Carob cupcakes

Welcome in 2015 :) ! Happy New Year !

It's high time to catch up with some unpublished recipes. I baked those cupcakes in October last year but haven't got enough time to publish the recipe. 

This is recipe for those who have to avoid chocolate. Carob is healthier chocolate substitute you may read about it here. It has plenty of vitamins, minerals etc.. It has darker than chocolate color and slightly different flavour. 

This recipe comes form carob box. I think it's worth to try.

    Ingredients for 12 cupcakes:

• 100g margarine
• 100g brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 tsp almond essence
• 50g carob
• 40g wholewheat flour (I used spelt flour)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 40g ground almonds

Line muffin tin with paper cases. Preheat the oven to 180C.

Put the margarine  and sugar into electric mixer bowl and beat them. Separate the egg yolks and whites. Mix the egg yolks with vanilla and almond essence and add to the mixture in an electric mixer bowl and beat them together. 

In separate bowl mix the carob, flour, baking powder and almonds. Whip the egg whites until stiff. Add alternately the flour mixture and egg whites foam to the mixture in mixer beating continuously. 

 Spoon the batter to the muffin cases. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until well risen. 

Set aside to cool down. Prepare the frosting.

Ingredients for frosting:

• 80g icing sugar
• 25g carob
• 40g butter
• 4 tsp hot water

Place all the ingredients in a bowl  and mix them until turn into thick, smooth mass.

Spread over each cupcake top and sprinkle with chopped almonds.

   Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish
 

German chocolate cupcakes

This is Ina Garten's recipe for German chocolate cupcakes . As usually cupcakes were divine. Spongy, chocolate cake with lovely rich custard frosting packed with coconut, almonds and pecans. I truly recommend it to everybody.

Ingredients for 24 cupcakes:

• 170g butter
• 150g sugar
• 120g brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 ml buttermilk
• 125 ml sour cream
• 2 tbsp freshly brewed coffee
• 295g flour
• 41g coca powder (should be twice that much but I haven't got more in the cupboard)
• 1 1/2 tsp soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Place the flour, cocoa powder, soda and salt in a bowl and whisk them together.  In a separate bowl whisk the buttermilk, sour cream and coffee.

Butter, sugar and brown sugar beat in an electric mixer until fluffy for about 5 minutes. Add one egg at a time. When egg are well incorporated add the vanilla extract. Then beating continuously add alternately the flour and buttermilk mixture in three additions. 

Spoon the batter into prepared paper cases, 2/3 full. Bake in preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

Transfer baked cupcakes into a wire rack to cool down. In a meantime prepare the frosting.

Frosting ingredients:

• 170g butter
• 410g evaporated milk
• 230 g brown sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond essence
• 135g dessicated coconut
• 100g almond flakes
• 50g chopped pecans
• 1/4 tsp salt

 Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Stir in the milk, brown sugar and egg yolks. Heat this mixture up stirring continuously. Cook for 15 minutes until thickens. Set aside from the heat and add the vanilla extract and almond essence. Then stir in the coconut, almond, pecans and salt. Set aside for an hour to cool the mixture down.

Spread the mixture over each cupcake top.

 Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

 

Rosewater pistachio cupcakes

Rosewater and pistachios are interesting combination of flavours. We adults enjoyed them a lot, children weren't really interested. Although my oven wasn't working properly at that time and the cake itself was a bit too moist we still found them really tasty. I am pretty sure I will try this recipe again when my oven will be fixed and compare. For now please have a look on mine a little bit under baked cupcakes, with lovely mascarpone frosting.

The original recipe comes form this website.

Ingredients for 12 small cupcakes:

• 50g unsalted pistachios
• 60g ground almonds
• 25g flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 100g butter
• 100g sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 tsp rosewater
• 1/ tsp vanilla extract

 Remove pistachios from their shells place the nuts in blender and blend them until powered. Place them in the bowl, add almonds, flour, baking powder and mix well

Preheat the oven to 170C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Put the butter and sugar into an electric mixer bowl and beat them until pale. Add the egg while beating. When is incorporated add the milk, rosewater and vanilla. Wait again until well incorporated. Stop the mixer. Gently fold in the nut and flour mixture. Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 3/4 full.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until the skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

Baked cupcakes leave in the muffin tin for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool down.

 In a meantime prepare the frosting.

Ingredients for frosting:

• 100g whipping cream
• 250g mascaropne cheese
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• splash of vanilla extract
• few drops of red food colouring

 Put all ingredients into an electric mixer bowl and beat them until smooth and creamy. Transfer the frosting into a piping bag with a nozzle. Decorate the cupcakes. You can also sprinkle them with chopped pistachio nuts.

Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish 

Hot cross buns cupcakes

Moist, aromatic, packed with raisins. Almost as good as original hot cross buns. The recipe comes form BBC GoodFood

Ingredients for 12 -14 cupcakes:

• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 100ml milk
• 175g butter
• 175g self-rising flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 175g brown sugar
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 100g ground almonds
• 3 eggs
• orange zest
• 100g raisins
• 1 medium apple

 Combine the lemon juice and milk and sit aside for 5 minutes. Peel and then great the apple. Melt the butter and set aside to cool down.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line muffin with paper cases or slightly grease and dust with flour each muffin cup. 

Put the flour, baking powder, sugar, spice, almond and pinch of salt into a large bowl. Mix all ingredients together. 

Zest orange and add the zest to thickened milk. Then add the eggs and melted butter. Mix well and pour into dry ingredients. Combine all ingredients together until even. Fold in the raisins and grated apple. 

Spoon the batter into muffin tin, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes until well risen and golden. When beaked remove form oven leave the muffins for a few minutes in a tin then remove and transfer to the wire rack to cool down.

While the muffins are cooling down prepare the frosting.

Frosting:

• 1 tbsp apricot jam and splash of hot water
• 50 g full fat cream cheese
• 50g icing sugar
• 25g soft butter
• 1/4 tsp mixed spice

 Put the cream cheese, sugar, butter and spice in a bowl and mix with a spoon until smooth. Transfer to the icing syringe.

Put the jam and hot water in a small bowl and whisk them together. Brush each cold muffin with jam mixture. Then with the syringe pipe the frosting into the crosses. 

Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

 

Healthy seeds muffins

There were bags of rye, barley flakes, some sunflower seeds, linseed ... in my cupboard. I had no idea what to do with them until I came across this website.   I have baked those muffins immediately. They were rich, dense and chewy. Ideal for busy day breakfast. And of course following  the advice of the author of this recipe I used what was in my cupboard so my recipe is slightly different then the original one. 

I would recommend them to everybody.

  Ingredients for 10 -12 muffins:

• 80g porridge oats
• 100g rye flakes
• about 280 ml hot milk
• 100g barley flakes
• 35g oat flakes
• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp linseed
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 20g almonds chunks
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp honey
• pinch of salt

 Place the 80g of porridge oats and rye flakes in a bowl and pour in the hot milk. Set aside to soak.

In a big bowl place the barley flakes, oat flakes, sunflower seeds, linseed, sesame seeds, almond chunks, sugar, salt and mix them together.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Into a bowl with dry ingredients add the soaked flakes, the eggs and honey and stir them together. 

Spoon this thick batter into paper cases up to the top. Bake in preheated oven for 20 - 30 minutes. When baked transfer to the wire rack and leave them to cool down slightly. I prefer them warm but cold are fine too.

Enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Almond cupcakes with mascarpone frosting

Those aromatic, rich and dense almond cupcakes are perfect for Christmas. Topped with Mascarpone frosting which should resemble Christmas trees. They are easy to make and look lovely. Perfect as a small Christmas gift or edible table decoration. 

The recipe for a cupcakes comes from this web site and the one for frosting from this one. 

Ingredients for 12-15 cupcakes:

• 140g flour
• 100g ground almonds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 175g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp almond essence
• 3 eggs
• 100g natural yogurt 
• 175g melted butter

Preheat the oven to 190C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Melt the butter down and set aside to cool down. Place the flour, almonds, baking powder, sugar in a bowl and mix them together. Set aside. In separate bowl whisk the eggs, almond extract and natural yogurt.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ones add the melted butter and mix until combined. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases, about 3/4 full. Bake in preheated oven for 20 -25 minutes. Bake until skewer inserted in the middle on the cake comes out clean.

Transfer baked cupcakes into a wire rack to cool them down completely before piping the frosting.

Ingredients for frosting 12 cupcakes:

• 100ml cold double cream
• 250g Mascarpone cheese
• 5 tbsp icing sugar*
• green food colouring
• almond essence
• chocolate starts
• sugar sprinkles

* if you wish you can add more sugar as those frosting is not very sweet

Place the Mascarpone cheese, sugar and food colouring in a bowl and mix them until smooth . 

With an electric whisk whisk the double cream until foamy. Then add the almond essence and Mascarpone mixture. Mix all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Put the frosting into piping bag with nozzle and decorate the cupcakes. Place the chocolate star on top and sprinkle with some sugar sprinkles. 

For recipe in Polish please click here.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW 2014 YEAR !!

Enjoy !

Pumpkin muffins

Those pumpkin muffins baked of wholewheat flour are very delicious. The cake itself was moist and dense with lovely cinnamon fragrance. The most tasty part was the crunchy crust made of cinnamon, sugar and almond flakes mixture. The idea for that recipe comes form this website. In comparison to the original recipe I have replaced plain flour with wholewheat one. Hoping this sweet treat will be a little bit healthier then regular pumpkin cake.

