Iron Cupcake London Challenge V: Booze!

Wow! I don't know how it happens but the entries just get better and better! Our new venue was fab and the bakers and eaters were fabber (yes, I have invented a word!)

Full update to follow with glorious photos...when I tell you that our winning cupcake was a "Grown up Jaffa cake" you'll be interested....when I tell you that it was also vegan-friendly you'll be intrigued! Better come back and read the full write up then! (I'm such a tease)

Thanks to everyone for making it such a lovely night, especially all the great staff at The Cuban and my crack team of Paul, Jasmin and Dave.

Rolo cake

I’m not too sure how internationally known Rolos are but any soft caramel sweet covered in chocolate will work for this cake. I was interested to read that our friends across the pond pronounce them as “Roll-oh” rather than the British way of “Roh-Loh”. Maybe I’m easily interested.....

The cake mix requires 100g of Rolos which is fantastic news as a tube of Rolos is actually 52g. If you need me to explain why this is good, hang your head in shame! Just so my eatership were “Rolo’d up” enough I used an extra tube of Rolos to decorate the top...along with my chocolate hedgehogs I bought in Salzburg. I fully accept that most people don’t come back from Salzburg with chocolate hedgehogs but, in my defence, I did buy them shortly after exiting the liqueur shop (where I sampled some rather strong stuff!)

It’s best to cut the Rolos in half for this cake so they melt and you get little rich, squidgy pockets in the cake. As we’re approaching Christmas (there! I used the C word and it’s only October!!!) the supermarkets are starting to stock tubes of mini Rolos; these are exactly the same but, as the name suggests, tiny versions – these can be used whole.

In truth, I don’t think you’d know the cake had Rolos in it; the cake tastes like chocolate truffles but lighter and spongier....which means you can eat more of it! The addition of the Rolos makes the cake incredibly moist.

When I’d put buttercream around the edge of the cake I rolled it in a tub of chocolate caramel curls I had (can’t remember where I got them – sorry) but chocolate vermicelli, crushed flake or even just some Rolos applied to the edge would be lovely.

This could be a “just me then” moment but don’t you think this little hedgepig looks like he’s been tucking into the cake?

Serving suggestion for those who feel that a truffley chocolate cake with chocolates on top needs something extra:

Ingredients:
For the cake:
200g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g caster sugar
4 eggs
150g self raising flour
50g cocoa powder
100g Rolos, chopped if using normal sized ones

For the buttercream:
150g icing sugar
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

To decorate: additional tube of Rolos, and your choice – crushed Flake, chocolate vermicelli, chocolate caramel curls – whatever takes your fancy!

To serve: soft whipped cream (this is quite gluttonous – I think normal people would probably have the cake as it is)

Method

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

- Line a 20cm springform round tin with baking paper.

- Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

- Add the eggs a little at a time and add some of the flour if the mixture starts to curdle.

- Gently stir in the flour and cocoa.

- Stir in the rolos.

- Spoon into the prepared cake tin and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Mine took a little longer at 40 minutes. The cake will settle on cooling but this is because it’s so rich and squidgy.

- Leave to cool in the tin, on a wire rack.

- When cool make the buttercream: cream together the icing sugar and butter until smooth.

- Beat in the vanilla extract and cocoa powder.

- If the mix is a but solid, add a dash of milk to soften and slacken.

- Spread over the cake and decorate as required – I used chocolate caramel curls and Rolos.

- Serve as a dessert or afternoon tea treat with cream (if you’re greedy like me)

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

- Eat.

Iron Cupcake London: Challenge V – Booze!

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…..

***Amazing new venue – Iron Cupcake London has a new home***

Our new home is The Cuban at Citypoint (Moorgate). Brilliantly located only minutes away from Liverpool Street and Moorgate Stations we have the whole basement which has acres of room – you can find detailed directions below in blue. Did I mention it has seating and tables for well over 100 people (140 is the official capacity)? Not just any old seating – ooh, what should I tell you about first? Maybe the awesomely huge white sofa snaking along the whole of the wall of the basement? Perhaps I might also be able to interest you with a PRIVATE bar for the event which – apart from the tea and coffee included in your admission price – will be offering prolonged “happy hour” 2 for 1 deals on selected cocktails, as well as bargain prices on certain beers, wine and sangria! What could be better for our booze challenge?

