Chocolate or Lemon Velvet cup cakes

Recently I have become extremely passionate about baking sweets.  I have been enjoying trying various different recipes and adding my own twists. There have been some failures and some delicious triumphs.
This is my favourite cup cake recipe at the moment. They are based on the presently popular red velvet cup cake, but I have omitted the red food colouring and simply made two different flavours.
These cup cakes have a soft, fine texture that melt in your mouth. I have made them with two different icings. The butter cream icing is fantastic to use when you want a rich, indulgent taste and a sophisticated formal look. The cream cheese icing tastes delicious and is a more casual, fresh look.

Ingredients for chocolate cup cakes:

60 grams of unsalted butter, at room temperature
150 grams of white caster sugar
1 egg
10 grams of cocoa powder
20 ml of vanilla essence (yes the cheap stuff, this is replacing the red food colouring)
1/2 a teaspoon of  vanilla bean paste or natural vanilla extract
150 grams of plain flour + a pinch of salt, sifted
120 ml of butter milk ( 2 x 1/4 measuring cups)
1/2 a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees celcius.

Place 12 cup cake cases into a muffin tin tray.

Prepare and measure out all ingredients. In a small bowl combine cocoa powder, vanilla essence and  vanilla bean paste or natural vanilla extract. Mix together until it forms a smooth, thick paste and set aside.

Use an electric mixer to beat butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Turn mixer up to a high speed and add egg. Beat together until everything is well combined and smooth.

Add cocoa & vanilla mixture to bowl of electric mixer and beat thoroughly. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat again making sure everything is well incorporated. 

Turn mixer down to a slow speed and add half of the flour and then half of the butter milk (1/4 cup), when mixture is smooth add last half of the flour and last  half of the butter milk (1/4 cup). Scrape down sides and beat again until all ingredients are incorporated and smooth.

Turn mixer off and add bicarbonate of soda and vinegar to mixture. Beat at a medium speed for another minute until it is all mixed.

Use two dessert spoons to evenly divide mixture into each cup cake case.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Ingredients for lemon cup cakes:

60 grams of unsalted butter, at room temperature
150 grams of white caster sugar
1 egg
Grated zest of 1 lemon
10 grams of corn flour
20 ml of lemon juice
1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or natural vanilla extract
150 grams of plain flour + a pinch of salt, sifted
120 ml of butter milk ( 2 x 1/4 measuring cups)
1/2 a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar


Method:

Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees celcius.

Place 12 cup cake cases into a muffin tin tray.

Prepare and measure out all ingredients. In a small bowl combine corn flour, lemon juice and vanilla bean paste or natural vanilla extract. Mix together until it forms a smooth paste and set aside.

Use an electric mixer to beat butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Turn mixer up to a high speed and add egg. Beat together until everything is well combined and smooth.

Add  lemon zest and corn flour, lemon juice & vanilla mixture to bowl of electric mixer and beat thoroughly. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat again making sure everything is well incorporated.

Turn mixer down to a slow speed and add half of the flour and then half of the butter milk (1/4 cup), when mixture is smooth add last half of the flour and last half of the butter milk (1/4 cup). Scrape down sides and beat again until all ingredients are incorporated and smooth.

Turn mixer off and add bicarbonate of soda and vinegar to mixture. Beat at a medium speed for another minute until it is all mixed.

Use two dessert spoons to evenly divide mixture into each cup cake case.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.


Ingredients for Buttercream:

To create two different coloured icings use the amount below. ie. This amount will ice 6 large cup cakes. If you want to ice 12 cupcakes the same colour or not colour at all, simply double this amount.

125 grams of unsalted butter, room temperature
1½ cups (240 g) of pure icing sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons milk
Food colouring of choice (optional) - start with a few drops at a time and keep adding till you achieve your desired colour depth.

Method:

Using an electric mixer beat butter on a medium speed until butter looks whipped and becomes very pale. This can take about 10 minutes, including time to stop mixer and scrape down blade and bowl as you go. Turn mixer down to a slow speed and start gradually adding the icing sugar. When you have added half of the sugar add 1 tablespoon of milk, scrape down sides to make sure everything is becoming incorporated and repeat process until all the sugar and milk have been added to bowl. The mixture will change consistency and become a pale, smooth silky icing. Add colour of your choice and gently beat icing until the colour is even, being careful not to over beat at this point as it may split slightly.

Use a piping bag to get a beautiful rosette effect and use your imagination to decorate. Refrigerate for 20 -30 minutes to set icing.
Remove from fridge and let come back to room temperature. Cake & icing will last for a couple of days at room temperature.

