Sweet Tooth Experiments

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Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes

Posted on Posted in Cupcakes .

Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes

Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes

You are correct, white chocolate and macadamia is a stock-standard flavor combo, nothing new or unusual here. And lemon, well this is also a very common baking ingredient that is sometimes paired with white chocolate. The reason these flavors are common is because they are so divine together.

So if I’m creative a recipe that’s stock-standard what is going on and why even bother making up a recipe? The hero ingredient in which I have never baked with before and don’t believe I have ever even heard of being in a sweet treat before is the Lemongrass (also lemon and macadamia is a little unusual in itself but not enough for me to create a recipe off).

The lemongrass provides a lovely variation to the norm lemon flavor, the salted macadamia provides a lovely crunch texture to the cupcake and the salt elevates the tone in the white chocolate making this cupcake super delicious and walks all over any lemon cupcake I have ever had!

Also, the natural yoghurt and the lemon juice adds a slight sourness and bitterness that offsets the intense sweetness of the icing sugar making the icing a lovely more restrained addition.

Ingredients:

  • 250g flour
  • 4 tsn baking powder
  • ½ tsn salt
  • 80g sugar
  • 160g white chocolate
  • 80g macadamias
  • 40g Lemongrass
  • 1 tbsn lemon zest
  • 70g butter
  • 100g apple puree
  • 140ml buttermilk
  • 2 eggs

Icing:

  • 70ml natural yoghurt
  • 300g icing sugar
  • 15ml lemon juice

 

Method:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200c degrees and line a 12 hole cupcake tin with patty cases.
  2. Sieve the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine.
  3. Chop the white chocolate and macadamia into small pieces and place into the flour mix, stir.
  4. Grate the lemongrass and stir into the flour mix.
  5. Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave and add the buttermilk, puree and eggs. Whisk with a hand whisk until well combined.
  6. Pour the milk mix into the flour mix and using a hand whisk beat until just combine.
  7. Pour the batter into the patty cases and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until and skewer in the center comes out clean.
  8. Place the cupcakes onto a cooling rack until cool.
  9. Meanwhile to make the icing beat the ingredients until well combined.
  10. Using a spatula spread over the cupcake evenly.
  11. Grate extra white chocolate, macadamia and lemon zest over the icing.

 

Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes
Step 8
Low Fat White Chocolate Saffron and Vanilla Cupcakes

Step 9

 

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Millet Chocolate Chili and Cinnamon Cupcakes

Posted on Posted in Cupcakes .

Millet Chocolate Chili and Cinnamon Cupcakes

Millet Chocolate Chili and Cinnamon Cupcakes recipes

This was quite an interesting experiment for me as I have never ever cooked with millet. In fact before I read a little on this grain online I never knew it existed. How I came to baking with this ingredient?

I had a grain salad while out for lunch recently and one of the ingredients was Freekeh, which I have had before but never knew what it was. I really liked the way the Freekeh was cooked and tasted in the salad and as I have dabbled with grain baking in the past (Quinoa Berry Christmas Cake as an example) I decided I wanted to experiment with this ingredients.

As I was doing my research into the Freekeh grain I came across the millet grain which is quite similar to couscous, which I have baked a cake with before.

I figured that as I had a Sunday free I would buy both ingredients and make Freekeh based cupcakes and Millet based cupcakes. Now they both have completely different textures and flavor profiles so the flavor pairings and base cupcake ingredients were different but the results were interesting.

The freekeh chocolate and peanut cupcakes were ok but I noticed over time the freekeh lost its softness and was too hard in the mix (maybe my fault for under cooking??).

The Millet cupcakes were vanilla and macadamia nut to enhance the millets nutty flavor…this was not an exciting cupcake to rave about. I then decided to use the millet as a texture not as a flavor profile and added chilli, chocolate and cinnamon to the mix. The outcome of this was great, the texture of the millet is really soft and light and adds a texture pop to the treat. As for the Freekeh…it may just be a lost cause but I’m sure I will try again in the near future.

 

Ingredients:

Millet:

  • 180g millet
  • 360g water
  • 30g butter

Cake:

  • 1 egg
  • 100g sugar
  • 90ml buttermilk
  • 90ml canola oil
  • 30g cocoa powder
  • 1 tsn ground cinnamon
  • 160g flour
  • ½ tsn baking powder
  • ¼ tsn bicarbonate of soda
  • Pinch salt
  • ¼ tsn chili powder

Frosting:

  • 200g icing sugar
  • 30g cocoa powder
  • 100g butter
  • ¼ tsn chili powder
  • ½ tsn ground cinnamon

 

Method:

  1. Pre heat the oven to 175c degrees and line a 12 capacity cupcake tin with patties.
  2. Place the millet in a frying pan on high and stir until the millet is slightly golden.
  3. Add 360ml water to the pan and turn the heat to a simmer stirring.
  4. Add the butter, stir and leave the millet to 90% absorb the water.
  5. Take the millet off the heat and leave aside to cool and absorb the liquid fully.
  6. Place the egg and sugar in a bowl and using electric beaters whisk until pale and fluffy.
  7. Add the oil and buttermilk and whisk for 1 minute.
  8. Add the remaining ingredients (the dry ingredients), stir with a spoon until just combine.
  9. Beat with the electric beaters until smooth and silky.
  10. Add the cooked millet and beat until combine.
  11. Pour the mix into the patties and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
  12. Set the cooked cupcakes aside to cool.
  13. To make the frosting place all the ingredients into a bowl and using electric beaters whisk until fluffy and combine.
  14. Once the cupcakes are cooled using a piping bag and a star piping nozzle frost the cupcakes.
  15. Enjoy.

