Showing posts with label cupcakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cupcakes. Show all posts
Back in 2010 when I first started this food blog I baked some traditional English Madeleines, the cupcake version. I have always wanted to re-do the photos for them as I have a much better camera now. I've always been slightly embarrassed by the poor quality of my original photos.
These are excellent cakes and I don't think my original photography portrayed them very well, or as well as they could have been.
One mustn't confuse English Madeleines with regular madeleines. They are two completely different things. Traditional French Madeleines (or Petite Madeleine) are a small shell shaped buttery cake which comes from the Lorraine region in the North East of France.
You can tell a good French Madeleine by the size of the bump which develops on the top whilst baking. A good one will have a really tall bump.
English Madeleines are also small buttery cakes, but they are baked in dariole tins. Once baked they are then rolled in sieved red jam and desiccated coconut. Topped with a glace cherry, they are delightful little cakes, both to the eye and to the palate!
Traditionally the jam is pressed through a fine sieve and then slightly warmed before brushing. When I was looking for a sieve to use yesterday I came across this in the kitchen drawer. It was the right size and shape and so I used it, only to discover later on that it was actually a sieve to put in a sink drain.
Never mind, it worked perfectly. I might actually buy one of those to use when I get my new kitchen! They are probably cheaper than traditional sieves!
The basic batter for these is a traditional vanilla sponge. Nothing outrageous. Simple.
The fiddly part however, is the sieving of the jam, brushing of it onto the cakes and then the rolling of the cakes in coconut.
Not hard to do but a bit time consuming, that's all. Well worth any effort however!
The original recipe for this was adapted from one I found in the cookery book entitled, Women's Institute Cakes, by Liz Herbert. I will now have to replace that book when I can find one. (Fingers crossed)
WI books are the best. If a cake is good enough for the WI you know it is an excellent cake! The Women's Institute is a community based organization for women in the United Kingdom, South African, Canada and Australia.
If you are familiar with the film "Calendar Girls," then you should have a pretty good idea about the WI. They are well known for their preserving, conserving, and baking!
And obviously calendars, lol.
One thing which I really love about this recipe is that you don't need any type of dedicated madeleine pan or the dariole molds. You can just use an ordinary medium cupcake/muffin tin.
Baked in ordinary paper muffin cases, these are simple, and uncomplicated. No buttering or flouring of molds or tins needed. Works for me!
They are also very similar to the Feather Squares my mother used to make for us every Christmas. They consisted of a butter cake, baked, topped with jam, meringue and coconut, then lightly toasted in the oven until the coconut was golden brown.
What a treat those were for us every year. The only drawback is that they pretty much need to be eaten on the day, because of the meringue. Sadly, we never actually got around to baking them this year.
There is no meringue in these. Just sieved jam and coconut. Incredibly edibly delicious I have to add.
My family has always been crazy about jam and cakes. Mom did not bake a lot of cakes from scratch. She was deathly afraid of her children overeating treats and sweets. When she did bake a cake it would be her Hot Milk Cake.
Oh how very much we loved that cake. She always split it and then filled it with strawberry or raspberry jam.
My father loved jam in the middle of cakes. I think, if I recall correctly, my mom filled all of her cakes with jam. We never minded one tiny bit!
These are baked simply in paper cases. They peel off very easily once baked and cooled. The original recipe says it makes 14, but I only got 12 yesterday. Not sure why.
I did make one change to the recipe. I used all butter instead of half butter and margarine. I wasn't sure if it would work alright. I was a bit worried it would be extra greasy, but not to worry. They turned out perfectly.
My sister has a phobia about using margarine and I have to say I don't really blame her. I do wonder about it myself at times. My kids were brought up on Parkay though.
Five kids, tight budget. Parkay. I felt that out of all the margarines it was the best, and tasted the best, but that could just be because of their clever marketing!
I have always fallen for clever marketing. I am a typical consumer I guess. I believe what I am being told I suppose. I trust.
Lately we have been seeing commercials on the telly for Buble water, with Michael Buble in them. I love the water, but I would never have noticed it but for their clever marketing ploy in using one of my favourite Canadian singers!
Anyways back to the cupcakes. You need to bake these. Cupcake Madeleines. As Martha would say, "They're a good thing!"
Mmmm, seriously tasty. Dangerous even. Not a traditional madeleine, but I think even better than that. But then again, I never could resist jam and cake!
