The Gingerbread House

Tis' the season to be jolly! It's less than a week til Christmas (and less than a week of work!) and I've started the preparations! First up, a gingerbread house, complete with footpath, letter box and Santa's unfortunate mishap! Thank you to my wonderful partner, Joseph, for his contributions to the house - he has an eye for detail AND patience!

Unfortunately, I've been ill the last couple of days and won't be able to bake as much as I anticipated for Christmas! But hopefully, I'll have time to whip a thing or two more!

Otherwise, new year's cake, anyone?

Choc Mint Cupcakes & Caramel Cupcakes

November and December are the busiest months for teachers. Instead of relaxing and preparing for Christmas, we are marking essays and countless exams, planning engaging lessons to keep our students on task, writing detailed reports and on top of that re-enforcing classroom rules as students begin to enter “holiday mode”. Not that I blame them. The scent of Christmas is lingering and my frustration increases at the thought of the last day of school occurring only TWO days before Christmas! 

However, I refuse to allow all of my work to heavily impact my baking. I need balance!

I have been experimenting with different cupcake flavours and even different desserts. Being a lover of chocolate mint, I thought it was only fitting that I begin with that, looking up recipes and settling for Nigella’s Choc Mint cupcakes (http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/mint-chocolate-cupcakes-1170). I added a chocolate decorative piece on top for presentation purposes. 

Choc Mint Cupcakes

Next up. Caramel. My partner’s favourite. Although I disliked the buttercream topping (perhaps too sweet with the caramel), the cupcake itself tasted delicious and in future, I would use an alternate icing or salt the caramel. This recipe comes from the Women’s Weekly Class Collection Cakes & Cupcakes books. 

Caramel Cupcakes

Looking forward to trying Peanut Heaven, Strawberry Meringue and Banana Cakes!

Circus Cake

Yesterday, my adorable little nephew celebrated his 2nd birthday with a circus-themed party.

After several complex designs were scrapped (mainly due to insufficient time - why does work always have to get in the way?), I decided to settle on a three-tiered cake incorporating the colours and patterns of the invitation and party decorations - Blue, yellow, white and red! Stripes, circles and stars! Fun, fun and more fun!

The bottom tier was chocolate mud and the middle was white chocolate mud (both made by my sister)! However, to maintain balance and avoid problems, the top tier was polystyrene which also meant that it could be decorated much earlier on! The clown was based on the design by the cake company, Wilton. However, mine appeared to have gained a few extra pounds!


Happy Birthday, Cam Cam!

Circus Cake

Smurf Cupcakes

Having recently watched The Smurfs at the cinema with my 5-year-old nephew, I decided to experiment with the blue little creatures on cupcakes!

I explored photos on the net and decided to combine a few ideas to come up with this! Pretty easy to make but time consuming (especially as my white marzipan was quickly drying out)! Perhaps a Smurf village next??

The Smurfs - (Clockwise) Clumsy, Smurfette, Brainy and Papa Smurf

Smurfs' Mushroom Houses

2011 AFL Grand Final Cupcakes

Keeping with the footy theme, the 2011 AFL Grand Final was played yesterday at the MCG between the Geelong Cats and Collingwood Magpies. Thanks to my prophetic nephew (and perhaps my prayers!), I was able to create AFL cupcakes that reflected the outcome! Now don't get me wrong, I am a fan of neither (both teams have defeated my Saints in the past two Grand Finals!) but I clearly prefer one team over the other!

I designed these cupcakes based on the Geelong emblem but altered it slightly. I thought that the Magpie feathers sticking out of the cat's mouth was a nice touch! :)

A Geelong Cat eating a Collingwood Magpie!

Footy Cupcakes

It's September! Footy finals time! Unfortunately, my beloved Saints were eliminated in the first round of the finals and now, a few weeks later, we are stuck watching Collingwood play in the Grand Final! Let's hope that those Cats eat them alive! 

My football cupcakes are easy to make. Choc chip cupcake recipe. Piped green icing for grass. Rolled red marzipan with incisions to create footballs. Simple. 

In the past, I've also located Fads lollies (those lollies that we used to pretend to smoke as cigarettes when we were kids - and yes, still do!) and have cut them to size to create goal posts.

 

Fads Lollies

My nephew celebrated his 5th birthday this year and in addition to football cupcakes, I also created some Essendon cupcakes. Needless to say, the kids at his birthday party preferred the footy fields!

The Royal Melbourne Show is currently running at the Showgrounds. They have a vast collection of beautifully decorated cakes including wedding cakes and themed cakes. My personal favourite is The Wizard of Oz cake! Absolutely fantastic! LOVE!

