I thought i ought to have done this by now...so here it is....from a few posts back... you will have seen my pictures of these tasty treats...and well worth the try! They are delicious!
Makes 12
I did double this recipe to make more.
For the Sponge:
115g butter, softened
115g caster sugar
175g self-raising flour
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk ( I used Skimmed)
1.5 Packs of Oreos (Use whichever variety suits you..i used original oreos!)
For the Icing:
225g unsalted butter, softened (Room Temp is fine)
5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
450g icing sugar, sifted
40ml (2.5 tbsp) cold water
1/2 Pack of Oreos (Crushed to put in icing)
Mini Oreos To Decorate (Optional but tasty!)
1) Pre-heat the oven to 180*c and prepare a muffin/cupcake tin with cupcake cases.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (Use an electric hand-held mixer to make easy work of this), then add the eggs and whisk in, one at a time until combined. Add the milk, and mix in with a spatula until fully combined with the mixture.
Sift in the flour and fold gently until blended with the wet mixture.
Add 1 and 1/2 packs of crushed Oreos to the mix and fold in until even.
2) Divide the cake mixture between your 12 cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. (Mine took nearer to 15 minutes).
Leave them on a wire rack to cool completely.
3) For the butter cream, beat the butter until soft with a hand mixer. Alternatively, you can use a food processor. Gradually beat in the icing sugar and water together.
Continue beating until frosting is light and fluffy. Towards the end, add the vanilla extract.
Add the left over crushed (not TOO Finely) Oreos are to be mixed into the buttercream for a nice rough and uneven texture (Like rocks almost ; )
4) Spoon the butter cream over the cakes to cover the top of the sponge, and then use a fork to prick the icing up (Almost like a hedgehog) all over.
Place a mini Oreo on top of each to decorate.
5) Have fun eating this one...and make a mess! ; )
Friday, 8 October 2010
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
My Lavender Cupcake Recipe
As made for my good friend Amy and her new Husband Mark (Mentioned in a previous link : )
I thought it was only fair to share this tasty and summery recipe.
Do let me know if you enjoy trying this : )
Lavender Sugar:
Fill a Jar with Caster Sugar, and chop up roughly a couple of handfuls of freshly picked lavender.
Close the jar lid tight and leave for a week (Longer for a stronger taste)
Sieve the sugar to separate the dry lavender from the sugar, then use to bake/put in tea, whatever you wish to do with it.
(When baking, i used some fresh lavender, finely chopped to give the cupcakes some bite and colour, but this is optional).
Lavender Cupcakes:
(Adapt how you wish...i did make up this recipe, so you can add/remove/tinker to your hearts content : )
Makes 12
I did double this recipe to make more.
For the Sponge:
115g butter, softened
115g caster sugar (Lavender Sugar used)
175g self-raising flour
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk ( I used Skimmed)
Fresh Lavender, finely chopped.
For the Icing:
225g unsalted butter, softened (Room Temp is fine)
5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
450g icing sugar, sifted
40ml (2.5 tbsp) cold water
Purple Colouring for icing (Optional)
Sweets such as Love Hearts to Decorate (Optional)
1) Pre-heat the oven to 180*c and prepare a muffin/cupcake tin with cupcake cases.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (Use an electric hand-held mixer to make easy work of this), then add the eggs and whisk in, one at a time until combined. Add the milk, and mix in with a spatula until fully combined with the mixture.
Sift in the flour and fold gently until blended with the wet mixture.
Add the fresh lavender, should you wish to add this to the mixture.
2) Divide the cake mixture between your 12 cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. (Mine took nearer to 15 minutes).
Leave them on a wire rack to cool completely.
3) For the butter cream, beat the butter until soft with a hand mixer. Alternatively, you can use a food processor. Gradually beat in the icing sugar and water together.
Continue beating until frosting is light and fluffy. Towards the end, add the vanilla extract.
4) Using a piping bag, pipe the butter cream over the cake swirling movement (Mister Whippy style!) to cover the top of the sponge.
