Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes

Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes seem to be the latest craze with Singapore food bloggers and I am probably one of the last few to be actually trying out the recipe.  When I first had a taste of this cupcake, I sort of compared it with a chiffon cake with fresh cream filling.  In fact it is pretty close to it.  The method of making the cupcakes is a chiffon method using oil plus requiring the egg whites to be whipped and folded into the cake batter.


After trying out this recipe from Nasi Lemak Lover, I came across another blogger who had actually made a comparison of two Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcake recipes, one of which is this one.  Check out the comparison Here!


Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes
Makes about 10 cupcakes
Recipe Adapted from Nasi Lemak Lover

Ingredients for the Cupcake:

3 egg yolks
1/8 tsp of salt
20g vegetable oil (you can also use corn/canola/sunflower oil)
20g milk
25g self-raising flour
105g egg whites (about 3 eggs)
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
40g castor sugar

Method:

1) Whisk egg yolk with salt. Add in oil and milk and mix well.

2)  Sift flour and baking powder into the egg yolk mixture.

3) Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy and then slowly add in the sugar and beat till soft peaks

4) Fold in half of the egg whites into the cake batter and mix until incorporated using a whisk or spatula. Then add in the other half and mix them evenly (do not overmix - you want to maintain the volume of the cake batter).

5)  Fill the mixture into the cupcake liners.

6)  Bake at pre-heated oven at 160c for 20mins. Leave to cool completely before filling.

7) Make a small hole at the middle, pump the custard cream into the chiffon. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Custard Cream Filling:

Ingredients:

30g non-dairy whipped fresh cream, cold from the refrigerator
1 tsp custard powder

Add the custard powder to the fresh cream and whip until it is almost stiff peaks.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Unlike in the United States or in UK, cupcakes have never been much of a craze in Singapore until of late.  Overseas, especially in the United States, the cupcake trend really took off back in the late '90s when HBO's Sex and the City series made a mention of a New York bakery called Magnolia Bakery. Since then, the gourmet cupcake bakeries have been springing up and its popularity has not died down yet



Another well-known cupcake bakery is The Hummingbird Bakery which is located in London. Tarek Malouf, the founder of The Hummingbird Bakery has been selling cupcakes and other American treats for more than six years now.  The Hummingbird Bakery is located in three prime London locations and they sell around 22,000 cupcakes a week.


Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
Adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery "Cupcakes & Muffins"
Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

100g plus 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
110g caster sugar (reduced from original)
11/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt 40g unsalted butter at room temperature
1 egg
120ml low-fat milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
1) Pre-heat oven to 170C and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

2) Lightly beat the egg together with the milk and vanilla extract.  Set aside.

3) Add all other ingredients in a bowl and using a hand mixer beat on low speed until mixture resembles a sandy consistency and everything is combined

4) Slowly add in half of the milk/egg mixture and beat on slow.  Add in the remaining liquid and continue beating for another 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth.  Do not overmix.

5) Spoon the batter into the liners 2/3 full.  Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the cupcake bounces back when touched.  Leave cupcakes to cool completely before frosting with your favourite frosting

Glazed Blackberry-Lime Cupcakes

Do you occassionally stop yourself from buying cakes from bakeries simply because you could probably make it yourself? Furthermore it may even taste better as you know what ingredients goes into it. You are also likely not to compromise on using better quality ingredients. I think it is probably something that all of us bakers go through.

My pantry is always stocked full of baking ingredients and I really don't need to go to the local stores to buy anything if I fancy to do some last minute baking over the weekend. So these blackberry cupcakes were put together on a spur of a moment. The blackberries and limes were already in my refrigerator before I even thought of making these cupcakes. These freeze well for about a month but you probably won't have any left overs as they are really yummy - soft and moist.





Glazed Blackberry-Lime Cupcakes
Recipe Adapted from "500 cupcakes & Muffins by Fergal Connolly"
Makes 1 1/2 dozen

Ingredients:

115g unsalted butter, softened
170g caster sugar(reduced from original recipe)
2 lightly beaten eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
115ml low fat milk
225g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking power
115g fresh blackberries (or blueberries)
1 tsp grated lime zest

For the Glaze: (optional)

100g caster sugar
2 Tbsp lime zest
3 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp boiling water

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 175C. Place 18 paper lines in a muffin tray.

