Thai Iced Coffee Cupcakes

Let's cut to the chase here. These cupcakes are all about the icing. Well, maybe all is a bit of a harsh statement, but the icing is really the star of the show here. Don't get me wrong, the cake itself is good, but the icing? Out of this world. And this comes from a self-confessed icing shunner.

But let's back up for a bit. Earlier this week I got an idea into my head for condensed milk cupcakes. Don't know how or why it popped into my head (no actually I do, it was while I was busy sneaking some condensed milk straight from the tin - shhhh don't tell), but once it was there, it refused to budge. I daydreamed about it, googled "condensed milk cupcakes" and even tweeted about it. One of my fellow South African bloggers, Jessica (from Tiny Oven Adventures) quickly jumped on the condensed milk bandwagon with her Sticky Condensed Milk & Vanilla Seed Icing Cupcakes. Yeah, I'm a trendsetter that way.

But while I was trendsetting, I still had not come up with any cupcakes of my own. Bad bad blogger. That's when I remembered the Thai Iced Coffee I made (and fell in love with) a few months ago in the heat of summer. Condensed milk was a prime ingredient and it didn't take long for me to put two and two together and end up with these magnificent Thai Iced Coffee Cupcakes. Which did a pretty good job of spoiling me for any other cupcake.

Especially icing-wise. I think it's safe to say that I probably won't be veering too far from this icing recipe in future. It is rich, but not too rich (you can thank the coffee for that), sweet, but not too sweet (that's the handiwork of my cream-cheesy friend), and texture-wise (the source of my usual icing-issues) it is a pleasure odyssey.* 

I'm not ashamed  to admit that I ate an inordinate amount of the icing scooped straight from the bowl. Whether you make the cupcakes, well, that is your choice. But this icing? You are practically obliged to make it. Make it, devour half and send me the other half. Why? Um... because your thighs will thank me later. Yeah, that's the reason...

*Corny phrases are not a usual result of these cupcakes, however results may vary. 

======<() And on a sidenote: The Soccer World Cup starts today - wooooot!   If you're not watching, you're missing out.

Thai Iced Coffee Cupcakes

Adapted from Eat My Cupcake

Makes 12

For the cupcakes:

125g (1/2 cup) butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/3 cups cake flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup stong freshly brewed coffee mixed with 2 tbsp condensed milk

For the icing:

240g (8 oz) full-fat cream cheese

100g butter, softened

1 cup icing (confectioner's) sugar

2 tbsp strongly brewed coffee

2 tbsp condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat well.

3. Sift the dry ingredients together and add bit by bit to the butter/sugar mixture, alternating with the coffee mixture, beating to combine.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners and bake for 16 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

5. Remove cupcakes from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack.

6. When the cupcakes have cooled, mix all the icing ingredients in a bowl and beat well until smooth. Fill a icing bag and pipe onto the cupcakes.

Jamaican Coffee Brownies

Calling all chocolate addic lovers. You got a moment to spare? Prepared to completely revolutionise your favourite chocolate indulgence? Yes I'm talking brownies. More specifically: Best. Brownie. Ever.

This is no idle promise. As a confirmed chocolate addic lover myself, I take my task very seriously and as such present you with only the best chocolaty treats that I can lay my hands on. Average chocolate treats need not even bother applying for this job. They will be shown the door. Arms flailing. Screaming about the unfairness of it all. While Mr Jamaican brownie will be smirking from atop his throne, being all "We can't all be awesome mon".

Yes, it's clear that I've lost it. And can you blame me? I have been in a constant state of sugary highness ever since I baked these brownies a few days ago. Yes, there are still a few left. Clearly I have a black belt in self-restraint. Because trust me when I say this - these are nearly impossible to resist. They are intensely, darkly chocolaty (boosted by the added ground coffee) with that inexplicable x-factor from the ground ginger and cinnamon. I might even be tempted to sell my mother for a bite. (Hey mom - I said *might*)

And as for those brownie snobs that claim you can't make a good brownie using only cocoa powder - one whiff of these and I guarantee they will be skulking away. Tail between their legs. With a stolen brownie chunk clutched firmly in both hands. Fact.

