Fauxtess Cupcakes

So I'd mentioned in my last post that I was home to take my kitten to the vet to be desexed.. Well whilst at home I was almost sick with worry.

Since the vet mentioned that for her it is major surgery I was nervous for her. So to keep myself busy at home I decided to make some fauxtess cupcakes.. They seemed to be a bit more tricky than regular cupcakes so I gave them a go.

I found that these cupcakes were nice and dense. The batter wasn't as good as my faithful devils food cupcake recipe, but I think the rich cake is a nice change.

Fauxtess Cupcakes
Sourced from Beantown Baker

For the cupcakes - I doubled the recipe and got about 17 instead of 24.
1 cup plus 4 tablespoons cake flour
2/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
2/3 cup canola oil
1 cup plus 4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons water

For the cream filling (Seven Minute Frosting):
This made more than enough to greedily fill the cupcakes and top them.
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract- I used vanilla bean paste as I ran out of extract

For the ganache- I doubled this
1/2 cup cream
200 grams dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 180 and line 2x 12 capacity muffin pans with paper liners. I love these polka dot ones. I got them from ebay a few months back and have been dying to use them.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together egg yolks, canola oil, 1/2 cup sugar and water until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir by hand just until combined.


It looked like it wasn't going to come together, but just needed a bit of elbow grease


In a clean medium bowl, beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until stiff and glossy. Beat one quarter of the whites into the batter to lighten the mixture. Add remaining whites and gently fold the mixture together until no streaks remain.

Evenly divide the batter between the wells of a 12 cup muffin tin coated with nonstick spray (they will be about one-half full). Bake until the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched in the center, about 13 to 16 minutes. Remove and let the cupcakes cool slightly before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.



While waiting for cupcakes to cool, combine filling ingredients with a pinch of salt in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled. Reserve 1/2 cup of the filling to use for piping the swirls on top of the cupcakes at the end.



Once cupcakes are completely cooled, use the cone method (reserve tops and cut off excess cake) to fill with filling.



Once all cupcakes are filled, make the ganache.



In a small saucepan, heat cream until steaming. Remove from the heat, add chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until smooth. Transfer the frosting to a small bowl and dip the top of each cupcake to thoroughly coat.

Spoon the reserved filling into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain tip and pipe swirls across the center of each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for 10 minutes to set the frosting.

Rocklea Cupcake Adventure.. Mission COMPLETE!

My stall

Well from the millions of posts updating my progress with the upcoming Rocklea Markets, 12 hours of baking and a hectic start after sleeping in, I have finally been to Rocklea Markets to sell my cupcakes!

My stall was a lot more successful than I thought it would be! Out of the 520 cupcakes I had made, I had sold just over 450.. leaving mostly the extra vanilla vanilla cupcakes for my housemates to devour.



Mr. Sanders (who is a diabetic) polishing off the left overs

I was aiming to make a few different types of cupcakes but it was touch and go. I was selling -

• Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes (with chocolate Ganache Frosting as I forgot my buttercream)
• Strawberry Oreo Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
• Martha's super light Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
• Martha's Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Banana cupcakes with Honey Cinnamon Frosting
• Elvis Cupcakes
• Devils Food Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Frosting
• Devils Food Cupcakes with Dulce De Leche Frosting.

There were a few ups and downs from working so hard, but I'm definitely doing this again soon! As I was so busy, I forgot to take photos. But here is what I did take.

My first batch of Carrot Cake Cupcakes


Spontaneous Strawberry Oreo Cupcakes


Near the end.. 12 hrs of baking already and wanna go to sleep!!


Icing station, pretty messy.. every time I would ice one, I would sell it!

It it also great to finally meet an Empty Stomach s the Best Cook!

Not only did I make a killing, I also scored a few jobs for kids parties! Yay!

Thanks for Reading!

Vanilla Vanilla's - A winning Vanilla Cupcake recipe to be sold at Rocklea Markets.. All cupcaked out!

