Showing posts with label cupcake competition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cupcake competition. Show all posts

Friday, 30 July 2010

Malty Malteser Cupcakes

A lovely moist malted cupcake covered in sinful chocolate frosting - a perfect little treat

My perfect little treat - can you hear it saying "Anne I want to come home with you" ... I can!

Maltesers have linked up with acclaimed chef Lorraine Pascale and My Dish in a fabulous competition where the top prizes are, the winning recipe will be sold for a day in Lorraine Pascale's bakery, Ella's Bakehouse in Covent Garden, and a shiny new red gorgeous KITCHENAID!!! I have been drooling over a Kitchenaid (even popping into shops to touch them occasionally) for some time so decided to enter the competition and have been baking up a storm in the kitchen recently with Malteser Cupcakes, and I have to say they came out a treat. Lovely and moist with a bit of crunch on the base (I added Maltesers into the batter), with lashings of frosting on top - a vanilla with Malteser "dust" covered in lashings of very chocolatey frosting -all topped off with a Malteser on top - of course!

The recipe for my entry is below, or you can find it on the MyDish site, but first some pics of my different attempts.

Vanilla frosting, with bits of Malteser "dust" mixed in

A lump of vanilla and chocolate frosting ice cream scooped onto the cupcake to look (kinda like) a Maltester)

Naked with a mixture of vanilla (with Malteser "dust" mixed in) and chocolate frostings

Just good old chocolate frosting with a Malteser on top (obviously)

This is the frosting for my final entry however - the vanilla/Malteser dust combo, covered in chocolate frosting.

A nice blob of vanilla frosting (mixed with the Malteser "dust") to form the inside of the Malteser style frosting

Then fully cover with lashings of yummy chocolate frosting and a Malteser

And voila! a Cute little Maltesers Cupcake

Recipe and baking instructions

Ingredients

Cupcake
180g self raising flour, sifted
100g dark brown sugar
120g golden caster sugar
55g ovaltine
110g unsalted butter, room temp
2 large eggs, free range
125ml milk (I use Semi Skimmed throughout)
½ teaspoon good quality vanilla (I use Vanilla Paste throughout)
1 tablespoon sour cream
135g Maltesers pack (I used 2 -one regular one white)

Chocolate Frosting
250g icing sugar, sifted
225g butter, room temp
150g dark chocolate (I used Green and Blacks 85%)
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Vanilla Frosting
125g icing sugar, sifted
40g unsalted butter, room temp
12ml milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla
6 Maltesers blitzed/crushed to a fine dust

Method
Preheat your oven to 160 fan (180c or gas mark 4) and line a cupcake/muffin tin with cupcake cases.

Cupcakes
In a large bowl cream together your butter and both sugars for about 5 minutes until well mixed and pale. Add your eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg.

In a separate bowl combine flour and ovaltine, and in small jug (easier for pouring!) combine your milk, sour cream and vanilla.

Add approx half of the flour mixture into the creamed butter and sugar and mix well. Then add half the wet ingredients, again mixing well. Repeat and then ensure all the ingredients are well combined. I beat by hand when adding the flour and wet ingredients but you could use a hand mixer if you prefer.

Using an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon place a scoop of the mixture into each cupcake case. Then add 2 Maltesers into each case (either regular or white - I used a mixture) and top with another scoop of cake mix.

Bake in the oven for approx 25 minutes. To check if they are cooked insert a skewer into the centre of the cakes - if it comes out clean they're done. Leave to rest in the tray for 5 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool fully.

Once they are cool you are ready to frost the cupcakes. I used a mixture of both vanilla and chocolate to create a Maltesers effect, however you could use just one if you prefer (I've tested with all just vanilla, and just chocolate and both are very tasty).

Vanilla Frosting

Mix the icing sugar and butter in a bowl for approx 5 minutes until nice and fluffy. I tend to add a little bit of icing sugar at a time to minimise icing sugar dust clouds! Mix the milk and vanilla together and add a little at a time, whilst continuing to mix. Continue mixing until the frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-5mins).

Take approx 6 Maltesers and use a hand held blender/food processer to make Maltester dust and mix this into the vanilla frosting to make your Malteser frosting centre.

Chocolate Frosting
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Or alternatively use your microwave. Leave to cool.

Beat together butter, milk, vanilla, and icing sugar till smooth. Again I add the icing sugar a bit at a time to minimise mess. This will take several minutes to achieve a smooth frosting. Add the cooled, melted chocolate and beat again for approx 5 minutes until thick and creamy.

To decorate
For the Maltesers effect I piped a small circle of vanilla onto each cupcake, and then surrounded it with piped chocolate frosting. Topping each cupcake with a Malteser to finish.

