Monday, April 07, 2008

Yesterday was

cupcakes

cupcakes

and more cupcakes...

there was chocolate and cream

to make ganache

to cover some doozy chocolate creations.

The chocolate ones were my absolute favourite. Very strong but wow. The recipe is as follows and it comes from the book which I mentioned here.

100g butter at room temp
100g caster sugar
2 large eggs (beaten)
100g self raising flour
nutella or other chocolate spread.

to decorate
100g dark chocolate
100ml double cream
blanched hazelnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 180 C (350F) Line a bun tin with paper cases.
Beat the butter with sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the egg a little at a time. Fold in sifted flour. (I add a little salt and a teaspoon of baking powder here). Drop a generously heaped teaspoonful of the mixture into each paper case and then make an indentation in the middle of each little dollop with the handle of a teaspoon. Drop a little nutella or other chocolate spread into the indentation and cover carefully with some of the remaining cake mixture. Bake for 15 - 18 mins (it depends on our oven really) until risen. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To decorate.
Put the broken chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Heat the cream until almost boiling, then pour over the chocolate and leave to stand for a few minutes. Stir until smooth and creamy (if you are anything like me there will come a point where it looks terrible and you think that it has all gone wrong, trust me keep stirring and it works just fine) Leave to cool for about twenty minutes for it to thicken a little then spread over the cakes.

You can sprinkle a few chopped hazelnuts over if you like. I didn't because of a choking hazard if a small one nicked what is really quite a grown up tasting cupcake. These really are tiny deaths by chocolate... but they are a sublime way to go.

Today, instead of a return to school for the younglings and a quick jaunt over Crynant mountain in the car for the oldies (including a thermos of cocoa like the old farts we are tuning into), it is inset day or "insect day" as Rose calls it. I will always remember the last time I forgot inset day and turned up at the school gates (late I add, lest you think that I am a complete moron) to find the teachers holed up in their staff room sipping extra strength coffee, eating biccies and pretending to do extra training. I sloped off, disconsolate children in tow, and I'm certain the teachers had a good giggle. Anyway I am spending the last day of hols sorting out uniform and kit which I should have done days ago. Laundry anyone?

Have a calm and organised day won't you? Go easy on the cupcakes though.

10 comments:

Pippa said...

They look amazing! Mouth is watering already and I'm thinking of making some cakes of my own now. Hope you have a lovely last-day-of-the-holidays. x

Greg C said...

I always think my recipe is going wrong and want to give up but I keep going. I usually only fail on Candy recipes. I want some cupcakes. I hate dieting.

Patois42 said...

Those look so darn good. Now, if I can just remember how to translate grams into the American lazy measuring way.

Ragged Roses said...

So you weren't fibbing when you left a comment telling me you'd been baking!!!! I love chocolate ganache and wish,wish, wish you could pass me one of those cakes through the ether to have with my cup of Tea, they look very yummy indeed
Kimx

Lorraine said...

Sian- I have to get some of that Green and Blacks chocolate- those look soooooo goood!

Nicole said...

Oh, yum...

I'm jealous!

Kati said...

*drool* Oooh, can I have one?!?! *wink* They DO look delish!!!

Kim said...

Wow, those cupcakes look divine, and a darn sight more delicate than my fruit buns!!! Still, mine are never around long enough to win any beauty contests (just as well, cos they wouldn't!) :)

Kim x

Sian said...

Pippa: Thank you dear one. Happy baking :)

Greg: Dieting is foul. I went on one once in support of V who was suffering a detox regime. I lasted half an hour before the sense of deprivation saw me off :D

Patois: Surely your dear Mancunian can translate for you? Ummm...25g is one oz. Sorry I don't have a clue about cups. How do you measure a cup of butter anyway?

Kim: I can eat ganache by the spoon :)

Lorraine: Thank you. I'll send you some cupcakes if you knit my icarus for me. Hey, it was worth a try! :D

Nicole: Yup, they were pretty good, even if I do say so myself :)

Kati: I would love to send cupcakes to the North Pole *grinning*

Kim:Baking of any kind is good, especially on a cold day :)

Anonymous said...

come on gang cakes are just cakes. now if you were to wright about bread pudding oooooooooooh i'm crazy for good bread pudding. i must get a life.i can't go all the time thinking about bread pudding.i must stop,i must stop , i must stop. don't take me away do they make bread pudding where you are taking me??? you got it i like bread pudding.