Italian Buttercream

I've been sooooo busy! to the point, that i leave blogging for so long that i forget to even know what to write when i come round to it!!

Well last week, i was commissioned by the same friends as always, to bake her mum some cupcakes for her birthday- all experiences are good ones!

We decided on a super chocolatey sponge (naturally i suggested the buttermilk sponge that worked so well last time.) teamed with an italian buttercream- both recipes found from tea with Bea.

attempting to create less mess

piping my buttermilk poos

My funny little doggy poos

my nakie sponges

Now, i've NEVER made italian buttercream before, and never made anything quite so technically challenging. I even bought a sugar thermometer for the occasion.

Unfortunately,  i wasn't even able to take many pictures of the actual buttercream being made as i was so stressed out on keeping my eye on the thermometer, i totally forgot :(

There were ups, and there were downs. More downs in my view, but then i'm a pessimist :P

So as this blog is more a diary of my successes and failures, let me tell you what happened (what i can remember anyway)...

So it all started well at the beginning, me happily separating out my egg whites and popping them into the mixer with the other ingredients and whizzing it up into a soft peak meringue- all good so far.



After this, i seem to remember making my sugar syrup, adding my precise measurements of golden syrup, egg yolks and caster to a saucepan, then brushing the sides (as advised!) with clean water to dislodge any rogue grains. Check.

Then i popped it on the heat to start boiling. Cue stress.

I wasn't sure whether to stir the sugar or not, as i remember that you're not meant to with some sugar recipes (caramel is it?) i can't remember. Anyway, i did timid little stirs and shakes as i didn't want it to burn.

I'm sure those that are more technically able might be able to see where i'd have gone wrong!!

So as soon as the syrup was boiling, i popped in the thermometer and read the temp. But "Mon Dieu!" the thermometer barely reached the surface of the sugar?!! because it's in a metal casing. So i had to do a little bit of a tilt the saucepan and try and read the temp.

As soon as the temp read 120C- well into soft ball stage, i took it off the heat.

Now, the recipe says to let it cool for a bit before you add it to your whites, but i wasn't sure just how cool it had to be? and by now, it was starting to set and soon i wouldnt be able to get it out of the pan! So i thought i'd put it in.

And soon, my beautiful soft beaked meringue became flat. I don't know if that's normal but it made me a little bit sad, because in the pictures, it still looks pretty airy.

Also, the sugar in the saucepan had strands. And i thought to myself, threading sugar requires less heat than softball... did i not heat it enough or is that normal?!

Obviously, having never made this, or seen anyone make it, i seriously started to doubt myself.

So i whisked up my meringue (until it cooled slightly), but this is again when i had troubles.

Do i seriously just whisk until it's cold?!! Meringue breaks up if you over-whisk it and i didn't want that to happen, so i just whisked it until it was as far as it would probably go and left it to go a bit cooler, before adding the butter.

And of course, with my luck, the butter melted the entire thing.

And i now had scrambled eggs.

I wanted to cry. So i put it in the fridge for an hour to let the butter go harder.

After that, I changed the attachment on my mixer, and whacked it on high and forced it back together again. Which resulted in a light, but rather yellow looking buttercream. Not at all like the one in the picture. Infact, it just looked like the normal buttercream you make with icing sugar and butter.



D'oh!

I had no choice but to use it. And it tasted just like butter. Like i was eating an actual block of butter.

My friend insisted it was fine and we just smeared it on the cupcakes. And i'll tell you why.



Because when i tried to pipe it on, it separated and slide everywhere.

Shame, because italian buttercream was not made for the smear.

I definitely.

did not.

make it right.

But at least they look okay.

Rhubarb & Custard Cupcakes

I've never had rhubarb, like proper rhubarb.

Not even in a crumble.

I've had rhubarb and custard sweets before- but that doesn't count.

Either way, i knew i liked it, which is why i was so excited when Lizzie commissioned me to make these as the second batch of cupcakes for her sister's hen do. (Mocha cupcakes being the other batch- see previous post)

I even got to use the jazzy cupcake cases my sister gave me for christmas ^_^

I've never made these cupcakes, and i was following a recipe from my newly acquired Mary Berry book "The Great British Bake Off- How to Bake". So not only this, but i've also never baked cupcakes under Mary Berry's instruction.

I was nervous.

