Spooky........Happy Halloween!

It's the time of the year again to be spooky, creepy, freaky, you name it, I think I got it all! 😂😂 Yes, you are right, it's Happy Halloween!!

In Malaysia, it's still not a thing to celebrate out loud yet, after so many years, but getting better I must say. Hope in the future, one day, Halloween will be a nationwide celebration where every households who celebrate, will decorate and have Trick or Treats for all kids dressed up in costumes and going from house to house for trick-a -treating.......how fun!!

Anyway, without fail, every year I still bake and decorate some cupcakes for Halloween to give away to friends, and some for my kids to enjoy the celebration......just for fun!

This year I baked some Red Velvet cupcakes , recipe adapted from Cupcakes Jemma here and it's so easy to make and it's yummy!! Try it out.

Of course, I topped it with Vanilla buttercream and decorated it with Oreo Crunch and handmade fondant designs of a RIP tombstones, creepy crawly Spider 🕷🕸 and Boo the Pumpkin 🎃

I hope you like the cupcakes as much as I do ......have a creepy spooky Halloween......Boo!!

Happy Baking!

Viva La Espana.....UEFA Euro 2012

Football anyone? hehe.....I'm a big fan of football (but definitely not the Malaysian ones lah) LOL :p I love watching UEFA Euro games, FIFA Worldcup and of course the English Premier Leagues too. Well, you could have guessed that this posting will be all about football....yes! UEFA EURO 2012 that is!! 

I don't know how many ladies in my group would be that crazy to set their alarm clock to 2.30AM everyday for a month to get up and sit in front of the TV to watch the match, hahaha, but I'm one of them. Hubby would love to company me, but each time when the alarm clock rings, he would say, he would love to continue sleeping and dreaming instead ....huh! I don't care if I'm watching it alone, I just want to watch!! That's how crazy I can be :)

Anyway, a month has passed by, and today is the last "final" match of the Euro game, and that left the two team to compete for the UEFA EURO Cup 2012  -namely SPAIN vs ITALY. I am a fan of both, but when  given a choice to choose only one, Spain is my favourite ....all the way from WC2010. My favourite players would be Fernando Torres, Sergio Ramos, Iniesta, Fabregas, David Silva and in fact , the whole team , LOL 

What's more, Spain started with a 2-0 in the 1st half and another 2 more goals in the 2nd half, closing the game with 4-0 to Italy.......I jumped and screamed to my feet with joy, LOL. That was an awesome match and everyone performed really well, and I can feel the joy of Spain in celebration........but also the sadness of Italy for losing so badly :(

Spain beats Italy in the final of the UEFA EURO 2012 with a 4 - 0

Wow!! that was great news and how could I not celebrate this victory? So I decided to bake a batch of  "Double Chocolate" flavour cupcakes to celebrate with Spain, hehe :P

I actually posted these cupcakes in my other blog - Cupcakes Fairytale, but however, I am featuring it here to so that you could join me in the baking and celebrating of this great moment :) 

And so here is the recipe to the "Double Chocolate"flavour cupcakes.....courtesy of Cupcakes Fairytale , hope you like it :)

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

(Makes 18 cupcakes)

250gm plain flour, sifted 

250gm butter, softened to room temperature

180gm castor sugar

4 Tbsp of cocoa powder, sifted together with the flour

1 tsp Rum / Kahlua / Brandy *Optional

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

3 eggs

40 ml milk

For the Chocolate Ganache

100gm Chocolate, chopped into small pieces

50ml Double cream

•  Heat the cream in a saucepan to boil , then take it off the heat. Pour in into the chopped chocolate and leave it for 1 minute. Stir it to melt the chocolate, and leave it to cool slightly, until ready to use.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160 degree Celsius. Line the cupcakes cases on the baking tray.
2. Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. 
3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate soda, set aside.
4. Lower down the mixer speed to medium-low and add in the eggs , one at a time, making sure that it is well combined.
5. Add the milk and Rum/ Brandy / Kahlua, whichever you are using, and mixed well.
6. Add in the cocoa/ flour into the mixture , slowly , batch by batch and mix until all fully combine.
7. Scoop the batter 1/3 into the casing, then scoop a tablespoon of the chocolate ganache into the center of the batter, and then top it with another 1/3 of the batter, filling 2/3 of the casing. Repeat this to all the other casings.
8. Bake at the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes depending on individual oven. However, the cupcakes are done once a skewer inserted in the centre, comes out clean.
9. Leave it to cool on the wire rack.