Cupcake Madeleines
Yield: 14
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 10 M
A variation of the traditional English Madeleines, except using paper cases instead of the tin molds normally used. Quite, quite delicious! Cook time reflects the time needed to brush the baked cakes with the jam and roll them in coconut.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (230g) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (95g) fine granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 2 large free range eggs, beaten
- 1 cup (140g) self raising flour (see notes)
- 1 TBS milk
You will also need:
- 4 - 5 TBS red fruit conserve/jam, sieved
- 7 glace cherries, halved (can use maraschino)
- 1/2 cup (40g) desiccated coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Place 14 paper muffin cases on a baking tray. Set aside.
- Cream together the margarine, butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla.
- Gradually beat in the eggs, a little at a time, making sure each addition is thoroughly incorporated before proceeding. If the mixture begins to curdle, add a spoonful of the flour and continue.
- Once the eggs are completely beaten in, fold in the flour and just enough of the milk to make a soft batter.
- Divide the mixture equally amongst the baking cases. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until well risen and golden brown.
- Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cakes are completely cooled, remove the paper cases.
- Sieve the jam and place into a small bowl. Warm it slightly in the microwave for about 20 seconds.
- Place the coconut into another bowl.
- Using a pastry brush, brush a thin coating of jam over the base and sides of each cake. Roll them into the coconut to coat the jammed surfaces. The top of the cakes is now the bottom.
- Place on a wire rack to set. Brush the bottom of each of the cherry halves and use to garnish the middle of each cake. Enjoy!!
Notes:
Make Your Own Self Raising Flour:
You can make your own self raising flour by adding 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt to every cup of plain flour.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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I am sharing a delicious amaretto cupcakes recipe with you today! Not only are they amaretto cupcakes, but they are lemon amaretto cupcakes, as well as being totally gluten free!
These
are fabulous little moist almond cakes, topped with an amaretto syrup drizzle while they are still warm. This syrup soaks into the warm cakes, which are then finished off with a lemon drizzle icing and a smattering of toasted flaked almonds.
It is not very often that I have baked a gluten free type of cake recipe which I am totally pleased with. These are an exception.
Normally when I bake gluten free things I end up feeling really happy that I am not gluten intolerant. I find most baked goods without flour have a wierd consistency and leave a feeling in my mouth that I don't really enjoy.
However, if I was gluten intolerant I know I would be most grateful for being able to eat baked goods of any kind! To top it all off, gluten free goodies are also incredibly expensive!
Its a shame really. Its like punishing someone for having a condition they can't help having. Its not like they made themselves gluten intolerate after all.
These cupcakes are beautiful despite being gluten free. They are moist and delicious with a lovely texture which I really enjoy. I adapted the recipe from one that I found in a cookbook by Hannah Miles, entitled The Gluten Free Baker.
For those of you not familiar with Hannah, she was the first runner-up in the British version of Master-Chef in 2007. She is a fabulous baker and has written many books on the subject.
Throughout the competition her cakes were outstanding, along with everything else. I love her vibrant style and have always enjoyed every recipe of hers that I have ever cooked, or baked for that matter.
Amaretto is a sweet almond flavoured liqueur. It comes from Saronno in Italy. It is created using apricot kernels, peach stones, bitter almonds or almonds, which are all natural sources of benzaldehyde. It is this which gives it its unique almond flavour.
I don't drink alcohol myself, but I am not adverse to using it in cooking. To that end I always keep an assortment of liqueurs in my larder. I just buy the small sample sized ones as I never need much more than a few tablespoons of it at a time.
If you don't have amaretto you can substitute 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of almond extract for every 2 TBS of amaretto that you need. As you are using it in a syrup I would also add water to make up the amount of amaretto needed.
You will still be able to heat it with the sugar to make a mixture suitable to use in the soaking of the cupcakes, and they will still be very delicious and moist with plenty of almond flavour.
Ground almonds are the same thing as almond meal or almond flour. They are all made from ground sweet almonds. Almond flour is usually made from ground blanched almonds, whereas ground almonds may use either blanched or whole almonds.
Almond flour with be much finer than ground almonds. Amond meal and ground almonds are pretty much the same, having the same consistency which is very similar to cornmeal. All are used to create delicious guten free baked goods to help replace some of the flour needed.
