Tiramisu Cupcakes

Another year over and a new one just begun...............

I've been baking for years and years, even when I thought it was not cool for someone in her 20's to prefer to bake a batch of scones than play drinking games (I was never cool, even back then).  Something kicked in when I hit 30 and I realised that I didn't care if the guy I'd just started dating knew that my idea of a great Saturday night was perfecting choux pastry - he'd just have to deal with it!

I started blogging in October 2011, for no reasons other than I love to bake, I love to write, I love keeping track of recipes that work for me, and I love sharing the recipes that work for me with anyone who's interested.  Already I'm hooked on blogging although I didn't realise it would be so difficult to take good food photos and to find time to bake and blog about all the things that I would love to bake and blog about.  I am in awe of all of the people behind all the blogs I follow because they make it look much easier than it actually is.  So, just now this blog is a work in progress but stick with me as I hope to get better at it as I go along.

Here's to 2012, the year when I learn how to take the perfect food photo!  Until then, I'll keep practising by making Tiramisu Cupcakes.

Happy New Year

Claire
x

I can't even begin to tell you how delicious these little beauties are.  Sponge partially soaked in coffee, topped with mascarpone cream, then more coffee soaked sponge and more mascarpone cream.  If you like tiramisu, you should try these.  They look like regular vanilla or white chocolate cupcakes until you bite into one.  Please please try them and let me know what you think.

This recipe is inspired by The Hummingbird "Cake Days" although I've changed it quite a bit to suit the ingredients I had in the cupboard today.  The Boston Cream Cupcakes are similar to these and the post includes more photos.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the sponge
110g butter softened
110g granulated sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
90g self raising flour
75g plain flour
120ml milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the soaking syrup
150ml strong coffee
1 tbsp granulated sugar

For the filling and frosting
200g mascarpone cream
25ml strong coffee
60g icing sugar
Cocoa powder for dusting

Method
Line a muffin tin with paper cases and preheat the oven to 180C.
In a large bowl, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Combine the flours and add in 4 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla, beating well after each addition.
Spoon the batter into the paper cases til they are about 2/3 full. Bake for about 20-22 mins until the tops are golden.
Remove cupcakes from tin and allow to cool while you make the soaking syrup.
Pour the coffee into a saucepan and stir in the sugar.  Bring to the boil and allow the liquid to reduce to about half , then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, make the frosting.  Beat the mascarpone, coffee and icing sugar lightly together until just combined.
When the cupcakes have cooled, use a sharp knife to cut a piece out of the centre of each cupcake, about 2cm in diametre and 3cm deep, reserving the scooped out pieces of sponge.  Pour about 1 teaspoon of the soaking syrup over each cut out piece of sponge and pour another teaspoon into the hollow of each cupcake.  Fill each hollow with the mascarpone cream then place the cut out piece of sponge back on top of the hole covering the filling.
Lastly, frost the cupcakes with the remaining mascarpone cream and dust lightly with cocoa powder.
PURE HEAVEN

Boston Cream Cupcakes

1. Cut down on chocolate
2. Get rid of tummy weight so that I don't look 5 months pregnant
3. Shave legs more often - even when it's wintertime
4. Say "I love you" more

Why bother with New Years resolutions.  By February 1st plans of lifestyles being overhauled have been thrown by the wayside for another year as we continue to wear trousers (must shave legs) and punish ourselves for eating another slice of chocolate cake. 

The only New Years resolution I have this year is to concentrate better and not try to do 3 things at once , especially when I don't do any of those 3 things properly.  I gave this resolution a test run yesterday when I made my own custard for these Boston Cream Cupcakes.  In my world, making custard FROM SCRATCH is pretty big so I closed the kitchen door, turned the radio (and the kids) off and concentrated on what I was doing.  As it turned out, making custard wasn't difficult at all.  Why have I been avoiding it all these years? 

Two things to say about these cupcakes:
1. Don't fill the cases any more than 2/3 full with batter.  You'll be filling the baked and cooled cupcakes with custard, they will end up being quite tall so you will need to start off with buns that are not very tall;
2. Homemade custard is very pale in colour (totally different to the shop bought powdered stuff) so don't expect a huge contrast between the colour of your sponge and the colour of the custard.

I've used my own sponge recipe which makes 12 cupcakes (it's a Vanilla Birthday Cake recipe and if you double the quantities, you will have 2x23cm sponge cakes).  The custard and frosting are taken from The Hummingbird Bakery "Cake Days".

