Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes - 2 Ways!

I found this chocolate cupcake recipe while looking at Salted Caramel Cupcakes. They are so delicious and moist! I made a batch of 24 (doubled the recipe below) and iced half of them with a Salted Caramel Icing and the other half with a Peppermint icing - DELISH!

Chocolate Cupcakes:

1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder

1 Cup Boiling water

1 1/3 Cup All Purpose Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 teaspoon Salt

125g Butter

2 Large Eggs

2 tsp Vanilla Essence

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and line muffin tins. OR as I did - cook in a cupcake baker! I love mine and they cook the cupcakes perfectly!!

In a small bowl, stir together cocoa powder and boiling water until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and mix until all incorporated. Stir in the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Add cooled cocoa mixture and mix until incorporated.

Spoon into muffin cases and bake for around 18-20 minutes.

Caramel Buttercream:

225g Butter

2tsp Vanilla Essence

1tsp Salt

1/3 Caramel sauce

3 cups Icing Sugar.

Beat the butter until smooth then add the vanilla, salt and caramel. Beat until combined. Add icing sugar until desired texture is formed. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes and then drizzle with some extra caramel sauce.

Peppermint Icing:

25g Butter

Cold Water

Peppermint Essence

Icing Sugar

Yellow & Blue Food Colouring

Melt the butter completely and add to it the peppermint essence and icing sugar. Still until the butter has been mixed in then add the water until the desired consistency is achieved. I don't use a set amount of icing sugar it just depends how much I am making which is why I add the water last. Add the food colouring to make it a Pepperminty green :)

Buffalo Chicken Dip - My hubbys fave!

This meal is going to make the man in your life melt! The first time I made this for my hubby he had nooo idea what I was cooking but was AMAZED when he tasted this!! Now, he's always asking for it!

Perfect for an evening of sport with a beer or on a Sunday night with a fresh salad when you both just feel like sitting on the couch and picking at something yum!!

You need:
1 pottle of Cream Cheese
400g Shredded Chicken
HP Sauce
Tomato Sauce
Sweet Chilli Sauce
BBQ Sauce
Grated Edam Cheese
Ranch Dressing

About an hour before you want to cook this, put all the shredded chicken in a bowl and coat with the sauces (not the ranch yet!!)! I use the HP sauce the most!! Make it nice and saucy :-)

Use an oven proof baking dish and spread the pottle of cream cheese on the bottom. Add the saucy chicken on top then sprinkle with grated cheese and a bit of ranch dressing.

Bake at 175 degrees for about 25-30mins

Serve with corn chips and a salad! YUMMMM!!

Custard Fruit Tarts!

These were just some little treats I whipped up for my husband!

All I used was store bought short crust pastry, rolled it out and cut it into circles then blind baked it in muffin tins for about 15-20mins.

Let cool in the tin, remove & fill with vanilla custard and top with fresh or tinned fruit. I've also put some marshmellow frosting on a few but freshly whipped cream would be delish!!

Staying Fit & Healthy!

Although I am not the fittest or the healthiest person around I still like to make sure I am active and work out 2 - 3 times a week. One way I make sure of this is I am a Zumba Instructor! It's heaps of fun AND I am lucky enough to take the classes with a very good friend of mine at the Latin Dance Studio her and her husband own - CHECK IT OUT www.salsamoves.co.nz. 
Zumba is a fun way to keep active and get into shape - I LOVE IT! :)

Apple Crumble & Cinnamon Cupcakes with a Marshmellow Frosting and Dulce deLeche Caramel

These cupcakes I put together/designed myself! I had a craving for a Apple & Cinnamon recipe but really wanted to try this Marshmellow Frosting I had came across so I decided why not make a dessert cupcake?!
This creation is a basic Apple & Cinnamon Cupcake recipe topped with a rolled oats crumble then once almost cooled I topped them with a Vanilla Marshmellow Frosting and Dulce deLeche Caramel - DELISH!

CUPCAKES:

2 Cups Plain Flour
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
3/4 Cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
2 Medium Apples (the original recipe said Granny Smith but I just used Braeburns)
125g Butter
2 Eggs
3/4 Cup Milk

Preheat oven to 180°C. Prepare your ingredients. 

Sift the plain flour, baking powder and cinnamon together into a large bowl. The baking powder acts as a raising agent and will help give the muffins a light texture. Stir in the brown sugar and apples until well combined.
Whisk together the butter or margarine, eggs and milk until well combined. Blending the wet ingredients before adding them to the flour mixture makes it easier to evenly combine the two.

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a large metal spoon until just combined. It is important that the ingredients are only just combined. If the mixture is over-mixed, the cooked muffins will have a tough texture.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin pans and sprinkle with the Crumble Topping (recipe below)

Bake the muffins in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. To test if they are cooked, insert a skewer into the centre of one - if it comes out clean, it is ready If not, cook for a little longer before testing again. When cooked, remove from oven and stand for 2-3 minutes before turning onto a wire rack. Letting them stand makes them easier to remove from the pans. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 day.


CRUMBLE TOPPING

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon of cinnamon, mixed spice, or flavour required
3/4 cup brown or white sugar
75 g cold butter (cubed)

Mix the top 4 ingredients in a bowl then add the butter and rub in until it is a crumb like mix. You can also do this in a processor but I find doing it with your hands works just as well and doesn't take long at all!


MARSHMELLOW FROSTING

1 Cup White Sugar
1/3 Cup Water
1/4 tsp Cream of Tatar
2 Egg Whites
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

In a medium mixing bowl, whip the egg whites and vanilla to soft peaks - put aside.
In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, water and cream of tartar. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbly.
Gradually add the sugar mixture while whipping constantly until stiff peaks form, about 7 to 10 minutes. 


Pipe the Frosting onto the cupcakes once almost cooled and then top with the caramel sauce of your choice!
I use the Dulce de Leche from this website http://www.dulceas.co.nz/dulce-de-leche/dulce-de-leche-milk-caramel-3.html - it's just sooo yummy!!!