Best Ever Cupcakes

These are the incredibly beautiful cupcakes that were graced with my Cream Cheese Frosting.  I would describe them as a sweet sponge.  They aren't chocolate or vanilla but a little of both worlds - golden in colour and almost a toffee flavour.  This is why the cream cheese frosting does so well.  It cuts through the sweetness of the cupcake but also looks stunning in contrast to both the cake and the chocolate-coated coffee bean that I've place on top. This exact plateful of cupcakes accompanied me to the home of a very lovely lady where we spent an afternoon - enjoying cake, coffee and a good old chat.

This recipe is a people-pleaser.  It doesn't discriminate in terms of flavour and is lusciously light and fluffy.  You will have people asking for these time and time again. These are absolutely glorious warm, straight out of the oven but if they last long enough, ice with either my cream cheese frosting or a thick buttercream (either chocolate or vanilla would work nicely).

Golden Cupcakes

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp boiling water

75g caster sugar

50g dark brown sugar

125g self raising flour

2 eggs

125g very soft unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and prepare your baking cups or muffin tin.  

Mix the cocoa to a paste with the boiling water and set aside.

Put the sugars, flour, eggs and butter into a bowl and beat to combine well. Mix in the cocoa paste, vanilla and milk. 

Divide mixture between the baking cups and bake for around 20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.

F. x

Cupcake Fascination

What was I to do?  I had these gorgeous new polka-dot baking cups sitting on my kitchen benchtop and lovely market-bought Raspberry and Pear Conserve looking at me every time I opened the fridge.  It certainly didn't take long for me to pull together a recipe idea.  I think you will agree that it proved a most fitting choice: Earl Grey Cupcakes with a Raspberry and Pear icing.  The result was a cluster of dainty, feminine cupcakes which I'm sure will prove a hit with the boys when my husband opens his lunchbox today at work! 

The Earl Grey flavours the light cakes with beautiful hints of citrus and bergamont which are not at all overpowering but smell and taste devine.  I like to think of the sweetness hit that the frosting provides as the sugar cube sitting on your saucer waiting to sweeten your tea.  Morning or afternoon tea will be made that much more of a treat with these little lovelies.  They look absolutely adorable and yet are just so easy and quick.

Earl Grey Cupcakes

3 tsp loose leaf Earl Grey

a good dash of boiling water (1/4 cup)

1/3 cup full cream milk

100g unsalted butter, room temperature

2 eggs

2/3 cup caster sugar

1 1/4 cups S. R. Flour

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and prepare your baking cups on a tray.  In a jug, pour boiling water over the tea leaves.  Leave to steep for 2-3 minutes before adding your milk - just like making a jumbo cup of tea!  Put all other ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.  Once combined, add tea and beat mixture until smooth and light in colour.  Spoon batter into baking cups, only fill to halfway to allow for a rise.  Place in the oven for 20 minutes.  Cupcakes will be golden and fragrant, and a skewer should come out clean.

Raspberry and Pear Frosting

2 tbsp Raspberry and Pear Conserve (substitute as you like)

1 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar

1 - 2 tbsp milk

Warm jam in the microwave to thin. Mix into the icing sugar and use milk to thin to the preferred consistency. Pipe frosting onto cakes.

Hints:  If you prefer a glaze to a frosting, use a little more milk before drizzling over cakes.  You can use whatever jam or conserve you like.  Marmalade works really well and you can substitute milk for orange juice.

Time for a cup of tea, I think!

F. x

Lazy Days

One of the loveliest things about a public holiday is taking your time: taking your time to roll out of bed, taking your time before you have a shower and staying in you PJs as long as possible, and taking time to put together a real treat of a breakfast.  Public holidays are special days, pancake days, eggs benedict days....muffin days.

This morning's breakfast is definitely a treat: warm and fluffy Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins.  These  muffins are very loosely based on Nigella's Blueberry Muffin recipe in How to be a Domestic Goddess with a few added flourishes.  Muffins are the perfect lazy day breakfast food.  You can literally put in WHATEVER you like.  Having no blueberries, I used the frozen raspberries that I always keep handy in case of such emergencies.  I roughly chopped up about 6 squares of the raspberry's perfect partner, white chocolate and threw in a dash of vanilla.  A quick grating of orange rind finished off the batter, taking the edge off the sickly sweet white chocolate.

Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins - My Way

75g unsalted butter, melted

200mL buttermilk

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g plain flour

1/2 tsp bicarb soda

2 tsp baking powder

35g caster sugar

40g raw sugar

pinch of salt

handful of frozen (or fresh) raspberries

handful of chopped white chocolate

sprinkling of orange zest

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.  Grease a muffin tray or spread baking cups on a baking sheet.
Combine all of your dry ingredients in a large bowl and roughly combine.  Use a measuring jug and beat together the buttermilk, egg, melted butter and vanilla.  Pour your wet ingredients into the dry and mix gently to combine.  Don't worry about trying to beat out lumps, a light hand works best as you don't want to over-work your batter.  Fold the berries, zest and chocolate into the batter with minimal mixing.  Spoon the mixture into your baking cups or tray.  I use an icecream scoop to do this. It seems to be a lot less messy and also means that each muffin contains the same about of batter.  Bake the muffins for around 20 minutes, depending on your oven.  A skewer should come out clean and the muffins should be golden brown and smelling gorgeous.  This recipe makes 12 medium sized muffins.

Accompanied with a traditional English Breakfast, these muffins are sure to provide a gorgeous start to a gorgeous day.  May your lazy days over this Easter break be truly delicious and well-enjoyed.

F.x

Holiday Bliss

Nicky and I had the most lovely time away in Yeppoon.  It was absolute bliss!  And by bliss I mean: lazy days, early to bed, early to rise for a run, amazing Thai food, chats on the beach, watching the sun setting with a glass of wine....need I go on.  One of my favourite parts of our trip involved going to Emu Park's Festival of the Wind, which combined beautiful kite flying with country markets.  Naturally, I got a teensy bit excited when I discovered the fantastic jams and conserves on display and I just couldn't help myself...I wonder what goodies I'll be able to whip up with the lovelies that I picked up?

F. x