Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 10:51AM November's Pick
Cupcake liners can match your theme, act as an inspiration, or sometimes just be "pretty" such as these Donna Hay cupcake papers. Each box contains 100 papers in four co-ordinating colours available online from Little Betsy Baker
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 7:12AM
Pistachio & Raspberry Christmas Friands
Friand
Small moist oval café cake popular in Australia and New Zealand.
Not related to the French friand which is puff pastry wrapped around sausage meat, what Australians would call a 'sausage roll'.
But rather they seem to originated from the French financier tea cake.
Made mainly of nut-meal, usually almond, though other nuts such as walnut, pistachio & macadamia can be used. Friands often have fruit or chocolate added to them.
So popular in Australia that McDonalds sell them.
McDonalds *Gluten free Chocolate & Gluten free Raspberry Friands
Pistachio & Raspberry Christmas Friands
Ingredients
1 cup (140g) *lightly toasted unsalted pistachios (4.95oz)
I cup of raspberries
6 egg whites
185g butter (6.5oz)
1 1/2 cups (240g) sifted icing sugar (confectioners sugar 8.5oz)
1/2 cup (75g) plain flour (all purpose 2.6oz)
I tsp of vanilla
Preheat oven to 180c (356F) Line 12 hole tin with paper cases. I used a friand tin, but you could use a muffin tin.
Method
Process cup of pistachios (less one tablespoon) in a food processor until finely ground. Cut the remaining pistachios into slivers.
Cook butter in a small saucepan until a golden brown colour (it should smell nutty). Set aside to cool.
Place egg whites in a medium bowl, whisk lightly until combined. Add cooled butter, icing sugar, flour, pistachios & vanilla, stir until combined. Stir in raspberries.
Divide mixture between papers in tray. Bake about *20-25 minutes.
Stand in tray 5 minutes before turning out on to a cooling rack to cool.
Dust with icing sugar to serve.
Keep in sealed container up to three days.
Notes*
Lightly toast raw pistachios by stirring them in a dry pan over medium-low heat for a minute or two.
The cakes should be moist; due to differing oven/tins/case sizes just check a few times towards the end of the baking period as to not overbake.
The small amount of flour in friands means they are an ideal "convert to gluten free" recipe, replace flour with gluten free flour of choice.
Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 11:36AM 
Off the shelf
baking book reviews
125 best Cupcake recipes
Julie Hasson
192 Pages (Paperback)
It's one of those cupcake books that doesn't have many pictures, nor is it glamourously bound & formatted, but I've baked from it for two years and it's a fabulous everyday baking book.
One of my girlfriends Cindy has the book too, and says "I love the way you when you have a surplus of an ingredient, say "nectarines" and you know you can open 125 cupcakes and sure enough there is a recipe for Nectarine Cupcakes". Yes, it's that kind of book.
Divided into sections: Chocolate, Fruit, Nuts, Adults Only, Kids' Corner, Spice it Up, New Twists, Frosting, Glazes and Fillings. The book also includes simple decorating techniques and tips, plus sidebars throughout with variation ideas.
You are sure to a find favourites amongst Orange-Scented Angel Food, Sticky Date, Very Vanilla Chocolate chip, Spiced Peach, Flourless Chocolate, Chocolate Gingerbread, Pina Colada, Chai tea, Lemon Yogurt to name a few.
One of our family favourites is the 'Banana Cupcakes' and who doesn't have those overripe bananas in the fruit bowl at one time or the other?
Banana Cupcakes
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups plain flour (all purpose)
1 tsp baking soda (bi-carb)
Pinch salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large)
1 tsp vanilla
12 cup muffin tin lined with paper cases
Preheat oven 180c
Method
In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt.
In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, and eggs until smooth. Add banana & vanilla, beating well. Add flour mixture, stir until smooth.
Scoop batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 24 to 28 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.
The author suggests: Chocolate Fudge Frosting, Caramel Frosting or Cream Cheese Frosting, all lovely frostings. On the day I went with a frosting not included in the book... mashed banana, beaten into a surplus of Swiss meringue I had on hand, but do try Julie Hassons Cream Cheese frosting, it's quick and delicious.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
115g (4oz) cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
Pinch of salt
2 1/4 cups of pure icing sugar (confectioner's sugar) sifted
Method
In a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat together cream cheese, butter and salt until creamy. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time so the sugar doesn't fly all over the place. Increase speed to medium high and beat until light and fluffy.
Spread frosting over cooled cupcakes and *refrigerate until ready to serve or up to one 1 day.
*allow cakes to come to room temperature before serving
125 best Cupcake recipes a fun and worthy edition to your cupcake book library.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 12:33PM Still out with the spider bite, so I thought I'd feature my 17 year old step sons patisserie skills!
Chocolate mudslide cookies
baked & photographed by Daniel Paxton-Zahra
Chocolate Peppermint Fudge Sauce over Vanilla bean ice-cream
all made and photographed by Daniel Paxton-Zahra
Daniel has 6 days of High School left, culminating with Food Tech theory exam next Tuesday. See Daniel's bio and short film on the About Me page.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 12:49PM 
White tail spider the most likely candidate
Along came a spider that decided to set up home in my slipper whilst I slept, the next morning we both got a surprise when I put my foot in the slipper!
This happened 5 days ago, did I listen to family & friends and go to a doctor... of course not ;-) I waited until an infection spread from my foot up my leg, because even I will make my way to a doctor when a body part changes colour.