Especially as there was even proper vanilla in the custard i was making. Like the real stuff- out of a pod! I did not want to screw this up.

So basically, if you're wondering about the construction of this deliciousness, it was:

Vanilla sponge, with a rhubarb compote and a homemade custard filling and a vanilla buttercream frosting.

I had to make a few changes to the recipe:

1. Sainsburys had no rhubarb compote so i used rhubarb filling used for crumbles instead, which worked just as well (i'd imagine! Ha..)
2. I realised just before baking that i'd need a thermometer to make this fancy buttercream in the recipe which i don't own, so i had to quickly change and opt for a normal vanilla frosting from the Hummingbird Bakery book "Cake Days"... But even with this recipe i changed it. I added the ingredients by eye so that i reached MY desired consistency, as when i made this frosting ages ago, it turned out runny... and i didn't want to risk it with a commission in mind! Btw, turned out fine :P

fresh out the oven- pretty consistently sized :)

Oh! and to make things EVEN better! The timer on my oven decided to break and not even count down -_-"... So i had to just guess, luckily i THINK i was right??! The ones above could probably have been taken out 2-3 mins earlier.

sitting pretty in their fancy cases! (unlike that lovely dirty grill they're sitting on.. apologies, i ran out of space on my cooling rack... which is actually just an upside down utensil tray)

My intention was to get fancy with the frosting, and create that 2-tone pipe on the top. 

Forgetting, obviously, that i fail at piping... Whoops. 

Above is just the vanilla buttercream, one with some pink food colouring.

the "prepared" piping bag

The swirl on the right turned out fine, (reminiscent of a poo) but it used up like HALF of the frosting i made, and that wasn't allowed. So i had to quickly think of something else- i.e. the lovely weird creations on the left.

Don't worry, i wouldn't dare do this on a professional commission but Lizzie was quite willing for me to experiment since i looked like i was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

They make me giggle a bit- they look pretty crazy!

At least these turned out to look fun.

i finally decided to make more frosting and then just frost the rest of the cupcakes with a palette knife.

But whilst i was doing so, even the slightest hold of the cake, squeezed out some of the rhubarb compote, and the frosting would not stay, it slid everywhere and i wanted to cry.

I soldiered on though and i think they all turned out okay.

A light buttery sponge with a creamy, tart surprise in the middle :) pretty moreish! But i think, after having made 2 batches of cupcakes and no lunch, i was getting impatient towards the end, meaning the quality of the frosting suffered and it was far too sweet, it made my teeth melt!!

Have to remember to stay focused. No matter how much i want to curl up in the oven and cry.

Mocha Cupcakes II

I was commissioned by Lizzie to make 2 types of cupcakes for her sister's hen-do. This being one of the batches! Thankfully it wasn't a proper professional commission so i wasn't under too much stress!

I've made Mocha Cupcakes before and they turned out to be an amazing hit! I just wanted to make these a little different, so i added crushed roasted walnuts, sprinkled on the frosting to really marry up the espresso  and chocolate in the sponge.

I just used the Mocha Cupcake recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery book "Cake Days" and added the walnuts on top. However, i did change the quantities of the ingredients used for the frosting, as this never really turns out right for me, so i did it by eye, texture and taste. It seemed to work a lot better for me.

Obviously, being me, i couldn't make anything without a few hiccups... and thankfully there are many pictures- some quite interesting, and some, not so necessary.

action shot of filling

some cakes getting "tongues" from over filling! whoops!

These ones amused me somewhat :D but they were the nicest ones to frost

Domo lovin' life

my hot chocolate frosting- altered from the original recipe

I think my frosting skills with a palette knife have improved... Obviously still much to be desired but it looks much better than what it used to be!!

having said that, here's a "rustic" lop-sided topped cupcake :P

roasted walnut pieces, waiting to be crushed... which i had to do by hand!! Too poor to own a chopper :(

a painfully badly lit photo. Basically just sprinkled and crowded the nuts on top.

Getting super fancy with the shots.. A bit orange but it looks a bit nicer than that one up there!

Lizzie was very kind and let me have a cupcake from each batch so i could taste and improve for next time. The sponge was light and moist, with just the right amount of frosting. Which, by the way, i think i will always make by my own measurements now, as it always seems to turn out better, consistency wise. 

I don't know if i'm just doing it wrong with the measurements they give me in the book, but i feel it's better to be safe than sorry.