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the sponge
110g butter softened
110g granulated sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
90g self raising flour
75g plain flour
120ml milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling
250ml milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large egg yolk
50g caster sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp cornflour

For the frosting
200g icing sugar
50g cocoa powder
80g butter, softened
20ml milk

Method
Line a muffin tin with paper cases and preheat the oven to 180C.
In a large bowl, cream the butter until smooth.  Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Combine the flours and add in 4 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla, beating well after each addition.
Spoon the batter into the paper cases til they are about 2/3 full.  Bake for about 20-22 mins until the tops are golden.
Remove cupcakes from tin and allow to cool completely before icing.

While the cupcakes are cooking, make the filling.  Pour the milk and vanilla into a saucepan and bring to the boil.  Meanwhile whisk the remaining ingredients together by hand in a bowl until smooth and well combined.
Once the milk is boiling, remove from the heat and pour 4-5 tablespoons into the egg yolk mixture to loosen it, then return the mixture to the saucepan of hot milk, stirring to incorporate.
Return the saucepan to the heat and bring to the boil, whisking constantly to prevent lumps.  Boil for at least 1 minute and once thickened tip the custard into a bowl and cover with clingfilm to prevent a skin forming, then leave to cool completely.

To make the frosting, whisk all ingredients (except the milk) together on a medium speed until sandy in texture.  Gradually pour in the milk, then increase the speed and whisk til light and fluffy.
Using a sharp knife, make a hole in the centre of each cupcake, about 2cm in diametre and 3cm deep, reserving the scooped out pieces of sponge.  Spoon the custard into the hole of each cake then replace the lid, trimming it if necessary.
Divide the chocolate frosting between each cupcake and smooth the tops with a palette knife.

   

 

 

Red Velvet Cupcakes



Eaten 2 mins after photo taken!

I bet you’ve all done it at some point.  Somebody asks you to do them a favour that they think is “a big ask” or an imposition.  You give a small sigh and agree to do it, while saying that they owe you BIG TIME.  Secretly you’re delighted to be asked to do the favour in the first place. 

On Wednesday my husband came home from work with a Congratulations card and a voucher for a really nice wine shop from his work colleagues as a present for having a new baby.  It was so nice of them all to think of us, so my husband asked if I wouldn’t mind baking something that he could bring in to work for everyone for their elevenses on Friday morning.  I gave the obligatory sigh and said something to the effect of “very busy......very little sleep.....tiny baby......will do my best........bla bla bla”.  Secretly I’m thinking “I have a reason to bake goodies, how cool is this!!”  What’s even better is that my lovely husband thinks he owes me one – it’s a win win for me (until he reads this post, of course!).

I decided on Red Velvet Cupcakes and Fudge Brownies rather than a cake – more practical for work.  The cupcakes are from Magnolia Cafe and the brownies are a recipe from one of the Avoca cookbooks.  I’ll (hopefully) add a post about the brownies over the next day or so.

Magnolia Bakery’s Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

I halved this recipe and although the original recipe uses 3 eggs, I only used one egg when I halved the recipe.  The end result was lovely and light, no obvious side effects from using less egg than I should have.

Also, I didn’t have any cider vinegar and used lemon juice instead

Makes around 24 cupcakes

For the cakes

500g plain flour

165g unsalted butter, softened

500g sugar

3 large eggs at room temperature

6 tbsp red food colouring (yes, 6 tablespoons, although I used 4 tbsp with no ill effects)

3 tbsp cocoa powder

1½ tsp vanilla extract

1½ tsp salt

330ml buttermilk

1½ tsp cider vinegar

1 ½ tsp baking soda

Buttercream Icing

2 cups unsalted butter, very soft

8 cups icing sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Preheat oven to 180C/gas mark 4. In a small bowl, sift the plain flour. Set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about three minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Whisk together the red food colouring, cocoa powder and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.

Stir the salt in with the buttermilk and add to ­the batter in three parts, ­alternating with flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are fully ­incorporated, but make sure you do not overbeat.

In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda and add to the batter and mix well.

Divide the mixture into cases, then bake each tray of cakes for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 ­minutes. Remove from the tins and cool ­completely on a wire rack before mixing together the frosting ingredients and applying the icing.

For the icing

Using an electric mixer or a free standing mixer, mix all ingredients together for 5-6 minutes.  (Magnolia Bakery says you should mix the icing for longer than you think necessary so that it is light and creamy).