Tip: Buttercream must be at a cool room temperature to be able to pipe properly. Too warm and it will not hold a shape, but it sets upon refrigeration and will not move through the piping end once too cold.
Once you have filled your piping bag, twist the end to create tension and remove as much air in the bag as you can. Keep this pressure as you push the buttercream through the end. Use two hands, one at the end of the bag holding it twisted, and the other on the body of the bag guiding your hand. Work very slowly following the edge of the casing and moving inwards, once in the middle push down and pull up.

Ingredients for cream cheese icing:

300 grams of pure icing sugar, sifted
50 grams of unsalted butter, room temperature
125 grams of cream cheese, cold


Method:

Using and electric mixer, beat butter and icing sugar together on a medium speed until it incorporates and forms crumbs.
Next add cream cheese and beat until it becomes light, fluffy and spreadable.
This amount will generously cover 12 large cup cakes.
I like to top the chocolate velvet cup cakes & cream cheese icing with half a fresh strawberry.
or
I like to sprinkle the lemon velvet cup cakes & cream cheese icing with finely chopped lemon zest.

Parmigiana

My Nonna had many delicious meals that she cooked for us. Recipe's brought over from her home town of Molfetta, Italy. Meals made with her own very special touch. She took her time, she cooked with perfection, attention to detail and lots of love. It seemed that she never made a mistake, nothing was ever over cooked or under cooked. Her seasoning was always spot on and there was always plenty for all of us.
I have great respect for all the meals my Nonna made for us, but there is one that is my favourite, Parmigiana.

 It was not one of the traditional family Sunday night dinners we had. It was  generally more something she made as the first meal when our family from Melbourne was visiting, or perhaps just as a weekday lunch for her & my Babbo. But I was always so excited when I walked to the front door and smelt that very distinct aroma. "Yes!" "Nonna's made Parmigiana."

If it was because my cousins had arrived from interstate for the school holidays it made life even sweeter. It meant a week of spending as much time as possible with all of my cousins whom I love very much. It meant many, many games of cards, sleep overs, pillow fights, walks to our secret spot near the river and many memories made . But, first it meant lunch and all of us squeezed into that warm dining room. Sitting around the table wherever we fitted and then, Parmigiana.

This is my re-creation of Nonna's Parmigiana. Taught to me by my mum & also by watching my Nonna make it at times. 

Ingredients:

Sauce
Olive oil
1 x brown onion, sliced thinly
4 x bottles of passata (Ideally I would use our home made bottled tomato sauce, which my Nonna & mum used. Unfortunately I have none available where I live now)
Salt to taste

Eggplants
2 x large eggplants or 3 x medium eggplants
salt for salting eggplant slices
plain flour
approximately 6 - 8 eggs (depends on size of eggs)
1/2 a bunch of continental parsley, leaves removed and chopped finely
finely grated Parmesan cheese, approximately 100 grams
3 grinds of pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
mixture of olive oil and vegetable oil for frying

500 grams of a good quality penne pasta

Methods:

To make tomato sauce, add enough olive oil to cover the base of a heavy based saucepan.
Heat oil to bubbling point without letting it burn.
Add onions to hot oil, and stir vigorously coating all of the onions with the hot oil.
Put lid on saucepan and remove saucepan from heat keeping lid on tight.
 Let onions sit in saucepan with no heat for a few minutes, using steam to cook the onions down. Return saucepan to heat, remove lid, give a good stir.
 Let heat build up again, return lid to saucepan and remove from heat keeping lid on tight for a few minutes letting steam cook onions down.
 Repeat this process until onions are clear and melted down.
 This can take up to 1/2 an hour, keeping a check on the onions each time you return pot to the heat and making sure you do not burn them.
This process is called sweating onions and is the way my Nonna would start any of her tomato sauces. Taking the time to do this properly gets the best results.
Once onions are melted down, add the passata. Add a little water to empty bottles of passata, put lids on and shake and pour into pot. Stir through, and bring to the boil. Season with salt to taste, turn heat down and simmer for 1 - 2 hours. Stir periodically to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepan.

While sauce is simmering, top, tail and peel each eggplant. Slice the eggplant into medium thick slices.

Place eggplant slices into a colander sitting in a large bowl and salt each slice. Place a plate on top of eggplant slices and weight it down, I use my mortar & pestle sitting on top of the plate. This takes any bitterness out of the eggplant and gives them a great texture. After about an hour you will see a good amount of dark liquid has drained into the bowl. At this point rinse the eggplant, pat dry with paper towel and dust each piece in flour.

