Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Aeroplane Jelly Super Cupcakes

Ingredients

Method

  1. Preheat oven on to 200°C. Put the flour, your chosen flavour of Aeroplane Original Jelly Crystals and castor sugar in the mixing bowl, mix and make a well in the centre. Break each egg into this well and add the milk and butter. Gently fold together until smooth.
  2. Spoon into 12 cup cake cases and bake for 12 - 14 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
  3. Take the cases out of the pan and let them cool. Serve plain, or ice if desired.

Hints

Try serving with plain white icing with extra jelly crystals sprinkled on top.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Orange and Almond Cake

Ingredients
4 oranges
1 tsp softened butter, for greasing
7 eggs
420 gm castor sugar
375 gm blanched almonds or 375 gm almond meal
1 heaped tsp of baking powder
Icing sugar and double cream, to serve


Instructions
Combine 3 of the oranges in a large saucepan with enough cold water to cover generously, bring to the boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium and simmer, shaking the pan occasionally, until very tender (2 hours). Drain, then set aside for the oranges to cool

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 160°C and prepare 24cm-diameter spring-form cake tin by greasing with the butter and lining the bottom with a round of baking paper. Trim the ends the remaining oranges (discard), then very thinly slice and remove any seeds. Arrange the orange slices in the base of the prepared cake tin in concentric circles, overlapping the slices slightly as you so, set aside. 

If using whole almonds, blitz them in a food processor to form a fine almond meal and set aside.

Halve the cooked oranges, remove any seeds, then coarsely chop the oranges and process in a food processor to a smooth puree.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl to just combine, then stand until sugar dissolves (4-5 minutes). Fold in the orange puree, then the almond meal and baking powder and pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Bake until golden and the centre of the cake is firm when pressed gently with your fingertip (50-60 minutes), cool in the cake tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack. Burnish the orange slices on the cake with a kitchen gas torch (optional), dust with icing sugar and serve with dollops of double cream.

Monday, May 23, 2016

Passion fruit and vanilla cheesecake

Ingredients
Vanilla cheesecake base
150ml of double cream
75g of icing sugar
1 large orange, zested
600g of mascarpone
1 vanilla pod
1 lemon, zested
3 1/2 bronze gelatine leaves
250g of cream cheese
10 digestive biscuits
50g of butter

Passion fruit cheesecake jelly topping
200g of passion fruit purée
50ml of water
50g of sugar
3 bronze gelatine leaves

Instructions
1           
To make this vanilla cheesecake recipe start by creaming the mascarpone and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. In a heavy based saucepan bring the double cream, sugar, lemon and orange zests and vanilla to the boil. Remove from the heat, strain into a clean pan and allow to cool slightly
  • 600g of mascarpone
  • 250g of cream cheese
  • 150ml of double cream
  • 50g of sugar
  • 1 large orange
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 vanilla pod
2
Add the gelatine to the pan with the cream and stir well while heating through. When the gelatine has melted, remove from the heat and save for later
  • 3 1/2 bronze gelatine leaves
3
Crush the biscuits in a food processor or put them in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin. Stir the butter into the food processor bowl and then press the mixture into a mould - preferably with a removable base
  • 10 digestive biscuits
  • 50g of butter
4
Fold the cream mix into the mascarpone mix and combine thoroughly. Pour onto the biscuit base in the mould. Leave approximately 5mm from the top and allow to set
5
Soak the gelatine in cold water for about 5 minutes, until soft and pliable. Heat the purée, sugar and water in a pan. Add the drained gelatine and let it melt into the mix. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to settle to room temperature
  • 200g of passion fruit purée
  • 50g of sugar
  • 50ml of water
  • 3 bronze gelatine leaves
6
Once cool but not set, pour the passion fruit jelly over the set cheesecake to fill the remaining 5mm. Allow to set in the fridge for a couple of hours
    7
    Once set, remove the vanilla cheesecake from the mould and serve

    Chocolate and salted caramel cupcakes


    Cupcakes
    50g of dark chocolate
    100ml of whole milk
    115g of dark muscovado sugar
    40g of unsalted butter, soft
    1 large egg, beaten
    1 tsp vanilla essence
    110g of plain flour
    1 tbsp of cocoa powder
    1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
    1 pinch of salt

