Red Velvet Cake with Blue Lace Butterfies

"Remember, Sofia has no idea about this birthday meal. Keep it quiet! So I'm thinking red velvet cake?" I read the message that my friend sent and was like: "Yessss!! Cake commission!!"

This particular cake was for a good friend who I've made birthday cakes for in the past.   

Red velvet is one of those cakes that has that luxury feel, and it wouldn't be the same without a white icing but trying to incorporate blue, (which is Sofia's favourite colour) was tough. But after a great deal of thinking, inspiration came in from an insect form. 

I was waiting for the bus when a butterfly flew past me and as I got home I was reading my cookery books for inspiration and a royal icing tutorial jumped out at me and guess what? It featured butterflies. Clearly a sign right? Or maybe just an odd coincidence? Whatever the case, the end result was worth the extra effort. 

I was very please how this cake turned out. Not because it was tasty and super sugary (because that's what you need after a heavy meal...), but more because my best friends was thrilled with the cake. 

I hope that we made your birthday really special Sofia.

These delicate butterflies are just that, DELICATE! Make extra because there will be causalities but there worth the effort in the end as they look so pretty. You have to leave these to dry overnight, so do these before you bake the cake. 

Recipe: Lace Butterflies (Adapted from Divine Cupcakes by Tamara Jane)

Ingredients:

·       1 egg white

·       Ice blue colouring paste

·       300g icing sugar

·       ½ teaspoon lemon juice

Equipment:

·       Electric mixer/hand-held electric whisk

·       Sieve

·       Bowl x 1

·       Baking paper

·       Foil

·       Paper

·       Pencil/pen

·       Edible glitter in pink

·       Disposable piping bag

·       Scissors

Step 1. Beat the egg white

1.    Beat the egg white with an electric mixer until foamy.

2.    Add the icing sugar gradually beating well after each addition.

Step 3. Colour the icing

3.    Icing is ready when peaks appear and holds shape. Beat in lemon juice and food colouring. 

Step 4. Trace a butterfly template

4.    Trace a butterfly template (use a simple one as a complex template will be tricky) onto paper and place the baking paper on top.

Step 5. Fill the piping bag

5.    Fill the bag with royal icing and cut the point off the bag so there is a 1mm diameter.

Step 6. Pipe the thin line to create the butterfly

6.    Pipe a thin line over the template. Once finish sprinkle with edible glitter and allow to dry overnight.

Step 7. Place on decorated cake 

7.    Peel off the paper and use to decorate the cake by placing around the sides of the cake.

8.    With the remaining icing pipe your message on top of the cake.

Recipe: Red Velvet Cake

·       75g unsalted butter, softened (plus a little extra for greasing)

·       300g caster sugar

·       2 eggs, beaten

·       1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·       225g plain flour

·       3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

·       1 ½ teaspoon red food colour paste

·       125ml buttermilk

·       1 tablespoon white vinegar

Equipment:

·       Wilton Tasty Fill cake pan

·       Electric mixer/hand-held electric whisk

·       Sieve

·       Bowl x 2

·       Tablespoon

·       Teaspoon

1.    Pre heat the oven to 180c/350c/ Gas mark 4. Grease and flour cake tins.

Step 2. Sift all dry ingredients together

2.    For the cake, cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl, then beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a separate bowl. Stir in the food colour paste into buttermilk.

3.    Alternately add the flour and buttermilk mixtures to the creamed mixture. Stir in the vinegar, mixing well. Pour the mixture into the prepared tins, dividing it evenly. Bake in the oven for 30-35 mins or until firm to touch. Cool in the tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Recipe: Bulk Vanilla Buttercream frosting (Adapted from Divine Cupcakes by Tamara Jane)

·       200g unsalted butter, softened

·       125ml milk

·       1 tablespoon vanilla extract

·       2kg icing sugar, sifted

Equipment:

·       Electric mixer/hand-held electric whisk

·       Sieve

·       Bowl x 1

        Palette knife

       Optional piping bag fitted with a nozzle

1.Using a large mixer, cream the butter for 1-2 minutes.