Place a Sweet on top to decorate.
5) Enjoy....possibly with a fork should you wish to be civilised : )
J x
I thought it was only fair to share this tasty and summery recipe.
Do let me know if you enjoy trying this : )
Lavender Sugar:
Fill a Jar with Caster Sugar, and chop up roughly a couple of handfuls of freshly picked lavender.
Close the jar lid tight and leave for a week (Longer for a stronger taste)
Sieve the sugar to separate the dry lavender from the sugar, then use to bake/put in tea, whatever you wish to do with it.
(When baking, i used some fresh lavender, finely chopped to give the cupcakes some bite and colour, but this is optional).
Lavender Cupcakes:
(Adapt how you wish...i did make up this recipe, so you can add/remove/tinker to your hearts content : )
Makes 12
I did double this recipe to make more.
For the Sponge:
115g butter, softened
115g caster sugar (Lavender Sugar used)
175g self-raising flour
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk ( I used Skimmed)
Fresh Lavender, finely chopped.
For the Icing:
225g unsalted butter, softened (Room Temp is fine)
5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
450g icing sugar, sifted
40ml (2.5 tbsp) cold water
Purple Colouring for icing (Optional)
Sweets such as Love Hearts to Decorate (Optional)
1) Pre-heat the oven to 180*c and prepare a muffin/cupcake tin with cupcake cases.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (Use an electric hand-held mixer to make easy work of this), then add the eggs and whisk in, one at a time until combined. Add the milk, and mix in with a spatula until fully combined with the mixture.
Sift in the flour and fold gently until blended with the wet mixture.
Add the fresh lavender, should you wish to add this to the mixture.
2) Divide the cake mixture between your 12 cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. (Mine took nearer to 15 minutes).
Leave them on a wire rack to cool completely.
3) For the butter cream, beat the butter until soft with a hand mixer. Alternatively, you can use a food processor. Gradually beat in the icing sugar and water together.
Continue beating until frosting is light and fluffy. Towards the end, add the vanilla extract.
4) Using a piping bag, pipe the butter cream over the cake swirling movement (Mister Whippy style!) to cover the top of the sponge.
Place a Sweet on top to decorate.
5) Enjoy....possibly with a fork should you wish to be civilised : )
J x
Monday, 27 September 2010
Atomic Cupcakes are the........BOMB!!!
I hate the word "Bomb" .. But i couldn't find any other fitting words in my very slow working mind this morning....so appologies in advance for the cheesey Amercianised saying ; )
As a Cambridge girl, and a HUGE fan of Cupcakes....by now you all will know ( ; ) ... I had heard some very good reviews on a local girl who runs a company called "Atomic Cupcakes" and i was told that i haven't lived until i have tried her concoctions..(Thank you to Aunty Linda for the rave review!)...so i got in touch with Emily, who was just lovely via email.
Very chatty and happy to talk about all things cupcake, which put her in my good books right away ( I love a good old cupcake conversation ; )
After a few complications from both sides, we finally agreed on a date and a time to swap my hard earnt pennies for her wares...and it certainly was a fair swap indeed!
I was greeted with a smiley face on a dismal rainy Friday lunchtime (Before i set off for a similar weekend of camping!), and she let me peek inside the cute cupcake box and she ran through everything that she had made for me.....And what a selection it was!.....
.....Red Velvet Cupcakes with green icing, and a very (Cute?!) white chocolate skull on the top. This made me think straight away about the lovely Romsey Roller Billies who i had trained with earlier this year to learn to skate (And failed miserably after injuring my back!), and i thought to myself that i was sure that these had appeared somewhere in their list of events previously... it made me smile. I love the unique spin on this popular american recipe, which i have never tried before. Delicious. Not as sweet as i had imagined. Go for this if you are not a big fan of sugary sweet cupcakes!
