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.

Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes with Lemon Curd and Mascarpone Frosting

These are the first cupcakes I have planned myself and I think that they worked well.
I used a basic lemon drizzle cake mix, but in cupcake form. I then made a homemade lemon curd which was mixed into some mascarpone frosting. This was then topped with some homemade candied lemon peel.

Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes Ingredients

200g butter
200g self raising flour
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
Zest of 1 Lemon
1/2 tsp baking powder

Syrup Ingredients
 
120ml lemon juice
150g caster sugar
6 tbsp water

Method

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy.
Then add the eggs, flour, zest and baking powder and combine.
Split between cake cases and bake at 170 degrees C for 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack.
While the cakes are cooling put all the syrup ingredients in a pan over a low heat until it becomes syrupy.
Make skewer holes in the cupcakes and pour over the syrup.




Lemon Curd Ingredients

2 large eggs
175g caster sugar
112g butter
2 large lemons (zest and juice)

Method

Lightly whisk the eggs in a medium saucepan
Add the sugar, butter, zest and juice.
Put on a low heat and whisk until it thickens.
Simmer (whilst still whisking) for a minute or so.
Remove from the heat and put into sterilized jam jars (topping with a waxed disc)




Mascarpone Frosting Ingredients (will make a double batch)

225g mascarpone
113g Icing sugar
240ml double cream

Method

Whip the mascarpone, double cream and icing sugar until thick.
Fold in as much cooled lemon curd as required.
Leave to firm in the fridge.




Candied Lemon Peel Ingredients

1 lemon
100g caster sugar
100ml cold water

Method

Peel the lemon as close to the pith as possible.
Cut into long juilenne strips.
Put into a pan with the sugar and cold water.
Gently bring to the boil stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Leave to simmer for 30 minutes and then cool (I picked out the peel with a fork and cooled on a silicone baking sheet)




Now you can frost the cupcakes and add your decoration (beware as the cupcakes will be very sticky from when you added the syrup)