Salted Caramel Cupcakes

These are GOOD!!

I've made them about three or four times now, each outcome has been slightly different.

It's a plain sponge cupcake (either chocolate or vanilla), filled with a salted caramel sauce and topped with a vanilla buttercream frosting.

The combination of the salty and sweet is one of my favourite, and these cupcakes are a definite crowd pleaser.

I prefer making these with a chocolate cupcake base, it just makes the cakes slightly more decadent! 

Credit to the Hummingbird Bakery (I'm obsessed with their new cookbook).

The cake came out quite dense when I made them a few weeks ago. I prefer a lighter and more crumbly cake so I altered the method a little bit. 

The recipe requires that one mixes the flour, sugar, butter and baking powder until you reach a crumbly consistency. Next, add in the wet ingredients. However, if you cream the butter and sugar together first, and then add in the eggs and flour, the cakes come out a little bit lighter and not as dense.

Ingredients

70g unsalted butter, softened

240g caster sugar

2 eggs

170g plain flour

50g cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

210ml skimmed milk

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C and line a cupcake tin with 12 muffin liners.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a medium sized bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated.
Mix in the milk and flour mixture in alternating batches, starting with the dry ingredients. 
Spoon into the cupcake cases and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cakes are firm to the touch and a sharp knife (or skewer) comes out clean when inserted into the centre.
Leave the cakes to cool, and get started on the toppings.

CARAMEL SAUCE
These cupcakes are filled with a salted caramel sauce. Carnation sell a tinned caramel and this works quite well. Melt a couple of tablespoons of the caramel in a microwave on low power for about 20 seconds (more if needed). Add a pinch of sea salt.
Once the cakes are cooled, cut out a small hole in the centre with a knife. Fill the hole with caramel and then place the top back on.

FROSTING

A simple buttercream frosting goes really well with this cake.

175g unsalted butter, softened

300g icing sugar

little splash of vanilla extract

splash of milk, if needed.

Beat the ingredients with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Pipe or spread onto the cupcakes, and then drizzle on top some salted caramel sauce.

I made these cakes for my sister a few months ago. Here's my brother-in-law Josh; I think he enjoyed them!!!

That's all for now!
J xx

Lemon Cupcakes

Hey peeps!!

Just a quick post...

I made some lemon cupcakes yesterday (they were incredible), thought I'd share the recipe!

Stumbled upon this recipe online somewhere, and they are ridiculously lemony.

According to Ina Garten (my favourite person on the Food Network by far), the most flavour is in the zest of the lemon!!! I didn't use any vanilla extract in the batter, and used lots of lemon juice in the cream-cheese frosting.

A family friend of ours makes the most INSANE lemon pavlova, and these taste almost identical!!!!

Here's how it goes..

Ingredients

60g unsalted butter, softened

140g caster sugar

2 eggs

100g plain flour

1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tbsp lemon juice

1tsp lemon zest (or more if you like it extra tangy)

1/4 cup soured cream

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with some muffin liners.

Sift the flour and bicarb into a small bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, and then mix in the eggs.

Once the eggs are incorporated, add in the flour mixture and beat on medium until well mixed.

Next, fold in the lemon zest, juice and soured cream with a spatula, and spoon the batter into the prepared liners. I usually use an ice cream scoop - it just creates perfectly uniform-sized cupcakes. Because I used large muffin cases and quite a wide ice cream scoop, I only got around 8-9 cupcakes out of this batter. However, if you make them as normal cupcake size, you're likely to get about 11 or 12.

Bake at 180C for about 15-18 minutes, until the cakes are slightly golden and firm to the touch.
Take out of the oven and leave to cool.

FROSTING

A simple cream cheese frosting, with the volume turned up.

Ingredients
100g cream cheese
75g unsalted butter, softened
300g icing sugar
1 tsp lemon juice (to taste).
1 tsp soured cream
splash of milk (if needed)
extra lemon wedges, for garnish.

Beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. 
Add in the icing sugar in small batches (so to avoid making too much mess).
Add in the soured cream and lemon juice and beat on high speed until light and fluffy.
Add milk if the frosting is still too thick.
Either spread or pipe onto the cupcakes and place a small lemon wedge on top to decorate.

So good!!!

Creme Egg Cupcakes

Hello!!!

It's me again, back from my ridiculous three month blog break. Sorry I keep leaving so much time between posts, I promise I'm working on it!