Next, in a large bowl add eggs, parsley, salt & pepper. Use a fork to whisk eggs lightly and combine all the ingredients. Add enough Parmesan to create a batter that is thick enough to stick to the eggplant. This is where you need to adjust the amount of egg and cheese you use to achieve a batter consistancy.
Add a mixture of olive oil and vegetable oil to a large fry pan, about 2 cm's thick. Heat oil until bubbling, coat the floured eggplant in the batter and then fry each piece until lightly golden. Drain on paper towel.
If egg & parmesan batter becomes too thick as you are frying the eggplant, add another beaten egg or even a little milk to thin out mixture a little.

Bring a pot of water to the boil and add a teaspoon of salt and 500 grams of penne pasta.

Cook pasta until aldente and then drain the water. Pour pasta back into pot, add a little sauce and mix through to keep pasta from sticking together.

Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

To assemble Parmigiana, place a few ladle fulls of sauce into the bottom of a large baking dish. Then put a layer of battered eggplant and top that with some tomato sauce. Next put a layer of penne pasta, a layer of eggplant and some more sauce. Repeat process until all ingredients are used but make sure you finish on a layer of eggplant topped with a thick layer of sauce.

Place in oven and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until all the flavours are combined and cooked together but be careful not to burn the top.

Serves a large family, or a small family with left overs.

Lemon Biscotti

There is something so satisfyingly homely about having your own home made biscuits in the pantry. These beautifully sweet & lemony biscotti melt in the mouth and are perfect for afternoon tea with girlfriends or as a surprise when unexpected guests  pop over.  

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of milk
2/3 of a cup of caster sugar
3 cups of self raising flour
120 grams of un-salted butter, cubed
the rind of one whole lemon, grated
1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup of pure icing sugar
4 tablespoons of lemon juice

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

Combine milk and sugar in a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Sift flour into a large bowl. Add cubed butter and rub ingredients together with your fingers until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Add lemon rind and stir through. Next add milk mixture, vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, and egg.

Stir ingredients through with a wooden spoon, then when starting to combine use your hands to start forming a dough. When mixture is a dough consistency, forming a ball and coming away from the sides of the bowl, turn out onto a lightly floured surface.

Kneed dough for a few minutes until it is smooth and shiny.

Use a tablespoon measuring spoon to measure equal sized portions of the dough and roll into balls.

Next roll into long logs using your palms and press ends together to create circles.

Place circles onto baking trays lined with baking paper leaving a few centimetres apart from each other.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until firm and light golden brown.

While biscotti are baking, sift icing sugar into a bowl, add 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and mix together well.

When biscotti are cooked and still slightly warm, dip each into the lemon icing and place on a flat surface to dry.

Makes approximately 32 biscotti.

Cinnamon & Apple Muffins

Another summer has past, and we are on the cusp of the winter months. Picnics in the sun have become tea & cake indoors. Fresh berries are not quite as sweet and very much for the elite. The thought of  staying in the warmth of our homes and baking brings us great joy. So what flavours does this conjure up and send our mouths salivating for? Red apples and cinnamon of course!

Ingredients for muffins

4 eggs, at room temperature
250 grams of brown sugar
360 grams of flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of bicarb
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
3/4 of a cup of vegetable oil
300 gram tub of sour cream
2 Pink Lady apples grated, approx 250 - 270 grams once grated

Ingredients for cinnamon cream icing

250 grams of spreadable cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 a cup of pure icing sugar
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon


Method

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

Place 15 large patty pans into muffin trays.

Place sugar and eggs into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat using a whisk attachment on high speed until mixture thickens and turns a lighter golden colour.

In a separate bowl sift flour, bicarb, baking powder, salt and cinnamon through a fine sieve.

Turn electric mixer to it's lowest speed and slowly add sifted dry ingredients to bowl alternately with the oil until just incorporated.

Next add sour cream to mixture and gently mix until all ingredients are combined.

Add grated apple and gently fold through by hand using a wooden spoon.

Using two dessert spoons, fill each large patty pan to the top and place in oven.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until firm and skewer inserted comes out clean. In my oven it takes the full 25 minutes and I pull them out half way and turn the trays around to ensure even cooking.

When baked, remove the muffins from the tins as soon as they are not too hot to handle, this ensures that the patty pans do not get too soggy. Let cool completely.

