Pandan Graduation Cupcakes

The sad moment when most of your friends start to graduate and you are still doing your degree. Even though it is a sad moment, I made it a happy moment by getting out my creative skills and creating graduation cupcakes, with an all time favourite flavour of pandan.

Pandan Cupcakes (recipe guided by muchamunch)
Makes 12 standard cupcakes

Ingredients

125g butter (softened)

1/2 cup caster sugar

3/4 cup caster sugar

3/4 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

2 eggs

3 tbsp milk

1-2tsp of pandan essence

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius. 

2. Using an electric or hand held mixer, combine sugar and butter until pale.

3. Add one egg and combine. Add additional egg once the first is well combined.

4. Add in pandan essence, and combine. 5. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

6. Add half the flour mixture, and half the milk into the green mixture, mix well.
7. Once combined, add the remaining flour and milk. The mixture should be nice and smooth.

8. Spoon mixture 2/3 in cupcake cases, and bake for 20 minutes.

NOTE**: I used 2 teaspoons in my attempt, but I found that it turned out too green for my liking. Since I have only made this once, I am not sure what colour it would turn out when using 1 teaspoon.

Buttercream Frosting

75g butter (softened) 

1 1/4 cups of icing sugar (sifted)

1tsp vanilla bean paste

2 tsp milk

1. Using an electric mixture, mix the butter until it becomes pale (almost white)
2. Gradually add in sifted icing sugar (one heaped spoon at a time), and continue adding spoonfuls once each previous spoon is combined.

3. Add milk 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency. Do not add too much.
4. Add in vanilla bean paste and combine.

NOTE** The addition of milk changes the consistency of the buttercream, so depending on how stiff or runny you would like the icing, depends on how much milk you add. If you feel that the icing is to your desired consistency without milk, then don't add it.

Graduation Hats

Materials:

Mini peanut reese's cups 

Melting chocolate (milk or dark)

Lindt chocolate block (milk or dark) - 10 individual pieces

Writing icing - any colour of choice.

White fondant/hard icing

Toothpicks

NOTES:

- Which ever chocolate you  use, ensure you get matching chocolates. i.e. milk melting chocolate, with milk lindt chocolate or vice versa.

- For the lindt chocolate, I used the thin flat block (blue packet) not the red packet.

- If you dont want to use block chocolate, you can melt chocolate and place in a piping bag and draw our your own squares to desired size.

- Miniature reese's cups can be found at costco or any speciality stores

Method

1. Melt 100g melting chocolate. (I used the microwave)
2. Carefully remove foil wrapper on mini reese's chocolate cup, and poke with a toothpick.

3. Dip into melted chocolate, and place on wax proof paper and remove toothpick.

4. Refrigerate until hardened (15 minutes). 

5. Neatly cut the lindt chocolate block into individual pieces.

6. Once reese's cups are hardened, place on cupcake (bottom side up).
7. Add a little bit of melted chocolate on top, and place lindt block on top (writing side down).

8. Leave to set.

9. Using writing icing,  add a tassel from the centre of the lindt block and drag to one side and leave to hang.

10. Using the fondant or hard icing, roll out small graduations scrolls.

11. Add little bow detail using writing icing.

As you can see, my bottom part was coated in dark chocolate, and I placed a milk chocolate lindt piece on top, and it looks funny. So I strongly advise using same coloured chocolate.

I made two cupcakes blank and using black writing icing to say Congrats Graduates. I wish all the graduates the best of luck, and hope they enjoyed the cupcakes!

Good food, good times!

V Cupcakes recipe

A fellow co worker of mine was leaving, and she loves drinking V. So as my parting gift, I thought I would make her V cupcakes. The V can also mean vegan, as the cupcake recipe itself does not use any animal products. However, I did top the cupcakes with a buttercream frosting, which isn't vegan.

Recipe guided by http://www.bakingmakesthingsbetter.com/2010/09/sugar-rush.html

(Makes 9-12 cupcakes, depending on the cupcake liners you use)

Ingredients:

1 cup ‘V’ energy drink
3/4 cup caster sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cup plain flour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. Combine sugar and oil by mixing together - should still be able to see sugar crystals.

