The photographic journal of my cupcake making Sunday

24 September 2012 / No Comments

It’s the trend isn’t it? What a good yummy spongy sweet nostalgia filled trend it is.

So after having told you where to get your cupcakes in Paris (haven’t you been yet? If not here is where it’s at, in my last post about these little Fairy Cakes as the British call them) I actually tested making them with my lovely American friend Karin. Because, making sponge cake isn’t all that hard, it’s the TOPPING that matters. And it makes the whole difference I think.

Recipe for the cupcakes: makes 12 standard-size cupcakes or use half the quantities to make 18-24 mini cupcakes

Ingredients

125g butter, softened
125g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
125g self-raising flour
2 tbsp milk
You can flavor them with anything you please (almond flavoring, orange, chocolate using enough cocoa to color them dark brown… all mine are actually flavored with the juice of two freshly squeezed lemons for a tangy taste which contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the topping)

Method

Preheat the oven to 190RC/gas mark 5. Beat together the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, flour and milk to the bowl and beat until the mixture is smooth.
Divide the mixture between the paper cases and bake in the center of the oven until the cakes have risen and are just firm to the touch in the center. The standard-size cakes will take about 12 to 15 minutes and the mini cakes will take 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove the cakes from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

The FROSTING (taDAAAA): makes enough for 12 standard-size cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes

Ingredients

300g cream cheese
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
3-4 tbsp icing sugar

Method

Beat the cream cheese to soften it, then beat in the lemon zest and juice. Finally beat in the icing sugar to taste.

Fiona’s Tip: Use full fat cream cheese as lower fat cheeses are usually softer and if used for making frosting the result may be too runny.

Then use the back of a large spoon and once the cupcakes are cool (that is important) coat them with the thick frosting using said large (metallic) spoon.

Decorations: GO CRAZY. You can theme them (Halloween (tombstones on top made out of biscuits with written RIP in icing), Christmas (don’t forget the cinnamon), Easter (with yummy mini chocolate Eggs (am thinking of the little Cadbury’s kind)), Birthdays (with little colored candles), weddings (silvers little balls or bows).

Karin and I made the birthday party for a whole load of kids variety, which meant Jelly Beans, sugar stars, hundreds and thousands, multicolored sugar spheres. The world of cupcakes held no more secrets for us, as we dashed around in a Willy Wonka frenzy of joy and infant like creativity.

We had a great time, the kids had fun eating them and I took two home that I smuggled for myself to have over a cup of tea the next day. Doesn’t everything always taste better the day after? MMMmmmmm.

Bon appetit xxxx