Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Filling and Salted Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream

If you have been following this space, you would be aware that blogging here has slackened a lot.... that's ever since I agreed to take up more responsibilities at work. As a result, I've also seldom taken out my dslr for my photo shoots. But two weeks ago, I just had the urge to use the camera to capture some shots of my Gula Melaka Chiffon Cake which I shared on FB and IG. I just love the pictures.... No way would I be able to capture those beautiful shots with my iphone....

I realise that using the big equipment is not the difficult part. For me, it's styling the set-up for the shots that often takes up a big part of the whole process. Without fail, I would be perspiring at the end of the photo shoot. Come to think of it, if I just shoot close-up pictures, very minimal set-up is really needed for some nice shots. So, I should pick up my mojo and the  dslr camera and start taking nice food pictures, especially when taken at home...

The final week of term 3 was a short one because of Teacher's Day and Hari Raya holidays. Things in school were also slowing down after the term tests.. So I had the urge to bake something... and what better excuse to bake than to celebrate Teacher's Day!

I've been yearning to try some recipes by Lindsay of Life, Love and Sugar for some time..... Her cakes always look so moist and mouth watering. I decided to bake her very moist-looking chocolate cupcakes, fill them up with Nutella and frost them with Swiss Meringue Buttercream, my favourite kind of frosting. I totally love the cupcakes.... they are so moist, so chocolatey and so good!! If you are a fan of chocolate cakes, you must try baking these... they are totally worth the calories!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Filling and Salted Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 cups cake flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder (I used Valrhona.)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp espresso powder (I used 3 tbsp Nescafe instant coffee.)
1 cup boiling water

FILLING
Nutella spread

Method:
1. Put all dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.
2. Add eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix well.
3. Add vanilla and espresso to boiling water and add to mixture. Mix well.
4. Pour into cupcakes pans lined and bake at 300°F (150°C) for about 20-25 minutes.
5. When done, remove cupcakes from oven and cupcake tin and allow to cool.

Recipe by Life, Love and Sugar.

SALTED CARAMEL SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Ingredients:

5 large (150 grams) egg whites
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar (I reduced this by 2 tbsp.)
3 sticks (340 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3 tbsp salted caramel sauce

more salted caramel sauce for the drizzle

Method:
1. Add egg whites and sugar to a clean and dry mixing bowl. Make a double boiler by placing the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Whisk the egg white mixture constantly but gently until temperature reaches about 140°F (60°C) or until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.
2. Remove the mixing bowl from the saucepan and attach it to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl no longer feels warm, about 7 to 10 minutes.
3. Switch over to paddle attachment and, with mixer on low speed, add the butter cubes, one at a time, until incorporated. Continue beating until it has reached a silky smooth texture. If the buttercream curdles, just keep mixing and it will come back to smooth. If the buttercream is too thin and runny, refrigerate for about 15 minutes before continuing mixing with paddle attachment until it comes together. Add the vanilla, salt and salted caramel sauce and continue beating on low speed until well combined.

Recipe adapted from Handle the Heat.

Assembly:
1. Core the center of the cupcake.
2. Spoon a teaspoon or 2 of Nutella into the cavity.
3. Pipe the Swiss Meringue Buttercream onto the cake.
4. Drizzle salted caramel sauce.
     

Ondeh-Ondeh Cupcakes

Ondeh-ondeh cupcake is another popular fusion cupcake and this cake is based on the traditional kuih ondeh-ondeh. I baked the cupcakes this morning but only managed to assemble them late in the afternoon. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to catch the sunlight for the pictures... just snapped some pictures using my iphone. I need to post this entry tonight as I would like to link it to the Little Thumbs Up event which is ending very soon. I hope I can make it. 

Ondeh-Ondeh Cupcakes
CAKE
Ingredients:
110g cake flour (original recipe uses plain flour)
3/4 tsp baking powder (I used double-acting.)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp concentrated pandan juice or 1/2 tsp pandan essence
100 ml freshly-squeezed coconut milk or 100 ml coconut milk from the box + 1/2 tbsp water
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
a few drops of green colouring
2 medium eggs (I used two 60g eggs.)
90g castor sugar

Method:

1. Combine flour & baking powder. Sift & set aside.
2. Combine salt, vanilla, pandan juice, coconut milk, oil & colouring in a container. Mix thoroughly & set aside.
3. Combine eggs & sugar in a mixing bowl & beat at high speed until thick & pale, about 5 minutes.
4. Add flour in three parts, alternating with the coconut milk mixture. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, taking care not to over beat.
5. Fill paper cups or muffin pan with batter until almost full.
6. Place baking or muffin pan on the middle rack of the oven & bake at 180 deg C for about 20 minutes.
7. Cool cakes completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, core the center of the cake. Pour the gula Melaka syrup. Pipe the whipped cream onto cake as desired. Sprinkle grated coconut followed by shredded palm sugar.

