More cupcakes ...
A while ago I experimented with the "Cupcakes in a jar" craze that was around for a while. I had brought back some very pretty 250ml Mason jars that I had bought for pretty cheap in Canadian Tire and baked chocolate cupcakes in the jar, topped with a very nice "ombre" pink & white icing, labelled and decorated the jars - I think they looked amazing and thought they might work for weddings or girly parties ....
Recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes
4 eggs
200g caster sugar
200g butter
150g self raising flour
50g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Method
This is a very simple recipe, where you literally just mix all the wet ingredients together, all the dry together then pour the dry into the wet.
If you're using jars, make sure they are heat-proof and fill halfway up, if you're using a cupcake tray, fill 3/4 of the cup and bake for 30 minutes.
While the cakes are cooling, make the icing.
Recipe for Vanilla Buttercream Icing
140g unsalted butter
280g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp milk
a few drops of pink food colouring
Method
Beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half of the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
Add the remaining icing sugar, vanilla and one tablespoon of the milk and beat the mixture until creamy and smooth.
Beat in the milk, if necessary, to loosen the mixture. Stir in the food colouring in half the icing until well combined.
Load up a pastry bag with varying colours of frosting (white, mid-pink, dark-pink), fit with your open star tip (Wilton no 1), and start at the top of the cake. To pipe a rose, hold the piping bag perpendicular to the surface and start in the center of where you want your rose. Gently squeeze the bag and pipe frosting around in a spiral until you reach the outer edge, then let go.
Cover the top of the jar with a tight layer of cling-film, then fix with the jar bands. Tie with twine and add a handwritten, customised label to finish.
Perfect ...