Showing posts with label cupcakes. Show all posts

Very Vanilla Cupcakes Filled with Pastry Creme



This cupcakes are one thing: vanilla! A light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes filled with a vanilla pastry creme and topped with vanilla frosting.

      Prep Time             Cook Time              Makes      
20 min 15-25 min 12


Ingredients 

Cupcakes 

175g of unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs 
175g of sugar 
175g of flour
2 tsp of baking powder 
2 tsp vanilla extract 

Pastry Creme (You will not use all of it! Having would be okay) 

300ml of milk 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
3 large egg yolks 
60g of sugar 
2 tbsp flour 
2 tbsp cornstarch 

Frosting 

1 tsp vanilla extract 
225g of butter
125g of icing sugar 
1-2 tbsp of milk or creme 

Preparation
  1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the egg yolks and sugar. 
  2. Sift in the flour and cornflour and combine into the egg and sugar. It should form a paste. Set aside. 
  3. In a saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. It is perfect when the milk starts to foam. 
  4. Remove the milk from the heat whisk in the paste. Whisk constantly to prevent curdling. You might want an extra hand here!
  5. Pour the mixture back into the sauce pan and cook over medium heat until boiling. Make sure to whisk constantly. 
  6. Once it reaches boiling, whisk constantly for another 30-60 seconds or until thick. 
  7. Remove from head and add the vanilla extract. 
  8. Set aside to cool to room temperature. 
  9. Preheat the oven to 170C and line a cupcake tin. 
  10. Cream together the butter and sugar. They should be well incorporated into a pale yellow mixture. 
  11. Whisk or beat in one egg at a time. Then add the vanilla. 
  12. Finally, sieve in the flour and baking powder. Combine in or whisk for 5 minutes. 
  13. Bake in the oven for approximately 14 minutes. Use a fork to check for readiness. The top of the cakes should not be brown but have a spongy texture when touched. 
  14. Set aside to cool. 
  15. For the frosting, mix together the icing sugar and the butter. 
  16. Mix on low until well blended and then on medium/high for 3 minutes. 
  17. Add the vanilla and milk/creme and continue to beat for another 1 minute. Add the liquid slowly until you reach desired texture. 
  18. The right amount should produce a frosting that can hold a peak. 
  19. Once the cupcakes have cooled, fill them with the pastry cream and then frost. 



Zesty Lemon Cupcakes


These cupcakes are definitely packed full of lemon with baked in lemon zest, a lemon juice frosting and a lemon curd filling! If you are a fan of lemon, these lemon cupcakes should be right up your alley. Based on yesterday's dinner they were a hit. I hope you give these a try :) 

      Prep Time             Cook Time              Serves      
20 min 15-20 min 12


Ingredients 

Cupcakes 

125g of softened, unsalted butter 
125g of plain flour 
125g of sugar
2 tbsp of greek yoghurt 
2 large eggs 
zest of one lemon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
approximately 12 heaped tsp of lemon curd

Frosting 

125g of softened, unsalted butter
250g of icing or powdered sugar 
juice of 1 lemon 

Preparation 

Cupcakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C or 160C fan. 
  2. Cream together the butter and sugar on a high speed. It should be light and fluffy, whisk for about 2-3 minutes. 
  3. Add the eggs one at a time and the lemon zest and combine until it forms a wet, yellow batter. 
  4. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in three intervals. Alternate the with yoghurt.  
  5. Scoop into a lined cupcake tin. 
  6. Using your finger or a small spoon make a small dip in the centre of the batter. 
  7. Add one heaped tsp of lemon curd into each cupcake. See the bottom photo for a visual aid. 
  8. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until well risen but not browned. A knife of fork should come out clean. 
  9. Let the cupcakes cool for about 30 minutes
Frosting
  1. Cream the butter until it is light and fluffy, on a high speed. It should be a few shades lighter yellow than the original butter. 
  2. Add half the icing sugar, a little bit at a time until it is well incorporated with the butter.
  3. Pour in the lemon juice and the rest of the icing sugar. 
  4. Whisk on high until you can form firm peaks with the frosting and the whisk leaves a trail. 
  5. If you feel the frosting is too runny, add some more icing sugar and whisk again. 
  6. This should make a liberal amount of frosting for 12-15 cupcakes. 







