Alcoholic Cupcakes, Courtesy of Rebecca

Rebecca has been my partner in crime since we met in school about 9 years ago. We're currently separated by a sea, but we're still as close as ever. Unfortunately though, the distance does mean that I miss out on her amazing baking skills! She really does make the most delicious cakes and desserts: for my last birthday, she made me gorgeous Red Velvet Cupcakes AND Red Velvet Whoopie Pies! 

For a party last week, she made Strawberry Daiquiri and Mojito cupcakes and I thought I'd share the recipes for them here with you. Don't they look delicious?

 

From Cake Days by the Hummingbird Bakery:


Strawberry Daiquiri Mini Cupcakes (24-30 mini cupcakes)

Ingredients:

For the sponge
100 ml white rum
170 g caster sugar
150 g strawberries
40 g unsalted butter, softened
120 g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
120 ml whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

For the frosting
80 g unsalted butter, softened
250 g icing sugar
1/2 tsp finely grated lime zest
4 tsp whole milk
Sliced strawberries to decorate

Preheat the oven to 170 C (325 F), Gas mark 3, and fill a 24 hole muffin tin with mini muffin cases.

Add the rum and 30 g of the sugar to a small saucepan and bring to the boil, allowing it to reduce by about half, then set aside to cool slightly. Hull and chop the strawberries into small pieces, then soak in the rum and sugar reduction for 30 - 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, slowly whisk together the butter, flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix until the ingredients come together and resemble fine breadcrumbs.

In a jug whisk the egg, milk and vanilla essence together. With the whisk running on a low speed, gradually pour the liquid mixture into the flour and butter mix, and mix thoroughly.

Drain the strawberries from the rum reduction, reserving the liquid, and place a few small pieces of strawberry in each cupcake case. Spoon the cake batter on top, filling each case by two thirds. Any remaining batter can be spooned into one to six more paper cases in a second mini muffin tin.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until cupcakes are a light golden brown and bounce back when lightly pressed. While still warm, spoon about half a teaspoon of the rum reduction over each cake, then leave to cool completely before frosting.

 

Using a whisk on a low speed, beat together the butter, icing sugar and lemon zest until combined and crumb like in texture, then mix together the milk and 4 teaspoons of the reserved rum reduction in a jug. Pour the milk and rum into the butter and icing sugar mixture, still mixing on a low speed. When all the liquid has been incorporated, increase the speed to high and beat the frosting until soft and fluffy. 

Smooth the frosting on to the cupcakes using a palette knife. They can then be topped with strawberries to decorate.

Mojito Mini Cupcakes (24 to 30 mini cupcakes)

Ingredients:

For the sponge
100 ml white rum
170 g caster sugar
40 g unsalted butter, softened
120 g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp finely grated lime zest
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tbsp finely chopped mint
1 large egg
120 ml whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

For the frosting
80 g unsalted butter, softened
250 g icing sugar
1/4 tsp finely grated lime zest
1/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest
4 tsp whole milk
4 tsp white rum
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp grated lime zest or finely chopped mint to decorate.

Preheat the oven to 170 C (325 F), Gas Mark 3, and line a 24 hole muffin tin with mini muffin cases. 

In a small saucepan, bring the white rum and 30 g of the sugar to the boil, allowing it to reduce by half, then set aside.

Using a whisk set on a low speed, beat together the butter, flour, salt, baking powder, lime and lemon zest, mint and remaining sugar. Mix until ingredients have come together and are crumb like in consistency.

Mi together the remaining ingredients for the sponge in a jug. With the whisk still on a low speed, gradually pour the liquid ingredients into the flour and butter mixture and mix thoroughly.

Spoon the cake batter into the paper cases, filling each up to two thirds full. Any remaining batter can be used to fill one to six more cases in a separate tin. Place in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until cupcakes are a light golden brown on top and springy to the touch.

