Cup Cakes - I am crazy about them!

Most of the cakes we know are butter cakes of some sort. One uses butter in their recipes so that it holds the flavour of the cake, keep the texture and moisture and ultimately the cake will cut smoothly & easily.  It will also keep the cake well for a few days, but most important of all it makes the cake tastes just wonderful.

As a Baker one has to develop an understanding of ingredients so that there is a balance in the recipe and the end result is the product which not only tastes good but also feels good and looks good. Today I would like to present you with few cup cakes which are the results of a balanced approach of all ingredients in the recipe.

Orange Muffins
Sometimes making a small change in the way one makes the batter can result in a product with massive difference. To prove this, I used freshly squeezed orange juice and not the canned juices from the supermarket and it made a huge difference to the taste of the muffin. I could feel the “real” concentrated orange in the muffin. This was cost effective too, in a sense, I used the zest of the orange. These delicious orange muffins are excellent accompaniment with High Teas and have a shelf life of 2-3 days in refrigerator.

Orange muffins sprinkled with icing sugar

Macadamia cup cakes

Macadamia nuts are my favourite when it comes to baking. They are commonly found in NZ in many recipes. When they are used in cakes and buns, it enhances its crunchiness. These nuts are a good substitute for almonds or cashew nuts.

Nutty Cupcakes

Raspberry Coconut Cup cakes

These I call them as a cousin of Madeleine. These are rolled in raspberry jam and then in long threaded coconut. They are moist and sweet. They bring back my childhood memories. All of you must have had a desiccated coconut dressed cake at some point of your childhood.

Coconut Cupcakes

Rum Cup cakes

Alcohol is one of the most discussed topic amongst people of all age groups. Well of course I am a baker and not a bartender hence I had to make sure that I use the alcohol in proportion. Therefore I am sure these rum cakes won’t make you drunk but you would certainly enjoy the subtle flavour of rum.

We don’t serve rum but we do serve you rum cup cakes

This was just the introduction of my Cup cake series. I will be back soon with more cup cakes with other variations. Ciao!