Ghastly Ghouls

Last year I made several different cupcakes for Halloween. This one is from Lily Vanilli's A Zombie Ate My Cupcake book.  It is full of fabulously weird cupcake recipes perfect for this time of year. I loved the book so much that I bought a copy for my sister-in law and my cousin.

The meringue frosting is quite messy (that may be just me) but it is totally worth it.

Instead of using black fondant for the eyes, I used silver and gold edible balls which were really effective.

Ghastly Ghouls

(Makes 12 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

One batch of vanilla cupcakes

12 White Marshmallows

Black fondant or chocolate chips

For the meringue frosting:

4 Large Egg Whites

200g Granulated Sugar

¼ tsp cream of tartar

Pinch of Salt

Directions:

1. You will need a small saucepan and a heatproof bowl that will sit neatly on top of it (or use a double boiler, if you have one). Pour a few cups of water into the pan and bring to the boil. The water should not touch the base of the bowl.
2. Whisk the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl using an electric mixer, then place the bowl above the boiling water and continue whisking until the mixture is hot to touch and all the sugar has dissolved – about 1-2 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and, using the mixer on medium-high speed, beat until the eggs form a cool stiff meringue, about 5 minutes or until hard peaks have formed.
4. Secure a marshmallow vertically in the centre of each cake using a tiny bad of the meringue, and use a spoon to heap frosting on top of each cupcake to make a ghost shape. Smooth the edges with the back of the spoon.
5. Use black fondant or chocolate chips to create 'eyes' with suitably menacing expression.

Halloween Cupcakes

I also made the above cakes using a basic chocolate cupcake then using butter cream icing to make the mummies and the brains. A very quick and easy way to make cupcakes for Halloween parties.

Chocolate Guinness cupcakes with chocolate whiskey ganache and Baileys buttercream

As it is St Patrick's Day (17^th March 2012) I thought I would make some Guinness cupcakes. I found this recipe on the site www.offthespork.com. I've made coffee cupcakes with Baileys frosting before and they tasted delicious so I really liked the idea of combining chocolate, Guinness, whiskey and Baileys.

The Guinness makes the chocolate cake really moist and delicious. Mini me enjoyed eating the bits of the cake cut out of the middle. I found the chocolate ganache to be rather rich and I certainly couldn’t eat more than one of these cupcakes. 

Would make a great Father's Day present.

Chocolate Guinness cupcakes with chocolate whiskey ganache and Baileys buttercream

For the cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup Guinness
225g Unsalted Butter
¾ cup Cocoa Powder
2 cups Plain Flour, sifted
2 cups Caster Sugar
1 & ½ tsp Baking Powder
¾ tsp Salt
2 Large Eggs
2/3 cup Sour Cream

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners.
2. In a saucepan, heat the Guinness and unsalted butter until simmering. Turn off the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
4. In a mixer, beat together the eggs and sour cream. Add the Guinness mixture, and beat to just combine.
5. Add the flour mixture, and beat briefly on a slow speed until combined.
6. Spoon into the cupcake liners, and bake for about 17 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

For the ganache

Ingredients:

230g good quality dark chocolate, chopped in rough pieces
2/3 cup double cream
30g Butter, room temperature
2 tsp Irish whiskey (or more to taste)

Directions:

1. Either melt the chocolate and cream in a double boiler, or put the chocolate and cream in a microwavable bowl. Microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring between bursts, until melted.
2. Add the butter and whiskey, and stir until combined. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. When the cupcakes are cool, core out the middle of the cakes either using a small, sharp knife or an apple corer (making sure that you don't cut through to the bottom).
4. Spoon the ganache into the cupcake holes and fill them to the top.

For the Baileys buttercream

Ingredients:

250g Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes and at room temperature
3 cups Icing Sugar, sifted
2 tsp Baileys

Directions:

1. Beat the butter in an electric mixer on high until it is very pale and fluffy.
2. Gradually add the icing sugar, beating well between additions. Beat until the buttercream is very fluffy – about 5-6 minutes.
3. Heat the Baileys in the microwave until it’s very warm.
4. Add to the butter cream and beat on high for another couple of minutes.
5. Pipe on top of the cupcakes.

Jammie Dodger Cupcakes

Whilst trawling through the internet one night I came across a cupcake site where someone had the idea to make jammie dodger cupcakes. Sorry but I can’t remember who it belonged to but I loved the idea. I don’t recall there being a recipe as such but the concept of creating the cupcake.

I used my tried and trusted sponge mix for the basis of this cupcake then put jam in the middle of the cake topped off with a strawberry buttercream and decorated with shortcake heart. These hearts were the cut outs from the home made jammie dodgers as I didn’t want to waste them. There was also a small amount of biscuit dough left over which I baked and used from crumbling over the top of the cakes.

Jammie Dodger Cupcakes

(Makes 12 good sized cupcakes)

Ingredients:

250g Butter, softened

250g Caster Sugar

250g Self Raising Flour, sifted

4 eggs

2 tsp Vanilla Essence

Raspberry or Strawberry Jam

12 Shortcake Biscuit Hearts

Broken Shortcake Biscuits

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C / gas mark 4. Grease 2 round cake tins or if making cupcakes, place cupcake cases in a 12 hole muffin tin.
2. Put the butter and the sugar in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy and well mixed. Turn the mixer up to high speed, slowly add the egg and beat until everything is well incorporated.
3. Add the flour, baking powder and vanilla essence and continue to mix on a medium speed until
4. Divide the batter evenly between the tins (or cupcake cases). Bake in the oven for 25 minutes for sponge, 15 minutes for cupcakes. A skewer should come out clean.
5. Leave to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack.
6. When completely cool core the middle out of the cakes and insert some jam (I find the squirty bottles of smooth jam best for this)

Strawberry Butter cream

Ingredients:

110g Butter, softened

500g Icing Sugar, sifted

Strawberry Flavouring

Pink Food colouring

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, a few drops of strawberry flavouring, a few drops of food colouring and half the icing sugar until smooth – this can take several minutes with a hand mixer. Gradually add the remainder of the icing sugar and beat again until the buttercream is smooth and creamy.
2. Ice the cakes with the buttercream.
3. Blitz the shortcake biscuit in a food processor until it is fine crumbs. Sprinkle generously over the cakes then decorate with a shortcake biscuit heart.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

A friend asked me to make a cake for a Ruby Anniversary party.