 

Millet Chocolate Chili and Cinnamon Cupcakes

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Millet Chocolate Chili and Cinnamon Cupcakes recipes

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Millet Chocolate Chili and Cinnamon Cupcakes recipes

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Millet Chocolate Chili and Cinnamon Cupcakes recipes

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Whisky Chocolate Cupcakes with Spiked Ganache

Posted on Posted in Cupcakes .

Whisky Chocolate Cupcakes with Spiked Ganache

Whisky Chocolate Cupcakes with Spiked Ganache recipe

Ok so this is a little similar to recipes I have made up in the past but I promise it is still experimental.

I don’t actual think I have ever consumed whisky before, in fact, I know that buying it for this recipe was the first time I have ever purchased the liquor but after a few interesting conversations with whisky lovers I was inspired to experiment with whisky baking.

After I had the whisky I brought a few different types of chocolate and did the taste test thing. Outcome, dark chocolate was a goer and to be honest the subtitle whisky flavor against the rich chocolate was actually quite appealing (even to a non drinker)!

After a bit of playing around with ratios I finally came to a recipe that I was quite happy with.

And how do you top a moreish and rich cupcake? With a moreish and rich spiked ganache!

 

Ingredients:

Cupcake:

  • 200g brown sugar
  • 125 butter
  • 90ml Whisky
  • 100g dark chocolate
  • 150ml milk
  • ¼ tsn salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 120g self raising flour
  • 60g cocoa powder

Icing:

  • 375g dark chocolate
  • 30ml Whisky
  • 135ml cream

 

Method:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180c degrees and line 20 medium sized cupcake patties in a cupcake tin.
  2. Place the sugar, butter, Whisky, chocolate, milk and salt into a saucepan and stir continuously on a simmering heat until smooth.
  3. Take off the heat and allow to cool in the pan completely.
  4. Using a hand whisk beat in the eggs one at a time into the Whisky mix.
  5. Sift the flour and the cocoa to the Whisky mix and whisk until well combined.
  6. Pour the mix into the prepared patties until ¾ full.
  7. Place the tin in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
  8. Leave aside to cool completely.
  9. To make the icing, place the cream in a bowl in the microwave and heat until boiling.
  10. Add the chocolate and leave for 1 minute, then whisk until smooth and glossy.
  11. Add the Whisky and whisk until combine.
  12. Place the icing in the fridge for 20 minutes to thicken and cool completely.
  13. Place the icing in a piping bag fit with a star nozzle and pipe the icing over the top of the cupcakes.

 

Whisky Chocolate Cupcakes with Spiked Ganache recipe

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Whisky Chocolate Cupcakes with Spiked Ganache recipe

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Whisky Chocolate Cupcakes with Spiked Ganache recipe

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Whisky Chocolate Cupcakes with Spiked Ganache recipe

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Whisky Chocolate Cupcakes with Spiked Ganache recipe
 

 

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Red Wine Chocolate Cake

Posted on Posted in Cakes .

Red Wine Chocolate Cake

Red Wine Chocolate Cake

My last post featured the Chocolate Zucchini cake, which I would say was one of the most dense cakes I have ever made, however this cake I am about to introduce you to would be one of a few that is an exception.

Recently I have been drinking red wine a lot more than I usually do (I’m not really a wine or beer drinker, more a spirit with mixers).  Based on this new palate I seem to have I thought it could be fun to experiment with red wine in a cake (many cakes have liqueur’s so this isn’t that different..is it)?

From my posts thus far you can start to get the notion that I am a MASSIVE chocolate fan, where again this cake demonstrates this. I promise the next posts will be chocolate free for a bit of a change 🙂

For this Red Wine Chocolate Cake you will need:

Ingredients:

  • 1 + ¾ cups plain flour
  • ¾ cocoa powder
  • 2 tsn bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsn baking powder
  • 1 + ½ cups white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup + 20ml red wine
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 tsn vanilla essence

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 180c and line a 25cm spring form cake tin with baking paper.
  • Add all the dry ingredients into a bowl via a sieve and stir to combine.
  • Then add all the wet ingredients and beat with an electric beater on medium for 2 minutes until the batter is smooth.
  • Pour batter into the cake tin and bake for 40 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean.
  • Cool the cake for 5 minutes in the tin then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Notes:

  • This cake is awesome and the red wine is not over powering at all.
  • If you want to make cupcakes instead pour batter into cupcake patties and cook for 15 minutes.
  • I decorated my cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting that had red wine also incorporated into it.

Like this recipe? I recommend you also check out my Chocolate Zucchini Cake. Additionally please do subscribe via RSS or email to get my new entries and more scrumptious recipes with reviews.

Red Wine Chocolate Cupcakes

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