Red Velvet Cupcakes

And so we segue to baking...After posting the Phad Thai entry, Red velvet cupcakes might appear off tangent to the Asian cooking themes that I have been indulging myself with of late. But this simply goes to show that I remain true to my blog site's name: NoSetMenu. We dance to the rhythm of life, right? Free flowing; not restricted; thinking out of the box. :) Plus, there is a plethora of recipes out there waiting to be had  and a whole gamut of dishes to enjoy in gastronomic proportions.

I was asked to bring a plate of goodies by the office to celebrate Pink Ribbon Day last week. October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Pink Ribbon Day aims to raise funds for research for prevention and cure. Celebration is seemingly an oxymoron as there is nothing to celebrate about breast cancer. But an awareness drive is indeed integral; there is no cure to breast cancer. At least not yet. For now, an early detection will save the lives of our mothers, sisters, girlfriends and of course ours. I have done my own fair share of mamograms and ultra sounds, Im going to hit the BIG 40 in a few years but Im quite pedantic about health this early. And like good ole John Mayer would say, "your body is a wonderland". Hehehe. Not quite. Its more like what my little boy would always tell me that I treat my body like a temple. And he is absolutely right. Our body is the only one we have. Cloning is not an option. Hehehe. What am I saying? Im blabbing yet again...

And so,  I brought red velvet cupcakes to the office and pinned a pink ribbon on my bosom.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups (125 grams) sifted cake flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoons (10 grams) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cups (150 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk

1 tablespoon liquid red food colouring

1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted

2/3 cup (160 ml) cold heavy whipping cream (double cream) (35-40% butterfat)

Red Velvet Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line 12 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food colouring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. 

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly among the 12  muffin cups and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 18 - 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes and them remove from pan. Let cool completely before frosting. Either spread the frosting with a knife or offset spatula, or use a large 1M Wilton open star decorating tip to pipe the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to pipe. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes With Chocolate Ganache

I don't normally bake cupcakes for the simply reason that they can be quite "sinful", especially my kind of cupcake. I don't bake them plain. My kind of cupcake needs to have a filling. And loads of chocolate bars...It can really be rich you know. And to remain true to this, here is yet another example; with filling of peanut butter goodness ensconced by delectable chocolate and topped with frosty chocolate treat. What else can you ask for?

*Snagged from my favourite cupcake blog: http://cupcakeblog.com/

Chocolate Cupcakes
24 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

5.4 ounces dark chocolate or 3/4 of a 200 gram bar of Valrhona 61% cocao
22 tablespoons butter (yes, nearly three sticks of butter!)
1-3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
6 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
4-1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

1. Melt chocolate and butter over a water bath.
2. Add sugar and stir, let mixture cool for 10 minutes.
3. Beat in an electric mixer for 3 minutes.
4. Add one egg at a time, mixing for 30 seconds between each
5. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and a pinch of salt into the mixture and mix until blended.
6. Scoop into cupcake cups and bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.


Peanut Butter Filling

4 ounces or 1/2 package of Philly cream cheese
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk

1. Beat cream cheese and peanut butter until combined.
2. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until combined.
3. Add the milk and beat until combined.

Chocolate Ganache

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
5 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar

1. Chop chocolates and transfer into a heat proof bowl.
2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream over the chocolate.
3. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.
4. Add butter and vanilla and stir until combined.
5. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixture and let cool for 10 minutes.
6. Sift powdered sugar into the mixture and beat until combined.
7. Continue to beat with an electric mixer until lighter in color and creamy.


mid-assembly

Assemble
1. Using a small pairing knife, cut off the top of the cupcake in the shape of a cone. Flip the top over and cut off the cone.
2. Fill the cavity with a teaspoon or so of peanut butter filling.
3. Replace top.
4. Frost with ganache.
5. Decorate as you wish.

Sicilian Orange Cake or Muffin

I bake every Sunday no fail. It is imperative for me to bake because my little boy and I often bring the food to our respective work places to accompany us during tea break. :) And I love cooking on Sundays because I just love making my little boy happy...We also try to stay at home during Sundays so that we can recharge our batteries for the week days ahead of us.

And nothing can be more appropriate than this Sicilian Orange Cake, a favourite of one of my favourite food bloggers, Rima of bisousatoi.com. 

I went mad buying so many different paper cupcake cups a couple of weeks ago that it is high time for me to slowly deplete my supply, and so rather than bake a cake out of this beautiful orange cake recipe, I opted to make muffins instead. Same same but different!

True enough, an orange-y breeze wafted around the house, mesmerising and alluring...such is the Sicilian Orange Cake/Muffin.

