Cupcake Heaven E-Book

Susannah Blake

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

Cute, colorful, and endlessly diverse, cupcakes never fail to please. Susannah Blake brings together more than 50 simple recipes, as well as giving the lowdown on baking Equipment, Ingredients, Decorating and Embellishments and Serving Suggestions. Simple Cupcakes show how easy it is to rustle up a plateful of orange and poppyseed,or apple and cinnamon cupcakes. From weddings and christenings, to Christmas and Halloween, Celebrations Cupcakes have perfect ideas to cater for all events. For a dose of decadence, try an Indulgent Cupcake like lemon meringue or strawberry cheesecake. Cupcakes for Special Diets allow you to give in to your cupcake cravings even if you follow a dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free or low-fat diet. Involve the little ones by helping them bake their own Kids Cupcakes, easy enough for children to make with adult help. Susannah Blake has written a number of books, including Afternoon Tea, Cucpakes, Cupcake Heaven, Afternoon Tea Parties and Say It With a Cupcake for Ryland Peters & Small, and her work also appears in Livingetc, OK! and She magazines. A passionate traveller, explorer and diner, Susannah has been all over the world. She loves to draw on her experiences of different cuisines, bringing together the ingredients, flavours and techniques in her own relaxed and inspired approach to food.

Leseprobe

CUPCAKE heaven

Susannah Blake

photography by Martin Brigdale

CUPCAKE heaven

LONDON  NEW YORK

First published in the United Kingdom in 2008 by Ryland Peters & Small 20–21 Jockey’s Fields London WC1R 4BW www.rylandpeters.com

10  9  8

Text © Susannah Blake 2008

Design and photographs

© Ryland Peters & Small 2008

Some of the recipes in this book have been published previously by Ryland Peters & Small in Cupcakes.

The author’s moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

eISBN: 978-1-84975-317-3

ISBN: 978-1-84597-684-2

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

Printed and bound in China.

Designer Carl Hodson

Editor Céline Hughes

Production Manager Patricia Harrington

Art Director Leslie Harrington

Publishing Director Alison Starling

Food stylist Linda Tubby

Prop stylist Helen Trent

Indexer Hilary Bird

The publisher would like to thank the Cakes Cookies & Crafts Shop for their kind donation of cupcake cases. Visit their website at: www.cakescookiesandcraftsshop.co.uk

    For digital editions visit rylandpeters.com/apps.php

introduction  •  equipment  •  ingredients

decorating and embellishments  •  serving suggestions

SIMPLE CUPCAKES

CELEBRATION CUPCAKES

INDULGENT CUPCAKES

CUPCAKES FOR SPECIAL DIETS

KIDS’ CUPCAKES

suppliers and stockists  •  index

introduction

Who knows why cupcakes are so irresistible? Is it their individual size? Is it their delightful frostings and decorations? Is it their pretty paper cases? Or is it just that they’re so damn cute? A whole, wickedly indulgent cake in miniature – all to yourself! Whatever the answer, the truth is undeniable – no one is able to resist their oh-so-sweet charms!

Cupcake time

The fabulous thing about cupcakes is that they really do suit any occasion – whether it’s a sugary treat with mid-morning coffee, a little something after your lunchtime sandwich, an indulgence to go with a cup of afternoon tea, a post-dinner dessert, or a little midnight feast before bed. And whatever time you bring them out, you will always be greeted with smiles of pleasure. Everyone loves a cupcake – and every time of day seems to be a cupcake time of day.

Simple pleasures

Cupcakes are fun to bake because they’re just so easy. They require basic ingredients and equipment, and they take very little time to bake. The only thing that might take a little time is the decoration and even that is up to you. Some of the sweetest, prettiest cupcakes are the simplest after all. A spoonful of white glacé icing and a single raspberry or glacé cherry can look stunning – and can take no time at all. And although a sophisticated cupcake piled with a more complex frosting, chocolate curls and chopped nuts might take a little longer, the result is so spectacular that you’ll never mind putting in the extra effort.

Fun for adults, fun for kids

It’s not just adults who can enjoy making and eating cupcakes. Kids can have a great time with them too. For younger children, you might want to make the cakes and frostings, then let the kids run wild sticking on plenty of decorations. Meanwhile, for older children, making, baking and decorating the cakes under supervision will be a rewarding challenge – and a great activity for a rainy afternoon. Weighing, measuring, timing and basic kitchen safety are all great skills to learn. Cooking with your kids is also a great way to have proper family time and really bond with them. Start them off with simpler recipes such as Passion Fruit Butterfly Cakes (pages 40–41) and Creamy Coconut Cupcakes (pages 26–27), or recipes from the Kids’ Cupcakes chapter (pages 128–155).

equipment

The great thing about baking cupcakes is that the equipment required is basic. The techniques are generally simple and you’ll only need the bare kitchen essentials to be able to rustle up the most professional-looking sugary creations imaginable.

