is that a mojito?

i've been curious and eager to make cocktail cupcakes for some time but just never got around to it. what better way to celebrate my sweet friend anna's bday than with a refreshing mojito cake bite. i added a bit of malibu too since i didn't have enough rum but for the next round would omit it and add more mint since it tasted more lime-y than i expected. was happy with the result and more importantly so was the birthday girl!

courtesy of browneyedbaker.com...

the ingredients:
for the cake
½ c buttermilk (if you don't have add 1 tbsp lemon juice to milk)
½ c mint leaves, bruised  + a bit more
1½ c plain flour, 192g
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ c unsalted butter, 113 grams
1c sugar, 200 g
2 eggs
zest and juice of 1½ limes
2 tbsp white rum
¼ tsp vanilla extract

for the glaze
2 tbsp white rum
2 sprigs fresh mint

the temperature: 325F, 160C for about 25 minutes

the preparation:
combine the buttermilk and mint leaves in a small saucepan over medium heat. warm until just starting to steam (do not simmer), then remove from the heat and cover. Let steep for 15 to 30 minutes. once finished, strain the milk into a bowl using a fine mesh sieve. the milk may appear curdled or clumpy, but don't worry, it will come back together. press on any milk solids and mint leaves to extract all the liquid possible, stir and set aside.

meanwhile...
whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
in another bowl beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes) add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.  scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and rum. mix until combined and don't worry if it looks curdled it all comes together in the end!

add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand.

divide the batter into 12 cupcake cases (it made exactly 12) and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. poke holes in the cupcakes and pour the glaze on top while they cool.

glaze:
combine the rum and mint in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat until the rum is warm (not simmering)
remove from the heat and steep until cupcakes are out.

frosting
the ingredients:
1½ cups unsalted butter, 170g
4 cups sifted powdered sugar/ 500g icing sugar
1½ tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp white rum

the preparation:
whip the butter using an electric mixer for about 5 min until light and fluffy. works just as well by hand but might be a tad longer than 5 min! sift the icing sugar into the butter, scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated. give it another mix and then add the lime juice and rum and mix until incorporated and fluffy. if the frosting is too soft, add more sugar- if too thick add more lime juice.

birthday funday.

any American knows funfetti and birthdays go hand and hand (and Carvel ice cream cakes of course )i've been going on about this cake to the Brits who don't quite understand it, (probably like i don't get custard) but hey, it's pretty and fun and hits home with the kid in all of us.

as much as i like to bake a variety of treats, i realized i don't have a vanilla cake go-to. Martha has a plethora of recipes and for some reason went with this one because well, it was midnight and i had all ingredients on hand.

i thought it would be a lighter sponge due to the egg whites but it was pretty standard. my thoughts were a bit dry but others didn't think so. have a go and let me know!

courtesy of martha stewart.com...

the ingredents:

Unsalted butter, for pans

3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

3/4 cup cornstarch

6 large eggs, separated

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1/3 cup wax jimmie sprinkles (NB the ones available in UK stores will melt as they are not waxy and long enough. am still on t

the preparation:

preheat the oven to 180C/ 350 degrees F.

butter the pans and lightly flour. (you could also line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper, and butter again but i omitted this step and they still came out fine.) 

in a small bowl, sift together the flour and cornstarch; set aside.

in another bowl,  with or without a electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks, vanilla, and 3/4 cup sugar on high until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Transfer egg-yolk mixture to a large bowl. Wash and dry the mixer bowl and the whisk attachment.

combine the egg whites and salt in the mixer bowl, and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes. With the mixer running, slowly add the remaining 6 tablespoons sugar. continue beating until stiff and glossy, about 1 minute.

fold the egg-white mixture into the egg-yolk mixture. in three additions, fold the reserved flour mixture into the egg mixture. 

add 1/3 cup wax jimmie sprinkles.

fill the pans with the batter and bake until light golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

transfer the pans to wire racks to cool; turn out the cakes, remove the parchment paper, and wrap in plastic wrap until ready to use.

the presentation:

cut off the top of one of the cakes and spread a generious amount of icing (personal preference) place the second cake on top, cover with frosting and decorate with more sprinkles!



plates of goodness.

as much as i love meat i've realized that when it comes to cooking for myself it tends to be a bit more vegetarian. most lunches work around quinoa salads but i've hit a point where i'm bored of the same combo rotations.  having cut dairy and carbs out as much as possible has opened me up to lots of fresh, hearty and yummy recipes, not to mention fast and easy. i love the idea of 'cooking' vegetables in lemon juice and vinegar as in the red cabbage slaw below and also softening the zucchini by sitting it in salt. the quinoa patties with panko bread crumbs can be prepared once and cooked or reheated when needed.  best of all, there's no rules. make it as you like with what you like and enjoy! what's your go-to recipe?

clockwise from top left: red cabbage and cannellini bean slaw with citrus vinaigrette, quinoa&spinach patty with poached egg, zucchini (courgette) chickpea and kale salad with feta, miso chicken noodle soup

a year in sweets

holy moly it's already june. i think i'm finally starting to feel old because time.is.flyin. six months into the  new year and my resolution (why do i keep making them?) of kick starting this blog hasn't quite happened but hey, no time like the present right?! have got lots to post because while i may not have been sharing in my virtual kitchen space i've had a few sweet things going on.