To make the decoration, cover the top of the cupcakes with buttercream , smooth it to the brim (I used 'pink' tinted buttercream)and place a piece of the specially ordered  'UEFA EURO 2012 logo edible image icing that I ordered from one of the local provider - Sugar Art.

Well, till then......have fun making these cupcakes and again ....."Viva La Espana!!!"

HOKKAIDO CHIFFON CUPCAKES

Nope, I have never been to Japan nor Hokkaido, not yet…….but will definitely make a "Wishlist" with this destination in it ;) So, the idea of baking these "Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes" came by when I was blog hopping as usual. I think I spend most of my spare time, if not baking……..will be reading cookbooks or blog hopping. Well, that's how I got all my recipes collection piling up :PAnyway, these Hokkaido Chiffon cupcakes can be quite discouraging when you first look at it in a picture or blog…….it sinked, shrinked and has a wrinkled surface……totally the opposite of a cupcake……..I meant a cupcake that hasn't been dressed also can easily 'sapu' (sweep) this title of a perfect cupcake………LOL

You must be wondering then 'why on earth do I still take the initiative to bake it', right?? Yeap, anything that I saw looks interesting always caught my attention and these Hokkaidos' Cuppies sure did when I saw them. I was thinking why do they have such a special name……..and why do they look like that?? I googled and typed in "What is Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes?" hoping that I will be able to find out the source of these cupcakes, if they really are from Hokkaido, Japan. Guess what? "There was no such search result"……hah! So, where and why are they named Hokkaido? Not Holland? Duh!

So, I thought since I can't get the background of these cupcakes origin, then the least I can do is bake and try to see what's so special about them. And so I did……….verdict is ……it's light and fluffily soft like cotton in texture, the taste is also very light , just like a Chiffon Cake :P The egg whites is whisk to medium stiff peak, and folded in to the batter……that is why it is so light and fluffy. I would say I will make this cupcakes again, although I still doesn't understand why they want to add Hokkaido into the name……..well, simply because I prefer something light and not so heavy, and for your information, I ate 5 cuppies without realizing it….hehehe

 HOKKAIDO CHIFFON CUPCAKES
Ingredients
(A)
4 egg yolks
70gm castor sugar
(B)
2gm salt ( I used a pinch of salt)
Drops vanilla essence (I use ½ tsp of vanilla essence)
(C)
80ml milk (I used Low Fat Milk)
60ml Corn Oil (I used Canola Oil)
(D)
135gm plain flour
4gm baking powder (I used ½ tsp baking powder)
(E)
6 Egg whites
50gm castor sugar

 Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C.
   
2. Arrange paper cups on baking tray.
   
3. Hand whisk (A) until pale in colour. Add (B).
   
4. Follow by (C). Whisk until combined.
   
5. Sieve in (D). Stir until well mixed.
   
6. Whisk egg whites until foamy, add sugar. Whisk until medium peak.
   
7. Take 1/3 whites and fold in with yolk mixture.
   
8. Follow by folding in the rest of the egg whites.
   
9. Scoop batter into pre-arranged paper cups filling about ¾ full.
   
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Happy Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes baking!

The recipe was adapted from here.

My Birthday, My Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes

Happy Birthday to ME!! Haha…....this sounds so funny, normally I used to wish people 'Happy Birthday' and not to myself. Anyway, this year I wished myself 'Happy Birthday' early Sunday morning when I woke up……as I was feeling very happy, and also very satisfied as I have lived another year filled with love, happiness and the best of health and also………some of the things that I wanted to do or achieve, has indeed been done and achieved. Well, I thanked the Lord for all his abundant blessings that he has showered upon me, without Him, I really wouldn't know where am I now………..and in what situation I'll be in. Praise God!!Well, I was very happy this birthday as I received tonnes of birthday wishes from friends and relatives, my boys treated me to a Pizza Hut dinner and Hubby gave me a birthday present that I really like (though I must say it'll take me sometime to master it, hehe) – it's a Samsung Wave GT-S8500!! What else could I ask for?? I'm really blessed with all these, thank you so much !!!

Then, getting back to my baking……..eventhough it's my birthday today, I'm definitely going to bake something, moreover it's a Sunday…………..how can I not bake, right? Hehe………….. So, I ran through my 'To Bake' list that I have listed all the things that I wanted to try to bake …….and there it is……."Red Velvet Cupcakes"!! Perfect choice for this occasion and also since I've baked 5000 cupcakes in the last 2 days……and the mood of baking cupcakes are still hot in my blood, why not!!??