*Adapted by http://www.bisousatoi.com/ and  http://almostbourdain.blogspot.com/2009/08/sicilian-

orange-cake.html

Ingredients

250g lightly salted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing

250g caster sugar

4 medium eggs

1 1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest

250 g self raising flour

85 ml freshly squeezed orange juice

For the icing:

125 g icing sugar

5 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Method

- Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease and line a 22-cm clip-sided round cake with non-stick baking paper (since I opted to use muffin paper cups, no greasing was done).

- Using an electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together for 4-5 minutes until very pale. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating very well between each one, if necessary adding a spoonful of flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture from curdling. Beat in the orange zest. Add the flour all at once and mix in well, then slowly mix in the orange juice.

- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 45-50 minutes (if you are doing cupcakes or muffins, bake for only 20 minutes, mini bundt cake for only 15-20 minutes) or until a skewer, inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean. If it starts to brown too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of lightly buttered foil.

- Leave the cake, in its tin, to cool on a wire rack, then carefully remove the sides and base of the tin and peel off the paper. Put it onto a serving plate.

- For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the orange juice until you have a spreadable consistency. Spread it over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides, and leave to set. Serve cut into slices, and store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Chocolate Cupcakes with lace butterflies topping

I didn't think I can actually pull off this feat, but I am never the one to back down from a challenge.  And so, I cruise along until I got to the end of the road...after a gruelling night of piping galore. Lol! On one hand, baking these cupcakes is like learning your ABCs, its very easy. On the other hand, making the lace butterflies, the most challenging part, is like learning your multiplication table, its never easy at first but once you get the hang of it, you'll knock everyone's socks off. 

I brought these cupcakes to Jinky and Glen's baby girl, Lynette, christening. Just seeing the little one's bedimpled smile and watching her dazzling her guests with her change of outfits during the party are worth learning my multiplication table...again! :))

Chocolate cupcakes

Makes 36

Ingredients:

430g plan flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

250ml hot water

100g cocoa

250ml cold water

250g unsalted butter, softened

560g caster sugar

4 eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla essence

Preheat the over to 170C. Line three 12-hole muffin trays with cupcake papers.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl whisk together the hot water and cocoa until you have a smooth paste. Add the cold water and whisk until evenly combined.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter for 1-2 minutes. Add the caster sugar and two of the eggs. Beat until light. Add the last two eggs one at a time, beating until well combined, then stir in the vanilla essence. Add half of the flour to the creamed mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Add half of the cocoa mixture and beat until combined. Repeat this process but do not over-beat as this will thoughen the mixture.

Divide the mixture between the cupcake papers. They should be about half full as this mixture rises substantially. Bake for 25 minutes or until springy when pressed in the centre.

Cool cupcakes in the muffin tray for 5 minutes before removing the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Assembly:

Lace Butterflies 

Ingredients:

royal icing

edible glitter (dont sweat on this if you cant find any, I didn't put any on my cupcakes)

butterfly template (trace some butterflies on a sheet of baking paper)

baking paper

tinfoil

Trace the template onto baking paper and place a clean piece of baking paper over the traced design and secure together with tape. Have several pieces of baking paper ready to place over the template as you mass-produce the butterflies with royal icing.

Make a paper piping bag, I used zip lock instead (makes life easier) and snip one edge off so the hole is about 1mm in diameter.

Pipe a thin line of icing over the design, making sure to join the filigree to the sides of the butterfly wings for support. Sprikle the butterfly wings with edible glitter while wet and allow to dry overnight.

Make a support for the butterflies by bending a doubled sheet of foil into a U shape with a flat bottom. Cut a strip of baking paper 1cm wide to line the base of the U.

Pipe a small dot of icing for the head of the butterfly and join a 1cm long body-shaped line to this. Place a left and right wing into the icing, making sure the wings form a V-shape and are inserted well into the icing. Allow to dry overnight.

Peel off the paper  and use to decorate your cakes

Chocolate Ganache -

Dark Chocolate ganache

400g dark chocolate

375ml cream

White Chocolate Ganache

600g white chocolate

250ml cream

Melt the chocolate and cream together over a saucepan of gently simmering water or in the microwave on low power. Stir to combine and set aside to cool before use.

Royal Icing -

1 egg white

300g icing sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Beat the egg white in a small bowl with electric beaters until foamy. Gradually add the sugar a spoonful at a time, beating well after each addition. The icing is ready when peaks appear and hold their shape. Beat in the lemon juice.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap until required.

Using a fine nozzle, pipe the royal icing onto the silicon paper, if you don't have silicon paper, use foil instead, to make the butterflies. The icing will harden when dry and can be easily lifted off the silicon paper.