Oh, and the walnuts were a hero decision and they definitely made the cakes look a lot posher :P

Chilli Chocolate Fondant Cupcakes

This week, i had a slight adventurous streak... I was deciding what type of cupcake to supply the coffee cup with this Tuesday... when i thought of chilli and chocolate. I've never tried it- but i thought, what could be more warming on a cold day than a rich chocolate sponge with a spicy heat??... With this in mind, i searched high and low on the internet to find a recipe... but i couldn't find anything that really satisfied what i was looking for.

In the end, i chose the simple Chocolate Fondant Cupcake recipe from the famous Hummingbird Bakery Book and decided i would replaced the dark chocolate used for the ganache with some chilli chocolate.

i trecked to Selfridges where i spent a whole 7 STERLING POUNDS (boohoo!!) on just 300g of Lindt Dark Chilli Chocolate. This was more of a bawling my eyes out while scoffing delicious posh chocolate moment.

I LURVE LINDT CHOCOLATE. Endof. so i KNEW this couldn't go wrong... Right?

I took an obscene amount of pictures today- just so you could all see what i do...

butter and caster sugar (before)...

(after...)

flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt added

eggs and milk added...

before baking... (in hindsight, i should have filled them a little less)..

...coz they kinda came out huge... Just LOOK at no. 3 on the 3rd row!! O_O

my babies coolin

hollowing out the cakes and filling with the chilli chocolate filling (i added a few extra chilli flakes into the mix just to heat it up a little more..)

cake top popped back on and covered with the chilli chocolate ganache

sprinkled with grated Lindt Chilli Chocolate...

a single cupcake in all it's glory ^_^

a very messy cross section... chocolate sponge, chilli chocolate filling and frosting

These little minor experimental cupcakes are turning out a treat so far for me. The boyf said they were the best ones i've done so far. The chocolate was velvety and extremely rich and indulgent.. Mmmm... The chilli wasn't too spicy either, it just gave the chocolate a really nice heat- even with the extra chilli flakes i added. The spice was felt at the back of the mouth and not on the tongue so it was bearable even for the milder mouths. Watching the ganache turn glossy to matte was pretty cool :) it made the process all look very profess(ional) which is something im still not used to... It's given me more confidence to be more experimental with recipes- even if it's just replacing one ingredient with another..

Overall, a very easy bake with tasty results :)

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

What better to warm up in the cold weather than with a bold chocolate orange cupcake? These cakes were probably my best bake so far. When i made the sponge mix it was nearly the same consistency as when i make victoria sponge, less runny than the other cupcake mixes i've made, more robust and stable. This resulted in a really soft sponge with that slight firm crust on the outside :)

fancy instagram photos always makes them look better ^_^

1 tbsp of orange zest was just enough to get that tang running through- absolutely delicious!

It was a nice surprise when i opened the oven door and all my cupcakes had risen to a pretty consistent size! that's never happened before for me- and they hardly sunk either! Brilliant!

fresh out the oven- check out that consistency!... and err... mind the mess... *cough*

cooling on my make-shift cooling rack (an upside down utensil divider)

For the frosting, i had a look at the recipe and once again, i was pretty unsure about the measurements... so i took a bold move and made it myself, using the same ingredients but tasting and adding as i went along. I've done this before with plenty of buttercreams, but never with a frosting. It worked out to be quite easy, just enough icing sugar to take away the bitterness of the zest and the cocoa, and just enough butter to mellow down the sugar, and cream cheese to give it the right consistency.

frosting on the left, cake-mix on the right

I reckon i should just do all the frosting by eye from now on, this is THE BEST cream cheese frosting i've EVER made.

The only thing i was debating was whether to decorate with a sprinkle of orange zest (pretty but i think, bitter) or just a little orange jelly wedge (easy but looks a little lost.. and a bit like a piece of lego pizza)... i chose the latter, but on reflection- i should really have chosen the zest. D'oh!!!!

Oh well, they came out pretty impressive by my standard anyway. I even took more pictures in hope it would make my blog slightly more interesting :P

Need to work on that rustic smear of frosting with the palette knife...

Banoffee Cupcakes

So these are the first i've ever made of this flavour (as are most of them). Now, im not a huge fan of bananas, but i bake to please and i know a lot of people are a fan of the banoffee flavour. Using a recipe from the hummingbird bakery book "Cake Days", i followed their recipe for a light vanilla sponge with mashed banana and a light, creamy caramel custard topping.