.... Banoffee.... A Delicious Banana flavoured sponge, which looked as though fresh banana had been used, and you could tell. This was not a heavy flavour, as some banana cupcakes can be! And the toffee middle was a welcome surprise as we bit into this gooey cupcake. My fiance is a Banoffee fiend...so he was VERY happy indeed! I enjoyed looking closely at the perfect sponge and being in awe of it! Mine always become so dense, but this was light and you could see through the holes in it... jealousy here i must admit!
....And then i have to mention the most devine cupcake out of them all! The Black Bottom Cupcake with Strawberry swirl Buttercream. What can i say?! This was the BEST cupcake i have tasted so far!
(And i said that last week about a certain other cupcake...but my mind has been changed since then!)
Wow. This i could eat for Breakfast, Lunch AND Dinner (If i were allowed to do so haha!). The sponge was chocolate mixed with a cheesecake-y mix, and on top was the tasty buttercream swirled with what tasted like strawberry jam, which just gave it the most enjoyable taste. I am such a sucker for these now! My favourite of the selection by far! And i think my fiance will second this decision!
.... Not forgetting the deceivingly light Carrot Cupcake... this had a slight spice to the sponge and to the icing and worked so well. After my small third of a carrot cupcake last week, this made me very happy to see.... and it did not disappoint! The lighter of the selection, and very simple sponge and icing combo, yet looked so beautiful decorated with it's sprinkles and glitter (As they all did!).
....Lastly...and sounding very piggy indeed aren't we?! haha (We did pace it over 3 days ; ) .... The Malted Cupcake
Emily had asked me if there were any cupcakes i have always wanted to try and hadn't...this was made ESPECIALLY for me to try. Emily, you are a STAR. This worked. Not too sweet, yet again delicious.
Admitedly, i ate this for breakfast on Sunday morning hehe...Camping in the cold rain and wind woke me up with an appetite for something sweet to stop me from shivering!
Topped with a delicious chocolate frosting and a malteaser to decorate. The gold glitter set this off nicely.
I can see WHY Atomic Cupcakes were highly reccomended to me. Not only do Emily's Cupcakes TASTE amazing...they LOOK amazing too!
Decorated in fun and beautiful glitters and decorations, which would appeal to every child (Old or young!!!), and should be tried to be believed!
Great price, i have paid triple the cost of these beauties in Cambridge, and not received anything as unique or tasty as these!
If you are needing a cupcake fix, go straight to Atomic Cupcakes... You will not regret it!
(http://www.atomiccupcakes.co.uk/)
Jo
xx
As a Cambridge girl, and a HUGE fan of Cupcakes....by now you all will know ( ; ) ... I had heard some very good reviews on a local girl who runs a company called "Atomic Cupcakes" and i was told that i haven't lived until i have tried her concoctions..(Thank you to Aunty Linda for the rave review!)...so i got in touch with Emily, who was just lovely via email.
Very chatty and happy to talk about all things cupcake, which put her in my good books right away ( I love a good old cupcake conversation ; )
After a few complications from both sides, we finally agreed on a date and a time to swap my hard earnt pennies for her wares...and it certainly was a fair swap indeed!
I was greeted with a smiley face on a dismal rainy Friday lunchtime (Before i set off for a similar weekend of camping!), and she let me peek inside the cute cupcake box and she ran through everything that she had made for me.....And what a selection it was!.....
.....Red Velvet Cupcakes with green icing, and a very (Cute?!) white chocolate skull on the top. This made me think straight away about the lovely Romsey Roller Billies who i had trained with earlier this year to learn to skate (And failed miserably after injuring my back!), and i thought to myself that i was sure that these had appeared somewhere in their list of events previously... it made me smile. I love the unique spin on this popular american recipe, which i have never tried before. Delicious. Not as sweet as i had imagined. Go for this if you are not a big fan of sugary sweet cupcakes!
.... Banoffee.... A Delicious Banana flavoured sponge, which looked as though fresh banana had been used, and you could tell. This was not a heavy flavour, as some banana cupcakes can be! And the toffee middle was a welcome surprise as we bit into this gooey cupcake. My fiance is a Banoffee fiend...so he was VERY happy indeed! I enjoyed looking closely at the perfect sponge and being in awe of it! Mine always become so dense, but this was light and you could see through the holes in it... jealousy here i must admit!
