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Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

Everyone knows I love a good cupcake (a little too much!). When I was looking for a new flavour idea, fresh strawberry cupcakes seemed so delightful. The humble strawberry is often left out of cupcakes in favour of our friend artificial strawberry flavouring….these cupcakes have a whole punnet of strawberry goodness in the cakes, then some more in the icing for good measure. What’s not to love about them? If it wasn’t for the butter, sugar and flour, they’d practically be health food! 🙂

Ingredients:

2/3 cup to 1 cup fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1.5 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt10 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
For the Strawberry Cupcake Icing
1/2 cup butter, softened
3.5 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 teaspoons milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh strawberries
Pink Food colouring (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line a muffin tin with cupcake wrappers or grease with butter.
Place strawberries in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. You will need enough strawberries to yield 1/2 cup strawberry puree. Mix strawberry puree with milk and vanilla. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter 1 minute. Add sugar, beating well. Beat in eggs.
Alternately add half the strawberry mixture, then half the flour mixture, mixing until blended. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to fill muffin tins.
Bake 20 to 22 minutes. Cool strawberry cupcakes 10 minutes in muffin tins, then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.
Make strawberry cupcake icing: Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla and 1 tsp. of milk. If frosting is too thick, beat in another teaspoon or two of milk until icing reaches desired consistency. Stir in chopped strawberries. I added pink food colouring to mine, but if you leave this out, you will see the lovely pink flecks from the strawberries.
Frost completely cooled strawberry cupcakes with fresh strawberry icing.

What’s your favourite cupcake flavour? Would you give these strawberry bad-boys a go? Serve with a glass of Rose for an added treat!!

Easy (and impressive) lemon tart

So it’s been far too long since I’ve posted a lemon flavoured baked good post….or any post as a matter of fact. With returning to self employment, as well as 9 weeks of solo parenting whilst Lachy was away on tour, life has been getting on top of me.

I’ve feel like I’m been on a never ending treadmill of work, parenting and housework….but I’ve decided to stop and reflect on what’s important to me… I’ve found that it’s easy to stop doing the things you enjoy when life gets tough, but the opposite should be true. So now I’m making a point of keeping a focus on the bright side of life – this means more blog posts, picking up my guitar again and spending more time exercising….and of course, more lemon flavoured baked goods.

On that note – please enjoy this easy and delicious lemon tart recipe. You can whip one of these babies up in under 20 minutes and you will not regret it (although I had to give mine away ((to the delight of my friends and neighbours)) because I was concerned I’d eat the entire thing).

Ingredients:

Base:

1 and a half cups of finely crumbed biscuits (I used arnott’s granita biscuits)
6 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons sugar (optional)

Tart Filling

2 cans condensed milk
3 egg yolks
2/3 cup lemon juice
grated zest of 1 lemon (the more the merrier!!)
1 pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
For the Base: Spray a pie dish with non-stick olive oil spray or grease with butter. Combine crushed biscuits, butter, and sugar. Press into prepared pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes.
For the Pie Filling: Using a mixer, mix the condensed milk, egg yolks, lemon juice and salt together. Beat on medium speed for 4-5 minutes. Pour into pie crust and bake for 10 minutes at 180 degrees celsius. Little bubbles will start to surface. Cover the crust if it starts to brown too much towards the end.
Chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

Serve with ice cream, cream or all of the above….and coffee… all of the coffee.

Butternut pumpkin, brie, rosemary and pinenut tart

Who loves brie cheese!? Who loves pastry!? If your answer is yes, then you need to bake this butternut pumpkin, brie, rosemary and pine nut tart!! I was looking for a delicious new tart flavour for an Australia Day party, and thought “hey, why not throw all my favourite ingredients on some pastry and see what happens”, and luckily the combination was perfection!! They were gone in minutes!!

To make things even better, they were super easy to make!

