NEW BLOG!!!!

Hi Everyone,

I now have a new blog set up courtesy of a very talented friend.
Hopefully it will give you some inspiration for new baking ideas as I share things that have given me inspiration as well as lots of my own baking creations.

The new site is:
http://toothfairycakes.wordpress.com

Please follow me on twitter @ToothFairy_Cake as well

Ali
x

Custard Cream Cupcakes

 As you can see there has been a bit of a biscuit theme this week. After the Cookies and Cream biscuits, I had a request at work for some Custard Cream ones so here they are.
They follow the same basic recipe as the Cookies and Cream biscuits, but they use Custard Creams instead and there is a little extra ingredient in the frosting.

Cupcake Ingredients


120g plain flour
140g caster sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
40g unsalted butter, at room temperature
120ml whole milk
1 egg
¼tsp vanilla extract
Custard Cream Biscuits (crushed)
1 quantity frosting 




Cupcake Method


Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.
Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.
Whisk the egg, vanilla extract and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix.
Add the crushed Custard Cream biscuits and slowly fold into the mix.
Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until light golden and 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


300g Icing Sugar
50g Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature)
125g cold cream cheese
1tbsp Custard Powder

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 a splash of milk if required to help it bind before adding the cream cheese.
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- for at least 5 minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.
Sift in the custard powder and beat until it has been spread evenly through the mixture.
Pipe the frosting on top of the cake and stick a Custard Cream into the top for decoration.




(Vanilla cupcake and Frosting mix courtesy of the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook)

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

 I have seen lots of Cookies and Cream American Cupcakes using Oreo cookie crumbled into the mix and into the frosting, so I decided to attempt my own version which is a little more British.
It uses a simple vanilla cake mix with added Bourbon biscuits (but you could use any you wanted) and then they are topped with a cream cheese frosting and a Bourbon biscuit (what a surprise)

Cupcake Ingredients


120g plain flour
140g caster sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
40g unsalted butter, at room temperature
120ml whole milk
1 egg
¼tsp vanilla extract
Bourbon Biscuits (crushed)
1 quantity frosting




Cupcake Method


Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.
Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.
Whisk the egg, vanilla extract and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix.
Add the crushed Bourbon biscuits and slowly fold into the mix.
Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until light golden and 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


300g Icing Sugar
50g Unsalted Butter (Room Temperature)
125g cold cream cheese


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 a splash of milk if required to help bind the mix before adding the cream cheese.
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- for at least 5 minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny
Pipe the frosting on top of the cake and stick half a Bourbon biscuit in.




(Vanilla cupcake and Frosting mix courtesy of the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook)

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

I have wanted to make these cupcakes for a while and I have finally had the time to get them done.
They are fairly easy to make but there are a few stages which means they take more time than a simpler cupcake.

Cupcake Ingredients

100g plain flour
20g cocoa powder
140g caster sugar
1½tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
40g unsalted butter, at room temperature
120ml whole milk
1 egg
 ¼tsp vanilla extract

Cupcake Method

Put the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined.
Whisk the milk, egg and vanilla extract together in a jug, then slowly pour about half into the flour mixture, beat to combine and turn the mixer up to high speed to get rid of any lumps.
Turn the mixer down to a slower speed and slowly pour in the remaining milk mixture (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix.
Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, 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.

Vanilla Frosting Ingredients

250g icing sugar, sifted
80g unsalted butter, at room temperature
25ml whole milk
a couple of drops of vanilla extract
Blue food colouring

Frosting Method

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.
Turn the mixer down to slow speed. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture a couple of tablespoons at a time. Once all the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed.
Add the blue food colouring until the desired blue is achieved.
Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

Now the cakes have cooled, add the vanilla frosting on top using a palette knife, and now its time to decorate.

Coconut Fur Ingredients

250g Dessicated Coconut (Unsweetened)
Blue Food colouring

Coconut Fur Method

Put the coconut into a bowl and slowly add blue food colouring, stirring constantly until the coconut has turned to a nice shade of blue.
You can now roll your cupcakes into the mix to give them a furry effect.

Eye Ingredients

50g white chocolate
25g milk chocolate

Eye Method

Melt the white chocolate over a pan of slightly simmering water.
Once it has melted leave it to cool until it gets slightly firmer and easier to pipe.
Put it into a piping bag and pipe small circles onto a piece of greaseproof paper.
Now melt the milk chocolate in the same way and once cooled slightly this can be piped on top of the white chocolate circles.
Now the eyes can be added into the frosting.