An oven

An essential for baking – but whether it’s gas or electric is unimportant. Some ovens have hotspots, and some cook quicker than others, but as you get to know your own oven, you’ll know whether you need to turn the cupcake tin partway through baking to ensure evenly browned and risen cakes, or whether you’ll need a minute or so less or more on the cooking time.

Measuring equipment

Quantities are all important when baking cakes and using the wrong proportions of ingredients can lead to disappointing results – or even failure. So make sure you have a set of accurate weighing scales, cups and spoons.

Sieves

A large sieve is invaluable for sifting dry ingredients such as flour and icing sugar before mixing, but a small sieve is also useful for dusting finished cakes with sugar.

Bowls and spoons

You only need the most basic equipment to beat together most cupcake mixtures. Although you can use an electric mixer if you prefer, as long as your butter is soft, it’s just as easy to use an old-fashioned bowl and wooden spoon.

Cupcake tins

The easiest way to make cupcakes is to bake them in cupcake tins, which usually have six or 12 cup-shaped holes. For the prettiest effect, line them with paper cases before filling with cake mixture. However, they can simply be greased if you prefer. As well as standard cupcake tins, you can also find mini-cupcake and giant muffin tins.

Paper cupcake cases

When it comes to baking cupcakes, this is where the real fun begins. There are so many different types of pretty cupcake cases to slip inside your cupcake tins. You can find them in supermarkets and kitchen shops (see page 157) and they come in a fabulous array of colours and sizes. You can find plain white, pale pastel or brightly coloured ones, or pretty floral patterns, brightly coloured stripes, fun jungle prints, footballs for boys, or lovehearts for Valentine’s Day. There are shiny metallic cases, too – gold, silver and plain colours, or stripes, spots and zigzags. There really is no end to the choice out there!

Timers

Like measuring equipment, timing is all important when it comes to baking so it’s worth investing in a kitchen timer. You can use a clock or a watch, but it’s all too easy to forget about the cakes in the oven and find you’ve over-baked them if you haven’t got a little bell to remind you to go and check on them.

Wire racks

Cupcakes should usually be transferred from the baking tin to a wire rack to cool.

ingredients

Although there are many variations on the classic cupcake, most cupcake mixtures are based on four basic ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Other ingredients such as chocolate, nuts, dried fruit and other flavourings such as vanilla and grated lemon zest may then be stirred through the mixture to add texture and flavour.

Butter

For the best results, it is usually best to use unsalted butter for cupcakes. For creamed mixtures, where the butter and sugar are beaten together, the butter should be left at room temperature until soft. For people with a dairy intolerance or allergy, they may prefer to use a non-dairy margarine in place of butter.

Sugar

The most common sugar for making cupcakes is caster sugar, but other sugars and sweeteners may also be used, all of which add their own unique taste and texture. Soft brown sugars, honey and syrups such as maple syrup will all add a distinctive flavour as well as sweetness to cakes. They will also affect the texture of the cakes. Honey and syrups are frequently heated before being used in cake mixtures such as the Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Icing on pages 38–39.

Eggs

Used to enrich cakes, but also to bind the ingredients together, eggs are best used at room temperature. The eggs used in all the recipes in this book were medium.

Flour

Most cupcakes use self-raising flour or plain flour with a little baking powder to help the cakes rise. However, other flours can also be used to make cupcakes – either on their own or combined with self-raising or plain flour. Cornmeal, rice flour and potato flour are all popular. Ground almonds are also frequently used in place of flour in cupcakes.

Additional ingredients

There are countless additional ingredients that you can fold into a basic cupcake mixture.

Fruit is always popular – whether dried or fresh. Small dried fruits such as sultanas can be folded straight into the mixture, while larger fruits such as apricots will need to be chopped first. The same is true of fresh fruits. Blueberries and redcurrants can be folded in whole, while apples and pears should be peeled and chopped, and bananas might be mashed.

Nuts and seeds are other popular ingredients and may be added whole or chopped, depending on size. They add both flavour and texture.

You will also frequently use melted chocolate, marshmallows, coconut (desiccated, flaked and creamed), stem ginger and grated carrots.

Flavourings

There are many, many flavourings that may be added to cupcakes – and come in several forms including essences, ground spices, citrus zests and flavoured sugars. Particularly popular flavourings include vanilla, coffee, chocolate (cocoa or melted), spices such as cinnamon and ginger, lemon zest, rosewater, and liqueurs and spirits.

decorating and embellishments

The way you choose to top your cupcakes really is where the fun begins – apart from eating them of course! And the decorations are so many and varied as to cause endless delight. Simple or sophisticated, plain or indulgent, there really is a choice to suit every taste. From the simplest dusting of icing sugar or drizzle of glacé icing, to swirls of rich buttercream, indulgent chocolate ganache, cool cream cheese frosting and all manner of goodies to sprinkle and scatter on top. The choices really are endless.