2) Beat butter and sugar until soft and fluffly. Add the eggs slowly and mix well. Add in the vanilla extract and zest and beat to incorporate.

3) Sift the flour and baking powder. Add in 3 additions alternating with milk. Beat until just combine - do not overbeat.

4) Dust the blackberries with 1 tsp of self raising flour and then fold gently into the batter.

5) Spoon into cupcake liners and bake in oven for about 18 - 20 minutes. Remove and leave to cool completely before adding the glaze. Alternatively just dust each cupcake with icing sugar to serve.

Method for the Glaze:

Mix the sugar, zest, lime juice and boiling water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil until sugar has completely dissolved. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cool slightly and then spoon over each cupcakes.

Banana Chocolate Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I bake on most weekends. It's just me and if I don't something is definitely not right! A few weekends ago I had the urge to make something with left over bananas that had been in my fridge for more than three weeks. Yes, you heard me ... three weeks! Surprisingly they weren't mushy at all, just slightly darkened.

To be frank I didn't have much time that week as I was baking a cake for a friend's grandfather's 100th birthday. So I wanted to do a quick cupcake recipe and came across this one from Joy of Baking's website. I have tried numerous recipes from here and every one turned out wonderfully. Even though I was really tired from putting the birthday cake together, I still wanted to do something to take to office the next day. The other incentive was that I had quite a bit of Swiss Meringue Buttercream left over which would do nicely on the cupcakes. If you are looking for a light and delicious buttercream recipe, I highly recommended a Swiss Meringue Buttercream. It is absolutely gorgous and smooth.





Banana Chocolate Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Recipe Adapted from "Joy of Baking"
Makes 12 regular or 15 medium cupcakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup caster sugar (reduced from original recipe)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (I used "pisang emas", 4 pieces)
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup canola, corn, or vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180C or 165C for fan-oven. Line 12 regular-sized muffin cups with paper liner.

2) In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3) In another large bowl, whisk together the egg, mashed banana, water, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. (The batter is quite thin.)

4) Pour or scoop the batter into the muffin cups, about 3/4 full, and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. (I found it easier to pour the batter into a jug and then transfer it to each cupcake liner)

5) Frost with your favourite frosting or with Italian Meringue Buttercream.
Makes about 9 cups, enough for about 28 cupcakes



Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Recipe Adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes about 4 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
5 large egg whites
4 sticks cold slightly soften unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:

1) Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk continuously until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.

2) Transfer bowl to a stand-mixer bowl. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.

3) Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don't worry if the buttercream appears curdled. It will come together after a while. Continue beating until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.

4) Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on the lowest speed to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes. If using buttercream within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I've never had a Red Velvet cake until I started blogging. In fact I don't even believe it is that popular here in Singapore as I don't see it being sold at the bakeries I frequent (maybe the better cake shops do sell it). Despite the dozens of recipes I found, there were many variations among them. Curiously enough I also found the below "dos" about Red Velvet Cakes from the internet:

** The cake must have some cocoa, but not too much because it is not a chocolate cake.

** The cake must have red food coloring; beet juice does not add the right kind of red.

** The cake must have cream cheese frosting.

** There should be pecans. (Really!)

** You must use high-quality ingredients, including White Lily flour, a Southern specialty flour. (I've never heard of White Lily flour - have you?)

** Precise measurements and meticulous attention to detail are key for this cake; therefore, it must be made in small, easy-to handle, family-sized batches. (Oh wow! And here I am posting a recipe that uses cup measurement.)

** You must use a hand-held electric mixer, not a stand mixer: Larger machines can over-mix the batter, which sometimes prevents the cake from rising properly.

** Red velvet cake batter needs vegetable oil, not butter or shortening. Oil yields a very moist cake. (Hmm ... my recipe below uses butter)





Red Velvet Cupcakes
Makes 12 medium sized cupcakes
Recipe adapted from "Joy of Baking"

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup + 1/8 cup ranulated white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring (I used Wilton)
1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Method for the Cupcakes:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line 12 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.

2) In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.

3) In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

4) In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

5) In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.

