TMNT Cake

TMNT Cake
Originally uploaded by cupcaketastic.

I can't believe TMNT's are still around and still adored by kids. Especially this 7 year old, he knew exactly what he wanted, right down to the green slime inside. What fun!

Chocolate Buttercake, filled with Oreo Biscuit Filling and Green Slime. Styled with Basic Green & Yellow Buttercream and White Chocolate Fondant sewer lid & TMNT. Child's own Turtle figures.

Pinwheel Cake

Pinwheel Cake
Originally uploaded by cupcaketastic.

Not all my baking works out. This cake looks elegant and simply delicious, and the first mouthful was full of promise. But oh the disappointment.

Basically its a light chocolate cake, very dense and packed with sugar, and melted chocolate swirled through the raw batter. Looked & smelt lovely in the oven, but alas it sunk when it was brought out.

The filling is a chocolate butter cream, your basic butter, icing sugar, vanilla and melted chocolate, but too sweet not chocolaty enough.

I felt that there was no depth of flavour, being too sweet and sickly, and I could really taste the butter. I love the styling that I did, very simple and classic, but its all show and no substance.

Maple Syrup Cupcakes

Do I realise that it is almost Winter? Well I do now, it is only a couple of weeks away and my favourite season - Autumn has just about passed me by. I need a cupcake warm, tasty not too sweet, and I wan to try a new recipe so I tried the Maple Syrup Cupcake. Delicious cupcakes based on the most scrumptious 'Camp' Maple Syrup. These cupcakes despite the 2 cups of maple syrup in the recipe are not overly sweet and are perfect with a cup of coffee or a strong tea.

Quite a dense cupcake, topped with cooked maple marshmallow frosting, sprinkled with brown sugar. The original recipe 'Maple Walnut Delights' in Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman. To which the only change I made is the removal of the walnuts, not my favourite.

Maple (Walnut) Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup/1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp

1/2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350oC.


2. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.


3. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Alternatively add dry ingredients and syrup and milk, blending well after each addition. (Fold in walnuts).


4. Spoon batter into cupcake papers, filling cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a tested into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool.

Maple Meringue Icing

2 egg whites

Pinch of salt

1 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (for decoration)

or

some extra brown sugar for sprinkling

1. To make icing: beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until peaks start to form. Set aside.


2. Boil maple syrup until if forms a soft ball when dropped into a glass of water (about 234oF on a candy thermometer). The time will depend on the maple syrup you are using but should be about 5 - 10 minutes. Remove from heat immediately. Slowly pour the hot syrup into the egg whites, beating constantly. The hot syrup actually cooks the egg whites. Add vanilla and continue beating until mixture is stiff and stands in soft peaks.


3. Ice the cooled cupcakes, forming peaks with the back of a spoon or a fork (I piped mine in swirls). Sprinkle with crushed walnuts or brown sugar before the icing hardens. It will harden on the outside and remain soft and creamy inside.

Note:

• Make sure your oven temp is correct otherwise the cupcakes can dry out.


• The recipe says you'll make about 18 cupcakes but I got 24.

Mother's Day Morning Tea Cupcakes

A belated Happy Mothers Day please feel free to sit back, enjoy a cuppa and a Classic Dark Chocolate Cupcake, frosted with Classic Chocolate Buttercream, styled with a pink fondant star and edible glitter. Or for those of you who are trying to cut back a Classic Dark Chocolate Cupcake, styled with a fondant daisy and pink dangrees.

Happy Mothers Day

"This is yours mum, but where's mine, I'm hungry

and why are you taking a photo - again"

The NO FLOUR Cupcake

The NO FLOUR Cupcake
Originally uploaded by cupcaketastic.

Question - What do you make when you want to make some cupcakes but have no flour?
Answer - Cheese Cake Cupcakes

These were suprisingly easy to make and came out really well. The only difference is that I used homemade Apricot Jam which upon reflection was made with a minimal sugar and therefore the topping/glaze did not set as firmly as hoped. But it is such a good Apricot Jam.

I took these to our C4 get together - (Craft, Coffee, Chat, Club - oh how cute) the last C could also stand for Cupcake or Cookie depending on how much I feel like baking. Its luckly that I got these ones out of the house quickly as cheese cake is so fattening, yum.

As for the recipe it is another one from the Australian Women's Weekly 'cupcakes' book. The basics are as follows:

Base - crushed biscuits with melted butter, set in the fridge.

Filling - mixture of creamed cheese, caster sugar, eggs and vanilla.

Baked for 25 minutes in a Slow oven.

Topping - homemade apricot jam with a little rum, coolled slightly and poured onto coolled cakes.

I think that many of you out there have your favourite baked cheesecake recipe, and I think its the baking time is all that will need to be adjusted. You could add your favourite citrus zest to the filling to give it more depth, top them with berries and glaze. Then there is always the non-fruit type cheesecakes, coffee, peanut butter, chocolate, & mint etc. Its just the convenience and portion control of the cupcake that makes them ideal.

What's your favourite cheesecake?

Mother's day is fast approaching, and it'll be cupcake mania here, I just have to decide which ones I am going to make.

Where have I been?

Sorry about the lack of cupcakes and cakes, since Easter I have been in SA on a holiday with the kids and family. Just wonderful to get away from the oven and dishes. It was all about beach, sun, riding bikes, fishing, family, wine tasting, breakfast and dinner on the beach and just taking it easy. Mind you I did bake a celebration cake whilst we were away (see previous post), I seriously can't help myself. And I am suffering from drastic cupcake withdrawal, so I have just baked a batch of cheese-cake cupcakes will post the results soon.

We had some wonderful meals, Fab REAL Aussie Hamburgers, Fish and Chips to die for (the fish was lightly crumbed & battered in a mixture of breadcrumbs, poppy seeds and green onions - omg), some fabulous dim sims and all from a doggy fish and chip shop, not what you normally expect. The kids drank litres of chocolate milk and I have been weaning them off it since we came back, also in SA Frtiz (type of processed cold meat) is all the go and they lived on Fritz and tomato sauce sandwiches for alot of the time, that combined with vegemite & toast, yoyo biscuits, bananas, apples and raw carrots made up the bulk of their diet.

All up it made for a wonderful time, and a light tan before Autumn and Winter really starts. Now back to the kitchen.

Bling Cake - 60th Wedding Aniversary Cake

Bling Cake - 60th Wedding Aniversary Cake
Originally uploaded by cupcaketastic.

My Nanna and Poppa celebrated their 60th Wedding Aniversary with a devine lunch and a Bling Cake. Classic American Carrot Cake frosted with delicious Vanilla Creamed Cheese and styled with 'fake' diamonds and white glitter, the perfect end to a fabulous lunch and a wonderful function.

The photo does not do it justice, its really hard to get good pictures of light cakes. But it was loved by all and unfortunately there was not much left over for that night s dessert.