....And then i have to mention the most devine cupcake out of them all! The Black Bottom Cupcake with Strawberry swirl Buttercream. What can i say?! This was the BEST cupcake i have tasted so far!
(And i said that last week about a certain other cupcake...but my mind has been changed since then!)
Wow. This i could eat for Breakfast, Lunch AND Dinner (If i were allowed to do so haha!). The sponge was chocolate mixed with a cheesecake-y mix, and on top was the tasty buttercream swirled with what tasted like strawberry jam, which just gave it the most enjoyable taste. I am such a sucker for these now! My favourite of the selection by far! And i think my fiance will second this decision!
.... Not forgetting the deceivingly light Carrot Cupcake... this had a slight spice to the sponge and to the icing and worked so well. After my small third of a carrot cupcake last week, this made me very happy to see.... and it did not disappoint! The lighter of the selection, and very simple sponge and icing combo, yet looked so beautiful decorated with it's sprinkles and glitter (As they all did!).
....Lastly...and sounding very piggy indeed aren't we?! haha (We did pace it over 3 days ; ) .... The Malted Cupcake
Emily had asked me if there were any cupcakes i have always wanted to try and hadn't...this was made ESPECIALLY for me to try. Emily, you are a STAR. This worked. Not too sweet, yet again delicious.
Admitedly, i ate this for breakfast on Sunday morning hehe...Camping in the cold rain and wind woke me up with an appetite for something sweet to stop me from shivering!
Topped with a delicious chocolate frosting and a malteaser to decorate. The gold glitter set this off nicely.
I can see WHY Atomic Cupcakes were highly reccomended to me. Not only do Emily's Cupcakes TASTE amazing...they LOOK amazing too!
Decorated in fun and beautiful glitters and decorations, which would appeal to every child (Old or young!!!), and should be tried to be believed!
Great price, i have paid triple the cost of these beauties in Cambridge, and not received anything as unique or tasty as these!
If you are needing a cupcake fix, go straight to Atomic Cupcakes... You will not regret it!
(http://www.atomiccupcakes.co.uk/)
Jo
xx
Friday, 24 September 2010
(A Very Belated) National Cupcake Week!
How awful am i?! I forgot to blog on THE MOST important week of the Cupcake Year haha.... DOH!!!!
However.
I DID manage to enjoy various Cupcake-related goodies, and the diet most certainly did go out of the window!!!
Firstly, on the Tuesday i met up with my very good girl friends for a gossip and a giggle and we enjoyed sharing various desserts, including a merringue (Bigger than an iceberg and could not be finished(!), a devine Lemon Tart, and of course a cupcake....a Carrot & Cinnamon Cupcake to be precise. This was delicious, and too small for our liking.... but at £3.50 (!?!) for one, we thought it best to not remortgage our homes for the cost of a cupcake! I think that was fair.
I have also found the delights of a local farm shop on the outskirts of Cambridge, at the Gog Magog Hills. This is truly a delight to visit! And i don't usually use phrases such as "A true delight!"...haha...But it REALLY is!
They have animals, 2 gorgeous ponies that are so friendly and happily nudge your hand for a fuss...which is very relaxing for us city workers who crave fresh air in a lunch hour!
They have a little coffee shop here, which also serves as the cheese counter for their well-stocked selection of Neals Yard cheeses... i, myself am not a cheese lover, but if you are... go and visit!
I am a cupcake lover of course, and they sell the BEST cupcakes i have tasted so far! (Other than my own!)
http://janescupcakes.co.uk/
On Wednesday i enjoyed a Lemon Cupcake....and as Jane says on her website...
"Lemon
Lemon sponge with lemon curd, vanilla butter cream
and pretty fondant decorations."
I have to also admit...that i DID return on Friday to enjoy a second cupcake...as i just couldn't resist and i needed the sugar rush that only a cupcake could give!