    Salted caramel
    200g of light muscovado sugar
    1 tsp vanilla essence
    80g of butter
    100ml of double cream
    1 tsp salt

    Buttercream
    125g of unsalted butter, soft
    250g of icing sugar
    popping candy, chocolate-covered, to decorate (optional)

    Instructions
               
    Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tray with cupcake cases
                               
    To make the cakes, put the chocolate, milk and one-third of the sugar in a saucepan and stir over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved and the chocolate has melted. Leave to cool
                               
    Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy and gradually whisk in the beaten egg and vanilla essence until fully combined. Tip over the cooled chocolate milk and sift over the dry ingredients. Whisk it all together until combined and divide the mixture between the cake cases. Bake for 20 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean
                               
    In the meantime, make the salted caramel. Simply put all the ingredients in a saucepan over a gentle heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Increase the heat and let the mixture come to a rolling boil. Reduce the temperature again and leave to simmer for a minute. Taste for saltiness (careful, it’s hot!) and add more if you like. Leave to cool
                               
    Once the cakes are out of the oven, stab them all over with a skewer and spread a spoonful of salted caramel on top. Leave the cakes to cool completely in their tin on top of a wire rack before turning out
                               
    To make the buttercream, put the butter in a large bowl and sift over half of the icing sugar. Whisk together to combine and sift over the remaining half of the icing sugar. Whisk again until fully combined before adding half of the cold salted caramel. Whisk until pale and fluffy and taste, adding more salted caramel if you want
                               
    Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe a swirl of buttercream on top of each cake. Flick over some more salted caramel and scatter over some chocolate coated popping candy

    Gluten-free Amaretto Sour cupcakes

    Ingredients


    Cupcake batter
    100g of unsalted butter, softened
    100g of caster sugar
    2 large eggs
    50g of ground almonds
    50g of rice flour
    1 tsp baking powder
    2 lemons, zest only
    60g of sour cherries, 1 packet
    2 tbsp of Amaretto
    Amaretto icing
    75g of unsalted butter
    25g of cream cheese
    150g of icing sugar
    Amaretto, a generous splash
    To garnish
    glacé cherries, optional

    Instructions
               
    Begin by soaking the sour cherries. Add the sour cherries and Amaretto to a small bowl and soak for 20 minutes. Squeeze out the excess Amaretto from the cherries and reserve for later
                               
    Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and line a 12 hole muffin tray with cupcake cases
                               
    Place the butter, sugar, eggs, almonds, rice flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl and whisk with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy
                               
    Whisk in the reserved amaretto cherry liquid to slightly slacken the mixture, before folding in the cherries and lemon zest
                               
    Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, two thirds full, and bake for 20 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack
                               
    To make the icing, simply beat the butter and cream cheese together until soft and sift over half of the icing sugar. Whisk together until fully combined, before sifting over the remaining icing sugar
                               
    Whisk in the amaretto, then give it a taste, adding more booze if necessary. Use a palette knife to smooth the icing over the tops of each cake before topping each one with a cherry

    Mini rose cupcakes

    Ingredients


    Cupcakes
    2 large eggs
    3 tsp rose water, or 4 for a stronger taste
    115g of caster sugar
    115g of unsalted butter, soft
    115g of self-raising flour

    For the icing
    250g of icing sugar, sifted
    80g of unsalted butter, soft
    1 tbsp of milk, at room temperature
    1 tbsp of rose water, at room temperature
    pink food colouring
    hundreds and thousands

    Instructions       
    Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and line the mini muffin tin with cases. Set aside
         
    Lightly beat the eggs and rose water together in a large mixing bowl and then add the sugar
                               
    Whisk the mixture together using the handheld whisk or a free-standing mixer until it is light and fluffy. Add the soft butter a dollop at a time while beating continuously
                               
    Once the butter is all incorporated, sift in the flour and fold it in carefully until you have a smooth batter
                               
    Divide the mixture between the 24 cases and bake for about 10-15 minutes until the cakes are golden brown. Take them out of the oven and leave to cool completely
                               
    While the cakes are baking, place all of the icing ingredients into a large bowl and beat together until light and fluffy
                               