Creme Egg season has ended, but I couldn't allow March to end without whipping up a batch of these easter-themed cupcakes.

I tried out a chocolate cupcake recipe from the latest Hummingbird cookbook (a lovely present from my lovely boyfriend) and decorated it accordingly.

It's probably my new favourite cake-related cookbook - their cupcakes are just so cool!!

Owing to the end of the Creme Egg month (I should've listened to their 'goo today, gone tomorrow' slogan), me and my friend Kristina went on a mission around north London to find as many as we could. After about an hour, we returned home with about ten quid's worth of Creme Eggs, both regular and mini sized (probably the most productive part of my entire week).

Too many Creme Eggs for life!!

Ingredients

70g unsalted butter, softened.

170g plain flour

240g caster sugar

50g cocoa, sifted

1 heaped teaspoon of baking powder

pinch of salt

210ml milk

2 eggs

A years supply of large and mini Creme Eggs

Method

Line a cupcake pan with 12 muffin cases and preheat the oven to 170C

There are two methods of mixing the ingredients. I've only tried one so far (the one directed to in the book) but will try it the other way next time I make these. 

The book - combine the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in one large bowl and beat until just combined (a crumby consistency).

Mix together the eggs and milk in another bowl/jug and pour into the dry ingredients in two batches. Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared cases (around 2/3-3/4 full - I just use an ice cream scoop to create uniform sized cakes) and cook at 170 for 20-25 minutes or until the cakes are firm to the touch and a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool and then transfer onto a wire rack until you frost them.

The other method - most cupcake recipes dictate that you cream the butter and sugar together first, add in the eggs and then the dry ingredients and milk in alternating batches. It makes the cupcakes a bit lighter and fluffier, whereas the method I used made the cupcakes appear denser (almost gooey and undercooked, but they were fine after a few hours).

Once cooled, well out a large hole in the centre of the cake (I have this nifty gadget called a cupcake plunger - thanks Dad!!). Chop the top of the Creme Egg (just as if you're having a soft boiled egg with toasted soldiers! Oh childhood..) and place it in the cupcake.

Either place the lid back on (if there's space), or frost directly on top.

FROSTING 

200g unsalted butter, very soft.

650g icing sugar

60-70ml milk

a pinch of vanilla (hummingbird frosting recipe doesn't call for this, however).

Beat the ingredients together until thick and creamy.

Try to avoid getting icing sugar on your clothes and frosting all over the walls by maintaining a slow speed at the start, and increasing the speed as the ingredients start to combine.

When making the cakes, I slightly lost control of the mixer and managed to get chocolate all over the nearby kitchen appliances. I only realised this when my mum handed me a cloth and pointed me in the direction of the mess I had made.

Anyway, anecdotes aside..

Frost the cupcakes either with a knife/spatula or piping bag.

As usual, I piped mine.

Put a mini Creme Egg on top to complete the cupcake!

Mmmmmmmmm

There are still a few left in the fridge - time for tea!!!

J x

Nutella Pretzel Brownies

Wow, it's been basically half a year since my last post - RIDICULOUS!!

Sorry I haven't had the chance to update, I haven't baked anything new to be quite honest. 

I just finished a long period of essay deadlines and exams, and I'm now free!! 

I had a horrific essay to write on Labour Party politics when I was home for the winter holidays, but took a much-deserved break one evening to whip up a batch of brownies. It was the best de-stress method; there is definitely some positive correlation between happiness and baking.

I stumbled upon a lovely Nutella brownie recipe a while back - Nutella is literally my favourite thing in this world. My housemates last year, on numerous occasions, would discover me in the kitchen with a near-empty jar of Nutella in one hand and a big spoon in the other. I think it's hereditary.. My parents never allowed us to have Nutella in the house because it wouldn't last longer than a day! We were (still are) undeniably a Nutella-loving family.. 

Chocolate brownies are amazing anyway, but adding Nutella makes them THAT much better. I added some pretzels on top for a little extra salty crunch.

These are so easy.

INGREDIENTS

For the base

1 and a half cups of pretzels

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

For the brownie

1/2 cup or 113g unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

2eggs

dash of vanilla extract

1/3 cup cocoa powder (I used bourneville)

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup nutella - and more for snacking!!!

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

More pretzels, set aside

METHOD

Line a brownie tin with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 180C.