The flavour i didn't really know, i just went by colour and how beautiful it looked....pink and decorated with pink flowers, of which i had to fight for with a yummy mummy ("Oh little Beatrice really loves pink, so she would be devastated if she didn't have the same as her little friend").....Do i look like i care if little beatrice doesn't get that pink cupcake? .... Answers on a postcard ; )
Ok....I wasn't that mean...i let little Beatrice have the pink one...and the lady serving felt so sorry for me (Haha) she found me another one in the back and brought it to me to swap for my second choice...Being kind DOES pay off...who would have thought it haha.
The flavour....as Jane suggests:
"Pastel Flowers
Vanilla cupcake with raspberry jam and vanilla butter cream,
topped with sprinkles and sugar flowers." = JUST DELICIOUS!! Highly reccomended!!!
So until the next Cupcake...... A Very Belated Happy Cupcake Week!
Over and out!
x
However.
I DID manage to enjoy various Cupcake-related goodies, and the diet most certainly did go out of the window!!!
Firstly, on the Tuesday i met up with my very good girl friends for a gossip and a giggle and we enjoyed sharing various desserts, including a merringue (Bigger than an iceberg and could not be finished(!), a devine Lemon Tart, and of course a cupcake....a Carrot & Cinnamon Cupcake to be precise. This was delicious, and too small for our liking.... but at £3.50 (!?!) for one, we thought it best to not remortgage our homes for the cost of a cupcake! I think that was fair.
I have also found the delights of a local farm shop on the outskirts of Cambridge, at the Gog Magog Hills. This is truly a delight to visit! And i don't usually use phrases such as "A true delight!"...haha...But it REALLY is!
They have animals, 2 gorgeous ponies that are so friendly and happily nudge your hand for a fuss...which is very relaxing for us city workers who crave fresh air in a lunch hour!
They have a little coffee shop here, which also serves as the cheese counter for their well-stocked selection of Neals Yard cheeses... i, myself am not a cheese lover, but if you are... go and visit!
I am a cupcake lover of course, and they sell the BEST cupcakes i have tasted so far! (Other than my own!)
http://janescupcakes.co.uk/
On Wednesday i enjoyed a Lemon Cupcake....and as Jane says on her website...
"Lemon
Lemon sponge with lemon curd, vanilla butter cream
and pretty fondant decorations."
I have to also admit...that i DID return on Friday to enjoy a second cupcake...as i just couldn't resist and i needed the sugar rush that only a cupcake could give!
The flavour i didn't really know, i just went by colour and how beautiful it looked....pink and decorated with pink flowers, of which i had to fight for with a yummy mummy ("Oh little Beatrice really loves pink, so she would be devastated if she didn't have the same as her little friend").....Do i look like i care if little beatrice doesn't get that pink cupcake? .... Answers on a postcard ; )
Ok....I wasn't that mean...i let little Beatrice have the pink one...and the lady serving felt so sorry for me (Haha) she found me another one in the back and brought it to me to swap for my second choice...Being kind DOES pay off...who would have thought it haha.
The flavour....as Jane suggests:
"Pastel Flowers
Vanilla cupcake with raspberry jam and vanilla butter cream,
topped with sprinkles and sugar flowers." = JUST DELICIOUS!! Highly reccomended!!!
So until the next Cupcake...... A Very Belated Happy Cupcake Week!
Over and out!
x
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
I Craved Oreos......And look what i came up with : )
I am SO proud of myself hehe.... thanks to my colleague, who was munching on Oreo Cookies at work the other day, i got the real and very sudden urge to experiment with cupcakes.....of course!
So i did a bit of Googling...and the lovely Martha Stewart gave me this idea..... If you love Oreo Cookies...You will LOVE this Cupcake..... it is the best Oreo Cupcake i have EVER tasted....and ok.... I have only ever had one other Oreo Cupcake before whilst in Covent Garden a couple of months ago...but still....This is THE BEST Oreo Cupcake. Ever. And that is a promise ; )
Oreo's ROCK!
Oreo Cupcakes ROCK EVEN MORE!!!
