Toffee Tumble Cupcakes

Toffee Tumble Cupcakes
Originally uploaded by cupcaketastic.

Vanilla Cupcake with French Vanilla Custard, Choux Pastry Balls and hard crack Toffee.

This recipe has been requested by another lovely Flickr member JoL check out her creations, I especially love her Gingerbread.

Recipe is from the Australian Women's Weekly 'cupcakes' book. I did change it to just a vanilla cupcake from an almond cupcake as my oldest is allergic to almonds.

Ever since I got this book I have been wanting to give this recipe a try. Each part ie, cupcake, toffee, custard and choux pastry is relatively simple, but overall takes at least a couple of hours from start to finish.

Overall a visually impressive cupcake, a bit hard to eat due to its height but definitely fun. Next time I'm going to fill each choux pastry ball with a dark ganache, to give it more depth. The custard is yummy but there is a little too much corn flour for my tastes.

We did have some left over for the next day, the toffee melted and was obsorbed by the cake, and the puffs were not crunchy anymore, but still yum. This is definitely a make and eat on the same day cupcake. Good Luck.

Toffee Tumbles

Almond Buttercake

150g butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon almond essence
2/3 cup (150g) caster sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup (50g) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (75g) plain flour
1/2 cup (60g) almond meal

Choux Pastry

60g butter
3/4 cup (180ml) water
3/4 cup (105g) plain flour
3 eggs, beaten lightly

Vanilla Custard

1 1/4 cups (310mls) milk
1 vanilla bean, split
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
1/4 cup (40g) cornflour

Toffee

1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) water

1. Make choux pastry; make vanilla custard.


2. Preheat oven to moderate (180oC/160oC fan forced). Line 12-hole standard pan with paper cases.


3. Beat butter, essence, sugar and eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.


4. Stir in sifted flours and almond meal, in two batches. Divide mixture among cases; smooth surface.


5. Bake cakes about 20 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.


6. Cut a 2cm deep hole in the centre of each cake, fill with custard; replace lid.


7. Spread tops of cakes with a little more custard. Top with a layer of puffs. Stack remaining puffs on cakes dipping each in a little custard.


8. Make toffee; drizzle over puffs.

Choux Pastry

Preheat oven to hot (220oC/200oC fan forced). Grease oven trays, line with baking paper. Combine butter with the water in medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Add flour, beat until mixture forms a smooth ball. Transfer mixture to small bowl, beat in egg with electric mixer in about six batches until mixture becomes glossy. Spoon mixture into piping bag fitted with 1 cm plain tube. Pipe about 300 tiny dollops of pastry (about 1/4 level teaspoon), onto trays; bake 7 minutes. Reduce oven to moderate (180oC/160oC fan forced), bake for a further 5 minutes or until puffs are crisp. Repeat with remaining mixture.

Vanilla Custard

Bring milk and vanilla bean to a boil in small saucepan; discard vanilla bean. Meanwhile, beat egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in small bowl with electric mixer until thick. With motor operating gradually beat in warm milk. Return custard to small pan; stir over heat until, mixture boils and thickens. Cover surface of custard with plastic wrap; cool.

Toffee

Combine sugar with the water in small heavy-based saucepan. Stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, without stirring, until mixture is golden brown. Remove from heat; stand until bubbles subside before using.