Ingredients (makes 2 large tarts, or 12 pieces)

2 sheets frozen puff pastry (thawed)
1 egg (for brushing)
1 butternut pumpkin, chopped and thinly sliced
Fresh rosemary
1 small wheel of brie cheese, thinly sliced
Pine nuts
Salt and pepper

Method

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celsius.
Place thinly sliced butternut pumpkin on a tray lined with non-stick baking paper – drizzle with olive oil and rosemary and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Place each sheet of pastry on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.
Fold over 1cm edge on each side of the puff pastry to make a border around the edge of each sheet of pastry. Press the edges down with a fork.
Gently prick the pastry all over with a fork
Lightly brush the edges of the pastry with egg.
Fill the pastry with pastry weights, and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove the pastry from the oven, and remove the pastry weights.
Top each tart with the pumpkin, brie, pine nuts additional rosemary. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and pepper.
Bake each tart for a further 10 minutes.
Allow to cool, and slice each tart into 6 pieces.

Enjoy!! Happy Australia Day!!

Best ever gingerbread men

Christmas is my favourite time of the year!! One of my favourite pre-christmas rituals is getting together with friends for a gingerbread baking party! All you need is a few good friends, this amazing gingerbread recipe, your favourite cookie cutters and toppings, and ample amounts of wine

It’s even more fun wrapping them up and giving them to people once they’re finished!! Remember that acts of kindness are also good for our wellbeing!!

I’ve used this recipe from Taste for several years now and everyone seems to love it, even people who insist they don’t like gingerbread!! The cookies are quite crunchy, not like the soft and soggy gingerbread you often encounter.

Ingredients:

125g butter, at room temperature
125g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
125ml (1/2 cup) golden syrup
1 egg, separated
375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Plain flour, to dust
Decorations of your choice – I used smarties and ‘choc-minis’ from woolworths, and some little silver things (no idea what they’re called, but you can see them below). You could also ice with a piping bag if you’d prefer!

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper
Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the golden syrup and egg yolk and beat until combined. Stir in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Press dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until about 4mm thick. Use a gingerbread man cutter to cut out shapes. Place on trays about 3cm apart. Repeat with any excess dough.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Transfer to a rack to cool.

When they’re cooled down, you can wrap them in cellophane party bags, and tie with bakers twine for the perfect Christmas gift.

So so delicious!! I accidentally ate quite a few….I’ve packaged the rest up in an attempt to stop eating them!!! Would you try a gingerbread party with your pals?

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Halloween Cookies

Australia is very slowly embracing halloween. I remember being about 8 years old, cutting two holes in an old sheet, smearing my mother’s blue eye shadow all over my face and traipsing over to my neighbour’s house, plastic bag in hand, shouting “trick-or-treat” at the top of my lungs. After my mother spending about 15 minutes attempting to explain the concept of halloween to my elderly neighbours, they finally relented, but sadly all they had were some apples and a bag of prunes. Not the magical haul of chocolate and lollies my 8 year old imagination had been dreaming of.

`These days it’s different – halloween is catching on…..so I decided to yet again embrace halloween (I might even destroy another perfectly good bed sheet to make a new ghost costume).

I saw this pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe on The Butter Half Blog, and had to give it a whirl!! In Australia, pumpkin usually is for savoury purposes….but I can certainly get on board with pumpkin flavoured desserts!!

The only change I had to make was the tinned pumpkin. In Australia, it’s really difficult to find canned pumpkin….instead I bought a butternut pumpkin and cooked and pureed it (which didn’t take long at all – just allow time for the pumpkin puree to cool before you start).

Ingredients:

1 cup canned pumpkin (or pureed cooked butternut pumpkin)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 Celsius. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Mix together the pumpkin, sugar, butter, sour cream, egg and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt to one cup of flour. Add it into the wet mixture, thoroughly mix, then add in the remaining cup of flour. Pour in the chocolate chips until everything is well mixed.

3. Use a cookie scoop or spoon to drop a small mound of dough (about the size of a golf ball) on the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes on 375°F. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm.

They’re pumpkiny….chocolatey…. what more could you want!? Do you love halloween? Who has a costume idea that’s not a sheet with two holes in it!?

