small cubes of the butter. Keep beating until it is all combined.

Add the vanilla and your pre-prepared nut espresso mixture and beat thoroughly to combine.

It can now be used to decorate your cake or covered with clingfilm and left in the fridge for up to two days. If refrigerated, bring the mixture back to room temperature before lightly whisking and using.

Assembly
To assemble the cake, lay one of the cakes, top side up on a serving plate. Spread over around one-fifth of your buttercream and top with another cake layer. Spread this with another fifth of your buttercream and top with the final cake layer.

Use the rest of the frosting to cover the top and sides of your cake.

For a neater finish, allow only a thin crumb coat of buttercream to the outside of the cake before placing in the fridge of firm up for 30 minutes. Then cover the cake with a thicker layer of buttercream.

Store in the fridge. Makes 1 x triple layer 8inch cake.

Notes:
I halved the cake recipe above and ended up with 10 cupcakes. The cake mix doesn’t rise much, so you can fill the paper cases almost to the rim.

I then used only a third of the buttercream recipe to decorate my cupcakes. I also substituted pecans in place of the walnuts.

My buttercream split when I added the nut espresso mixture, but I placed it in the fridge for two hours and then gave it a quick mix before using. It wasn’t perfect, but it did hold together

4th July Mini Cupcakes

Today is American Independence Day and over the past few days lots of red, white and blue themed treats and snacks have been appearing on blogs. I know we don’t celebrate it here in the UK, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy getting in the spirit of things and baking some red, white and blue mini cupcakes, in honour of my American friends.

These are simple, all-in-one, mini vanilla cupcakes that I tinted red with a few pin-pricks of food dye. I then made a quick butter and icing sugar frosting which I tinted blue before topping them with a teeny-weeny white sugar star. You can go from raw ingredients to finished cupcakes in only 30minutes. Cute, bite-sized and delicious!

4^th July Mini Cupcakes

Cupcakes

60g GF self raising flour

60g butter

60g caster sugar

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla

½ tsp GF baking powder

Red food paste

Icing

70g butter

140g icing sugar

2-3 tsp milk

Blue food paste

Decoration

Mini white sugar stars or fondant stars

Mini Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 170C. Line a mini cupcake tin with 24 paper cases.

Make sure the butter is very soft. Mix all the ingredients, except the food dye, together until smooth and beat until light and fluffy.

Add a tiny amount of food paste using the tip of a cocktail stick. Mix to combine, adding more food dye if necessary.

Divide the batter between the paper cases using a teaspoon.

Bake for 13-15 minutes until springy to the touch.

Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Icing

Make sure the butter is soft and beat until soft and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and blend until well incorporated.

Add the milk and mix to create a smooth thick frosting. Add a tiny amount of food paste using the tip of a cocktail stick. Mix to combine, adding more food dye if necessary.

Pipe on top of the cooled mini cupcakes using a large star nozzle.

Decorate with white sugar stars or cut a small white star out of fondant icing

Makes 24 mini cupcakes

Zesty Red Grapefruit Cupcakes with Homemade Candied Grapefruit Zest

Last week at the market there was a vender selling five grapefruit for £1. I have recently grown quite fond of grapefruit, so naturally I couldn’t resist such a bargain. I wasn’t sure what variety they were, but they turned out to be red grapefruit – my favourite, as I find they are slightly sweeter and less acidic than the white variety. After munching through my first one I decided to bake with some of them. I’ve used grapefruit once before in baking, when making biscotti, and it was so fresh and zesty that I was keen to incorporate it again. This time I decided on cupcakes.

To make doubly sure the red grapefruit flavour came though, I used it to separately flavour four component parts of the cupcakes! Fresh zest in the cake, a red grapefruit frosting, a grapefruit syrup and some homemade candied red grapefruit zest for decoration! Grapefruit all the way!

The syrup was a by-product of making the candied grapefruit zest, which was actually surprisingly easy. It was simply a matter of simmering some fine shreds of zest in sugar syrup, before tossing them in some caster sugar and leaving them to dry. The sugar syrup the zest simmered in took on a wonderful golden colour and extremely zingy flavour from the oils released from the zest. It was so good I couldn’t resist drizzling a bit over the top of each of the cupcakes before I piped the frosting on. It also made the cakes lovely and moist. There was a bit leftover and it tasted fabulous drizzled over my porridge the following morning. I bet it would also be great with a cheesecake or other dessert.