Super Mario Cake

Ok, I have a secret. My very first cake is the best cake that I have made yet! It took me almost a week and there were several amateur disasters (not to mention the tantrums!) such as covering the cake with marzipan, lots of turtle and mushroom discolouration (!) and the melting on its journey to its destination (so don't zoom in on the photos)! I designed the cake and used several ideas from the internet to create this for my partner's birthday this year! It was a lot of work but it was so much fun!

Super Mario Cake - butter cake top tier, chocolate cake bottom tier

     

    

Tricks for Using Marzipan

It's often difficult to work with marzipan, especially if it has been left out unwrapped, overworked or even too wet and sticky after adding a coloured paste. Here are some quick fix-it tips to using marzipan. If your marzipan is too:

STICKY & WET:  Sift some icing sugar gradually into your marzipan and knead.

Stickiness and wetness may result from the addition of coloured paste, particularly those darker colours such as black and even red. It can also result from heat - even just overworking the marzipan with your hands.

A sticky and wet marzipan tends to either stick to your working surface or on the rolling pin so it's best to resolve the problem as soon as possible.

DRY:  Add a small amount of water and knead.

Dryness may result from leaving the marzipan unwrapped or uncovered.

This was the difficulty I faced. It is vital that the marzipan is pliable. Otherwise, if it is too dry, cracks will appear and it will begin to tear on the cake. You want to avoid adding water whilst the marzipan is on the cake because it can possibly discolour it. So, ensure that you prevent this from happening and add water to your dry marzipan before covering your cake.

Covering Your Cake With Marzipan

The best way to learn how to cover a cake with marzipan is to see it being done. Check out the YouTube video below from Planet Cake that explains it all!

 

For more tricks on marzipan, I recommend buying a copy of Planet Cake's book. It is a fantastic resource with step-by-step instructions ranging from baking an assortment of cakes and covering them with marzipan to creating masterpieces such as a handbag cake or even a rocket or record player cake! Ger your hands on this book now!

Choc Chip Cupcakes

You can't go wrong with Choc Chip Cupcakes! They are quick and easy to make, and taste delicious! If I'm feeling peckish, I whip up a batch of these bad boys and I'm all set!

Piped icing & choc chips

Choc Chip Cupcakes Recipe (Book: The Cupcake; Publisher: Love Food)

Makes 12

INGREDIENTS 
100g self-raising flour
100g butter, softened, or soft margarine
100g caster sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
100g plain chocolate chips

METHOD
Preheat oven to 190C degrees (although I find 175C degrees in a gas oven enough - test on one cupcake!). Place 12 paper cases in a cupcake tray. Sift flour in a large bowl. Add butter, caster sugar and eggs and, using an electric mixer, beat together until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon the mixture into paper cases. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes (I have found 16-18 minutes to be sufficient), or until risen, golden and firm to touch. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

Marble Cupcakes

Marble Cupcakes are quite simply a swirl of white chocolate and milk chocolate!

Topped with sprinkles & a Malteser

Piped with white chocolate icing & topped with Tiny Teddies

 

White Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe (gourmettraveller.com.au)

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

125g solt unsalted butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

3 eggs

80g white chocolate, melted

3/4 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

METHOD
Use an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light an fluffy, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then add white chocolate and stir to combine. Sift flout and baking powder over cake batter and fold in until combined. Line 12-hole (1.3 cup capacity) muffin tins with 8 paper cases. (***See note at end of recipe). 

Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe (taste.com.au)

Serves 18

INGREDIENTS

100g dark chocolate

1 cup water

125g butter, softened

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

1/2 cup plain flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

METHOD

Preheat oven to 160°C. Line 18 x 1/3-cup (80ml) capacity muffin pans with paper cases. Combine the chocolate and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition, until just combined. Add the flours and cocoa powder and stir until just combined. Add the melted chocolate mixture and stir to combine. (***See note at end of recipe). 

*** Once both batches have been made, spoon from alternate batches into each muffin case. Move a skewer back and forth to create a marbled effect.

Milk Chocolate Cupcakes

These Milk Chocolate Cupcakes can be bland on their own so I chose to pipe some filling in the centre. The recipe calls for raspberries but I substituted with strawberries, just depends on your taste buds!