Funfetti Cupcakes

Nothing spells party time like sprinkles!! Little Dash turned two this weekend, so it was time for some serious baked goods!! Whilst it’s well known that the key to an excellent children’s party is ample amounts of wine for the adults, these funfetti cupcakes were a hit!! Thankfully there weren’t many of these left over after the party, or I most likely would have eaten all of them!!

I used this recipe from Crazy Crust….the cakes themselves were perfect….with the addition of buttermilk, they were seriously delicious!! They’re sugary….they’re buttery….they’re delicious!!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
125 grams butter, melted
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk (or combine 3/4 cup milk + 1 teaspoon white vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes)
1/2 cup Sprinkles

Frosting

250 grams butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Additional Sprinkles, for decorating

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line cupcake tins with liners (makes 15).
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
Add melted butter to a large bowl and mix in sugar with a hand mixer for 30 seconds, until thick and yellow. Add eggs one at at time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract.
Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Don’t over mix! Stir in sprinkles. Divide batter among liners, filling 2/3 full (about 1/4 cup of batter per cupcake). Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. (Mine took less than 20, so check at 15!) Cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting: Beat butter until creamy. Beat in salt and 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time until it’s all added. Beat in vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream. Add more cream as needed for desired consistency.
Frost cupcakes by placing frosting in a pastry bag. I like the 1M tip, it gives pretty swirls. Add sprinkles for fun!
Note: you can make the frosting the day before, but let it come to room temperature before using.

Dash can’t stop saying “good birthday” and it’s too adorable!! I’m sure these delightful cakes had something to do with it!!

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

There’s been far too many healthy recipes on Pop Therapy of late, so it was definitely time to bake something devious!! I made these cupcakes for a friends birthday and they were a hit…. easy to make, and loved by all!!

Nothing beats an Oreo…..except maybe combining it with delicious chocolate cake, coating it in cookies and cream icing, then topping it with another Oreo….and don’t forget to serve with milk….possibly milk which contains additional Oreos…. and maybe a side of ice cream, also containing Oreos…

I used this recipe from Bakerella

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon bi-carb soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup hot water
24 Oreos, plus more for crumbs

Frosting:
250 grams butter
250 grams icing supar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 or more teaspoons Oreo cookie crumbs

For the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Line tray with 12 baking cups.
Place one whole cookie in each cup or break apart at least 12 cookies and place the broken pieces into each cup.
Mix the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl using a wire whisk.
Add the eggs, oil, vanilla and milk and mix well until thoroughly combined. Add the hot water and mix until combined.
Transfer the batter (it will be very liquid) to a large measuring cup and then pour batter into each baking cup so it’s about three quarters full. You should have a little left over.
Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Makes at least 12 cupcakes

For the frosting:

Beat the butter in a mixer until smooth.
Add vanilla and mix until combined.
Add the powdered sugar in three additions, scraping down the sides after each addition.
Add a Tablespoon of milk at a time and mix together until you achieve the consistency you like.
Add the cookie crumbs and mix until completely combined. You can add more if you like, but I just wanted a light speckling to show off the white frosting.
Place frosting in a decorator bag with a 1M tip and swirl on top of each cupcake.
Insert a cookie on top of each cupcake.
You can also apply frosting on each cupcake in a mounded shape. Turn upside down and roll the top around in a small bowl of cookie crumbs to coat.

Would you try these? Are you an Oreo lover? What’s your dream cupcake flavour!?

Simply Delicious Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’ve been attempting to clean up my diet lately, and this means cutting back on the delicious, butter and sugar filled baked goods I’ve been baking all too often lately!!

I’ve done several dairy free recipes in the past, and was loving coconut oil as an alternative to butter!! This recipe takes it a step further, and is gluten free, as well as dairy free!! It also uses Coconut Sugar instead of refined sugar.. Coconut Sugar has lower GI than regular sugar so is a (slightly) better alternative.

It uses a mix of almond meal and coconut flour in the place of regular sugar, which gives these a crumbly and slightly coconutty flavour.

