Zebra Cupcakes

After looking around on blogs, I was impressed by the big cakes that of the zebra cake. By placing alternate spoonfuls of white and chocolate batters produces an effective stripe pattern within the cake. I was wondering what the effect would be if done on a smaller scale of just a cupcake. So I set out on this task making the zebra cupcake..... Although I didn't like the taste, but I did forget to put in the vanilla in the batter in the effort of excitement of trying to finish them.!! I changed the recipe in that I put in 1 tblspn of vinegar in the cup of milk. I also only used alternate teaspoons of each batter, which seemed to be a bit tedious so I filled the cupcakes in each tray with the same layer of batter so 6 teaspoons of white in each of 6 cupcakes then chocolate of the same 6 and so forth. Next time I will tap the tray before going into the oven to remove any bubbles that may have been produced to keep the texture even in density.





Decorated cupcake, with vanilla buttercream.


















The batter in the papers before they go into the oven.














The cooked cupcakes out of the oven.











Split open cake, unfortunately there are bubbles in the cake which take out the effectiveness of the Zebra pattern.











Sprinkles and vanilla buttercream.




































Split open decorated cake where you can see the stripes.

Marshmallows

Homemade Marshmallows

16 Flat bottomed ice cream cones
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cups glucose syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of Tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Layout 16 flat bottomed ice cream cones. Set aside.
In a large bowl sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Soak for about 10 minutes.
Have the vanilla cream of tartar ready to use at the mixing bowl.
Meanwhile, combine sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rapid boil and boil hard for 5 minutes, if you have candy thermometer boil to 240 deg F.
Pour the boiling syrup into soaked gelatin and turn on the mixer, using the whisk attachment, to high speed. Add the cream of tartar, vanilla and beat for 12 minutes, or until the mixture does not gain any more volume. After 12 minutes, spoon into cones. It is sticky and will sink when cooled. Decorate with sprinkles.

anzac biscuits

I find that other recipes make dryer biscuits.

These Anzacs are the type that you would like to have more than one and keep coming back for more... I politely eat the same name bicuits made by other people like when a guy at work brings in his partner's cooking attempt and eat one. These were uneventful horrible dry biscuits, people seem to not be ashamed that they produce very average resulting baked items, however, I don't work there anymore and he isn't with her anymore either!!! So these are chewy and very yummy. I have heard of these being made with eggs but haven't come across the recipe.
But the story is that the women in Australia and New Zealand would make these as they were long lasting tasty treats that wouldn't spoil on the way to Europe in WW1.
I find that other recipes make dryer biscuits, I like these, the chewy kind.



INGREDIENTS
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup plain flour
1 cup sugar
125g (4oz) butter
3 tablespoons golden syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons boiling hot water

Preheat oven to 300F (150C) (slow oven)

Combine oats, flour, sugar and coconut together. Create a well shape in the centre of the bowl.
Melt syrup and butter together.
Mix soda with boiling water and add to melted butter and syrup. Be prepared for foaming action with the addition of the soda with water and to the syrup mix.
Add to dry ingredients.
Place dessert spoonfuls of anzac mixture on greased or lined oven tray (allowing room for spreading).
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Don't burn or keep too long in the oven or they will be crunchy
Loosen while warm, cool on trays.

spring cupcakes

I was going to make cupcakes for work again and decided on Hazelnut and Blackforest flavours.

Using a previous recipe I loved using before called Vanilla nut martini cakes, which has Frangelica in it from as the cake base.
Then using a banana pudding that I had frozen previously as filling.
As the icing on the top was a nuttella frosting.

As it turned out, apparently good but it was not to my liking in flavours, I remembered them as being moist but to me they were dry, but they received compliments and they disappeared quickly.

Hazelnut Cupcakes: (adapted from Artists in the Kitchen, vanilla nut martini cakes)

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup Frangelico
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add 1/3 of the flour and all of the milk, then 1/3 of the flour and all of the Frangelico, beating well after each addition. Add remaining flour; mix until smooth. Line regular or mini muffin cups with baking papers. Fill each 2/3 full. Bake at 190ºC for 14-16 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pans for 5 minutes. Remove and cool completely

Banana Cream Pudding (filling) (adapted from the Cupcakery)

1 400g can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup ice cold water
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 banana mashed up (1/2 cup)(no instant pudding in banana flavour here in Aust)

In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Beat again to incorporate.

2. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

Put the filling into a piping bag with the jam insert tip (without coupler). Next time I will poke in at least twice before piping to make room for more filling!!!

Nuttella Frosting

approx 1/2 Jar of Nuttella (or hazelnut spread equivalent)(100g)

whipped cream added to the hazelnut spread to the same volume of the spread and mix to a smooth consistency. Melt 1 tablespoon of vegetable shortening to thicken the frosting, (afraid of the warm weather here letting it melt off
Add any additional decoration.

I halved the recipe to yeild 12 cakes and only used milk instead of buttermilk, as last time I shopped that supermarket didn't stock it.

Baked cakes waiting to cool

Filled with banana pudding, iced with nutella frosting and royal icing flowers

Cut section of the cupcake

Blackforest cupcakes

I have long had a desire to make blackforest cakes with the tinned cherries all ready and waiting. I decided upon a chocolate cake recipe that also gave good results to my palet previously called chocolate cream filled cupcakes apparently from Food and Wine. Of course I didn't fill them with the cream I just used the chocolate cake recipe, with Dutch cocoa which I found hard to find in my local area.... do we have gourmet delis here??

Anyway, these blackforest cupcakes tasted divine. They had good texture and moistness by adding 2 tablespoons of cherry brandy (Kirsch) in the cake mixture which made a good recipe even better!

The filling was the drained fruit liqued thicken with cornflour with more cherry brandy and chopped up pitted cherries. Topped with the cut out cake whipped cream 1/2 cherry with milk chocolate drizzled over the cherry and cream.

Only compliments were given on this cake, it was not heavy with richness just chocolate fruit and cream... and since I loved it how could anyone say that they were anything but!

Chocolate Cupcakes

MAKES 12 CUPCAKES
ingredients
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cherry brandy
2 tablespoons water

directions

1. MAKE THE CUPCAKES: Preheat the oven to 180°. Place 12-cupcake liners in nonstick muffin pan. In a medium bowl, sift the flour and cocoa with the baking powder and baking soda . In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the canola oil, 1/2 cup of the sugar, cherry brandy and the water. Beat in the dry ingredients at low speed until smooth.

2. In a clean bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat until stiff and glossy. Beat one-fourth of the whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining whites until no streaks remain. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling them halfway. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cupcakes are springy when touched. Let the cupcakes cool completely.

Filling and topping
1 can pitted dark cherries
2 heaped teaspoons cornflour
2 tablespoons of cherrybrandy
whipped cream
milk chocolate
Drain the liquid of the cherries, place into a small saucepan. In a very small bowl mix the cornflour into the cherry brandy. Then stir into the cherry liquid under a low heat on the stove. Keep stirring until thickened. The mix will turn from a milky cherry colour to transparent cherry colour. It does not need to boil to thicken. let cool.

Cut open each cupcake in a cone like manner with a suitable knife. Chop up one cherry per cake and place each chopped cherry into the cone hole. Top the cherry with a teaspoon of the thickened cherry liquid. Place the cake top on top. Spoon whipped cream to cover the top of the cake top and place a cherry chopped into half on top. Drizzle milk chocolate over the top.