Cupcakes in Ice Cream Cones

makes 24 cupcakes

350 F pre-heated oven



Flat bottom ice cream cones

2 cups plain flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1-1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs


1. Measure out everything but the eggs directly into your mixer bowl

2. Mix on low speed just until incorporated.

3. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.

4. Add eggs, beat on high speed again for 2 minutes.

5. Transfer batter into a container with a pour spout (like a pyrex measuring cup).

6. Pour batter into ice cream cones, leave a good half inch between the batter and the top of the cone or it will leak and softens the cones.

7. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Mascorpone Frosting

1 pack (8 oz) cold Mascorpone Cheese

1 cup double cream

1/2 cup confectionery sugar



In a standing mixer blend the Mascorpone and confectionery sugar, when it is getting soft and fluffy add the double cream. Beat till it becomes nice and thick frosting.



Do not over beat, it might become like a butter.



I add freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon and fresh ginger to my taste. But plain one is delicious as well.



Once the cupcakes are completely cooled you can either spread or pipe the frosting on.

Red Velvet Cupcake

3-3/4 cups cake flour

1/4 cups cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter

3/8 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups buttermilk

2 teaspoons vinegar

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 oz. red food coloring

2-1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cups butter

3 eggs

preheat oven to 350°F

• Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt into medium bowl.
• Whisk buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, and food coloring in small bowl.
• Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well fluffy about 3 minutes, add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition, about 30 seconds.
• Beat in dry ingredients in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 3 additions.

Scoop into cupcake tins lined with paper cases , I use ice cream scooper to make them all equal.

Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes,
cool in pans 10 minutes and cool completely on racks.

Lemon bites

Celine was in a baking mood, I was almost crawling on the floor with lower back pain. But she made "the sad puppy face",and my hubby said he would help, so how could I say no!
I told them to use the ready pack, Victorian sponge cake mix from the cupboard. And I would be supervising the rest...
Part 1:
So all you need two boxes of sponge cake mix, and fallow the direction from the box.
I had 29p Asda Victorian Sponge Cake, and it did the job well.


While they were fallowing the instruction from the box, I've asked them to make limoncello syrup:
Part 2:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup limoncello
Mix the water & sugar in a sauce pan and let it boil over a medium heat, remove from the heat and let it cool while you are baking the cake, once the syrup is cool add limoncello.






Part 3:
Lemon Swiss meringue buttercream
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
250 gr unsalted butter, @ room temperature
1 Tbsp clear vanilla extract
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
You will need double boiler ( bain marie), combine egg whites and sugar over double boiler, place a candy thermometer and whisk constantly till temperature reaches to 150F.
Remove from the heat , whisk it till its cool to your touch and stiff (like marshmallow melt). Change the whisk to paddle and add butter small amount at a time, ( I really like to use standing mixer), once you add all the butter and it becomes to the consistency you desire add the lemon juice and vanilla.

Part 4 :

Lemon curd

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup double cream

1 cup fresh lemon juiced, strained

1/4 tsp salt


6 eggs whisked to loosen up the yolks & whites.


1 Tbsp lemon zest, finely grated

In a medium size sauce pan, mix first 5 ingredients all together and cook it over low heat, once sugar is dissolved and it started to boil, temper hot lemon mixture into eggs. Add mixture back into sauce pan and continue to cook while stirring constantly until it becomes like a thick custard.

Strain, add zest and cool over an ice bath. Then refrigerate until you need to use.
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Part 5 :
Pour Fondant icing
3 cups confectionery sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1 drop of yellow food coloring


Place them all ( except food coloring) over double boiler. Heat til sugar is dissolved and the mixture is lukewarm, stir in the coloring one drop at the time, till you get the color you like. You have to ladle over the cake bites while it is still warm. So make sure you assemble the cake before this step.



Assembling the cake:
After cake is completely cooled, horizontally slice in half with serrated knife.

Use a pastry brush to brush limoncello syrup over the cake first, then spread Swiss meringue with a spatula , fallowed by chilled lemon curd, place the second layer of the cake, and apply the limoncello syrup with brush again.

Slice the cake with a sharp knife 2,5 cm X 2,5 cm mini squares, carefully lift them up and place them on a cookie sheet or parchment paper, you can ladle small amount of pour fondant (icing) over, and decorate them with candied lemon slice or fresh lemon peels.

French Buttercream Icing

2/3 cup / granulated sugar

1/4 cup / 60 gr plain flour

3/4 cup whole milk

1 cup/ 250 gr unsalted butter - cold

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

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In a saucepan, place the milk , flour, salt and sugar. Mix thoroughly. Turn the heat on, while stirring constantly,cook until it becomes a very thick pudding. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Cut the butter in pieces.

