cranberry white chocloate cupcakes

didn't turn out the way i wanted, cozi couldn't get the ingredients i was after. there were no fresh or frozen cranberries at my local, and i forgot to looked for tinned ones, but i think i will be able to get some tinned as cranberry sauce, so that will be my next attempt. This lot just had cranberry juice instead of milk in a standard (womens weekly) patty cake recipe... the white chocolate was milky bar frozen and snapped up, then mixed in. some big chunks, some crumbs. they tast fine,. but not really like cranberry. i made icing using icing sugar, a packet of white drinking chocolate (with milk poweder in it) and cranberry juice. it tastes good. over all the cupcakes are good, the choclate gives chocolatey goodness in chunks, but they are not what i was after. next time i will buy a tin of cranberry sauce and see how that goes

i am going to mow the lawn soon, then go to lunch in cabra, then do some ironng. i have every intention of making sugar free chocolate cupcakes this evening, but they may get bumped to tomorrow.

that is all.

hot cross cupcakes

today's cupcake is easter themed. my girl works at/for the easter show, so while all of you are probably saying easter is ages away, i am getting an almost daily count down. easter is alive and well in our house.

I will write down exactly what i put into these cupcakes, though i would change one or two things. - i'll put the changes in too.

HOT CROSS CUPCAKES
makes 24 small (normal aussie cup cake size) 180C
i used a 15 ml tablespoon in all my measuring today.

1 1/2 cup plain flour
1 1/2 cup self raising flour (i would use all SRF next time)
1T cinnamon
1/4t ground cloves
1/4t ground ginger (use mixed spice - 1.5T - i just had none)
3/4 cup brown sugar (1/2 a cup would work too for a little less sweetness)
125g soft unsalted butter
2 cups milk
1t vanilla
3 eggs
2 cups mixed dried fruit.

beat butter and brown sugar. beat in eggs, vanilla. sift and beat in about a third of the flour and spice, then half the milk, then repeat adding the dry last. mix in the fruit. 3/4 fill ur patty cases. into the oven for 15mins then rotate every which way and cook for another 15 or so. when ur tooth pick comes out clean they are cooked. i gave half of them a light honey glaze - warm up some honey in the microwave or over hot water so it's a bit runny and spread it on - i used a spatula. it's all about personal preference.

THE CROSS ON TOP
1 cup icing sugar
1T milk
2T soft unsalted butter
1t vanilla

beat it all together, put into a ziplock bag and snip off a corner. pipe on x's. this will make more icing than you need, so enjoy the rest, or feed it to your cat - mine really liked it.

it's a pretty dense little cupcake right now - which is why i would use all SRF next time, to lighten it up a bit, and also to make it rise...
i would have a photo but the wife has taken the camera to work, and they will be all gone by the time she gets home - i won't eat them ALL, i am going to a rehearsal and will take them with me!

UPDATE - made these again with all srf. works a treat. also the camera (and the wife) was at home so i got some pics!

oh the indignity...

i arrived at work today to discover that my computer, and only my computer, has had the internet forcefully removed from it's useful functions. so no more net for me at work. not even at lunch time. i have no right to complain, as i probably abused the access more than any one else in the company, but i was also achieving all of my work in a timely and accurate manner. it just gives me the shits really. and reduces my desire to continue working for this company, which is saying a lot as i had already applied for another job (and have an interview on thursday)b4 dicovering that i am to be punished like a child. as a result of the feeling this has generated in me i am going to eat chocolate for dinner, and chocolate mug cake for dessert, because i can, and because i know it will make me feel like shit at the end of it and i don't care.

but here's the recipe for mug cake - i got this in an email last week and am going to try it for the first time tonight.

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 Tablespoons (T) flour
4T sugar
2T cocoa
1 egg
3T milk
3T oil
3T chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

UPDATE - use a 15ml tablespoon. definitely serves two. would be great with ice cream.

ANOTHER UPDATE - at work we all have mirrors on our desks. i work in what could be called part of the fashion industry, so it's not uncommon for any of us to try on product, and you need a mirror top see what it looks like. i had mine angled so i could see behind me also. it was a broken mirror, so is useless as stock (nice mixed tenses there) but i rocked up to work the other day to discover that it had been removed from my desk and put elsewhere. speechless...

cupcakes...

Have you ever tried to come up with a new and unique cup cake recipe? i have. i mean, the basics are there, you need flour sugar egg etc. But i wanted rock melon (cantaloupe) and cinnamon cupcakes.
my first advice to anyone else - don't do it.
the flavour of rock melon is too fragile to be put against anything else and stand a chance to shine. I made some awesome cup cakes, but if it had been for iron chef i would have been voted poorly for not highlighting the theme ingredient...
here is what i ended up deciding was the better attempt...

Rockmellon and cinnamon cupcakes
makes about 24 large.
4 cups-ish of rock melon - finely chopped
2 cups of sugar
put these in a bowl in the fridge overnight.
2/3 cups vegetable oil - add to the rock melon
4 egg whites - beat to soft peaks and add to the mix.
3 cups plain flour
1.5 teaspoon (t) bi-carb soda
1t salt
1t cinnamon
sift these into the wet stuff.
half to 3/4 fill the patty pans (i used muffin size). put into a 180C oven. after 15 mins rotate them in the oven and cook for about 15 mins more. check by sticking a tooth pick in. if it comes out clean they are done!

Now these are tasty cupcakes, but they are not the flavour i was after.. when i made some the following week i went to a lot of effort to enhance the flavour, to little effect, so i woun't bore you with the details.
as for icing, i used pureed rock melon and icing sugar and cinnamon. it smelled like rock melon, but tasted like icing...