Iron Cupcake London: Challenge III prizes

NEWSFLASH – ok, more of a reminder – ICL Challenge III is next Monday!!!

All the details of the next challenge are set out below but, before we get to that, have a look at what you could win!

This is the bumper haul of goodies the lucky winner will be taking home:

The runner up will get these prizes:

So what are you waiting for? Start thinking about how you can win this challenge....

ICL Challenge III: Dessert
Think of your favourite dessert and turn it into a cupcake. Make one batch (i.e. 12) of cupcakes interpreting the theme of “dessert” in any way you wish…

On the night everyone will have a say in declaring the winner, who walks away with the ICL Winner’s rosette plus a cupcake themed goody bag (presented in the much-coveted ICL bag!).

Event details:

Monday 3 August 2009

6.00pm – 8.30pm

Barrowboy & Banker pub, 6-8 Borough High Street, SE1 9QQ

Entry fee: £5 – even if you don’t wish to enter the competition why not come along to taste the cupcakes? (Entry fee includes tea or coffee)

Please email me or leave a comment here, to let me know if you plan to enter or just come along to eat. Everyone welcome - particularly hungry people!

Why not visit the Iron Cupcake London site for more details and to view previous challenges?

Strawberry yoghurt mousse cake

This is a recipe that sits between mousse and cheesecake. It’s firmer than mousse (because of the gelatine that sets it) but isn’t as densely textured or rich as a cheesecake. In other words...the perfect summer pud!

The addition of yoghurt stops the cake being too sweet and gives a silky texture. Whenever I puree strawberries for such a recipe I always then sieve the puree to remove as many seeds as possible – it is an extra stage but so worth it.

The other thing I’d point out was that I used Hobnobs for the biscuit base rather than digestives. It might be me getting old but I find digestives taste incredibly salty these days and, where possible, I avoid them. The hobnobs provide a flavoursome base with the lovely addition of oats. For those of you who don’t know what a hobnob is it’s an oaty, sweet biscuit.

This recipe has a few processes to it but none are difficult. It is easier to make if you have a food processor but you could make it without - I do however think that it might be a little tiresome to make it manually.

When I removed the sides of the cake tin I did have a small panic that the whole thing was going to collapse...thankfully it didn’t. The texture of this mousse is soft and I recommend serving it reasonably quickly on removal from the fridge. The softness is also what makes it such a joy to eat.

I decorated the cake simply with strawberries and blueberries. Those lovely people at Abel and Cole gave me some wonderful English blueberries which were juicy and sweet and very possibly the most flavoursome blueberries I’ve tasted.

Ingredients:
300g hob nob biscuits (or any biscuit you use for making bases)
175g unsalted butter
500g strawberries, hulled and washed
75g caster sugar
4 leaves gelatine
250ml Greek yoghurt
300ml double cream

For decoration: strawberries and blueberries

How to make:

- Start by making the base: place the biscuits into the food processor and blitz until you have crumbs.

- Meanwhile, melt the butter.

- Stir the biscuit crumbs into the butter then pour in the base of a 20cm springform tin. Press down. Leave to cool.

- Puree the strawberries in the food processor until you have liquid pulp.

- Pass the puree through a sieve to remove as many seeds as possible – this will provide a silkier texture.

- Place the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water and leave to soften.

- Pour the strawberry puree into a saucepan and stir in the sugar.

- Heat until the sugar has dissolved and the puree is warm but not boiling.

- Squeeze all the water out of the gelatine leaves and whisk into the puree. I find using a whisk, rather than a spoon, gets the gelatine to absorb quickly without any lumps.

- Put to one side to cool.

- When the puree is at room temperature whisk in the yoghurt.

- Whisk the cream until you have stiff peaks then fold into the strawberry mixture.

- Pour over the biscuit base and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours.

- Decorate as desired – I used strawberries and blueberries.

- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.

- Eat.

Light ginger cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream

I know that some flavours or ingredients are seen as summer or winter flavours but that never really bothers me. On the hottest day of the year I’ll happily tuck into boiled cabbage and not understand why other people think that’s odd. Consequently, I haven’t let the small matter of summer thwart my desire for ginger and spices.