Jamaican Coffee Brownies
Adapted from Epicurious
Makes 20

2 cups brown sugar
250g (1 cup) salted butter, roughly chopped
3/4 cup best quality cocoa powder (unsweetened)
3 1/2 tbsp Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans, finely ground
pinch salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups cake flour
3/4 cup pecan nuts, roughly chopped
200g best quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
6 tbsp freshly brewed Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Lightly oil a 30 x 20 cm (13 x 9 inch) metal pan.
2. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, reduce heat and place a metal bowl over the pot, being careful that the water does not touch the bowl. Place sugar, butter, cocoa powder and ground coffee in the bowl and allow to melt slowly, stirring to smooth the mixture.
3. Remove bowl from heat, adding salt, ginger and cinnamon. Add eggs one at a time, beating vigorously to a glossy finish.
4. Sift cake flour into the chocolate mixture, stirring to combine, then add nuts and fold through.
5. Spread batter in prepared pan and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until test stick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan. 
6. Meanwhile, make the ganache topping by mixing the chocolate with the boiling hot coffee. Stir to combine, smoothing out any lumps, then allow to rest for about an hour, or until thickened. Spread over the brownies and allow to set before cutting into 20 squares.

Nutritional info (per brownie): Calories 381.8 , Total fat 27.4 g, Saturated fat 12.4 g, Polyunsaturated fat 1.4 g, Monounsaturated fat 4.6 g, Cholesterol 145.7 mg, Sodium 460.8 mg, Potassium 129.7 mg, Total carbohydrate 29.0 g, Dietary fiber 2.1 g, Sugars 20.1 g, Protein 12.5 g

Good source of: Manganese 19.0 %

St Paddy's Day Cupcakes

Look what I made for St Patrick's Day:

You can find the recipe for the Green Velvet Cupcakes over at The Cupcake Project.

Margarita Cupcakes

I recently stumbled upon a great blogging event called Taste & Create. The basic premise is that each blogger gets assigned a partner and the partners have to make something from the other person's blog. This is of course a great way of discovering some great blogs (and recipes) and meeting fellow bloggers.

I got partnered with Stef of Cupcake Project for my very first round. And of course I let out a double whoop (say it with me - whoop-whoop!), since I adore her site. She always has super-creative cupcake ideas and a trawl through her site left me unable to decide between all the delicious options. Should I throw all caution to the wind with her Baked Bean & Tomato Cupcakes? Go all exotic with her Sesame Honey Cupcakes? Or play it safe with Kosher Chocolate Cupcakes? The choices were haunting me in my sleep (okay just in my waking hours) and I stewed on it for a couple of days.

Then we were hit by a heatwave in the Western Cape and out came the crushed ice and the tequila and we were making cocktails by the bucketload - margaritas, pisco sours (a delicious mix from Peru) and of course tequila sunrises (which TheHusband is an absolute pro at). And of course, in the light of that, how could I make anything but her Margarita Cupcakes?

On her blog, Stef poses the question "Can a cupcake be dangerous?" and my answer to that is a resounding yes! These are grown-ups-only cupcakes brimming with all the classic margarita flavours - tequila, triple sec, salt and lemons. And they will make you do all sorts of crazy things. Let me tell you though, these are absolutely stirling partners to a liquid Margarita... ask me how I know. :-)

So what are you waiting for? Whip out your tequila, switch on your oven and get cracking making these delicious cocktails in cupcake form. You'll be hooked. And that's a threat promise.

(PS: When you've emerged from your Margarita coma, be sure to check out Stef's delicious rendition of my Malvapoeding - yes she converted them to cupcakes and they look very pleased with their new incarnation!)

Margarita Cupcakes

Adapted from Cupcake Project (who got the recipe from Baking Bites, who originally saw it in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)

Makes 12 cupcakes

1/4 cup lemon juice

zest of one lemon

1 cup milk

1/4 cup sunflower oil

2 tsp tequila

1 tsp triple sec

1/2 tsp lemon extract

1 cup sugar

1 1/3 cup cake flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Mix lemon juice, zest, milk oil, tequila, triple sec, lemon essence and sugar in a big mixing bowl until just combined.

