Children, don't drink too much coffee and ... mocha cupcakes

I have had a cake decorating set for a while but never felt brave enough to use it. I have also started work recently and very quickly got addicted to coffee (which I am now trying to cut down on), so one of the first baking cravings I've had since starting work was ... coffee flavour cupcakes. My favourite Hummingbird bakery has a recipe for some but this time I opted for a general internet search. I made them, shared them with lots of people at work who all drink way too much coffee and then ... lost the recipe. Below is my attempt at remembering it, so if it is not perfect I do apologise. I think it should be though - it sounds about right. They are very nice - I don't really like muffin like baking, but these ones I could happily have with my co... tea. Tea is what I meant to say.

Mocha Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
2 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup freshly brewed espresso
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk

For the frosting:
150g unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 double shot freshly brewed espresso

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease about 18 cupcake cases.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl, sifting them through. In a separate bowl beat the butter with both sugars for about 5 minues until light and fluffy. Add egg and egg yolk one at a time into the butter mixture each time whisking well. Once well mixed add milk and espresso to the bowl and stir until the ingredients are well combined. Add the flour mixture into the other one mixing well but not too thoroughly - neither cupcakes nor muffins require that much attention when being stirred. Scoop the mix into the cupcake cases (they should be 2/3 full, but if your oven is as overly keen as mine you can fill fill them until half full, so they don't rise too much). Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a stick inserted into them comes out clean.

As they are baking make the frosting.
Make sure your double shot of espresso is cool before you start. Beat the butter and sugar together again until light and fluffy. Add vanilla essence and espresso and mix well. Voila! Frosting ready - I was surprised how easy it was.

Before you can frost the cupcakes you need to let them cool down. Otherwise the frosting will melt on them and it won't look nice. Trust me - I was so excited about my cupcakes that the first two were ruined like that. So, once they are cooler frost them as you wish - using a fancy frosting kit or just a pallette knife. Either way - they will be tasty!

 Enjoy!
(also, my cake decorating set is messy and so much fun!)

Leek risotto

Autumn is the season of leeks - plenty of them arrive with my veg box. You may not think them a particularly exciting vegetable and if so ... you are wrong. I didn't use to think they were anything special and I only really liked them in one salad that y mum makes every now and again. And even then I was not the greatest fan. But then there was no getting away from them as they kept coming in the boxes in the autumn, which made them similar to cabbage. 

Cabbage does give you some room for culinary manoeuvre but will never compare to leeks, which when cooked become creamy and almost nutty in taste - perfect to warm you up and very very exciting in risottos. So... of you go - get yourself some leeks and make a Leek Risotto!

 

Leek Risotto

You will need:

200g risotto rice (arborio or carnaroli)

500 ml vegetable stock

1/2 glass of white wine

1 small onion, chopped into cubes (I used a red one just for a change)

1 leek, sliced into semi circles

olive oil

a knob of cold butter

salt, pepper

 

In a non-stick pan (or any other sauce pan you like) fry the chopped onion for a few minutes with some oil, salt and pepper. Add the leeks and fry for about 5 minutes until the leek softens up. It will also start to smell really nicely - nutty and creamy at the same time. When it's softened a bit add the rice to the pan and stir well. Make sure every single rice grain is coated in the oil and fry for a minute or so. Add the wine and let it boil off stirring the rice constantly. It is best to have the heat on very high when you do that - the wine should boil off quickly for the best taste. Then add a ladle of stock and stir over reduced heat. Keep adding the stock until the rice is ready. You can tell it's done by biting through one piece - it should be all soft except the middle - a harder, small, white core should remain. If you're not sure consult the packet of your rice, but it shouldn't take longer than 20 minutes. Turn the heat off and add a knob of cold butter to the risotto. Stir well and cover with a lid. Let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

 

Serve with parmesan and enjoy with a glass of white wine! Perfect comfort food!