These gold cases were a most welcome gift from the CCM (Caked Crusader’s Ma). It seemed only right to make one of the CCM’s favourite things (ginger cake) in them!

This recipe is from Janet Smith’s Cupcakes book. I think this is a terrific book yet have seen little mention of it elsewhere. Having said that, I do think that the quantities she gave for the buttercream were extremely mean, so I doubled it and that’s the quantity I set out below.

I used a superb packet of butter provided by Abel and Cole. I wouldn’t use such special butter for something like a cheesecake biscuit base, but for a cupcake and buttercream I think you can taste the quality.

These little cupcakes are up there amongst the most delicious things I’ve made – I feel like I should stress that as they’re not all that to look at. The warmth of the ginger burns softly in your throat rather than mouth and is so comfortingly delicious! Don’t know whether anyone else does this, but here’s my tip for a flavour sensation in your mouth: eat a mouthful of ginger cake then a sip of hot tea. For reasons I don’t understand, the ginger just explodes in your mouth.

The cinnamon buttercream is lovely too – you get the hint of spice but it compliments rather than over powers the ginger.

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
115g unsalted butter (I used this gorgeous butter from Abel and Cole)
115g dark soft brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk, plus extra if necessary
1 tablespoon black treacle
150g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
6 pieces of stem ginger, drain the syrup off and chop finely – I did it in the food processor

For the buttercream:
80g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
160g icing sugar
1 tablespoon hot water

How to make:

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

- Place 18 paper cases across two muffin pans.

- Beat the butter until soft then beat in the sugar.

- Add the eggs, milk, black treacle, flour, baking powder and ground ginger and beat until well combined.

- If the mixture is not at dropping consistency i.e. falls from the spoon easily, add a dash more milk.

- Stir in the chopped stem ginger.

- Spoon the mixture into the paper cases and bake for approximately 12 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Mine took 15 minutes.

- Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

- Meanwhile, make the buttercream: Place the butter in a bowl and beat until soft.

- Add the cinnamon and icing sugar and beat until smooth and well combined.

- Beat in the hot water to make a nice, spreadable buttercream.

- Spread over the cupcakes.

- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.

- Eat.

Online food hygiene course

I’m currently working my way through an online food hygiene course – it only takes 2-3 hours and you are awarded a food hygiene certificate on successful completion. It covers a wide range of aspects from food hygiene and safety to food laws. Well worth doing – thanks to the Virtual College for letting me try this course.

Donauwellen (Waves of the Danube)....sort of

I have two options here:

· Be pretentious
· Be honest

If I was being pretentious I’d say this is my ‘deconstruction’ of the German Donauwellen cake and, rather than serve it as it’s meant to be with the custard layered between the cake and the ganache, I decided to serve it on the side, thus giving a classic a modern twist....made it my own....put my stamp on it – you get the idea.

If I was being honest I’d say that the custard recipe I followed didn’t work and, desperate for my bed, I decided to abandon the custard, get the ganache on the cake and go out the next morning and buy ready-made custard.

You decide which version you prefer.

Custard disaster aside (curses, have I given away which of the two scenarios was the truth?), this is a lovely cake and the ganache is stunningly silky and rich. I have a sweet tooth and am not usually a fan of the more bitter chocolate, but here it works like a dream. This ganache will definitely be added to my “classic components” list and used in future recipes. It’s nice to have a stockpile of great components – the perfect Genoese sponge, vanilla biscuit, Swiss meringue buttercream and cupcake sponge, etc that you can use time and time again.

Look how shiny the ganache is:

The cake could’ve done with more cherries as the slightly tart morello cherries ‘pop’ deliciously against the chocolate. In the recipe below I’ve set out the volume I used, and the volume I’d use next time.

The “waves” part of the name is represented by the two tone sponge. I am always fond of two tone sponges and it reminded me of the Polish Babka I made a while back.

As is often the way, the cakes that prove the most “challenging” and have you pulling your hair out in despair late at night, actually turn out to be the tastiest. It’s like the cake rewards you for your troubles!