I told the kids, "Mummy is going to bake cupcakes for my birthday"………and guessed what Angelica said? "Huh? Mummy, you are baking cake for your own birthday, then they'll be no surprise already lo??" LOL……….I couldn't stop laughing and assured her that "it's OK, Sweetie, Mummy already has a lot of surprises from you all". By the way, this Red Velvet Cupcakes has already been sitting my list for almost a year now, if I'm not mistaken, so I'd better bake it now before it sits there for another year, hahaha. The recipe was adapted from 'The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook' and I only did a little alteration in the method part :p

 This Red Velvet Cupcakes has a very distinguish ton of red and it stands out really well especially when you pair it with Vanilla Cream Cheese buttercream. The red from the cake and the white from the buttercream is a perfect match!! If you like the look of this cupcakes here in my blog…….then you should try it ^-

Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes (Adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook)

Makes 24 mini cupcakes

Ingredients for cupcakes:

60gm Unsalted butter, room temperature

150gm castor sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

10gm cocoa powder

20ml red food coloring (gel/paste)

½ tsp vanilla essence

120ml buttermilk

150gm plain flour

½ tsp salt (you can omit this if you are using salted butter)

½ tsp bicarbonate soda

1 ½ tsp white wine vinegar (I omitted this one)

Ingredients for Vanilla Cream Cheese Buttercream:

300gm Icing sugar, sifted

50gm unsalted butter, room temperature

125gm cream cheese, room temperature

1 tsp Vanilla essence

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degree Celsius. Line the cupcakes cases on the baking tray. Set aside.
2. Place butter and sugar in a medium bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Add in the egg and beat until well combined. Add in Vanilla essence and food coloring and beat until the color is mixed evenly through the batter. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl so that all the batter is evenly mixed.
4. In a separate bowl, add cocoa powder, bicarbonate soda and salt to the sifted flour. On slow speed, slowly add the flour mixture, then buttermilk in 3-4 intervals, alternate by starting with the flour and ending with the flour. Beat until the mixture is smooth.
5. Spoon the batter into each casing filling only about 60% or 2/3 full.
6. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes depending on individual oven. To check the doneness of the cake, the top will bounces back when lightly touched and the skewer will comes out clean when inserted into the centre.
7. Leave to cool completely on the wire rack before frosting.
8. For the frosting : in a mixer, beat half the amount of icing sugar and butter until well mixed.
9. Add in the cream cheese and beat well. Add the remaining icing sugar into the buttercream until you get the consistency you wanted. *Don't worry if you happen to use more that 300gm of icing sugar, as it varies on individuals.
10. When you get the correct consistency, you are ready to frost your cupcakes!

Happy Birthday to ME and Happy Cupcakes baking to you!!

Happy Teachers’ Day – Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

"Happy Teachers' Day" to all the teachers in the world........it's your day and we, as parents, could not find enough words to thank you for all that you have given and done to our children. Without you all, our children will not be what they are today. .....and for the children, I'm sure they would appreciate so much of what you as a teacher have given to them - the patience, the guidance, the knowledge and the teachings that have been showering upon them from Day 1 they enter the school till the day they graduate. 
My boys (all 3 of them) have been getting ready what to give to their teachers as a gift of 'Thank you" and selecting cards since a week ago. As their school is having a 'Happy Teachers' Day' party (on the 27^th) , all students are requested to bring a dish to contribute to the feast. This year, the twins (Daniel & Dylan) has requested me to bake 40 pieces of cupcakes and for Ian, he requested for his grandma to cook 'Curry Chicken' ^_^ . I have selected the 'Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes' and the frosting a 'Chocolate Buttercream' would goes really well with it........as I think Chocolate would be the favourite among many, hehe :P
I baked it on the 26^th and made the buttercream too on the same day. After cooling down all the cupcakes, I lightly frosted them with a simple 'star-tip' swirl and sprinkled some hundreds and thousands. I also made some gum paste lettering to be put on some of the cupcakes that read - "HAPPY TEACHERS' DAY". All packed and ready to be delivered to the school the next morning, I kept them in the fridge and hurry up to bed.....only to realize that I'm the only one in the kitchen, whereas all of them are in bed ....it's 12.40am.....*yawn*....good night everyone.....my mission accomplished!! I got the recipes from here (for the cupcake) and here (for the buttercream)...........Happy Cupcakes baking dudes ;)
p/s: By the way I doubled the recipe for the cupcakes and got about 42 cupcakes (standard size) and I also doubled the buttercream to frost all the 42 cupcakes. 

