Cured the Crave for Cupcakes

The foodies' malady starts with a desire that works effortlessly to a craving. I had to conjure a cure for a sudden craving for cupcakes.  To do that I've to convince everyone of my unfailing culinary skills and mark the event on the calendar. So over the weekend Japhia and I, by alchemy transmutated our concoction into golden favorites for gastronomy.

Japhia and I could not decide on one flavour so we made two - orange cupcakes and chocolate cupcakes.


We extracted recipes off the net.

Butterfly Orange Cupcake by Amy Beh:

Ingredients

- 250g butter

- 175g castor sugar

- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

- 1/2 tsp orange essence

- 4 eggs

- 1 tsp grated orange rind

- 225g self-raising flour, sifted

- 1 tbsp UHT milk

- 1 tbsp orange juice

- 2 tbsp chopped glazed cherries, tossed with 1 tbsp plain flour

- 200g whipped cream

- strawberries, sliced

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190*C. Cream butter and sugar until light. Add both essences and beat until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

2. If mixture begins to curdle, beat in a tablespoon of self-raising flour before adding remaining eggs. Add in grated orange rind and mix.

3. Fold in flour, half at a time, alternating it with the milk and orange juice and mix well on lowest speed. Stir in chopped cherries.

4. Spoon mixture into paper cups and bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until cakes are done.

5. Leave cupcakes to cool, then slice off the top quarter of each cake. Cut each of these pieces into half (to make the butterfly wings).

For decoration: Pipe some whipped cream on top of each cake, then stick on two cake pieces to resemble the wings of a butterfly. Decorate with some strawberry slices or chocolate chips.

Chocolate cupcake recipe:

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

- 25g/1oz self-raising flour

- 25g/1oz cocoa powder

- 50g/2oz caster sugar

- 50g/2oz margarine

- 1 egg, beaten

For the chocolate icing

- 100g/4oz icing sugar

- 2 teasp cocoa powder

- approx 1 tbsp water

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190*C, 375*F, gas mark 5 and place 10 paper fairy cake cases evenly on the baking tray.

2. Place all the cupcake ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until well blended. The mixture should be soft enough to drop easily from the spoon when tapped.

3. Place a heaped teaspoon of cupcake mixture in each paper case and bake towards the top of the oven for 12-15 minutes, until the cupcakes are well-risen and firm to the touch.

4. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

5. Once cold, sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl, add water and mix until smooth. The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but not too runny.

6. Place a teaspoon of the chocolate icing on the top of each chocolate cupcake and smooth with the back of the spoon. Put aside to set for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Japhia and I got started on orange cupcakes first.

Since Japhia wanted fairy/baby cupcakes and I thought it'd be nice to have big ones, we made both.

Ingredients to cook up the perfect mess.

Me at work.

In the beginning.

Now, I present you...

successful orange cupcakes!

Soon Japhia had to leave so I was shorthanded for a while until Sue Li came and helped with the chocolate cupcakes.

Orange and chocolate fairy cupcakes with LOTS of chocolate chips.

Then, Sue Li had to leave.

My favourite part: the icing.

I used whipped cream

because it's easy. :D

 

 

 

Smile at the world and the world will smile back at you.

Taste of cupcakes? PASS.

[Amy Beh's recipe surpassed the other]

Craving cured.