Incidentally, thanks for all your comments re:Blogger problems. I think I've solved my problem with uploading photos - it was because I'd upgraded to Internet Explorer 8; it seems there are all sorts of problems caused by this - particularly with regard to Blogger. I'm now using Google Chrome and, touch wood, all is ok.

Ingredients:
For the cake:
250g unsalted butter, room temperature
200g caster sugar
5 eggs
375g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
30g cocoa powder
1-2 tablespoons milk
175g morello or fresh cherries – next time I’d use loads more – possibly as much as 400g

For the custard:
Had a disaster so ended up using 1 pot (500g) of good quality ready made custard

For the ganache:
200ml whipping cream
250g dark chocolate – I used a mixture of 50% and 70% cocoa solids
30g unsalted butter

How to make:

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

- Line a 20cm round springform tin with baking paper. If you’re planning to top the cake with custard, I’d recommend using a 23cm tin, otherwise it might all get too tall.

- Start by making the cake: beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

- Beat in the eggs one at a time; measure the flour and baking powder out as you may need to add some should the mixture start to curdle.

- Fold in the remaining flour and baking powder.

- Gently stir in the cherries.

- Spoon approximately 2/3 of the batter into the prepared tin.

- Add the cocoa and milk to the remaining batter and stir until well combined.

- Spoon over the plain batter and swirl slightly so the colours integrate and marble.

- Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out cleanly. Mine took 50 minutes.

- Leave the cake to cool in the tin.

- Now make the ganache: bring the whipping cream to the boil and then remove from the heat.

- Break up the chocolate and drop into the cream. Leave to stand for a couple of minutes.

- Stir until the chocolate is melted and you have a thick, glossy mixture.

- Whisk in the butter.

- Leave for 5 minutes before pouring over the cake.

- The choice is yours – you can pour the custard onto the cake, and then top with ganache or, like I did, pour the ganache over the cake and serve the custard on the side.

- Refrigerate until needed, remove from the fridge an hour before serving.

- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.

- Eat.

Iron Cupcake London: Challenge III

Are your cupcakes up to the challenge? Are you worthy of the Iron Cupcake Winner’s rosette and the acclaim that comes with it? There’s only one way to find out…..

ICL Challenge III: Dessert
Think of your favourite dessert and turn it into a cupcake. Make one batch (i.e. 12) of cupcakes interpreting the theme of “dessert” in any way you wish…

On the night everyone will have a say in declaring the winner, who walks away with the ICL Winner’s rosette plus a cupcake themed goody bag (presented in the much-coveted ICL bag!).

Event details:

Monday 3 August 2009

6.00pm – 8.30pm

Barrowboy & Banker pub, 6-8 Borough High Street, SE1 9QQ

Entry fee: £5 – even if you don’t wish to enter the competition why not come along to taste the cupcakes? (Entry fee includes tea or coffee)

Please email me or leave a comment here, to let me know if you plan to enter or just come along to eat. Everyone welcome - particularly hungry people!

Why not visit the Iron Cupcake London site for more details and to view previous challenges?

Rupert enjoys afternoon tea

The CCBF (Caked Crusader’s Boyfriend) and I had a lovely day out in Canterbury on Saturday. It’s a beautiful place packed with things to see. We walked past, but didn’t have time to look around, the Museum; we were too busy enjoying the Canterbury Tales experience, which was tremendous fun and educational -not words that always go together! Anyway, the museum has a Rupert Bear museum attached to it with a stunning window display (see the photos below). Have to confess, I’ve never been a fan of Rupert – he’s too much of a goody two shoes – but did admire the tea he appears to be enjoying. Maybe I misjudged him?

He also has a nice selection of crockery, and makes his tea properly - in a teapot – no drowning tea bags in cups for Rupert and family:

Summer fruits pavlova

Pavlovas are so easy to make that I feel almost guilty at how fantastic they look – everyone will think it has taken hours to create your masterpiece when, in reality, there is very little hands-on work.

My meringue cracked at little but it makes no difference to the flavour and I don’t think it spoils the look either:

There is something temptingly luscious about a big pavlova; the individual ones make it to the plate more beautifully but a big pavlova –requiring two hands to transport to the dining table - brings out far more greedy desires.