6) Working quickly, divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 18 - 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.

7) Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes and them remove from pan. Let cool completely before frosting. Either spread the frosting with a knife or offset spatula, or use a large 1M Wilton open star decorating tip to pipe the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Gradually add in the icing sugar and continue beating until smooth. Finally add in the lemon juice and beat to combine. If icing is too soft to pipe, place in refrigerator for about 20 mins.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

I was in Melbourne recently to visit my sister and her family. This would be my third trip there but it has been more than 20 years since my last visit. Surprisingly I don't think much has changed around the city unlike here in Singapore where construction is constantly going on.

I didn't do the "touristy" stuff as I had done that many years ago. I stuck mainly to the suburbs but did go into the city on a weekday. Unfortunately that day happened to rain and the skies were really gloomy. So you could have called it a "wet experience". The rest of the week was good and sunny, by Melbourne standards, temperatures ranging from a high of 21C to a low of 14C. It is nearing the end of autumn, with winter coming round the corner. So it gets dark by 6:00pm.

I popped into the local supermarket, Coles, on several occassions as it was just a 10min walk away. Coles has an amazing range of produces with fresh cuts of meats of all varieties, vegetables, fruits, cheeses and a whole lot more of stuff which would probably take 4 pages to list out. Take a simple produce, for example eggs which we take for granted. At Coles the eggs are labelled "caged eggs" and "free range eggs" and comes in different grammes per egg. The difference in price differs a fair bit as well. Free range eggs cost about 3.5 times more than caged eggs. By labelling the eggs as such it gives the end consumers a right to make concientious choice when buying their produces. Whilst at Coles I managed to buy a bunch of fresh rhubard (in fact I was actually on the look out for it) and hope to experiment with it this coming weekend. I have never had a rhubard before so this would be really interesting. I will post the end results for sure!

I thought it was somewhat befitting to post this particular Lemon Meringue Cupcake recipe as it was first featured in Australia Junior Masterchef. If you have not watched this show as yet, what are you waiting for. You will surely be amazed by the amount of talent shown by these young cooks, some as young as eight years old.





Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Recipe Adapted from Australian Junior Masterchef series

Ingredients for the Cupcakes:

1 cup pure cream
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

Lemon Curd Filling:

3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of cornflour/cornstarch
1 1/2 cups of cold water 3 to 4 lemons, the juice and finely grated zest
3 egg yolks, beaten
50g unsalted butter

To make the Lemon Curd Filling:

1) Place the sugar, cornflour, cold water and finely grated zest in a medium-sized saucepan.

2) Over a gentle flame heat the curd, stirring continuously until it begins to thicken.

3) Add the beaten eggs and butter and continue to heat and stir through until very thick.

4) Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice, adding more to taste as desired.

Meringue:

3 egg whites
1/2 cup caster sugar

To make the Meringue:

1) In a very clean and large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer place the egg whites. Whisk until soft peaks form and then gradually add in the sugar a little at a time until the meringue is thick, smooth and glossy and all of the sugar has dissolved.

Method for the Cupcakes:

1) Preheat oven to 180'C. Place 12 patty cake liners in a 12 hole 1/2-cup capacity muffin pan.

2) Place cream, sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Gradually add flour and zest and continue whisking until mixture is thick and smooth.

3) Divide mixture between prepared liners and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cakes spring back to touch. Cool in muffin pan.

4) To serve, preheat grill to medium-high. Cut a small hole in the top of each cupcake and fill with 1-2 teaspoons of lemon curd. Pipe a swirl of meringue mixture on the top of each cupcake and place under heated grill for 60-90 seconds or until golden.

Sicilian Orange Cupcakes

I'm been putting off this particular post for ever so long. Don't ask me how long, it's just been very long. In fact I have made this particular recipe at least three times since I first came across it's first posting in August. I saw this recipe last year in Ellie's blog . Then a couple of months later it appeared in Ju's blog . I guess this cake must be good if it's appearing so frequently. Furthermore how wrong could you go with an orange cake. In fact this cake is quite an intense orange cake as a fair bit of juice and zest is called for. The amount of butter and sugar, being equal parts suggested an orange pound cake, thus a somewhat denser cake. But boy was I wrong! The cake is so soft and it reeked of orange flavour and smell. It was absolutely delicious. One thing I did do was reduce the amount of sugar used as I usually would do with all the recipes I have so far tried.

