Milo Cupcakes with Condensed Milk Frosting

This weekend I was forced to bid farewell to daylight savings here in Melbourne. I think it’s such a sad occasion that it completely deserves a proceeding public holiday or at least a Government funded “here, have a free cupcake day” or something.

But in all honesty I can’t complain too much. We did have a pretty spectacular summer here – sunny and beautiful days, warm and balmy nights; summer perfection. Which sort of half explains the lack of posts here – too beautiful outside to spend time in the kitchen and definitely too hot to use the oven! But alas, the all too familiar BubblyBaker insanity has restored itself in the face of the rapidly approaching cold and gloomy Melbourne winter, which in BubblyBaker world can really only mean one thing – the justification for warm and delicious comfort food (huzzah)!

And so by comfort foods, what I really mean is copious amounts of chocolate. And by chocolate, I mean hot chocolate, and by hot chocolate I’m really talking about –

Ok, you get the point 😛

So in preparation for the very cold and dreary mornings ahead, I decided to make these fluffy milo cupcakes frosted with sweetened condensed milk. As recommended by RaspberriCupcakes I left mine in the oven slightly longer than instructed as per the recipe to achieve a more crusty top, and as the batter included sour cream, leaving the cupcakes longer in the oven didn’t affect the moisture of the batter at all – it still came out moist, soft and fluffy! Yummo!
Forewarning though; these cupcakes are ridiculously rich (from the frosting!) and so I highly recommend you down one with either a glass of milk, a glass of water, or if you’re as crazy as myself, a mug of milo 🙂

Milo Cupcakes
Recipe taken from Raspberri Cupcakes
Makes 24 mini cupcakes, and 4 regular sized cupcakes (or approx. 14 cupcakes)

200g plain flour
200g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
100g Milo (I added about 150 grams of milo)
1 tsp vanilla extract
180g sour cream
170g unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs

– Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
– Fill cupcake tray with liners.
– Using a food processor, place  all ingredients into the food processor (flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarb, Milo, vanilla, sour cream, butter, sour cream and eggs) pulse until the mixture is combined and smooth
– Fill cupcake liners until 3/4 full and bake for approx 15-20 mins or a skewer inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean.
– Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting the babies

Condensed Milk Frosting
Makes just enough to generously frost the cupcakes

150g unsalted butter, softened
250 g icing sugar, sifted (increase as required)
6 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
milk (as required)

– Beat the butter until fluffy
– Add the icing sugar into the butter and mix to incorporate
– Add condensed milk into the mixture and beat to combine
– If the mixture is too soft then add more icing sugar. If it is too thick to pipe, add milk by the tablespoon to thin the icing out.
– Frost those babies up!

Have fun 😀

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

One thing I love doing when travelling in foreign countries to my own is venturing through supermarkets to see the types of foods that are common to the locals. It’s always interesting to see what they’re loving in place of our Vegemite, Tim Tams, Lamingtons and even our beloved Arnotts Tiny Teddy’s biscuits.

One of the best things about being in the States was the discovery of the delicious Reese peanut butter cups, which actually wouldn’t have happened without the help of two uber awesome Canadians I met in Chicago.

They’re so super duper they even sent me a package filled with typical Canadian / American treats after I’d returned to Oz – did I mention they were awesome? 😀

I’ll be featuring some more of the goodies they sent me in a later post (plus the hilarious post card that came with it – looking at you Z :P) but for now, we really must focus on the star of their delicious package and basically my entire chocolate stash, Sir Reese. And yes, he totally warrants a Sir.

Peanut butter cups, where have you been all my life?!

Thankfully they actually sell them in some supermarkets here – I managed to score a whole carton full of mini peanut butter cups at our Costco. That day was a really beautiful day.

Anyway, I decided to finally feature them in some baked goods and made these chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, topping them with Sir Reeses. The cupcake was fluffy and moist, and because I’d used Hershey’s non-sweetened cocoa powder, they were not overly sweet so when paired with the peanut butter frosting, it worked perfectly.