But wait-

Isn't banoffee, banana and toffee?? ...and... and not, well, caramel??

Oh well.

The recipe was pretty standard to follow, with a basic vanilla sponge mix but with the mashed banana, it managed to bulk up the mixture quite a bit, so i was able to squeeze out 20 cupcakes, as opposed to my usual 14.

I watched like a hawk over my sponges in the oven, careful not to over-bake and not under-do like i did with my last batch of cupcakes (see boston creams II).. i also carefully followed the recipe for the cream caramel topping which was similar to the custard filling for the boston creams, except this topping had whipped double cream in it (yum!) so it turned out not quite as sweet and sickly as i thought and was actually quite light and airy with a hint of caramel sweetness running through. Very nice.

However, there was only just, JUST, enough topping to cover the 20 cupcakes. Since usually when i follow the recipe for frosting, i always have MASSES left (even when piping), so this time i made 3/5 (3 fifths) of the amount stated and managed to pipe 13 and then used a palette knife to smear the others with the little i had left. I always have trouble eyeing how much frosting to make... maybe 4/5ths is the magic number/division.

I piped the topping on with a homemade piping bag made out of a sandwich bag (first time!) just so that i could have the right size round hole i wanted. I think, for the consistency of this topping, it wasn't stable enough for a fancy star style pipe, so i thought a round pipe would be fine to give it the right touch. I then just decorated with a light sprinkling of chocolate pieces (i would have preferred grated chocolate but i dont have any *bigsadface*) to give it that "banana and something naughty" feel. (oo-err!!)..

So yeah, anyway, these turned out quite nicely. 3 of my housemates said it was their favourite so far (they say that every time so i dont know whether to believe them), as they weren't sickly so they could happily eat the whole cupcake and not feel so guilty, and there was enough banana in there to keep all the little monkeys happy :)

Have a look:

Boston Cream Cupcakes II

I decided to try and make boston creams again, since they went well last time but there were just a few small adjustments i needed to make before they were spot on.

So this time round, i put a quarter tsp more of vanilla essence into the custard filling and for the frosting, i put in half cocoa and half drinking chocolate powder (the type you add milk to), just so that the taste was slightly milder and shaved off the bitter after taste you got last time. However, besides the fact that i made these adjustments to make THE PERFECT BOSTON CREAM, turns out the oven was a little too hot, so the outside looked done but the inside could have done with another 3 minutes, but nonetheless still edible (i promise!!). And for the frosting, i noticed i didn't have to use all the whole milk stated in the recipe (after i chucked it all in of course -_-')... the amount of whole milk to be added would be if using the proper hard butter, but since i was using softer butter, i didn't need it all.

It's getting frustrating when i'm learning- just when i think im going to get the perfect bake, there's always something else i need to learn, improve or didn't do that i should have. *sigh*... oh well i guess that's the learning process...

ONE DAY!!

This ranting all originates from my genetic overly pessimistic and perfectionist trait... These cupcakes weren't actually all that bad, but not good enough by my standards!

Caramel Cupcakes

These definitely were not for the faint hearted, or those interested in keeping their teeth. These were sooo sweet!! but nevertheless still tasty.

The original plan was to make these salted caramel cupcakes with a matching frosting, sprinkled with mini honeycomb shards. The problem was, i've only made honeycomb twice, both in primary school. I cannot for the life of me, remember how to make it. So i pulled out a recipe and tried to follow it. Twice. Both were wrong. I was so scared about burning my sugar and syrup that i probably added the bicarb in too early, resulting in a chewy, soft honeycomb, and not the sharp, brittle shards i wanted. I would have made it a third time, had i not run out of golden syrup!! I think i really needed a thermometer, that would have been good for saving the syrup and a bit more accurate than guessing...

So to save the rather plain looking frosting, i found some fudge pieces my housemate gave me for my birthday in the cupboard and popped them on top. It was quite nice for a substitute but i still want to learn how to perfect honeycomb. (perfect?!! do it anyway.)

These cupcakes turned out to have a nice, light, spongey crumb and a very sweet frosting. Everytime i follow recipes for frosting, it always turns out too sweet (for me), maybe i'll do it myself next time and add more sugar as i go along...