I am going to put this as simple as possible.
I AM 21 YEARS OLD! Yep, yesterday on the 27th of April 2013, I, Belinda (aka. Owner of the moon blush title) have been on this planet for 21 years!
Great now I feel old. Not supper old but old enough.
I often use the excuse that Oh I am twenty I still not an adult (legally yet) everywhere in the world; I can still party my way through life. Now however, I cannot longer procrastinate about the future, I am an adult which means time to find a direction. *tear* Anyway I bake myself a few desserts this year in memory if the first birthday party I ever had. I had a big cake too, but I still need to prefect the recipe for it(it was awesome and I want it to be perfect, because after you guys need to make it). The theme? BOOZY FAT KID PARTY.
This title is relates to me more than you could ever imagine. When I was younger, yes I was a chubby bubble. Fortunately My metabolism has kicked in (thank you genetics) and It runs faster than fat kid to cake. Anyway this cake also come from someone that has massive influence(she is one who inspired me to cook again after a long break) Nigella Lawson. I ADORE Nigella and I mean point to obsessive adore. She is the fairy god mother we all want to cook us a big hunk of cake and give us a big hug on a bad day. She simplistic take on cooking accompanied by a great command of English language has made me fall in love with baking and savoury cooking. Also I think she will approve of me giving my cupcakes a cute name, like many of her recipes.
Let me get deep over cake with you. I do not know if you can remember the first time as a child you had a birthday party. Like the one where all your friends from school (and the ones that HAD to be there because they were in your class), you handed out invites, played games, ate candy and best of all you had a crows surround you to cut cake and sing to you. This is of honour of the first time I had a birthday party. At my first birthday party when I was 6, I had a simple plain vanilla cake that was filled with coffee crème (yes I started early) and I had my childhood favourite bread donuts as a side dish.
Inspired and greedy I fused the two. I know everyone has done this before, but it is my birthday cake and I do want I want.
I really do not know why I bother cooking myself cake when my family often insist I take a break from baking. Maybe it is because I still become excited when I crack open a fresh bag of flour, whip up some custard or pull a baked sponge out of the oven. I will never get sick of it, the little rush has returned and I think it is going to be with me for long time.
This cake is from Nigella Feast cook book. The moment I laid eyes on it, “birthday” had the word I focused on the most. A simple retro sponge made with the old fashion custard powder, filled with custard and covered in a chocolate glaze. Of course now the custard is going to be spiked with Tia maria and there has got to be chocolate somewhere.
Do not forget the sprinkles we all need sprinkles.
A cupcake version of my first childhood birthday cake. I never felt so young and old at the same time.
Fat kid cupcakes with boozy coffee creme
Taken directly from Nigella Feast Best birthday cake
Makes 24 cupcakes
200 grams plain flour
3 tablespoons custard powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
4 large eggs
225 grams soft butter
200 grams caster sugar
2 - 3 tablespoons milk
Preheat oven to 180c. Line two trays of cupcake tins with liners of choice.
In a food processor, place all the ingredient but the milk and blend. The amount of milk to then drizzle in should result in smooth softly set batter ( it should look like custard).
Spoon into cupcake cakes and cake for 20 minutes or until tooth pick come clean.
Allow cooling for 10 minutes then move to wire cooling rack.
Whipped cream
500ml thicken cream
100g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whip till stiff peaks.
Coffee custard
500ml of milk
3 egg yolks
100g sugar
60ml Tia maria
2tsp instant STRONG coffee.
30g Dutch cocoa
90g cornflour
50g butter
In sauce pan, bring the milk to almost boiling.
In large bowl, whisk your egg yolks, sugar, coffee powder and Tia maria until it is very fluffy.
Fold in your corn flour.
While whisking, slowly pour in heated milk. Return to heat in another pan.
While stirring constantly, heat until it is thicken and coats the back of the spoon. Add butter.
Leave to cool by placing a piece of cling film on the top. Place in fridge for 1 hour.
Donut cookies
I used a simple short bread recipe for these; I made no changes to this one on Joy of baking. SO all the credit goes to that website. Honestly use your favourite short bread recipe and replace some of the vanilla with a Caramel extract and add 10g of cinnamon to the batter. This makes it taste like donut holes you get at the shops.
For the chocolate coating temper 500g of milk chocolate and dip your cookies into the mixture. Transfer to wire rack to dry. Before it sets sprinkle with sprinkles.
Assembly.
One lot of cupcakes
One lot of custard
One lot of mini chocolate coated donut cookies
Whipped cream
Cocoa powder.
For each cupcake, make a hole in the middle.
Place a Teaspoon of custard in the middle.
Top with whipped cream and place a cookie in the middle.
Finish with the cocoa powder.
This is one perfect birthday treat!! You are Good girl!!!
ReplyDeletethank for you lovely comment
DeleteI love how you made a spin on the desserts you had for your first birthday party! Such a cute idea! You're the first person I've seen to make doughnut topped cupcakes too, so it's new to me. :) I love the idea!
ReplyDeleteHey Alexandra. Really? I have seen the doughnut idea all over the web. I though it was too cute not to do. Most of time my child hood inspires me to cook because It was the time were food was always fun. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteHappy 21st! And please coming from a 28 year old please believe me when I say you should not feel old! These cupcakes look like the perfect way to have celebrated your birthday and I love those donut cookies on top. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you. I think i will always be a kid at heart even at age 50. thank you for lovely reply
DeleteHappy birthday! Don't feel old! You can push off being a real adult until at least 27 in my experience, and probably later. Adorable cupcakes!
ReplyDeleteThank you! hopeful i can put off being an adult for a while yet
DeleteThese look fabulous!! Love them! We'd love to invite you to a Cupcake Blog Party we'll be having for 4th of July themed cupcakes. Would you be interested? If so, can you send us your email to info@bellacupcakecouture.com and we'll send details?
ReplyDeleteThanks! Carrie
Bella Cupcake Couture
www.bellacupcakecouture.com
hey Carrie I sent you an email. I am glad you like the idea. Thank you for visiting me!
DeleteYou don't know me but I stumbled across your blog searching for party ideas... I just couldn't help but make a comment....
ReplyDeleteLOL When I was *ahem* a lot younger, I used to say I was 'twenteen' until I turned 21 hahaha. Congratulations on being where you are so early in your life!! Super cupcakes... don't ever stop!
Thank you Heids! I have many other birthday cake here too, so feel free to look around. Do you need help with ideas?
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