Fondant: the plague of the cupcake world

I'm on the war path, look out baking world. I'm taking on this idea that fondant is the be all to end all when it comes to decorating cupcakes. Firstly fondant is foul and almost inedible and while it has it's place in full sized cake world, and I've seen amazing beautiful things done with it, especially by the cake god himself Duff Goldman but far too often it is over used on cupcakes and overpowers the cute little elegant cupcakes. Take the recent cutest cupcake competition run by Australian Good Taste magazine as an example of its top 10 winners 5 were covered in inedible fondant decoration, including first place, where the fondant teddy bear picnic was bigger than the actual cupcake. Wtf were the public who voted for this monstrosity thinking
! Seriously.... 1) you can't eat that 2) way too much brown and green going on 3) the bears look sad 4) it looks like it belongs in a dolls house and she just shoved it on a cupcake 5) it's not even her design she copied it out of a book

So that's my rant... But I want you all to join me in a little anti fondant campaign. I want you to tell all the cupcake judges all the cupcake makers and all the cupcake eaters, no more fondant, no more inedible ugly monster sized toppers, no more over looking gorgeous elegant edible cupcakes because someone didn't spend hours sculpting a dog to sit on top of it. Go out there and say we want cupcakes that are beautiful and edible.

Mussels...

So I'm considered a little weird in my family as I hardly eat any seafood, which makes the annual family announcement that we are having seafood for Christmas, annoying because it means I'll be having yet another cold chicken and alcohol lunch (And to be honest I don't eat much cold chicken)  however as a testament to Mr Jamie Oliver he had a recipe for mussels that I just had to make, like had too had too! So I did, with a few tweaks and everyone loved it (I had salt and pepper squid,)

Moroccan Mussels

1 kg of mussels
2 tsp harrissa paste (I made my own but you can get it in the supermarket)
3 cloves of garlic crushed
250g crushed tomato
Half a red onion diced
1 cup water
Crusty bread to serve

In a large fry pan, cook off the garlic and harrissa before adding the crushed tomatoes and water

Allow sauce to simmer for a couple of minutes before adding the mussels and placing a lid on the pan, cook until mussels have opened

Serve with bread, in big generous bowls












If like me, you are trying to reduce the amount of premade prepared food in you diet, this is the harissa recipe I used. As I was making it for my family who aren't super keen on chilli I reduced the amount to make a milder version

Harissa Paste

4 Red Chillies
3 Cloves of garlic
A small bunch of coriander root
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
Olive oil

In a mortar and pestle bash all ingredients except oil into a paste, you can add more or less of any of the ingredients so it tastes the way you like it, stir oil in when you are happy with the flavours, put into a clean jar and store in fridge, should keep for about 7 days

So easy so quick... Apparently so tasty, the sauce is really good if you soak it up with left over bread, just make sure no one sees you, otherwise they will steal it

Enjoy

This weekend I made a friends birthday cake so I'm going to share a photo of that too or two


Chocolate Mud Cupcakes and with Vanilla frosting

 

My Salt and Pepper squid with Sweet Corn Salsa

Needles and bake offs!

I'm currently donating blood, which weirdly gives me down time to write a blog always such a busy bee these days, joys of being cafe manager.

First off you probably want to know the bake off results... I did not win however since I got asked for a couple of business cards and had no samples left even my display was stolen and eaten whole so I'm taking the positive with a smile

Today I've been making Neapolitan shortbread, which I made using the recipe mum got from a pub back home in Palmerston North, New Zealand called the Aqaba Bar nearly 20 years ago, as the chef was kind enough to share it and its been a household favourite ever since so

Aqaba Bar Shortbread

350g butter
150g icing sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
350gs flour
100g custard powder

Pre heat oven to 150 degrees

Cream butter, vanilla and icing sugar until smooth and fluffy
Fold into sifted flour and custard powder

Mix can either be piped or rolled out and cut with a cookie cutter

Bake for 30-40 minutes until lightly golden

Allow to cool

If making Neapolitan shortbread divide mix into thirds add coco to one and pink food colouring to another leaving one white pipe as desired I made roses but a substitution of self raising flour made them a little misshapen ( I was out of plain flour and to lazy to go get more.) Mum always makes her plain then dunks them in melted chocolate

Hope you enjoy... I'm off to make dinner
Making some asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and since i was asked for the recipe: asparagus prosciutto and feta wrap asparagus in prosciutto grill until crispy then crumb feta over top.... You can also add a drizzle of honey

My Milkshake brings all the boys to the yard...

It's bake off week! It's bake off week! It's bake off week! Yes I'm excited, because unlike my first ever cafe manager meeting tomorrow, bake off is just for fun... Oh and to win the kitchen aid mixer of my dreams.

