Strawberry Crusha Cupcakes

The Crusha Cat, Errol, has been spotted with his tongue out by a strawberry bunny cupcake; flavoured with Crusha Milkshake Mix . Who can blame him ? Strawberry  flavour is the next favourite to chocolate in both shakes and cakes in our house.  It's really easy to flavour the cakes and icing with Crusha and as a bonus it gives you a nice moist cake. Simply add 2 to 3 tablespoons of Crusha to the batter and icing and a little bit of food colouring to deepen the colour, so easy and so yummy bunny!

So cute bunny chocolate moulds from ebay. I like these ones with the paws !

Your favourite cupcake recipe, I've posted mine below, plus your Crusha.

Suddenly you may have a lot of bunnies on your plate.....

If strawberry isn't your favourite then lime and raspberry work really well in cupcakes too.

Check the end of the recipe!

Ingredients:

250g   Butter

250g   Caster sugar 

4 Large eggs

260g   Self raising flour

3 - 4 tbsp Crusha Strawberry Mixa

A few drops of  red colouring

Optional inside filling

1 Jar Strawberry Conserve

1 Jar Marshmallow Fluff

500g Icing sugar
250g Butter 

3 - 4 tbsp Crusha Strawberry Mixa

A few drops of strawberry red colouring 

Decorations 

Chocolate bunnies or straws

Method:

Preheat oven 160c/140c Fan/325F/Gas Mark 3.

This makes 18 large muffin type cupcakes.

Cream the sugar and butter together. Beat in the milkshake mix. Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Fold in the flour . Add colouring to achieve a light red batter. Batter should not be runny but fall off the spoon or ice-cream scoop gently into the cake cases.

Bake in the centre of the oven until risen and a skewer comes cleanly out. Check after 20 minutes.

Optional extra: Remove centre and fill with 1/2 tsp  jam or a 1/4 tsp of strawberry marshmallow fluff and a 1/4 tsp jam. Replace cake centres.

Mix simple buttercream, beat butter until soft and creamy and then add icing sugar gradually. If it gets too stiff add some milkshake mix a tbsp at a time. Finally add the colour. Spoon into piping bags and pipe onto cakes, decorate.

No time for chocolate decorations ? Then add a straw along with your Crusha milkshake.

Pop Rocks Fizzing Firework Cupcakes

Pop Rocks and Wizz Fizz sherbet fun in a knock-out cupcake for fireworks night or any other celebration for that matter. I took some to market today and asked my panel of testers for the pop rocks popping candy count and we had a 99% success  rate for the pops staying in the chocolate so I'll definitely make these again. In fact, we wanted some girlie pink ones for a baby shower and a little girl's birthday so we were fizzing all week thanks to Cybercandy sweetie shop samples.  These are really easy to make and the challenge is to keep your hands dry when handling Pop Rocks and not to eat too many while baking! Here's how:

Bake or take some cupcakes . I used buttercream* on the Strawberry Pink ones and Black fondant and buttercream on the Dark Chocolate version. For the Firework Decoration; cocktail sticks or lollipop sticks, edible colouring, cooking chocolate and/or candy melts, glitter, fondant stars and Pop Rocks. 

*We went an extra fizzy mile and added sherbet Wizz Fizz to the buttercream. This is the strawberry one which coloured and flavoured the buttercream a nice pink too.

I painted the cocktail sticks and for our youngest customers ; some less sharp lollipop sticks with edible colouring. Just choose the colour to match your main chocolate explosion! 

Next melt your cooking chocolate or candy melts and make swirly blobs on some baking/parchment paper. I didn't oil the paper first and it still peeled off fine but it was good  grease proof paper. Then place you stick in the centre of each. Leave this to set or put in fridge to speed things up.

Now dry your hands thoroughly or wear protective catering gloves if you want to give you Pop Rocks longer 'life'. As soon as they get in touch with water they will pop. Put the Pop Rocks on top of the chocolate and then cover them with more melted chocolate.

I made strawberry and dark chocolate versions. Why do Pop Rocks make you laugh so much? And why do we insist on getting people to listen to them exploding in our mouths? There are no age limits to this either!

Now the other fun bit to decorate with stars and glitter for your fireworks explosions. You can buy gold stars  and you can make lots of mini fondant ones really cheaply. 

However, I love glitter and it depends on how you feel about digesting small amounts of the stuff. Technically catering glitter is a decorative product rather than a edible product but it's not poisonous either. Look out for the edible sugar based 'glitters' if you are really worried but you only need a tiny bit for a fun effect.

Add some of the decoration to the top of you cupcake for 'falling' fireworks.

Strawberry 'pink' was voted the favourite of the day using Strawberry Pop Rocks but I've already had requests to do Cola versions. If you haven't heard of Cybercandy yet, they have got real sweet shops but if you are like me and live out in the sticks then go online. You can check out my previous purchases  here for Cactus Coconut Cake and my very favourite Harry Potter inspired recipe ;The Big Butterbeer Cake and Butter Beer Fizz - Cracking the Recipe. And what am I going to buy next ? I really fancy a Baby Ruth Bar.....and..Pretzel M&M's...and..

Let's Celebrate with Jubilee Sprinkles!

All these lovely red, white and blue sprinkles, chocolate crowns and cake. But looking back at the photos maybe I should have tried to get the Queen's profile in the sprinkles too? I don't know know how much Jubilee fever I can stand but anyone who can do a job for 60 years needs an accolade. I'm sure Her Majesty is just fine with her profile on a postage stamp. After all how much time do I have?