The finished cupcakes were soft and tender and there was no mistaking the red grapefruit. It was so fresh and zingy and seemed to linger on my tongue, tingling away for about 10 minutes after I’d finished the cupcake. It helped keep the sweetness in check too. It’s much more powerful than orange or lemon and oh so fruity.

Grapefruit is rather an overlooked citrus fruit, but I urge you to give it a chance. Even if you’re not a fan of the fruit itself, try baking with the zest for a truly amazing zingy experience!

Zesty Red Grapefruit Cupcakes with Homemade Candied Grapefruit Zest

Red Grapefruit Cupcakes
130g gluten free self raising flour (I used Doves Farm blend)
130g unsalted butter
130g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
Zest of ¼ red grapefruit

Red Grapefruit Frosting
130g unsalted butter
260g icing sugar
Zest of ¼ red grapefruit
30ml milk

Candied Red Grapefruit Zest
100ml water
100g caster sugar
Long strips of finely grated zest of 1 red grapefruit
50g extra caster sugar

Method - Candied Red Grapefruit Zest

Begin by making the candied grapefruit zest, as this needs time to dry.
Heat the water and 100g caster sugar together in a small pan, until the sugar has dissolved and bring to a simmer.
Take thin shreds off the outside of the grapefruit using a zester, rather than a grater, to create longer strips.
Place the zest in the hot sugar syrup and simmer for 20 minutes then remove from the heat.
Scatter the extra caster sugar onto a plate and use a fork to remove the zest from the syrup and place onto the sugar. Scatter more sugar on top and toss until well coated. Divide out so the zest is not all clumped together and leave to cool/set.
Pour the excess syrup into a jar and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Red Grapefruit Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 170C and line a muffin tin with 12 paper cases.
Make sure the butter is very soft. Place all the ingredients and eggs into a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.
Use the large ice cream scoop or tablespoon to divide the batter equally into each cupcake liner, filling quite full. Smooth out using a teaspoon.
Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly golden and springy to the touch.
Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Drizzle over 1teaspoon of the saved grapefruit syrup onto the top of each cupcake. Leave to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the frosting.

Red Grapefruit Frosting
Make sure you butter is at room temperature, or else heat it gently in the microwave until soft, but not melted. Beat together with the grapefruit zest, using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
Switch to a spatula and add half the icing sugar and mix until incorporated.
Add the milk, beating until smooth, followed by the rest of the icing sugar.
Beat again with the electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Place the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a spiked edged nozzle. Pipe onto the top of the cupcakes in lots of little peaks.
Top with a few shreds of the candied grapefruit zest and serve.
Makes 12 cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes

It’s nearly Valentines Day which means its time for something sweet, red in colour and involving hearts – Red Velvet Cupcakes!

Yes I know red velvet has now been done to death by lots of people, but before you sigh and roll your eyes, red velvet cake is still relatively new here in the UK, especially in the small village I live in where the cupcake itself is still seen as something quite unique. I have made a take on red velvet cake once on this blog, but they were more of the traditional cocoa cupcake, without the red colouring that although a modern edition, is now more commonly associated with red velvet. I don’t normally condone putting food dye in things unnecessarily, but for a special occasion I make exceptions, plus it makes it look so pretty and perfect for Valentines Day!

I used red food paste rather than the liquid colouring that most cupcakes call for. This way I got away with only using half a teaspoon of dye, rather than a shocking 2 bottles of liquid dye! They came out a lovely red colour too (they look darker in the photos as it was a dull day). I still used the vinegar, buttermilk and cocoa powder method as well, which I think created the perfect cupcake. Not too bright, yet still visibly red, very moist and with just a hint of something cocoa lingering in the background.

Topped with a creamy swirl of contrasting vanilla buttercream they look quite striking. A few red heart sprinkles and a dusting of edible red glitter and these cupcakes are all dressed up and ready to go to your loved one (or eaten all yourself!)

