cupcakes

there is something nostalgic about cupcakes. reminds me the packets of little butter cupcakes i ate whe i was growing up in HK. even I try not to eat wheat, i just cannot resist a perfectly formed cupcake with yummy and pastel colour icing on top.

just near my office, there is a cupcake shop that I have been dying to try but never had the time to go in.
but if it is a whole shop dedciated to just cupcakes, it's got to be good and IT IS!

cupcakes on pitt street sells only cupcakes, either vanilla or chocolate base, but top with a super scrumptious buttery icing. I like old school classic like strawberry, they also have more unusual toppings like oreo, maltesers, jaffa orange and tiramisu.
notice, the icing they have is not hard and when it breaks it is like rubble. this is smooth creamy stuff, applied generously by staff and all of them looks identical, othe cupcakes looks like shrek to me now!

why not use any's friends birthday as an excuse to pick up a few (or more than a few) cupcakes! You can also stack cupcakes with 3 - tiers cardboard stand they sell at the shop.

or if you prefer to make this yourself, this a tried and tested receipe i ripped out from a woman's day (don't ask):
I like to make this with baby cupcakes mold.
this is a basic butter cake receipe, so it can be adapted to make into a varieties of cakes with different molds. Like a circular mold, so you can fill this with fresh cream and strawberries

2 cups self raising flour
pinch of salt
125g butter
3/4 cup castor sugar
1 teaspoon vaniila extract (extract pls, no fake stuff)
2 x 60g eggs
3/4 milk

1. preheat oven to 190 C
2. sift flour and salt onto a sheet of grease proof paper. Using an electric mixer beat the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well incorporated
3. fold in the sifted flour with the milk
4. place paper cases in cupcake tins and only fill it 2/3 way up, it will rise during cooking.
5. bake in oven for 10-15mins until its risen and golden.

variations: add choc chips in the mixure during last stage of mixing. Or before going into the oven, top with flaked almonds.

ICING
since I know I cannot recreate the icing of the cupcakes on pitt and other recipe for icing are too sweet and with scary amount of butter in it, i prefer to use the following ganache recipe by nigella lawson.
melt equal amount of double cream and dark chooclate in a pan. Pour this onto the cupcakes once they are cool.

ENJOY!