Peanut Butter Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Another new recipe from my new book :) These turned out really well, the cupcakes came out nice and even and were lovely and moist. The recipe made a little too much icing but it's always good to have a little bit left over in the fridge for dipping bits of fruit in or something... yum !

Recipe:
175g peanut butter, 50g softened butter, 125g soft brown sugar, 2eggs, 1tbsp golden syrup, 250g plain flour, 2tsp baking powder, 225ml milk

Cream the butters together, and beat in the sugar and golden syrup for 4mins until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one by one mixing very well each time you add one. Fold in half the flour and baking powder then beat in the milk, and the rest of the flour. Spoon into cupcake cases in a tray, fill up to 3/4 and then bake at 180C for 25mins until golden. Cool on a wire rack

Cream Cheese Icing

225g cream cheese, 225g icing sugar, 25g soft butter.

Beat together for 3-4mins until well mixed and creamy

Ice the cakes when completely cool and grate some milk chocolate over them to garnish .. mmmm !

My Own Version of Red Velvet

Totally backwards but sure do I ever follow recipes :)!!
Using exactly the same method as the chocolate vanilla cupcakes. I just added a tbsp cocoa and some strong red food colouring to the butter icing instead for a change.... :)

Lemon Easter Cupcakes

I know it's a little bit early to be making easter cakes but i saw the bag of mini eggs in the shop and couldn't resist! These are a lemon cupcake adapted from my lemon ricotta cupcakes but I replaced the ricotta with cream cheese for a change. They turned out really well, I iced them with lemon butter icing dyed with a bit of yellow food colouring (you can buy it here) and then popped on a mini egg for decoration! I could have been a bit more generous with the little eggs but everyone kept eating them! :)

Recipe:
1egg, 150g caster sugar, 120g butter*melted*, 150g cream cheese, 1lemon zested and juiced, 1tsp vanilla extract, 1.5tsp baking powder, 200g plain flour

*****if using self raising flour, still add half a tsp baking powder
******substitute one lemon for one orange, it makes a nice mixed citrus cupcake

Method:
Beat the eggs and sugar together for 3 mins on medium to high speed until light and creamy, mix in the melted butter , cream cheese, juice and zest of fruit and the vanilla. Beat well for another minute or two. Fold in the flour and baking powder and mix well. Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases in a tray, fill 3/4 of the way. Bake in a moderate oven at 180C for 20 to 25 mins

Ice with lemon butter icing
200g icing sugar, 100g room temp butter, 2tbsp lemon juice, the tiniest bit of yellow food colouring.
Beat well together

Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes

These are delish! I used the chocolate mayo recipe for the cupcakes as it is a liquid batter and i figured they would come out nice and even and they did  :) i used a third of the recipe for the full cake and it made a perfect 12 cupcakes .. yay! I then topped them with my favourite, vanilla buttercream and a couple of chocolate buttons for good measure... they went down a treat.

Recipe :
1egg, 91g caster sugar, 1/3 tsp vanilla extract, 75g mayonnaise, pinch bread soda, 91g self raising flour, 17g cocoa, 100ml cold water.. ***i know the amounts are totally random but it is a third of the other recipe and it makes exactly 12!

Beat the egg sugar and vanilla for a couple of minutes, then beat in the mayo until it's nice and fluffy. Sift the flour cocoa and bread soda together in a bowl and then fold half of it into the egg etc. Beat in the water and then fold the rest of the flour in to the mixture. Voila done in a couple of mins! The mixture will be really liquid but its perfect for pouring. Fill regular size queencake cases 3/4 full . Then bake at 180C for 15mins until risen and a skewer comes out clean.

Cool and Ice with piped vanilla buttercream
200g icing sugar, 100butter (room temp), tsp vanilla and a tbsp of milk.
Beat together very well for a minute or two until creamy and no lumps of sugar left!

The full cake recipe can be found here *Choc Mayo Cake* !

Bailey's Mocha Cupcakes

I wanted some sort of a coffee cupcake, then decided to add a dash of chocolate to the mix for good measure! I was going to top the cakes with coffee butter icing and I thought sure why not add a splash of Bailey's ... They were divine! I'm going to recreate this idea as a drink some evening after work when I need a serious wind down .. yum!

Recipe @ 190C, Gas 5
175g self raising flour, 50g cocoa, 225g light brown sugar, 175g butter melted, 4 eggs separated, 60ml strong coffee**, 3tbsp water

**I diluted 2 tsp of instant coffee in hot water, bringing it up to the 60ml and let it cool.

In a spotless dry bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Meanwhile in another large bowl, sift in the flour and cocoa, then add the sugar and mix well. Using a wooden spoon beat in the egg yolks, melted butter, water and cooled coffee until nice and smooth. Gently fold the cake mixture into the egg whites, until no white can be seen. Spoon into cupcake cases filling to only 3/4 of the way. Bake for 15mins

Coffee Butter Icing with a Baileys Twist :)
200g icing sugar, 100g soft butter, 1-2tbsp baileys, 3tbsp cooled coffee
beat the butter until very soft, beat in the icing sugar gradually add in the liquid and beat until creamy and smooth. Decorate away! I topped them with some cadbury Flake aswell... whats a few more calories :)

Lemon QueenCake :)

Considering it is the name of my blog I decided I'd better make some lemon queencakes :) They are delicious! These particular ones are made with ricotta cheese, they are light and fluffy, melt in your mouth cupcakes .... damn new yr resolutions gone out the window again! I cant resist lol

Recipe for a large batch of regular size cakes (yields about 30):

2eggs, 300g caster sugar, 240g butter*melted*, 300g ricotta, 2lemons zested and juiced, 2tsp vanilla extract, 3tsp baking powder, 400g plain flour

*****if using self raising flour, still add 1tsp baking powder
******substitute one lemon for one orange, it makes a nice mixed citrus cupcake

Method:
Beat the eggs and sugar together for 3 mins on medium to high speed until light and creamy, mix in the melted butter , ricotta, juice and zest of fruit and the vanilla. Beat well for another minute or two. Fold in the flour and baking powder and mix well. Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases in a tray, fill 3/4 of the way. Bake in a moderate oven at 180C for 20 to 25 mins

When cooled thoroughly, ice with a creamy lemon butter icing
400g icing sugar, 200g soft butter, 2tbsp milk, lemon juice to your taste (i love it almost bitter!) Beat together well!

Baileys and White Chocolate Cupcakes....MMMMM

I think white chocolate and Baileys is a match made in heaven :) the cupcakes are yoghurt cupcakes, super moist, sweet and oh so nice. I tried so hard to make Snow White butter icing, I ended up using a white shortening in place of the butter, clear vanilla extract but the baileys still added a creamy tint.... still though they turned out really well!

Recipe
115g butter, 220g caster sugar, 1 egg, 250g flour, 5g baking soda, 2g baking powder, 175ml natural yoghurt, 60 ml melted white chocolate

Icing

normal a ratio of 2:1 sugar to butter, but the shortening demands you use 10% less than the recipe

so...

200g icing sugar, 90g shortening, 1/2 tsp clear vanilla and a good dash of baileys

I honestly don't think i ever fully follow a recipe for butter icing. Once i have the sugar and butter beaten together(2:1) i mix in flavours until it tastes right and if i need to add more sugar to firm it up i do... so play around with it

Happy Baking and Happy Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!xxxxxxxxxxxxx