3. Sift the dry ingredients together and add to the wet ingredients. Using an electric whisk, blend until there are no more lumps.

4. Grease a muffin tin and divide the batter evenly among the holes - be careful as the batter is very liquidy.

5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and cooked through (use a thin metal cake tester to test for doneness).

For the icing:

1 cup icing sugar

2 tsp tequila

1 tsp triple sec

1/2 tsp lemon essence

a drop or 2 of green food colouring

+/- 1 tbps of water

yellow sugar crystals for sprinkling (optional)

salt, for dipping (optional)

1. Mix everything except the water and salt together. Add just enough water to achieve a smooth and spreadable consistency.

2. Ice the cupcakes, then sprinkle with yellow sugar crystals and dip the edges in salt. The easiest is to pour some salt onto a plate and then roll the cupcake in it, circling to lightly coat the edges.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 188.2 , Total fat 4.9 g, Saturated fat 0.7 g, Polyunsaturated fat 3.0 g, Monounsaturated fat 1.0 g, Cholesterol 1.6 mg, Sodium 221.5 mg, Potassium 48.2 mg, Total carbohydrate 33.0 g, Dietary fiber 0.0 g, Sugars 11.5 g, Protein 1.6 g

Cappucino Choc-Chip Bars

These are supergood! Chewy and chocolatey and coffee-y all at once. These are truly some of the best cookies I've had/made in a long time. And so quick and easy to make too. Make some right now!

Cappucino Choc-Chip Bars

Adapted from Dana Treat

Makes 60 square bars

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

150ml strong brewed black coffee

1 cup chocolate chips

2 1/4 cup cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1. Cream butter & sugar together in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add vanilla essence, coffee and chocolate chips, stirring to combine.

3. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix well. Transfer to a greased rectangular oventray (36 x 22 cm;14.5 x 8.5 inches), pressing down to spread the batter evenly over the surface.

4. Bake 15 - 20 minutes at 180C. The dough will still be a little soft on top, but will firm up when it cools down. Leave to cool down slightly, then cut into squares and transfer to a wire rack to cool down further. Store in an airtight container.

Nutritional info (per bar): Calories 69.4 , Total fat 3.9 g, Saturated fat 2.5 g, Polyunsaturated fat 0.1 g, Monounsaturated fat 1.1 g, Cholesterol 8.8 mg, Sodium 51.6 mg, Potassium 12.0 mg, Total carbohydrate 8.3 g, Dietary fiber 0.1 g, Sugars 3.3 g, Protein 0.5 g

Chocolate Beetroot Cupcakes

These were supposed to be red velvet cupcakes, but the beetroot colour clearly wasn't strong enough to permeate the darker cocoa. Nevertheless, these were excellent both in texture (fluffy and deliciously moist at the same time) and in taste (chocolatey with a hint of sweetness from the beetroot). The creamcheese frosting complemented these perfectly. I don't think you could ask for a happier accident! 

Chocolate Beetroot Cupcakes

Adapted from Coconut & Lime

Makes 12 cupcakes

3/4 cup beet puree (yield from about 500g cooked beets)

1/2 cup olive oil

2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon plain yogurt

1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup cake-flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

a pinch of salt

1. Mix all the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl - beetroot, eggs, milk, yoghurt and vinegar.

2. Add sugar, stir and then add flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt. Mix well to get rid of any lumps and to ensure that everything is combined.

3. Divide batter evenly amongst 12 cupcake molds (it will be about 3/4 full). Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool down before icing.

For the icing:

57g (1/4 container) plain creamcheese

67g (1/4 container) low-fat cottage cheese

1 1/4 cups icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)

Beat everything together for a minute or two until thick and creamy. Place in refrigerator to thicken further for about 30 minutes. Use to frost cupcakes.