I feel as though I am all cupcaked out. For the past 2 weeks, all I have been doing is trialing recipes and I am really growing sick of making, tasting and even looking at cupcakes for the time being. So here is my last cupcake related post for the next week :p.

This is my winning Vanilla Cupcake Recipe. Billy Reece from Billy's Bakery in NY, as featured on Martha's website. I thought they would be perfect as they have a double dose of vanilla.

If you are coming to see me next weekend the 18th of April at the Rocklea Markets, these Vanilla Vanilla Cupcakes will be sold for only $1.50 EA.


Please don't forget to point out to me that you are one of my blog readers as I will offer mates rates :)

Ingredients

Makes about 30 cupcakes

• 1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.

In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature. I frosted this cupcake with some left over Swiss Meringue Buttercream, coloured purple of course.

Thanks for reading!



P.S Apologise about the crappy photo!

Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream on top of Vanilla Bean Yellow Cake Cupcakes

For my upcoming cupcake event at the Rocklea Markets- April 18th.. Stall #235.. sorry to sound like a broken record.. I will also be showcasing my Vanilla cupcakes with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting. I used the same yellow cake recipe as my last post. Here is my recipe!

Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients

1/2 cup egg whites

1 cup granulated sugar

3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Pinch of salt

1. Combine the egg whites, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and place over simmering water.

2. Continuously beating with a whisk, heat until egg whites are hot and all the sugar is dissolved (60 degrees). If the sugar is not completely melted, your final product will be grainy, so make sure!

3. Remove from the heat and place on the mixer. Whisk on medium speed until meringue is stiff, and the mixing bowl is cool to the touch. The meringue will be white with a bright sheen, and very sticky!

4. Switch to the paddle attachment, and on medium speed add the butter a few cubes at a time. Please note, if the meringue is not completely cool, the butter will melt instead of combining evenly.

5. Continue beating until all the butter is incorporated. At one point it may appear as if the mixture has “broken”, looking watery and separated like curdled milk. Continue mixing…it will all come together, I promise!

6. Increase speed to high, and beat until smooth.

7. Add flavorings of your choice and tint with coloring paste, I just used some strawberry essence and pink food colouring. You can also use strawberry oil.

All wrapped up for morning tea!

Mini Vanilla Bean Yellow Cake Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting.. Lonely Cupcake Stall

Hello again my dear readers!

Hope you are all still nice and rested after your long weekend.. After heading back home to visit my Family and Friends, then to come home and have a brawl with the our housemates, I am utterly pooped! I may be near dead by the end of this month from all of this cupcake making and to top it off, I found out that I am now alone on this venture due clashing dates but it will be well worth it in the end!

Anyways I have been needing to test drive another recipe before I start selling my gazillion cupcakes at Rocklea Sunday Markets on the 18th April. So here are my Yellow Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting. These are a great one bowl recipe as you have to be careful not to overbeat the mixture.

Don't forget to stop by and meet me Rocklea Markets 18th April at stall #235!

I will offer great mates rates to my faithful readers and not to forget yummy free samples! :)

Yellow Cake Cupcakes


Ingredients


3 ½ cups cake flour
2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 c (2 sticks) butter, unsalted, diced, at room temperature
1 c whole or low-fat milk (divided use)
4 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C

2. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and ½ cup of the milk. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 4 minutes, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

3. In a separate bowl, blend the eggs, egg whites, the remaining ½ cup milk and the vanilla extract. Add to the batter in 3 additions, mixing for 2 minutes on medium speed after each addition. Scrape down the bowl between additions.

4. Place into pans line with patty pans and cook for 20-25 mins

5. Remove the from the oven and cool completely in their pans on wire racks.

Vanilla Bean Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Ingredients

1/2 cup egg whites

1 cup granulated sugar

3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Pinch of salt

1. Combine the egg whites, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and place over simmering water.

2. Continuously beating with a whisk, heat until egg whites are hot and all the sugar is dissolved (60 degrees). If the sugar is not completely melted, your final product will be grainy, so make sure!