The buttermilk produces a lovely textured cake and one that my fellow cake munchers didn’t even know was gluten free. A few hours after baking some of the cupcakes did ‘escape’ from their paper cases. I’m not sure if this is because they were gluten free or because they were just so moist. Whatever the reason, they were nothing short of delicious!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients
150g gluten free plain flour (I use Doves Farm mix)
10g cocoa powder
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g soft butter
120g caster sugar
½ tsp red food paste
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
70g buttermilk
½ tsp cider vinegar

Vanilla Buttercream
130g butter
260g icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp milk
Heart sprinkles and glitter to decorate

Method
Preheat oven to 170C and line a muffin tin with 12 paper cases.
Make sure the butter is very soft. Beat together with the caster and vanilla until well combined.
Add the egg, buttermilk, red food paste and cider vinegar and beat again. Scatter over the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and whisk until smooth and fluffy.
Use the large scoop to divide the batter into each cupcake liner, filling quite full.
Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Vanilla Buttercream
Make sure the butter is soft and beat until smooth. Add the icing sugar and fold in using a spatula. Add 1tbsp milk to help them combine.
Switch to a whisk and beat the buttercream to make it light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and a little more milk if necessary, until you have a soft spreadable consistency.
Pipe swirls of the buttercream on top of the cooled cupcakes, using a large star nozzle.
Decorate with red heart sprinkles and a dusting of edible red glitter.

Film Cupcakes for a Friend

Yesterday was a day of mixed feelings. One of best and closest friends is moving to LA in a matter of days to study film at the LA Film School! I am terribly excited and happy for her as this is something she has dreamed about doing for years. But I am also feeling sad as it will mean we won’t get to see each other for a year or more. We have always been quite an unlikely paring, thrown together at school at the age of nine and have been firm friends ever since.

She’s the kind of friend you can phone when feeling down with the knowledge that 10 minutes later you will probably be smiling. The kind of friend you arrange to meet, simply to go for a walk on a nice day, or who invites me round to watch her latest DVD purchase. She’s loyal, supportive and I’m going to miss her. On the plus side it gives me the perfect excuse to plan a visit to America and I’m sure after a few weeks there she will be able to show me around like a native. Her new address even includes ‘Hollywood’ how incredible is that!

Yesterday was her farewell party with all her friends and family. Everyone was encouraged to bring something to share, and as this week has been National Cupcake Week, I decided to bake some cupcakes.

I kept it simple with a vanilla sponge with a mix of either vanilla or chocolate icing with the hope that this would please everyone (I also made a few gluten free ones). I then made black and gold fondant stars for the decoration, which I embossed with her initials and finished with a little edible glitter to add some LA sparkle. Good luck J, I’m sure you’ll get on famously!

Tickled Pink Beetroot Cupcakes for Valentines Day (GF)

On one of my recent visits to a health food shop in search of some gluten free flours I came across a jar of beetroot powder. What drew my attention was its vibrant purple colour. I had never seen anything like this before and instantly added it to my basket, despite having no clue what to do with it. It turns out it is dehydrated beetroot that has been crushed to a fine powder. Beetroot is highly nutritious but what you are meant to be with the powder I have no idea. The minute I unscrewed the lid the scent of pure beetroot wafted up. Earthy, sweet and mysterious. Have you ever seen anything like it before??

I knew instantly I wanted to try baking with it and decided to use it for some Valentines day inspired cupcakes. When I added it to the cake mix the batter turned a vibrant shocking purple colour. I was so excited and decided I could make some purple velvet cupcakes, based on a red velvet cupcakes – only with natural colouring! However things didn’t turn out quite as I’d hoped. After baking, the tops of the cupcakes were a rich deep reddish-purple colour but when I bit into one the inside crumb colour was a reddish golden, rather than the deep rich purple colour I’d hoped for. I’ve seen this happen with other beetroot cakes – what chemical baking magic happens in the oven that makes the colour evaporate I don’t know, but at least they had a lovely golden colour. (Sorry for the lack of photos of the batter, I was so excited I forgot to take any!)

Despite being a little disappointed at the colour, I’m not one to let perfectly good cupcakes go to waste and so decided to decorate them with pink heart sprinkles and some sparkly new edible glitter I’ve just discovered. I also made a few love hearts out of fondant for a more personal touch. The cupcakes themselves were delicious. Light and moist thanks to the almonds and sour cream. The beetroot lent a subtle earthy sweetness to the cakes that was not obviously beetroot, but just added that little something extra. I’ll have to experiment again and try adding more beetroot powder for a stronger hit. Whoever you spend it with – have a great Valentines Day!