In a food processor, pulse the pretzels into a fine dust and add the sugar. Pour in the melted butter and keep pulsing until it is all combined. 

Flatten out the mixture into the baking tin, and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until it turns golden around the edges and is firm-ish to the touch.

While it's baking, start on the brownie mixture.

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and add in the sugar, whisking until combined. It'll be a paste-like consistency, but that's fine. 

Whisk in the eggs one at a time, and add in the vanilla.

Add in the dry ingredients and the Nutella (does that count as a dry ingredient?) and whisk until combined.

Pour the batter into the brownie tin, on top of the pretzel base and baked for 35-40 mins at 180C. It's ready when a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the brownie will be firm.

Leave to cool on the side for ten minutes, and then slather the top with more Nutella!! It'll melt because of the heat of the brownie, YUMMY!

Stick the pretzels on top and leave to cool fully.

Mmmmmmmm

I brought these back up to Leeds for everyone. They were particularly yummy as a library snack!!!
I've had no work since last tuesday, so I've just been relaxing lots! 
Hope everyone's had a lovely start to the new year, and that the snow hasn't screwed up your plans too much. Keep posted!
J xx

Breakfast Quinoa

Quinoa...

Pronounced keen-wah, it's a lovely little grain (or seed) which has lots of health benefits. It's full of protein, and has been proven to aid weight loss. I discovered quinoa earlier this year in my university kitchen, but didn't really cook with it that much. It can be a little bit of an effort to prepare, and takes far longer to cook than standard white rice (or if you're lazy like me, the 1minute uncle ben's rice packs). However, if made well, it can definitely be worth all the effort.

It's a grain used in savoury dishes, but I stumbled upon an awesome recipe for a Breakfast Quinoa, which replaces normal porridge oats with wholesome quinoa, and has added sweetness from fruits, sugars and cinnamon.

I've been trying to shed a few pounds in preparation for my sister's wedding in a couple of weeks time (eeeek, stress!). I'm basically cutting out carbs and other processed foods and just sticking to natural, protein-filled things. In this sense, quinoa is a bit of a god-send. It's Martha Stewart's recipe but I've adapted it a little. 

Ingredients (2-3 servings)

3cups skimmed milk

1 and a half cups of uncooked quinoa, rinsed.

between 1tsp and 1tbsp of Splenda (depending on how sweet you like it)

a pinch of cinnamon (1/3tsp - not too much)

lots of fresh fruit.

NOTE

You can alter the size of the portion easily, just make sure that the ratio of milk:quinoa remains 2:1. Everything else is constant and can be determined by your personal taste.

I love lots of fruit in my quinoa, you can choose anything. I had a couple of handfuls of strawberries, a load of blueberries and 3 plums cut up into small pieces. This made enough for me and my mum to share, plus some surplus to keep in the fridge for later, so don't worry about how much fruit there is; it evens out!

Clearly, I'm a fruit fan!

Method

Bring the milk to a boil in a small pan, and then bring the heat down to a simmer and throw in the rinsed quinoa. Stir and cover and cook for around 15-20 minutes, or until around 3/4 of the milk has been absorbed. 

At the start.

After the 15-20 minute mark, stir in the Splenda and cinnamon, cover again and cook for another 5-8 minutes.

I wish I had a perfume with this scent. It's just divine!!!!!

Once cooked, mix in a bit of the fruit (I used around half) and pour into a serving dish. Garnish with the rest of the fruit and more Splenda/cinnamon if you fancy. 

And voila, high protein and full flavoured Breakfast Quinoa!

It's yummy cold too. So if you're too full to finish your portion, cover it and put it in the fridge to finish later on in the day. 

It could also be served with honey or agave nectar (like a normal porridge), but I'm trying to cut the extra sweetness out of my diet so I went without.

Wedding is in 12 days. YIKES! Better get going!!!

J xx 

Malteser Cupcakes with Popping Candy

Maltesers are probably my favourite chocolate. They're just so light (and one of the lowest calorie chocolates, am I right?).. However, this can be problematic, since once I open up one of those big 'to share' bags, I won't stop until they're all gone. I was chatting to my friend Beth the other day about how I'm a sweets/choc fan and she's a crisps fan, and she coined the term 'empty bag syndrome', i.e, the consumer of a bag of crisps cannot be satisfied until the contents of the said bag are entirely devoured. It's definitely something I suffer from! But alas, until they find a cure, looks like I'm stuck with a collection of empty Oreo wrappers and bags of haribos. 