Chocolate Cupcakes
Recipe taken from A cup of Mascarpone
The recipe below is for approx. 30 cupcakes, however I halved the recipe and got about 12 cupcakes

2 cups sugar

1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Hershey’s “Special Dark” Cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup hot brewed coffee

– Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

– Stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl
– Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla
– Beat on medium speed of hand mixer for 2 minutes
– Stir in hot coffee (batter will be thin)

– Fill cupcake liners approx. 2/3 full with batter
– Bake 22 – 25 minutes or until the centre springs back when touched.
– Place on wire racks and remove from the pans as soon as they’re able to be touched without burning yourself.
– Cool completely on wire racks before frosting

Peanut Butter Frosting

Frosts approx. 12 cupcakes

60 grams of butter, softened
1/2 cup of smooth peanut butter
1 tspn of vanilla
1 1/2 tblspn of milk (as required)
1 1/2 cups of icing sugar, sifted

– Cream the butter and peanut butter together until smooth
– Add in the vanilla and mix to combine
– Sift in the icing sugar gradually and beat to combine
– Add in the milk until the desired consistency is reached
– Frost your chocolate cupcake babies up!

– I also decorated the cupcakes with some diced up mini Reese peanut butter cups

Before I finish off, I thought I’d include a piccie of us wandering around inside Chicago’s State Library. We spotted a mini Bean and it was so shiny, we couldn’t resist a photo opp with our lovely smiles – even though it looks more like we’re checking to see if we have any left over breakfast on our teeth 😛

I also thought I’d include a sneak preview into one of the other super awesome (I really need to find more adjectives for that word) deliciousness they included in the package. I really, really, really cannot wait to use this in a recipe – I just need to find the perfect one. Oh, and I also need to work up the courage to actually take it out of the cute packaging… or not. No, I really need to. Not doing so is just cruel to… myself.

My new found Canadian pals, you guys are awesome (there’s that word again)! Chicago was so much fun with you two – a lot of silly conversations filled with too much laughing; from the Cats in a Blender, to the photo shoot in the sky, to the 2am ramen, those fun times will be cherished forever 😀

Vanilla Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

I made these cupcakes for my little cousin who turned a big whooooooping 19 a few weeks ago. I think. She’s either 19 or 20.  But I’m putting my money on the former. Wait, she could have possibly turned 18…

I’ve lost count. T’is what happens when you surpass your mid twenties and head towards the ‘pushing 30’ end. You begin to forget your maths, sense of time, and even your literary skills – in fact the spell check on this is telling me that “T’is'” is not a real word, but I beg to differ! It’s clearly an amalgamation of ‘This’ and ‘Is’ which is how the Gen-I ‘ers are all talking nowadays, ain’t it?

I should probably add an exponential increase in temperament to the list as well.

Either way, Little Cousin turning 18-19-20ish has got me reminiscing back to my heydays of when I thought reaching 21 was ‘old’ and that my freedom of life was going to end by say the age 25. Young BubblyBaker, you had a lot to learn. You still have a lot to learn.

 

 

Anyway, I decided to make a quick list of all the things I wish I had of known believed when I was 19.

– The first week of Uni is always redundant. Skip it and go to the beach instead! (To all my little cousins reading this, um, action at your own risk!!! No, I kid. Maybe ignore this point).
– Pick up a beater. Don’t be scared. The Kitchen is not a foreign place.
– Be more consistent with study habits. Less cramming, more organising. (Although I know that even if I tattooed this onto my 19 year old self, it would have had no effect whatsoever).
– Work less. Embrace the expected poor University student status and be a bum!
– Have faith in Harry Potter movies. They will get better.
– Spend as much time doing nothing with your friends. There’s going to come a point in your lives when commitments and life takes over, and there won’t be moments where you and your friends can drive to the local maccas to get yourself a soft serve cone at 3am in the morning.
and finally
– The Oprah Show is going to end! Watch as many episodes as you can!