P.S. anyone know what the real use of beetroot powder is?

Tickled Pink Beetroot Cupcakes

Ingredients
80g gluten free Doves self raising flour
40g ground almonds
120g unsalted butter
120g caster sugar
2 tsp beetroot powder (available for some health food shops or online)
2 eggs
1 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp baking powder

Method
Preheat oven to 170C and line a muffin tin with 12 paper cases.
Make sure the butter is very soft. Place the butter, flour, almonds, sugar, beetroot powder, baking powder, sour cream and eggs into a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. (It will be a shocking purple colour)
Divide the batter into each cupcake liner and bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and springy to the touch.
Transfer to a cooling wire and leave to cool completely before topping with buttercream.
Makes 12 cupcakes

Simple Vanilla Buttercream
130g unsalted butter
260g icing sugar
30ml milk
1 tsp vanilla

Method
Make sure the butter is soft before beating it until light and fluffy.
Sift over the icing sugar, half at a time, beating it into the butter between each addition. Add some of the milk if the mixture is too stiff. Finally beat in the remaning milk and vanilla until you have a smooth creamy icing.
Pipe the buttercream on top of the cupcakes using a star nozzle.
Decorate with sprinkles and edible glitter or any other way you wish.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cupcakes

We are nearing the end of National Cupcake Week, only two more days eat as many cupcakes as possible and shrug it off with a ‘well it is National Cupcake Week.’ In the end I didn’t manage to organise a cupcake party (everyone was busy) but I did manage to bake a batch of cupcakes to share around and spread the cupcake yumminess.

As cupcakes are an American invention I decided to go with chocolate and peanut butter cupcakes. Not only a delicious combination, but also one that is decidedly American.

The chocolate cupcakes were good, but to me their main purpose was as a carrier for the divine peanut butter frosting. This is a recipe I have adapted from a standard vanilla buttecream recipe and one I have made lots of times in the past few months. It produces a thick, yet creamy peanut butter buttercream that’s not too sweet and is intensely flavoured with peanut. There is nothing worse than being promised a peanut butter flavour only to find it practically non existent.

After a swirl of the frosting I added some chocolate covered peanuts to decorate and add a bit of crunch. As I’m sure everyone has got their own favourite chocolate cupcake recipe I am only giving the frosting recipe below (leftovers taste great on toast too – shh!)

Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients
70g butter
80g smooth peanut butter
260g icing sugar
25-40ml milk

Method
Make sure the butter is soft. Cream the butter together with the peanut butter until smooth and well combined.
Add the icing sugar, a third at a time, mixing well until incorporated. Add the milk as and when needed if it becomes a bit stiff.
Use more milk to slacken the frosting to the right piping consistency.
Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle. Pipe on top of your chosen cupcakes and decorate with a few chocolate covered peanuts to decorate.
Eat and enjoy.
Makes enough for 12 cupcakes

Chocolate Raspberry Buttermilk Cupcakes for Valentines Day

Valentines Day is nearly here and it provides the perfect excuse to start thinking of pink, cute and heart shaped sweet treats. I decided to bake some Valentines themed cupcakes to share around with my friends and family, as even though I am currently without that special someone, I see that as no reason not to enjoy the baking opportunity it provides.

As chocolate and Valentines Day seem to go hand and hand, I obviously settled on chocolate cupcakes but wanted to add a little something extra to make them a bit more special. After thinking of flavour pairings I decided to mix some raspberry jam into both the cake batter and the frosting. I’m sure some people will disagree, but in my opinion chocolate and raspberries are a wonderful flavour pairing, more so than chocolate and strawberries as I find the raspberry flavour more intense against the bitter chocolate.
I have recently been experimenting with replacing some of the butter in cake mixes with buttermilk. I have found it results in a slightly denser, more fudgy yet moister cake. You don’t always want fudgy cupcakes but for a chocolate Valentines themed cake it’s perfect. When topped with a swirl of pink raspberry buttercream and a scattering of cute teeny tiny heart sprinkles it is a sweet treat emulating love and romance. A combination of fudgy chocolate base with sweet and creamy frosting finished with a hint of fruitiness. Go ahead and bake some for your friends or loved ones and whatever you do this weekend for Valentines, I hope it’s a happy one.

