Basic Cupcakes

At school I got a reputation for being the 'Cupcake Queen'. People seem to think it's difficult to make cupcakes - but it's not. It really comes down to finding a quick and easy vanilla cake mix and knowing how to make a simple buttercream icing. This is the standard recipie i've used for a few years now and it works really well.

225g (8oz) unsalted butter softened
225g (8oz) SRF
225g (8oz) caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp baking powder

Using electric beaters beat all ingredients together for at least 3 minutes until pale and airated.
Spoon into baking cases and bake for 2o minutes in a moderate oven.

Depending on the size of your muffin pans - I know that the American sizes are completely different to the ones we use - this makes about 2 dozen regular sized cupcakes.

Baking Odds and Ends

This is just baking I've done recently. I don't really have the motivation nor the time to post individual recipies at the moment, however, should any one interest you - I am more than happy to provide.




Lamingtons


Cinamon swirls.



Chocolate Peppermint Creams.





Birthday Present for a friend - chocolate cupcakes with chocolate and coffee swirl icing. Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream icing and glacé cherries




Birthday present for a friend - vanilla cupcakes with buttercream icing






Sugar & Spice Palmiers with Honey Cream.





'Eggy Cupcakes' - vanilla cupcakes with vanilla butter cream icing and apricots

Coconut & Jasmine Green Tea Rice Pudding

This was superb. My fascination with green tea has begun.
It started with a brief recipe I sighted in an asian cookbook for green tea rice pudding - the traditional japanese way.


I had a quick search and found a recipe at Tiffany's Recipe Box for Coconut Green Tea Rice Pudding and adjusting according to what we had in the cupboard, as well as this neat post on 17 and Baking, this is what I came up with.

4 cups of boiling water
4 tbsp of jasmine green loose leaf/plunger tea
1 1/2 cups of uncooked jasmine rice (I used basmati as my pantry is sorely lacking of late)
1 can coconut cream
1/3 cup white sugar

extra:
200ml cream
vanilla
extra water

I used a double saucepan for the entire pudding process, excepting the syrup, because I was feeling lazy, it may work better for others to alternate between a few.

In a double saucepan, steep the tea in the boiling water for at least 5 minutes (I went about ten and wished i'd left it longer, as I really wanted to draw out the flavour of the tea). Same as my Chai process, I strained this through a standard sieve into a pouring jug then strained this through a fine sieve back into the saucepan.

Get the water at a high simmer in the double saucepan by adding a good teaspoon of salt. This raises the boiling point of the water generating greater heat. Add the rice and cook until all the water in absorbed.
Shake the can of coconut cream to mix the contents together. Add it all at once to the rice and stir to combine. Let this absorb into the rice, stirring occasionally, for about half an hour.

I love a really creamy rice pudding, generally which I achieve with copious amounts of milk. I didn't really feel like spending a great deal of time at the stove and so I grabbed a long life carton of cream from the fridge. I added a little milk, about two thirds of a cup, and about half a teaspoon of vanilla essence.
I added about half a cup of this to the pudding.

Turn off the heat and let the pudding sit.

I took a good third of a cup of the used jasime green tea mix and steeped in a 1 1/2 - 2 cups of boiling water for about half an hour while the pudding was cooking. I put this into a small saucepan and boiled for 5 minutes or so. I strained the tea leaves out then returned it to the pot with about half a cup of sugar. I put this on a high heat, stirring infrequently until sugar is dissolved and beginning to thicken.





Serve hot or cold in small bowls with a little of the cream mix and a little of the syrup.
When cold the flavour of the tea should be more pronounced.



Enjoy =)

Chai Please

Chai tea something sacred in my family. It came from frequenting the Chai tents at the local markets and this global music festival that gets held every year. Like most things, this resulted in an intensive internet search in which we taught ourselves the art of Chai making.

Since then Gloria Jeans had the wonderful idea of making Chai Tea Lattes. A friend of mine who works as a Barista swears by GJ's Chai, but I just can't go past the slightly more authentic spices-in-a-pot brew I make at home. (GJ's uses a pre-mixed chai tea spice which is infused for a few minutes)
It takes a little while, but the end product is worth it - and it makes your house smell delightful.


Chai is very much a trial and error process, you've just got to keep persisting to get the right blend of spice for your palate, the right amount or type of sugar (I often use brown or raw sugar), the best way of adding milk and the right length of time to boil for your pot/stove combination.


1 litre of water
2-3 cinamon quills
2 medium sized bay leaves
18 green cardamon pods
16 whole black peppercorns
18 whole cloves
4 slices of fresh ginger (or a small teaspoon of minced ginger works as well)
occasionally I add a little bit of star anise - but this can set the whole balance off, so be careful.

2 teaspoons black loose leaf tea
2 cups milk (use less for a stronger brew)
2 teaspoons white sugar to taste



Put the litre in a medium sized pot - this will reduce to about half the quantity before milk.
To release the spices efficiently I break up the cinamon quills by rolling them out - so there are lots of long thin pieces. Rip the bay leaves in half. The peppercorns and cloves go in whole. Sometimes I use half cardamon seeds and half the green pods - it just gives different flavours. You can put the seeds in as is, but if you use pods break them up so that you get the flavour of the shells and the seeds into the mix. (I use a mortar and pestle.) Slice the ginger thinly.

Put the pot onto boil and stir the spices so they distribute throughout the pot. Once it boils set it to simmer for around 40 minutes - a little longer if making a larger quantity.
Once it's been simmering for long enough, reduce the heat to low and take it off the heat. Add the tea, stir and leave to steep for at least 5 minutes.