I prefer to turn this recipe into cupcakes as it;s much easier to serve out. The texture of the cake is not compromised at all. I made these one time for my pet groomer's son who is about 3 years old and the little boy loved it so much. I'll probably bake her another batch next month when it's time for my two fur-boys grooming.




Sicilian Orange Cupcakes
Adapted from Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape
Makes about 12 cupcakes or a 22 cm cake

Ingredients:

250 g lightly salted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
250 g caster sugar (I reduced this to 210g)
4 medium eggs
1 1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest (I used 2 tsp)
250 g self raising flour
85 ml freshly squeezed orange juice

For the icing:

125 g icing sugar
5 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease and line a 22-cm clip-sided round cake with non-stick baking paper.

2) Using an electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together for 4-5 minutes until very pale. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating very well between each one, if necessary adding a spoonful of flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture from curdling. Beat in the orange zest. Add the flour all at once and mix in well, then slowly mix in the orange juice.

3) Spoon the mixture into cupcake liners and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 18 - 20 minutes or or until a skewer, inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean. If it starts to brown too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of lightly buttered foil.

4) Cool cupckaes completely before icing.

5) For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the orange juice until you have a spreadable consistency. Spread it over the top of the cupcake.

6) If you are not keen on icing the cupcakes, just leave them plain - they are equally as delicious. Or else dust with a bit of icing sugar for a more special effect.

Red Velvet Cake

What a coincidence that the Cake Slice Bakers first challenge for 2010 happens to be a Red Velvet Cake! Why you would ask me ... well I've seen so many bloggers posting about this cake or cupcake and I have yet to taste or bake it. I had in fact been meaning to add this to my "to bake list" and was somewhat pleased that it has surfaced as a challenge instead.

Usually I'm pretty good with challenges and would get it out of the way as early as possible. But I've been pretty slack over the last two months and have kinda of rush through my challenges. This particularly one is the same as well. I actually baked these cupcakes on Sunday afternoon. I was back in my hometown in Kuala Lumpur over the last 3 days to catch up with my sister. She's currently residing in Melbourne, Australia and was home for about a month and half. This would be her last weekend in Kuala Lumpur before she flies back home. It was good to catch up with her as well as spend a few days back home, not forgetting eating local food as well.

Rather than attempt a layered 9" cake, I halfed this recipe and turned out a dozen cupcakes instead. I didn't do the original pecan coconut icing and used some left over white chocolate buttercream which had been sitting in my fridge for more than a month now. I would have thought the buttercream would have gone off as it was really "old" but surprisingly it was still good. I just needed to thaw it slightly and rewhipped it. The Red Velvet cupcakes were surprisingly good, with really moist, tender crumbs. I believe the standard icing for this cake would have been cream cheese frosting but I guess if you want to deviate from it, just make sure you choose a frosting that really goes well with this cake.



Red Velvet Cake
Makes a 9" layered cake or 24 cupcakes
(Recipe from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott)

Ingredients for the Cake:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (see note below)
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp red food colouring
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp cider vinegar or white vinegar

Ingredients for the Pecan Coconut Icing:
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Method:

1) To make the cake, heat the oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line them with waxed paper to kitchen parchment. Grease the paper and flour the pans.

2) Prepare three separate mixtures for the batter. Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl and use a fork to mix them together well. Combine the cocoa powder and the red food colouring in a small bowl, mashing and stirring them together to make a thick smooth paste. (I found it easier to add the cocoa to the dry mixture. For the food colouring I added this directly into the batter after the addition of the eggs.)

3) In a large bowl, beat the butter with a mixer at low speed for 1 minute until creamy and soft. Add the sugar and then beat well for 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl now and then. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each one until the mixture is creamy, fluffy and smooth. Scrape the cocoa-food colouring paste into the batter and beat to mix it in evenly.

4) Add a third of the flour mixture and then about half the milk, beating the batter with a mixer at low speed. Mix only enough to make the flour or liquid disappear into the batter. Mix in another third of the flour, the rest of the milk and then the last of the flour in the same way.