(NB if you want an easier option use white chocolate buttons and pipe milk chocolate circles in the middle, or just use chocolate chips/buttons as eyes)

Once the frosting, fur and eyes have been put onto the cakes you can now add the cookies.
I use mini chocolate cookies broken into pieces, but you could use larger cookies broken up if required.

(Cupcake and frosting recipe courtesy of Hummingbird Bakery)

Easter Cupcakes

I made these Easter cupcakes for my partners science class at school after they wrote a very lovely letter asking for cakes on the last day of term.
They are an easy Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla frosting that has just been coloured and piped to look like an egg.
I have then decorated the cakes with an assortment of Cadbury eggs (miniature size of course)

Cupcake Ingredients


120g plain flour
140g caster sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
40g unsalted butter, at room temperature
120ml whole milk
1 egg
¼tsp vanilla extract
1 quantity frosting 


Cupcake Method


Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.
Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.
Whisk the egg, vanilla extract and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix.
Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until light golden and 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.




Frosting Ingredients


250g icing sugar, sifted
80g unsalted butter, at room temperature
25ml whole milk
a couple of drops of vanilla extract
Yellow food colouring


Frosting Method


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.
Turn the mixer down to slow speed. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture a couple of tablespoons at a time. Once all the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed.
Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.
Put some of the frosting in a piping bag and pipe a circle on top of the cake.
Add yellow colouring to the rest of the frosting and then pipe this into the centre of the white circles to create the look of a cracked egg.
Top with any additional decoration of your choice.


(Both Cupcake and Frosting recipes are courtesy of the Hummingbird Bakery)

Banoffee Cupcakes

One of my favourite desserts of all time is Banoffee Pie. So much so that my Mum and Sister made one for me for my 16th Birthday cake!!
These cupcakes are an attempt to recreate the flavours of Banoffee Pie, in cupcake form.
It's a simple Banana cake, with a caramel filling, a banana frosting and a slice of dried banana to decorate.

Cupcake Ingredients


250g Butter
250g Caster Sugar
4 Eggs
250g Plain Flour
4 tsp Baking Powder
4 Small/Medium Bananas (mashed)

Method


Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs, flour and baking powder and mix until just combined, making sure it doesn't curdle.
Fold in the mashed banana mix until evenly distributed.
Put into cupcake cases and bake at 170 degrees C for about 20-25mins until golden brown and cooked through.
Leave to cool slightly in the tin and then cool on a wire rack.
Once cooled, use a knife to make a hole in the top of the cupcake, removing some of the cake to make room for some caramel.
Fill the holes with either a tin of caramel condensed milk, mixed with some cream or milk to thin it slightly, or you can pierce a tin of regular condensed milk and boil it for 3 hours until you have your caramel.


Frosting Ingredients


2 Bananas (mashed)
Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon
175g Butter
450g Icing Sugar

Add the lemon juice to the mashed bananas to stop them from turning brown.
Crean the butter and sugar together until thick and creamy.
Add the banana mix a bit at a time until the consistency and flavour is correct.
Top with a slice of dried banana, or maybe some fudge pieces.



NB: I made the mistake of pouring all my banana mix into the frosting and this led to it being rather a loose mix and it separating slightly. I put the frosting in the fridge until it had set enough to work with. The frosting tastes great on my cupcakes but due to it starting to split slightly, the finish isn't as professional as I was hoping for.

Toffee Apple Cupcakes

These are another design of my own.
They are an apple cake, with a toffee/caramel based frosting, topped with a caramel sugar shard.

Cake Ingredients

180g cubed apple
180g smooth apple sauce
360g self raising flour
300g light muscovado sugar
160g butter
4 eggs
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
Add the eggs, flour and bicarbonate of soda, alternating to prevent it curdling.
Fold in the chopped apple and apple sauce.
Spoon in cake cases and bake at 170 degrees C for 15-20 mins until cooked.
Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.


Frosting Ingredients

300g butter
75g soft brown sugar
4 tbsp milk
350g icing sugar

Place 75g of the butter in a pan with the sugar and heat on low until melted.
Add 3 tbsp of the milk and stir until golden brown.
Leave it to cool.
Beat the remaining butter and the icing sugar until smooth.
Add the cooled toffee sauce and combine.
Beat until it is soft and of a good consistency. If the mix seems too wet add some more icing sugar, if it is too dry add some milk.


Sugar Shards

Put 200g granulated sugar in a heavy based saucepan over a low heat (Don't stir it)
Tip the pan from side to side to help heat it evenly.
Once it starts to colour swirl it until it turns a dark gold.
Quickly put the pan into cold water to stop it from cooking anymore, then tip the liquid onto a greased baking tray, or silicone sheet.
If the mix has hardened too much then put it back on the heat until it is soft enough to pour.
Leave to cool and break into pieces.