Baking: Lemony Cupcakes

It is easy to make something simple different by adding and subtracting a few ingredients.

I made these cupcakes with my basic cupcake recipe (as used for rosewater teacupcakes minus the rosewater) and by adding a tablespoon of lemoncello and the zest of a lemon.

The icing is simply cream cheese, icing sugar, butter and a few tablespoons of lemoncello (you could use a little lemon juice instead).

Enjoyed best oI think they are a lovely summer treat outside.

Baking:Jaffa Cupcakes

Jaffa Cupcakes

I love the fact that cupcakes are so fast, easy to make and you can easily experiment with them. Below I made jaffa cupcakes (they would be perfect I think if they were topped each with a Jaffa, but oh well).

To make them, I used the rosewater teacake recipe, however i subtracted the rosewater from the cake recipe and added 2 tablespoons of Cointreau and 2 dessertspoons of dutched cocoa. Also to the icing i substituted a few tablespoons of water for orange juice and 2 for Cointreau (oh and I also use a little food colouring...).

Playing with Powder

I had another play with the Fresh As freeze dried fruit powder. I can tell you it is delicious in the butter cream filling of these melting moments. I tried both strawberry and passionfruit. Both were fabulous! I only used approx 1.5 teaspoons for a double batch of cookies.

Other ideas of how to use freeze dried fruit powder:

- I have used it in meringue mixture (I used black current), however this I find makes them a little chewy. I prefer to sprinkle it on top before cooking to add a hint of flavour

- Use it to flavour cream

- Restaurants often add a dusting or sprinkle of powder to either decorate the plate or add a hint of flavour.

- Use it to flavour cream etc.

- I have experimented with it in cupcake mix. The passionfruit didn't really work, however the strawberry was nice. Make sure you add enough (more than you would in icing as it is going to rise and cook) and I would reccomend using only flavours with strong tastes i.e. passionfruit did not have a very strong flavour.

Baking + Exhausted = Happier Tired

Last week I came home very late at night (i.e. 1am) off an International Flight. I was starving and exhausted, however these little beauties that my flatmate Heather had made cheered me right up. Look at the fabulous icing squeezey thing.

Baking: Rosewater Teacupcakes with Raspberry Icing

Rosewater Teacupcakes with Raspeberry Icing

 

Today is my birthday.

This morning I had a lovely present from Vic University (Wellington).My summer school paper's exam. Due to the very little time (approx 1 hour) I had at home (inbetween the exam and going out), I was not able to make a proper happy birthday cake.

However I have being dying to use the Teacupcakes - (bake and serve cupcake molds shaped like a teacups complete with saucers) I was given for Christmas. I was given a set by my good friend Lydia Ng and by my nextdoor neighbour/subsitute mother Colleen Munro.

They both must know me well, as I adore them (they are so cute) and receiving two packets of them is ideal to fit a batch of cupcake mixture (as each packet contains 4 sets).  

Ingredients:
225g Butter
225g Caster Sugar
4 Large Eggs
225g Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
2 Teaspoons Rosewater

Icing
200g Butter
2 1/2 Cups Icing Sugar
3 - 4 Drops Red Food Colouring
1 - 1 1/2 Teaspoons Raspberry Essence (taste it before adding more)
1 Tablespoon Boiling Water


1. Preheat oven to 180C

2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy using an electric beater.

3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Add flour, baking powder and rosewater, and mix until just combined.

5. Spoon out into greased teacupcake moulds or cupcake cases.

6. Bake for 20 mins.

7. Allow to cool on wire rack, until room temperature.

8. Mix together, using an electric beater, butter, icing sugar, food colouring rasperberry essence and water until light and fluffy. It should be still but malleable, if not add more water or icing sugar until it is required texture.

9. Pipe icing onto cakes, and top with a rose (i used fake rose buds which can be washed and used again).