froufrou cupcakes

Im not entirely sure why these cupcakes are called froufrou, if I was to name them I would call them coconut raspberry cupcakes but I guess frou frou cupcakes sounds a lot cuter and more mysterious....

Froufrou cupcakes

Ingredients

125g butter, softened

1 C caster sugar

3 eggs

1/2 C plain flour

1/4 C self-raising flour

1/2 C desiccated coconut

1/3 sour cream

150g frozen raspberries

Icing

60g butter, softened

150g sour cream

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 C icing sugar

Decorations

1 C shredded (or flaked if you can find it!) coconut, toasted

15 fresh raspberries, halved

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 12 hole muffin pan with paper cases.

2. Beat butter, sugar and eggs in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy

3. Stir in sifted flours, coconut and sour cream. Fold in frozen raspberries.

4. Divide mixture among cases

5. Bake cakes for around 40 minutes then remove from pan and cool

6. To make the icing beat the butter, sour cream and vanilla essence in a small bowl with an electric mixture until light and fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar until a fluffy consistency.

7. To make the toasted coconut spread the coconut on a oven tray lined with baking paper, place tray in the oven for around 7 minutes (at 180C), some of the coconut should be golden and some will still be white. Remove the tray from the oven and cool.

8. To decorate spread a dollop of icing over the top of the cooled cupcakes. Top with a sprinkling of toasted coconut and some raspberry halves.

Teeney weeny cookies

I made this little cookies as a take home kind of thing for the dinner party. I must learn to read recipes properly before I make them as I didnt realise that this recipe made 280 cookies! I suppose they are kind of tiny though but we did end up with a lot of left over little cookies...

Mini choc-cherry cookies

Ingredients
1 1/3 C milk chocolate melts (around 200g)
60g butter
1/4 C vegetable oil
1/3 C caster sugar
2 eggs
1 C self raising flour
1 C plain flour
4 x 55g cherry ripe bars, chopped finely (I couldnt find these in any supermarkets but discovered them at the local dairy)
1/4 C desiccated coconut

Instructions
1. Stir chocolate, butter, oil and sugar in a medium saucepan over a low heat until smooth. Cool for 15 mins.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line around 3-4 oven trays with baking paper.
3. Stir eggs and flours into chocolate mixutre and then fold in the pieces of cherry ripe bars
4. Roll level 1/2 tsp's of mixture into balls. Roll half of the balls in coconut. Place each ball about 2 cm apart on the baking trays.
5. Bake cookies for about 10 mins. Leave to cool.
6. I served my cookies in little decorated cupcake cases and put a few milk chocolate buttons on the top, but you could do anything you like with them :)

Dinner party

It has been a total of 15 days since I last posted something so I have decided to have a posting marathon today! A few weekends ago now, it was my flatmates birthday so instead of doing the normal party thing we decided to be all grown up and have a proper dinner party (well we attempted 2...) It was all very nice, there was lots of candles, nibbles and delicious dessert wine. Below are a few things I made :)

Tiramisu (on a stick)

Ingredients

1 strong short espresso (or 2 Tbsp strong coffee)

6 sponge fingers (aka savordi biscuits)

3/4 C cream

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/3 C icing sugar

1 1/2 C storebrought custard (I think it would be fine if you made your own instead)

1/2 C mascarpone
2-3 Tbsp cocoa

Instructions

1. Place the sponge fingers in a shallow dish and spoon enough coffee over the them so it just soaks through

2. Whip cream, vanilla essence and icing sugar until stiff but glossy and fold it into 1 C of the custard

3. In another bowl, whisk the mascarpone with 1 tsp coffee then whisk in the remaining 1/2 C custard

4. Arrange 12 paper/plastic cups on the bench. Dust inside the base of each with some cocoa. Use teaspoons to drop dollops of the cream mixture and mascarpone mixture into the cups. Crumble in some coffee-soaked sponge fingers here and there, adding another dusting of cocoa to each one about half-way through. When cups are about 2/3 full smooth the top of the mixture and add a last dusting of cocoa.

5. Seal the top of each cup tightly with foil. Cut a small slit in the middle of each piece of foil and slide a wooden iceblock stick through it and 2/3 of the way into the tiramisu mixture. Freeze overnight

6. 20-30 minutes before serving put individual tiramisu's in the fridge, this is so the mixture is not rock solid. To get them out of the cups, dunk each cup into a bowel of hot water for a couple of seconds then they pull out easier!