Slices are messy and the fruit and cream tumbles out onto the plate:


The combination of berries, so juicy, delicious and richly coloured at this time of year, contrasts wonderfully with the snowy meringue, particularly when the fruit juices mingle with the cream:


It’s such an easy to make crowd pleaser. I like my meringue crisp on the outside but soft and cloudlike inside:


I end with a plea: has anyone else had trouble with blogger during the past week? I've had lots of error messages when trying to upload photos - they all begin with a BX reference number, and when I have uploaded photos it won't let me click and drag them into position (i.e. scrolling down through my post); I have to move them down a screen at a time...which takes ages. Is it blogger or me? Any ideas? I know you're a clever bunch so throw myself on your mercy!

Ingredients:
For the meringue:
6 egg whites
375g caster sugar

For the custard cream:
600ml double cream
500ml good quality ready made custard

For the fruit:
I used a supermarket punnet each of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries but couldn’t fit them all on.

How to make:
- Preheat the oven to 150°C/fan oven 130°C/300°F/Gas mark 2.
- Line a large flat baking sheet with baking paper.
- Whisk the eggs whites to the stiff peak stage then gradually whisk in the sugar until you have a thick, glossy meringue.
- Spoon the meringue onto the prepared baking sheet and shape into a bowl – the meringue is good natured and you can sculpt it quite easily.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until pale and crisp.
- Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova to cool in the oven with the door slightly open.
- When cold you can store overnight in an airtight container until needed.
- When ready to serve (don’t do this in advance or the meringue will go soggy) make the cream filling: whisk the cream until it is just about holding soft peaks, then whisk in the custard a spoonful at a time.
- Spoon the custard cream into the meringue case and top with fruit of your choice.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.

Iced bakewell traybake

I know from my site stats that bakewell recipes are always popular and this one looked particularly inviting. This photo explains it far better than I ever could :


Sad maybe, but this is what I did on Friday night!


For something with only two ingredients white icing is supremely delicious. It goes so well with the dense, rich almond sponge. Bakewells have so much to offer – pastry, jam, sponge, icing.....mmm bakewells.


The CCM (Caked Crusader’s Ma) and I were discussing the joy of traybakes recently. A square cut from a traybake is somehow more tempting and exciting than many other cakes. It can’t just be down to the shape can it? I wonder if it’s the fact that however many pieces you cut it always looks like there’s lots left! (NB. I know that, in the strictest application of laws of the universe etc, it can't be true...but it seems like it!)


I end with a plea: has anyone else had trouble with blogger during the past week? I've had lots of error messages when trying to upload photos - they all begin with a BX reference number, and when I have uploaded photos it won't let me click and drag them into position (i.e. scrolling down through my post); I have to move them down a screen at a time...which takes ages. Is it blogger or me? Any ideas? I know you're a clever bunch so throw myself on your mercy!

Ingredients:
For the pastry:
230g plain flour
160g unsalted butter
4 tablespoons icing sugar
2 egg yolks

For the cake:
6 tablespoons raspberry jam (I used seedless jam)
200g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
100g ground almond
100g self raising flour
1 teaspoon almond extract

For the icing:
300g icing sugar
20 glace cherries
25g toasted flaked almonds


How to make:
- Start by making the pastry: place all the ingredients except for the egg yolks into the food processor and blitz until you have breadcrumbs.
- Add the egg yolks and blitz again until the pastry just starts to form.
- Turn out onto a sheet of clingfilm and bring together into a ball of pastry.
- Flatten slightly, wrap in the clingfilm and chill.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.
- Grease a deep tin measuring 30cm x 20cm. I used a small roasting tin .
- Roll the pastry out between two sheets of clingfilm then use to line the prepared tin. Don’t worry if you need to patch the pastry – it’s very good natured.
- Spoon the jam onto the pastry and spread out.
- Now make the cake: beat the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time adding 1 tablespoon of the ground almonds after each addition.
- Stir in the flour, remaining ground almonds and the almond extract.
- Spoon the mixture over the jam and level the surface.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the batter comes out clean. Mine took 42 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.
- Now make the icing: beat the icing sugar with 3 tablespoons water (you may need more, but start with 3) until you have a thick but spreadable icing.
- Spread the icing over the top of the cake and place the glace cherries and flaked almonds on top before the icing sets.
- Cut into squares.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.