FILLING
100g palm sugar (gula Melaka)
50ml water
Combine sugar & water in a saucepan & cook until the syrup becomes thick. Leave to cool. (Reheat the syrup first if the cooled syrup becomes too thick to pour into the cake.)

TOPPING
100ml non-dairy whipping cream (whipped)
freshly-grated coconut (steamed & mixed with a dash of salt)
palm sugar (shaved)

Adapted from Curlybabe Satisfaction.

I'm linking this post to the event Little Thumbs Up (October 2015- Coconut)  organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY, and hosted by Jess from Bakericious.

Bubur Pulut Hitam Cupcakes (Black Glutinous Rice Cupcakes)

If you had been following the cupcake craze in Singapore and Malaysia, you would have noticed a trend nowadays..... cupcake flavours that are based on our local delights like ondeh-ondeh, kuih koci, cendul, teh tarik, etc. The pioneer baker of these cupcakes is, I believe, Cikkiah, a talented baker from Malaysia. Over the years, she has inspired many bakers, including many in Singapore, to come up with so many fusion cupcake flavours, including nasi lemak cupcake! Yes! There's also nasi lemak cupcake! I'm not kidding.

I'm a great fan of local kuih, so I'm all for cupcakes with kuih flavours..... I've tasted a few flavours and I love them all... In fact, I've also gone to a couple of baking classes in which I managed to pick up some ideas and tips to bake and assemble the cupcakes. But since the classes are still ongoing as they are quite popular, I'm not sharing any of the recipes so soon, just to be fair to the teachers. Nevertheless, I'll be sharing with you my creation of a cupcake recipe based on my favourite dessert, Bubur Pulut Hitam or Black Glutinous Rice Porridge..

Like many fusion cupcakes, this cupcake basically consists of the sponge cake, filling, frosting and toppings. I adapted Carol Pastor's vanilla cupcake recipe for my coconut milk cupcake, cooked thick bubur pulut hitam for the filling, combined mascarpone cheese & non-dairy whipped cream for the frosting & topped it off with more bubur pulut hitam & coconut milk drizzle. The result is one superb fusion cupcake! It's like eating bubur pulut hitam but here the porridge is thicker than usual and it is enveloped in a fluffy & moist sponge cake & topped with rich but fluffy frosting. I love the assembly....

This is an experiment for me, and I think there's still room for improvement especially for the flavour. I will definitely reduce the sugar for the sponge cake as it is slightly sweet, but I wouldn't reduce it too much as doing so may affect the texture of the sponge. I also find the overall flavour of the cupcake slightly too rich... this is no surprise as there's coconut milk in the cake, filling and topping and the mascarpone frosting is also quite rich (and delicious!). As a result, the flavour of the glutinous rice filling is not as intense as I would prefer it to be. So the next I bake this cupcake, I need to adjust the glutinous rice filling recipe too. Perhaps I should not add any coconut milk to the filling...
All in all, I would consider this a successful experiment. So if you are a fan of black glutinous rice porridge and also love having cupcakes, do give this recipe a try..

Bubur Pulut Hitam Cupcakes 
(Black Glutinous Rice Cupcakes)

CUPCAKE
Ingredients:
2 whole eggs
115g (1/2 cup) caster sugar (I will reduce to 90-95g next time.)
135g (1 cup) self-raising flour (sifted together with the baking powder)
1/2 tsp baking powder
50ml (1/4 cup) thick coconut milk (from a box)
50g (4 tbsp) butter - melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. (I use paper cupcake cases & place them onto a baking tray.)
2. Beat eggs & sugar until thick & fluffy.
3. Fold in flour & coconut milk. Mix until well blended. Finally, add in melted butter & vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly.
4. Spoon mixture into paper cases until they are 3/4 full.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until risen & golden brown. Test lightly by pressing the centre of the cakes with your fingers. The sponge should lightly spring back.
6. Remove from the oven & leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely. (I removed the cakes from the baking pan onto a wire rack.)

Recipe adapted from CUPCAKES by Carol Pastor.

BLACK GLUTINOUS RICE FILLING

Ingredients:
100g black glutinous rice
1 and 1/2 cup water
1 pandan leaf (torn)
50g palm sugar (gula Melaka)
1 and 1/2 tbsp thick coconut milk
1/8 tsp salt

Method:

1. Rinse the black glutinous rice with water thoroughly until the water turns clear. The water will still remain slightly black or purple but clear. Fill the rice in a container, then pour water up to about 2 cm above the  rice. Soak for about 1 hour.
2. After soaking, drain the water & place the rice, 1&1/2 cups of water & pandan leaf into a saucepan. Cook on medium fire, stirring continuously, until the rice becomes soft & sticky. Add some water if the rice becomes too thick & dry.
3. Add in the palm sugar & salt. Continue cooking until the sugar has dissolved. Finally, add in the coconut milk. Continue cooking until the dessert thickens. Set aside to cool. Remove the pandan leaf before using.

