Chocolate and meringue cupcakes

Hi! This nice cupcakes were cooked for a little party with my friends. They like what I cook and I decided to make them happy. Always works!


INGREDIENTS:
(makes 12)

For the cupcakes:
150g unsalted butter
150g caster sugar
150g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 medium free-range eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the chocolate buttercream:
80g plain chocolate, 
70% cocoa solids
200g icing sugar
140g unsalted butter
1 tbsp milk

To decorate:
12 mini meringues

COOKING:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. Beat the butter in a bowl until soft and fluffy. Add caster sugar and beat until smooth. Add eggs one by one and beat the mixture well. Sift in the flour mixed with baking powder and mix it. Add milk and vanilla extract and mix. The mixture should be smoothy.

3. Spoon into the paper cases and bake for 20-22 minutes, until golden and risen. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

4. For the chocolate buttercream, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering (not boiling) water. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

5. Beat the butter in a bowl until soft. Sift in the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in the melted chocolate and milk until creamy and smooth. Put in the fridge to chill until the mixture is firm enough to pipe.

6. Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag and pipe swirls on top of each cupcake. Finish with a mimi meringue on top.

Bon appetite!
Ilusha

Florentine Cupcakes

That was my first experience of cupcakes cooking. Before that I have never cooked cupcakes, because wherever I tasted them - I didn't like it, but then I was inspired by amazing magazine which I had bought on Malta, with a lot of recipes of cupcakes. So, I couldn't stay indifferent...so, that was the beggining of my love story with cupcakes!

Makes12

 

FOR THE CUPCAKES:

150g unsalted butter

100g caster sugar

2tbsp honey

150g self-raising flour

3 medium free-range eggs

2tbsp milk

FOR THE TOPPING:

30g unsalted butter

100g caster sugar

4tbsp honey

75g flaked almonds

75g hazelnuts

175g white chocolate

COOKING:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and place paper cases in a 12-hole bun tin.

2. Put all the cupcake ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat well with an electric whisk until smooth. Spoon into the paper cases and bake for about 20 minutes, until golden and risen.

3. For the topping, melt the butter, sugar and honey in a pan over a low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients, apart from the white chocolate.

4. Divide the topping between the cakes. Return to the oven and cook for a futher 5-10 minutes, until the topping is light golden. Place on a wire rack to cool.

5. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering (not boiling) water and drizzle over the cakes.
Also, you can decorate cakes with chocolate chips.

Bon appetite!
Ilusha