3. Remove from the heat and place on the mixer. Whisk on medium speed until meringue is stiff, and the mixing bowl is cool to the touch. The meringue will be white with a bright sheen, and very sticky!

4. Switch to the paddle attachment, and on medium speed add the butter a few cubes at a time. Please note, if the meringue is not completely cool, the butter will melt instead of combining evenly.

5. Continue beating until all the butter is incorporated. At one point it may appear as if the mixture has “broken”, looking watery and separated like curdled milk. Continue mixing…it will all come together, I promise!

6. Increase speed to high, and beat until smooth.

7. Add flavorings of your choice and tint with coloring paste, I just used some vanilla bean paste here.

You should totally join my Facebook group www.brisbanebaker.blogspot.com !

Thanks for reading!

Cookies and Cream Frosting on top of Martha's Devil's Food Cupcakes.. You may have tasted the honey, but I have the hive.

Honest to god love that saying.. It applies to many aspects in my life. I could go on for ages explaining, but I bet you the smarty pants reader has figured it out already ;)

That saying also applies food. I get so frustrated after I'd taste something, then person who made it refuses to share their recipe. So there goes the saying.. "You tasted the honey, but I have the hive".

It is hard to explain, but you feel some kind of sick power knowing that they would have to come back to you for more.. That is why I started my blog - I mean why keep it to myself when I can share it for anyone to enjoy!

Here is one recipe I've always wanted to make but never knew what the exact ingredients were

Unfortunately this recipe didn't make the cut for my cupcake stall. So feel free to make this recipe.. Definitely tasty!

Devils Food Cupcakes with Cookies and Cream Frosting

Again, Martha's Devils Food Cupcakes featured my previous post

Devils Food Cupcakes
By Martha Stewart

• 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

• Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each

• Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

• To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature and garnish with chocolate curls just before serving.

Cookies and Cream Frosting
Sourced from Annies Eats

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tbsp. whipping cream
3 tbsp. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 tbsp. Oreo cookie crumbs

For garnish:
24 Oreo cookie halves

Directions:

To prepare the frosting, in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until the whipped cream holds stiff peaks. Gently fold in the cookie crumbs with a spatula.

Scoop the mixture into a pastry bag and pipe frosting decoratively on top of the cupcakes. Garnish with Oreo cookie halves

Did I also mention that you can now be a fan of Brisbane Baker on Facebook? Check me out!

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche frosting - Cupcake adventure is still on.. I'm BACK!

In one of my recent posts Crushed Dreams.. Cupcake Stall Failure I'd mentioned that I couldn't sell my cuppycakes at the Rocklea Markets due to food safety red tape, I was pretty cut about it, but the nice man who manages the stalls has allowed me to hold my stall as a once off! I'll be there Sunday 18th April at stall #235... I'm BACK!

I'm super stoked to get out there next month! I have been testing a few recipes to try taste, difficulty to make and also what would sell. Here is one what will be featured at my stall. I bring to you Devil's Food Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche frosting.

Devils Food Cupcakes
By Martha Stewart

• 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

• Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each

• Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

• To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature and garnish with chocolate curls just before serving.

Dulce de Leche Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup of Dulce de Leche
• 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• pinch of salt
• 120g Unsalted Butter

Directions

Cream together softened butter and powdered sugar on low using an electric mixer.

Add cream and vanilla and beat on medium speed until smooth and no lumps appear.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the prepared dulce de leche and beat to incorporate.

Frost cooled cupcakes using a knife or a pastry bag and tip.

Crushed Dreams- Cupcake Stall Failure

I've always wanted to bake for a living, but since moving out of home at 16, becoming an apprentice pastry chef has become more and more less likely. Due to every day expenses, car, rent, bill, credit cards. I just can't afford to change industries.