Chocolate Raspberry Buttermilk Cupcakes for Valentines Day
Chocolate Raspberry Buttermilk Cupcakes
120g self raising flour
100g caster sugar
60g butter
80ml buttermilk
20g cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp raspberry jam

Raspberry Buttercream
130g butter
260g icing sugar
2 tbsp seedless raspberry jam
Pink food dye
Heart sprinkles to decorate

Method
Preheat the oven to 170C. Line a cupcake tray with 12 paper cases.
Your butter needs to be soft so either leave it out for a few hours or warm it gently in the microwave to soften.
Weigh out the flour, sugar, butter, baking powder and cocoa powder into a bowl. Add the eggs and beat until the mixture starts to form a thick batter. Add the jam and pour in the buttermilk. Whisk until smooth, creamy and slightly lighter in colour, about 1 minute.
Divide the batter equally between the paper cases and bake for 20-22 minutes until the cupcakes are risen and springy to the touch.
Allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the buttercream. Beat the butter until soft and creamy before sifting in half the icing sugar. Beat until all the sugar has been incorporated and then add the remaining half of the sugar.
Tint the buttercream a pale pink and beat in the seedless raspberry jam. If the mixture seems very stiff add milk, half a tablespoon at a time, until it becomes a soft spreadable consistency.
Once the cupcakes have cooled, pipe on the raspberry buttercream and decorate with heart shaped sugar sprinkles or other sprinkles of your choice.
Share, eat and enjoy with friends or loved ones.
Makes 12, easily doubled.

The Cake Slice January 2010: Red Velvet Cake

With over 50% of the votes, The Cake Slice bakers cake of choice to kick start 2010 was a Red Velvet cake. It seems we were all eager to start the new year off with a little colour and excitement. A Red Velvet cake is a unique and instantly recognizable cake due to its deep dark red colour thanks to a hint of cocoa powder and lots of red food dye. It has a soft and tender crumb thanks to the inclusion of vinegar and buttermilk in the cake and is often topped with a cream cheese or buttercream frosting. However, this cake is a little different as it called for a cooked milk based topping mixed with coconut and pecans which resulted in a nutty, nobly fluffy icing.

Red Velvet cake is relatively unknown here in the UK, although you do occasionally see it in London cupcake shops. I have only eaten it once, when I was in Chicago during the summer, and have longed to try baking one myself ever since, so I was particularly excited by this months choice.

I had no call for a large cake and so instead I halved the recipe and baked a batch of cupcakes instead. This also allowed me to use some of the cute red and white spotty cake cases I was given at Christmas. Just perfect for Red Velvet cupcakes!
The colour of my sponge turned out quite a lot darker than I expected, not the vibrant red colour I was anticipating but I think this was because I used gel food dye rather than the liquid version called for. Gel is more concentrated and so I reduced the amount – I now realize I reduced it a little too much, but the crumb still had a nice earthy red hue to it. Will add more next time!

The texture of the cake was wonderful. It was very light, quite tender and moist thanks to the buttermilk. It had a faint cocoa richness that paired with the sweet creamy topping perfectly, without being obviously chocolaty. The icing was soft and creamy and I loved its quirky nubbly appearance and texture. A bite resulted in a great contrast between the nutty sweet coconut icing and the soft cake beneath.

The icing itself was unlike any other icing I have made before. You heat some milk and flour together until it forms a thick paste, just like a rue when making a béchamel sauce. You leave the paste to cool and then beat in butter, caster sugar and a little vanilla. You end up with an icing the consistency of spreadable butter into which you stir the coconut and pecans. I was quite dubious about how it would taste but it was surprisingly smooth and creamy, thick without the need of too much sugar and I didn’t notice any graininess from the caster sugar either. Who would have guessed?! I think I still prefer cream cheese icing myself, but I would urge you to give it a go, for learning a new technique if nothing else.