Nutritional info (per cupcake): Calories 268.5, Total fat 11.9 g, Saturated fat 2.9 g, Polyunsaturated fat 0.9 g, Monounsaturated fat 7.2 g, Cholesterol 41.3 mg, Sodium 110.0 mg, Potassium 117.7 mg, Total carbohydrate 37.5 g, Dietary fiber 1.9 g, Sugars 15.1 g, Protein 4.2 g

Pumpkin Creamcheese Swirl Brownies

Yesterday was Heritage Day in South Africa, a.k.a National Braai Day. And while we had succulent lamb chops, chicken, buttery 'mielies' (corn on the cob) and 'braaibroodjies' (grilled tomato, cheese & onion sandwiches) on the fire like any respectable South African should, we also indulged in a dessert from a completely different culture than ours. 'Cause you know we're all global-minded like that.

These pumpkin brownies are American through and through and more specifically oozing Southern charm. I think brownies are a bit of a misnomer, as these have a more cakey texture, but believe me, that doesn't detract from their yumminess. TheHusband and the in-laws (and myself!) gobbled them up with gusto and we now have only about 6 left. Which I'm sure won't last long either.

Pumpkin Creamcheese Swirl Brownies   

(Adapted from 90/10)       

Makes 24 squares

6 tbsp butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

a pinch of salt

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground ginger

For creamcheese swirl:

120g (4 oz) low-fat creamcheese

1/4 cup icing (confectioner's) sugar 

1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 180C and grease a 27 x17cm ovenproof dish with butter.

2. Beat butter, sugar and eggs together until light and creamy. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla essence and stir to incorporate.

3. Add flour, baking powder, bicarb and spices to the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Pour into the prepared dish.

4. For the creamcheese swirl: Beat creamcheese, icing sugar and egg until well-combined. Spoon dollops onto the pumpkin mixture and swirl into the pumpkin mixture using the tail end of a spoon or any other long thin object.

5. Bake for 35 minutes and allow to cool down before cutting into squares and serving.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 112.7, Total fat 6.1 g, Saturated fat 3.6 g, Polyunsaturated fat 0.3 g, Monounsaturated fat 1.7 g, Cholesterol 42.2 mg, Sodium 136.8 mg, Potassium 73.9 mg, Total carbohydrate 12.4 g, Dietary fiber 0.3 g, Sugars 1.4 g, Protein 2.3 g

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte - Black Forest Cake

TheHusband has two great loves.

Me (of course) and Black Forest Cake. According to him he has many more great loves, but I'll spare you the nerdy details... Just kidding, I love him and all his nerdy ways.

 

Anyway, back to the food - it was his birthday yesterday and he had only one request. So, it was me and a bowl of cream, a stovetop full of cherries simmering in Kirsch and a thick chocolate batter at close to midnight the day before his birthday. The cake came out denser than anticipated - more of a fudgy brownie-like texture. It seems my quest for the perfect Black Forest Cake has not come to an end yet.

Nevertheless here it is - with all my love - Happy Birthday P.

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cake)

Adapted from German Culture

Serves 12

Cake:

2 1/2 cups cake flour

2 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 cup dark cocoa powder

2 1/4 tsps baking powder
a pinch of salt
2 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 tbsp milk

1 1/2 cup butter

3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Kirsch (cherry liquor), to sprinkle over cake layers

Cherry filling:

2/3 of a 400g tin pitted cherries, drained

1 tbsp cake flour
1/3 cup Kirsch (cherry liquor)

Topping:
1 cup cream

2/3 cup icing sugar

a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp Kirsch (cherry liquor)

1/3 of the tin cherries (as above)
2 Flakes, crumbled (or about 30g/2oz of milk chocolate, grated)

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Grease two round cake tins and set aside. 

2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix well. Add vanilla essence, and stir to combine.

3. In another bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, alternating with the buttermilk and milk. Beat well until everything is combined.

4. Pour batter into the cake tins. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

6. Meanwhile, make the filling: mix cherries with the flour and combine with cherry liquor over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes or until liquid has thickened. Set aside to cool down.
7. When everything has cooled down, lightly prick the tops of each cake layer with a fork and sprinkle with some cherry liquor. 

