For the Love of Red Velvet Cupcakes

So much for trying to give up sugar - I've rediscovered a love for cupcakes. Finding cupcakes. Baking cupcakes. Eating cupcakes!

But not all cupcakes are created equal. There is this recent fantastic white chocolate cake, of course, and then there are these red velvet cupcakes. I did some concentrated research (ie. looked up wikipedia) to find out some more about these red miracles, and found that the reaction of acidic vinegar and buttermilk is used to reveal the red colour in the cocoa, although red food colouring is also used to intensify the hue. Actually, I used rice wine vinegar because I didn't have any white vinegar, and the colour turned out brilliantly.

In terms of texture, these are not as fine as the white chocolate cupcakes, but the flavour is equally awesome, with a hint of cocoa shining through, and the cakes are super moist and moreish. And, of course, it's the red colour that is the star.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

makes 16

Ingredients
300g (2 cups) plain flour
30g (1/4 cup) cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
315g (1 1/2 cups) caster sugar
250ml (1 cup) buttermilk
200g unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1 tbs white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4-5 tsp liquid red food colouring

Cream cheese frosting
250g cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
300g (2 cups) pure icing (confectioner's) sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Line 80ml (1/3 cup) capacity muffin pans with paper cases.
2. Sift flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Stir through the sugar. Whisk the buttermilk, butter, eggs, vinegar and vanilla in a large jug until combined. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Add the buttermilk mixture. Stir until just combined. Stir in the food colouring.
3. Divide the mixture among the lined pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. For the frosting: Use an electric mixerto beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Spread over cooled cupcakes.

cupcake recipe from taste.com.au

Some ingredients, including plain flour, cocoa, bicarb soda, eggs and red food colouring

Look at the extreme red of the batter. It loses a little of its glow after baking, but it's still pretty vivid.

The traditional coating for red velvet cake is cream cheese frosting.

Add some sprinkles.

Makes you go "awwwwwww"

And it's deliciously moist as well.

Heartbreak white chocolate cupcakes

Of all the Valentine's cupcakes in all the towns in all the world, she had to choose this one...

Well, hello! It’s Valentine’s Day again. Not to be a cynic, but is there any valid reason for such a day, apart from providing something to write about or cook heart-themed cupcakes for? Truth be told, there’s something about the rose-strewn bouquets and big, fluffy, white teddy bears that makes me feel a bit erky perky...

I understand, though, that it’s the florists’ busiest and most profitable day, so let’s not begrudge them their livelihood. Personally, I’d be very embarrassed to have a large arrangement (with helium-filled foil balloons, God forbid) delivered to me. So to all of my many, many secret admirers, please take note!

If you must celebrate this soppy day, however, how about going straight to the heart via the stomach, with these amazing white chocolate cupcakes. They are the moistest, delicious-est, smoothest cupcakes ever. And if you want to tell that particular someone how you feel about them, a broken chocolate heart sends just the right message, n’est pas?

White chocolate cupcakes
makes 12

Ingredients
100g (3 ½ oz) butter, softened
¾ cup caster (superfine) sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup milk
100g (3 ½ oz) white chocolate, melted

White chocolate ganache:
125g (4 oz) white chocolate, chopped
¼ cup pouring cream
35g (1 ¼ oz) butter

Chocolate hearts:
100g dark chocolate

Method
1. Preheat oven to 160C/320F. Line a 12 x ½ cup muffin tray with 12 paper liners.
2. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder over the butter and sugar mixture and beat until well combined.
4. Add the milk and melted white chocolate and mix well.
5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared paper liners and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean. Remove cakes from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
6. For the ganache: Place the white chocolate, cream and butter in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave on medium-low setting in 30-second bursts, stirring after each burst, until the chocolate is melted. Stir mixture until smooth. Spread ganache on the cooled cupcakes.
7. For the chocolate hearts: Place the dark chocolate in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave on medium-low setting in 30-second bursts, stirring after each burst, until the chocolate is melted. Stir mixture until smooth. Spread the melted chocolate onto a parchment-lined baking tray, about 2mm (1/8”) thick. Place in refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes. Use a heart-shaped cutter to cut shapes from the chocolate, then place on the cupcakes.

cupcake recipe adapted from donna hay 'simple essentials: chocolate'

Ingredients, including white chocolate, sugar, eggs and butter.

The cupcake batter is spooned into a muffin tray and baked.

Make some chocolate hearts by spreading melted chocolate onto baking paper and cutting out heart shapes.

These cupcakes will heal that broken heart, stat!

Look at the inside: moist, smooth and gorgeous.

Alluring Cupcakes

On my recent trek to Rozelle, I picked up a bottle of rosewater because I loved its colourful label and red lid. Which then raised the question – what can you make with rosewater?

It just so happens that Gourmet Traveller magazine had a recipe for cupcakes with rose-scented icing that I had my eye on, so I made them.

The cake itself is delicious, light vanilla. The icing is supposed to have a tinge of pink colour, but it’s hard to measure out just a drop of food colouring, so mine ended up a lovely lurid bubblegum pink. The rosewater fragrance is unmistakeable and very alluring!


Rosy cupcakes
Makes 15

Ingredients
125 g softened butter
220 g (1 cup) caster sugar
1 vanilla bean, scraped seeds only
2 eggs
225 g (1½ cups) plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
125 ml (½ cup) milk

Rosy icing
240 g pure icing sugar, sifted
1-2 tsp rosewater, or to taste
1 strawberry (or 1 drop pink food colouring)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 170C.
2. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla seeds in an electric mixer until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
3. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl and beating well after each addition.
4. Sift over flour and baking powder, stir to combine, add milk and stir to combine.
5. Half-fill 15 x 80ml-capacity muffin tins lined with paper patty cases (there may be a little mixture left over).
6. Smooth tops and bake until risen and golden (10-15 minutes).
7. Remove from tins and cool on a wire rack.