2. Add the milk, vanilla and half the icing sugar and beat for 3 minutes or until light a fluffy.

Step 3. Beat until spreadable

3. Add the remaining icing sugar and beat for a further 3 minutes or until it is a spreadable consistency.

Step 4. Spread  the buttercream into the middle of the cake.

4. Once the cakes are completely cooled you can start putting some of the buttercream into the middle of the cake. 

5. Spread the rest of the buttercream over the top and sides of the cake using a palette knife ensuring it is as smooth as you can get it. 

6. If you have any leftover buttercream (depends on how thick you like it on your cake), you can place some in a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle to swirl around the edges. 

Its not as hard as it looks and is worth the effort and the smile on peoples faces when they see a 3-D cake.

Volunteering, Cupcakes and Slow Food

Last Wednesday I went out for Slow Food on Campus Portsmouth to help out with the Volunteering In Portsmouth (VIP) Baking Event for the Elderly. (There's me in purple in the right hand corner) 

 Essentially the idea was teach people how to decorate using fondant and buttercream. It was very rewarding and great meeting new people as well! It was a fun day for everyone and we got some great designs including a Dr Who Tardis!! 

We were practicing make buttercream. We gave out handouts which featured basic vanilla cupcake.

I have to say a big thank-you to VIP and Slow Food for the opportunity. Oh and an even bigger thank-you to Chef Will I would have been all over the place if it wasn't for him! (Hes the super tall one)

The point of this post is to highlight that doing one good thing can not only brighten up your day but the people around you as well. The whole group had fun! If you get a offer like this, you take it!

Bake On!

50 Cupcakes for a 50th Birthday

First of all, I hope all my readers had a Happy Easter.
This Easter weekend has been the most challenging, baking wise, ever. Not only did I need to make something nice for Easter, but it was my mum's 50th birthday!

I mean it was on the same level as the Burger Cake as I had to stay up late putting the finishing touches on the 50 cupcakes. 

I know 50 isn't really a huge number compared to the professionals, but making the decorations like roses and buttons as well as paint them with edible paints is a tough job to do in one go. Nevertheless, I managed and they went down a treat. 

Lemon Cupcakes with a Lemon Buttercream 

Mum had no idea what she wanted, the only clue I was given was: "chocolate or lemon maybe... I'm not sure just make something nice for my 50th." 
By the end of the night I was covered in buttercream, icing sugar and glitter. I also had a fair amount of chocolate buttercream. It was just 'taste tasting'.

I would recommend that, since this is a large amount of cupcakes, that you use a mixer like a Kitchen Aid. It makes things a little easier. However, if you half each recipe you can use a small hand held whisk (Lemon cupcakes 12 and Chocolate cupcakes 16). 

Recipe: Makes 24 cupcakes (Adapted from Cupcakes from The Primrose Bakery)

·       220g unsalted butter, at room temperature

·       550g golden caster sugar

·       4 large eggs

·       300g self raising flour, sifted

·       350g plain flour, sifted

·       180ml semi-skimmed milk at room temperature

·       4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

·       2 tablespoon natural yoghurt

·       Grated zest of lemon (About 2 teaspoons)

Lemon Cupcake Ingredients

Buttercream

·       220g unsalted butter, at room temperature

·       8 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

·       Grated zest of 2-3 unwaxed lemons about 4 teaspoons

·       1kg icing sugar, sifted
 ·      Glitter, sprinkles, decorations and even candles!

Equipment:

·       Bowl x3

·       Mixer

·       Grater/zester

·       Measuring Jug

·       Sieve

·       Tablespoon

·       Muffin tray lined with cupcake cases x 2 

·       Palette Knife 

1.    Pre-heat the oven to 160c fan/180c/350f/Gas Mark 4 and line a 12 hole muffin tray with cupcake cases.

Step 2. Cream the Butter and Sugar together.

Step 2. Add the eggs and beat well

2.    In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until pale and smooth, which should 3-5 minutes using an electric mixer. Add the eggs into the creamed mixture, beat until incorporated. 

3.    Combine the two flours in a separate bowl and combine the milk, lemon juice and sour cream in a jug. Add one-third of the flours to the creamed mixture and beat well. Pour in one-third of the milk mixture and beat again. Repeat these steps until all the flour and milk has been added, incorporating the lemon zest with the last third with the flour. Don’t worry if the mixture begins to curdle: simply add another spoonful of plain flour and beat well.

