It has been a lovely day for a party. We have had the very great pleasure to attend the birthday party of one of Little Miss 4's swimming buddies. As per my previous post, I made a couple of batches of gluten free cup cakes for the party. These are the chocolate mud cupcakes. Without wanting to gloat, they are actually fabulous. The gluten free flour made the texture of the cake even more soft, moist and gooey. The party had a fairy, mermaid and pirate theme, so I coloured and cut out some Pettinice white icing into 'gold debloons', fish and fairy stars.
The children were completely transfixed by Buttercup the Enchanted Fairy.
These cupcakes are so easy to make. There is no beating required, just mix 'em up and bake.
Gluten Free Chocolate Mud Cupcakes
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs - beaten
2 cups caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups bakels gluten free flour
Preheat the oven to 170deg C and assemble 30 cupcake cases. I used the solid sided ones as they are smaller and more sturdy.
Sift the flour and cocoa together and set aside.
Blend the liquid ingredients together using a whisk, then blend in the baking soda.
Using the whisk, blend the GF flour and cocoa into the liquids until no lumps remain.
Using a jug, pour the mixture into cupcake cases. Taking care not to fill them any more than half way.
Bake for approximately 18 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
The cupcakes will look a little peaked, but will level out once they start to cool.
Once cold, frost with Chocolate butter cream rosettes.
Chocolate Butter Cream
125g butter
1 1/4 cups icing sugar
250g Whittakers 72% Dark Ghana Chocolate
Cream the butter and sugar until very pale and fluffy.
Melt the chocolate and add it to the creamed mixture. Beat for a few minutes to thoroughly combine.
Using a piping bag and star nozzle, pipe rosettes onto each cup cake.
Little Miss 4 had a great time playing with all the other children at the party. She was completely taken with Buttercup the fairy. She really loved the face paint, but with a school visit tomorrow it had to be washed off!
After the bustle of last week's party preparations and celebrations, we have had a rather laid back weekend: swimming, a bit of grocery and a walk around the market. Little Miss 4 is enjoying playing with all the lovely and very generous birthday gifts her buddies gave her.
I have had a couple of requests for party food recipes, and as with all recipes I'm more than happy to share them. A successful recipe shared is a priceless gift to the world.
I haven't recorded them tutorial style as time pressures last weekend meant that I didn't photograph any of the baking process. If you're not sure of any of the processes, just ask and I will be more than happy to oblige you with an answer.
Passion fruit Cupcakes
This is one of my own adaptations on a lemon cupcake recipe.
125g butter - softened
2/3 cup caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons sweetened passion fruit pulp - with the seeds sieved out
Preheat the oven to 180 deg. C. Ensure your eggs and milk are at room temperature.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and passion fruit pulp, followed by the eggs (Add the eggs to the butter mix in two parts to avoid the mixture curdling.) Beat until smooth.
Sift the flour and baking powder together. Fold into the butter egg mix alternately with the milk.
To save time, I piped the mixture into the cup cake cases, but spooning it in is just as good.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the cup cake. A tooth pick inserted into the centre should come out clean.
Passion fruit Frosting
2 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup sweetened passion fruit pulp
250g butter - softened
Place the water and sugar into a small saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Once dissolves do not stir, just leave to boil until the sugar reaches 120 deg. C
While the sugar is boiling beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Once the sugar reaches 120 deg. C. pour it, in a thin stream, over the beaten whites until a shiny meringue forms. Beat until the mixture cools enough for the boil to be warm but not hot. Now put the softened butter in a few tablespoons at a time. Beat until the whole mixture is soft and white. Now add the passion fruit pulp, with its seeds, and beat briefly until combined.
I used a star nozzle to pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.
Toffee Coated Cream Puffs
These are inspired by Croquenbouche choux buns, except that I have filled them with cream instead of pastry cream. I got the Pate a Choux recipe from book The Roux Brothers on Patisserie by French cooking and baking legends Michel and Albert Roux.
125ml water
125ml milk
100g butter - cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
150g flour
4 eggs - 240g weight
Preheat the oven to 220 deg. C.
Cooking the paste: Put the water, milk, diced butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan, set over a high heat and boil for 1 minute, stirring with a spatula. Take the pan from the heat and, stirring all the time, quickly add the sifted flour. Stir until smooth.
Now 'dry out' the mixture by replacing it on the heat and stirring with a spatula for 1 minute. The mixture will begin to poach and some of the water will evaporate. Tip the paste into a bowl - I used the beater bowl - and allow to cool a little.
Adding the eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time using the electric beater until the mixture is smooth.
Piping the paste: Choose a round nozzle and pipe out small choux buns onto non-stick sprayed baking paper.
Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 180 deg. C and leave the buns to dry out for another 10 minutes. The puffs should be quite crisp and dry.
Toffee Coating
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon liquid glucose
250ml of cream and 2 tablespoons of icing sugar for filling
Put all the ingredients into a medium sized pan and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Once dissolved stop stirring and leave to boil until it reaches 160 deg. C. It should be a very clear amber colour.
Dip the top of the choux buns into the toffee one at a time and place onto baking paper. Be very careful not to burn your finger tips on the hot sugar. If the toffee cools and becomes too thick, carefully return to the heat and move the pan around until it becomes liquid again. Be careful not to allow it to colour any further.
Once the toffee is cold, cut the bottom from each puff and fill with whipped cream. Replace the bottoms and pile onto a plate to serve. The cream should start to soften the buns.
The sticky lemon slice in the first photo is a real favourite and already on the blog.
Enjoy your baking!
Nothing says 'I appreciate you' or 'thanks so much for what you have done for me' more than putting on a good old fashioned morning tea.
After a recent electical fire related misadventure in my teaching room at school, we were relocated into a neighbouring classroom; thus displacing some of my colleagues. Now the repairs are done and we are back to normal in our new beautiful Textile Room, it was time to say a really big and heart felt thank you to everyone who gave up their teaching space and generally helped me in my hour, or rather month, of need.
One furious Sunday spent in the kitchen resulted in delicious Chocolate cake with butter cream icing, Mini Citrus Cheesecakes, Carrot Cranberry Cup Cakes with cream cheese icing, gluten free Rice Bubble Cake, Sticky Lemon Slice and Home Smoked Salmon with creamy caper dip.
Everyone was overjoyed with the morning tea. It added a celebratory atmosphere to Teacher Only Day and helped to lighten a long day of professional development.
Here is one of my tried and true recipes. These are an old favourite that always go down well. They can be cooked as a cake - just bake at 160 Deg. C for approx 30-40 minutes.
Carrot and Cranberry Cup Cakes
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup oil (flavourless oil like canola or grapeseed)
Beat the sugar and eggs together, then beat in the oil
Add 1 1/2 cups of grated carrot and 3/4 cup dried cranberries
Sift together 1 heaped cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fold all the ingredients together and place into individual cup cake cases
Bake for 10 minutes at 170 degrees C until a cake tester comes out clean.
When cold ice with the following:
250g cream cheese
80g butter
1 1/4 cups icing sugar
Rind of 1 lemon
Beat the ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Use a star nozzle to pipe onto the top of the cooled cup cakes.
There is nothing that quite matches a good old fashioned show of gratitude. Happy Cooking!