Add the cream cheese to the bowl of an electric mixer. Using a beater attachment, beat the cream cheese until softened. Sift icing sugar and cinnamon through a fine sieve, removing all the lumps from the icing sugar. Add dry ingredients to cream cheese and beat well until all ingredients are incorporated and mixture is smooth and spreadable.

Spread evenly and liberally onto each cooled muffin.

Makes 15.

Baked cheesecake with strawberries & cream

Before my husband and I were married and we were still "going out", I asked him what his favourite dessert was. After he thought about this question for some time, his reply was
 "cheesecake, but you know like New York cheesecake."
 So as I was now completely head over heals in love, I frantically started reading about and researching what a "New York" cheesecake was.

What I learned was that he was referring to a baked cheesecake and not a gelatin set cheesecake. Also, although the New Yorkers have many and varied flavours of cheesecake now, the original was a classic lemon or vanilla cheesecake with a biscuit base.

The story goes on: We had a trip planned, a very special trip. He was to come to Adelaide for the first time to meet my parents as my boyfriend. I was travelling their first and he was to follow in a couple of days. To show him how much he meant to me, I secretly spent two days preparing the first cheesecake I had ever made. First I made the biscuit base, taking a lot of time to get it perfectly even. I then made the cake mixture and baked it carefully.
 The morning before my flight I got up VERY early, whipped my vanilla cream and decorated it with strawberries. My idea was that strawberries looked romantic, like little red love hearts.
I drove to my boyfriends house and let myself in. While he and his flatmate were still sleeping, I placed the cheesecake in their  kitchen with a note saying that it was for John and that I was going to miss him.

Needless to say we were married some time later and my cheesecake has ever since been the most requested by my love. There have been a few improvements to the original recipe and some learned methods along the way. But, I always finish it with a thin layer of vanilla cream and those luscious romantic strawberries on top just as I did that morning.

 I always make this cake with my darling John in mind, it is made with so much love it oozes with it. 

Ingredients:

250 grams of 'Nice' biscuits
125 grams of un-salted butter, melted
375 grams of cream cheese, cut into cubes and brought to room temperature
3/4 of a cup of caster sugar + 1 tablespoon of caster sugar
1 tablespoon of plain flour
pinch of salt
1 whole egg  + 2 eggs separated, at room temperature
300 grams of sour cream
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
200 ml of whipping cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of pure icing sugar
Strawberries, rinsed and dried

Method:

Process biscuits in a food processor until they resemble fine bread crumbs. Add melted butter to food processor and combine well.

Pour moist biscuit mixture into a 22 cm round spring form cake tin. Use your fingers to move around and press mixture around the tin to create a base and sides. Next, use the base of a straight edged glass to get base and sides as even as you can.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees celsius or moderately slow.

Place cream cheese cubes into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat till smooth. Add 3/4 of a cup of caster sugar, flour and salt. Beat gently till combined.
Next add one whole egg plus two egg yolks, sour cream and lemon juice. Beat till combined and mixture is smooth.
Transfer cream cheese mixture to a separate bowl. Clean mixer bowl and dry well.

Using a balloon whisk on the electric mixer, beat two egg whites and one tablespoon of caster sugar together until stiff white peaks form.

Gently fold stiffened egg whites into cream cheese mixture, making sure to combine well.

Pour mixture into crumb base and gently bang the tin to help release some of the air bubbles. * 
Bake for one hour, or until cake is firm.

Turn oven off and leave cake to cool with oven door ajar. When cake is completely cool, place in fridge to chill and set in the cake tin for at least 2 hours, over night is even better.

Remove cake from tin and place on a serving plate.

Using a balloon whisk on an electric mixer, whisk cream, icing sugar and vanilla until cream is thickened and stiff, being carefully not to split it.

Spread a layer of vanilla cream on top of cheese cake and decorate with strawberries.

*Note: This cheesecake may crack on top as using this method does create air bubbles in the mixture. But you also get a very light, fluffy result as well, and using the layer of cream will hide any cracks that form due to this.

Armenian Nutmeg Cake

I spent a lot of time when I was a child sitting on a tall step stool in my mums kitchen. I would sit and watch my mum as she prepared so many tasty creations for our little family or our extended family and friends. She made, and taught me, many of the traditional recipe's that her mum taught her. But she also tried new things with great success.
This is one of those recipe's, it is called Armenian Nutmeg cake. It became an on going favourite of ours and in particular a favourite of my Dads, who absolutely loved it when mum would make this.