I liked the way everyone was so disappointed I didn't/couldn't identify what type of spider it was. Each time I explained "I stood on it, it was squashed, mashed, pulverised and just plain destroyed", always met with "oh you're supposed to know what kind it was", "not even a leg left?", "that makes it harder" followed by a sigh as if I had let them down.
Shake; I also got the following question a lot "Didn't you shake your slipper before putting it on?" (well, obviously not!) as if everyone in Australia is shaking there footwear before they put it on.
The doctor spoke about IV's and hospital last night, but eventually settled upon me promising not to stand for two days, elevate my foot, take mega doses of anti biotic capsules every few hours and it should be a lot better in three days. I don't know about you, about the whole "blood poisoning" risk did cut down my desire to bake.
So, I'll be back baking in a couple of days, but for now it's laying flat out, foot in the air, with two pugs and a laptop vying for a position on my stomach.
Monday, November 9, 2009 at 10:40AM 
Haven't yet graduated beyond ripping open the packet of cake mix? Then this is for you! 5 packet mixes ranging from gourmet to off the supermarket shelf were blind taste tested and reviewed by a panel of nine. This week it's Packet Mix Vanilla Cupcakes being tested.
The Contenders
1. Green's Vanilla Cupcakes $3.99
2. Donna Hay Vanilla Cupcake $14.95
3. Basco Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes $5.75
4. White Wings Dreamy Vanilla Cupcakes $4.60
5. Whisk & Spoon Organic Vanilla Cupcakes $12.36
Unmarked boxes of baked vanilla cupcakes were sent to the taste testers along with review forms in order to rate each cupcake from one to five, comment on taste and texture plus an overall opinion. After collating the information the results were as follows...
From a possible score of 45
Green's 23.5 comments included "Cake tasted like a muffin. (frosting nice!) Mark
"Nice flavour, but to rich to eat the whole cupcake" Jake
Donna Hay 24.5 comments included "Could tell it was a packet mix" Cindy
"Nice flavour but kind of like a pancake" Jodie
Basco 23 comments included "Floury taste" Tim
"Weird after taste and heavy" Emma
White Wings 34.5 comments included "My favourite could eat dozens of them" Jake
"Vanilla" "Light" "The best one there" David
Whisk & Spoon 16 comments included "Mark can make cupcakes better than this!" Sarah
"Didn't leave a very nice after taste" Debbie
White Wings Dreamy Vanilla a run away Winner!
*all cupcakes were baked in plain dark cases to stop any chance of brand recognition.
Sunday, November 8, 2009 at 9:32AM 
Creme brulee, with pistachio tuile biscuits.
Tool time the kitchen tools and gadgets I love.
The Useful and Less Useful
650°F (340°C) heat and stain resistant silicone. Flexible work-ends protect non-stick cookware.
I've used this double ended silicone spatula by Chef'n day in day out for two years. Still good as new, this spatula is bend-able enough to get into every corner but is still strong enough to turn a heavy batter. The most useful kitchen tool I own! Available in kitchenware supply stores.
Okay some might consider an egg topper "useless", I like to think of it as "less useful". I do find it amusing. Position bowl of top of raw egg, lift the plunger and release, gently lift cut top off. There you have it, an egg vessel ready to be cleaned and used for mousses, brulee or even candy dishes at easter.
Egg Topper from The Red Spoon Company
Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 9:45AM 
Whatever your skill level things do occasionally go wrong...
I'm a glass half full type of person, but the glass was overflowing and no amount of "optimism" was going to save the Toffee Apple Tower cupcakes.
This was a "bad everything day", but do you like the way I kept on trying to put the tower together with toffee that was to thick, to dark & to tall. I just kept on going with a "maybe it will look okay" type thing going on in my head. Looks ominous doesn't it? NOT the pretty delicate look I was aiming for.
I could have used this cake as a weapon, stake a vampire perhaps?
Friday, November 6, 2009 at 11:02AM 
Vanilla Glacé Icing shines
In Australia we tend to ice cakes with simple icing rather than use frosting. Sure cake shops carry the range of American style swirled & twirled frosted cupcakes and I do love them, but there is something about seeing a simple iced cupcake that evokes childhood memories & is so Australian.
Glacé Icing straight from the source I grew up with 'The Australian's Women's Weekly'.
Ingredients
2 cups (320g) pure icing sugar sifted
1 teaspoon of butter or oil
2 tablespoons of hot water
Method
In a heatproof bowl stir icing sugar, butter and water together to make a thick paste. Place bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water; stir until icing is spreadable. The icing will "just warm", you don't want it to be hot or sugar will crystallise.
Flavour with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and spread onto cupcakes.
Variants
Coffee flavour; dissolve 1 teaspoon of instant coffee into the hot water before adding it to icing sugar
Chocolate; sift 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder with sugar.
You can also use your favourite citrus by adding zest to the icing sugar after sifting and replacing some of the water with citrus juice.
Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 10:12AM 
Chocolate cupcake, whipped chocolate ganache, chocolate truffles, milk chocolate stencilled chocolate, dark chocolate shapes & white chocolate shavings.
A one off joke cupcake I made for my stepson Daniel, whose answer to any baking problem is "just add more chocolate", "more", "more, more, more".
I didn't think he could eat soooooo much chocolate in one cake... but I was wrong, he could eat soooooo much chocolate in one cake, albeit he looked a bit queasy when he finished!
Daniel is sitting his second of four final exams today. 
Good Luck Dan!