Please note: you could use just vanilla (if you do this double the vanilla frosting recipe as there is just enough to for a little amount on each cupcake in the quantity given), or chocolate frosting (the recipe is enough for 12 cupcakes). Obviously all taste better topped with a Malteser!

EAT, and ENJOY!!





Tuesday, 18 May 2010

Cupcakes Rock



As soon as I heard about them I wanted to some Cupcake Pebbles cereal. My Ann Arbour chum tried to find them with no luck and then the lovely girl who bakes/writes Metal Cakes got in touch and offered to send me a packet. We did a bit of an exchange - I sent her a jiffy bag stuffed with candy from the UK (well mainly - there was some lindt included!) and I got 2 boxes of Cupcake Pebbles. Then a week later my friend from Ann Arbor rung me all excited as he'd found me a box!

So I have decided to give one lucky reader of my blog (or follower on Twitter) a box of Cupcake Pebbles, and some other little bits I found at the weekend while clearing out my over-stuffed baking drawer!

All you have to do is leave a comment (with contact email details if you haven't go a contact link on your blog!) and winners will be chosen at random (out of a hat) next Tuesday. If there's only one comment obviously they win! Competition is open to UK residents only I'm afraid.

Good luck :) If you want to check out a 10minute video about cupcake pebbles click here.

UPDATE: the winner of the cupcake goodies is *drum roll* is Sindy aka http://www.gingerbread-ballerina.blogspot.com/ congrats - will be in touch for an address to send the goodies to :)

Wednesday, 13 May 2009

Wanna win some cupcakes?




Then head along to http://www.beverlyhillsbakery.com/ and register for to become a club member (you join their mailing list) before 6pm on 23rd May to be in with a chance.

To celebrate our 20th Anniversary of creating delicious baked goodies and to thank our very loyal customers and supporters, we are holding a Fairy Cupcake Prize Draw on Friday 23rd May at 6pm.

The Prize Draw consists of 50 randomly chosen names selected from all BHB Club Members who will each win a complimentary Fairy Cupcake Box of 12 (London) or Fairy Cupcake Tin (UK) delivered to a London or UK address only. As with all BHB products found on our website, these are exclusive to Beverly Hills Bakery and cannot be purchased from any other outlets.

Only winners will be notified by e-mail.

I'm not sure why they call them fairy cupcakes - some are cupcakes, some are fairy cakes! Good luck if you enter :)

Sunday, 26 April 2009

Wonder if she'll buy cupcakes with her prize money?


From the NY Daily News...

In a flurry of chocolate cream and crumby debris, the yoga teacher crammed her last cupcake - No. 17 - winning the contest, and defeating her closest competitor by just one of the sweet treats.

Ivy Bakery held its first cupcake-eating contest outside of the shop on 87th St. in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The five competitors were given five minutes to inhale as many chocolate cupcakes as possible. The winner took home $75 and dubious bragging rights.

Nancy Cummings, the first-place winner, said that her role as a yoga instructor gave her what it took to be the champion.

"I am disciplined and focused and I can digest them faster," said the slender 31-year-old brunette from Bay Ridge, who dipped each little chocolate cake into a glass of water before shoving it whole into her mouth.

Runner-up Dominick Ibelli, 35, gave Cummings a chocolate-smeared handshake and congratulated her on the victory. He then ate one more cupcake in a moment of second-place showmanship.

One failed competitor, though, wasn't eating any after-game cupcakes. After the contest, Jo Rose, 50, sat with his head bowed.

"I am feeling a little sick," the Bay Ridge writer said. "I gave it my best shot. But I am gonna hurl any moment."

Personally I think I'd rather just eat a couple and enjoy them rather than stuffing them in my mouth like that - cupcakes are all about enjoying them and shovelling them in (All wet and moist too..dunking cupcakes in water eugh) seems to be be the opposite of enjoyment to me!

Sunday, 22 June 2008

I'll name that cupcake....




Crumbs and Doilies monthly "name the cupcake" competition is now underway, with entries due by July 18th, the winner receving a free box of 24 cupcakes and a mini stand to show them off on :) Unfortunately the competition is only open to those in London, unless you want to collect them personally from their stall!

I enter this competition every month and one day I WILL win :)

They also have a new cupcake flavour of the month - Earl Grey....

"Crumbs and Doilies Earl Grey cupcakes are delicately flavoured using an infusion of the finest-quality Earl Grey tea leaves (from our friends at Tiger Spring Tea) with a touch of Madagascan vanilla to add sweetness and background. They’re light, fragrant and perfect for the summer. "

Not sure if I'll like them as I'm not too fond of Earl Grey tea but I may try and pop along to give it a try, purely for research purposes and because they look so pretty :) Next months flavour sounds much nicer - honey and lavender.