Pina colada cupcakes

The weather has been horrible all week: cold, grey, damp and just generally yucky. Therefore I decided to put a little sunshine into my baking with these pina colada cupcakes. The sun even came out for the photo!


These are the real deal – they use coconut rum, cream of coconut and pineapple, just like the cocktail. I defy anyone not to smile at the cocktail umbrella – which is somehow so naff it’s cool! I tried to keep the cupcakes as authentic as possible and used proper cocktail ingredients:


The smell of the cupcakes cooking was lovely; strong coconut but also the tropical smell of rum and pineapple. The recipe says to use glace pineapple but I couldn’t find it and didn’t have time to make my own, so I used dried sugared pineapple. Although it is dried it still tastes juicy. Using scissors I cut it into small, currant-sized, pieces. You can just make out the flecks of pineapple in this photo:


OK, so these would be better enjoyed sitting on a beach in the Caribbean, but then most things fall into that category!


Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
90g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g caster sugar
125ml cream of coconut
2 eggs
2 tablespoons coconut rum (I used Malibu)
150g self raising flour
100g glace pineapple, chopped (you can use dried pineapple as long as it’s still soft and juicy)

For the icing:
300g icing sugar
1 tablespoon coconut rum
100ml cream of coconut (you might need a bit more or less, depends on consistency of icing)
12 pieces glace pineapple (or chunks –fresh or dried)
12 glace cherries

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan oven 170°C/375°F/Gas mark 5.
- Line a 12 hole bun tray with paper cases.
- Start by beating together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the cream of coconut, eggs, rum and flour until the mixture is smooth.
- Stir in the pineapple.
- Spoon the mixture into the 12 paper cases and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Mine took 20 minutes.
- Leave the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack.
- To make the topping, place the icing sugar, rum and some of the cream of coconut in a bowl and beat until thick and glossy. It is best to add the cream of coconut gradually as you may not need all of it; on the other hand you may need a little more. Use your judgement until you get the thick consistency of glace icing.
- Spread the icing over each cupcake.
- Thread a piece of pineapple and a glace cherry onto a cocktail umbrella and press into the cupcake. Repeat until all cupcakes are thus decorated.
- Leave the icing to set before serving.
- Bask in glory at 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.

Dorset apple cake

I have fond memories of family holidays in Dorset; Bridport to be more exact. We’d load up the car with everything from sandwiches for the journey (the sausage and ketchup would always go first) to the dog’s basket and hope that we’d get there without Dinky (the dog) puking over one of us. Waiting for us was Mallards, the fabulous shop in Bridport High Street that sold a thrilling array of pies including big pork pies with crimped tops. We were Blackadder obsessed at the time so the shop instantly became known to us as “Miggins” after Mrs Miggins’ Pie Shop. Ahhhh, memories.


What that little jaunt down memory lane is meant to indicate, other than most of my memories involve food, is that I have a fondness for anything with a Dorset connection. In my mind Dorset is a place of lovely pies and cakes, thus when I saw this recipe I gave it my full attention.


The cake is moist because of the apple. As there is sugar in both the cake and the extremely crumbly topping I chose a tart apple – a Granny Smith – to provide some contrast. It worked very well.


I served the cake at room temperature with Chantilly cream. It would also be lovely hot with custard.


Ingredients:
For the cake:
110g unsalted butter, at room temperature
150g light brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
175g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons milk (whole or semi skimmed)
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced (I used Granny Smith)

For the crumble:
25g unsalted butter, cold
75g plain flour
50g Demerara sugar
Pinch of cinnamon

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan oven 140°C/315°F/Gas mark 2-3.
- Grease and line a 20cm square tin. It’s easier if the tin is either springform or loose bottomed.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. I always find this takes longer when using brown sugar.
- Gradually beat in the eggs. If the mix looks like it’s curdling add some of the flour.
- Fold in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon.
- Stir in the milk.
- Stir in the chopped apple.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and put to one side.
- Now make the crumble topping: Rub the butter into the flour until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the sugar and cinnamon.
- Scatter the crumble over the top of the cake and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Mine took 45 minutes.
- Serve either hot with custard or cold with cream.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.

Blond ginger cake

I think the “blond” in the title must refer to the icing as the ginger cake is the usual colour. It was the icing that sold this one to me as I’ve never made buttercream with golden syrup in it before...and yes, it was as delicious as you’d expect! Picasso had his Blue and Rose Periods; I’m going through a buttercream period – it may last some time!


The other unusual ingredient is lager. I have used lager in gingerbread before (in my pre-blog days) and found it lightened the batter; it’s not really dissimilar in concept to using lager or beer in batter for fish and chips or tempura batter. The recipe only requires a tiny amount of lager and if, like me, you hate waste ensure you have a lager drinker on standby to consume the rest!

Here you can see the light, open texture of the cake:


I probably use ginger more than any other spice but I know I’m not alone in this – whenever I post a ginger cake it always becomes one of the most popular recipes. At this time of year when it’s cold, grey and wet the warmth that ginger gives is most welcome!


If you make this cake in advance of eating, the flavour matures and the top goes deliciously sticky. I recommend making the cake one or two days before you intend to serve, then make the buttercream on the day.

Ingredients:
For the cake:
110g light muscovado sugar
110g unsalted butter
30g golden syrup
55g runny honey
225g plain flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 eggs
2 tablespoons lager (I used stella artois)

For the buttercream:
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
90g icing sugar
1 teaspoon golden syrup

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4.
- Line a 900g loaf tin with baking paper.
- Place the sugar, butter, golden syrup and honey in a saucepan over a gentle heat until all the ingredients have melted leaving a smooth thick paste. Stir occasionally to ensure that there are no lumps.
- Put the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger into a large mixing bowl and combine.
- Pour the melted ingredients into the flour and stir well. At this point, the mix will be very thick and won’t actually look much in volume.
- Beat in the eggs.
- Add the lager. You will now have a runny batter with lots of air in it.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Mine took 50 minutes.
- Leave the cake to cool for 15 minutes in the tin before turning out and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, the cake can be kept for several days in an airtight container.
- When required, make the buttercream: whisk the butter until it’s very light and fluffy.
- Whisk in the icing sugar until the mixture looks almost like a mousse.
- Whisk in the golden syrup.
- Spread the buttercream over the top of the cake.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.