Red Velvet Cake
(Recipe from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott)
For the Red Velvet Cake
300g plain flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
225ml buttermilk (see note below)
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp red food colouring
200g butter
400g caster sugar
2 eggs
1½ tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cider vinegar or white vinegar

For the Coconut Pecan Icing
225ml milk
2 tbsp all purpose flour
200g butter, softened
200g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
75g sweetened shredded coconut
100g finely chopped pecans or walnuts


Method – Red Velvet Cake
To make the cake, heat the oven to 180C. Grease two 9 inch round cake pans and line them with waxed paper to kitchen parchment. Grease the paper and flour the pans.
Prepare three separate mixtures for the batter. Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl and use a fork to mix them together well. Combine the cocoa powder and the red food colouring in a small bowl, mashing and stirring them together to make a thick smooth paste.
In a large bowl, beat the butter with a mixer at low speed for 1 minute until creamy and soft. Add the sugar and then beat well for 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl now and then. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each one until the mixture is creamy, fluffy and smooth. Scrape the cocoa-food colouring paste into the batter and beat to mix it in evenly.
Add a third of the flour mixture and then about half the milk, beating the batter with a mixer at low speed. Mix only enough to make the flour or liquid disappear into the batter. Mix in another third of the flour, the rest of the milk and then the last of the flour in the same way.
In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and vinegar and stir well. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to quickly mix this last mixture into the red batter, folding it in gently by hand. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.
Bake at 180C for 20 to 25 minutes (20 for cupcakes) until the layers are spring back when touched lightly in the centre and are just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pans.
Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks or folded kitchen towels for 15 minutes. Then turn them out onto the racks, remove the paper and turn top side up again to cool completely.

Coconut Pecan Icing
Combine the milk and flour in a small or medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking or stirring often until the mixture thickens almost to a paste, around 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and scrape it into a small bowl to cool completely.
Meanwhile, beat the butter with a mixture at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the sugar in thirds, beating well each time until the mixture is creamy and fairly smooth. Add the cooled milk and flour mixture and beat for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides now and then to combine everything well. Using a large spoon or spatula, stir in the vanilla, coconut and pecans, mixing to combine everything well into a thick, fluffy, nubbly icing.

To Assemble
Place one cake layer top side down on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread a third of the icing on top. Place the second layer, top side up, on top. Frost the sides and then the top of the cake with the remaining icing. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to help the icing set.
Makes one 9inch double layer cake or 24 cupcakes

NOTE: If you can’t find buttermilk, stir 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar into 225ml of milk and leave to stand for 10 minutes before using.

Movie Themed Banana Birthday Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for a close friend’s birthday. We have known each other since we were 9 years old and she is a very special friend to me. There have been many times when we have rung each other in tears over some life drama, and yet we always seem to end our conversations with laughter. She is one of those true friends who I can be truly myself with, without fear of causing offence or being judged. The kind of friend who drops everything to share some popcorn and a rented film when I need cheering up or an impromptu home cooked dinner in celebration of some good news. Thank you J for being such a good friend.

Like me, J has recently graduated from University and is trying to get into the film/tv industry as a producer. As it was her birthday I wanted to bake her some cupcakes themed towards the film industry. I cut some squares and stars out of black fondant and attempted to make them look like clapperboards and Hollywood stars using small bits of white fondant. I planned to try and get her name onto the star but it wouldn’t fit so instead I used her initial JL. I actually think that makes quite a good logo – so J when you’re rich and famous with your own production company – remember me!

I made banana cupcakes as J loves bananas and topped them with a simple vanilla buttercream as I wanted the decorations to stand out. J was thrilled with the cupcakes and we spent a fun/silly hour with a camera animating the cupcakes trying to run away from us without being eaten! Hehehe.

Banana Movie Cupcakes

Ingredients
100g butter
100g light soft brown sugar
2 eggs
180g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 mashed bananas (200g peeled weight)

Vanilla Buttercream
150g butter
300g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp milk

Method
Preheat oven to 170C. Line a muffin tin with cupcake cases.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing until well incorporated.
Mash the bananas until you have a lumpy puree. Add to the bowl along with the flour and baking power. Beat until combined.
Divide the mixture between the paper cases and bake for 22 minutes. They should be risen and springy to the touch.
Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool.
Meanwhile, make the buttercream. Beat the butter until soft and creamy. Sift the icing sugar into a separate bowl to remove any lumps. Beat the icing sugar into the soft butter, a quarter at a time. Make sure it’s well mixed before adding the next batch.
Add the vanilla and 1-2 tablespoons of milk to achieve a soft pipeable consistency.
Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large tube nozzle. Pipe swirls of buttercream on top of the cooled cakes and top with the decoration of your choice.
Makes 12 cupcakes

Spook-tacular Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Woooooooo! Happy Halloween. We don’t really celebrated Halloween here, not like they do in America, but after reading about all the Halloween themed treats that have been popping up on many blogs over the past week I was determined to join the party. Some ookey-spooky cupcakes seemed the way to go.