Maybe you're more of a 'visuals' person...this is just a part of the room:

And did I mention the SEATING and TABLES for over 100 people????

ICL Challenge V: Booze

Requirements: Make a minimum of 12 cupcakes that interpret the theme of booze in any way you wish – if you wish to make more please do…the more you make, the more people can taste your delicious creation (and vote for you!)

Please feel free to enter as many types of cupcake as you wish, I only ask that you have at least 12 of each.

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!). As usual the winner and runner up with receive amazing prizes - the main prize for the winner is this cupcake decorated cake stand:

Event details:

Monday 5th October 2009

6.00pm – 8.30pm

Venue – The Cuban Bar, Citypoint, One Ropemaker Street, EC2Y 9AY

For a map click here

Although the address is Ropemaker Street it’s actually on the Citypoint plaza. Just behind the Moorgate tube station entrance that’s in the row of shops including HMV, Hotel Chocolat, Eat and Clinton Cards, you’ll see a very tall building. That’s the Citypoint Tower. Head towards it and you’ll see a paved plaza-type area. Near the base of the Tower you will see a small newsagent kiosk and a Costa, to the left of these (if facing the tower) are The Rack & Tenter, then Prets. Head towards Prets into a covered walkway at the base of City point. This is where the Cuban bar is. We’ll be in the basement.

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)

Timetable of events:

6.00-6.45pm – Entries are labelled and plated up

6.45 onwards – Eating and voting commences

Please note that you are most welcome to arrive any time after 6.00pm and avail yourself of the tea and coffee. As usual, I’d be grateful if you could let me know if you’re coming along (and entering).

Incidentally, The Caked Crusader and, consequently, ICL are now on Facebook and Twitter.

Why not befriend Samantha Cake on Facebook – it’s me!!!! And then become a fan of the Caked Crusader page. We will be using this to post news of upcoming events, have discussions, in fact anything fun involving cake. To make it even easier here’s a link

On Twitter you can find me as CakedCrusader. So there’s no excuse not to stay in touch. Can’t wait to see you all at our new home – The Cuban. And if you’re wondering why you should come, this is a good reminder:

Ginger, pecan and rum chocolate brownies

I very much enjoyed Levi Roots’ recent TV series “Caribbean food made easy” and this brownie recipe was the stand out for me as it contains pretty much all my favourite things!

The only disappointment was the cooking time he gave in the recipe. The recipe says 20-25 minutes and mine hadn’t set at that point so I gave my brownies an extra 10 minutes whilst worrying they wouldn’t be squidgy anymore. You’ll see from the photos that I didn’t achieve set brownies but more a chocolate pudding which - don’t get me wrong – was absolutely divine! I’m just telling you this as next time I’d probably give them 40 minutes or so in the oven, but I know ovens vary so you will just have to judge it for your oven.

The flavour combination is perfect and all the flavours and textures are distinct at different times. It would be very difficult to go back to a plain chocolate brownie after these!

I served them freshly baked with clotted cream ice cream for dessert but they would be just as nice at room temperature with some cream or on their own.

Ingredients:
250g plain chocolate (70% cocoa), broken into pieces
250g unsalted butter
5 eggs
350g dark muscovado sugar
2 tablespoons rum (dark rum is best)
150g plain flour
125g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
4 balls stem ginger, finely chopped

To serve: ice cream or cream

Method

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

- Line a brownie pan (30cm x 20cm) with baking paper.

- In a bowl over a simmering pan of water, ensuring the bowl does not touch the water, melt the chocolate and butter. Stir occasionally.

- Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.

- Beat together the eggs and sugar until well combined. As the sugar is heavy and granular the mixture won’t appear light and fluffy in the way that it would with caster sugar.

- Beat in the melted chocolate and butter and the rum.

- Fold in the flour.

- Fold in the pecan nuts and ginger.

- Pour (it will be very runny) into the prepared tin.

- Bake for a minimum of 25 minutes but it might take a lot longer. Ideally I think mine should have had 45-50 minutes but ovens vary so take care. When a skewer inserted into the middle only has a little residue on it, I’d say that’s done.

- Stand the brownie pan on a wire rack and leave to cool.

- Cut into squares.

- Either serve warm or at room temperature.

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

- Eat.