Keeping it simple

The simplest of all decorations is a light dusting of either icing sugar or cocoa powder. Cakes can also be decorated before baking with a sprinkling of flaked or chopped nuts, a little coarse sugar or perhaps a slice or two of fresh apple or a piece of dried fruit. Plain, undecorated cupcakes keep for 2–3 days in an airtight container, but cupcakes with icings, frostings or other embellishments should be eaten on the day.

Icings and frostings

Prettily coloured, sugary sweet icings and frostings that you can drizzle, spoon, swirl or pipe on top of cupcakes add a whole new dimension. Melted white or dark chocolate, or a glacé icing made from icing sugar and lemon juice are probably the simplest and are perfect for spooning or drizzling. Buttercreams, cream cheese frostings, chocolate ganaches, whipped cream and creamy custards are more indulgent and excellent for swirling and piping.

Sprinkles, candies and other decorations

Once you’ve frosted your cupcake, you can leave it plain, but it’s even more fun to add decorations. For simply decorated cakes, a whole nut, a glacé cherry or a brightly coloured sweet can look stunning stuck in the centre, right on top of a domed cupcake. But there are delightful coloured sugar sprinkles that you can scatter all over frosted cakes – from hundreds and thousands to tiny sugar shapes such as hearts, stars and flowers. Other decorations include sugar and rice paper flowers, gold and silver dragées, edible sparkles, firework sparklers that you can light at the table, party candles, cocktail decorations that are perfect for sticking into cakes, fresh berries and sugared rose petals. But look around. Supermarkets and kitchen shops are full of fabulous decorations and brightly coloured candies that are perfect for decorating cupcakes. Let your imagination run wild and don’t be afraid to experiment with the food colouring when tinting your frosting.

Fondant fancies

Fondant icing, which can be bought ready-made and ready-to-roll from the supermarket, is perfect for making sophisticated, professional-looking cakes. The icing can be coloured with food colouring, then kneaded to incorporate the colouring, rolled out, cut into rounds and draped over cupcakes to give a silky smooth finish. Decorations can then be added – or more icing can be moulded into shapes to make funny faces such as the Pink Piggy Cupcakes (pages 130–131).

serving suggestions

Cupcakes are so fabulously versatile. You can serve them with a cup of coffee or afternoon tea, bring them out for dessert after dinner, take them on a picnic, or offer them as a gift. There are just so many ways to serve cupcakes – and every way is always a hit.

A little sophistication

Whether you’ve invited friends round for morning coffee or afternoon tea, there’s nothing more likely to have your guests ‘ooing’ and ‘aaaaaahing’ than a plateful of freshly baked, beautifully frosted cupcakes. Delicious cookies, fabulous cakes and luscious pastries pale into insignificance in the face of cupcakes, so forget about those other sweet treats and go for cupcakes every time! Lavender Cupcakes (pages 24–25), Blueberry and Lemon Cupcakes (pages 30–31), Maple and Pecan Cupcakes (pages 32–33) or pretty Spring Flower Cupcakes (pages 52–53) – whichever you choose, you know you’ll be the hostess with the most!

Cute desserts

For dinner with friends, don’t bother with the traditional approach of a big stodgy pudding or a fussy dessert – why not just bring out a plateful of cupcakes with coffee instead? It’s so much easier for you as a hostess because you can prepare the cupcakes ahead. And your guests are guaranteed to be delighted when you bring out a mountain of adorable treats piled on one of the gorgeous cut-glass or pastel ceramic cake stands you can so easily find in shops now. You can even buy special cupcake stands for a truly extravagant display (see Suppliers and Stockists on page 157).

Cupcakes for kids

Children love cupcakes – making them, decorating them and eating them! So whether it’s a lunchbox treat, a sugary something after school with a glass of milk, or a fantastic party piece for the birthday tea table, there really isn’t a cupcake that children won’t love. For younger children, serve up plainer cakes such as the Number Cupcakes (pages 132–133) or Vanilla Buttercream Cupcakes (pages 140–141) and for older ones try more sophisticated recipes such as Bird’s Nest Cupcakes (pages 138–139), Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (pages 144–145) and Ice Cream Cupcakes (pages 148–149).

Cupcake gifts

Pretty cupcakes make wonderful gifts and are absolutely guaranteed to bring a smile to the face of the grateful recipient. Take them to a new mother to celebrate the birth of a child, or as a hostess gift when you’re going to friends or family for a meal or to visit. Give them as a Valentine’s gift or simply to say ‘I love you’. Drop a batch round to a friend who’s feeling blue, or to your mother just to let her know you care. Whatever the occasion, you’ll always find that it’s a cupcake occasion!

Pack them up in a single layer in a pretty box with clear plastic lids, or tuck them into a shallow basket, nestled into place with crumpled tissue paper. If you like, you can tie ribbons around each individual cake to add to the decorative effect.

SIMPLE CUPCAKES