8. Whip the cream to stiff peaks, being careful not to overwhip. Add vanilla essence, cherry liquor, icing sugar, salt and flour. Beat to combine.

7. Spread first layer of cake with the cherry filling. Top with about 1/3 of the cream and sprinkle one of the flakes on top. Cover with the other layer of cake. Decorate with cream, reserved cherries and the rest of the chocolate. 

Serve on the same day as frosting.

Nutritional info (per slice): Calories 621.0, Total Fat 29.5 g, Saturated Fat 17.8 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 1.2 g, Monounsaturated Fat 7.5 g, Cholesterol 121.7 mg, Sodium 324.1 mg, Potassium 352.3 mg, Total Carbohydrate 81.3 g, Dietary Fiber 2.9 g, Sugars 51.4 g, Protein 150.7 g

Good source of: Vitamin A 25.0 %

Elrieta's Super-Moist Chocolate Cake

Deliciously moist and nutty chocolate cake baked by the lovely Elrieta. Check out the flower as decoration!

Mango Lemongrass Cupcakes with White Chocolate Ganache

Lemongrass is one of those ingredients that most people tend to give the evil side-eye to in the supermarket. Surely a squeeze of fresh lemon would give the same flavour and is much easier? 

Not quite. 

 
Lemongrass has a unique flavour, citrussy of course, but there's a depth of flavour not found in a plain old lemon. Since my introduction to this herb I've been discovering thai curries and stirfries using it and have grown quite fond of it's scent.


I've always been curious about what it would taste like in something sweet though. The tin of mangoes winking seductively at me from the shelf seemed like the perfect partner in crime. The mango flavour is quite subtle in these cupcakes, I suspect it would be more pronounced had I used chopped mangoes, instead of the puree, but I wanted something that would just blend into the batter and let the lemongrass shine.

I made this based on a apple-spice cupcake from Recipezaar, adapted for the flavours I had in mind.

Mango Lemongrass Cupcakes with White Chocolate Ganache

Makes 12 cupcakes

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
2 tsp minced lemongrass
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup and 3 tbsp milk
3/4 cup mango puree (approx 1 tin mangoes)

For white chocolate ganache: (makes double what you need)
75g white chocolate
1/4 cup cream
2 tsp butter

1. Preheat oven to 180C and grease a muffin-tin.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and foamy. Add eggs, mixing well.
3. Gradually add flour and baking powder together with the milk and lemongrass.
4. Lastly stir in the mango puree and stir to combine.
5. Spoon batter into muffin-tin and bake for 25 minutes, remove from tin and set on a wire-rack to cool.
6. For ganache: Place chocolate and cream in a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir to combine and until chocolate has melted. Add butter and stir to combine and melt. Place in fridge to cool off and thicken, then use to ice the cupcakes.

Nutritional info (per cupcake): Calories 228.5 Total Fat 10.9 g Saturated Fat 6.7 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g Monounsaturated Fat 2.7 g Cholesterol 49.1 mg Sodium 85.4 mg Potassium 76.2 mg Total Carbohydrate 29.4 g Dietary Fiber 0.3 g Sugars 2.5 g Protein 2.9 g

Peppermint Crisp Cupcakes

 
For Andri who was the inspiration behind this cupcake. Thanks for an awesome idea!




Recipe loosely based on the coconut cupcakes I made earlier, with some obvious adjustments. Overall the flavour was great, but I think the cupcake came out a bit dry.Which is weird, because the coconut ones wasn't dry at all. Clearly the addition of the cocoa changes the texture somewhat. Also the chocolate chips tended to sink to the bottom. Overall I'm quite happy with this cupcake (I did mostly wing it after all!), but I'll probably use a chocolate choc-chip cupcake recipe next time I make this and just add the peppermint flavouring to that. That will elevate this cupcake from good to great.

