cupcakes

London, day 3

By Jo in food, real life, stores I've visited No Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Wow, there was a HUGE gap between London day 2 and day 3.  Sorry about that, WiFi isn’t always so accessible when traveling.  Hmm, ok so where was I?  yes, right day 3 in London!  How about some cupcakes from Hummingbird Bakery?!!  So you know my two FAVE cookbooks of all time Cake Days, and Hummingbird?  Well they are based on the actual bakery on Portobello Rd in Notting Hill, London.  I have been told, or rather, I have read that cupcakes are out of style?!  Wait…what?  How can something so delicious go out of style?  I mean, it’s not as if we’re talking about slouch socks or stone washed denim, which sadly are being employed by ultra cool hipsters these days….but cupcakes?  out of style?  I don’t buy it!  What I will buy, and gladly pay for are two deliciously delicious cupcakes from a world famous bakery, well Shane bought…but you catch my drift.  Yum, yum, yummy!

So it sounds like all we did on day 3 was eat cupcakes doesn’t it? hah!  Well besides that, we did a lot of walking in Notting Hill and that was amazing, definitely one of my favourite areas in London, if you come here for a visit make a point to get to this location.  There’s a market that is on Saturdays and it’s worth checking out, beautiful jewerly, scarves, and goodies!  Can you believe I didn’t buy anything?!  Well, my biggest priority was the cupcake of course.  I also walked into Sienna Miller’s Twenty Eight Twelve shoppe.  Very cute, small (as expected) and a bit overpriced.  Love her style though, and it was neat to see in person.

Bye for now,

Jo

 

 

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tiramisu cupcakes

By Jo in food 2 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Leftover kahlúa from the holidays?  Make some delicious tiramisu cupcakes!  Warning: they are quite high in calories and aren’t the easiest to make, but they are a good way to get rid of some of that leftover liquor and you can always share with your neighbours and friends.  Aren’t you up for the challenge now?  After I was finished, my kitchen was a complete disaster, and I am usually the type to clean as I cook, but these cupcakes required my full attention, and I feel great to have tackled another recipe from my Cake Days cookbook by the hummingbird bakery!

Ingredients (will make 12 to 18 cupcakes)

For the sponge:

80 g unsalted butter | 280 g sugar | 240 g plain flour | 1/4 tsp salt | 1 tbsp baking powder |2 large eggs | 240 ml whole milk | 1/2 vanilla essence

For the soaking syrup:

250 ml strong coffee | 75 ml Kahlúa | 3 tbsp sugar

For the filling and frosting:

400 g mascarpone cheese | 50 ml Kahlúa | 300 ml double cream | 30 g icing sugar | cocoa powder for dusting

one muffin tin

Directions:

1.  preheat the oven to 375°, line muffin tin with muffin cases

2.  using an electric whisk, beat together the butter, sugar, flower, salt, and baking powder on low speed until incorporated.

3.  break in eggs, add the milk and vanilla and mix together.  on low speed slowly pour three quarters of the wet ingredients into the four and butter mixture.  once everything has been mixed together, scrape down the sides of the bowl to pick up any ingredients that were missed, then add the rest of the milk mixture and mic the batter again, ow on medium speed until smooth.

4.  divide the batter between the paper cases, filling them two-thirds full.

5.  bake for 18 to 20 minutes.  Let cool.

6.  meanwhile our coffee and Kahlúa into saucepan and stir in the sugar.  bring to a boil and reduce by about half.  set aside.

7.  make the frosting: using an electric whisk, beat the cheese and Kahlúa until smooth, mix the cream and icing sugar in a separate bowl until soft peaks form, then add this mixture to the mascarpone and Kahlúa mixture.

8.  when the cupcakes have cooled, use a sharp knife to cut a piece out of each sponge (about 2 cm in diameter).  pour 1 tsp full of the soaking syrup over each cut out piece and another tsp into the hollow part of the cupcake.

9.  fill each hollow to about halfway with the mascarpone cream, then place the cut out pieces of sponge back on top of the hole, covering the filling.  lastly, frost the cupcakes with the remaining mascarpone cream and dust lightly with the cocoa powder.