White Chocolate and Raspberry Cupcakes


These cupcakes are surprisingly not too sweet as the fresh raspberries really cut through the sweetness. I would say they are best served with a hot of cup tea. I hope you enjoy this decadent recipe :) 

Ingredients 

For the Cupcakes 

150g of flour
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of baking soda
a pinch of salt
4 tbsp of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
80g of white chocolate
1 large punnet of raspberries
a sprinkle of coconut (optional)

For the White Chocolate Frosting 

150g of white chocolate
100g of butter, unsalted and room temperature
250g of icing sugar
1 tablespoon of milk



Preparation 

Cupcakes 

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C or 160C fan. 
  2. Cream together the butter and sugar on a high speed. It should be light and fluffy, whisk for about 2-3 minutes. 
  3. Add one egg and combine well until it forms a wet, yellow batter. 
  4. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in three intervals. Alternate the with milk. 
  5. Grate, shave or cut the white chocolate into small pieces. 
  6. Fold in the white chocolate using a spatula. 
  7. Scoop into a lined cupcake tin. 
  8. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until well risen but not browned. 
  9. Let the cupcakes cool for about 30 minutes. Then scoop out the middle using a cupcake corer or a spoon. 
  10. Fill the cupcakes with the raspberries and then pipe on the frosting. 
  11. Sprinkle on the coconut flakes as soon as you pipe on the frosting. 
  12. Enjoy! 
White Chocolate Frosting 
  1. Cream together the icing sugar and butter on a high speed. It should take about 2-3 minutes and the final mixture should be a lighter shade than the original butter. 
  2. Melt the chocolate at 30 second increments until fully melted. Let it cool slightly.
  3. Add the chocolate into the butter/icing and whisk together. 
  4. If needed add the milk. The whisk should form a trail in the frosting. If you take out the whisk a soft peak should be formed on it. 


Banana and Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

I absolutely love cupcakes. They are much simpler to make than a cake. Plus it comes in individual serving sizes, which means no sharing! Banana and chocolate chip is a classic flavour combination, and for a lighter option these cupcakes are great without the frosting. Bearing that in mind, cream cheese frosting is a delicious accompaniment. These recipe can also be baked in a loaf tin for a classic banana bread. You can frost bread too; don't worry.

Ingredients
2 bananas
1 1/2 dl sugar
1 egg
50g melted butter
2 tsp of baking powder
4 tbsp of cream
2 1/4 dl of milk
1 tsp of vanilla essence, sugar or extract
150g (or more!) of chocolate chips, optional

Frosting Ingredients 
This frosting is based on this recipe, and it makes a great cream cheese frosting. 

110g of unsalted butter, at room temperature
110g of cream cheese, at room temperature 
250g of icing sugar
1tsp of vanilla essence or extract 

Baking Time!

  1. Preheat the oven to 175C. 
  2. Mush two bananas with a fork and then mix them with the sugar. 
  3. Add one pre-mixed egg. 
  4. Pour in the melted butter and cream. 
  5. Add 2 1/4 dl of flour with the vanilla and baking powder. Mix well at a low speed. 
  6. Finally, add the chocolate chips. Make sure to mix some flour with the chips prior to adding them to mix to prevent sinkage. 
  7. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. 
  8. A knife show come clean out of the cupcakes when they are finished. 
Frosting 
  1. Cream together the butter and cream cheese. 
  2. Use a medium speed on a standing mixture or high on a hand mixer for about 5 minutes. 
  3. The finished produced should be smooth, airy and a lighter colour than the original mixture. 
  4. Slowly add the icing sugar to prevent spillage. 
  5. When you have finished the frosting should be thick and be able to hold a peak. 

NB: This recipe can also be used make a delicious banana bread or muffins. For banana bread simply add the mixture to a bread tin and bake for approx. 40 minutes. For muffins simply leave off the frosting. 

Spiced Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Nigella captured my heart when I as a little girl. People joke about her over-the-top sensuality and rather ridiculous descriptions of her food. I find that despite her rich vocabulary, her food is still simple, easy to follow and definitely not unapproachable. The warmth in her personality certainly adds to the warmth of her food. When I finally have my own flat, I hope to have an entire room dedicated to cookbooks just like hers. I may have to settle for a bookshelf though.

This cupcake recipe is from one of my favourite cook books, Nigella's "How to be a Domestic Goddess." I got the book for a bargain at a charity shop. Charity shops are an excellent place to find cook books without having to pay £20+ for one. I have slightly adapted the spices for the cake as well as omitting any raisins or nuts. If you are a fan of raisins or nuts, feel free to mix them in with the carrots. You should coat them in a bit of flour before adding them to the mixture to prevent them from sinking during the bake.  White chocolate chips would also be a deliciously decadent addition to this this recipe.