Peppermint Crisp Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon peppermint essence
1/3 cup chocolate chips

For icing:
1 cup icing sugar
3 tablespoons milk
a few drops of green food colouring
1/4 teaspoon peppermint essence
1 peppermint crisp chocolate (or other mint flavoured chocolate), crushed

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a muffin tin and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix the butter and sugar together until crumbly. Add eggs, beating well.
3. Sift the dry ingredients together and add to the butter/sugar/egg mixture, alternating with the milk.
4. Finally stir through the peppermint essence and chocolate chips.
5. Divide evenly amongst the 12 holes in the muffin tin (should be about 2/3 full) and bake for 18 minutes. Remove from oven, gently loosen each cupcake around the sides, take out of the tin and place on a wire cooling rack. Let cool down before icing.
6. To make the icing - combine the icing sugar with the milk to form a smooth paste. Add the food colouring and peppermint essence and stir to distribute evenly throughout the icing.
7. Spread each cupcake with the icing and immediately dip into the crushed chocolate.

Nutritional info (per cupcake): Calories 201.2 Total Fat 6.3 g Saturated Fat 3.7 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g Monounsaturated Fat 1.1 g Cholesterol 52.5 mg Sodium 95.9 mg Potassium 81.2 mg Total Carbohydrate 34.7 g Dietary Fiber 1.2 g Sugars 15.7 g Protein 3.2 g

Oreo Cupcakes

And so my cupcake obsession continues....

I stumbled across an awesome post for oreo cupcakes, and it had a picture of the cupcake from the bottom, and you could see the oreo cookie peeking through the wrapper and my mouth started to water, but alas, I did not bookmark the post (don't you just hate it when that happens?).




So I had this idea for oreo cupcakes in my head, and had a packet of oreos in the cupboard (bought specially), but no recipe. So I googled it and wow! It seems like there are lots of oreo cupcakes floating around. Clearly I had been oblivious to what everyone else in the blogosphere already knew and loved.

But none of them was THE post. And all of them had eggs in it. And I didn't have eggs. Or, more to the point I didn't have enough eggs to make the cupcakes and make the lovely scrambled egg burritos I saw over at Chaos In The Kitchen.

I needed an egg-less chocolate cupcake recipe. And I knew just where to find one of those - Love & Olive Oil. I love that blog, really I do. And for the frosting, I based it on this recipe, also Love & Olive Oil. And no, I'm not a spokesperson for them. The almond essence seems to really bring out the chocolatey-ness in the cupcakes, which manages to be dark & delicious even without the eggs. Which is a bonus, since really, I don't often have eggs on hand. But I always have oil. Jackpot!

My husband proclaimed these as the 2nd best cupcakes I've made him so far (Chai Cupcakes still firmly in the lead), so I'm fairly sure you won't be disappointed if you try these.

Oreo Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 cup milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
12 Oreos

For the icing:
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup icing (confectioners’) sugar
2 tablespoons milk
4 Oreos, crushed (if you have more, add them, I only had 4 left in the pack, so that's what I added)

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Line muffin pan with paper liners and place an oreo cookie in the bottom of each liner.
2. Whisk together the milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.
3. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla and almond extract to the milk mixture and beat till foamy.
4. Add dry ingredients and beat until no lumps remain. Using a spring-loaded ice-cream scoop, divide batter equally between the liners (one scoop each).
5. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before icing.
6. For the icing - cream the butter, add the milk and mix until combined. Add the crushed Oreos, icing sugar and cocoa powder and mix well, until all the icing sugar is incorporated into the wet ingredients.
7. Spread/pipe onto the cupcakes and decorate with an extra dusting of icing sugar or some more Oreos (if you have).

Nutritional info (per cupcake): Calories 302.4 Total Fat 15.2 g Saturated Fat 4.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat 5.7 g Monounsaturated Fat 4.3 g Cholesterol 12.1 mg Sodium 187.1 mg Potassium 73.3 mg Total Carbohydrate 45.1 g Dietary Fiber 1.5 g Sugars 23.5 g Protein 2.8 g

Rooibos Chai Latte Cupcakes

I got the recipe from Love & Olive Oil (one of my favourite foodblogs) and adapted it slightly according to what I had on hand. These cupcakes are simply delicious, not too sweet, just spicy enough, moist and chewy. 