Step 3. The lemon cupcake cake batter once all the ingredients have been added. 

4.    Carefully spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling them to about two-thirds full. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until slightly raised and golden brown. To check they are cooked, insert a skewer in the centre of one of the cakes-it should come out clean.

5.    Remove from the oven and leave the cakes in their tins for about 10 minutes before carefully placing on a wire rack to cool. Once they are completely cool, you can ice the cupcakes.

6.    In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, lemon juice, zest and half the icing sugar until smooth-this can take several minutes using a electric hand mixer. Gradually add the reminder of the icing sugar and beat again until smooth and creamy.

 There were quite a few cupcakes....

Ok, there were a lot of cupcakes and that's just the lemon ones!

Chocolate Cupcakes decorated with sugar paste buttons and butterflies. 

Chocolate Cupcakes (Adapted from Cupcakes from The Primrose Bakery)

Recipe: Makes 32 cupcakes

·       230g 70% good-quality dark chocolate

·       170g unsalted butter, at room temperature

·       350g golden caster sugar

·       4 large eggs, separated

·       370g plain flour, sifted

·       1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder

·       1 ¾ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

·       500ml semi-skimmed milk at room temperature

·       Large pinch of salt

·       2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Buttercream

·       344g 70% good-quality dark chocolate

·       2 tablespoons semi-skimmed milk at room temperature

·       450g unsalted butter, at room temperature

·       2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·       500g icing sugar, sifted

Equipment:

·       Bowl x3

·       Mixer

·       Electric hand mixer/whisk

·       Measuring Jug

·       Sieve

·       Tablespoon

·       Teaspoon

·       Large Metal spoon

·       Muffin tray lined with cupcake cases x 3   
·       Palette Knife/Icing bag fitted with a star nozzle

1.    Pre-heat the oven to 170c fan/190c/350f/Gas Mark 5 and line the 12 hole muffin trays with cupcake cases.

Step 2. Melt the chocolate in 30 second bursts mixing well in between 

2.    Break the chocolate up into squares and place in a microwavable bowl. On a medium heat, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stir and microwave for a further 30 seconds until smooth. Make sure not to burn the chocolate!

Step 3. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. 

3.    In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until pale and smooth, which should 3-5 minutes using an electric mixer. In a different bowl beat the egg yolks with a fork for several minutes. Add the eggs to the creamed mixture and beat well. Next, add the melted chocolate to the mixture and beat again.

Step 4. The cake mixture with the flour and milk mixtures all added. 

4.    Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a separate bowl. Put the milk and vanilla extract in a jug. Add one-third of the flours to the creamed mixture and beat well. Pour in one-third of the milk mixture and beat again. Repeat these steps until all the flour and milk has been added.

5.    In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks start to form. Carefully fold in the eggs whites into the cake batter with a metal spoon. (Don’t beat or you’ll take the air out of the mixture.)

6.    Carefully spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling them to about two-thirds full. (You may find it easier to put the mixture into a jug to pour into cupcake cases, as its very liquid batter!) Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. To check they are cooked, insert a skewer in the centre of one of the cakes-it should come out clean.

7.    Remove from the oven and leave the cakes in their tins for about 10 minutes before carefully placing on a wire rack to cool. Once they are completely cool, you can ice the cupcakes.

Step 8. Add the chocolate once all the other ingredients have been mixed.

8.    To make the chocolate buttercream, melt the chocolate as in step 2. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, milk, vanilla extract and the icing sugar until smooth-this can take several minutes using an electric hand mixer. Add the chocolate and beat until all of the chocolate has been incorporated. This should be easy to pipe in a piping bag or spread with a palette knife. 

Chocolate buttercream in all it's chocolatey glory! Taste test required.

I'm gutted that I didn't take more pictures of the method process and the party guests having fun eating the cupcakes. But I was told by everyone, including the kids, that they were pretty damn yummy! But I got few pics of the chocolate cupcakes.

The most important thing is that mum had a good 50th birthday. I'll be posting really soon on where we went and what we did. It has something to do with baking (or at least eating baked products). For now I'll have to keep you guessing.