Crème brûlée mmmm!

Oh boy an old favourite. One friend,who is a crème brulee freak fan, seriously want e me to make a cupcakes. But I am not a fan, its just to milky and the consistency of crème brulee is just so wrong. A challenges has never scared me before,  so I took the cow by the udders (not literally) and made this creamy, milky cupcake. All in all it tasted really nice…mmmm and everyone loved it!

Two Oceans Aquarium Wedding!

A colleague of mine tied the knot on 16 March 2013, and asked me to make her wedding cake and cupcakes. Oh boy, was I excited, and a themed wedding with that to. Finally my skills can be put to the test.

Lene and Gareth decided to do everything a bit different, and the venue WOW! Their reception was held in front of the big shark tank. Lene being the animal, critter and creature lover that she is, I accepted nothing else.

We uhmed and aahed about what to make? We deiced on a whole sea/beach experience. The first set of cupcakes would be water and shark fins, then starfish on half sea, half beach. The last set would be a the beach with flip flips and a cocktail umbrella.  Wow I had my worked cut out for me.

The cake would be in the ever popular ombre style, even the inside matched the outside. It was amazing how this style reflected the water beautifully. She also asked for penguin cake toppers. I was nervous, stressed and thought you’re in over your head. But knew in the end the masterpiece would come together.

She looked beautiful in a fishtail dress, everything so well thought through. Congratulations Lene and Gareth, may you share many more wonderful years together. And thank you for this amazing opportunity...

http://www.aquarium.co.za/

Dreamy Oreo Cupcakes

Cupcakes (12-15 medium sized)

Ingredients:

1 cup               buttercream

½ cup              cocoa

1 ½ cup            flour

1tsp                 baking soda

¼ tsp               baking powder

125 g               butter

1 cup               white sugar

2                     eggs

½ tsp               vanilla extract

1 cup               dark chocolate chips

12-15               oreo cookies

pinch of salt

Pre heat oven to 180 °C.

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy in a separate bowl.

Add vanilla extract and eggs (one at a time) mixing well after each addition.

Add the flour mixture slowly.

Beat on medium until the batter appears light and fluffy.

Fold in dark chocolate chips.

Place a oreo cookie at the bottom of each cupcake liner.

Scoop mixture into cupcake liners about 2/3 full.

Bake for 18-20 minutes. Check with a toothpick/stick at 18 minutes. If it comes out clean, remove cupcakes.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

250g                cream cheese

125 g               white butter

2 cups              icing sugar (sifted)

8-12                 oreo cookies

In a food processor, puree strawberries.

Beat the salt, butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Slowly add icing sugar.

Beat until well combined.

Crush the oreo cookies, fold into the cream cheese icing.

Decorations:

12-15              mini oreo cookies

            oreo cookies

Place each small oreo cookies ontop of cupcakes. If you can’t find mini one’s just cut large ones in half and place them ontop.

C is for cookie...

For a while I have just been filling my cupcakes with exciting surprises. Mmm these were definitely a hit, but I wanted to move on, go on another adventure. And I thought to myself, cookies have always been the second love in my eating world...hehehe! And who can forget the cookie monster...nom nom nom! And the there are sooooo many different cookies out there, chocolate chip, strawberry creams, wafers...the list goes on and on.

Anyway so the cookie cupcake fad has started. And to kick it off, the most delicious, creamiest, dreamiest, always enjoyed with a glass of milk cookies I can think of, OREOS! My word, I think the only way to describe these cupcakes are: orgasmic! (Someone actually said that...hehehe!) I have made numerous cupcakes and these are really standing out for me at this point. And to play with a different food type that you wouldn’t expect in a cupcake was great. That why I always say: have some fun, create, make, bake! So keep to those words, and get baking in those kitchens of yours.

Kid cupcakes #1

One of my friends gave me the opportunity to make some interesting kiddy cupcakes for her son. He was turning six. I was so excited, never have I even attempted kiddy cupcakes, so I put my creative 6 year old cap on and away I went into the kitchen.

And here is the end result, beautiful piggy’s and froggies. I had so much fun, playing with different sweets and biscuits. I just made a plain chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, with yummy frosting on top and all the extra little goodies. And oh don’t forget the all important glitter J

All I can say is again have some fun, let your imagination run wild and get back into that sandpit, on those monkey bars and never forget that there is a 6 year old in all of us.

Coffee addictions...

I am one of those people who really love a good cup of coffee. So I thought to myself, why not add it to the other thing I love so much...cupcakes!!! So I plotted and planned, brewed some coffee, added here and there and had a major disaster as well.

I tried this awesome new recipe, and low and behold it failed two times in a row. I was devastated, never have I failed at this cupcake making adventure. So I said to myself, never give up and tried once again. Third time was a charm, I used a different recipe that called for sugar instead of castor sugar and I also used another batch of eggs. With these two factors corrected, my cupcakes looked and smelled perfect! I was so excited to taste these delicious cupcakes. I added a filling of caramel and chocolate bits...mmmm...this was the cherry in top...hehehe!

Topped with delicious coffee frosting and a dollop of fresh cream, these coffee chocolate cupcakes were to die for. Blue mountain peaks is definitely a full bodied, mouth watering and after dinner snack.