Courgette and sultana cupcakes

I love carrot cake but, other than my never to be repeated attempt at brussel sprout cake (attempt at your peril – you have been warned!), I haven’t dabbled with other vegetables in cakes.  This courgette cake appeared in the Sainsbury’s magazine as a sandwich cake, but I instantly thought of it in terms of cupcakes as I had a very limited window for baking this weekend and knew that cupcakes would cool much faster than a larger cake.

Whereas a carrot cake tends to be spiced with cinnamon, this cake uses vanilla.  Vanilla remains my absolute favourite ingredient in baking so I added some to the frosting too.  It is one of the great joys of baking to open a bottle of vanilla extract and inhale…my name is the Caked Crusader and I am a vanillaholic.

As with carrot cake, the sponge was incredibly light and moist.  It was unusual to bite into a cake and see flecks of green but this was easy to overcome given the deliciousness of the cupcakes (plus, most people would probably just think it was lime zest).  The frosting was particularly popular – much creamier than a buttercream – and felt light and whippy in your mouth; more ice cream than buttercream.  It was very difficult to stop at one cake!

Mr CC really took against the concept of courgette cakes – every time I mentioned I was making this recipe he would produce a repulsed shudder of Oscar worthy proportions.  I asked him why and his objection was that courgette, unlike carrot, was a wetter vegetable and he hated the thought of vegetable juice in a cake.  I’m sure you can predict how the story ends....guess who really liked them?

Ingredients

For the cupcake sponge:

125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g golden caster sugar
2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
125g self raising flour
60g courgette, coarsely grated – this is about half a medium courgette
60g sultanas
20g walnuts, roughly chopped

For the frosting:

50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g icing sugar
125g mascarpone
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

NB: if you double all these quantities you can make a 20cm round sandwich cake instead – make sure you increase the baking time to about 30 minutes.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ fan oven 160°C/ 350°F/ Gas mark 4.

Line a cupcake pan with 12 paper cases.

Start by making the sponge: beat the butter until pale and whippy.

Beat in the sugar and beat until it looks fluffy – don’t skimp on this stage; the mix should look almost like whipped cream.

Beat in the eggs and vanilla, adding some of the flour if it looks like it might curdle.

Stir in the flour.

Fold in the courgette, sultanas and walnuts.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases.

Bake for approximately 15-18 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean.

As soon as you can safely handle them, remove the cupcakes from the cupcake pan – the metal of the tray will retain heat and continue to cook them – get them out the tin and let cool on a wire rack. NB.  Don’t worry as they cool, particularly if you store them overnight, the case will come away from the sponge.  Often it can be a sign that the cake is overcooked, but it isn’t always – these are incredibly moist cakes and will peel away from the paper.

Now make the frosting: beat the butter until it is pale and whippy looking.

Add the icing sugar and beat until you have a smooth mix.

Beat in the mascarpone and vanilla.

Spoon in generous dollops on top of each cupcake – this is not a topping for fancy piping!

The cakes will keep for a couple of days but must be refrigerated because of the mascarpone in the frosting.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat

Chocolate and stout cupcakes

  

I don’t like drinking beer of any kind, but I am rather partial to baking with beer, particularly with chocolate.  This recipe uses stout and adds a rich depth to the chocolate – you wouldn’t know it was stout but you’d know something extra was there.  I say this to ease the minds of fellow beer-haters!

Like many women, I am an emotional shopper and rather than go for the obvious choice of Guinness, my eye was drawn to the beautiful bottle of March of the Penguins stout, made by a microbrewer (Williams Bros BrewingCo) in Alloa, Scotland.  What can I say?  Who could resist the penguins?

The frosting for these cupcakes is incredibly simple – just two ingredients – but works perfectly in flavour and texture.  The dark, rich, moist cupcakes carry the light whippy frosting perfectly.  The frosting needs nothing else, not even vanilla...and how often do I say that?  (Answer: never!  Except for today!)

I know I’m banging on about frosting a lot lately, but I’ve been trying different things; I wouldn’t exactly say I am bored with buttercream but it’s nice to discover all the alternatives out there.  This one is heavenly – like a softer, creamier ice cream.

The dark, rich cupcake topped with the creamy white frosting resembles a glass of stout...but with lots of chocolaty sugary goodness thus better!

On an unrelated note, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Lakeland Christmas preview this week.  Wow!  And if I can just repeat: wow!  I am saving up my pennies already as I saw so many things I will be buying.  In the style of the Generation Game conveyor belt memory test bit, here are some of the things I want: speech bubble cookie cutters, topsy turvy cake pans, Christmas pudding plate, bowl and jug, slender rolling pins with Christmas designs on them so that when you roll out the icing it embosses it, cute little ice cream bowls and matching spoons, cheese making equipment, giant biscuit cutters in the shape of Christmas baubles with little cut out panels, Russian doll salt and pepper set...and did I mention the awesome, yet affordable, copper pans?  I am going to have to be a very good little girl right up until Christmas for Father Christmas to deem me worthy of all those goodies!