Place the pudding in a bowl, add small pieces of butter one at a time, beat with a hand mixer ( in medium to high speed) until it becomes smooth. At this point you can add vanilla, any other flavoring or food coloring if you like.

Note : You should chill icing at least 10 min. before decorating your cake and cake needs to be completely cooled and iced cake must be refrigerated until serving time.

Coconut Cupcakes

Ingredients:

7 oz plain flour

1/2 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup caster sugar

3 oz or 100 gr plain yogurt or buttermilk

1/2 cup unsalted butter, @ room temperature

2 large eggs, @ room temperature

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes or fresh coconut

2 Tbsp Bacardi rum or Malibu

1 tsp vanilla

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Per heat the oven 180*C/ 160 *C fan forced. Line your muffin pan with paper cases.

Sift all the dry ingredients first, set at the side, then in a standing mixer's bowl , cream the butter , sugar and eggs one at a time. Add in the yogurt, rum and vanilla. Once it is all fluffed and creamy add your dry ingredients, and beat another 4 min. on medium speed.

You have to fold the coconuts by spoon. Make sure it is well combined.

Dived between the cases and bake about 25 min. depends on the size of your pan. Top should be golden brown and tooth pick comes out clean.

Candied Orange & Lemon Slices

3 lemons ,

3 small oranges

3 cups sugar

1 cup water
1 cup sugar for rolling

Slice lemons and oranges very thin. I like using mandoline slicer. Remove any seeds.
Place slices in a large saucepan ( you can use one for lemons one for oranges, but I combined them together )and cover with cold water. Heat on high until water comes to a boil. Pour off the water. Repeat twice or more. This gets rid of the bitterness.

Combine sugar and water in the saucepan and bring to boil over high heat, use a candy thermometer, boil until temperature reaches 230F.

Add slices and reduce heat to simmer.

Simmer until slices are translucent (35 minutes or longer).

Remove slices from syrup and roll in sugar if you like, and set on rack to dry for several hours. Once they are dry, you can dip in tempered dark chocolate or use as it is , shake off excess, and place on wax paper or cooling rack to dry.

Store in a Tupperware, or if not chocolate dipped, store in sugar.

Coconut frosting

Ingredients:

8 oz full fat cream cheese

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup powder sugar

3/4 sweetened cream of coconut

1 tsp vanilla

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Place the cream cheese in a bowl, add powder sugar and mix it well with wooden spoon. Add the coconut cream vanilla and the butter, with hand blender whisk it it is creamy and fluffy.

It works great with coconut cupcakes, you can use roasted coconut flakes to decorate as well.

How to make hibiscus flower with pineapple!

you will need :
2 small fresh pineapples
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp sugar
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Pre heat your oven to very slow, 120 C/100 C if you have fan forced.
In a small saucepan stir sugar and the water over low heat until sugar has dissolved: let it boil abut 1 -2 minute.
Cut the outer skin of the pineapples and slice it wafer thin. I used a mandoline and made it so easy.

Line a cookie tray with parchment paper, place slices in a single layer, then brush the syrup over and bake it about 45 min. then turn them over and brush the syrup on that side, place them back in the oven and bake an other 45 min. It won't bake, it will get dry. When its ready take them of immediately and shape into flowers, dry over an egg carton.
Meanwhile you can bake vanilla cupcakes, if you like pineapple replace milk with pineapple juice and you can add 1/4 cup crushed and drained can pineapples + 1 Tbsp sweeten coconut flakes.

I like cheese cream frosting for top and add a pineapple flower to finish. Afiyet Olsun...
Cheese cream frosting :

8oz full fat cream cheese, room temperature

30 gr butter, soften

3 Tbsp icing sugar

1 tsp lemon grind

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp Betty Crocker's Vanilla Frosting

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mix cream cheese and icing sugar with spoon, then add Betty Crocker's frosting and beat it in a bowl with hand blander. Add butter and when it fluff's add vanilla and lemon grind.

Pink Icing

Ingredients
5 egg whites
1/2 cup of water
2 cups of granulated sugar
1 tsp clear vanilla
Food coloring in pink
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How to do:
In a saucepan bring the water and the sugar to boil by stirring occasionally. Let the sugar dissolve and syrup forms to soft ball.
Meanwhile beat the egg whites and the pinch of salt in a grease-free bowl of a standing mixer - you do need both hands :) - to soft peak.
While your mixer is running, slowly pour the hot syrup into egg whites in a stream. Make sure you don't pour on the whisk, it is very hot take a precaution! Keep beating 5 min. and add vanilla and a drop of food coloring. ( I used Wilton coloring gel in pink). Keep going another 2 min. or more till frosting becomes glossy and cool.
You should use this frosting on a cool cake. I use this frosting if I am going serve the cake right away, it doesn't look good day after , even though taste still stays delicious.
You can use icing bag or a spatula to decorate.