Covered with Milo and topped with a split strawberry

Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe (taste.com.au)

Serves 18

INGREDIENTS

100g dark chocolate

1 cup water

125g butter, softened

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

1/2 cup plain flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

METHOD

Preheat oven to 160°C. Line 18 x 1/3-cup (80ml) capacity muffin pans with paper cases. Combine the chocolate and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition, until just combined. Add the flours and cocoa powder and stir until just combined. Add the melted chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Spoon evenly among the lined muffin pans. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes (**N.B.: At 15 minutes, pipe Raspberry Sauce Filling in centre of cupcake) or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Raspberry Sauce Filling Recipe (bestrecipes.com.au)

INGREDIENTS

500g/2 punnets frozen raspberries

1/3 cup caster sugar

METHOD

Place frozen raspberries and sugar into a large non-stick frying pan. Stir to combine. Heat over medium heat until bubbling. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Using a metal spoon, crush raspberries and pureed. Remove from heat and set aside to cool (At the 15-minute mark of cupcakes baking, pipe the filling in the centre of each cupcake).

White Chocolate Cupcakes

Now that it's school holidays, I have all the time in the world to bake bake bake! At the moment, I have a cupcake obsession including trying varying flavours, fillings, icing, toppings, etc. I have been on the prowl for different recipes to combine and create unique cupcakes. Recipes are sourced in brackets.

I opted to fill my cupcakes with a strawberry coulis and top it off with some white chocolate icing!

Decorated with a Smiley Tiny Teddy & a slice of strawberry

** N.B.: Make White Chocolate Cupcakes AND Raspberry Filling simultaneously**

 

White Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe (gourmettraveller.com.au)

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

125g solt unsalted butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

3 eggs

80g white chocolate, melted

3/4 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

METHOD
Use an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light an fluffy, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then add white chocolate and stir to combine. Sift flour and baking powder over cake batter and fold in until combined. Line 12-hole (1.3 cup capacity) muffin tins with 8 paper cases, then divide mixture among cases and bake at 180C degrees for 20 minutes (**N.B.: At 15 minutes, pipe Raspberry Sauce Filling in centre of cupcake) or until cakes spring back when lightly pressed.

 

Raspberry Sauce Filling Recipe (bestrecipes.com.au)

INGREDIENTS

500g/2 punnets frozen raspberries

1/3 cup caster sugar

METHOD

Place frozen raspberries and sugar into a large non-stick frying pan. Stir to combine. Heat over medium heat until bubbling. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Using a metal spoon, crush raspberries and pureed. Remove from heat and set aside to cool (At the 15-minute mark of cupcakes baking, pipe the filling in the centre of each cupcake).

White Chocolate Icing Recipe (creativegourmet.com.au)

 

INGREDIENTS

300g white chocolate, grated or buttons

1 tbl water

115g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla essences

METHOD

Place the chocolate into a saucepan with the water. Stir until melted and then boil for 2 minutes. Cool. Sift the icing sugar and then add it to the chocolate with the vanilla essence. Mix together over a low heat until the icing sugar has dissolved. Use icing while still warm.

The Tiffany box

What do you buy someone who has everything? Scrapbooks have been created, collages mounted on walls and gifts exhausted. The answer is a piece of cake! Or maybe a full cake! Detailed designs and perfectly sculpted figurines not only show thoughtfulness but also add that personal touch to a gift.

Take big sis, Rosie, for example! Eyeing the turquoise box tied with a simple white ribbon at last year's birthday celebrations brought a smile to her face. Let's face it, a Tiffany & Co. box would make any girl's heart flutter but my piggy bank was becoming much lighter. This year, there would be changes. This year, Rosie would continue to eye the T & Co. box but of a different kind. This year, she would get to eat it too.



YouTubing and visiting websites equipped me with enough to start. And of course, a visit to my local cake shop to purchase Wilton's colour pastes (blue and yellow) and white marzipan.

Wilton's yellow and blue pastes

After baking my vanilla cake, colouring my marzipan (using Wilton's blue paste with a touch of yellow to create that turquoise colour) and rolling it out, I was ready to learn how to make a marzipan bow to top off my cake. The creation of a bow seemed a little daunting but after watching a quick youTube clip and feeling sheepish that it was actually quite easy to make (Planet Cake's youTube video, 'Planet Cake Decoration Video: How to make a bow' - see below), my cake was ready to evolve into a Tiffany box!

Here is the Tiffany & Co. cake presented to the birthday girl and complemented by matching cupcakes!

Future posts will feature guides to rolling out and covering your cake with marzipan to create that professional look. Keep posted! :)

Put on your apron!

Due to popular demand (thanks Eva!), Cakes.Cupcakes.Candy is the new blog for amateur bakers. Specialising in cake and cupcake design, join me as I learn the tips and tricks of the baking trade!

This blog will demonstrate step-by-step the processes of using marzipan and applying piping techniques to ensure that the end result will complement and compliment any significant occasion!

Put on your apron and let's start baking!