I think they would be good even without an icing, but the matching white chocolate cream glaze (also flavoured with chai spices) is the perfect complement to the cupcake. This one is a keeper and I'm already planning to use the base recipe with some different flavourings added - I'm considering a lemongrass flavoured cupcake with perhaps a lemon curd-ish frosting...

Rooibos Chai Latte Cupcakes

Makes 9 cupcakes (Love & Olive Oil says 12 - maybe I'm using a bigger baking tin?)

1 cup milk

3 rooibos chai tea bags

1 chamomile tea bag

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 1/4 cups (plus 2 tablespoons) cake flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/3 cup canola oil

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons caramel (or vanilla) extract

For glaze: *

100g white chocolate

1/2 cup cream

1 1/2 - 2 cups icing sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Prepare a muffin tray with cupcake liners.
2. Add teabags to milk and heat in microwave for 3 minutes on high. Allow to steep for a further 5 minutes or so, then remove teabags, squeezing out as much milk as possible. Re-measure, and add more milk to make up 1 cup. Whisk in cider vinegar, and side aside until curdled.
3. Meanwhile sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Pour in tea-milk mixture, along with oil, sugar, and caramel essence, and stir just until no large lumps remain.
4. Divide batter evenly among 9 cupcake liners (liners should be 2/3 full), and bake for 20-22 minutes or until puffed and golden. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
5. For white chocolate glaze: Break chocolate up into the milk, microwave on 60% power for 2 - 3 minutes, until melted. Stir to combine, add spices and add enough icing sugar to make a thickish & spreadable frosting. Spread each cupcake thinly with the glaze. Wait a few minutes until dry, then add another layer. Decorate further as you wish.

* The glaze recipe makes a lot more than what you need - reserve the remaining glaze for another use (or another batch of cupcakes!)

Nutritional info (per cupcake): Calories 304.7 Total Fat 12.6 g Saturated Fat 3.6 g Polyunsaturated Fat 5.3 g Monounsaturated Fat 1.9 g Cholesterol 6.4 mg Sodium 224.5 mg Potassium 76 mg Total Carbohydrate 42.8 g Dietary Fiber 0.9 g Sugars 14.5 g Protein 3.1 g

Coconut Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze

I've been on a cupcake kick this past week (what with my upcoming birthday on the 21st). These are based on the cupcake recipe found here but with the glaze found here instead of the buttercream frosting. I'm not a big fan of butter-based icings (yes I'm weird like that)... The lemon glaze really makes the coconut taste pop. 

Coconut Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze

Makes 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 large egg
1 large egg-white
1 cup flour
1 tsp bakingpowder
a pinch salt
2/3 cup milk
4 tbsp shredded coconut
1 tsp almond essence

For the glaze:

1 cup icing-sugar
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and lightly coat a muffin tray with oil.
2. Mix together the butter & sugar until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the egg, beat while, then add the egg-white, again beating well.
3. In a seperate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
4. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately to the sugar-egg mixture. Mix well.
5. Lastly add the shredded coconut and almond essence and stir to combine.
6. Divide the mixture evenly among the 12 holes in the muffin tray.
7. Bake 20 - 23 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
8. Remove cupcakes from tin, and allow to cool slightly on a wire rack.
9. Mix together the lemon juice & icing-sugar until it reaches a thickly spreadable consistency. Add more lemon juice if necessary.
10. Thickly spread the top of each cupcake with the lemon glaze and leave for a few minutes to harden. Store in an airtight container.

Nutritional info (per cupcake): Calories 153.9 Total Fat 3.6 g Saturated Fat 2.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g Monounsaturated Fat 0.8 g Cholesterol 29.2 mg Sodium 94.3 mg Potassium 45.5 mg Total Carbohydrate 28.1 g Dietary Fiber 0.2 g Sugars 11.2 g Protein 2.4 g