For rosy icing, combine icing sugar and rosewater in a bowl. Squeeze strawberry over bowl to extract juice (discard solids) – or add the one drop of food colouring. Gradually add 20-30ml water, stirring until smooth and drizzling consistency. Spread over cakes, filling to tops of patty cases, and stand until set (4-5 minutes). Store in an airtight container until required. Cakes are best eaten on day of making.

Recipe adapted from Gourmet Traveller (April 2009)

Ingredients, including pretty rosewater; my new mixer (not Kitchenaid, alas)

Mixing the ingredients

Patty cases filled with batter; cooked but un-iced

Iced cupcakes, with rosebud centrepieces!

Hijacked Teacakes

I just love whipping up good teacake for afternoon tea, mainly because they are so easy to make, and it never fails to impress guests when you serve it up, still warm from the oven.

I found this recipe at the wonderful Tartelette. I also took the precaution of baking the teacakes in paper cases, as my little cakes are notorious for always sticking to the pan, no matter how careful I am with the greasing.


Apricot Teacakes

Makes about 18

Ingredients

1/3 cup (67g) sugar
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons (56.5g) butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup (58g) sour cream
1/2 cup (62.5g) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (125g) dried apricot halves, diced


Method

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F (185 deg C).
Whisk together the eggs and sugar until pale and thick, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the butter and sour cream and combine well.
Add the flour, dried apricots and mix until incorporated.
Divide mixture between mini muffin tins coated with cooking spray and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on wire racks.

Ingredients; mix eggs with sugar; throw in the flour and apricots

Spoon mixture into mini muffin tins; waiting to be eaten

As always, serve with a cup of ... Tea!

bistro cbd followed by cupcakes

Spring is the best time of year, I think, because the weather is brighter, the birds are singing and the flowers are out (great if you don’t have hay fever). It’s also when lots of friends have birthdays, so there are lots of opportunities for birthday lunches.

Such as when C. and I celebrated her birthday at Bistro CBD, in King St (CBD). It’s one of those ‘business lunch’ places that are filled (mostly) with blokes in suits. An upside of this is that these places usually have good service and are pretty quick if you have to get back to work.

Aside from the a la carte menu, they also have a ‘fixed rate feast’ where you can have 2 courses for $30 or 3 courses for $40 (available only at lunch). It’s excellent value, though naturally the course sizes are a bit smaller than the norm.

We both went for the ocean trout for starters. It was beautifully marinated with bits of cornichon and a piquant fennel and radicchio salad. My pork belly main was just right – right size, right crunchy skin, right moist meat. For dessert, we both had the tamarillo, which consisted of a poached fruit with matching sorbet. I thought the serving sizes were perfect, considering you probably wouldn’t want too much food before that afternoon meeting back at the office.

However…on the way back to said office, I passed by the Cupcake Bakery outlet underneath the Ivy complex in George St. So I thought I’d get some cakes to motivate my team. Well, everyone was certainly motivated! I (greedily) snaffled the red velvet cake mainly due to the little red icing love heart. The cake itself was a wonderful deep shade of red, but a bit dry. The overall voted winner was the tiramisu.

…Adventures in Auckland

I’ve just returned from a couple of days in Auckland, New Zealand. Frankly, though NZ is supposed to be a haven for the adventurous, I didn’t really do that much because I was there for work and spent most of my time in the office. The hotel I stayed it did have a bungy jump off its tower though.

It only takes 3 hours to get there from Sydney. Not bad except you have to endure the worst airline food. I had the ‘baked pasta’ which was olive green broccoli and cheese pasta. The best part of the meal was the bread roll. I ate it because I had to (we were arriving after 10pm). Why can’t they make up a bento box with some sushi rolls and katsu chicken or something? Not aussie enough, probably, though most people would gobble it up.


Because I was at work all day, I felt I had to take some pictures of the little bit of Auckland on the walk from the hotel to the office. Here it is. Also had lunch at a really nice place, Divan Café, which is in a laneway off Queen St (next to Louis Vuitton). The hotel left some complimentary chocolates because they thought we were return customers (we weren’t!).

Dinner on night 1 was at Merlot Wine Café in O’Connell St. When in NZ, have lamb. Lamb cutlets, which were delicious (no photo because it was too dark).

The 2nd night was at the Sky City Tower revolving restaurant. It sounds touristy, and it is, but the food was excellent, as was the view. Had NZ salmon, then ‘Valrhona guanaja chocolate curd’ cake & passionfruit sorbet to finish. Best meal so far.

On the flight home to Sydney, we got breakfast. It was pretty ordinary. I ate it because I was hungry.

When I got back to work, a kind colleague gave me a cupcake. So nice.

… what I made

I’ve wanted to do a cupcake decorating class ever since reading about it at lemonpi. So, after booking months in advance, I rolled up last week (together with 9 other ladies) to the Planet Cake course.
The lovely Amanda and Anna Maria showed us the intricacies of cutting icing and creating cute kids’ cupcakes that grownups would have no problem devouring as well. You have to work fast, though, and not just because the icing can harden before you finish with it – if you fall behind, you’ll miss out the details on the next cupcake design to be worked on.

My report card says that I am a bit slow at the decorating (it comes with practice), but I am very proficient at ganaching. Can I live with that? Sure.