Just a basic Carrot Cake for our C4 group, my son calles it 'Mummy Craft', but really if the truth be told there is very little craft going on at the moment.
And then there is a stacked Carrot Cake, which has a total of 4 torts, a little too high but still impressive.
Another creation from this weekend, a small celebration of Spring. It was lovely over the weekend but now we have been plunged into winter again, and I have resorted to turning the heater on!
Another take on my Galaxy Ganach Cupcakes, this time a scumptous ginger, lemon and creamed cheese pound cupcake topped with oh so dark chocolate ganache and styled with gold and silver balls and sprinkled with gold and red glitter, stunning.
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.
I made these delicious temptations last year out of some leftover cake batter. They were so good. Basically we're talking about a Pound cake based on crystalised ginger, lemon zest and creamed cheese, thickly topped with dark chocolate ganache and some more crystalised ginger to decorate.
I have had a couple of requests for this recipe misocrazy (who asked for it months ago) and iluvpearlmilktea. Please enjoy.
This cake mixture is enough for two 9 x 2 inch round pans, I suggest you halve the quantities unless you want dozens of cupcakes.
Ginger & Lemon Creamed Cheese Pound Cake
Grease and flour two 9 x 2 inch round pans. Preheat the oven to 350oF. Have all ingredients at room temperature.
In the bowl of an electric mixture, beat at high speed until light and fluffy:
9 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
Add and beat well at high speed:
8 ounces cream cheese
Add and cream until light and fluffy:
1 1/2 cups sugar
Add one at a time, mixing well after each addition:
4 large eggs
Add and beat a low speed just to incorporate:
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
On a piece of wax paper, sift together
2 1/4 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
Add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture and mix on low speed until smooth.
Stir in by hand:
1 cup (6 ounces) finely chopped crystalised ginger
Pour a scant 3 cups to fill one pan and pour the remaining batter into the other. Bake the less full pan for 25 to 30 minutes and the fuller pan for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes for 15 minutes before turning them out of their pans.
If you are making cupcakes, line a 12 hole standard muffin pan with papers. Fill each paper only 1/2 way up, this will allow for a deep ganache layer. Bake for 1o minute, but please check carefully as they will cook quickly.
Recipe taken from The Whimsical Bake House, Kaye & Liv Hansen
Dark Chocolate Ganache - Enough for 12 cupcakes
Bring to boil in a small saucepan:
1/2 cup (125ml) thickened cream
Pour over in a small bowl:
200g dark eating chocolate, coarsely chopped
Stir until smooth. Stand at room temperature until ganache is a thick pouring consistency.
Ganache recipe is from the Australian Women's Weekly 'cupcakes' book.
A very light crumb passion fruit cupcake, topped with vanilla creamed cheese frosting. Decorated with bright blue and green balls.
I made these as a gift for the teachers of the new $25 million dollar school which opened today up the road. The schools colours are navy, white, lime green and aqua blue (very fun) so when I saw the balls yesterday at my deco shop, I couldn't resist.
The recipe has been requested by some lovely flickr and cupcake obsessed contacts honor, sugar-bliss gnome and chefmommyof2. Here you are ladies, enjoy.
Passionfruit Cupcake
30g butter, softened
1/2 cup (110g) castor sugar
2 eggs
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
1/4 cup (60ml) passionfruit pulp
1. Preheat oven to moderate (180oC/160oC fan-forced). Line 12-hole standard muffin pan with paper cases.
2. Beat butter, sugar, eggs and flour in small bowl with electric mixer on low speed until ingredients are just combined. Increase speed to medium, beat until mixture is changed to a paler colour. Stir in passionfruit pulp.
3. Divide mixture among cases, smooth surface.
4. Bake cakes about 20 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.
The cupcake recipe is from the Australian Women's Weekly 'cupcakes' book, but it was used originally to make Passionfruit Curd Cakes.
Ice with your favourite vanilla creamed cheese frosting. Mine is the Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting from Chockylit at the Cupcake Bakeshop, enjoy.