watch.this.space.! 

from top left: oreo and reeses cupcakes, red white blue olympic cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes, chocolate peanut butter cupcakes, mini pumpkin pies, french apple tart.

the best day of all.

i'm not sure when thanksgiving became one of my favorite holidays but i look forward to it so much now. probs something to do with living across the pond, but i love how my britties have embraced the holiday and enjoy it as much as i do. i was so pleased with this years turn out that i couldn't wait until november! i went with a 'big kids table' theme, fixed with bunting and all (how british of me). as i still haven't collected a complete set of cookware by now and the fact that i only cook for 12 people once a year, i went with what i had.  turns out cupcake tins is the only thing you need- perfect for individual servings of stuffing, macaroni and cheese and pies when your home made pastry fails you.

mini birthday treats for mills: vanilla cupcakes

thanks to TW for sharing http://cupcakeblog.com/ with me a few years ago.  i had just started getting into exploring the small treats and this opened up a whole realm of possibilities!  all the cupcakes are filled with a complimenting (although u may never put them together) flavour that just go well and down right yummy.  my first creations were the strawberry ganache and lavender cupcakes and referred back to the site recently in prepping for a girly din.  although i only got as far as the vanilla cupcake this time around, i still gained a great recipe for a basic sponge (and it turned out well even though i did a sloppy job of splitting the yolk and white..hooray!).  as time was running low i topped them with a basic cream cheese frosting and sprinkles, but still made for a pretty and nostalgic birthday treat. 

the ingredients:
1/2 stick butter
3/4 cups sugar
1 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg whites


the preparation:
1.  soften butter in the mixer on high speed
2. drizzle the sugar in with the butter and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes
3. sift flour, baking powder, and salt together
4. measure out milk and vanilla
5. add the flour mixture and milk mixture to the butter/sugar in 3 parts alternating between flour and milk and beating well after each addition
6. set aside incorporated mixture
7. in a clean mixer bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form
8. fold egg whites into cake batter until incorporated
9. scoop batter into the prepared cupcake pans
10. bake in the 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean

bakers eat, two.

i love the summertime, and not just because of my long envying holiday... well maybe. for the latest barbie with the girls i tried out a few different summertime treats.  the polenta bruschetta was a good app variation (but needed more pesto flavoring).  polenta is really versatile and the easiest thing to prepare as it cooks so quickly and you can do what i did for the bruschetta base or add more broth and have it as a creamy-alternate-to-mash side with a spoonful of pesto through it, just be sure to take it off the heat otherwise it'll thicken up. if this happens just add more broth to get it smooth again.  i don't use as much butter, cream or cheese as stated and it's still just as good.

i also made a mango salsa (below) as well as a white bean dip.  making your own dips is a breeze with a hand blender, bean of choice (cannellini), olive oil, s&p, parsley and lemon juice.

happy summer!
courtesy of barefoot contessa...

polenta bruschetta 
the ingredients:

1 stick (113g) unsalted butter

1/4 olive oil

1 tsp minced garlic (3 cloves)

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp minced fresh rosemary leaves

½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

3c chicken stock, preferably homemade

2c half-and-half

2c milk

2c cornmeal, polenta

½ c good grated parmesan

flour, olive oil, and butter, for frying

the preparation:
heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan. add the garlic, red pepper flakes, rosemary, salt, and pepper and saute for 1 minute. add the chicken stock, half-and-half, (or just increase milk quantity) and milk and bring to a boil. remove from the heat and slowly sprinkle the cornmeal, polenta  into the hot milk while stirring constantly with a whisk. cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for a few minutes, until thickened and bubbly. off the heat, stir in the parmesan. pour into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch pan, smooth the top, and refrigerate until firm and cold. **you can keep it in the fridge for a few days

cut the chilled polenta into 12 squares, as you would with brownies, or use a cookie cutter of your choice. lift each one out with a spatula and cut diagonally into triangles. dust each triangle lightly in flour. heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large saute pan and cook the triangles in batches over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once, until browned on the outside and heated inside. add more butter and oil, as needed. serve immediately.



for the tomato topping:
combine diced vine-ripened tomatoes, minced garlic, chopped yellow onion and chiffonade basil (roll up basil leaves like a cigar and slice) in a bowl.  add extra virgin olive oil, a touch of pesto and balsamic vinegar until desired flavor. 

 

mango salsa: this is originall an accompaniment to seared tuna, which i realized after. i think it would have been better as a salsa for a bbq if it wasn't cooked, and my times were just less than she mentions.

the ingredients:

2 tbsp good olive oil, plus extra for searing

1 ½ cups diced yellow onion (2 onions)

2 tsp peeled, minced fresh ginger

1 ½ tsp minced garlic

2 ripe mangos, peeled, seeded, and small diced

1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tsp light brown sugar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1-2 tsp minced fresh jalapeno pepper, to taste (1 pepper)

2 tsp minced fresh mint leaves  

the preparation:
saute the olive oil, onions, and ginger in a large saute pan over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. add the mangos, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 more minutes. add the orange juice, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, and jalapeno; cook for 10 more minutes, until orange juice is reduced, stirring occasionally. remove from the heat and add the mint. serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.