Last Thursday I had a fantastic idea that I could open my own cupcake stall at the Fresh Markets at Rocklea. I'm in it more for the experience than money, like cmon, how wouldn't want to bake and ice 300+ cupcakes?

I had it all planned out in my head- Expenses, estimated GP, marketing ETC. But I through the planning stages I came across a major pitfall. Any food that is intended for retail sale, or food offered for immediate consumption would require labelling (Ingredients, intended use and also nutritional information).

This wasn't too bad.. However, it later revealed that I would also need to prepare and cook my little cuppycakes in a commercial kitchen.. Although my kitchen is very clean, there was no way in hell my kitchen in the rental house I live in now could become registered.. The cost of a mobile kitchen was $200/day and also most halls for hire that had a kitchen as not rated for commercial use.

Well there goes another idea down the drain all beacause of rules and regulations.

Could I get any suggestions as to how to change industries without being dirt poor?

Moist Banana Cupcakes with honey Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

So dear readers, from my last post I bet you are still wondering what the other half my baking pan was filled with. Well I had used the same Banana Cupcake batter for the Elvis cupcakes for these ones too!

I guess this shows the versatility of the humble nana cake :D

Super Moist Banana Cupcakes
From BB's cooking folder :D

Ingredients

Makes approximately 15-18

1 2/3 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bi-carb

1/4 tsp salt

3 medium overripe bananas

1/3 cup full cream milk

125g unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Line a 12 capacity cupcake tray with patty pans and preheat the oven to 180 degrees.



Mix flour, baking powder, bi-carb, and salt into a bowl, set aside.

In another bowl, mix the bananas, vanilla and milk, set aside.



In your main mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add in eggs one at a time. Beat until well combined, light and fluffy. Be careful not to overbeat.

Pour in 1/3 of dry ingredients, followed by 1/2 of the wet. Ensure that you end with the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients.

Add batter into paper lined muffin tin, I like to use the 1/4 measurement cup as this ensures that they are universal in size and pop into the oven!

Cook for 15-20 Minutes!

When a skewer comes out clean, remove and set aside to cool.

Honey Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

1 & 1/4 cups icing mixture
60g Unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbs Honey
1/4 teaspoon of Cinnamon
1-2 Teaspoons of milk- if you find that the mixture is too dry

Beat butter, honey and cinnamon until light and fluffy, slowly add sugar. Add milk if mixture is too dry

Elvis Cupcakes- If the King was alive, he'd be allll over these babies

I have been wanting to make some cupcakes but with peanut butter frosting for a while.. I have a mega cupcake adventure coming up in the next few weeks so I wanted to put this amazing frosting to the test.. Who would love peanut butter more than The King himself?

Elvis Cupcakes
Made up from memories of a few recipes.

Ingredients

Super Moist Banana Cupcakes
From BB's cooking folder :D

Makes approximately 15-18

1 2/3 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bi-carb

1/4 tsp salt

3 medium overripe bananas

1/3 cup full cream milk

125g unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips

Line a 12 capacity cupcake tray with patty pans and preheat the oven to 180 degrees.



Mix flour, baking powder, bi-carb, and salt into a bowl, set aside.

In another bowl, mix the bananas, vanilla and milk, set aside.



In your main mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add in eggs one at a time. Beat until well combined, light and fluffy. Be careful not to over beat.

Pour in 1/3 of dry ingredients, followed by 1/2 of the wet. Ensure that you end with the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients.

Add chocolate chips and fold in gently, try not to knock out too much air.



Add batter into paper lined muffin tin (adding extra choc chips on top for presentation), I like to use the 1/4 measurement cup as this ensures that they are universal in size and pop into the oven!



I bet you are wondering what took up the other 6 spots in my pan.. Well those will be posted shortly :)

Cook for 15-20 Minutes!

When a skewer comes out clean, remove and set aside to cool.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons milk, or as required
2 cups icing sugar

Beat butter and peanut butter until fluffy and there are no lumps, add icing sugar, towards the end add the milk.