Toffee-Apple Cupcakes

Toffee-Apple Cupcakes

Toffee-Apple Cupcakes Recipe

Ingredients

• 60 g butter, softened
• 1 cup (150 g) self-raising flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup (110 g) caster sugar
• 1/4 (60 ml) maple-flavoured syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (85 g) coarsely grated apple

Maple Frosting:

• 90g butter, softened
• 1 cup (160 g) icing sugar
• 2 tsp maple flavoured syrup

Toffee:

• 1 cup (220 g) caster sugar
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) water
• 12 pink marshmallows for decorations

Method

1. Preheat oven to moderate (180C).
2. Beat butter, flour, cinnamon, sugar syrup and eggs in small bowl with electric mixer on low speed until ingredients are combined. Increase speed to medium, beat until mixture is changed to a paler colour.
3. Stir in nuts (if using) and grated apple. Divide mixture among cases; smooth surface.
4. Bake cakes about 25 minutes.
5. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.
6. To Make Maple Frosting: Beat butter, sifted icing sugar and syrup in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
7. To Make Toffee: Combine sugar with the water in small heavy-based saucepan. Stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves; bring to the boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered, without stirring, until mixture is golden brown. Remove from heat; stand until bubbles subside. Drizzle toffee from wooden spoon onto a rolling pin, covered with baking paper. Allow toffee to set at room temperature. Slide baking paper off rolling pin to remove toffee shapes. Immediately position on cake.
8. Spread cakes with frosting; top with marshmallows, decorate with toffee arches.

Sicilian Orange Cake

I love baking cakes with fruits. I have posted my favourite recipes for Blueberry-Lemon Cake and Apple-Cinnamon Cake. Now on to this Sicilian Orange Cake which is the best orange cake I have tasted so far. This verdict is further confirmed by all my friends who have tasted it.

This Sicilian Orange Cake is the famous orange cake from the once popular Café Agostini owned by Margie Agostini, in the heart of Sydney ’s suburb for the rich and famous, Woollahra. Customers have often been heard to say that “Margie’s orange cake is to die for”.

I found this recipe on Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape Cookbook a while ago but was surprised to find out how this recipe was linked to Australia:

Rick Stein: "To be accurate, I suppose this cake should be known as Margie Agostini's orange cake. It was her signature dish at her greatly missed Caffe Agostini in Woollahra in Sydney. It seemed to me to be just made for Sicilian oranges. The recipe came from an article in the Times by Jill Dupleix, although I had eaten the cake at the cafe a few years earlier and I thought it was amazing. As Jill says, it has to be the richest, moistest, butteriest and yet lightest orange cake in the world."

Sicilian Orange Cake Recipe

Makes 1 x 22-cm cake, to serve about 8. (Adapted from Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape)

Ingredients

• 250 g lightly salted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
• 250 g caster sugar
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 250 g self raising flour
• 85 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
• For the icing:
• 125 g icing sugar
• 5 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease and line a 22-cm clip-sided round cake with non-stick baking paper.
2. Using an electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together for 4-5 minutes until very pale. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating very well between each one, if necessary adding a spoonful of flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture from curdling. Beat in the orange zest. Add the flour all at once and mix in well, then slowly mix in the orange juice.
3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer, inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean. If it starts to brown too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of lightly buttered foil.
4. Leave the cake, in its tin, to cool on a wire rack, then carefully remove the sides and base of the tin and peel off the paper. Put it onto a serving plate.
5. For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the orange juice until you have a spreadable consistency. Spread it over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides, and leave to set. Serve cut into slices, and store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Tip: Why not turn this Sicilian Orange Cake into these cute little Orange Cupcakes for the little people?

Magnolia Cupcakes with Ferrero Rocher Chocolates

Sex and The City fan? Yes? Then you will love these cupcakes. No? You will still love these cupcakes.

I use the Traditional Vanilla Birthday Cake and Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake recipes from The Magnolia Bakery Cook Book to make these lovely cupcakes and top them with Ferrero Rochers and Ferrero Gardens.

Magnolia Cupcakes with Ferrero Rocher Chocolates Recipe

(Adapted from The Magnolia Bakery Cook Book)

• Makes 48 cupcakes (24 Vanilla Cupcakes and 24 Chocolate Cupcakes)
• Makes 24 Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and Ferrero Rochers

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 24 x Ferrero Rochers
• Silver cachous

Vanilla Buttercream:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, very soft
• 8 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
3. To make the vanilla cupcakes: In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flours and add in four parts, alternating with the milk and the vanilla extract, beating well after each addition. Spoon the batter into the cups about three-quarters full. Bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 20-22 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans and cool completely on a rack before icing. Top each cupcake with a Ferrero Rocher chocolate ball and sprinkle some silver cachous around it.
4. To make the vanilla buttercream frosting: Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and the vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency (you may very well not need all of the sugar).

Makes 24 Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting and Ferrero Gardens

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted (To melt chocolate, place in a double boiler over simmering water on low heat for approximately 5-10 minutes. Stir occasionally until completely smooth and no pieces of chocolate remain. Remove from heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 24 x Ferrero Gardens

Chocolate buttercream frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, very soft
• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp milk
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled to lukewarm
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.
3. To make the chocolate buttermilk cupcakes: In a large bowl, cream the butter and the sugars until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate, mixing until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk and the vanilla extract, beating after each addition until smooth. Spoon the batter into the cups about three-quarters full. Bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 20-22 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans and cool on rack.
4. when cupcakes have cooled, ice them with chocolate buttercream frosting. Zig-zag the vanilla buttercream frosting over the cupcakes, then finish with placing a Ferrero Garden chocolate balls on each cupcake.
5. To make chocolate buttercream frosting: In a medium-size bowl, beat the butter until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the milk carefully and beat until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and beat well. Add the vanilla extract and beat for 3 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat until creamy and of desired consistency.