Tuesday 31 May 2011

Red Velvets from Scratch

Even though I must admit that I love hummingbirds cupcakes the best, their recipe just isn't as good at home than in the store. I think there must be some secret ingredient or magic touch. Working at hummingbirds is my dream - and maybe someday I can find out the secret! But for now, I use the Magnolia recipe for my red velvet cupcakes: 


Photography by the
Cupcake Around the Corner
Ingredients

3 1/2 cups flour (not self-rising)
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 ¼ cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 tablespoons red food coloring****
2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

How they make it: (all in Magnolias words by the way!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and lightly flour three muffin tins. Place cupcake papers in the tins.
To make the cake: In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.
In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts, alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overheat.
In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.
Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake each tray for 20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
*** The last time I used these I used one small container of red food coloring powder.  The powder really made the cupcakes turn out red as opposed to a sort of burnt red color.
You can find tons more great cupcake recipes on Magnolias site: 
http://www.foodnetwork.com/search/delegate.do?fnSearchString=cupcakes&fnSearchType=site

The Social Cupcake

Fun idea: get together and make cupcakes with a group of friends. If you are looking to do with your friends this weekend this is the perfect idea.  Its the perfect activity - its fun, its creative, and you get to eat delicious cupcakes in the end. If you also want to make friends with anyone just invite them over to bake....it's almost 100% guaranteed that you will become great friends - especially if you both love cupcakes!


Photography by the Cupcake Around the Corner
Photography by the Cupcake Around the Corner

Friday 20 May 2011

Fluffy Frosting/Best Frosting in the World

This frosting is literally my favourite. I use it on almost all of the cupcakes I make. I think that it has the perfect consistency, taste, and texture. Its great. And its very simple to do so you should all try it out!

You will need: 

- 500g confectioners sugar
- 250g butter
- dash of vanilla
- milk

Leave the butter out to soften and you can judge when its ready. Then mix the confectioners sugar, butter, and a teensy bit of vanilla to add some flavour together. Add small portions of milk as you go until your frosting is the right consistency. And thats all there is to it!!! (for best results, frost soon after you mix this so that the frosting doesn't dry up before even getting on a cupcake)

 This is the frosting I use - you can just pour in the whole thing! You can find it at Tesco, Sainsbury's, and I'm pretty sure Waitrose too!!! 


http://www.dinkydrinksminiaturefavours.co.uk/silver-spoon-homegrown-sugar-icing-500g-pi-4811.html



This is the butter I use. Once again, you can just use the whole cube. And I got it at Tesco! 

Cheers!

BIG Tips for Using Tips

Photography by the Cupcake Around the Corner
The key to magnificently frosted cupcakes is using big tips. You can get them at any baking store, and they're pretty cheap too. If you just want to cover your cupcakes with a mountain of frosting and still have it look good these will definitely do the trick. When I make cupcakes, I usually either make themed ones or genuinely cute cupcakes for fun. You can use these for themed cupcakes (easter, halloween, the royal wedding...etc) but I advise you to for sure use them for your random cupcakes that are for regular events at least a couple times. I love how my cupcakes turn out every time I use my big tips and I'm sure you will too!


Cheers!

Wednesday 18 May 2011

Cupcake Anatomy

I just thought this was amazing. 
(Not mine though, I found it on another blog called The Sweetest Occasion. Here's the link If you want to see more of their ideas http://www.thesweetestoccasion.com/page/8/)

Friday 6 May 2011

Sketches

Do you ever want to draw a cupcake but just can't figure out how to? Do they never turn out cute or accurate enough? Heres how I draw them....this should give you a good idea of how to doodle a pretty cute cupcake...
Photography by the Cupcake Around the Corner
Of course there a better cupcake doodles out there - this is just a starter!!! 

Wednesday 4 May 2011

Gotta Love a Royal Wedding

These are the Royal Wedding cupcakes we made...

Photography by the Cupcake Around the Corner
Photography by the Cupcake Around the Corner
It was a shame these didn't turn out exactly how we thought they would but they are crowns for Will and Kate!


Photography by the Cupcake Around the Corner
We also made an amazing royal wedding fondant cake in the shape of a crown!!!

Photography by the Cupcake Around the Corner
Photography by the Cupcake Around the Corner
What a lovely union jack


Photography by the Cupcake Around the Corner
God save the queen! She looked so cute on the wedding day in her little yellow suit. 


Photography by the Cupcake Around the Corner
Our cake with the whole royal fam!

Obsession Confession

I have a confession to make. I have a crazy cupcake obsession. I don't know when or how it started - all I know is it will never end! I will forever love cupcakes in every way! I love baking cupcakes, I love buying cupcakes, I love eating cupcakes, I love drawing cupcakes, I love everything CUPCAKE.  


Photography by the Cupcake Around the Corner
This pretty much sums it all up. It is my cupcake shrine - showing my true devotion to cupcakes. 

The shrine includes:
  • Keep Calm and Eat a Cupcake journal
  • Keep Calm and Eat a Cupcake sign
  • Cupcake notepad
  • 2 cupcake ornaments
  • Cupcake lipgloss
  • Cupcake coin purse
  • Cupcake jar
  • Home made paper cupcake
  • Cupcake pillowcase (on the bottom!)