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!

Autumn

Sunny days

How to enjoy sunshine, demonstrated by Duende - the Sun Child.

Autumn means chocolate

It's getting colder and colder everyday. The summer has most certainly left us and all we can do now is wait for the world to fall asleep completely in its waiting for spring-time. It is a good thing we have Christmas to look forward to, otherwise falling asleep with the trees and squirrels would be a tempting option. I do however enjoy autumn. I like the colours of the leaves and how they fly in the wind before they settle in the (still) green grass. I also like the light in the early mornings- the buildings and treetops seem to almost shine with a warm, orange glow which is so different to the feel of cold air on your skin as you walk in this pretty light.

None of the other seasons invites comfort food as much as autumn. And nothing makes better comfort food than chocolate, preferably dark chocolate. The recipe below is an attempt to recreate Gü's amazing chocolate soufflés. It works quite well, I think. Especially with a cup of tea and a good book on the side.

Melting chocolate puddings 

120g dark chocolate
100g butter
20ml rum
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 medium eggs
2 egg yolks
dash of vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain flour

Preheat the oven to 160C degrees.
Melt the chocolate, butter and rum over a steam bath stirring occasionally.

While the chocolate is melting whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together in a big bowl until blended well. Add vanilla essence and and whisk with an electric whisk for about ten minutes until the mixture gets a bit firmer and starts to form little ribbons as you whisk it. I suggest using an electric whisk for ease - it probably takes ages by hand. And if you have one of those magical KitchenAid machines it will take no time at all.

When the chocolate is melted pour it around the edges of the egg mixture. Sift flour on top and begin to fold the mixture. Take your time and do it very slowly so that the air whisked into the eggs doesn't escape. This helps to keep your puddings light and fluffy. The folding will take a long time but it is well worth it. Fold until the mixture is evenly chocolatey in colour.

Grease 4 ramekins with some butter and pour the chocolate mix into the ramekins. Bake for about 12-14 minutes so that the top is firm and crusty but the puddings are still guey inside.

(you can also freeze this dessert, but make sure you add another couple of minutes to the baking time before serving!)

Enjoy. But watch out because the ramekins get very hot. And the puddings are quite addictive.

Gower Peninsula

Lemon and thyme loaf

I fell in love with this Hummingbird Bakery recipe (yes, it's yet another one of those) the moment I saw it. I have always liked lemons - my childhood party trick was downing a juice of one lemon without a twitch. And that's probably why I never liked lemon-flavoured food. Lemons should have a kick to them, they should be sour - you should feel them like nothing else when you have them and mixing them with food takes all that away. I expected lemon desserts and cakes to taste just like lemons do and they, obviously, don't and never will. Luckily as I grew, so did my taste-bud tolerance (pretty typical I guess) and I have expanded my lemon horizons. These days when I see the word 'lemon' or 'lime' in a baking recipe, I'm all in. And if you like experimenting there is nothing like mixing some lemon and lemon thyme in a cake. They are a match made in heaven. Thank you, Hummingbird!

Lemon and thyme loaf  

(based on Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days recipe)
Sponge:
190g soft unsalted butter
190g plain flour
Zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
3 tsp chopped lemon thyme leaves
190g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
1 tsp baking powder
25ml soured cream
1/4 tsp salt

Syrup:
80g caster sugar
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
4 tsp finely chopped lemon thyme leaves

Preheat the oven to 170 C and grease the loaf tin.
Mix the butter, lemon zest, thyme leaves and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, each time making sure they mix well before you add the next one. If you have one of those magical freestanding electric mixers I would recommend using it. If not, be prepared to spend a long time mixing but it is well worth it.
In a seperate bowl mix together the flour (sift it!), baking powder and salt. Add them onto the butter and egg mixture in a few batches, each time mixing well before adding some more. Add the soured cream and mix again. Pour the batter into the loaf tin and bake for 40-50 minutes. The  loaf needs to be firm, so use a skewer to see whether any sticks to it when you insert it across the sponge. It should come out clean.

In the meantime make the syrup*. 

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan with about 60ml of water. Bring to boil and simmer until its reduced by about half and then pour the syrup over the cooked loaf as soon as it comes out of the oven. Let the loaf cool completely before serving. Decorate with some thyme sprigs to make it look more interesting. Although it doesn't need it - it will be gone before you have time to appreciate it for its aesthetics. Enjoy!

*the original recipe calls for less sugar and less water. I however found that that didn't make enough syrup for my liking, so I suggest making a bit more if you like your loaves a bit more soggy.