...And PHEW!..... Oreo Overload over and done with....... Hehe.
Craving OVER.
I think.
Yes.... Over.
For now.
x
So i did a bit of Googling...and the lovely Martha Stewart gave me this idea..... If you love Oreo Cookies...You will LOVE this Cupcake..... it is the best Oreo Cupcake i have EVER tasted....and ok.... I have only ever had one other Oreo Cupcake before whilst in Covent Garden a couple of months ago...but still....This is THE BEST Oreo Cupcake. Ever. And that is a promise ; )
Oreo's ROCK!
Oreo Cupcakes ROCK EVEN MORE!!!
...And PHEW!..... Oreo Overload over and done with....... Hehe.
Craving OVER.
I think.
Yes.... Over.
For now.
x
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Wedding Belle
After what seemed like MONTHS of practice and preparation, my friend, Amy's marriage to Mark took place yesterday afternoon and i was even more organised with the cupcakes than i thought i could ever be.
The only thing i did forget was to buy the extra violet sweets that i needed to decorate the lemon cupcakes....and i got to the venue and suddenly realised there were 8 cakes NOT decorated....ARGGHHHHH stress haha.
It was fine, we managed to hide that fact and on the tier they looked amazing.
In fact the whole venue looked amazing....they had been given their venue (An old and nearly collapsing barn- which was donated to them for the day and looked just STUNNING lit up with fairy lights and decorated with sunflowers everywhere : )
The rain held off until later in the evening (Where we had a huge electric storm....scary stuff!) and it was a very warm day, so very lucky with it all : )
And now for a cupcake rest! haha....i don't want to see any cupcakes for at least a day or two!!!!
J : )
The only thing i did forget was to buy the extra violet sweets that i needed to decorate the lemon cupcakes....and i got to the venue and suddenly realised there were 8 cakes NOT decorated....ARGGHHHHH stress haha.
It was fine, we managed to hide that fact and on the tier they looked amazing.
In fact the whole venue looked amazing....they had been given their venue (An old and nearly collapsing barn- which was donated to them for the day and looked just STUNNING lit up with fairy lights and decorated with sunflowers everywhere : )
The rain held off until later in the evening (Where we had a huge electric storm....scary stuff!) and it was a very warm day, so very lucky with it all : )
And now for a cupcake rest! haha....i don't want to see any cupcakes for at least a day or two!!!!
J : )
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Cambridge Cupcake Club...
I feel that i should perhaps use this blog to promote my very own tribute to all things cupcake...and that would be through the medium of the Cambridge Cupcake Club.
This is a club*** that i have helped to set up with my good friend Kirstie.
We basically used this as an excuse to try loads of different cupcake recipes, but allow some of the calories to fall onto other cupcake lovers' hips! - it works....sort of!
I say sort of, as we do tend to still eat more than we should, as it has been such a popular concept, that the second meet we organised had a turnout of 14 members!
So...the concept....
We are a facebook group run by myself and Kirstie, where we basically meet up, we each bake a round of cupcakes and swap them with each other, along with the recipes.
This is purely for fun, and we welcome new members, just drop us a line if you are interested in joining us : )
We thought it would be a good excuse to get girlies (And guys) together, make new friends in Cambridge and surrounding areas, and generally just have a bit of a giggle,..And it is proving really popular, so we think it's working hehe.
And trust me when i say...it is not possible to eat 14 cupcakes in one sitting.... if that can be proven wrong, i welcome you to try(!).....so the family are always happy bunnies when i come home with my leftovers after the meet!
Our first meet was in a small, and local coffee shop on Saturday 24th April 2010 - There were 8 members there with their tasty cupcakes! And it was really exciting, considering one of our members drove all the way from Essex to join us! I think she was glad that she did! The cupcakes that were made included a delicious Cherry and Vanilla cupcake, Refreshingly (And massive!) Triple Chocolate Muffins, Coffee cupcakes made from the Primrose Bakery recipe book, and even a shockingly tasty Chocolate and Beetroot cupcake which was a winner by everybody!