To go with the ruby red / heart theme I also made red velvet cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting for the party.

I used the Hummingbird Bakery recipe as that had the best reviews online.

They were surprisingly easy to make and I managed to make them without covering myself or the kitchen in red food colouring. I topped off the cakes with red chocolate hearts.

I never got a chance to try one but mini me did and she loved it.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

(makes 12 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

60g Butter, room temperature

150g Caster Sugar

1 Egg

10g Cocoa Powder

20ml Red Food Colouring

½ tsp Vanilla Extract

120ml Buttermilk

150g Plain Flour

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1 ½ tsp White Wine Vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3.
2. Put the butter and the sugar in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy and well mixed. Turn the mixer up to high speed, slowly add the egg and beat until everything is well incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, red food colouring and vanilla extract to make a thick, dark paste. Add to the butter mixture and mix thoroughly until evenly combined and coloured (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Turn the mixer down to slow speed and slowly pour in half the buttermilk. Beat until well mixed, then add half the flour, and beat until everything is well incorporated. Repeat this process until all the buttermilk and flour have been added. Scrape down the side of the bowl again. Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until you have a smooth, even mixture. Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the salt, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Beat until well mixed, then turn up the speed again and beat for a couple more minutes.
4. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 mins, or until the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

300g Icing Sugar, sifted

50g Butter, room temperature

125g cream cheese, cold

Directions:

1.     Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 mins. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.

2.     When the cupcakes are cold, spoon over the cream cheese frosting on top.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Mini me had a beach party theme for her 5^th Birthday a few weeks ago.

Rather than a slice of Birthday cake to take away (which was a flip-flop) I made ice cream cone cupcakes for the party bags.

I used a basic chocolate sponge cooked in an ice cream cone then found a marshmallow frosting recipe to look like ice cream and topped off with a bit of flake.

I was really happy with the results and they went down a treat with the children.

The only thing to note is the cones go soggy if left overnight (even in an airtight container) so you need to bake and eat on the same day.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

(Makes approx 20 cupcakes)

Cupcake

Ingredients:

250g Butter, softened

250g Caster Sugar

200g Self Raising Flour, sifted

50g Cocoa Powder

4 Medium Eggs

Cup Cornets

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C / Gas Mark 4 and place the cup cornets in a muffin tray.
2. Put all of the ingredients into a bowl or food mixer and mix with a wooden spoon – or process on a high speed – for about 2 minutes or until smooth.
3. Scoop the batter into each cornet. If using an ice cream scoop, one scoop is adequate for each one.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool down completely.

Marshmallow Frosting

Ingredients:

250g Caster Sugar

1 tbsp water

4 Egg Whites

A Pinch of Salt

Cadburys Flake

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk slowly until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is foamy. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches at least 60C (140F) on a sugar thermometer.
2. Immediately pour the frosting into the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use an electric whisk and bowl) and beat on a medium speed until it will stand in stiff, glossy peaks – about 3 minutes.
3. Spoon into a piping bag and use immediately.
4. Decorate with a piece of Flake. 

Cosmopolitan Cupcakes

This is the first of hopefully many cake recipes on my blog. 

I recently attended a Creative Cupcake course run at Queen Anne High School in Dunfermline, Fife where this was one of the recipes.

This Cosmopolitan Cupcake is alcohol free so it suitable for children but please feel free to add spirits for adult only versions. You can use this recipe for any shop bought cocktail mix should you fancy a margarita, mojito or pina colada.

Cosmopolitan Cupcakes

(Makes 12 Cupcakes)

Cupcakes

Ingredients:

210g Plain Flour

½ tbsp Baking Powder

¼ tsp Salt

100g, Unsalted Butter, room temperature

190g Granulated Sugar

2 Large Eggs, room temperature

1 ½ Limes, zested and juiced

¼ tsp Vanilla Extract

120ml Buttermilk

20ml Cosmopolitan Mix

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C / Gas Mark 3 and line a 12-hole muffin tray with baking cases.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir with a fork to blend.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar on a medium-high speed until light and fluffy. This will take about 3-5 minutes. Blend in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Beat in the lime zest, lime juice and vanilla.
5. With the mixer on a low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending the dry ingredients. Beat each addition until just incorporated.
6. Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake cases, filling each about ¾ full. Bake 20-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Once cupcakes are cool, lightly poke holes in the top with a fork. Brush the tops lightly with the Cosmopolitan mix.

 Cosmopolitan Buttercream

Ingredients:

110g Unsalted Butter, room temperature

40ml Cosmopolitan Mix

1 Lime, zested and juiced

500g Icing Sugar, sifted

Red Food colouring

12 cocktail umbrellas

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, cosmopolitan mix, 1 tsp of lime juice, lime zest, a few drops of food colouring and half the icing sugar until smooth – this can take several minutes with a hand mixer. Gradually add the remainder of the icing sugar and beat again until the buttercream is smooth and creamy.
2. Top each cupcake with a cocktail umbrella.