Red velvet cupcakes

 

Friendship is Sharing a Sweet Cupcake.

Marie Williams Johnstone

An American friend of mine gave me this recipe about 9 years ago and only last year did I manage to get round to baking it. It's quite popular that side of the pond and once you've baked this, had the aroma fill your kitchen and dipped your finger in the wonderful cream cheese frosting you'll realise why!

Ingredients:

310g plain flour
45g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
225g butter (or margarine), softened
400g caster sugar
4 eggs
230g sour cream
120ml milk
28g red food colouring
2 tsps Vanilla Extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
224g cream cheese, softened
55g butter, softened
30g sour cream
2 tsps Vanilla Extract
450g icing sugar

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.

2. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.

3. Beat the butter/margarine and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy.

4. Beat in your eggs, one at a time.

5. Now mix in the sour cream, vanilla, milk, and the food colouring.

6. Gradually add to the flour mixture, beating until just mixed together, make sure not to over do it!

7. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined cupcake cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.

8. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until springy and a toothpick comes out clean.

9. Leave to cool in the pan for a couple of minutes, then remove (leaving them in their paper cases) to a wire rack for about 5 minutes.

10. Now remove from their cases to cool completely.

11. For the frosting: Beat the cream cheese, butter, sour cream and the vanilla extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Slowly and gradually beat in the icing sugar until smooth.

12. Top with the cream cheese frosting.

Enjoy and I hope to see your versions of these soon

Happy baking!

 

Mamgu cookies

My grandmother was one of the greatest inspirations in my life. She taught me how to be a real woman, to have strength and self-respect, and to never give those things away.

Reese Witherspoon

I became inspired today to invent and bake some cookies that I think my mamgu (grandmother in Welsh) would have liked. She's been on my mind a lot recently and it's now reached a peak (she passed away a year ago today) so off to my kitchen I went.

Here's what I came up with -

Ingredients:

300g Whole wheat flour
Chocolate chips (as many as you think is right)
2 eggs
1tsp Vanilla extract
50g cocoa powder
120g caster sugar
Canola Oil ( to add moisture)
100g margarine
Milk (enough to make a firm dough)
Ground ginger (just a dash)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 190c and line a baking tray with grease proof paper.

2. Cream the margarine and sugar together.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time and half the flour between each egg.

4. Add the remaining flour with the cocoa powder and some canola oil to bind it all together.

5. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla extract. Add some milk if it's not quite coming together.

6. Add the ground ginger, just about 1 teaspoon and knead in.

7. Form small balls and flatten them with the palm of your hand to make flat.

8. Bake in the centre of your oven for 10 minutes.

This has become a recipe I know will always have a sentimental value for me.

[caption id="attachment_322" align="aligncenter" width="210"] My lovely Nan[/caption]

Enjoy and as always let me know what you think of this recipe.

Happy baking!