MASCARPONE CHEESE FROSTING
Ingredients:
125g mascarpone cheese (room temperature)
125ml (1/2 cup) non-dairy whip cream

Method:

1. Using a spoon or a spatula, stir the mascarpone cheese until smooth.
2. In another bowl, whisk the cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone cheese until completely incorporated. Fill into a piping bag.

ASSEMBLY

      Using a cupcake corer or a knife, core the center of the cupcake. Fill the hole with black glutinous rice filling. Then pipe the mascarpone cheese frosting. Finally spoon some filling on the frosting & drizzle some coconut milk (I diluted some thick coconut milk with just a little bit of water for the drizzle.).

Notes & modifications:

1. The cupcake recipe makes 10 regular size cupcakes. I filled the batter into 17 medium paper cake liners. I'm glad I used the medium liners. After coring the cake, I was able to fill up quite a generous portion of filling, as you can see in the last picture.
2. I use non-dairy whip cream instead of the dairy alternative as the former produces a more stable frosting.
3. Any leftover glutinous rice filling can be diluted with some water & heated up to make bubur pulut hitam or black glutinous rice porridge.

Lavender Earl Grey Cupcakes

My second daughter is a picky eater. She can eat a lot if she likes what she's eating. Otherwise, she can stay hungry for many hours. Cakes happen to be her favourite &, ironically, she is more adventurous  to try new cake flavours. She once tried a lavender earl grey cake from a cafe she used to work at & fell in love with it. And recently, she persuaded me to bake one & assured me that it would be worth it. Well...... I was quite hesitant at first because, unlike her, I'm more old fashioned. I like to stick to the traditional..... vanilla, chocolate or pandan. But I gave in as I was convinced that she'd like it & besides,  I got to blog about a new recipe! It's a win-win situation! 

If you are a milk tea drinker, it's easy for you to imagine the taste of these cuppies. But with the addition of dried lavender flowers, the soft & moist cakes also have a light & sweet floral smell. Pairing the cakes with cream cheese frosting was a good choice as the tangy frosting gives a good balance to the sweet cakes. The sprinkled lavender on the frosting not only makes the cupcakes pretty, but it gives off a stronger floral smells, but I wouldn't overdo it as it can be quite overwhelming...

Lavender Earl Grey Cupcakes.
Ingredients:
80 ml (1/3 cup) milk
2 Earl Grey tea bags
100g cake flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp dried lavender
1/4 tsp salt
65g butter
90g sugar
30g honey
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 egg

Frosting (I used cream cheese frosting, recipe follows.)

dried lavender for sprinkling on top of cakes

Method:

1. Heat the  milk until very hot but not boiling. Place the tea bags in the milk and steep until very strong. You’ll know the milk is ready to be used when it turns a deep caramel color (about 10-12 minutes). You can even choose to do this step the day before you plan to make the cupcakes. Steeping the tea overnight will create a pronounced tea flavour in the baked cupcakes.
2. Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line muffin cups with paper bake cups. (I used 10 medium paper scouffle  cups.)
3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, dried lavender & salt. Set aside.
4. In another mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, honey & vanilla & beat until combined. Add egg & beat well.  Alternately add flour mixture & milk to butter mixture, beating on low speed  after each addition just until mixture is combined.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on wire rack for 10 minutes. Then remove cakes from pan & cool completely on wire rack.
6. Pipe or spread frosting on the cuppies & sprinkle with dried lavender.

Adapted from Heather Baird @ BHG

Cream Cheese Frosting

130g cream cheese

30g butter

75g sugar

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl & beat until creamy.

Moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Chocolate Frosting

These cakes were baked many many weeks ago. I was looking for a chocolate cake recipe and this one caught my eyes. The method of mixing is rather unusual for a cake and the batter is also very watery. Surprisingly, the cakes turn out very moist and delicious. For the topping, I chose the rich and tangy cream cheese chocolate frosting. Perfect combination!

Moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Chocolate Frosting

CUPCAKES
Ingredients:
60g plain flour
18g cocoa powder (I used Valrhona.)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
40g brown sugar
40g caster sugar
1 tsp instant coffee granules (optional)
1 small egg
50ml  fresh milk (I used UHT.)
30ml canola oil (or any vegetable oil)
1 tsp vanilla extract
50 ml boiling water

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a standard cupcake tray with 6 cupcake liners.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda & salt into a large bowl.
3. Add the sugars, coffee, egg, milk, oil & vanilla. Beat using a mixer until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl. 
4. Then add the boiling water and mix until just combined. The batter will be very watery so don't be alarm. 
5. Pour the batter into a measuring cup (it's so much easier and cleaner than using a spoon) & pour evenly into the liners. Place into the oven & bake for 20-22 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 
6. Remove from the oven & leave the cakes in the pan for about 10 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes from the pan  to a cooling rack & leave to cool completely before frosting. 

Makes about 6 standard size cupcakes.
Adapted from Chelsea.

CREAM CHEESE CHOCOLATE FROSTING
Ingredients:

125g cream cheese, softened
90g confectioners' sugar
30g unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
16g unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Valrhona.)
2 tbsps milk (only if necessary)

Method:

        In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, butter, salt, vanilla & cocoa powder to a spreadable consistency. Beat in milk, if necessary, to adjust consistency of cream. Spread onto cooled cupcakes.

Adapted from Allrecipes.

I'm linking this post to the Little Thumbs Up (February 2015) - Cocoa event organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids & Doreen of my little favourite DIY & hosted by Grace of Life can be Simple.

Pandan Cupcakes with Gula Melaka Frosting

As I've mentioned yesterday, I made a couple dozens of pandan cupcakes with gula Melaka frosting for my aunt last week. She had seen my post & requested that I made for her family. I used the same recipe that I posted before but this time, I adjusted the amount of granulated sugar & gula Melaka syrup for the frosting. I also made salted gula Melaka caramel & drizzled it on the frosting. 

(UPDATE: Go to this post for the sliced version of this pandan cake.)

Pandan Cupcakes with Gula Melaka Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

PANDAN CUPCAKES

Ingredients:
200g cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder (double acting)
125g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla paste / essence
200g granulated / castor sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
75g coconut milk (from a box) + 25g water
2 tbsps pandan juice (refer below)
a few drops of green colouring

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line muffin pan with cupcake liner or, if using cupcake paper cups, place cups onto a baking pan.
2. Combine flour & baking power. Sift & set aside.
3. Combine coconut milk, water, pandan juice & colouring. Mix & set aside.
4. In a large bowl, on medium speed of an electric mixer, combine butter, vanilla & salt. Cream until smooth.
5. Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
6. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
7. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the coconut milk mixture. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, taking care not to over beat.
8. Fill paper cups or muffin pan with batter, 3/4 full.
9. Place baking or muffin pan on the middle rack of the oven & bake for about 25 minutes.
10. Cool cakes completely on a wire rack before icing.

GULA MELAKA SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Ingredients:
50g gula Melaka, crushed
2 pandan leaves, torn lengthwise & tied a knot
1/8 cup water

3 large egg whites
60g granulated sugar (Reduced from 110g in original recipe.)
150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla paste
1/4 tsp salt

Method:

1. To prepare gula Melaka syrup, combine water, gula Melaka & pandan leaves in a heavy-based saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until all the sugar has melted. Then continue heating up the syrup & let it reduce slightly, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, strain & leave aside to cool completely to room temperature. The syrup will thicken as it cools. If it becomes too thick, thin out with a little bit of water before using.
2. Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk frequently, keeping it over the heat, until the mixture reaches about 70°C and the sugar has dissolved (rub some between your fingers - if it feels grainy, it hasn't dissolved).
3. Transfer the mixture to a mixer with a whisk attached and beat on medium-high for about 5 minutes, until stiff peaks have formed and the mixture has cooled to room temperature.
4. Turn down the speed to medium and start adding small chunks of butter, checking that it has incorporated before adding more. Keep beating until the mixture comes together, this will take about 5 minutes.
5. With the mixer running, add in the gula Melaka syrup, one teaspoon at a time, beating until well combined between each addition. You need not use all the gula Melaka syrup. Just add enough. (Read note no. 2.)

PANDAN JUICE

Ingredients:

10 pieces mature pandan leaves, washed & torn into 1-inch pieces

2 tbsps water

Method:

      With a mortar and pestle or a blender, combine the leaves & water & mash into a paste. Press through a fine sieve or squeeze through cheesecloth to extract the green juice only. Let it sit for a while. The green extract will settle at the bottom. I used 2 tbsps of the extract.

SALTED GULA MELAKA CARAMEL (To drizzle on the frosting.)

Ingredients:

50g gula Melaka
1 tbsp water
15g salted butter
30 ml whip cream

1/4 tsp salt

Method:

1. Combine gula Melaka & water in a saucepan cook until the gula Melaka has melted. Remove from fire & strain the mixture. Rinse the saucepan & pour back the strained gula Melaka syrup into the saucepan. 
2. Stir the butter into the syrup until it is completely melted, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Drizzle in whip cream while whisking & allow the mixture to boil. 
4. Remove from heat and stir in salt. Allow to cool down before using.

