Strawberry upside down cupcakes

Hey, I'm getting the hang of this photo business!

Since the last entry, I have cooked very little. So little in fact that I haven't neglected my kitchen like this since my freshman year (ahh, academic freedom, I miss you so).

On the upside (pun not intended), I got myself a little toaster oven recently to indulge in a little baking in my free time. Other than making crispy toast, I was pleasantly surprised that it can bake just as well as my old oven. To try the feature out, I referenced 500 cupcakes by Fergal Connelly, tweaking the Pineapple Upside Cupcake using milk to make a spongier cake.
For the topping

4 fresh strawberries, minced

superfine sugar

honey

For the cupcake

1 egg

1/ 4 cup of sweet butter, softened

1 /4 cup self rising flour

scant 1 / 4 cup milk

1/ 4 cup superfine sugar

generous 1/ 4 tsp of vanilla extract

Start by spraying the cupcake tray with cooking spray and preheating the oven at 350 F.

Cover the bottom of the mould with the minced strawberries (1 per cup should be enough). Drizzle a tablespoon of honey and sugar and combine lightly.

Mix the egg, flour, milk, vanilla and the rest of the cupcake ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until a creamy, but slightly stiff texture is made. Spoon the batter onto the strawberry bottom.

Bake for 22 minutes, being careful not to over-bake. Makes 4 big cupcakes.

If you'd like more cupcakes (I use a very small mould that's just enough for two people), just multiply the ingredients to your liking.

Quiche cupcakes with Red Pepper and Tomato

Don't let that burnt one fool, it was crazy good!

Feels good to blog again; heck, feels good to really cook! Recently I had been rather moody and down on myself, so my boyfriend took me out to the mall to cheer me up. Though I didn't buy anything there, I did pick up some groceries for the upcoming week.

It's funny because I only came to the supermarket to pick up bread and cola and came out with a miniature shopping trip. After that, I set out on a 4 hour cooking marathon making various dishes for the sake of variety. I'll post each recipe as I post each bento box.
1 can of crescents pastry (8 ounces)


Filling
1 whole red pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup of milk
1 egg
3 1/5 oz of mozzarella, diced
Topping
1 tomato
Salt and pepper to taste
Italian seasoning
Olive oil
Shredded cheese (my personal favorite is the Italian blend)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray a cupcake tray with cooking spray.

Cut the pastry into 7 equal sliced and spread into the tray to make cups.

To make the filling, combine the milk, egg, mozzarella and pepper into microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 3:30 to 4 minutes. Blend with a spoon until creamy.

While the cream cooks, cut the tomato into eight slices and drizzle some olive oil. Season to taste.

Pour into the cream into the pastry cups. Top with the seasoned tomato slices and a scant one teaspoon of cheese on top. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serves 7.

Black Tea Cupcakes

Another one of my experiments in the cupcake area, it came to me while thinking of a way to use different flavors in my baking. Ever since a friend of mine introduced me to black tea, I've been drinking it as a substitute to cola and I thought I could use it as a cupcake flavor, since Cupcake Creations has a nice Chai tea recipe.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp + 1 tsp of black tea mixture

1 egg

1/3 cup of sugar, plus extra for topping

1/3 cup of butter, softened

1/3 cups of Self-rising flour, sifted

1/12 cup of milk (about one-third of 1/4 cup)

1 tsp of cinnamon sugar, plus extra for topping

1 tsp of vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 320° F. Line the cupcake tray with non-stick spray. Boil 1/4 cup of water and add the tea mixture

In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg, add the butter and sugar, then mix until light and fluffy. Add the milk, flour and tea. Whisk until the consistency is light and creamy.

Divide the mixture evenly between each hole (about 3/4 of the way up, to leave space for their expansion). Bake for 15-18 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.

Allow the cupcakes to cool down and rest until they're cool enough to eat. Sprinkle the extra cinnamon and sugar to top and enjoy!


Makes 4.

