Happy Blogday! ~ Pina Colada Cupcake Recipe

It's When Darkness Fall's 1st birthday today. This calls for cake and cocktails for everyone (well recipes anyway, they would get pretty messy in the post now wouldn't they). Here's a Wendy Sweetser recipe which includes my all time favourite cocktail in the form of a cupcake. Enjoy

Pina Colada Cupcake

Ingredients

For the cupcakes
*175 g unsalted butter, softened
*175 g  golden caster sugar
*3 large eggs, beaten
*75 g  fresh pineapple or 2 rings in juice, chopped into tiny pieces
*175 g self-raising flour
*50 g desiccated coconut
*2 tbsp coconut cream

For the rum frosting

115 g (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened*

225 g (8 oz) icing sugar*

2 tbsp light rum or Malibu*

Method

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 and line a 12-cup muffin tray with paper cases.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Gradually mix in the eggs, beating well after each addition.
3. Dust the pineapple pieces in a little of the flour and stir into the creamed mixture with the rest of the flour, the desiccated coconut and the coconut cream.
4. Spoon into cases and bake for 20–25 minutes. Leave to cool before adding frosting.
5. To make the frosting, beat the butter until creamy. Gradually sieve in the icing sugar, beating well after each addition. Stir in the rum or Malibu and spread the frosting over the cupcakes.

I like to decorate mine with a thin slice of pineapple and a paper umbrella to make it look a little more tropical.

Thank you all for reading my little blog, i never saw it as something i would stick too but i really look forward to each new post i put out there. I look forward to posting more ramblings for you all soon.

Luna x

Image: http://p.twimg.com/A3KVFbACAAAtzqT.jpg:large

Lemonliscious Cupcakes

You guys probably don't know that i am a huge fan of baking, i can make anything from teeny petit fours to big birthday cakes, but my favourite thing to make will always be cupcakes. So i press play on ever appropriate baking metal playlist and put on my  biker pinny (yes i have one of those)

Here's the recipe for my favourite Lemonliscious cupcakes

Ingredients:
11/2 cups plain flour
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 cup caster sugar
2oz cream cheese
2oz unsalted butter
Lemon curd
2tbsp Cointreau/ Limoncello/ fruity liquor of choice
1/2 cup buttermilk (1 tbsp lemon juice per cup of milk, left for 10 minutes)
Zest of a lemon

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2oz unsalted butter
4oz cream cheese
1tbsp fruit liquor
2 cups icing sugar (sifted)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the center. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until light and creamy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add your liquor and beat an additional minute. On low speed, add flour mixture and buttermilk alternatively, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Add the lemon zest and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cake cases ( i chose some nifty looking ghost ones). Divide the batter between 12 muffin tins (don't worry it should look runny). Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely. 

2.  In a bowl beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until light and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add your liquor and beat for an additional minute. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and beat until fully incorporated and smooth.

3. Cut a hole into each cupcake with a sharp knife. Fill each cavity with the lemon curd. Fill a pastry bag with a star tip with the cream cheese frosting and pipe onto each cupcake. Decorate with lemon and berries, if desired.