Notes & modifications:

1. This recipe makes about 12 standard size cupcakes. I don't remember the exact number & I didn't record it. Sorry about that.
2. This time, I reduced the amount of granulated sugar used for the frosting & used more gula Melaka syrup.
3. I wanted to experiment using salted gula Melaka caramel instead of gula Melaka syrup for the frosting. After adding a few tablespoons of  the caramel, I found the frosting lacked the gula Melaka oomph. The frosting had the gula Melaka intensity only after I added the gula Melaka syrup. So I would advice you to just use the syrup for the frosting & reserve the salted caramel for drizzling on the frosting.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

These RVC were baked at the request of a friend for her housewarming gathering... Yes, I've started taking orders for my cupcakes. Actually, the first was a few days before this... an aunt wanted a couple dozens of pandan cupcakes with gula Melaka frosting for her  family.

There are so many red velvet recipes out there & I've baked & blogged about a few... This time, I used a recipe from McCormick, as recommended by Rima. It's different in that instead of using buttermilk, it uses sour cream. The cake is so good & moist, you can really eat it on its own!

I'm happy my friend & her guests love the cuppies.  I was worried that she might find the frosting too sour as I had reduced the sugar drastically, but she said it was just nice... So, all RVC lovers out there, go bake these & enjoy them with your love ones!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups (170g) flour - I used cake flour.

1/4 cup (24g) unsweetened cocoa powder - I used Valrhona.

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (I used 125g) butter, softened - I used unsalted butter.

1 cup (212g) granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup yogurt - Original recipe uses sour cream.

1/4 cup milk

2 tsp red colour - I used Star Brand artificial cochineal red colour. The original recipe uses 1/2 bottle (1/2 ounce) McCormick Red Food Colour.

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Line cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
2. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Mix in yogurt, milk, food colour and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat.
4. Spoon batter into 18 paper-lined standard cake cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
5. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans & allow to  cool completely.

VANILLA CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Ingredients:

1 package (250g) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup (60g) butter, softened - I used unsalted.
1/2 tsp salt (I added.)

2 tbsps whip cream - Original recipe uses sour cream.

2 tsps pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (72g) powder sugar - The original recipe uses 16 ounces (454g) confectioners’ sugar

Method:

1. Beat cream cheese, butter & vanilla in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in whip cream.
2. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth. 
3. Frost cooled cupcakes with frosting.

Makes 18 standard cupcakes.
Recipe adapted from McCormick.

Notes & modifications:

1. The cupcake recipe above is half the original recipe. The cream cheese frosting,  on the other hand, is the full recipe & I still had a little bit more left after frosting all the 18 cakes.
2. I had reduced the sugar for the frosting drastically as I thought the sweetness was just enough, my friend thought it was ok too. But my sis thought the frosting was sour. So, you need to adjust the sugar level to your liking.

Meyer Lemon & Buttermilk Cupcake

It's already almost halfway through November & the typical weather for the year-end has begun to show its true colours, literally..... After a hot & humid week, the sky has been quite gloomy for the last few days. I've been under the weather too... fever, hoarse voice, spinning head.... But I'm good, still managed to be up & about doing my things. :)

And one of the things that I managed to do was to bake some cuppies...  As if to brighten up the wet & cloudy days, I decided to bake some Meyer Lemon Cupcakes. Hehe, actually, I wanted to use up the remaining meyer lemons which had been in the fridge for a while. Bought a bag of them from Cold Storage as I was curious with the taste as compared to that of the regular lemons. Just like what I've read, meyer lemon does have a combined taste of lemon & mandarin orange. 

Believe it or not, this is my first time making & tasting lemon curd. As expected, it still retains its tanginess even though sugar & egg yolks are added. I love the tanginess in some food like acar or Mango Pickles, but meyer lemon curd...... maybe it's an acquired taste, it's definitely not love at first taste, haha! The buttermilk cake is good; it's soft & moist with quite loose crumbs & doesn't taste too sweet. The SMBC is great too, that's for sure. Still, the whole combination just doesn't sit well for me. I think  a cupcake has to be creamy, sweet &/or chocolaty. One thing for sure, these cuppies do look bright & sunny!

Meyer Lemon & Buttermilk Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used cake flour.)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature (I used 65g.)
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
Meyer Lemon curd (recipe below)
Swiss Meringue Vanilla Buttercream (recipe below)

Method:

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven & preheat to 350 deg F (180 deg C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil lines.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, & salt. In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the sugar & butter together until light & fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg & vanilla & beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk in 2 additions, beating on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until lightly golden & toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 24-25 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack & let cool completely, about 1 hour.
4. Using a paring knife, hollow out a 1 1/2-inch round piece about 1 inch deep from the center of each cupcake. Fill each hollow with a generous tablespoon of meyer lemon curd. Frost the filled cupcakes with the buttercream.