Chocolate pistachio fudge

Ingredients

375g of dark chocolate
390g can condensed milk

30g butter

pinch salt

1 C unsalted pistachios (shells removed)

Instructions

1. Put first 4 ingredients in a saucepan and stir over a low heat until melted and well combined

2. Put pistachios in a bag and crush with a rolling pin. Add pistachios to the chocolate mixture and stir well.

3. Pour the mixture into a 20cm square baking paper lined tin and smooth out. Allow the fudge to cool then refrigerate before cutting into pieces.

Cake competition!

The hospital had a cake competition last week so I decided to enter a cake, just so I could have an excuse to bake another cake! it was all very exciting, but I cant take any credit for the decorating as I left that up to Livvy, my flattie. In the end I came third which made my day :)

Chocolate Mousse cake

Base
200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
50g butter
3 eggs, separated
1/2C caster sugar
3 Tbsp self-raising flour

Mousse
2 Tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp gelatine
250g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
3 eggs, separated
1/2C cream
1 Tbsp caster sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line the base and sides of a 20cm spring form tin with baking paper.
2. To prepare the base place the chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water.
3. In a separate bowl beat egg yolks until foamy and gradually stir into the chocolate. Sift caster sugar and flour together and stir into the chocolate mixture. In a separate bowl beat egg whites until peaks just fold over.
4. Fold egg whites gently through the chocolate mixture. Pour into tin and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in tin.
5. To prepare the mousse place water in a shallow bowl and sprinkle with gelatine. Stand for 5 minutes then place bowl over a pan of hot water and stir until the gelatine dissolves. Cool slightly.
6. Place chocolate in a medium bowl and melt following packet directions. Beat egg yolks and stir into chocolate with gelatine mixture. fold in whipped cream.
7. Beat egg whites in a large bowl until peaks just fold over. Beat in sugar, fold chocolate mix gently but thoroughly into egg whites
8. Pour mousse over cake and chill for 2-3 hours unit set. Carefully remove tin.
9. To make the chocolate squares for the outside line a pan with baking paper and spread melted chocolate over the surface . Leave to cool in the fridge, when set use a sharp knife and dip it into a mug of boiling water. Slice the chocolate into even sized squares. Arrange the squares around the outside of the cake.
10. To make the chocolate curls spread some melted chocolate over a flat surface, like a clean plastic shopping board, and let it set. Then take a sharp knife and slide it on a diagonal through the chocolate. This should make a curl of chocolate. Top the cake with chocolate curls and some fresh strawberries or other seasonal fruit if desired :)

Torta Caprese

Apparently this is an italian chocolate almond torte but I think of it more like a really moist and delicious cake. I served it with some natural yoghurt but I think it would be equally delicious with some fresh mascarpone or cream on the side. Thanks to Hannah for modelling with my cake :)

Ingredients

200g dark chocolate

4 medium eggs

170g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

250g ground almonds

200g butter, melted and cooled until tepid

Icing sugar, to serve

Method
1. Grease a 24cm spring form cake tin and preheat oven to 170C.

2. Finely chop the chocolate with a large knife, make sure it retains some texture.
3. Beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla extract until the mixture is pale and moussey this should take about 10 minutes.

4. Fold in the chocolate, almonds and butter.

5. Spoon into the prepared cake tin, and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until just firm to the touch. 6. Leave to cool in the tin, then turn out. Dust the surface with icing sugar before serving and serve with natural yoghurt and berry coulis.

Cherry chocolate cupcakes

This weekend was Hannahs birthday and since all her birthdays are super important I made some cupcakes for her :) I like using toffee but have yet to be able to master it, practice makes perfect!!

Cherry chocolate cupcakes

250g butter

200g dark chocolate

2 C caster sugar

1 C water

2 Tsp instant coffee granules

1/3 C milk

1 1/2 C flour

1/2 C self raising flour

1/4 C cocoa

2 eggs

Ganache

1/3 C cream

200g dark chocolate, chopped

Toffee

1C sugar

1/2 C water

fresh cherries

1. Preheat oven to 170C, line 18 hole standard muffin pans with paper cases

2. Combine butter, chocolate, sugar, water, milk and coffee in a large saucepan. Stir over a low heat until smooth. Leave to cool.

3. Stir sifted flours and cocoa then add the eggs. Whisk all together with the chocolate mixture.

4. Pour 1/4 C of mixture into each paper case.

5. Bake for around 40 mins and turn out to cool.

6. To make the ganache bring the cream to the boil in a small saucepan pour over chopped chocolate. Stir until smooth, cover and refrigerate for 30mins. Beat with electric mixture until light and fluffy.