I am so happy about a recent discovery I made on Thursday…Waitrose stock canned pumpkin puree! YIPPEE! I have been hankering after this for years, having spent many months feeling envious of many delicious pumpkin inspired goodies baked by fellow bloggers from other countries. I have never found in sold here in the UK until now. Finally I can start making some pumpkin treats myself! I have tried making my own pumpkin puree and although successful enough, when you open that first can of pumpkin puree you can see it’s not in the same league. Just look how vibrantly orange it is – and it had such a lovely flavour too.

After finding a tasty sounding pumpkin cake recipe, I whipped up a batch of pumpkin cupcakes with much enjoyment. I baked them in Halloween themed cupcake cases I brought back from my recent trip to Chicago (I must have known they’d be needed). The batter was a lovely orangey brown colour and speckled with spices. They smelt absolutely amazing while they baked, a cross between carrot cake and Christmas cake, like hot caramel and spicy. Once baked, they were puffy with slightly domed tops and I had to resist the urge to eat one straight away but I knew they would be even tastier once frosted.

To give them a Halloween theme I cut some spooky faces out of some rounds of orange fondant which I lightly scored to make them look like pumpkins. It was rather fun. I found depending on how you cut out the eyes they could either end up looking cute, spooky or downright evil!

I let the fondant dry a bit before propping them up on top of the frosting before turning the lights out and shining a torch behind them. Ooooo spooky. On a recent outing I also found a small shop in Milton Keynes that sold American foods, including some candy corns – another thing I have been longing to try, so of course they had to make an appearance too.

The cupcakes were divine! They didn’t taste of pumpkin, but they were incredibly light, moist and airy and I’m sure that it’s thanks to the pumpkin. They had a wonderful spiciness and the sweet, creamy cream cheese frosting was the perfect accompaniment. In fact I would go as far as to say they were spook-tacular!

Spook-tacular Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
(Recipe adapted from Furey and The Feast blog)
Pumpkin Cupcakes
270g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp grated nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
250g light brown sugar
4 eggs
225ml vegetable oil
425g pumpkin puree (1 standard can)
2 tbsp yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ lemon, zest only

Cream Cheese Frosting
200g cream cheese
150g unsalted butter
15g soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
500g icing sugar

Method – Cream Cheese Frosting

Start by making the frosting. Make sure you butter is soft. Beat the together with the cream cheese, vanilla and brown sugar until well combined.
Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl to ensure it is lump free. Then add it gradually into the cream cheese mixture, about 2-3 tablespoons at a time. Mix with a spatula, as electric mixers will make the icing fly everywhere. Once all the icing sugar has been incorporated, beat with an electric mixer to ensure its smooth.
Cover the bowl with cling film and place in the fridge until required.

For the Pumpkin Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 180C and line two 12 holed muffin tins (24 total) with cupcake cases.Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves into a bowl and set aside.In another bowl, beat together the brown sugar and eggs. Add the vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, yoghurt, vanilla and the lemon zest. Whisk together until well combined.
Scatter half the spiced flour mixture over the top of the batter and fold in until combined. Fold in the remaining flour and whisk briefly to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
Divide the batter between the 24 muffin cases. I find using an old fashioned ice cream scoop works perfectly, but a large tablespoon would work just as well. Fill until three-quarters full.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. They should be puffy, slightly domed on top and springy to the touch when ready.
Allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool.

Fondant Pumpkins
Knead the fondant lightly to soften it up. Add small amounts of red and yellow food dye and work into the fondant until you have an orange colour you are happy with.
Lightly dust a work surface with icing sugar and roll out the fondant until 2mm thick.
Stamp out rounds of fondant and then cut out small slits for eyes. Cut a small zig-zag line for the mouth and gently pull the bottom on the fondant to enlarge it into a mouth.
Place the spooky pumpkins on a rack and leave to air dry.

To Assemble
Remove the cream cheese frosting from the fridge and beat lightly to soften. Pipe or spread the frosting onto the top of the cooled cupcakes.
Decorate the tops of the cupcakes with the fondant pumpkins or other sweets. (I used a candy corn sweet to prop the fondant pumpkins up).
Eat and enjoy!
Makes 24 cupcakes