BEST CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES EVER!

These really are the best chocolate cupcakes I have ever made and they are really very easy.  I made them for our baby shower recently and the feedback was so positive I thought I had better share the recipe!

This recipe is very similar to a cake recipe I was given almost 20 years ago and, at the time, I was told it was a ‘top secret’ recipe!  What makes it unique is the coffee and the oil.  I found this particular recipe (although I have slightly varied it) on a blog called “Add a Pinch”.  However, I used a different icing recipe.

This recipe makes 12 cupcakes. Try making them; I promise you will not be disappointed and nor will the people you share them with!  Also, don’t be concerned about the coffee, you can’t taste it at all once the cakes are cooked.

What you need

Cakes

1 cup plain flour

1 cup white sugar

½ cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup milk

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ cup black coffee (boiling – make it just before you need to add it). If you do not have an espresso coffee machine, just substitute the coffee with 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder and ½ cup of boiling water.

Vanilla buttercream icing

115 grams unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ cup icing sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

1 tablespoon milk

How to make them

The Cakes

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Place all dry ingredients in your mixing bowl and combine.  

Add milk, oil, egg and vanilla essence to the dry ingredients and stir roughly.  Add your hot coffee and roughly combine.  Mix on medium speed until all combined.

The mixture will seem very runny.  This is how it should be.

To pour the mixture into the cupcake cases, I tip the mixture into a jug because I find it is much easier to transfer to the cake cases.  Fill each cupcake case to about ¾ full.

Bake in oven for 20 – 25mins.  Test with a skewer before taking them out of the oven.  Depending on the size of the cupcake cases you use, you may find you need to give the cakes a bit more time for larger/taller cases For example, in the picture you will see I used taller pink cases and more shallow silver cases. The pink spot cases required an extra 5 minutes in the oven than the silver cases.

When cooked, set aside on a cooling rack until completely cool.

The Icing

To make the icing, place the butter in a bowl and mix until light and creamy.  Gradually add the icing sugar, vanilla essence and milk.  Mix until well combined.  If you need to, you may need a bit more icing sugar.  Just check that the icing is thick enough.

Place the icing in a piping bag with a large nozzle attached and pipe icing onto cakes.  If you don’t have a piping bag, just use a butter knife to spread the icing onto the cakes. 

Tip: You can buy disposable piping bags from the supermarket and they come with a selection of fittings. 

Enjoy!

LEMON AND COCONUT CAKE

I tasted this cake at a friend’s morning tea earlier in the year and I recently got my hands on the recipe. I am not sure where the recipe came from, but it is a delicious cake and I think it is a perfect option for summer!  It is easy to prepare and looks great.

What you need

CAKE

225g butter, softened

1 ¼ cups caster sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

2 cups self-raising flour, sifted

½ cup desiccated coconut

½ cup milk

2 tsp lemon juice

ICING

250g cream cheese

1 cup icing sugar

1 tsp coconut essence

125g coconut chips or shredded coconut (for dusting)

How to make it

Grease and line a 20cm cake tin.

Pre-heat oven to 175°.

Beat sugar and butter with electric mixer until pale and creamy.

Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition and stir in the lemon zest.

Add the flour and desiccated coconut and fold in along with the milk and lemon juice.

Spoon the cake mixture in the prepared cake tin.

Bake for 45 mins or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

 

Leave the cake to cool for 5 mins before turning out onto cooling rack

To make the icing, beat the cream cheese with the icing sugar until creamy and pale.  Then stir in the coconut essence.

To decorate the cake, spread the icing evenly over the cake and sprinkle with the shredded coconut or coconut chips – whatever you have/prefer.

Enjoy!

PEA, ZUCCHINI & ONION PASTA

This is a simple and delicious pasta recipe.  Just like traditional Italian pasta dishes, it is not complicated but has great flavour – especially if you use good quality ingredients.  It is perfect for a mid-week meal or even something you could serve to friends or family.  My husband made this recipe up so all credit to him for this one (and that is why there are no step-by-step pictures... sorry)!

Serves 2

What you need

250 grams of fresh fettuccine, or your pasta of choice

¾ cup peas (frozen is fine)

2 onions, chopped in half and then finely sliced into half-rings

1 zucchini sliced into ribbons

1 cup of vegetable stock

1 tablespoon basil pesto

½ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly ripped or chopped

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

1 knob of butter

1 clove garlic, crushed

Parmesan cheese, grated to serve

How to make it

Gently melt the butter and a good drizzle of olive oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic.  On a low heat, cook the onions until soft and cooked through.  This will take a little bit of time.  Don’t rush this part, as you don’t want the onions to burn, but to caramalise.  It might take up to 10 minutes.  Stir regularly.

Boil your pasta water with a good pinch of salt in it.  When the water boils, add your pasta.  If you are using fresh pasta, it won’t take long to cook so make sure you have the sauce ready for when the pasta is cooked.  You will need to combine the two immediately.

Add the zucchini and a tablespoon of pesto (or more if you like) and a good pinch of salt.  Stir gently for a couple of minutes.

Add about ¾ of a cup of vegetable stock or some water from the pasta pot to the sauce.  When the pasta is just about ready add the peas to the sauce.

Reduce or turn off the heat on your sauce.  

When the pasta is cooked, add it to the sauce mix.  I just transfer the pasta from the water straight into the pan.  Add your chopped parsley and stir to combine.

Serve with grated Parmesan, parsley and cracked black pepper.

Enjoy!