How To: Ginger Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Hey Nibblers!

           I haven't had many gingerbread cookies in my life. It was never love at first taste for me. I love the way the cookies are decorated but, never craved the ginger goodness. But with Christmas only 27 days away, I suddenly had a craving for a gingerbread cookie. So, instead of heading to a bakery for my fix I thought I would make my own twist on the classic gingerbread cookie with the only way I know how, in cupcake form. I love how these cupcakes turned out. The ginger flavour is pungent and ties in nicely with the the cream cheese frosting to give a sweet, sour and tangy taste all in one bite.

How To:  Ginger Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Yields 12-14 cupcakes
What you'll need:
Ginger Cupcake component:
- 230g of self raising flour (sifted)
- 100g butter softened to room temp
- 150g of raw brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbs. ginger powder
- 3 tsp. vanilla essence
- 250mL of milk
- 2 tsp. baking powder

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 200g softened cream cheese
- 3 Tbs. of orange juice
- 1/4 cup of mixed dried fruit

How To:

The perfect rise

Ginger Cupcake:
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celcius / 350 degrees Farenheit
2. Line cupcake tin with patty pans / grease tin
3. Beat butter and sugar together until well incorporated
4. Add eggs and mix
5. Add vanilla essence, baking powder and mix
6. Add about half flour and milk and mix until well combined
7. Repeat step 6
8. Beat for a further 2 minutes to ensure all ingredients are fused well together
9. Divide batter into lined cupcake tin
10. Pop into the oven for 16-18 minutes or until cooked (check using the toothpick method at 16 minutes)
11. Let cupcakes cool for 5-10 minutes before frosting!

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting Ready

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:
1. Beat cream cheese until it becomes creamier in texture (about 5 minutes)
2. Add orange juice and beat until well combined
3. Add mixed fruit and beat until well incorporated
4. Spoon a tsp. or two on top of eat cupcake then consume!
         Note: If you feel the frosting is too liquified for your taste, beat in a Tbs. of icing sugar until your preferred consistency or alternatively, refrigerate frosting for 5-10 minutes before serving to ensure the frosting holds its shape

          Hope you enjoyed this #CountdownToChristmas recipe. After the success of these cupcakes, I officially have an appreciation for ginger. They have converted me to the ginger loving society. My parents were skeptical at first but, have asked for me to remake these again which means they can covert the toughest of the crowds. If you do give these a try, be sure to comment below as I would love to hear your thoughts!

Nibble Away,
       
               Jo.

How To: Heart Shaped Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Hey Nibblers!

       I've already put out a Red Velvet Cupcake recipe a few weeks back but I found myself with some leftover cream cheese. So, what better way to use it up than to bake a batch of home made delicious cupcakes with a cute Valentine's Day theme ready for Friday. Mind you, you'll be wanting to make these babies all the time to indulge yourself.
       I have yet to invest in heart shaped mould cupcakes which could have saved me a bit of time. But, after using ceramic baking beads as a substitute, I don't think I need to. The cupcakes were a bit uneven in shape but with a few tweaks, they came out perfectly. I used the same recipe as last time so to make things easier I'll copy it over to this post. Happy Reading!

What you'll need: (To make 14 small/ medium sized cupcakes)
- 125g softened room temperature butter
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 3 eggs
- 187g of self-raising flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 Tbs. cocoa
- 125ml of buttermilk (helps aerate the cake batter/ keeps the cake moist)
- 1/2 tsp.vanilla essence
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 3 tsp. red food colouring OR 1/4 tsp. of red food paste
- Ceramic baking beads or foil 

How To:
1. Pre-heat fan forced oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Line tin with patty paper
3. Sift self raising flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder and giving it a quick stir until well combined then set aside
4. Beat soft butter and sugar together until the resemble fine bread crumbs
5. Add an egg one at a time to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until well incorporated
6. Add vanilla and red food colouring, beating until the food colouring is mixed thoroughly
7. Add half of your dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk and beat on a high for 3 minutes
8. Repeat step 7 until all ingredients have been mixed
9. Divide batter equally into cupcake moulds about 1/2 -3/4 of the way up and leaving for 2 minutes so the batter can set into place for an even rise
10. Place ceramic beads or foil balls on one of the outer arc of the patty pan to form a heart shape mould

I used about 4 ceramic beads. For foil, you can do the same thing. Either small foil balls or a large foil stick

10. Pop into the oven for 18 minutes, checking with a skewer to ensure the cupcake is cooked
11. Leave cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes before decorating

Heart shaped!

Cream Cheese Frosting
- 125g of softened cream cheese
- 125g softened unsalted butter
- 200g sifted icing sugar/ mixture
- 2 Tbs. milk
- 2 tsp. lemon juice

1. Beat cream cheese and butter together until mixture turns from a yellow tone to a white- creamy tone. This will take about 5 minutes
2. Add milk and lemon juice and beat until well combined
3. Slowly add icing sugar and mix remembering to scrape the sides for an even mix
4. Beat for a further 2 minutes before decorating

I went for a heart on heart look.  

               I loved how this cream cheese frosting worked with the cupcakes. It gives a fresh citrus kick and is great on any cupcake. If you give these guys a go, leave a comment below. Until next time,

        Nibble Away,

        

              Jo.