5) In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and vinegar and stir well. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to quickly mix this last mixture into the red batter, folding it in gently by hand. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.

6) Bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes until the layers are spring back when touched lightly in the centre and are just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pans. (For cupcakes bake between 15 - 18 minutes. Check to see if ready - if not bake for another minute or 2.)

7) Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks or folded kitchen towels for 15 minutes. Then turn them out onto the racks, remove the paper and turn top side up again to cool completely.



Method for the Coconut Pecan Icing:

1) Combine the milk and flour in a small or medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking or stirring often until the mixture thickens almost to a paste, around 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and scrape it into a small bowl to cool completely.

2) Meanwhile, beat the butter with a mixture at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the sugar in thirds, beating well each time until the mixture is creamy and fairly smooth. Add the cooled milk and flour mixture and beat for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides now and then to combine everything well. Using a large spoon or spatula, stir im the vanilla, coconut and pecans, mixing to combine everything well into a thick, fluffy, nubbly icing.

To Assemble:

Place one cake layer top side down on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread a third of the icing on top. Place the second layer, top side up, on top. Frost the sides and then the top of the cake with the remaining icing. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to help the icing set.

NOTE: If you can’t find buttermilk, stir 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar into 1 cup of milk and leave to stand for 10 minutes before using.

A "Jungle" Birthday Theme

I've now found a new love which is called Fondant. I've just started making fondant flowers as decoration to cupcakes and the most recent venture was decorating the cupcakes for the Burnt Sugar baked by Cake Slice Bakers group a week and half ago. My colleagues in the office found the cupcakes beautifully done. So much so, that a colleague of mine actually asked me to bake some cakes for her son's two year old birthday party which was held yesterday evening.

I said I would and after giving some thought for an idea to the cake and cupcakes, I decided I would do a jungle animal theme. Just right for a two year boy who was fascinated with animals. As the birthday party was on Friday (lucky for me it was a public holiday here in Singapore), I had to plan ahead early in the week. The 6" cake layers were baked on Tuesday night and I managed to come up with 6 layers in total. The cake required the height to make it stand out. And the cupcakes were baked on Wednesday night. I dedicated Thursday evening after dinner to decorate the cake and cupcakes. Initially I had wanted to split the decoration over Thursday night and Friday morning, but once I was into the project on Thursday night, I decided to complete everything in one-go. Would you believe that I finally finished the cake and cupcakes at 2am on Friday morning!

The end result was a fondant 4-layer chocolate cake sandwiched with buttercream and chocolate ganache. The entire cake was covered with a chocolate fondant. Tall trees wrapped the sides of the cake with a snake going around one of the trees. Eyes of animals peered out between the trees and two elephant trucks appear to be coming out from the depth of the forest. Above the tree foliage pops the heads of two giraffes. The giraffes are made of gumpaste and I hand painted the spots and drew out the eyes, mouth and nose.





To complement the cake, the cupcakes were decoated into a variety of jungle animals -tigers, zebras and lions.

I was extremely pleased to hear that the birthday boy enjoyed his birthday cake very much and the rest of the kids loved the cupcakes. This really makes my weekend!







Chocolate Butter Cake
Recipe Adapted from Joy of Baking
(Serves 8 - 10)

Ingredients:

4 ounces (150 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
1 cup (240 ml) boiling water
2 1/4 cups (315 grams) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
370 grams granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) milk

Frosting:

5 ounces (140 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup (80 ml) milk
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
4 cups (1 pound) (454 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted to remove lumps
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray, and line with parchment paper, two - 9 x 2 inch deep (23 x 5 cm) round baking pans. Set aside.

2) In a stainless steel or heatproof bowl place the chopped unsweetened chocolate and cocoa powder. Pour the boiling water over the chocolate and cocoa powder and stir until they have melted. Set aside to cool while you make the batter.

3) In a separate bowl, whisk to combine, the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

4) In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is fluffy (this will take about 3-5 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and melted chocolate mixture and beat to combine.

5) Add the milk and flour mixtures in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat only until the ingredients are incorporated.

6) Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for about 35 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Butter or lightly spray a wire rack with Pam before inverting the cakes onto the rack to prevent the cakes from sticking. Cool the cakes completely before frosting.

Frosting:

Melt the chopped chocolate in a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool. Then place the melted chocolate, milk, confectioners sugar, salt, and vanilla extract in the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. (Alternatively, you can use a hand mixer.) Add the pieces of softened butter and beat on low speed for about 2 minutes. When the frosting starts to come together increase the speed to medium and beat for about 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the speed to high and beat the frosting for 1 - 2 minutes more or until it is of spreading consistency. If necessary, add more milk or sugar.

To Assemble:

Place one layer of cake, top side down, on your serving plate and cover with a layer of frosting. Then place the second layer of cake, top side down, onto the first cake layer and then frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Can garnish with fresh fruit or shaved chocolate.

Burnt Sugar Cake

Based on popular voting, the November cake for Cake Slice Bakers is a Burnt Sugar Cake. When the recipe was posted up in the forum, I shuddered to think of the amount of sugar I would be consuming in each slice. I even delayed baking this cake until the very last weekend before actual post date. Then when I read some of the comments posted by my fellow Cake Slice bakers, I quickly decided that I would cut back on the amount of sugar used in the original recipe. In addition I also made some minor alternations. Well, firstly I reduced the recipe by half. Secondly I decided that it would be kinda cute to turn these into cupcakes instead. The halfed reciped resulted in a dozen cupcakes for me. I used the burnt sugar frosting for only half of the cupcakes and for the rest, I decorated them with fondant. In fact it is homemade marshmallow fondant that I had used. It's been a while since I dabbled in using fondant, so it's high time I dusted the cobwebs off my fondant tools and took them out from storage.



The cupcakes came out extremely moist (a little denser than a vanilla cupcake) but it kept extremely well even after 3 days in the fridge. I think it was due to the sugar content that kept the crumbs from drying out. The reduced sugar amount that I had used seem about right. However the frosting was way, way too sweet for my taste! And this is even after I had reduced the amount of burnt sugar syrup that was added to the frosting. The burnt sugar gave the frosting a slight distinct maple syrup taste. So if you are not a sweet-tooth I would strongly encourage that you find an alternative frosting for this cake.

By the way, would you believe I had my first rejection to my cakes! However it was not because they taste horrible or anything like that. The recipient said that she had been putting on so much weight since I started bringing baked goodies to the office that she'll have to change her entire wardrobe soon.

Lastly don't forget to check out my fellow bakers at Cake Slice Bakers for more beautiful creations.

Burnt Sugar Cake
Recipe from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott
Makes One 9" cake

For the Cake:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1¾ cups sugar (I reduced this to 1 1/4 cups of sugar and still found the cake to be a little bit sweet)
4 eggs
½ cup Burnt Sugar Syrup (recipe below) (I used only 1/3 cup of burnt sugar)

For the Burnt Sugar Syrup:

1 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water

For the Burnt Sugar Frosting:

3¾ cups confectioners sugar
½ cup Burnt Sugar Syrup (above)
¼ cup (½ stick) butter
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 – 3 tbsp evaporated milk or normal milk

Method – Burnt Sugar Syrup:

1) Heat the sugar in a cast iron skillet or another heavy bottomed pan with high sides. Heat over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts into a clear brown caramel syrup. It should be the colour of tea.

2) Gradually add the boiling water, pouring it down the sides of the pan so that if the syrup foams and bubbles up, you should be protected.

3) Continue cooking, stirring often, until the water combines with the syrup and turns a handsome brown syrup. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Store the cooled syrup in a sealed jar if not using straight away.

Method - Cake:

1) Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.

2) In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and stir with a fork to mix well. Stir the vanilla into the milk.

3) In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sugar with an electric mixer at high speed for 2 – 3 minutes, until they are well combined. Stop now and then to scrape the bowl down. Add the eggs, one by one, beating well each time. Pour in half a cup of the burnt sugar syrup and beat well. Add a third of the flour mixture and about half of the milk, beating at a low speed, until just incorporated. Mix in another third of the flour and the rest of the milk. Finally, add the remaining flour.

4) Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes until the cakes are golden brown, spring back when touched gently in the centre and begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. (For cupcakes, fill the cup liners to 3/4 full and bake for about 20 minutes.) Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out the cakes into the wire rack to cool completely.

Method – Burnt Sugar Frosting:

1) In a large bowl, combine the confectioners sugar, the burnt sugar syrup, butter and vanilla. Beat with a mixer at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl now and then to bring the ingredients together. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk and continue beating until the frosting is thick, soft, smooth and easy to spread. Add a little more sugar if it is thin, and a little more milk if it is too thick.



To Assemble:

Place one layer, top side down, on a cake stand or serving plate. Scoop about ¾ cup of the frosting onto the cake. Spread to the edges and place the second cake layer over it, top side down. Frost the sides of the cake, and then the top until it is evenly covered.

Sunflower Cupcakes

These cupcakes were made on the speer of the moment. I really had no intention on baking anything over the weekday - you could say I wanted to take a break! So I'm not sure how this happened. Anyway I ended up with 12 cupcakes that needed some decoration on them. So I decided to take out my piping tips which I have not used for a long while now (if you need to know this) and turned these chocolate cupcakes into sunflowers. Just right for a sunny bright Sunday afternoon as well. As my other half is really not into cakes at all, these went to other willing "hungry" mouths - and they sure weren't complaining at all!



Sunflower Cupcakes
Adapted from "Favourite Cupcakes & Cheesecakes"
Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1 tsp coffee extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 160C. Line a 12 cupcake pan with paper liners.

2) Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3) Add in the eggs, one at a time and beat until mixed thoroughly. Then add in the the coffee extract.

4) Add the flour in 3 batches, alternating with the milk.

5) Divide the batter into the paper lines and bake for about 18 - 20 minutes. Immediately transfer to a wire rack once baked to allow the cupcakes to completely cool before icing with your favourite frosting.

6) Using a round piping tip #8, fill up a circle with chocolate butter (about 1") in the middle of your cupcake. Dip the cream into a bowl of chocolate rice. Next using a leaf tip #352, fill your piping bag with yellow buttercream and pipe leafs from the edge of the chocolate circle towards the outer edge of your cupcake. You can overlap the leafs to give it a more realistic petal look.

Lemon Cupcakes

I haven't been making cupcakes for quite a while now. Cupcakes are such a novelty these days and everywhere you go people seem to be raving about them. You would have thought it would be just another "fad" that would dwindle away after a while but I think they are here to stay. There are even bakeries that just specialize in nothing else but cupcakes! Who would have thought about that! In fact I was just watching an old re-run of Martha Stewart this morning and she had a segment on cupcakes as well. She did a round up of the best cupcakes in the United States. And guess who was in the audience with a special mention, none other than the famous trio from Cupcakes Take the Cake . If you want to find out what is new in the cupcake scene, head over to their blog which is an eye-opener.

Anyway I've always had this craving for citrus types of cupcakes or cakes So in line with my long absence from baking cupcakes I decided to come up with a batch of lemon cupcakes.



Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Butter Icing
Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

125g unsalted butter, softened
125g caster sugar
1/2 large Lemons, finely grated zest only
1 tsp full finely chopped lemon peel
2 eggs, beaten
150g plain flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder

For the lemon butter icing

75g Butter, softened
175g icing sugar, sifted
1/2 large Lemon, finely grated zest only
1-2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Line a 12-hole fairy cake tin with paper cases.

2) Cream the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add the sugar and grated lemon zest and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, then sift in the flour and baking powder and fold into the mixture. Alternatively, whiz all the ingredients together in an electric food mixer.

3) Divide the mixture between the paper cases and bake in the preheated oven for 12–15 minutes, until risen and golden. When cooked, the centre of each cake should be slightly springy to the touch. Remove the cakes from the tin and put on a wire rack to cool before you ice them.

4) For the lemon butter icing, cream the butter in a bowl with a wooden spoon or hand-held electric beater until very soft. Gradually add the icing sugar and beat into the butter, along with the lemon zest and enough lemon juice to soften the icing to a spreadable consistency.

5) When the cupcakes are cool, spread a generous heaped teaspoon of lemon butter icing over the top of each one or using a star tip to pipe the cream on top of the cupcakes.