    Pipe or dollop the icing over the cakes and decorate with hundreds and thousands



    Wednesday, May 18, 2016

    Rosewater pistachio cupcakes with mascarpone cream frosting


    Ingredients
    Rosewater pistachio cupcakes
    50g of pistachio nuts
    60g of ground almonds
    25g of plain flour
    1/2 tsp. baking powder
    100g of butter, at room temperature
    100g of caster sugar
    2 small eggs
    2 tbsp of milk
    2 tsp rose water
    1/2 tsp. vanilla extract


    Mascarpone cream frosting
    100ml of double cream, cold
    250g of mascarpone, at room temperature
    2 tbsp of icing sugar
    1 dash of vanilla extract
    red food colouring, optional 

     

    Instructions           
    Preheat the oven to 175°C/gas mark 4. Line an 8-hole cupcake pan with paper liners
                                
    First, make the cupcakes. Grind together the pistachio nuts, almonds and plain flour in a spice grinder or mill. Make sure you don’t over grind it, or the mixture will go from powdery to lumpy
                               
    Add the baking powder to the ground nut mix and keep aside
                               
    Beat together the butter and caster sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. You can do this using a hand mixer, or the paddle attachment of a free standing mixer
                               
    Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, followed by the milk. Add the rose water and vanilla and mix well to combine
                               
    Finally, fold in the ground nut and flour mix until smooth and incorporated. Pour into the cupcake cases (until about 3/4 full) and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cupcakes comes out clean
                               
    Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely on a cooling rack while you prepare the frosting
                               
    Whisk the double cream in a large mixing bowl using the whisk attachment or a hand whisk, until stiff peaks form. Do not over-mix, or the cream will split
                               
    In a separate bowl, mix the mascarpone cheese and icing sugar slowly until well combined
                               
    Add this into the whipped cream, followed by the vanilla and a couple of drops of food colouring - be very sparing with the colouring, adding a drop at a time until you reach the correct shade. Continue whisking on a low speed until well-combined
                               
    Transfer into a piping bag and once the cupcakes are completely cool, pipe the frosting on top. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use

    Equipment
    1M or 2D star tip : piping bag : buttercream : cupcakes : decorations
     

     

     
    This website has a good thorough explanation on how to pipe a rose http://bellacupcakes.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/rose-swirl.html

    Monday, May 16, 2016

    Orange coconut sago with lychees and passionfruit

    Ingredients
    1 cup (200g) tapioca pearls
    400g can coconut milk
    1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
    1 cup (250ml) water
    1/2 cup (80g) finely chopped palm sugar
    565g can lychees in syrup, drained
    4 large passionfruit, halved


    Instructions
    Place the tapioca in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside for 2 hours to soak. Strain through a fine sieve. Cook in a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes or until opaque. Drain well.
    Meanwhile, combine the coconut milk, orange rind and 1/2 cup of sugar in a large saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves and mixture is heated through. Add the tapioca and gently stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
    Combine lychees, passionfruit and remaining sugar in a bowl.
    Spoon sago into serving bowls. Top with lychee mixture. Serve.



    Ultimate sticky toffee pudding

    Ingredients
    175g boiling water
    1 tsp. vanilla extract
    175g self raising flour, plus extra for greasing
    1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
    2 egg
    85g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
    140g Demerara sugar
    2 tbsp. black treacle/molasses
    100ml milk
    cream or custard to serve optional


    Instructions
    Stone and chop the dates quite small, put them in a bowl, then pour the boiling water over. Leave for about 30 mins until cool and well-soaked, then mash a bit with a fork. Stir in the vanilla extract. Butter and flour seven mini pudding tins (each about 200ml/7fl oz) and sit them on a baking sheet. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
    While the dates are soaking, make the puddings. Mix the flour and bicarbonate of soda together and beat the eggs in a separate bowl. Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl for a few mins until slightly creamy (the mixture will be grainy from the sugar). Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well between additions. Beat in the black treacle then, using a large metal spoon, gently fold in one-third of the flour, then half the milk, being careful not to overbeat. Repeat until all the flour and milk is used. Stir the soaked dates into the pudding batter. The mix may look a little curdled at this point and will be like a soft, thick batter. Spoon it evenly between the tins and bake for 20-25 mins, until risen and firm
    Remove the puddings from the oven. Leave in the tins for a few mins, then loosen them well from the sides of the tins with a small palette knife before turning them out. You can serve them now with the sauce drizzled over, but they’ll be even stickier if left for a day or two coated in the sauce. To do this, pour about half the sauce into one or two ovenproof serving dishes. Sit the upturned puddings on the sauce, then pour the rest of the sauce over them. Cover with a loose tent of foil so that the sauce doesn’t smudge (no need to chill).