You will also need a small quantity of gluten free self raising flour for this recipe. You can use an equivalent amount of self raising flour in its place, but of course then the cupcakes will not be entirely gluten free.
It is very easy to make your own self raising flour. Simply add 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder along with 1/4 tsp of salt to every cup of flour needed. Early on in the lockdown when flour was very scarce in the UK, I often had to make my own self raising flour.
The soaking syrup of amaretto makes these cupcakes incredibly moist and flavourfilled. The lemon drizzle icing helps to seal that flavour in, and of course the toasted flaked almonds help to decorate them beautifully as well as add additional almond flavour.
Altogether whether you bake these as gluten free or with flour, these are delicious little cupcakes. The recipe only makes six which makes them perfect for the smaller family. They do only keep a few days so you don't really want to be baking more than six anyways.
I have never frozen them so I cannot say for sure whether you can freeze them successfully or not! But really, they are so delicious you shouldn't have them around long enough to want or need to freeze them!
Lemon Amaretto Cupcakes
Yield: 6
prep time: 10 Mincook time: 25 Mininactive time: 20 Mintotal time: 55 Min
These fabulous cupcakes are incredibly moist and boast an amaretto syrup drizzle which soaks into the warm cakes with a lush finish of lemon drizzle icing and toasted almonds they spell winner. Gluten free as well.
Ingredients
For the cakes:
- 1/2 cup (120g) of butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (95g)of caster sugar
- 2 large free range eggs
- 1/2 cup (60g) gluten free self raising flour (or 1/2 cup gluten free all purpose baking flour, plus 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/8 tsp xanthan gum)
- 1/2 cup (60g) ground almonds (almond meal)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) plain yogurt
- the finely grated zest of two lemons
For the amaretto drizzle:
- 1/4 cup (60ml) amaretto
- 1 TBS caster sugar
- the juice of one lemon
For the drizzle icing and finish:
- 1 cup (130g) icing sugar, sifted
- lemon juice to thin
- toasted flaked almonds to sprinkle top
Instructions
- Grease a six cup muffin tin and line with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Place the muffin tin on a tray.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Whisk together the flour and almonds. Fold this into the creamed mixture along with the yogurt and lemon zest. Divide the cake batter amongst the prepared muffin cups.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the cakes are firm to the touch and golden brown.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the amaretto drizzle until the sugar is dissolved. Spoon this over the hot cakes, a bit at a time, when they come out of the oven. It will be completely absorbed. Allow them to cool in the pan.
- Remove from the pan and place on a wire rack over a sheet of wax paper.
- Whisk together the icing sugar and enough lemon juice to make a spoonable drizzle icing. Spoon this over the top of each cake in an attractive manner and scatter with some flaked toasted almonds while the icing is still wet. Allow to set.
- These will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
Just look at their beautiful texture. They don't look any different than a normal cupcake. Seriously.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I will be the first one to admit that I am hopeless at sugarcraft. I was going to take a course once a very long time ago, but we ended up moving to where my job as a chef was beginning so that course never did happen.
I can use a piping bag however so I can capably pipe on some icing and with a few odds and sodds you can pretty up just about anything. The most important thing is the flavour and consistency of the cupcake when it comes right down to it, alhough admittedly we eat first with our eyes, so pretty does get out attention!
The important thing is the flavour and texture of the cupcake, and these Vanilla Cupcakes are the absolute best! They are nice and moist from the use of thick greek yogurt.
If you really want a vanilla bang you can use vanilla flavoured Greek yogurt, but that is not available here in the UK. We only get it plain, or as far as I can see . . . I could be wrong. I have just never found it anywhere I have shopped.
Other than that it is a pretty basic batter which bakes up beautifully into a light, moist and flavourful cupcake. Oh, it is also a small batch, so it only makes 6 cupcakes.
The buttercream is a simple ordinary buttercream as well, nothing fancy. Just butter beaten together with some sifted icing sugar and milk, a few drops of vanilla. Easy to make. Easy to use and easy to eat! Do make sure your cakes are completely cold before you ice them.
I could have just sprinkled them with sprinkles, but I decided to get a bit fancier today and I used some fresh berries, daisies (tis the season and they are so pretty) some silver balls, a few marshmallows, and some sprigs of rosemary because I thought they would be nice and green and go with the blackberries and red currants. OH, and I drizzled a bit of caramel sauce over some of the berry ones also.