So Little Cousin, Happy 19th or 20th Birthday 🙂 (I decided with what little logic I have left in my aging brain that you can’t be turning 18)

I hope you enjoyed your belated birthday cupcakes.  And Study Hard!!! 🙂 🙂

I used my usual go to recipe for the Vanilla Cupcakes. Without fail they always turn out fluffy and light, and they also keep quite well too.

Then as requested by Birthday Girl, I teamed it up with some raspberry buttercream which I made by adding some frozen raspberries to a standard buttercream mixture. I also made some marshmallow fondant roses which I stuck onto the cupcakes – I’ll include a  more descriptive post re: fondant in the future, but for now:

Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

Very generously frosts 12 cupcakes

170 grams of butter softened
2 1/2 cups to 3 cups of icing sugar (depending on how well you drain the raspberries)
1/3 cup of raspberries (if frozen, defrost and drain as best as you can)
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

– Beat the butter until smooth
– Add 2 cups of sifted icing sugar
– Beat to combine
– Add in vanilla essence and raspberries
– Beat until combined. If too watery to pipe, add in more icing sugar until the desired consistency is achieved.

Enjoy 🙂

Confetti Celebration Cupcakes

Growing up I was never a huge fan of sprinkles. Sure, they were pretty to look at and if there was nothing left on the party table but fairybread, then I would eat it, but I never craved it nor made it myself. Fast forward a couple of decades, and I will admit my indifference to fairybread remains.

However, I do still think that they are very pretty to look at. In fact, so pretty, that I usually spend hours online searching for all the different types out there. (Clearly my life can get very exciting!)

See, isn’t that pretty? Can you imagine tasting a rainbow? Do you want to dance? Wait, lets dress these babies up a little bit more first.

Here they are dressed with some white chocolate frosting, and of course finished with sprinkles. I also made some with chocolate frosting too, just to create a bit of colour. (Can’t have a good party without diversity!)

And just in case you hadn’t gotten enough of these psychedelic cupcakes, here’s one cut in half for you.

So purrrdy! Now, can we dance? 🙂

Confetti Celebration Cupcakes
Recipe slightly adapted from burnmenot
Makes 12 cupcakes

1 cup plus 6 1/2 tbsp cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
85 grams of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large egg whites
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used 1/2 tblspn of white vinegar with 1/2 cup of whole milk)
1/3 cup sprinkles

– Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners
– In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside
– In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy
– Add egg whites and beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl as necessary
– Add vanilla, mixing until incorporated
– With the mixer on low speed gradually mix in dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with buttermilk, ending with dry ingredients. Mix just until incorporated.
– Fold in sprinkles
– Divide batter evenly between muffin cups
– Bake 20-22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
– Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

White Chocolate or Chocolate Frosting
Generously frosts approx. 12 cupcakes

115 grams of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tspn of vanilla extract
2 cups of sifted icing sugar
1/2 cup of melted dark chocolate or white chocolate
2-3 tblspns of milk (or full cream) to alter consistency

– Cream the butter with an electric beater
– Add in vanilla essence. Beat to combine
– Add in 1 cup of sifted sugar and beat until almost combined
– Add in 1.5 tblspoons of milk (or cream) and beat until combined
– Add in 1 cup of sifted sugar and beat until almost combined
– Add in 1 to 1.5 tblspoons of milk (or cream) and beat until combined.
If the consistency is too runny, add more icing sugar. If the consistency is too thick, add more milk 1/2 tablespoon at a time.

Happy Baking! 🙂

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Last week, one of my closest friends turned 26. He’s one of my last friends to turn 26 as almost all (including myself) turned 26 last year in 2011. This year in 2012, we celebrate almost 13 years of friendship, with probably the last 8 being the most significant. I remember when we were 13 we use to walk to highschool together. Then when we were 18, he use to drive us both to University, and now at 26, we often catch the train together into the City for work.

He’s somebody I can always count on. Somebody who will always tell me the truth, even when it’s probably something I don’t want to hear.

Today, I made these Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting for him. I made them because he’s a treasured friend, and also because he’s been hassling me to bake him something for the past year 😉

Happy Birthday Narng 🙂