    Toffee sauce
    175g light muscovado sugar
    50g butter, cut into pieces
    225ml double cream
    1 tbsp. black treacle/molasses


    Instructions
    Put the sugar and butter for the sauce in a medium saucepan with half the cream. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Stir in the black treacle, turn up the heat slightly and let the mixture bubble away for 2-3 mins until it is a rich toffee colour, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn. Take the pan off the heat and beat in the rest of the cream.


    When ready to serve, heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Warm the puddings through, still covered, for 15-20 mins or until the sauce is bubbling. Serve them on their own, or with cream or custard.

    Sunday, May 15, 2016

    Buttercream Recipes for pipping and icing

    Crusting No-Melt Vanilla Buttercream
    Ingredients
    • 2 sticks (226 grams) room temperature unsalted butter
    • 12 oz. (340 grams) unflavored vegetable shortening
    • 1/2 tsp. salt
    • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
    • 2 tbsp. milk or cream
    • 2 lbs. (32oz., 907 grams) powdered confectioner's sugar
    Cooking Directions
    1. Beat together butter and shortening until pale and glossy.
    2. Add salt and vanilla and mix in.
    3. Add in powdered sugar a little at a time on low speed, beating on a higher speed between each addition to fully incorporate.
    4. Add milk and mix on low, then beat on high until frosting is pale and fluffy.
    5. Store covered in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature again before using.


    Perfect Piping
    Perfect Piping Buttercream is the absolute best recipe for frosting cakes and cookies with a great consistency just right for piping your beautiful designs. This luscious buttercream frosting is light and airy with added flavor from vanilla and almond extract.
    Serves: 5-6 cups
    Ingredients
    • 1 c. shortening (butter flavored)
    • 1 c. butter
    • 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
    • ½ tsp. almond extract
    • 7½ c. powdered sugar
    • ⅓ c. heavy whipping cream
    • gel or paste icing dyes
    Instructions
    1. In a large bowl, beat the shortening and butter until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla, almond extract and cream and mix until smooth.
    2. Add the powdered sugar 1-2 cups at a time, mixing well between each addition. Beat the frosting for an additional 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
    3. Using a toothpick, add the tiniest amount of dye at a time to the bowl of frosting to control your color. These dyes will color the frosting quickly, so there is no need to add too much.

    Wednesday, May 11, 2016

    lemon yoghurt cake recipes for fondant decoration

    lemon yoghurt cake


    Ingredients
    • ¾ cup (180ml) vegetable oil
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
    • ¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice
    • 1 cup (280g) plain Greek-style (thick) yoghurt, or goat's milk yoghurt
    • 1¾ cups (385g) caster (superfine) sugar
    • 2 cups (300g) self raising (self-rising) flour
    • 2 tablespoons thyme leaves
    lemon icing
    • 1 cup (160g) icing (confectioner’s) sugar, sifted
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • ½ tablespoon boiling water
    Preparation      
    Preheat oven to 160ºC (325ºF). Place the oil, eggs, lemon rind, lemon juice, yoghurt and sugar in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Sift over the flour and stir until smooth. Pour into a well greased 24cm non-stick Bundt tin and bake for 50–55 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Allow the cake to stand in the tin for 5 minutes. To make the lemon icing, mix to combine the sugar, lemon juice and boiling water. Carefully turn the cake out onto a cake stand and spoon over the icing while the cake is still hot. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and allow to set for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 10–12.

    French Yogurt Cake


    Ingredients
    • nonstick vegetable oil spray
    • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
    • 3/4 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
    • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    Preparation
    Preheat oven to 350°F(176'c). Coat a standard (8 1/2x4 1/4") loaf pan with non-stick vegetable oil spray. Dust with flour; tap out excess. Whisk 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium bowl. Using your fingers, rub 1 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest in a large bowl until sugar is moist. Add 3/4 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; whisk to blend. Fold in dry ingredients just to blend. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until top of cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert onto rack; let cool completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.