Pretty Please with a Cherry on top - Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting and Chocolate Ganache

Well hello dear readers! It has been over eighteen months since I last posted, can you believe that?! Why has it been so long you may ask? Well after moving back home to Australia from the UK and jumping head first into my teaching job, I seriously haven't had time, not to mention the energy after the working week to bake, photograph, edit and write a post. I felt like I really needed the time to focus on my job and get my head in the right space and I know that this would mean doing a mediocre job in the baking and blogging world. 

It's my favourite season; autumn. The change in weather and the gorgeous scenery at the moment has really made me home-sick, well I guess my home-away-from-home sick. I am really missing Ol' Blighty. I miss rugging up and discovering new villages, pubs and tea-shops and having all the time to appreciate these things. When I thought more about why I have been missing England so much, it was also my fortnightly ritual of baking up something wonderful and new, staging props and photographing for the blog. I haven't done that since June 2013 and I have a virtual folder bursting at the seams with photos of cupcakes and sprinkles ready to grace the interwebs. 

Another reason which has brought me back to blogging is the release of Sweetapolita's book. Rosie Alyea was my inspiration for starting this blog many years ago and I was very excited to have received my copy in the post on Friday. Combine memories and nostalgia with a new baking book, a free Saturday night AND a new Almond Cream KitchenAid and voila - you have yourself a new post. Here's a new recipe to sweeten your Saturday. Enjoy, here's hoping it's not too long until I visit the lovely blogosphere again xxx

Don't they look darling? Almost like a old fashioned sundae. I thought it was very fitting to use a Sweetapolita inspired recipe so here are...

Classic Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting and Ganache
Recipe from Rosie @ Sweetapolita 

275grams or 2 ½ cups cake flour

OR

100 grams corn flour

175 grams plain flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup full cream milk

2 large egg whites

1 whole egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

300grams caster sugar

115 grams butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and center the oven rack. Line 2 muffin/cupcake pans with your favourite standard-size cupcake liner, and put the first cupcake pan on a baking sheet. (You will place the second cupcake pan on the same sheet in the oven once the first tray is baked.)

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla extract in a medium bowl or large glass measuring cup.

3. In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk or paddle attachment (I used the whisk), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until very pale and creamy, about 5 minutes.

4. With the mixer still on medium speed, alternate additions of the flour mixture and milk-egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (3 dry additions, 2 wet), beating after each addition until incorporated. Continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes.

5. Divide batter evenly among your cupcake liners–about 2/3 full–and bake until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs only, about 16 minutes.

6. Carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan and let cool on wire racks. Repeat with second tray.

Strawberry White Chocolate Frosting

227 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature

175 grams white chocolate

½ vanilla bean, seeded and scraped

Pinch of salt

375 grams sifted icing sugar

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter for 3-4 minutes on medium speed (I use “4″ on my KitchenAid). Butter will become very pale & creamy.

2. Melt chocolate in microwave in a small heatproof bowl, or over a pot of simmering water on the stovetop, stirring often. Let cool.

3. Add melted chocolate to butter and beat until incorporated. Add vanilla bean and salt and mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Add sifted icing sugar, beating on low speed until just combined, increasing to medium speed until well combined. (I added some pink food colouring and strawberry essence to mine.)

Ganache

260 grams dark chocolate 
1 cup double cream

1. Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil (watching very carefully) then swiftly remove from the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for 1 minute and then whisk until smooth.

2. Allow the ganache to cool slightly before pouring over a frosting. 

Wholemeal Vanilla Yoghurt & Blueberry Muffins

Spring has definitely sprung here in the UK, it is no exaggeration when I say the sun has been shining for a whole week, as in 7 days of sunshine. I'm no stranger to the sun being an Aussie, but I am a stranger to celebrating the sun like the Brits do, because it is a sight they rarely see. I saw bright yellow daffodils in the garden and a crisp green lawn and I knew I had to bake some spring time Blueberry Muffins and get out in the garden and take some pictures. These muffins aren't as unkind to the waistline either... you're welcome ;-) ! What's cooking at the moment in your kitchen?

Ingredients

1¾ cups wholemeal flour

¾ cup raw sugar 

½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs 

125gm butter or margarine
1 cup vanilla yoghurt (I use Danone Vanilla)
1½ cups of blueberries

1 tsp of vanilla extract
Cinnamon for sprinkling 

Method

1.   Preheat oven to 170°C (fan forced)

2.   Cream butter, sugar and vanilla bean paste in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, I use the paddle attachment.

3.   Add eggs to the mixture.

4.   Gradually add salt and flour in 3 batches.

5.   Once combined gradually add the yoghurt.
6. Fold in blueberries with a rubber spatula.

7.   Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups ⅔ full and sprinkle muffins with a touch of cinnamon and raw sugar.

8.   Bake at 180°C (fan forced) for 20-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Chocolate-Chip Cookies (Subway Style)

Chocolate chip cookies are one of the first things I remember cooking at home and at school back in the day. Having a bit of a passion for baking, it's quite often the simple things that I have been striving to perfect like boiling an egg (I struggled with this for years haha shame) or in this case, baking the perfect chocolate chip cookies. 

In this past week I think I have tried four different recipe variations, it's been like an Arnott's factory over here, luckily there is always somewhere to bring these sweets and tasty treats. I wanted to create a nice crunch on the outside with a chewy center, much like your Subway cookie variety. 

I am pleased to say that I think I have finally nailed the chocolate chip cookie! I felt like Monica in the Friends episode where she baked for days trying to find the perfect cookie recipe, until she found it on the back of a Nestle packet, alas, you won't find this recipe on your chocolate chip packet, so please see below. Once again, happy baking and please tell me how you go! xxx

Chefette's Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups Plain Flour

¾ cup of Self-Raising Lighthouse Cake and Biscuit Flour

170g butter

1 cup brown sugar, tightly packed

½ cup white sugar

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups milk chocolate chips (I use Cadbury) 

Method

1.   Preheat the oven to 170°C and line two trays with baking paper.

2.   In an electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla.

3.   Once combined, add both the egg and egg yolk. Mixture will be nice and creamy and should resemble a coffee coloured buttercream.

4.   Add the flours and mix either by hand or on low in electric mixer with the paddle attachment.

5.   Add chocolate chips either by hand or with a wooden spoon. (Cookie dough will be much less dense than a regular cookie dough.)

6.   Use a tablespoon to measure and roll dough into balls, then slightly flatten with your palm to resemble a patty.

7.   Place dough patties on to tray and be careful to leave enough room to spread out, because they will!

8.   Bake for 10-17 minutes or until cookies become lightly toasted on the edges. If you prefer your cookies with a little more crunch, bake until they are completely golden brown, similarly if you prefer them chewier, bake them for a little less. (Make sure you experiment with a couple of cookies first to see how you like them cooked.)

9.   Allow to cool in trays for a few minutes before transferring them to wire cooling racks (as the shape will be distorted if they are handled whilst piping hot.) Serve and enjoy!