Recipe is from Shelly Kaldunski's Cupcakes.

MEYER LEMON CURD

Ingredients:
6 tbsp fresh meyer lemon juice (I used juice from 3 meyer lemons.)
1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces (I used 65g.)
2 tsp finely grated meyer lemon zest

Recipe is adapted from Shelly Kaldunski's Grapefruit / Lime Curd recipe.

Method:

1. In a heavy-bottomed non-reactive saucepan, whisk together the meyer lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks & salt. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat, whisking constantly & scraping the side of the pan, until the curd is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5-8 minutes Do not let the curd boil as it will turn lumpy. 
2. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, until smooth. Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Stir in the meyer lemon zest  & cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled & set, at least 1 hour or for up to 3 days.

SWISS MERINGUE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

Ingredients:
3 large egg whites
100g granulated sugar
150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla paste
pinch of salt

Method:

1. Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk frequently, keeping it over the heat, until the mixture is warm & reaches about 70°C and the sugar has dissolved (rub some between your fingers - if it feels grainy, it hasn't dissolved). 
2. Transfer the mixture to a mixer with a whisk attached & beat on medium-high for about 5 minutes, until stiff peaks have formed & the meringue is shiny & has cooled to room temperature. (You may also place the mixing bowl in a bowl of water while whisking.)
3. Turn down the speed to medium and start adding small chunks of butter, checking that it has incorporated before adding more. Add in the vanilla paste. Keep beating for about 5 more minutes until the mixture comes together. 

The above recipe is a slightly modified version of the Gula Melaka SMBC that I used for my Pandan Cupcakes. Do refer to Wendy's post for a detailed post on how to prepare Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

Notes & modifications:

1. If you don't have buttermilk, you may use milk. Just add 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar to the milk & wait it out for about 5 minutes before using it.
2. At first, my lemon curd turned out very runny even after keeping it in the fridge for a day. Afraid that it will start boiling & thinking that it will thicken up after sitting in the fridge, I must have removed the curd from the fire when it was still too runny. So I had to thicken it, & I did that by adding 1 tbsp of cornflour & reheating the curd until it became thick.
3. The Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC) may be quite a challenge to prepare especially for the newbies, so I really recommend that you take a look at Wendy's SMBC post for a detailed step-by-step tutorial.
4. The filled & frosted cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before finishing.

I'm linking this post to the events Cook-Your-Books, no. 18 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours and "My Treasured Recipes #3 - Taste of Autumn (Oct/Nov 2014)" hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well In Flanders and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House.

Magnolia Bakery's Red Velvet Cupcakes

I made these Red Velvet Cupcakes last weekend & only managed to post the pictures in my FB page when the cakes were just out of the oven. I wanted to share the pictures & recipe here soon after but it was just impossible. My father & both my parents-in-law are in the hospital. That & my regular daily activities  have kept me super busy & when I come home in the evening, I'm just too exhausted to do anything!

These cupcakes were made using the recipe by the renowned Magnolia Bakery. I've read good reviews about this recipe, just like its vanilla cake recipe which I used to make my pandan cupcakes. Once again, Magnolia Bakery's recipe gets my thumbs-up! The cake is very delicious & moderately sweet. It goes well with the not-so-sweet cream cheese frosting. Its light & moist texture makes it such a delightful dessert. No wonder many who have tried baking & tasted it are full of praise for the recipe. Besides, it's quite easy to make since the recipe uses the creaming method, so not much mess to clean up!

Notes:

1. I used only half the original recipe & it's good for 22 medium cupcakes. 
2. I also converted the measurement into metric & made some changes to the  method. 
3. The cream cheese frosting is the one I usually used for my cinnamon buns. I used less than 140g of sugar as I didn't want the frosting to be too sweet.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients:
165g cake flour (not self-rising)
12g unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Valrhona.)
1/2 tsp baking soda
100g unsalted butter, softened

180g granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I used vanilla paste.)

2 eggs, at room temperature
125ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk (I replaced buttermilk with a mixture of 1/2 cup milk & 1 tsp vinegar.)
1/2 tbsp red food colouring (I used Star brand artificial cochineal red colour.)

1/2 tsp vinegar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and lightly flour a cupcake pan (12 cupcakes). If using liners, no need to grease. I used 22 medium paper cups.
2. In a small bowl, sift the cake flour, cocoa powder & baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, salt & vanilla until very light and fluffy, about 5 mins. 
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
5. In a measuring cup, stir the red food colouring & vinegar into the buttermilk. 
6. Fold in the flour into the batter in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix until the ingredients are incorporated & the mixture is smooth but do not overmix. 
7. Divide the batter among the prepared pans or paper cups (I filled mine 3/4 full.) Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 10 mins, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack before icing. 