Ingredients for 6 muffins:

• 2 room temperature eggs
• 220g sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 200g grated fresh pumpkin
• 150g wholewheat flour

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line the muffin tin with paper cases. 

Grate the pumpkin into small shreds. Set aside.

Break the eggs and put them into electric mixer bowl. Add the sugar and beat until pale and creamy. In separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and cloves. Gently fold the dry ingredients into egg mixture. And last but not least fold in the pumpkin shreds. Spoon the batter into prepared earlier muffin cases, half full. Set them aside and prepare the crust.

Ingredients for crust:

• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp flaked almonds

Place all ingredients into a small bowl and stir them together.

Sprinkle each muffin top with dry crust.

Place the muffin tin into preheated oven  for 20 - 30 minutes. Check with a skewer if baked in the middle. When the skewer comes out clean then it is the time to remove muffins from the oven. Cool them down and enjoy !

 

Peach and almond muffins

Moist, dense and crunchy with almond chunks, topped with juicy peach jam and fresh peaches. That would be the best description of those muffins. Perfect with tea or coffee. 

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 3 big eggs (I had ones with double yolks)
• 200g sugar
• almond essence
• 50g melted butter
• 200g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 50g ground almonds (mine were very chunky)
• pinch of salt
• peaches
• peach jam
• almond flakes

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool down.

Break the eggs, add the sugar and almond essence and whisk them until smooth and creamy.

Sift the flour, baking powder and soda and fold them gently into the eggs. Then gently fold in the almonds and melted butter.

Spoon the batter into paper cases, half full. Spoon one tea spoon of peach jam on top of each muffin. Then place slices of fresh peaches and sprinkle with flakes almonds. 

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes until skewer place in the middle comes out clean.

Enjoy !

Chocolate muffins with apricots

Those muffins look very pretty: dark cake, orange fruit and white icing. Lovely combination of colours I hope you will share my opinion. This is my favorite type of cake, light and fluffy, not too sweet and, thanks to fruits content, little bit sour. The recipe a little bit change by me comes from this website.  I tried to make them healthier so plain flour was replaced by wholemeal one. 

Ingredients for 16 muffins:

• 200g wholemeal flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 100g grated dark chocolate
• 3 eggs
• 100g sugar
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 125 ml canola oil
• 8 fresh apricots
• almond flakes

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Grate the chocolate on finely shreds and place them in the bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, cocoa and mix them well. Set aside.

Break the eggs into separate jug add the sugar and whisk until pale and creamy. Add the buttermilk and oil and mix well. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients bowl. Combine until all ingredients are just moist.

Spoon the batter into muffin cases, half full.

before baking

On top of each muffin place half of apricot, sprinkle with almond flakes. 

 

Bake in  preheated oven 25 - 30 minutes. Until skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

When ready remove from the oven and set aside to cool down.

In a meantime prepare the icing.

Incing:

• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 1 tbsp milk

Place all ingredients in small bowl and combine with a spoon or fork until smooth and thick.

Spread the icing on top of each muffin.

 

Enjoy !

Plum, oat and almond muffins

Dense, moist, sweet muffins with plum and almond chunks. The recipe comes form this website.

Ingredients for 10 - 12 muffins:

• 350g stoned plums ( I had frozen and thawed them before baking)
• 1 egg
• 115g melted butter
• 150 ml milk
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 115g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 100g cane sugar
• 85g rolled oats
• 25g almond flakes
• lemon zest

Topping:

• 2 tbsp rolled oats
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp almond flakes

Wash the plums. Remove stones. 6 plums cut into 24 wedges the rest of them cut into chunks. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool down.

Whisk the egg, add the milk, butter and almond extract. Mix all ingredients well.

Into a big bowl place the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and stir them well. Then add the oats, almond flakes and mix again. At last add chopped plums and freshly grated lemon zest. Combine all the ingredients.

Then pour in the wet ingredients. Combine all ingredients until just moist. 

Spoon the batter into paper cases 3/4 full. Sprinkle with rolled oats, place 2 - 3 plum wedges on top of the each muffin, then sprinkle with sugar and almond flakes.

Bake 20 - 25 minutes until well risen and golden on the top.

Enjoy !

Almond meal muffins

Those flour free muffins were very delicious. Soft with lovely crunchy crust, sweet and sour thanks to fresh raspberries. Perfect for those allergic to flour. We loved them ! 

The recipe comes from this website. 

Ingredients for 8 muffins:

• 200g ground almonds
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 60ml water
• 60ml canola oil
• 100g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 180. Line muffin tin with paper cases. 

Place the ground almonds, baking powder, salt and sugar in a big bowl and whisk the together.

In separate jug mix the eggs with oil and water. Pour this mixture into a bowl with dry ingredients.

Gently fold in the raspberries.

Spoon the batter into paper cases, half full. 

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes.

 Enjoy !