The Tick of a Clock

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Wow! How has time passed so quickly? How have I not managed to post in sooo long? I am completely overwhelmed with the lack of time in my life - hence why I haven't posted in yonks!

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After being absent for so long, I feel disconnected from the blogger world. So now I need  your help to reconnect. I am asking you (the kind readers of my blog . . . ) to help me come up with a new baking project for me to undertake. I am open to any ideas just through them my way!

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Sponge Creations

Today I was inspired by the scorching spring sun to go back to basics and experiment with flavours. Although it is exciting trying out a new recipe or method, sometimes it is fun to go back to basics and experiment with traditional flavours.
The 'baiscs' for this recipe was a sponge cake. I cooked the sponge cake in a square tin which allowed me to cut out different shapes and designs of mini sponge cakes. I decided to focus on 4 traditional flavours; lemon, chocolate, coffee and Victoria Sponge.

Firstly I focused on making a good sponge cake. Many people would argue that a 'basic' sponge cake in an all-in-one sponge cake, but I believe that the best way to make a sponge cake is through the creaming method.

CLICK HERE to see recipe (but emit the cocoa powder and cook in a 30cm rectangular tin)

Flavours:





Lemon Kisses



LEMON: For some people (me included!) lemon can come across as quites bitter and strong. So for this one I decided to make small bite size 'Lemon Kisses'. I cut little hearts out of the sponge using a heart shaped cookie cutter and then pipped the middle with some lemon curd.

Victoria Sponge

VICTORIA SPONGE: Always a delicious classic! It is universally agreed that a Victoria Sponge includes strawberry / raspberry jam but what you put with it is what is up for debate. Some believe nothing, others whipped cream and others a butter cream. I personally love whipped cream and raspberry jam!








Chocolate and Raspberry



CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY: Here I tried something different. Once I had cut squares out of the tray bake, using a pointed knife I scooped out the middle and placed frozen raspberries in the middle. As the raspberries defrosted they seeped into the middle of the cake, creating a gooey raspberry centre. I topped this with a rich chocolate ganache, whipped cream and then some chocolate shavings.





Coffee Cake



COFFEE CAKE: Another classic. I filled the middle of the cakes with a coffee butter cream (to make this add liquid coffee to plain butter cream). To create the marble effect I drizzled instant coffee over the warm sponge. It did give the cake quite a strong coffee flavour which wasn't desired but the cakes did look pretty good!

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Well, Santa did bring me The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. What an amazing cookery book! I love the all the inspiring mouthwatering pictures of cupcakes, cakes, whoppie pies and cookies. And finally I have had a chance to make something out of it. I didn't get to get any further then the first recipe in the book before I realised that I really wanted to make the Tiramisu Cupcakes.

Tiramisu is originally an Italian dessert made with ladyfingers dipped coffee, which are layered between a marscarpone and egg mixture. The Hummingbird bakery have transformed it into a cupcakes. How these cupcakes work is the base is a plain vanilla cupcake. Then the centre of the cupcake is cut out and a coffee syrup is poured in. Next the hole is filled with coffee marscarpone icing and the top covered in this too. Finally the cupcake is dusted with cocoa powder. Yum Yum!

The thing that intrigued me the most about this recipe is the order in which the ingredients are added to make the cupcakes. Firstly the butter, sugar and dry ingredients are creamed together then the wet ingredients poured in. This is like the way you would make a muffin with the separation of dry and wet ingredients but the butter is creamed into the dry ingredient at the beginning. Whatever the science behind this recipe, it works and produces beautifully light and fluffy cupcakes.

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Makes 6 large cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the sponge:
40g unsalted butter

140g Castor sugar

120g plain flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

120ml whole milk

For the soaking syrup:

125ml strong coffee

2 tablespoons coffee essence (I used the Camp chicory and coffee essence)

3 tablespoon Castor sugar

For the filling and frosting:
200g marscarpone cheese
2 tablespoon coffee essence
150ml double cream
15g icing sugar
Cocoa powder for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat oven to C190 and line a muffin tin with cupcake cases.
2. Place the butter, sugar, flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment and beat at a low speed until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
3. Pour the milk into a jug and add the egg. Whisk together with a fork. Slowly pour 2/3 of the wet mixture into the dry mixture whilst beating at a low speed. Then stop the whisk and scrap down the sides to check all the ingredients are incorporated before adding the final amount of wet ingredients. Beat until just combined being careful not to over beat.
4. Divide the mixture evenly between the 6 cupcakes cases and bake in the preheated oven for 18 - 20 minutes. Leave to cool completely before icing.
5. Meanwhile to make the soaking syrup add all the ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil. Keep the mixture boiling slowly until it has reduced by half. Take off the heat and leave to cool. It should turn into a thick slightly runny mixture, once cooled.
6. To make the icing place the marscapone and coffee essence in the bowl of an electric whisk and beat together. Then add the icing sugar and double cream. Beat until the mixture forms soft peaks.
7. To construct the cupcakes use a small sharp knife to cut out a small hole from the centre of the cupcakes; about 2 cm in diameter and 1 -2 cm deep depending on the depth of the cupcakes. Make sure the hole is only as deep as 2/3 of the cupcakes.
8. Pour about one teaspoon of the sugar syrup into the centre of the cupcakes.
9. Next fill the centre of the cupcakes with the icing mixture before icing the top of the cupcakes with it.
10. To finish dust with cocoa powder.