These cookies are simply delicious!! Thick and crumbly, and full of chocolate goodness!! I used this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 cup almond meal
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 pack dark chocolate melts – you can use dairy free chocolate if you’re keeping the recipe dairy free Coles stock a brand called “Sweet William” who make baking chips.
Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
In a large bowl, add add in beaten egg, melted and cooled coconut oil, coconut sugar and vanilla extract. (Please make sure your coconut oil is cool!) Next add in almond flour, coconut flour and baking soda, mixing well to combine and form a dough. Fold in dark chocolate chunks. You may need to use your hands to moisten the dough so that it sticks together well.
Use a cookie scoop or large tablespoon to drop dough onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Gently flatten the dough with your hand. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden brown. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and allow to cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finishing cooling. Makes 12 cookies.

Easy to make, and easy to eat!!! Perfect for your gluten free and dairy free pals too!!! Do you have a favourite paleo recipe?

Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Every now and then a recipe comes along that is just so darn delicious that you wonder where it’s been your whole life! This is such a recipe!!

The combination of brown butter, and a gooey cookie dough consistency make recipe one to be reckoned with…just when you thought a cookie couldn’t get any more delicious…along comes my good friend Nutella, to make it even more amazing!!

Disclaimer: You may want to eat far too many of these in one sitting – I strongly suggest you share these with your friends, or trouble will ensue.

I used this recipe on a Cup of Jo, by Monique at Ambitious Kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
2 cups dark brown sugar (light brown sugar works too)
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
16 tbsp Nutella (1 cup)
Sea salt for sprinkling

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper. (A 7 x 11 inch pan will also work well.)

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. The butter will begin to crackle and foam. Make sure you whisk consistently during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan; continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. It is VERY important to let the butter cool. Please do not skip this step.

With an electric mixer, mix the brown butter and sugar until thoroughly blended. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well combined, smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the dry ingredients slowly and beat on low-speed just until combined. Gently fold in all of the chocolate chips.

Divide the cookie dough batter in half. Spread half of the dough onto prepared pan, patting towards the edges. Try to make sure that the batter is evenly distributed; it’s going to seem like a thin layer but they will bake up and be glorious.

Drop Nutella by tablespoonfuls on top of first layer of cookie dough. You’ll want to do this all around the pan, leaving a small amount of space on the edges. Next, spread Nutella with a spatula so that it’s in an even layer on top of the cookie dough. Top Nutella with remaining batter, making sure Nutella is completely covered. Tip: I drop a handful of cookie dough in different areas on top of the Nutella, then use my hands to pat the cookie dough into an even layer.

Bake for 23 to 27 minutes, or until edges begin to turn a slight golden brown. I like to underbake mine a little so they stay gooey and soft in the middle. Sprinkle with sea salt. Allow to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before cutting into bars.

If you love these, I also recommend trying these brown butter chocolate chip cookies, stuffed with Nutella!!

Orange Sponge Cake with Chocolate Filling

It’s freezing cold in Sydney today, so what better excuse would there be to crank up the oven and get baking?

I’ve never actually made a humble sponge cake before, so I thought I’d give it a whirl!! I did a twist on the classic victoria sponge by adding some orange to my cakes, and filing it with chocolate instead of jam and cream…..good decision….very good decision!

This is probably one of the easiest recipes I’ve ever made – you can have it mixed and in the oven in minutes.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

4 eggs
225g/8oz caster sugar
225g/8oz self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
225g/8oz soft butter
Orange zest
Juice of half an orange
Addition 2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 pack dark chocolate melts
Icing sugar for dusting

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius
Grease 2 x 6 inch baking pans with butter or olive oil spray, then dust with flour
Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl with an electric hand mixer, then add orange zest, sifted flour, and baking powder and continue mixing to combine.
Bake for 25 minutes until golden, and coming away from the edges of the pan – they should be springy to touch.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer onto wire racks
Mix the juice of half an orange with 2 tablespoons of caster sugar. Lightly brush the juice mix over each cake (this will make them moist, and extra orangy)
Melt chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring the bowl does not touch the water!!
Spread chocolate over the top of one cake, then layer the second cake on top. Dust the top cake with icing sugar.

Pure citrusy goodness!! Do you enjoy a classic sponge cake!?