Twirl cupcakes

Continuing my quest to recreate all bars as cupcakes I moved onto the Twirl! Even saying the word makes me want one with a cup of tea. Getting the colour right on this one was important so after getting some purple colouring all that was left was to add yellow somehow. Of course it was after these were done I made the discovery of a 2 colour piping nozzle. Oops.

Ingredients
To make 12 cupcakes

9 oz Plain flour
3 oz Cocoa
3 Tsp Baking powder
17oz Caster sugar
300ml Milk
150 ml Olive oil
2 eggs
300ml Boiling water
Twirls 6

Icing
226g Butter softened
600g Icing sugar
2 Tsp Vanilla essence
4Tbsp Milk
Purple colouring
Yellow chocolate balls

Method
30 min Before starting halve 6 of the Twirl fingers and place in the freezer.
1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. In a large bowl mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, and sugar.
3. Pour in milk, oil, egg and beat until smooth.
4. Pour in boiling water and beat.
5. Pour into cases, adding a frozen Twirl into each case and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Allow to cool.
7. For the icing whisk the butter for 3 minutes. Sift in the icing sugar, and beat on low speed for 1 min. Add vanilla and milk beat for 3 minutes.  Add purple food colouring.
8. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and place half a Twirl finger ontop of each one.
9. Sprinkle yellow chocolate balls over the icing.

Coconut Lamingtons

Until now I had never heard of lamingtons. I racewalked before in Lemington spa but thats about as close as it gets! As I searched for inspiration I stumbled across coconut ones and that was it decision made.

Ingredients
Oil or butter for greasing
175g Plain white flour
1Tbsp Baking powder
175g Unsalted butter softened
175g Caster sugar
3 Eggs beaten
1 Tsp Vanilla essence
2 Tbsp Milk
2 Tbsp Desiccated coconut

Icing and coating ingredients
500g Icing sugar
40g Cocoa powder
85ml Boiling water
70g Unsalted butter melted
250g Desiccated coconut

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line a 9 inch square tin. I used a round one recession and all beggers cant be choosers right?

2. Sift the flour and baking powder Into a large bowl and add butter, caster sugar, eggs and vanilla essence. Beat well until the mixture is smooth then stir in the milk and coconut.

3. Spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth the top with a knife. Bake for 30 -35 min until risen and golden brown.

4. Leave to cool. Cut into 16 squares and prepare to create the greatest mess you have ever seen. 

5. For the icing , sift the sugar and cocoa into a bowl. Add water and butter and stir until smooth. Spread the coconut out on a large plate. Dip each square of sponge into the icing then into the coconut covering all sides. I was advised to use a fork to dip but everytime I dipped it fell in so I resorted to dunking with my fingers. Boy it was messy. 

6. Place on baking paper to set.

Double Chocolate Mint Sponge

Who doesn't love mint? Its jaw dropping good :) of course thats just my opinion. I came across this recipe in Edinburgh and couldn't wait to get stuck in. Of course our local shops in Ireland don't exactly have everything so I had to swap a few bits.

Ingredients
Oil or melted butter for greasing
150g plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp baking powder
175g unsalted butter softened
6oz caster sugar
3 eggs beaten
1 tbsp milk
1 mint aero bar crushed
140g chocolate spread
2 mint crisp bars crushed & frozen
Some melting chocolate

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease two 8 inch sandwiche tins and line with baking paper. ( I used 9 inch but sssssh)
2. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder into a bowl and beat in the butter, sugar and eggs. Mix until smooth. Add in frozen mint crisp bars and stir in milk.
3.Spread the mixture into the baking tins. Bake for 25 to 30 min until risen and firm. Turn out onto a rack to cool.
4. Sandwiche the 2 cakes together with chocolate spread.  I used Panda :).
5. Sprinkle crushed mint aero over the top and drizzle melted chocolate over it.

I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out and boy was it tasty! Very simple to make too :)

Nutella Cupcakes

Thankfully I made these before the price of Nutella increased. It was one of my toughest times reading that hazelnuts were becoming scarce so the price would increase :( many a night has been spent devouring it. Time to discover a new comfort food I think. Below is my recipe for Nutella cupcakes.