Adapted from recipe by Magnolia Bakery.

Source: ivillage.com.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
250g cream cheese
70g salted butter
140g powdered sugar (adjust according to your preference)
1 tsp vanilla paste

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat until smooth & creamy. To ice cupcakes, mound  frosting on top of each cupcake and use a spatula to make a swirl on top. 

Pandan Cupcakes with Gula Melaka Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

I've been meaning to bake pandan cake & pair it with some form of gula Melaka frosting since the school holidays last year. I did some research & narrowed down on a few recipes, but had not got down to doing it. When school reopened, the idea just faded away. But recently, when I saw Rima posted her gorgeous pandan cake with gula Melaka frosting, I was inspired again to bake one myself.

I decided to be less ambitious... If you had been following my blog, you would know I'm not into frosting & decorating cakes. So I adapted a recipe of a frosted layered cake to make cupcakes instead. I've also never liked buttercream too because I find it too rich & I don't like the aftertaste (which I realised, could be because margarine is used instead of butter). But I've read about Swiss meringue buttercream & it seems to earn pretty good reviews. 

I came across a recipe of pandan cake with gula Melaka Swiss meringue frosting from Life Is Great. The cake recipe is actually adapted from Magnolia's vanilla cake & it uses the creaming method of mixing. That's a good thing as  I didn't need to do a lot of washing up!

The cake & the frosting are just perfect! The pandan cake is so moist & delicious that, if I don't control myself, I can eat a few in one go! All the hard work preparing the pandan juice really paid off.... the cakes are very fragrant & the natural pandan flavour is hard to beat. The frosting is just amazing. It's smooth & silky, & even after so many hours in the kitchen in this humid weather, it still holds its shape perfectly. It also doesn't taste too rich & the gula Melaka caramel gives the frosting a uniquely Asian flavour. I just love everything about this cake. The only change I would make to the frosting in future is to reduce the granulated sugar & pour more gula Melaka caramel into the buttercream. Now let's look at the recipe, study it carefully & bake it!

(Update 1: Go to this post where I also drizzled salted gula Melaka caramel on the cupcakes.)
(Update 2: Go to this post for the sliced version of this pandan cake.)

Pandan Cupcakes with Gula Melaka Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

Pandan cake:
200g cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder (double acting)
125g unsalted butter, softened

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla paste / essence

200g granulated / castor sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature

*75g coconut milk (from a box) + 25g water

*2 tbsps pandan juice (refer below)

*green colouring
* (combined & mixed)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line muffin pan with cupcake liner or, if using cupcake paper cups, place cups onto a baking pan.
2. Combine flour & baking power. Sift & set aside. 
3. In a large bowl, on medium speed of an electric mixer, combine butter, vanilla & salt. Cream until smooth. 
4. Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. 
5. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
6. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the coconut milk. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, taking care not to over beat.
7. Fill paper cups or muffin pan with batter, 3/4 full.
8. Place baking or muffin pan on the middle rack of the oven & bake for about 25 minutes.
9. Cool cakes completely on a wire rack before icing. 

Gula Melaka Swiss meringue buttercream frosting:

50g gula Melaka, crushed 

2 pandan leaves, torn lengthwise & tied a knot
1/8 cup water

3 large egg whites
110g granulated sugar
150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla paste
pinch of salt

Method:

1. To prepare gula Melaka caramel, combine water, gula Melaka & daun pandan in a heavy-based saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until all the sugar has melted. Then continue heating up the syrup & let it reduce slightly, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, strain & leave aside to cool completely to room temperature. The caramel will thicken  as it cools. If it becomes too thick, thin out with a little bit of water before using.
2. Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk frequently, keeping it over the heat, until the mixture reaches about 70°C and the sugar has dissolved (rub some between your fingers - if it feels grainy, it hasn't dissolved). 
3. Transfer the mixture to a mixer with a whisk attached and beat on medium-high for about 5 minutes, until stiff peaks have formed and the mixture has cooled to room temperature. 
4. Turn down the speed to medium and start adding small chunks of butter, checking that it has incorporated before adding more. Keep beating until the mixture comes together, this will take about 5 minutes. 
5. With the mixer running, add in the gula Melaka caramel, one teaspoon at a time, beating until well combined between each addition.  I added 5 tsps.

Pandan juice:
10 pieces mature pandan leaves, washed & torn into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsps water

      With a mortar and pestle or a blender, combine the leaves & water & mash into a paste.  Press through a fine sieve or squeeze through cheesecloth to extract the green juice only. Let it sit for a while. The green extract will settle at the bottom. I used 2 tbsps of the extract.