While the cupcakes are still warm, spoon about 1/2 a teaspoon of the rum reduction over each cake, then leave the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Using the whisk, mix together the butter, icing sugar, lemon and lime zest on a low speed until combined and sandy in consistency. In a jug stir together the milk and rum, then pour this into the butter and icing sugar while still mixing on a low speed. When all the liquid ingredients have been incorporated increase the speed to high and beat the frosting until light and fluffy. 

Divide the frosting between the cupcakes, smoothing it on with a palette knife. To finish mix the caster sugar with the grated lime zest or chopped mint in a small bowl, then sprinkle this on top of the frosted cupcakes. 

Malted Chocolate Cupcakes

I made these delicious Malted Chocolate Cupcakes yesterday. The recipe is from The Hummingbird Bakery's wonderful cookbook, Cake Days. If you are in London, be sure to visit one of their shops (which are located in Soho, South Kensington, Notting Hill, Spitalfields and Islington). The Spitalfields branch is my favourite. The daily specials are changed quite regularly, and the seven current flavours (running from Monday to Friday) are Tiramisu, Apple Streusel, Panettone, Crème Brûlée, Key Lime, Eton Mess, and Grasshopper. Now that I can't visit their shops, I am forced to make my own! And I was very happy with how this recipe turned out. The frosting alone would be delicious spread over a basic chocolate sponge. Although the recipe has quite a few ingredients, it is actually very easy to make: it mostly consists of beating different ingredients together! And I found that most the ingredients I either had, or could buy quite cheaply. I would strongly recommend it.

From Cake Days:

Malted Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 12 to 16 cupcakes

For the sponge

150ml sunflower oil
75ml whole milk
75ml buttermilk
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
240g plain flour
25g cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
330g caster sugar
150ml boiling water

For the frosting

200g dark chocolate chips
240ml double cream
115g malted milk powder (I used Horlicks)
50g full fat cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
35g caster sugar
Malteasers, to decorate

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F), Gas Mark 5 and fill a muffin tin with muffin cases.

I love my cupcake cases: my mum bought them for me in John Lewis

Using an electric whisk, beat together the oil with the buttermilk, egg and vanilla essence on low speed until well blended. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, then stir in the sugar. Add a third of these dry ingredients to the oil and milk mixture and beat in slowly until evenly incorporated.

Beat in a third of the boiling water, followed by another third of the dry ingredients, then repeat with the remaining ingredients, mixing together until they are are all combined. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition, to ensure a well-mixed batter.

Finished sponge batter

Divide the mixture between the paper cases, filling each by two thirds. (I tried doing this with a spoon to begin with...so messy. So I used a jug to pour the mixture in which was much easier!) Any remaining batter can be used to fill one to four more cases in seperate tin. Place in the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until springy to touch. Allow to cool a little before removing from the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool down completely before adding the frosting.

Springy to touch!

To make the frosting, place the chocolate chips in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to melt, then remove from the heat to set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, using the electric whisk, whip the cream with the malted milk powder until it forms soft peaks. In a seperate bowl, beat the cream cheese with the caster sugar until combined, then add the cooled chocolate and mix again.

Carefully fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, adding half of the whipped cream at a time. Divide the frosting between the cupcakes, smoothing and swirling with a palette knife (which I don't have: maybe that's why mine are not that smooth!), then decorate each cupcake with 3 Malteasers.

Frosting, which should probably come with a health warning it's so good!

Halfway there!

Easy Banana Bread

I love banana bread, and this one is so easy to make. I made one this evening, and just had a warm slice with a cup of tea...yum.

First slice!

Banana Bread

(From The Complete Farmhouse Kitchen Cook Book with slight adjustments)

2 ripe bananas
50g margarine
150g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
225g self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
Half a teaspoon cinnamon
Some grated nutmeg

Mash bananas.
Cream together the margarine and sugar.
Beat in eggs.
Add flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and banana and mix well.
Put in a greased and floured one and a half or two pound loaf tin.
Bake in the middle of the oven at 190 degrees (in a fan assisted oven) for about 50 minutes, or until loaf is golden brown, springy to touch, and shrinking slightly from the side of the tin.
Turn on to wire rack to cool.

Ready to be mixed

Mix it up!

Perfectly baked