7. Spread generously over each cupcake.

8. To make the toffee for the toffee curls put the water and sugar in a saucepan. Stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved bring to the boil and simmer over a low heat until golden. Set up a rolling pin (or other round tube) covered in baking paper. Then drizzle toffee over the rolling pin with the back of a wooden spoon to kind of make a half circle of toffee. Then let them cool at room temperature then pull of the paper.

9. Arrange 1 or 2 cherries on the top of the cupcake then top with 2 of the toffee curls.

Nutella and banana cupcakes

50g nutella
75 g butter
1 egg
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 C flour
1 mashed banana

1. Preheat oven to 180C ,line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Combine butter, sugar and egg. Add in mashed banana and nutella.
3. Stir in flour and baking powder
4. Mix milk and baking soda together and add it to the banana mixture
5. Pour into the paper cases and cook for around 25 minutes until cooked
6. Top with a blob of nutella or smear with some melted milk chocolate.

Chocolate hazelnut cups

Again sorry about the terrible photo!These chocolates are really easy to make, the only fiddly thing is peeling the foil off the chocolate cases but once you've done that its a piece of cake :)

Ingredients

100g dark chocolate, melted

1/3 C chocolate hazelnut spread (I used nutella :))

1/4 C hazelnut meal (or almond meal)

12 hazelnuts, toasted

1 Tbsp hazelnut meal (or almond meal)

Methods

1. Using small, clean brush paint chocolate thickly inside

2. Place cases on tray, refrigerate about 5 mins or until chocolate sets. Peel away cases.

3. Combine spread and hazelnut meal in a small bowl, spoon mixture into piping bag fitted with with 1.5cm fluted tube

4. Divide pieces of water and hazelnuts among cases.

5. Pipe chocolate mixture into cases. Sprinkle with a little extra hazelnut meal.

Mini berry, almond and chocolate cakes

I wanted to make something with white chocolate and raspberries today so I attempted to make some mini cakes. Suprisingly they tasted ok! I also apolagise at my non optimal photography but I will try and get some super good artistic tips from the talented gianna and make my photos better!

Ingredients

3/4 C brown sugar
2 eggs
125g butter, butter
1tsp vanilla
1/2 C ground almonds
1/2 C self raising flour
1/2 C flour
2/3 C berries (any kind will do, frozen or fresh!)
2/3 C chocolate buttons (I used a mix of white and dark chocolate)
1/4 C flaked almonds (optional)
1/4 C milk

1. Preheat oven to 170C and line a 12 pan muffin tin with cases
2. Mix butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until combined.
3. Add ground almonds and flours to the wet mix
4. Stir in milk
5. Mix in berries, chocolate and almonds
6. Divide into into the 12 cases and bake for 25mins
7. Cool on a wire rack and place some more berries on top and dust with icing sugar

more cupcakes...

Mochaccino cupcakes

Mocha mudcake

165g butter, chopped

100g dark choclate, chopped coarsely

1 1/3 C caster sugar

2/3 C water

1/4 C coffee liqueur (I used baileys)

2 Tbsp instant coffee granules

1 C plain flour

2 Tbsp self raising flour

2 Tbsp cocoa

1 egg

Decorations

2/3 C cream, whipped with 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence

2 Tbsp chocolate sauce

1. Preheat oven to 170C and line a 12 hole muffin pan with paper cases

2. Combine butter, chocolate, sugar, water, liqueur and coffee in a saucepan and stir until smooth over a medium heat.

3. In a separte bowl mix flours and cocoa together, then add chocolate mixture. Whisk in egg.

4. Divide mixture among paper cases

5. Bake for 30 - 40 mins, then turn out to cool.

6. Once cool spread with a thick layer of cream. Then get a skewer and put drops of the chocolate sauce on the cream and swirl around till covering the cupcakes. If you cant be bothered doing all this swirling business then you can dust cakes with cocoa :)

This weekend I went to a dessert party with wine, lots and lots of wine. Anyway I tried baking a new chocolate mandarin cake for the party and thought it was rather tasty, moist and suprisingly not too rich!

Mandarin chocolate mudcake

250g good quality dark chocolate, chopped

250g butter, chopped into cubes

6 eggs, separated

1/2 C caster sugar

3 Tbsp plain flour

1/4 C ground almonds

1 tsp mandarin zest

1. Preheat the oven to 190C.

2. Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until just melted. Remove from heat.

3. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and mix until lightly combined. Gradually add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture, stirring constantly.

4. Fold through the flour, zest and ground almonds

5. Place the egg whites in a clean bowl and beat with an electric beater until stiff peaks form.

6. Fold half the egg whites through the chocolate mixture until just combined then fold through the other half.

7. Pour mixture into a 23cm greased springform tin and bake for 35minutes. The cake will still look very wet but dont cook it any longer.

8. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin. Remove when cool then dust with cocoa and serve with mandarin slices and natural yoghurt or whipped cream.

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate...

Im not really a major sports fanatic but this saturday was a pretty exciting, even for me. So I had to do some baking (of the chocolate kind) to celebrate. Below is the easiest fastest brownie recipe I know, they are really gooey and delicous and if you want to be super naughty you can add as much chocolate as you like! They are also gluten free :)

Swedish chocolate brownie

100g butter, melted
1 1/2 C sugar

3/4 C ground almonds

1/4 C cocoa

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 eggs

5 lines milk or dark chocolate (around 125g), chopped.

To decorate 1/2 packet of flattened almonds (optional)

1. Mix the butter, sugar, ground almonds, cocoa, vanilla and eggs together in a large bowl

2. Fold the chopped chocolate into the mixture

3. Pour into a greased or lined baking tin and bake for 180C for 25 to 35 minutes, until the centre is still slightly gooey but the edges are set.

4. Top with flattened almonds or dust with icing sugar and serve.

Cupcakes!!

These cupcakes probably look better then they taste but they still taste pretty good, they take a while to decorate but I think thats the fun part!

Toffee apple cupcakes

Ingredients:

Maple pecan and apple cake

60g butter, softened

1 C self raising flour (or use standard flour with 2tsp of baking powder)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 C brown sugar

1/4 C maple syrup

2 eggs

2/3 C pecans (or walnuts) chopped

1/2 C grated apple

Maple frosting

90g butter, softened
1 C icing sugar

2 tsp maple syrup

Toffee

1 C caster sugar

1/2 C water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C

2. Line 12 hole standard muffin pan with paper cases

3. Beat butter, flour, cinnamon, syrup, sugar, and eggs on a low speed until combined. Increase speed till mixture is paler in colour.

4. Stir in nuts and apple and divide between cases.

5. Bake for 25 minutes, then turn out to cool on a wire rack

6. To make frosting, put softened butter, maple syrup and icing sugar in a bowl. Beat until combined and spread cooled cupackes with icing.

7. To make toffee shards place water and sugar in a saucepan. Heat over a low heat until sugar is dissolved, then bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until golden brown. Remove from heat.

8. To make shards drizzle toffe from the back of a wooden spoon onto a baking paper lined oven tray. Leave to cool at room temperature and when cool remove with a spatula and arrange on cupcakes in a tower-like shape :)

Turkish delight cupcakes

Ingredients:

White chocolate pistachio cake
60g white chocolate chopped
1/2 C water
1tsp vanilla essence
1/2 C pistachios, chopped finely
1/2 C white chocolate chunks
90g butter, softened
1 C firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 C self raising flour
2 Tbsp plain flour

Decoration
2/3 C chopped pistachios
250g white chocolate
400g turkish delight, chopped into small cubes

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Line 12 hole muffin pan with paper cases
3. Combine 60g measure of white chocolate, water and essence in a saucepan and stir over a low heat until smooth
4. Beat butter, sugar and eggs with a beater until combined
5. Add flours, pistachios, white chocolate chunks and warm chocolate mixture. Mix until combined
6. Divide between cases and bake for 25 mins, then turn out to cool on a wire rack
7. To make decoration melt white chocolate and spread a thick layer over each of the cupcakes. While chocolate is still warm place cubes of turkish delight and pistachios in a pyramid shape on the top of the cupcake.


Enjoy!!

Hi

Hi peeps,
I'm Courtney, I'm 21 and I love to cook. I only discovered my love for cooking when I started flatting down in Dunedin. I started to bake as a way to procrastinate from studying for exams and it was very effective! I have been feeding my flatmates ever since. I've moved up to Wellington and am studying medicine but all i want to do is open a little beach front cafe one day :) I thought I'd start this blog to procrastinate a little more and also to hopefully share some scrumptious recipes that I've discovered...

Happy baking oxox