Not enough as I need to get ready for another bake sale and the additional Jubilee work on top. However, I thought you may like this almond based lemon cake which I have used for some gluten free jubilee cakes and a friend's birthday cake. I'm not keen on the texture of gluten free flour in a plain cake but the addition of the almonds and yogurt really improves the texture . It is a slightly denser batter but it's useful for holding it's shape and cut outs.

So lets get  a little more English and add some real English strawberries. We have wild strawberries growing in our garden but now strawberries from the county of Sussex have arrived in the stores and wow! they are wonderful; bursting with sweet intense  flavour. You may find cheaper Spanish ones in the supermarket but you won't get the best taste. 

I also used this lemon and almond cake as a decorated sheet cake for my friend's birthday cake; a single layer cake with a lime buttercream top and white chocolate buttercream finish. I also own an edible image printer which meant I could find a lovely picture to eat as well! However, it was the refreshing strawberries on the side that we enjoyed just a much. Then again it's hard to improve on the strawberry that nature gives us . I find it creeping into my designs all the time! 

Text Only Printable Recipe


Strawberries with Lemon and Almond Gluten Free Cake and Cupcakes

Ingredients

225g  (8oz) Butter
225g  (8oz) Caster sugar 
4 Large eggs
225g  (8oz) Self raising flour (Gluten free)
90g  (3oz) Ground Almonds
150g Natural Yogurt (small pot)

Zest of 2 lemons

Juice of one lemon

For lemon drizzle*;

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp caster sugar
* you can double this if you like more zing on your cake

Icing for decorations

White chocolate icing*

110g  (4oz) Icing sugar
60g (2 oz)  Butter
110g  (4oz) White chocolate or white candy melts

1 tsp chocolate extract
* For large cupcake swirls double icing quantities

Large  cake icing top
110g  (4oz) Icing sugar
60g (2 oz) Butter

Tinted with Lime Green flavouring and colour

Strawberries for decoration

For cupcakes

Strawberry Jam/Jelly for centre of cupcakes

Fresh strawberries for centres

Sprinkles

Method:

Preheat oven 160c/140c Fan/325F/Gas Mark 3.

Grease and line a cake tin - makes one sheet cake -1 oblong tin size 30cm x 23cm or
it makes 18 - 20 cupcakes. Deep cupcake cases and pans work best for this recipe.

Cream the sugar and butter together. Add the zest of both lemons, then the eggs, one at a time. Fold in half the flour and the almonds. Stir in the lemon juice. Fold in the rest of the flour and almonds . Add yogurt to the mix. Put into your chosen baking container.

Place in the centre of the oven. Check after 20 minutes. Cook until risen and a skewer comes cleanly out. Dissolve sugar and lemon juice together and brush over cake/s. Allow to cool and make icings. 

Make simple buttercream first if making sheet cake. Gently whisk butter, and icing sugar together. Add flavouring and colour of choice  and whisk until it forms a light whipped cream texture. Add enough water for this to be a spreadable consistency.  Spread over top of cake. Make white chocolate buttercream icing, pipe round sides and decorate with strawberries.

If making cupcakes take out the centre of the cupcake so a strawberry fits in the hole snugly.  ( You will have a bag full of cake centres at the end of this or you will have eaten a lots of cake - save if you can for cake pops maybe!) First line the hole with strawberry jam/jelly, pop the strawberry in and brush strawberry jam on the top. 

Chocolate extract
 a worthwhile investment! *

Make white chocolate buttercream icing next  for the cupcakes, make double quantity for the cupcakes to get big swirls. This is a nice firm buttercream ideal for holding strawberries on the top of cakes too. I've had good results using chocolate melts as well as ordinary white chocolate. Make buttercream in the usual way plus 1 tsp of chocolate extract and add melted chocolate gradually, allow to stiffen slightly before piping especially if using candy melts. The real depth of flavour comes with adding the chocolate extract* to the buttercream mix. Pipe swirls on top of cupcake and add your sprinkles. Cupcakes will be wearing crowns on Saturday!

Shhhh ........Don't they look like Fourth of July Sprinkles in that jar?

Cupid's Honey Clouds and more Valentine Cupcakes

I have been looking for some cupcakes to keep my Sweet Cherry Lips company from my previous post. Love and Cupid came to the rescue in the form of some cute chocolate moulds. I'm not really sure if they are meant to be Cupids as they don't have 'his' official bow and arrow but they have very cheeky faces for Valentines Day.  They are lounging on a white chocolate frosting and underneath we have a honey cake with a honey and mallow fluff filling which sounds very comfortable to me!

I simply swapped 1/3 of the sugar for honey and used golden caster sugar for the cupcake. Then in the centre is a 1/2 tsp of honey and 1 tsp of marshmallow fluff topped with a white chocolate buttercream. I used half super white candy melts to half buttercream. The cupid is also made from white choc candy melt sprayed gold.

So we have Cupid's Honey Clouds, Sweet Cherry Lips and Big Banoffee Love! Did I spoil the sentiment with the last one? Well, its definitely big on banana flavour in the cupcake, and in the buttercream frosting plus a rich caramel centre. Nothing complicated just fun with decorations.

I've tried to use different flavours for the theme although I will be enjoying traditional champagne truffles and fizz in the morning ( I know this because I have located said goodies in the back of the cupboard already >< ) The Sweet Cherry Lips can be found here too which are red velvet choc style cupcake, morello cherry centre and a vanilla frosting. Another mouthwatering selection for later in the day.

Happy Valentines and watch out for those LIPS!