Notes:

1. The pandan extract can be prepared before hand and chilled until required.
2. Swiss meringue buttercream can be made ahead and refrigerated until needed. Bring to room temperature and whip to a smooth consistency before frosting. The buttercream requires no refrigeration for up to 5 days. It will keep in the refrigerator for 3 weeks and in the freezer for at least 3 months.
3. Make sure you use the pure gula Melaka for the best flavour. I usually buy mine from Geylang Serai market & ask for the one from Indonesia. It costs about $4-5 per kg. I don't buy mine from the supermarket because I'm not sure if it's pure.
4. This recipe yields 12 medium or 30 small cupcakes & there was some leftover frosting after I piped on all the cupcakes.

Adapted recipe from Life Is Great.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

My daughter & I were so excited when we saw the mini red velvet cupcakes, which I baked on Saturday, just out of the oven. The colour was just so gorgeous, the cakes rose quite neatly & I really love the size! They're so cute!!

But when it was time for me to frost them, I got quite anxious because  my piping skill is pretty bad. That's why, if you notice, I've not piped any of my cakes for this blog... I'd just spreaded the frosting with a spatula.. But this time, I was determined to pipe the frosting although the cream cheese frosting (which has dairy whip cream in it) was quite challenging to handle given the hot & humid weather we have here in Singapore.  Next time I'm piping any frosting on a cake, I would not use dairy whip cream even though it tastes so good. Ok.. I'll leave you with the recipe & more pictures for you to admire... hehe. I couldn't stop admiring the cuties myself!

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Recipe by Joy of Baking.

Ingredients:

125g (1 1/4 cups) sifted cake flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

10g (1 tbsp) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder

57g (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

150g (3/4 cups) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

120ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk

1 tbsp liquid red food coloring

1/2 tsp white distilled vinegar

1/2 tsp baking soda

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175 deg C (350 deg F) & line 12 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.
3. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
4. In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food colouring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
5. In a small cup, combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. 
6. Working quickly, divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 18 - 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
7. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then remove from pan. Let cool completely before frosting. Either spread the frosting with a knife or offset spatula, or use a large 1M Wilton open star decorating tip to pipe the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

227g (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
60g (1/2 cup) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted
160 ml (2/3 cup) cold heavy whipping cream (double cream) (35-40% butterfat)

Method:

1. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth.
3. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream* (See Note) and whip until the frosting is thick enough to pipe. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

Note: 

You must use a brand of heavy cream that whips very easily to stiff peaks. If you are using a brand of heavy cream that does not whip easily to stiff peaks then whip the heavy cream separately to stiff peaks and then fold it into the cream cheese mixture.

Makes 12 cupcakes. (I used the mini muffin pans. The recipe yields about 26 small cupcakes.)

Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Filling

When I saw these cupcakes on Rima's blog, I wished I could taste one right away. Her pictures & description of the taste of the Hokkaido Cupcakes just made me drool......

This is my first time baking the cakes & I'm very happy with the outcome. They are light, moist & so delicious that you can't stop at one, two or three...... Besides, they are pretty easy to bake. The only thing is I totally forgot to sprinkle the cupcakes with powdered sugar. Sign..... Anyway, thanks Mindi & Rima for sharing this recipe. And to all bakers, do try baking these!

Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Filling
Recipe by Mindi.
Inspired by Rima.

Ingredients:
2 cups cake flour before sifting
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 egg yolks
8 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (or 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar)

Whipped Cream Filling:
2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Make sure everything is at room temperature, especially eggs and milk. Preheat the oven at 450F.
2. Shift the cake flour together with baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
3. In a medium bowl, blend well milk, oil, vanilla extract and the 5 egg yolks.
4. Add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients, and beat it for about two minutes.
5. Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar on high speed until foamy, then slowly add in sugar and continue to beat until stiff peak form. (Most recipes tell you to add most of the sugar to egg yolks, and only add a small amount to the egg whites, but some bloggers say that professional bakers do just the opposite. Huh! Trade secrete! I tried it today, and it worked really well!)
6. Fold the meringue into the yolk mixture in 3 parts.
7. Spoon into 24 cupcake cups evenly, give them a couple of big taps on the table to break the large air bubbles in the batter for finer texture of the cakes, and bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes. Tooth pick test for doneness. Remove from the oven, and cool on racks straight up.
8. Measure the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla into the mixing bowl, mix on high speed until medium peak form.
9. Fit the piping bag with a narrow tip, and fill it with whipped cream. Pipe the cream into center of the cupcakes after they are completely cooled or refrigerated. Dust with powdered sugar.