You will remember I was unsure which flavour cupcake to make... Well I decided on Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes, which are a dense moist pink velvet cupcake topped with white chocolate cream cheese frosting with a cherry on top. Sound good? I thought so, and since I'm sharing the recipe with you, maybe you'll make them and let me know

Strawberry Milkshake Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup strawberry milkshake powder
( I used nesquik)
100gs melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup butter milk
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar


For the frosting

200g cream cheese
100gs melted white chocolate
3/4 cup icing sugar

Pre-heat oven to 160

Mix flour, sugar, milkshake powder and baking powder together in a large bowl

In second bowl mix cooled melted butter, butter milk,vinegar and beaten egg to combined then stir through dry ingredients

Place spoonfuls of mix into a lined cupcake and bake for 20-25 minutes

Place all frosting ingredients together in a bowl and beat until fluffy and well combined, spoon mix into a piping bag with a 1M tip and pipe onto cooled cupcakes, decorate as desired





This recipe can be used with other milkshake flavours such as banana or chocolate or if you are one of those weird people who like toothpaste (spearmint) milkshakes. Have a play around and see which flavours work best

Foodie Overload,

What a week?! I know I started the last blog that way but this time it's even more true and I can tell the secret. I got promoted!!! I'm now officially cafe manager, apparently this means send me flowers ( aren't they pretty?)

As Cafe Manager I've been thrown a little in the deep end as for the last week I've had no assistants which as meant long days and a sore back because the freezer attacked me ( they can do that)

I did have today off!! Which I spent in foodie overload: I made Chai Spiced Apple hot cross buns, paella prosciutto wrapped asparagus and pan seared scallops busy afternoon in the j cups kitchen

The Scallops were actually really easy I put some butter garlic lime zest into a pan once the butter had melted I added the scallops when I flipped the scallops I added prosciutto and sage then served them in the shell




I'm also entering a bake off and have narrowed my options of what cupcake to bake to 8.
So strawberry milkshake, cookies, red velvet, raspberry mango cider Or vanilla chai or Choc mint or cherry ripe or malt cupcakes

Help me decide and I'll post the recipe for the cupcakes I enter with

Let the good times roll!!

What a week?! I've been so busy and stressed with work and secrets (I hate secrets) so since I can't share my amazing awesome (what the hell have I got my self into) news just yet :) I will share my go to red velvet recipe, because there is nothing better when your stressed than something that just works perfectly every time, oh and getting last minute tickets to soundwave!!


Mostly fool proof Red Velvet

2 cups plain flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
200gs melted butter
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 tbsp vinegar ( I used red wine but whatever you have available, apple cider vinegar gives a good flavour)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons red gel colour ( or 50mls liquid colour)

Pre heat oven to 170 degrees

Sift flour, baking soda and cocoa into bowl, stir through sugar
In a separate bowl combine melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and food colour
Make a well in flour mix, add wet ingredients and stir until just combined
Divide mix into cupcake cases filling each case 2/3 full
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean

Allow to cool before icing (I recommend cream cheese or white chocolate frosting)

Best thing about this recipe you can change it and make other flavours by simply changing the food colour and extract. I make mint chocolate cupcakes by using peppermint extract and green colour with chocolate ganache icing or if your feeling tropical a little coconut essence some Malibu rum and some blue food colouring with cream cheese and pineapple flowers

Or make the mix in a brownie tin and use a cookie cutter to make different shaped whoopie pie

Valentines Day

Ok so I'm completely ranting like a crazy person but why after all this time does Rhys girlfriend get so mad about me it just says to me that he clearly still gives a fuck, but he couldn't stand up to his low life friends and I couldn't make excuses anymore so I moved on fell for the stupid tattood Canadian who is all over the place and it's like I'm back at square one just constantly making excuses for someone else's behaviour and then I feel like a bitch because his mum died and clearly you have every right to be all over the place when your mum has died and so then I feel like yelling at Rhys for forcing me to move on when he could of just manned up and told his friends he actually enjoyed my company but no he had to save face because they without knowing me hate and disapprove of me so he lied and I had to stick by my principals and now look where we are He's got HIV and I'm ranting like a crazy person.... butSeriously what do I care, I'm on the way to having my own cafe and being a celebrity chef... I can't chase my dreams and Rhys or apparently Sky so I'm going to share the valentines day love with you guys and give my recipe for my white chocolate raspberry slice

Ingredients

80gs dream white chocolate
125gs butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking power
1 egg
1/4 cup heated raspberry jam

Pre heat oven to 175 Celsius

In a saucepan melt butter,sugar,milk and chocolate until smooth
Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before adding the flour, baking power stir to combine
Then mix through egg

Pour mix into a greased 20cmx20 tray and then spoon in dollops of warm jam (heating the jam helps prevent it from sinking) drag a tooth pick through the blobs to make hearts then bake for 25-30 minutes
Allow to cool then remove from tray slice and dust with icing sugar

It's a good thing Sarah loves me