Put pot back onto the heat, add milk and sugar to taste. Stir occasionally until the brew reaches the desired temperature.
Strain the whole mix into a bowl/pouring jug. I use a large normal sized sieve and then used a fine strainer to pour from the jug into individual mugs.

Alternatively you can strain the brew into a milk jug and froth using the steam function on a coffee machine to make a latte.




Leave a comment and let me know how you found this and tell me how you like your Chai brewed. =)




This will serve about 4 standard mugs of chai when finished, doubling this is easy - but you can't keep chai for very long unless it is kept warm due to the high milk content.

*note: this can be made in a slow cooker - left for 5 or so hours before adding milk.

Apple and maple caramel tartlets

Currently I'm in a post exam haze, involving very late nights, lots of coffee and many nights out with the friends I have been neglecting in the process of my hibernation. This has resulted in an inability to use recipes at present.
Thus my urge to bake become one large experiment, for the most part, these quantities are consistent with what I did. However, the caramel in particular was more of a touch and go kind of thing. I made it very messily with constant additions of water, maple syrup and sugar to reach the right flavour and consistencey.

I didn't like them so much - I thought the pastry was a little too thick, but they were quickly devoured by the family which is a very good sign.



Shortcrust pastry - makes about 500g/1 lb
250g/8 oz plain flour
150g/5 oz chilled, chopped unsalted butter
5 tbsp chilled water

Shift the flour into a large bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and add the water, mix with a flat bladed knife in a cutting action until the mix forms a dough. Pinch together into a disk and cover in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Because I used a delicately sweet filling, I didn't add any sugar to the pastry. This pastry is perfect for tartlets as it isn't too sweet or savoury. However, 2 tbsp of caster sugar can be added to make it sweeter.


Maple Caramel (all measurements are approximations)
150g/5 oz Brown sugar
90g/3 oz Butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp water
1/4 cup / 4 fl oz milk

Melt butter in a small saucepan on low heat. Add 1/3 cup sugar, water and maple syrup. Stir frequently until beginning to thicken. Add milk and remaining sugar and stir until thick.
Take off the heat.



To make tartlets:

Baking paper
Blind baking beads, dried beans or rice
Tinned or stewed apples (I wasn't in the mood to stew my own and so just used a tin of pie apples)


Grease two twelve regular cup muffin pans (The quantity of tartlets depends on the thickness of the pastry and the size of tin used, I didn't get quite 24).
Roll out pastry onto a floured surface. I used a scallop edged scone cutter to cut circles of pastry. Line pans with pastry, pressing into the mould.

These need to be blind baked slightly so they don't go soggy. Take a sheet of baking paper and cut about 9x9 cm squares. Press on top of the pastry to cover pans. Fill with baking beads, dried beans or rice. Bake in a moderate oven 10 minutes.

Remove the baking paper and beads. Fill the cases with a teaspoon or so of apple so that they are almost full. Cover with a small layer of caramel. Return to the oven for 10 or so more minutes until the pastry is beginning to turn golden.

Set aside for 10 minutes until the caramel is cooled before eating.

Salad...Bellisimo

After school last Friday I threw this together for lunch, combining a lot of different elements from my fridge. I really like the tastes and textures that resulted and have made it a few times since. It's simple, easy and tastes great.
The measurements are rough as this is more of a throw together deal, but I have attempted to give an estimation of each.
I tweaked and doubled the ingredients to make it for 3, but it could be a smaller meal for 4.



Baby spinach leaves
Cherry tomatoes (about 8)
Feta Cheese (A really creamy one like Danish Feta)
1 Large Avocado
2 Slices of White Bread
2-3 Slices of bacon
2 Eggs
1 Large spring onion

Lime
Olive oil


Firstly, chuck the spinach leaves into a large bowl, I use about two big handfuls. Slice the spring onion finely and add to the bowl. Cut about 5cm off the Feta and dice into cubes.

Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and grill on high until the edges begin to blacken. The juices are very hot so I tend to hold the bowl near the grill and quickly chuck them in.

Fry the bacon in a shallow fry pan on medium heat - don't use oil as the bacon has enough fat to grease the pan - drain over a folded paper towel to remove oil.
While the bacon is resting, whisk the two eggs in a small bowl with salt and pepper. Pour into pan to make an omelete. When the bottom is beginning to brown use a spatula to flip the omelete over - it only needs a small amount of time on the second side, so don't leave it for too long. Tip the omelete onto a plate and rest.
Cut or tear the bacon and omelete into small pieces and add to bowl.

Toast the bread. I like to cut off the crusts and slice the rest into squares as this makes it easier to eat.

I tend to leave the avocado til last to reduce the oxidation, but it doesn't really matter. Just split the avocado, dice the flesh and spoon into the bowl.


Use the lime and olive oil to make a light dressing. I generally use about 2 parts lime to 3 oil and shake this up with some seasoning.
I don't use much as it can clash with the flavour of the egg. Drizzle a little over the salad.

Toss the salad well, you want the feta to spread throughout to give a really nice creamy texture.

Eat immediately!

New

Now, after having re-started my primary blog, essentially as my outlet of social and cultural commentary and criticism, I feel the need to blog recipies and food experiences.

Baking is an essential facet of my life and as such I find it difficult not to blog about what i'm currently atteempting to creates. As a result, this is 'The Scrutiny of Taste' which I aim to document, largely for myself, what and when I make different dishes.