laurasaur

So apparently I now know the fundamentals of the Wilton cake decorating method. This was my cake for my final class or lesson 4. I’m not really feeling like it was my best work but considering I was in bed all day yesterday sick and still not well today I think it turned out OK.

The icing layer is too thin and you can see the chocolate cake (Nigella chocolate fudge) through which really bugs me. Also I hate the Wilton class buttercream so I frosted the cake in a classic buttercream made with butter not shortening. It’s still tooth-achingly sweet and if time had permitted I would have made an italian meringue buttercream but some of us have to work too P

Oh and once again my roses were average. But my technique definitely improved towards the end of the class.. I actually find them quite quick to make now.

So I was preparing cupcakes for my 3rd lesson of the first Wilton course and I decided to try my own recipe. Bad move, considering they shrunk so bad from the cases they are completely unsuitable.

On the other hand, I feel these are moist, Dense and Rich almond babycakes. They have a dense tight crumb and marzipan flavour… my favourite..

These pull away from the cases so are best served without.

90g cream cheese
90g butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 tsp almond essence (optional)

1/2 cup ground almonds
1/3 cup all purpose/plain flour
1/3 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Beat butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until smooth. Add essence.

Add all dry ingredients and mix all together until no flours showing.

Fill cupcake liners or a small cake tin and bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden on top.

This is not my favourite, I don’t like butter/spongey cake.. and to be honest I don’t really love LOVE nutella, and next time I would definately increase the nutella to cake ratio.

Original Recipe from [BakingBites], adapted from Donna Hay

10 tbsp(140 grams) butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups (200 grams) sifted all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
Nutella, approx. 1/3 cup

Preheat oven to 325F/160F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners. Or 2 small heart tins and 4 cupcakes.
Cream together butter and sugar until light, 2 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. Don’t worry if the batter doesn’t look smooth. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder until smooth.

Fill each muffin liner with batter. They should be 3/4 full. Top each cake with 1 1/2 tsp Nutella. Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, making sure to fold a bit of batter up over the nutella.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes 12.

Ok so I have been wanting to take cake decorating courses for ages, and I finally realised no one was ever going to surprise me with these courses – despite dropping massive hints ha ha – so I enrolled myself and I went to my second lesson last night. It’s been a long time since I have been in that kind of environment and I really enjoyed myself.
The best part was learning that I didn’t have to buy the course 1 kit, I had most of the items in it, which meant I could buy some other stuff instead!! So I bought the cake leveller (so unnecessary but anyone who has seen a layer cake I have made knows I need this), a big stepped spatulata, and a dough scraper. Along with some disposable bags, extra couplers, flower nails… ok so you end up spending a bit more than you expect but hey its fun.

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Once again I try to replicate a cafe classic. This time I actually semi-succeeded. I made these with frozen berries which is why my batter is still white, when you make these with fresh berries you will end up with pink batter.

As with all muffins, do not overmix the batter or they will be tough and chewy (not in a good way).

250ml (1 cup) milk
1tsp white vinegar or lemon juice
125ml (1/2 cup) oil (I use canola)
1 egg

300g flour
2 tsp baking powder
150g caster sugar
180g white chocolate cut into chunks
200g of berries (mix of what you choose)

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line 12 hole muffin pan with muffin papers.

Mix all wet ingredients (milk, vinegar/lemon, oil and egg) together. In a seperate bowl mix together all remaining ingredients.

Tip the wet mixture into the dry and stir genrly until combined (only mix until no more flour is showing).

Spoon into muffin cases 3/4 full or more for the dome effect and bake for approximtely 20 minutes or until centres spring back when pressed.