Anyway, Malteser cupcakes were one of the first things I ever baked (back in the day). The batter is my standard vanilla one (the basis of this recipe is identical to that of my Oreo and Rolo cupcakes, the decorations are just different), and I've garnished the frosting with a Malteser and a sprinkle of popping candy, something I only just discovered! It's so cool!! 

So, let's get started!

Ingredients

170g unsalted butter, softened

120g caster sugar

35g brown sugar

3eggs and 1 extra yolk

1/2tsp of vanilla extract

170g all purpose flour

1tsp baking powder

pinch of salt (don't forget this, I always do!!)

huge bag of Maltesers. Keep 12 separate.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C and line a muffin pan with 12 liners. Cream the butter and sugar with a handmixer, and add in the eggs one by one and then the vanilla, maintaining a medium speed. Next, move the mixer to one side, and fold in the flour, baking powder and salt until just incorporated. Fold in all of the Maltesers (not the 12 you reserved at the beginning). If you put all the Maltesers into the batter (minus the 12), it'll prevent you from nibbling on any surplus ones left in the bag!! Smart move eh?

Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake cases, ideally 2/3 - 3/4 full. The Maltesers make the batter much bigger, so you can either fill the cases much higher than usual, or use any extra to fill a couple more cupcake cases. When I made them, I just equally distributed it between the 12 cases and filled them to the brim. They don't rise that much, so they won't overflow if the batter is near the top. 

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre (try not to poke into a Malteser) comes out clean and the cakes are firm and golden. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the side.

FROSTING

My normal cream cheese frosting is a favourite, but I thought I'd try using less cream cheese and replace it with butter. It just makes it a bit denser and creamier.

100g cream cheese, softened

75g unsalted butter, softened

300g icing sugar

1/2tsp vanilla extract.

popping candy sprinkles (these ones can be found in Waitrose)

Beat all the ingredients together at a low speed. Make the effort to get more icing sugar in the bowl than on the kitchen walls (and yourself). I'm only speaking from experience....

Pipe onto the cupcakes, place the leftover Maltesers on top, and then sprinkle over the popping candy.

 My lovely friend Lauren asked me to make these for her brother's birthday, and since his favourite thing is popping candy, she gave me the container of the sprinkles. I'd never actually seen these before, so when she handed them to me my face just displayed a look of total surprise!! They're just so much fun!

Sneaky can of Sprite!!!!! (My mum's fault)..

AMAZING!

I made Oreo ones too.. Hehehehehehe.

See you soon!

xx 

The Chocolate Cupcake

Chocolate cupcakes; who can resist?

You might recognise this intense, chocolate decadence from a previous post - I've just tweaked some of the measurements so that the recipe suits a 12 hole muffin pan rather than one with 30 (an awkward number for cupcake-baking if you ask me..).

Anyway, let's get started!

Ingredients

180g caster sugar

80g flour

1/2tsp baking powder

1/2tsp bicarb

pinch of salt

100ml milk (I use skimmed, any will do)

1tsp vanilla

50g cocoa powder

100ml boiling water

50ml vegetable oil

1 egg

Method

Heat oven to 180C, and line a muffin tray with 12 paper cases.

Stir together the sugar, flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt in a large bowl.

Add the eggs, oil, milk and vanilla and beat using a hand mixer. Stir in the boiling water and then spoon (I use an ice cream scoop for uniform sized cakes) the mixture into the liners.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer/knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove them from the oven and leave to cool.

FROSTING

60g butter, softened

75g cocoa powder

350g icing sugar

40ml milk

1/2tsp vanilla

Melt the butter and stir in the cocoa powder. Alternating, add the icing sugar and the milk, beating on a medium speed. Add in the vanilla, and more milk if needed. The consistency should be easy-spreadable. If it's too thick, add more milk. Either way, this is probably one of the yummiest frostings I've ever tasted!!

It's a bit runny to be piped, so it's best to just spread the frosting onto the cupcakes.

Once frosted, I enveloped the entire thing in a downpour of chocolate sprinkles!! You can find these in almost any supermarket, and they add a little 'umph' to the cake!

Quite simple, but very effective.

Since these are simply mini versions of the giant chocolate cake I made for Kristina, it's inevitable that these are to go down incredibly well!

J xx