Recipe time...Toffee Tumbles

Almond Buttercake



150g butter, softened


1/2 teaspoon almond essence


2/3 cup (150g) caster sugar


2 eggs


1/3 cup (50g) self-raising flour


1/2 cup (75g) plain flour


1/2 cup (60g) almond meal
/regular flour

1/2 cup almonds chopped


Choux Pastry



60g butter


3/4 cup (180ml) water


3/4 cup (105g) plain flour


3 eggs, beaten lightly



Vanilla Custard



1 1/4 cups (310mls) milk


1 vanilla bean, split


4 egg yolks


1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar


1/4 cup (40g) cornflour



Toffee



1 cup (220g) caster sugar


1/2 cup (125ml) water



Make choux pastry; make vanilla custard. Preheat oven to moderate (180oC/160oC fan forced). Line 12-hole standard pan with paper cases. Beat butter, essence, sugar and eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in sifted flours and almond meal, in two batches. Divide mixture among cases; smooth surface. Bake cakes about 20 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool. Cut a 2cm deep hole in the centre of each cake, fill with custard; replace lid. Spread tops of cakes with a little more custard. Top with a layer of puffs. Stack remaining puffs on cakes dipping each in a little custard. Make toffee; drizzle over puffs.

Choux Pastry



Preheat oven to hot (220oC/200oC fan forced). Grease oven trays, line with baking paper. Combine butter with the water in medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Add flour, beat until mixture forms a smooth ball. Transfer mixture to small bowl, beat in egg with electric mixer in about six batches until mixture becomes glossy. Spoon mixture into piping bag fitted with 1 cm plain tube. Pipe about 300 tiny dollops of pastry (about 1/4 level teaspoon), onto trays; bake 7 minutes. Reduce oven to moderate (180oC/160oC fan forced), bake for a further 5 minutes or until puffs are crisp. Repeat with remaining mixture.



Vanilla Custard



Bring milk and vanilla bean to a boil in small saucepan; discard vanilla bean. Meanwhile, beat egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in small bowl with electric mixer until thick. With motor operating gradually beat in warm milk. Return custard to small pan; stir over heat until, mixture boils and thickens. Cover surface of custard with plastic wrap; cool.

 Mmmm most delicous custard I have made!

Toffee



Combine sugar with the water in small heavy-based saucepan. Stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, without stirring, until mixture is golden brown. Remove from heat; stand until bubbles subside before using. Mine took a while to get going and to turn that caramel brown colour.

Toffee tumbles…tumbled…

I thought to myself this weekend, push yourself. Make a cupcake that really challenges you. And what happened…Not only was it the hottest day I have experienced, but I now know why there are people like the naked chef…hehehe! I thought fine Choux pastry, homemade vanilla custard, toffee, almond cupcakes, how hard could it be?

Let me tell you something I nearly died, but at least I learned some new skills, and I must say to myself but that vanilla custard…mmm is to die for. I even got some request that there should have been more custard. So after some blood, sweat and fears, I made these toffee tumbles and I was impressed. 300 little choux pastry balls, is not for sissies. I even made beautiful sugar shards to place on top. The cupcakes looked beautiful. So I put them in a container, popped them in the fridge and awoke the next morning to disaster.

I took them out of the fridge, left them on the counter, quickly got ready for work and low and behold when I opened the container, the toffee and the sugar shards had melted, even the custard melted, making them tumble. I was like "DISASTER". But all in all they tasted really good. I injected each cupcake with extra custard, and put some almonds in the batter and some almond essence as well. The flavors were really strong…mmm just the way I like it!

So give it a crack. It’s really beautiful cupcakes, hard to eat and a lot of effort, but if you have the cupcakeness in you, why not…

Recipe to follow tomorrow!