Our second meet was at The Arts Picturehouse Cafe in Cambridge (Which really is a very impressive venue and we were honoured to be allowed to squat in here for a few hours...and we did leave the staff leftover cupcakes as a thank you!) on Saturday 12th June 2010- There were 14 members there with their yummy cupcakes!
And this was an even bigger success than the first : )
The cupcakes here included a really scrummy Lemon Meringue Concotion, a very professional looking Rocky Road recipe, 2 varieties of Peanut Butter, my Boozy Blackforest cupcakes and a really unique Lavender cupcake which went down very well indeed!
So now we are on the hunt for our THIRD cupcake venue.... we have a couple of ideas but we want something new and exciting, so if anybody has any ideas....... please do make them known : )
We are open to new suggestions!
We are hoping to gain even more members this time and make this one even better than the last....if that is at ALL possible!
(And for the readers who want to recreate my masterpiece, my piece de resistance, my signature cupcake... the Boozy Blackforest Cupcake, which i made for the second cupcake meet, and have made many times since (As i know how well it goes down!....)
I am listing my recipe below.... and believe me, it is goooooooood!
*** If you would like to follow us on facebook and add us as a *Friend*, then search JoKirstiesCupcakeClub : ) ***
Makes 12
For the Sponge:
115g butter, softened
115g caster sugar
175g self-raising flour
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk ( I used Skimmed)
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
Espresso Powder (3 tsp mixed with 2 tbsp of bolied water)
Cherry Brandy
Cherry Sauce or Compote ( I bought Cherry Pie Filling from Sainsbury's)
For the Icing:
225g unsalted butter, softened (Room Temp is fine)
5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
450g icing sugar, sifted
40ml (2.5 tbsp) cold water
Glaze Cherries for decoration (Optional)
Dark Chocolate for decoration (Optional)
1) Pre-heat the oven to 180*c and prepare a muffin/cupcake tin with cupcake cases.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (Use an electric hand-held mixer to make easy work of this), then add the eggs and whisk in, one at a time until combined. Add the milk, espresso mix and the cocoa powder and mix in with a spatula until fully combined with the mixture.
Sift in the flour and fold gently until blended with the wet mixture.
2) Divide the cake mixture between your 12 cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. (Mine took nearer to 15 minutes as the cocoa moistens the mixture).
Leave them to cool on a wire rack for ten minutes, and then cut out a hole into the top of each cake, as you would a butterfly cake. (You want a deep enough hole for the filling)
When completely cool, drizzle a little cherry brandy into each hole to moisten the sponge and then with a teaspoon, spoon the cherry sauce / compote into the hole and then gently place the piece of cake on top and push firmly. (It will look funny and risen, but this will be covered up later).
3) For the butter cream, beat the butter until soft with a hand mixer. Alternatively, you can use a food processor. Gradually beat in the icing sugar and water together.
Continue beating until frosting is light and fluffy. Towards the end, add the vanilla extract.
4) Using a piping bag, pipe the butter cream over the cake in a pyramid movement (Mister Whippy style!) to cover the risen sponge.
Place a cherry on top to decorate. Grate a little Dark Chocolate over the top if you want even more decadence!
5) Enjoy....possibly with a fork as it can get messy : )
Bon Appetit!
This is a club*** that i have helped to set up with my good friend Kirstie.
We basically used this as an excuse to try loads of different cupcake recipes, but allow some of the calories to fall onto other cupcake lovers' hips! - it works....sort of!
I say sort of, as we do tend to still eat more than we should, as it has been such a popular concept, that the second meet we organised had a turnout of 14 members!
So...the concept....
We are a facebook group run by myself and Kirstie, where we basically meet up, we each bake a round of cupcakes and swap them with each other, along with the recipes.
This is purely for fun, and we welcome new members, just drop us a line if you are interested in joining us : )
We thought it would be a good excuse to get girlies (And guys) together, make new friends in Cambridge and surrounding areas, and generally just have a bit of a giggle,..And it is proving really popular, so we think it's working hehe.