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

250g soft brown sugar
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
150g plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
205ml stout – I used March of the Penguins, but Guinness or Mackeson would also be perfect
50g cocoa powder

For the frosting:

500g mascarpone cheese
100g icing sugar

To decorate: chocolate sprinkles or a dusting of cocoa powder

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Line a cupcake pan with 12 paper cases – use deep cupcake or muffin cases rather than shallow fairy cake cases.

Place the sugar and butter in a bowl and beat together until fluffy and light.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding some of the flour if it looks like it might curdle.

Measure out the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.

In a jug, measure out the stout and stir in the cocoa powder.  NB. Let the head on the stout settle before you take your final reading of the measurement - you will need to top it up in the jug as it settles.

Pour some of the stout mixture into the batter and beat.

Add a couple of tablespoons of the flour mix and beat.

Continue until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the paper cases and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the batter comes out clean.  Sadly, I can’t tell you how long mine took as I forgot to set an oven timer....doh!

Leave to cool on a wire rack, and remove from the cupcake pan as soon as you can safely handle the cakes.

When the cakes are cool you can make the frosting (you can also make the cakes a day before frosting if you wish): Place the mascarpone in a bowl and beat to soften.

Gradually beat in the icing sugar.

Spoon onto the cupcakes and spread, or pipe if you prefer (I piped).

Decorate with either chocolate sprinkles or cocoa powder.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have created.

Eat.

Labbit sponge birthday cake

Another birthday, this time Mr CC – it’s my last family birthday until September! I anticipate that I need to do some explaining as most of you won’t be au fait with Labbits. Also, I think I should remind you that I am not a skilled cake decorator – so please be kind!

Frank Kozik is a respected modern artist, initially most famous for poster art. He created a range of street tough rabbits called Smorkin’ Labbits who are always smoking and doing naughty things (naughty even by rabbit standards!). Mr CC and I aren’t really into that range but love the Pride Labbits, who are far more genteel and sensitive. Here’s the family we’ve acquired thus far (I have no doubt there will be more):

When I asked Mr CC what sort of birthday cake he’d like he replied, “a Labbit cake”. I’m not sure whether he was serious or not but I took him at his word and have created one...well, a Frankenstein equivalent of one!

The cake is all Victoria sponge; I used an easter egg tin for the body and sculpted cupcakes for the legs, ears and tail.

As I needed a white frosting I had to look further afield than my usual default of swiss meringue buttercream. I chose seven minute frosting – my favourite thing in the recipe was that, under the heading, it said “ready in 10 minutes”. This is my first experience of seven minute frosting and I like it – it’s sweet and sticky and easy to work with. My big gripe is that nowhere did it warn me that you have to really use it the same day. I lovingly frosted Mr CC’s cake the night before and found it didn’t keep – it starts disintegrating (a bit like shaving foam) giving the cake an odd look. Luckily (for me) I took most of my photos the evening I frosted the cake; unluckily (for Mr CC) he didn’t see the cake until the next day.

Here’s something you don’t see in a kitchen every day – a Labbit ‘tache hanging out to dry! I painted a rice paper template with melted chocolate. Making a washing line of string between my kitchen cabinets I did wonder if this could be pinpointed as the official moment that I “lost it”!

I doubled the quantity of sponge set out below to make cupcake size sponges to use for paws, ears and tail. The leftover ones I simply cut in half and sandwiched with jam to make mini Victoria sponge sandwiches.

Happy birthday Mr CC!

Ingredients

For the cake:
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
220g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
80ml milk
300g self raising flour

To sandwich the cakes: raspberry jam

For the seven minute frosting(make the day you will be serving the cake):
2 egg whites
300g caster sugar
5 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.

Grease the tin you are using with butter; this quantity will make a deep 20cm round cake or two 20cm round layers for a sandwich cake.

Start by making the sponge: Beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Don’t skimp on this stage as this is when you get lots of lovely air into your sponge.

Beat in the eggs gradually, add some of the flour if it looks like it might curdle.

Beat in the milk.

Stir in the flour until the mixture is smooth and well combined.

Spoon into the prepared tins and level the surface.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the sponge comes out clean. Another good sign is if the sponge is just pulling away from the edge of the tin.

Leave to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes before turning out and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.

Sandwich the cakes together with the jam.

Now make the frosting – only make this on the day you wish to serve the cake as it doesn’t keep all that well: place all the ingredients except for the vanilla in a bowl.

Set this bowl over a pan of boiling water and whisk until the icing makes firm peaks – this is meant to take 7 minutes (hence the name) but mine took 10.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.

Continue to whisk until the frosting is thick enough to spread.

Spread over cake as desired.

