Making Cupcakes with Lola

Lola's is London's most fashionable cupcake bakery. Victoria Jossel, Romy Lewis and their team of bakers and decorators have been making fresh batches of sophisticated, handcrafted cupcakes every day since the end of 2006. Now you can re-create a some Lola magic in your kitchen with these simple recipes. To celebrate National Baking Week we are sharing this recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Cupcakes from Making Cupcakes with Lola.

Recipe: Pumpkin Cinnamon Cupcakes

This was created to spice up any Halloween or thanksgiving party! It is a very moist cake, full of aromatic spices, and topped with a heavenly cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!

Ingredients

75 g/2⁄3 cup shelled pecans, plus 12 to top

190 g/11⁄2 cups plain all-purpose flour
11⁄2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus extra to dust
3⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
11⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
3⁄4 teaspoon bicarbonate of/baking soda
a pinch of salt
100 g/61⁄2 tablespoons butter, cubed and soft
60 g/1⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
60 g/1⁄4 cup (caster) sugar
1⁄2 vanilla pod/bean
2 eggs
175 g/3⁄4 cup canned pumpkin purée
60 ml/1⁄4 cup sour cream

Cinnamon cream cheese frosting
140 g/91⁄2 tablespoons butter, cubed and soft
225 g/12⁄3 cups icing/ confectioners’ sugar
210 g/1 scant cup cream cheese
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
11⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
muffin pan lined with 12 muffin cases
Makes 12

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/ Gas 4.
To toast the pecans, set a frying pan over medium–high heat to warm up. Add the pecans to the warm pan and toast, stirring frequently, for about 5–8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
Put the cooled, toasted pecans in a food processor and grind to a powder. Set aside.
Sift together the flour, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, bicarbonate of/baking soda and salt in a bowl.
Put the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl and cream with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. Stop occasionally to scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Using a small, sharp knife, slit the vanilla pod/bean down its length and scrape the seeds out into the mixing bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the sifted dry ingredients and beat on low speed until combined.
Finally, fold in the pumpkin purée, sour cream and ground pecans.
Divide the mixture between the muffin cases. Bake in the preheated oven for 25–30 minutes or until well risen and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
While the cupcakes are cooling down, make the cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Put the butter in a bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer on high speed until until pale and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Sift in the sugar and beat on medium speed for 3–5 minutes until well mixed. Stop occasionally to scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Finally, add the cream cheese, ground cinnamon and vanilla and beat until fluffy.
Spread the frosting over the cold cupcakes using a spatula, or spoon the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large, plain nozzle/tip and pipe it on top of the cupcakes. Top with a pecan and dust with ground cinnamon.

Making Cupcakes with Lola, Victoria Jossel & Romy Lewis of Lola's, photography by Kate Whitaker, published by Ryland Peters & Small

Meet the author of the Nordic Bakery Cookbook

Launched in 2007, the Nordic Bakery is a calm haven in the heart of London's bustling West End. Offering sweet and savoury bakes in the Nordic tradition, the bakery aims to serve uncomplicated food in simple, stylish surroundings. Here, Miisa Mink, writer of the bakery's first cookbook, the Nordic Bakery Cookbook, talks to us about what makes Nordic food so special.

1) What attracted you to the Nordic Bakery?

When I left the global advertising group TBWA where I run their design business I did not know exactly what I wanted to do next. I only had two words in my mind: beautiful and silent. One day I walked into the Nordic Bakery on Golden Square and I knew I had found what I was looking for. The place had just opened over a year ago.

2) How did you first become interested in food and baking? Do you have any childhood food memories that inspired you?

I come from a very ‘foodie’ family. We never had any ready or take out meals when I was growing up and my parents bake most bread at home. My dad even has his own mill and he makes his own flour fresh from wheat kernels he buys straight from a farm.

I learned to bake at very early age and I even used to bake my own birthday cake using my grandmother’s recipe. You can find it in the book, it’s very easy so even a young girl can do it.



3) What is your ideal menu for a summer afternoon lunch?

I just love the parsnip and sesame flat breads. Today I made them with carrots instead, which works equally well. So there would be some of those fresh from the oven served with fresh home-made hummus or nice cheese and salad from seasonal vegetables and strawberries. And naturally, a blueberry pie for dessert. In fact, I’m on holiday in Finland now and I just spent the morning picking blueberries in the forest and I’m going to bake a pie later today!


4) Nordic food is very popular at the moment. Why do you think that is?

I think the simplicity and use of natural ingredients is really appealing right now. People want to know what they are eating, and the whole purity aspect of food is at the forefront of Nordic cuisine.

5) The Nordic Bakery in London is a haven of calm in the city and reflects the pared back Scandinavian style. Do you think there is a link between Scandinavian design and food?

Absolutely. Both are a reflection of the Nordic values and mentality. They are honest, uncomplicated and close to nature.



6) Do you have any tips for someone who is new to Nordic cooking?

Most recipes in the book are really simple. However, a good bread recipe for a beginner is the Archipelago bread. It is really easy to make as you just mix all ingredients together, leave it for 2 hours and then bake it in the oven. And it makes a really tasty artisan type of bread. I make it at least once a week as it is so practical.

Another recipe that gets you a lot of points in the dinner party – but is dead easy to make – is Gravad lax. Just get a very nice fresh salmon fillet from your fishmonger, sprinkle over some coarse sea salt, sugar and dill. Wrap it in parchment paper and leave in a fridge overnight. You can find both recipes in the book.




7) Are the ingredients in the book readily available?

You can get most ingredients such as rye flour and quark from most supermarkets such as Waitrose. Ocado stocks all ingredients except barley flour for which you will have to make a trip to an organic food store or Whole Foods.

8) What’s next for the Nordic Bakery?

We have a lot of exciting new things coming up. We just opened our second store last October in Marylebone (London) and the third store is coming soon. We are also developing our own packed goods range and just launched Dark Rye Chips, which is a really fantastic new and healthy snacking product.

Nordic Bakery Cookbook by Miisa Mink, photography by Peter Cassidy, published by Ryland Peters & Small

Creator of the Hummingbird Bakery, Tarek Malouf, will be at Peter Jones, this Saturday

Tarek Malouf and the Hummingbird Bakery team will be creating their irresistible sweet treats in a live demonstration at Peter Jones , London, on Saturday May 16th at 3pm.

Tarek will also be signing copies of The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook, which has been a Ryland Peters & Small best-seller.

Because of the overwhelming popularity of the book, now on its seventh reprint, we have sold out on our website, www.rylandpeters.com, but we will be getting more copies in June. We will keep you posted!

A peek inside the book



All images copyright © Ryland Peters & Small