3. Add 'V', vanilla essence, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix together quickly.

4. Sift in flour and combine, the mixture will appear white.

5. Fill each cupcake case 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly brown.

NOTES:

*If you don't want to use V, you can substitute it with any flavoured drink of your liking - including soft drinks or juice.

Buttercream Frosting

125g butter (room temperature)

1 1/2 cups icing sugar (sifted)

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1 tablespoon of V

Method:

1. Using an electric mixer (stand or hand), mix the butter until it turns white.

2. Slowly add the icing sugar, and combing well before each addition.

3. Once all combined, stir in vanilla and V (ensuring the mixture doesn't become too runny). If it does, add a bit more icing sugar.

Please excuse my piping skills, there was some air pockets in the piping bag which caused some screw ups in the icing.

Good food, good times!

Red Velvet Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Icing

Red velvet cake, the cake for all occassions, and of course goes best with cream cheese icing. I have tried several red velvet recipes, but this has been the best one to date. So here it is!

Red Velvet Recipe (24 cupcakes/2x20cm cakes/1 layer rectangle cake)

Recipe guided by: http://bakeeatlovenow.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/elegant-red-velvet-cupcakes-with-cream.html#more

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 heaped tablespoons of cocoa

2 bottles of red food colouring (100ml)

120g of unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups of sugar

2 eggs (at room temperature)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup/250ml buttermilk (at room temperature)

1 teaspoon of white vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in an egg, and add second once first is well combined. Add vanilla.

4. In a small separate bowl combine food colouring and cocoa to form a paste.

5. Mix paste into egg mixture.

6. In a large bowl sift flour, baking powder and salt.

7. Add half the flour mixture into the egg mixture, and half the butter milk. Beat well.

8. Add remaining flour and butter milk and beat until well combined.

9. In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda (it should fizz). Add into cake batter and combine. 

Cream Cheese Icing 

Recipe guided by https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqX7RWLcrPI

125g cream cheese room temperature (block)

125g butter room temperature

5 cups of icing sugar (sifted)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

2 tablespoons of milk (set aside)

Method:

1. Using a mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until well combined. (i.e. no traces of butter, resulted in a smooth white mixture)

2. Add lemon juice and vanilla.

3. Add in one cup of sifted icing sugar, and mix until combined. Continue to add icing sugar, after each cup is thoroughly mixed through.

4. Depending on the consistency of the icing (how thick or thin you would like it to be) add in milk. Ideally add in one table spoon and combine well to ensure it doesn't become too thin.

Good food, good times!

Mango-Raspberry Rekorderlig Cupcake Launch @ Sparkle Cupcakery, Surry Hills

 Two of my favourite things have now been combined, Rekorderlig Cider and cupcakes. Rekorderlig has teamed up with  Sparkle Cupcakery  to introduce a limited edition Mango-Raspberry Cupcake. The cupcake uses fresh summer ingredients of raspberries and mango for a tastey sweet treat. The inspiration for the Mango-Raspberry cupcake was to create the perfect summer cupcake. 

I was one of the lucky few who were invited by Rekordelig Cider to attend there cupcake launch party hosted on 13th November 2012 at ther Surry Hills store. According to Rekorderlig-Cider Australia the cupcakes were a sell out on opening day (14th). The cupcakes will be available between 14th- 30th November 2012. The stores providing the cupcakes are in Surry Hills, Martin Place and David Jones Sparkle Cupcakery Stores.

Complementary Mango-Raspberry Rekorderlig Cider

 Sparkle Cupcakery display cabinets

  

Mini versions of the cupcakes

Sparkle Cupcakery Menu

Now, to the wonderfully tasting cupcakes! There is a perfect balance between the buttercream frosting and the cupcake itself. The bits of raspberry infused throughout the cupcake provide the taste of summer. I found the mango flavour hard to detect, but a friend of mine was able to detect it straight away. I personally have tried to make Apple Rekorderlig cupcakes, but they didn't turn out quite right. I hope they provide the secret recipe to the delightful Mango-Raspberry Rekorderlig Cupcake.

This was my first time trying Sparkle Cupcakes, and I will definitely be coming back to try other cupcakes that are on their menu. A thank you goes out to Rekorderlig Cider for the invitation.

Good food, good times!