Bask in the glory of the wonderful thing you have made.

Eat.

Brussel Sprout cake

I know that I’ve probably lost most of you with the title of this one! Many people would look more favourably on a cake made from toxic waste than the humble brussel sprout. Maybe the cake is named so purely for the shock factor; however, if you glance at the ingredients you’ll notice that it’s basically a carrot cake with a mischievous twist.


Many cakes featuring vegetables are now commonplace; for example, carrot cake, courgette cake, chocolate and beetroot cake. I’ve even seen recipes that use mash potato. So why not the least loved vegetable in the UK? (I’m not making this up – in 2002 a national poll was conducted to tell us what we already knew). For the avoidance of doubt, these are the babies in question:


The recipe was featured in an article in the Times about Felice Tocchini – a man with perhaps the best job title ever: Chef and Sprout campaigner!

Just in case you’re a sprout fanatic (who isn't?) and wish to mingle with your peer group, please note that this year’s British Sprout Festival will be held 13-14 November in Worcester.

I have to admit that I was drawn to this recipe because I hate sprouts and thought it might convert me. Whilst raw, the mix did smell a bit sprouty...and when it was cooking too. Yum – are your tastebuds watering yet? When cooked it...god, I really want to say that it didn’t smell sprouty...but I can’t lie...it still smelled sprouty. However, this could be me. I am very anti-sprout. No one else could smell sprouts or taste them. You can only just see the flecks of green:


Bizarrely, the only criticism this cake got was that the frosting was a touch sweet. My eaters thought it tasted like any carrot cake but my sprout-radar detected the extra ingredient. Try it! If nothing else, it’s a talking point!


Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 eggs
125g caster sugar
100ml vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
125g self raising flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
125g carrots, grated
125g brussel sprouts, grated (I did this in my electric mini-chopper)
35g walnuts, chopped
35g raisins or sultanas
25g desiccated coconut

For the frosting:
125g cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
250g icing sugar
1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Walnut halves to decorate

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
- Grease and line a 20cm round tin or a 900g loaf tin. I made it in the round tin but actually think a loaf tin would be better.
- Beat the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla until well combined.
- Add the flour, cinnamon and ginger and beat for a few more minutes.
- Fold in the grated carrot, sprouts, walnuts, raisins and coconut.
- Spoon into the prepared tin and cook for approximately 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Mine took exactly 50 minutes.
- Leave to cool, in the tin, on a wire rack.
- Now make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese until soft and then beat in the icing sugar.
- Add vanilla extract to taste.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the cake and finish off with some walnut halves.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.

Coconut and raspberry frou-frou cupcakes

I see these as the poodles of the cupcake world; the strange thing is that I can’t really explain it any further – you’ll either see what I mean or you won’t! When I read the recipe it was like ticking off a list of all my favourite ingredients: coconut, raspberries, cream cheese and butter.


These are show-stoppingly pretty but really not that difficult to make. If you can make a cupcake and you can make frosting the rest is window dressing. What they do require is time and care to assemble.

The cupcakes don’t dome hugely on baking but that’s good as it gives you a nice flat surface to decorate:


The recipe said to use frozen raspberries but the supermarket had some gorgeous English Tulameen raspberries grown in West Sussex and, successfully managing to ignore the price, I knew they had to be mine. They were worth every penny - plump, sweet, juicy and flavoursome. A good raspberry has a price beyond rubies. Look at the raspberries on that!


One little cupcake ready for transit:


The coconut essence was tricky to find but I eventually bought it from Jane Asher, this is a good website for sugar and wafer decorations too.


Ingredients:
For the cake:

125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
220g caster sugar
3 eggs
75g plain flour
35g self raising flour
40g desiccated coconut
80ml sour cream
150g raspberries

For the frosting:
60g unsalted butter, at room temperature
160g cream cheese, at room temperature
2 teaspoons coconut essence
480g icing sugar

For the decoration:
150g toasted flaked coconut
36 raspberries

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
- Line a 12 hole muffin pan with paper cases.
- Beat the butter, sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy. If the mix starts to curdle you can add a little of the flour to correct it.
- Stir in the flours, coconut and sour cream and ensure all the ingredients are well combined.
- Carefully fold in the raspberries. Try not to break them and have them bleed into the mix – although some breakages are inevitable. I used a plastic spatula so as to preserve the raspberries.
- Spoon into the paper cases making sure that all the cupcakes have their share of raspberries.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Mine took 35 minutes.
- Leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool I kept the cupcakes in an airtight container to decorate the next day; you can of course decorate them as soon as they are cool if you so wish.
- Make the frosting by beating the butter, cream cheese and coconut essence until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the icing sugar.
- Remove the cakes from their cases and cover with frosting.
- Roll the edges in the coconut flakes then smooth the frosting on the top.
- Decorate the top with raspberries.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.