This is the first naked cake I have made. I have been admiring them for a long time and finally found just the right recipe and occasion to give one a go!
Burlap and Lace baby shower
Mint Black Bottom Cupcake Recipe
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup ( or one 250g tub) sour cream
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved into 2 tbls hot water (add to the cup of warm water)
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 cups plain flour, sifted
- 1 3/4 castor sugar
- 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup pure cocoa ( I use Homebrand 100% pure cocoa from Woolworths)
- Cheesecake topping
- 200g cream cheese
- 80g castor sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
- A few drops of peppermint essence
- Small amount of green food colouring ( I used Americolor Electric green)
- 100g dark choc chips
- Preheat oven to 180 C
- Line two muffin trays with cupcake papers
- Cupcakes
- Using a hand whisk, combine eggs, oil and vanilla. Add sour cream, diluted coffee and water
- Combine sifted flour, sugar, baking soda and powder and cocoa. Whisk together to combine.
- Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Scoop into prepared liners, until each is 2/3 full.
- Take a tablespoon of cheesecake mixture and drop onto the top of each cupcake. Leave it as it is or swirl slightly with a skewer but make sure you don't combine it too much.
- Bake in moderate oven for 18 - 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the cheesecake topping to make sure it doesn't go brown.
- Place on a wire rack to cool. Frost if desired or dust with icing sugar.
- Cheesecake topping
- In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt on medium slow speed until smooth and light. Add the essence and food colouring.
- Mix carefully until just combined.
- Carefully stir in the choc chips by hand until just combined. Don't over mix otherwise the cream cheese will start to split.
- Set aside
Cupcake Love
Mandarin Cupcake recipe
New opportunities
As we sit on the cusp of a New Year, I recognise with deep gratitude that I have been given new opportunities to expand and grow my dear little Mama Bear’s Kitchen. For this I am truly humbled and very, very excited.
Our vintage Christmas
Merry Christmas!
Another year is drawing rapidly to a close. Our family is winding up the year with preparations to send our two oldest children on a mission trip overseas. While I admit that it is difficult to let them go, even for a short season, I am excited about all that the Lord has in store for them and the eye opening adventure that awaits!!
Speaking of Summer…
Chunky Monkey Cupcake Recipe
This cupcake recipe brings together my love of chocolate and peanut butter with one of the staple foods in our home, bananas.
We live in a sub tropical climate and have an over abundance of bananas. Some days the harvest is so bountiful that we are all kept quite busy drying them, freezing them, making banana smoothies, baking banana bread and most recently, creating the most amazing banana and raspberry icy poles.
I read once that Elvis Presley was an enormous fan of the combination of banana and peanut butter. I have come across a few cupcake recipes that pay homage to the king of rock and decided to make up my own delicious version of these flavoursome Chunky Monkey cupcakes. They have quickly become a favourite and I hope you enjoy them. x
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon coffee diluted in 1 tablespoon boiling water and added to 1 cup water
- 1 cup (or 250g tub) sour cream
- 3 medium/ large overripe bananas mashed well and set aside
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 cup castor sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup pure cocoa
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecan nuts
- natural crunchy peanut butter - extra
- 100g dark chocolate extra
- Pre heat oven to 180 Celsius
- Line two muffin trays with cupcake papers
- In a medium bowl, hand whisk eggs, oil and vanilla.
- Add sour cream and whisk to combine
- Put dissolved coffee into 1 cup water. Add to mix.
- Add mashed banana and mix well with whisk.
- Sift flour, bi carb, baking powder , cocoa and sugars into large bowl.
- Add chopped walnuts
- Carefully pour the wet mix into dry mixture and whisk well until combined.
- Place spoonfuls of mixture into cupcake papers, until each is 2/3 full.
- Put 1 teaspoon of peanut butter onto each cupcake and swirl gently into the mixture, making sure you can still see the peanut butter.
- Bake in moderate oven for 18 minutes or until firm to touch.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Pipe peanut butter frosting onto cupcake.
- 125g butter at room temp
- 125g cream cheese
- 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Approx 4 cups icing mixture
- Pure cream
- 50g grated chocolate
- In an electric mixer on medium speed, using a paddle attachment, mix butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and beat another minute.
- Add vanilla and peanut butter. Beat well to combine.
- Turn mixer down to low and carefully add icing mixture.
- Add dashes of cream alternately with the icing mixture until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Fold in finely grated chocolate.
- Pipe onto cupcakes using a large hole tip.