The Best Vanilla Cupcakes (small batch)
Yield: 6 cupcakes
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 25 Mtotal time: 35 M
These cupcakes are moist and delicious, due to the use of yogurt in the batter. They are finished with a lush buttercream. The two together are amazing!
Ingredients:
For the Cupcakes
- 60g butter, melted (1/4 cup)
- 95g sugar (1/2 cup)
- 122g plain full fat Greek yogurt (1/2 cup)
- 1 large free range egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 105g plain flour (3/4 cup)
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- pinch salt
- 2 TBS milk
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- 6 1/2 TBS butter
- 130g icing sugar, sifted (1 cup)
- 1/2 TBS milk
- few drops vanilla
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line 6 cupcake tin holes with paper liners. Set aside.
- Whisk together the melted butter and sugar in a bowl. Beat in the yogurt until well mixed then beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk, beginning and finishing with the dry ingredients.
- Spoon into the prepared cupcake tin, filling them 2/3 full.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until well risen, golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Remove immediately to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the icing, beat the butter until fluffy, then beat in the icing sugar, vanilla and milk until you have a light and fluffy icing.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes with this mixture and decorate as you wish.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
These turned out really nice. Do warn your partner not to eat the rosemary, lol. I forgot to tell Todd and he was not fond! You should have seen the look on his face! Same with the daisies. Not sure if they are edible or not, but they sure do look pretty. Mint leaves look rather nice also with the berries.
Just a flight of fancy to begin August with.
The recipe I am sharing with you today is not only a small batch recipe, but it is incredibly nostalgic. These are the kind of cupcakes our Grandmothers might have baked, and some of them probably did! Moist, delicious and spiced with warm baking spices!
The original recipe was published in The Farmer's Wife magazine in 1930. It turned out to be very popular, and I am not surprised!
It won tons of blue ribbons at county fairs through the United States. It had to be a blue ribbon winner to get published in the magazine. I got the recipe from a cookery book entitled The Farmer's Wife Baking Cookbook, over 300 blue ribbon recipes.
These are the kinds of recipes I love most of all! Simple, comforting . . . family friendly . . . historic. With no bells and whistles.
To be honest when something is so tasty, it doesn't need bells and whistles. I did choose to ice them with a homemade lemon buttercream and who can blame me for dressing them up a tiny bit with some cupcake sprinkles.
Cupcakes were made for sprinkles, don't you think?
I loved having a cupcake when I was a child. A cupcake is like having a "party" for one. A tiny moist cake . . . all of it just for you!
These are fabulously flavoured with warm baking spices . . . cinnamon and nutmeg . . . actually the original recipe called for mace, but I didn't have any. If you do have some, feel free to substitute mace for the nutmeg.
Sweetened with molasses and brown sugar . . . which lend a depth of moistness to the cake and a wholesome sweetness . . . both go very well with warm baking spices.
I was tempted to add sultanas, but decided not to mess with the integrity of the cupcake the first time I baked them. It was enough that I was cutting the recipe in half.
The lemon frosting was one I concocted in my head. I've always done that. Made frosting up as I go along . . .
Its simply a couple tablespoons of room temperature butter, beaten together with 1 heaped cup of sifted icing sugar, a few drops of lemon extract and a TBS or so of cream or milk.
Just enough to give you a nice fluffy consistency.
If you like your cakes with an old fashioned flavour and flair, then this is the recipe for you!
Plantation Cupcakes
Yield: 6
prep time: cook time: total time:
An old, old recipe which was first published in the Farmer's Wife Magazine in 1930. The original recipe made a dozen. I downsized to six.
Ingredients:
- 55g white vegetable shortening (1/4 cup)
- 2 TBS soft light brown sugar
- 1 large free range egg
- 87g molasses (1/4 cup)
- 85g plain flour (3/4 cup)
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 60ml milk (1/4 cup)
- lemon buttercream frosting and sprinkles to finish (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*f/ gas mark 4. Line a 6 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Cream the shortening and sugar together until light. Gradually beat in the egg until well mixed, then add the molasses.
- Sift together the flour, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternating with the milk, making two dry and one wet addition until well blended. Divide between the paper lined muffin cups.
- Bake for 20 minutes until well risen and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool completely before frosting.
If you would like to bake a full dozen cupcakes, just message me and I will be happy to send you the original full sized recipe! In the meantime, enjoy!
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