Oreo Cupcake (by Cupcake Jemma)

I made these cupcakes last week for a friend in work. He had asked me to bake some cakes for him to bring in for his birthday (I still think that tradition is weird!). After sampling some of the previous bakes I had brought into work he requested my Jam and Cream Swiss Roll and Passion Fruit Cheesecake. He then asked me to bring in something else and left it up to me to decide. I had recently seen a video on YouTube belonging to Cupcake Jemma. Jemma Wilson is the founder and owner of Crumbs and Doilies Cupcakes and shares the most delicious recipes on her YouTube channel. Head over to her website and have a look at some of the amazing cupcakes and cakes she bakes.. delicious!! 

So I decided to make these cupcakes and even though I hadn't made them before after watching Jemma's video a few times I decided to crack on and just do it! They turned out perfectly and they were so delicious! They are by far the nicest cupcake I have ever had.. but don't take my word for it.. try them yourself!! Just a quick apology.. I didn't take any pictures of these cupcakes myself as i was absolutely shattered after an evening of baking. My flatmate took one that I stole from Snapchat (below) that those of you who follow me on facebook, instagram or twitter will have already seen! 

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

85g Self Raising Flour

25g Malt Powder (Horlicks or Ovaltine Malt Drink)

15g Cocoa Powder

1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

Pinch of Salt

125g Caster Sugar

135g Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)

2 Large Free Range Eggs

1 & 1/2 tbsp of Whole Milk

1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Packets of Oreo Cookies

Frosting

200g Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)

450g Icing Sugar

3 tbsp Whole Milk

1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 Packet of Oreo Cookies (crumbed)

Prepare:

Line a cupcake / muffin tin with cupcake liners (recipe makes 12 cupcakes) and preheat the oven to 170C.

Method:

Sieve together your flour, horlicks, cocoa powder, bicarb, salt and sugar in your mixing bowl. Add your butter and eggs and mix on a medium speed. Once well combined add your milk and vanilla extract and mix for a further minute. 

Place one whole Oreo cookie in the bottom of each cupcake case then fill the cupcake case 3/4 way full with your mixture (about a heaped tablespoon). Place in the oven to bake for about 22mins or until a cocktail stick stuck in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack while you make your frosting. 

Start by placing your butter in your mixer and beat for about 5 mins on a medium speed until the butter is pale and fluffy. Add in half of your icing sugar and mix until combined. Repeat with the second half of the icing sugar and mix for a couple of minutes. Turn down the mixer to a slow speed and add the milk and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Turn off your mixer and Fold in your Oreo Crumbs. I crumbed my Oreo cookies in a food processor until I got a fine crumb but you can also put them into a Ziploc bag and bash with a rolling pin! 

Put your icing into a piping bag and pipe onto your cupcakes or simply spread the delicious frosting all over the top of the cupcake. I then decorated the cupcakes with half an Oreo cookie  (or use a whole cookie) stuck into the frosting. You can never have too many Oreos in one cupcake!! 

(image from Google image search)

I hope you do try these cupcakes.. believe me they are to die for!! Have a look at Jemma's YouTube video too for a better look at these yummy cupcakes! 

Happy Baking! 

O x

Raspberry and Lemon Loaf Cake

One of the things I love most about summer is the food. The new potatoes, the summer fruits and always having an excuse to eat ice-cream (not that I ever need an excuse to eat ice-cream). The biggest one for me though is the fruit and especially strawberries and raspberries. Anyone from Ireland knows that the best strawberries and raspberries come from Wexford and I have the fondest memories of driving up to visit my Granny in Dublin during the summer months and stopping off to get fresh strawberries and raspberries from the vendors dotted along the coast road to Dublin from Waterford (before the motorway existed that is). Now unfortunately this recipe doesn't include Wexford raspberries as they are pretty hard to come by in London but the raspberries I am using are perfectly acceptable!! 

My parents were visiting at the weekend and while mum was engrossed in the Golf and Dad in his Sunday paper I thought it was the perfect time to go baking. They always complain they never get to sample the treats they read so much about online I couldn't let them leave without baking something for them. We had some raspberries left over from the previous nights desert and I spotted a lonely lemon in the fridge and decided to try out a new recipe. This cake is so tasty and easy to make and lasts for days if stored in an air tight container in a cool dry place. Why not try it for yourself?

Ingredients:

175g Butter (at room temperature)

175g Caster Sugar

175g Self Raising Flour (sifted)

3 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Zest of 1 Lemon (grated)

1 Cup of fresh Raspberries

300g Royal Icing Sugar

Juice of 1 Lemon

Prepare:

Grease and line your loaf tin with butter and parchment paper and preheat your oven to 170C. I used a 2 lb (or 900g) loaf tin.

Method:

Cream together your butter and caster sugar in a mixing bowl until a light and fluffy consistency. It is important that your butter is at room temperature as it helps to dissolve the sugar. If your butter is too cold your mixture will just clump together and you will not get the proper consistency. One by one add your eggs mixing in between each egg. For this cake I used a handheld electric whisk. You can also use a free standing mixer with pedal attachment or unlike me if you have great upper arm strength a regular balloon whisk! 

Once all your eggs have been added stir in your vanilla extract and lemon zest. When that is all combined you can fold in your flour. It is important to fold in your flour as opposed to mixing it in because you want to keep as much air in the mixture as possible to help the cake rise. Once the flour is well combined you can fold in your raspberries. Spoon the mixture into your prepared tin and place in the oven for 55 mins - 1 hour. You will know the cake is cooked when it is golden brown in appearance and a skewer or cocktail stick placed in the middle comes out clean.

Place on a wire rack to cool and go ahead and prepare your icing. Place your icing sugar in a mixing bowl and slowly add your lemon juice. Begin with 2-3 tablespoons and one teaspoon at a time after that if needed. Stir until you get a runny paste consistency. You will know the icing is done when you lift and pour a spoon of the icing onto itself and it holds its shape for a few seconds before disappearing. 

Once the cake has cooled COMPLETELY you can pour the icing over the entire top of the cake and let it ooze down the side of the cake naturally. Try to resist coaxing it down as you may pull crumbs with it! You may want to put some kitchen paper or parchment paper under the cooling rack to catch the excess. Leave the icing to form a slight crust before slicing and enjoy :) . 

I hope you do try out this recipe and if you do please let me know how you got on. As always you can find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so tag me, tweet me or just leave me a message telling me how you got on. I hope you are all having a lovely summer so far and the weather is nice wherever you're reading this from! 

Happy Baking,

O x