She would make it when we had people over for dinner, or for other events we went to. But my favourite memory of this cake, is sneaking a piece from the back of the car as we drove to our yearly family holiday at Second Valley beach.
Preparing for our family camping trip always involved our home being filled with the most incredible aromas of my mums baking. I think the memory of that sort of love is the best gift a mother could ever pass on to her child and I am so grateful that my mum gave that to me. 

Whenever I am in need of going back to that beautiful time in my life, all I have to do is bake this sweet, spicy delight. You'll love it.

Ingredients:

1 cup of plain flour
1 cup of self raising flour
125 grams of un-salted butter, cold and cut into cubes
2 cups of brown sugar, lightly spooned into cup (do not pack down)
3 teaspoons of ground nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of bicarb soda
1 1/2 cups of walnuts, roughly chopped

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

Grease a 27cm x 31cm shallow baking dish with un-salted butter

Sift flours into a bowl and using your fingers rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add brown sugar and mix together.
Place half of this mixture into the greased baking tin, spread evenly and press down firmly to create a base.

 Dissolve the bi-carb soda in the milk.

Next, add the nutmeg to the remaining crumb mixture and mix well. Make a well in the centre and add the egg and the milk mixture, mix well.

Pour over the base and sprinkle walnuts on top evenly.

Bake for 30 minutes or until cake is firm and brown. Cool in the tray and then remove and cut into slices.

Makes approximately 20 slices.

Pasta alla Vasiliki

I have a book that I have been writing recipe's  in since I was  14 years old. The writing starts out that of a child and as you turn the pages you see it slowly mature and get more detailed.
The acquisition of a computer meant that the entries stopped about 10 years ago, but I still have the old book out on my kitchen bench regularly. Referring to it for some of my old favourites.
 Around half way through the well used and sometimes splattered pages is an entry from around the 18 year old stage. The hand written title is simply 'Pasta alla Vasiliki'.
Vasiliki is my very close friend and a kindred spirit whom I have literally grown up with for the past 20 years. Amongst a lot of other things, we share a passion for cooking for people we love. Even when we were crazy, confused teenagers, a favourite pass time of ours was experimenting with cooking.
This was a meal that Vas prepared for me one afternoon at her place. She showed me how she made it and I went home and wrote it down in my recipe book. I titled it 'Pasta alla Vasiliki' and that is what it must remain to be called.
 Like all great recipe's it has evolved over the years according to my tastes and desires and I've even changed the method slightly. But every time I make it I always get my old  hand written recipe out. When I open up to that page in my book it brings a smile to my face. I hear the laughter of two girls on the verge of adult life with so much greatness and many adventures ahead of them.
 I am so proud to say that we are still the closest of friends. I love that we have a shared passion for many things, but especially cooking. Thank you my dear friend.


Ingredients:

olive oil
1 brown onion, chopped
6 rashes of short cut bacon, trimmed of fat or rind and sliced
3 medium cloves of garlic, crushed
2 chicken breast fillets (approximately 600 grams), trimmed of any fat and cut into cubes
2 cups of dry white wine
2 medium bunches of broccoli (approximately 300 grams), cut into florets
300 ml of cooking cream
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese
500 grams of penne pasta

Method

Add enough olive to just cover the bottom of a heavy based saucepan. Heat oil slightly and add the onions and bacon to the oil. Fry, stirring continuously over a low to medium heat until onions are soft and clear and bacon is slightly crunchy.

Next add the garlic and mix all the ingredients for about 30 seconds making sure not to burn the garlic. Add the chicken and stir through getting the cubed chicken browned and opaque on all sides.

When chicken is cooked through, add a little salt and pepper to start the seasoning and pour in the white wine. Next add the broccoli stir through all the ingredients to make sure it is mixed, place lid on saucepan and turn up heat to bring wine to the boil.

Once the wine has come to the boil, turn down to a simmer. Let the wine simmer for around 10 - 15 minutes by which time the broccoli should be starting to soften.

Turn heat down to low and mix through the cream. It is very important to add the cream to a low heat as if it is too high it could split. Bring the cream to a very gentle simmer, taste for salt and add it if needed. Place the lid slightly ajar and simmer sauce for 20 - 30 minutes or until sauce has thickened.

While sauce is simmering bring a pot of water to the boil, then add a teaspoon of salt and the penne pasta. Cook until aldente or according to packet instructions.

When pasta is cooked, drain and return pasta to pot. Add a little cream sauce to pasta to avoid it from sticking. When sauce is ready, pour whole ammount of sauce into pot with cooked pasta, stir through. Add parmesan cheese and stir through gently. Serve in large bowls with extra freshly ground pepper on top if it is to your taste.

Serves 4 - 6