And trust me when i say...it is not possible to eat 14 cupcakes in one sitting.... if that can be proven wrong, i welcome you to try(!).....so the family are always happy bunnies when i come home with my leftovers after the meet!
Our first meet was in a small, and local coffee shop on Saturday 24th April 2010 - There were 8 members there with their tasty cupcakes! And it was really exciting, considering one of our members drove all the way from Essex to join us! I think she was glad that she did! The cupcakes that were made included a delicious Cherry and Vanilla cupcake, Refreshingly (And massive!) Triple Chocolate Muffins, Coffee cupcakes made from the Primrose Bakery recipe book, and even a shockingly tasty Chocolate and Beetroot cupcake which was a winner by everybody!
Our second meet was at The Arts Picturehouse Cafe in Cambridge (Which really is a very impressive venue and we were honoured to be allowed to squat in here for a few hours...and we did leave the staff leftover cupcakes as a thank you!) on Saturday 12th June 2010- There were 14 members there with their yummy cupcakes!
And this was an even bigger success than the first : )
The cupcakes here included a really scrummy Lemon Meringue Concotion, a very professional looking Rocky Road recipe, 2 varieties of Peanut Butter, my Boozy Blackforest cupcakes and a really unique Lavender cupcake which went down very well indeed!
So now we are on the hunt for our THIRD cupcake venue.... we have a couple of ideas but we want something new and exciting, so if anybody has any ideas....... please do make them known : )
We are open to new suggestions!
We are hoping to gain even more members this time and make this one even better than the last....if that is at ALL possible!
(And for the readers who want to recreate my masterpiece, my piece de resistance, my signature cupcake... the Boozy Blackforest Cupcake, which i made for the second cupcake meet, and have made many times since (As i know how well it goes down!....)
I am listing my recipe below.... and believe me, it is goooooooood!
*** If you would like to follow us on facebook and add us as a *Friend*, then search JoKirstiesCupcakeClub : ) ***
Makes 12
For the Sponge:
115g butter, softened
115g caster sugar
175g self-raising flour
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk ( I used Skimmed)
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
Espresso Powder (3 tsp mixed with 2 tbsp of bolied water)
Cherry Brandy
Cherry Sauce or Compote ( I bought Cherry Pie Filling from Sainsbury's)
For the Icing:
225g unsalted butter, softened (Room Temp is fine)
5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
450g icing sugar, sifted
40ml (2.5 tbsp) cold water
Glaze Cherries for decoration (Optional)
Dark Chocolate for decoration (Optional)
1) Pre-heat the oven to 180*c and prepare a muffin/cupcake tin with cupcake cases.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (Use an electric hand-held mixer to make easy work of this), then add the eggs and whisk in, one at a time until combined. Add the milk, espresso mix and the cocoa powder and mix in with a spatula until fully combined with the mixture.
Sift in the flour and fold gently until blended with the wet mixture.
2) Divide the cake mixture between your 12 cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. (Mine took nearer to 15 minutes as the cocoa moistens the mixture).
Leave them to cool on a wire rack for ten minutes, and then cut out a hole into the top of each cake, as you would a butterfly cake. (You want a deep enough hole for the filling)
When completely cool, drizzle a little cherry brandy into each hole to moisten the sponge and then with a teaspoon, spoon the cherry sauce / compote into the hole and then gently place the piece of cake on top and push firmly. (It will look funny and risen, but this will be covered up later).
3) For the butter cream, beat the butter until soft with a hand mixer. Alternatively, you can use a food processor. Gradually beat in the icing sugar and water together.
Continue beating until frosting is light and fluffy. Towards the end, add the vanilla extract.
4) Using a piping bag, pipe the butter cream over the cake in a pyramid movement (Mister Whippy style!) to cover the risen sponge.
Place a cherry on top to decorate. Grate a little Dark Chocolate over the top if you want even more decadence!
5) Enjoy....possibly with a fork as it can get messy : )
Bon Appetit!
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