Ingredients
To make 12 cupcakes

9 oz Plain flour
3 oz Cocoa
3 Tsp Baking powder
17oz Caster sugar
300ml Milk
150 ml Olive oil
2 eggs
300ml Boiling water

Icing
230g Unsalted butter
240g Icing sugar
222g Nutella
3-4Tbsp Heavy cream
2 Tsp Vanilla essence
Sprinkle of salt
Chocolate chips
Hershey' s chocolate sauce

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. In a large bowl mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, and sugar.
3. Pour in milk, oil, egg and beat until smooth.
4. Pour in boiling water and beat.
5. Pour into cases, and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Allow to cool.
7. For the icing whisk the butter for 3 minutes. Sift in the icing sugar first then Nutella and beat on  medium speed for 1 min. Add vanilla then the cream and  beat for 3 minutes. 
8. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and sprinkle chocolate chips ontop. Drizzle Hershey's chocolate sauce over it.

Bounty Cupcakes

I'm a big fan of coconut so I figured why not bake with it. As a kid I loved Bounty bars so behold the Bounty cupcake.

Ingredients
To make 12 cupcakes

9 oz Plain flour
3 oz Cocoa
3 Tsp Baking powder
17oz Caster sugar
300ml Milk
150 ml Olive oil
2 eggs
300ml Boiling water
Bounty 6 bars
Desiccated coconut

Icing
226g Butter softened
600g Icing sugar
2 Tsp Vanilla essence
4Tbsp Milk
2oz Cocoa
Desiccated coconut

Method
30 min Before starting halve 6 of the bounty segments and place in the freezer.
1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. In a large bowl mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, some coconut and sugar.
3. Pour in milk, oil, egg and beat until smooth.
4. Pour in boiling water and beat.
5. Pour into cases, adding a frozen bounty into each case and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Allow to cool.
7. For the icing whisk the butter for 3 minutes. Sift in the icing sugar, cocoa and beat on low speed for 1 min. Add vanilla and milk beat for 3 minutes. 
8. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and place a bounty ontop of each one.
9. Sprinkle coconut over the icing.

Rolo Cupcakes

Who would you give your last Rolo to? If it was me .. I'd say nobody! Those packets are far too small :). I haven't mastered caramel frosting just yet so instead I used yellow buttercream.

Ingredients
To make 12 cupcakes

9 oz Plain flour
3 oz Cocoa
3 Tsp Baking powder
17oz Caster sugar
300ml Milk
150 ml Olive oil
2 eggs
300ml Boiling water
Rolos 3 pks

Icing
226g Butter softened
600g Icing sugar
2 Tsp Vanilla essence
4Tbsp Milk
Yellow food colouring
Hershey's chocolate sauce

Method
30 min Before starting place 12 rolos in the freezer.
1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. In a large bowl mix flour, cocoa, baking powder and sugar.
3. Pour in milk, oil, egg and beat until smooth.
4. Pour in boiling water and beat.
5. Pour into cases, adding a frozen rolo into each case and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Allow to cool.
7. For the icing whisk the butter for 3 minutes. Sift in the icing sugar and beat on low speed for 1 min. Add vanilla and a dash of yellow food colouring and milk beat for 3 minutes. 
8. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes and place a rolo ontop of each one.
9. Drizzle the Hershey' s chocolate sauce over the icing.

Put your pj's on, throw your feet up and sink your teeth in :)

Malteaser Cupcakes

Seen as though I'm a self proclaimed chocaholic I continue to search for ways to combine cupcakes and chocolate. Malteaser cupcakes I thought why not! How hard can this be. The first time I made them I made the dreadful mistake of putting Malteasers straight from the packet into the cupcake batter and baking them. Sorry to those who tried it and your teeth. I learnt a little secret after that! If you put the Malteasers in the freezer for at least 30 min beforehand they don't harden in the oven they only defrost.

So now that you know all my secrets lets get baking!

Ingredients

2 bags of malteasers 

4 1/2 oz of plain flour

45g cocoa

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

245g caster sugar

150ml full fat milk

75ml olive oil

1 egg

150ml boiling water

Icing

113g softened butter

300g icing sugar

25g cocoa

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tbsp milk

Method

1. Make sure half your Malteasers are frozen. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.Pop buncases into a bun tray.

2. In a large bowl mix flour, cocoa, baking powder and sugar.

3. Pour in milk, oil, egg and whisk until nice and smooth.

4. Pour in the boiling water and beat.

5. Pour the mixture into the bun cases and pop a frozen malteaser into each. Bake for 15min. 

6. Remove from the oven and cool. 

7. For the buttercream icing whisk the butter in a bowl for what feels like eternity or 3 min. Then add the icing sugar and cocoa and whisk slow for 1 min. Finally add the vanilla and milk and whisk for another eternity. 

8. Pipe the icing onto the cupcake and top with a malteaser.