Chocolate cupcakes with lemon filling

There's something about Sundays that just motivate me to cook a nice full meal. This week I made some mini pepper and cheese burgers with fried julienne-sliced red potatoes. My boyfriend (and sous chef I might add) and I like to make these together when the upcoming week is pretty mellow.

For dessert, I made chocolate cupcakes, since I've ended up being drawn to making cupcakes now (late for the bandwagon I'm sure).

Ingredients

1 egg

1/3 cup of self rising flour

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

1/4 tsp of almond extract

1/3 cup of caster sugar

1/3 cup of butter, softened

1/8 cup of milk

4 tbsp of chocolate powder

1 tbsp of vegetable oil

Lemon buttercream filling

1/3 cup of butter

Zest of 1 lemon and half its juice.

Preheat the oven to 320° F. Line the cupcake tray with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg, add the butter and sugar, then mix until light and fluffy. Add the milk, flour, both extract and chocolate powder, and stir to combine. Whisk until the consistency is light and creamy.

Divide the mixture evenly between each hole (about 3/4 of the way up, to leave space for their expansion). Bake for 15-18 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.

Allow the cupcakes to cool down and rest on a wire rack until they are ready for the filling.

The naked cupcakes with little Eggsworth

While the mini cakes are cooling down, combine the sugar, butter and lemon juice and zest with a spoon (wooden recommended) until well mixed, then whisk until light and fluffy. Spoon mixture into a piping bag with a medium star nozzle (I used a simple Ziplock bag with a corner cut) and set aside until said cakes are cool enough to avoid melting.

When done cooling, make a small whole and squeeze the filling into the cupcakes and pipe as cover. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk!

Ta da!

Frutezia cupcakes

Because I "don't" have enough things to do when I'm bored (says the girl who has two perspective drawings to do).

After shopping around with a friend of mine, I found this delightful gift set:

Instant love for this!

and bought it immediately. It's a fully equipped set for the beginning cupcake cook (like me) with: a silicon 4-cup tray, a piping bag, four different nozzles and a small 48 page cookbook. Curiosity begged me to try it out ASAP as the beautiful pictures captivated my imagination. Since my boyfriend's roommate has an overstock of a particular light wine that no one likes, I decided to use it in the culinary pursuit of alcoholic cupcakes.

Vineyard Blend Frutezia(c) Cupcakes

(referenced here is "Cupcake Creations" by Hinkler Books)

Ingredients:

-1 egg

-1/3 cup sugar

-1/3 cup of butter, softened

-1/6 cup of milk (fill half a 1/3 cup)

-1/2 cup of self rising flour, sifted

-2/3 tbsp of Vineyard Blend Frutezia Wine*

Topping

-1/3 cup of icing sugar (note: since I had none, I used regular sugar, it will be grainy, but just as delicious)

-1/3 cup of butter, softened.

-1/2 tbsp of Vineyard Blend Frutezia Wine

-Cinnamon sugar (found in your local supermarket's spice aisle)

Preheat the oven to 320° F. Line the cupcake tray with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg, add the butter and sugar, then mix until light and fluffy. Add the milk, flour and Frutezia and stir to combine. Whisk until the consistency is light and creamy. If you like, add a few drops of food coloring to make a bigger visual impact.

Divide the mixture evenly between each hole (about 3/4 of the way up, to leave space for their expansion). Bake for 15-18 minutes until risen and firm to the touch.

Allow the cupcakes to cool down and rest on a wire rack until they are ready for the frosting.

They look naked don't they?

While the mini cakes are cooling down, combine the sugar, butter and wine with a spoon (wooden recommended) until well mixed, then whisk until light and fluffy. Spoon mixture into a piping bag with a medium star nozzle (I used a simple Ziplock bag with a corner cut) and set aside until said cakes are cool enough to avoid melting.

When done cooling, pipe the icing onto the cupcakes and sprinkle on some cinnamon sugar to finish. Do enjoy with a cold glass of milk or wine!

Makes 4

*NOTE: The wine used can be replaced with your favorite liquor, just be careful with its strength as it might easily overpower the sweetness in the cupcake.