OLD-FASHIONED CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Ingredients (Made 14-16 cupcakes)
115gm unsalted butter, room temperature
100gm castor sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
95gm plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
60gm unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup milk
1 teaspoons vanilla essence  

Method 
1. Preheat oven to 190~C. ( I had mine at 180~C)
2. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Slowly add in the eggs, one at a time and beating it until well combined.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a small sized bowl and whisk to combine.
5. Measure out the milk and vanilla essence and stir to combine.
6. Add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine. Add about half of the milk/vanilla mixture and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.
7. Scoop the batter into cupcake cups filling about 2/3 full. Don't be tempted to fill more to get a dome, as this recipe tends to result in a flat surface cupcake. Bake cupcakes at 180~C for about 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. 


CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
(enough to lightly frost 24 cupcakes) 
Ingredients 
115gm butter
60gm cocoa powder
500gm icing/confectioner's sugar
¼ cup milk 

Method  
1. Beat the butter on high speed for about 30 seconds until soft.
2. Add the cocoa powder and a cup of sugar and beat until incorporated.
3. Add half of the milk and the remainder of sugar and beat until well incorporated.
4. Continue to add milk bit by bit until you get to the consistency you want. (I used up ¼ cup and the texture was just nice)

Learn2Bake May Challenge Part 1 – Cupcakes Well Dressed for Happy Mother’s Day

Oh yes, 'Happy Mother's Day" to you all and as Learn2Bake is celebrating Happy Mother's Day with all the members, we are having a challenge tied in to create cupcakes for this occasion. I haven't been making cupcakes lately ( I think the last cupcakes I made for this year was during CNY) and was a bit 'shaky' when piping the buttercream on the cupcakes……LOL, I hope I get them dressed up decent enough, well……..at least presentable to be posted in this blog and also to presented to a dear friend for Happy Mother's Day…..and of course for the Learn2Bake May album ^_^
There are 2 types of cupcakes flavor featured and also 2 types of buttercream to match the cupcakes…….Lemon Cupcakes & Chocolate Cupcakes and as for the frosting, we have Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream and Chocolate Buttercream. 
This year Mother's Day was a bit of a memorable and special one for me, as I have never baked and sent my cupcakes to anyone before…….this year, I made the Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream and sent them to a dear friend (AO) for Happy Mother's Day..........I have just known her through the L2B Club and I knew we have something in common and I guess we will be good friends in the future. I wish her and her family will have a very warm and Happy Mother's Day…..xoxo

This year's Happy Mother's Day was a bit busy for me, so I managed to only make one batch of the cupcakes and so the Chocolate ones I didn't get the time to do it. Here are the recipe for the Lemon Cupcakes and also the Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream recipe that I have selected.

LEMON CUPCAKES
(recipe adapted from Cupcakes Bakeshop by Chokylit)
 
Ingredients (Yields 12 regular size cupcakes)
115gm unsalted butter, room temperature
180 – 200gmcastor sugar (please adjust to your own preference)
3 large eggs
190gm all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup milk
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
zest of one lemon

Method
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Measure out the milk and vanilla.
5. Add flour mixture and milk alternatively, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
6. Mix in lemon juice.
7. Scoop the batter into the cupcake cups to 2/3 full. Tap the cupcake cups on the table to ensure the batter fills the bottom. Bake at 350~F / 180~C for 20 -25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (enough to lightly frost 12-14 cupcakes)

Ingredients
113gm unsalted butter, room temperature
170gm of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
190 – 250gm sifted icing sugar
½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ tsp grated lemon zest

Method
1. Beat butter at medium speed until creamy.
2. Add cream cheese and beat until combined.
3. Sift ½ cup of the icing sugar into the butter and cream cheese.
4. Add the lemon juice and zest. Beat until combined.
5. Add more sugar until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like. You might not need all the icing sugar required.
6. Scoop the icing into a disposable piping bag with your selection of tip and you are ready to frost.

Tip: Always let the cupcakes cool down to room temperature before frosting.