Iron Cupcake: London second challenge – summer fruits

Those of you who pay attention to my ramblings might recall how thrilled I was that the first Iron Cupcake: London had ten entries. Imagine my excitement when, a mere month later, the second challenge had twenty entries! Twenty! What was also very pleasing was the huge increase in the number of eaters....if you deliver awesome cupcakes, they will come!

There were so many entries it was tough to fit them all into one photo:


Iron Cupcake: London (ICL) held its second challenge on Monday 6 July 2009 with a theme of ‘summer fruits’. We tweaked the voting this time so everyone attending could cast votes for their favourite three cupcakes. I’m pleased to say that tasting and voting was taken very seriously as you can see from these photos:

This gathering of dedicated eaters couldn’t look more studious! It’s people like these that make cupcake competitions great...


Here is our worthy winner, Amanda, receiving the first prize. Her entry of apple and blackberry cupcakes were voted the winner on the night. And before any killjoys out there say blackberries aren’t a summer fruit...with the crazy hot weather and rain we’ve been having this year there are plenty of blackberries ripe for the picking right now!


Here’s our runner up, Nicola, looking thrilled:


These lovely ladies are our podium placed entrants – Amanda in first, Nicola second, and Alice third. Well done ladies; you have not only done yourselves proud but also the world of cupcakes!


So, sit back, loosen your waistband, have a hanky ready to mop up any drool and see what you missed out on........
NB. If you don't feel hungry by the time you have looked at all the entries, check your pulse - you might be dead.

Entries

Karen’s Foolish strawberry (and marshmallow) cupcakes


Emma’s summer fruit cupcakes


Isabel’s blackberry and raspberry ripple cupcakes


Amal’s summer passion cupcakes


Three things to note here – firstly, Amal has only just started baking so we can all claim we ate his cupcakes from the start!, secondly, he is our first male entrant (come on chaps – some of you must bake, surely?), thirdly, he conceded that passion fruit isn’t a UK summer fruit but it is in New Zealand, which is where Amal is from. I always have an attentive ear for someone persuading me to eat their cupcakes!

Amanda’s peach and raspberry cupcakes

Amanda’s apple and blackberry cupcakes

The winner on the night!
Anna’s peach melba cupcakes


Kathryn’s almond and white chocolate cupcakes with blackcurrant frosting


Amy’s Wimbledon surprise (strawberry) cupcakes


These came with the 'bonus' of Cliff Richard in case it rained. Thankfully, he didn't sing!


Randi’s lemon cupcakes with strawberry meringue buttercream frosting


Kathy’s “Federer’s Cup” cupcakes - strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, mint and meringue


Me Ling’s strawberry and white chocolate cheesecake cupcakes


Hester’s chocolate and raspberry cupcakes with chocolate and crème de framboise buttercream


Hester’s Linzertorte (almond, cinnamon and raspberry) cupcakes


Kayla’s chocolate cupcakes with raspberry and white chocolate icing


Kelly’s lemonade cupcakes with mixed berry frosting


Helen’s strawberry and balsamic vinegar cupcakes


Anna’s blackcurrant cheesecake cupcakes


Alice’s peach melba with custard buttercream


These came third on the night. If I’m allowed to have a favourite I’d pick these, and not just because Alice used my custard buttercream recipe!

Nicola’s raspberry, blueberry, ricotta and almond cupcakes with vanilla cream topping

These placed second on the night, a single point behind the winning cupcake. It was that close!

So, I'm sure you can tell from the photos that the standard of entries was simply stunning. There was artistry, humour and super baking prowess on display.

Special thanks to The Cupcake Courier for providing our wonderful main prize.

Finally, I’d like to thank my trusted team of helpers, without whom this event would not happen. I view us as the Four Musketeers of cupcakes so thank you Jasmin, Paul and Dave.

Hopefully, now you’ve seen what you could have eaten, you’ll all be coming along to the next event – details of which will be announced shortly.

I leave you with the victors – well done ladies!

All these wonderful photos are the property of Dave Shipman and reproduced here with his kind permission....but then he's that kind of guy!