Happy Mother’s Day to All Mothers and Happy Cupcakes baking….xoxo

Sugar Doughnut Muffins

Don't these awesome muffins catch your attention? Well, it did caught mine.......I was browsing through one of the blogger's update and this 'cute mushroom-head like' muffins just got me looking at it for a while and of course made me promise myelf that I'm going to make it tonight.......yes! tonight, and not any other night. I just couldn't wait to bake it to see if mine will turned out like that too......a little dome or mushroom-head......it's just so cute. Then, the generous coating of the castor sugar just made it even glamorous, LOL ^_^

Hey, if you can't resist seeing this post, faster lah, grab your ingredients and start making it.......in fact, my kids liked it very much, they were giving me a description of "in between a doughnut and a muffin" kind of texture, not like a cake........but a Doughnut Muffin, haha J.........confusing leh........try it and you'll know what they meant. Happy doughnut muffins baking ^_^ 


Sugar Doughnut Muffins (recipe adapted from Baking Bites)


Ingredients (Makes 10 regular size muffins)
- ¾ cup castor sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg (I didn't have this, so did not put)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup milk (I use Full cream Milk)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the sugar frosting
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- ½ cup castor sugar, for coating the top 


Method 
1. Preheat oven to 175~C / 350~F. Lightly grease a muffin pan with cooking spray or vegetable oil.

2. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg until light in colour (A).

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg (B).

4. Pour the (B) into (A) and stir to combine.

5. Pour in vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract, one after another.

6. Divide batter evenly into 10 muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. 

7. Bake for 15 -20 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

8. While muffins are baking, melt butter and pour remaining sugar into a small bowl.

9. When muffins are done, use a pastry brush, lightly brush the top with the melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in sugar. Let cool on a wire rack.

Happy Baking....xoxo!

 

Chocolate Cupcakes

September 14, 2009 - Haha, sounds a bit funny right to hear that I have a birthday project in hand......I was a bit skeptical at first , but decided to give it a try. Angel was asking for a 'princess' birthday cake for her birthday since she saw this 'princess birthday cake' being sold at one of the cake corner at City Mall. Gosh, the cake is so expensive......it's a normal marble cake with a doll decoration, and is selling at RM98 - RM110. I was really not a cake person, so buying a cake with that amount of money, I would felt that it's not worth it at all...........I would rather use that RM110 to get her something that she likes.
So, that's when I decided to outbid that challenge., to make a birthday cake with doll on it..........hehe. So I submitted my leave approval to apply for a day off on the 14th Sept, a day before Angel's birthday. Having a listing of what I'm going to do, to buy and to prepare.....geez, this is going to be fun, I guessed :P
I went to do little shopping, bought the ingredients I need to make the 40 chocolate cupcakes, and also a butter cake and also some tidbits and snacks for the children party pack. So, the day came I was pretty excited myself. I sent Angel to school in the morning and didn't tell her a word about my project, but did leak a few words to my boys that I will be on-leave to day to get ready something for their little sister's birthday.
I started at 9am with the rolled fondant ( that I made 2 days ago). Firstly, I moulded the body, then the head, and the hands for the 'Hello Kitty' figurines (it doesn't look like HK to me though), and the tiny 40 pieces of each are done.

Next, I made the 'Chocolate Cupcakes'  where I got the recipe from the 'Cupcake Design' by Bake With Yen (KL) Sdn Bhd book that I bought from Bake With Me cake ingredients shop in Lintas Plaza. The cupcakes turned out really nice, and chocolaty too, and I presumed the kids will just love it. While waiting for the cupcakes to cool, I quickly get the batter for the 'Butter Cake' ready, and set it to bake. This will be for Angel's "Little Mermaid" birthday cake.
Here's the recipes for the Chocolate Cupcakes and the Butter Cake, it's really easy to make, even for a starter like me, hehe.

Chocolate Cupcake
Ingredients
(A)
240gm butter
350gm fine granulated sugar (I use only 150gm castor sugar)
150gm eggs
1 tsp vanilla esssence

(B)
170gm cake flour ) (I used self raising flour and omitted the baking powder)
75gm cocoa powder)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder) sift these 3 items together

(C)
150ml milk

Method

1. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. One at a time beat in the eggs, then beat in the vanilla essence.
3. Alternatively ass in the sifted flour mixture and the milk, starting and finishing with the flour mixture.
4. Scoop batter in the baking cups until 2/3 full.
5. Bake at 180~C for 20-25 minutes.

Butter Cake
Ingredients
180 - 200gm Self raising flour
80gm Castor sugar
250gm butter
5 large eggs

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180~C.
2. Sift the flour. In another bowl, beat the eggs to mix well.
3. Beat the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and slowly add in the egg. Beat until the mixture turned pale in colour.
4. Then slowly add in the flour and continue mixing until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
5. Pour into a cake tin and bake for 30-45 minutes until until the skewer comes out clean.