Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla & Rose

I was giving a dinner party recently and wanted to be all thoroughly planned and organised. But in my more typical style it wasn't until a couple of days before that I got a chance to sit down and plan the menu. I quickly settled on the starter and main course but couldn't make up my mind about dessert until I stumbled upon Maison Cupcake's recipe for Chocolate & Raspberry Trifle: it sounded perfect as it could be prepared in advance thereby taking the pressure off on the day itself. The other big bonus was that the base of the trifle required chocolate sponge. I had an old friend coming for tea that day and hadn't made anything yet - chocolate cupcakes would offer a double whammy of delight!

For the cupcake bases I decided to use a recipe that had been a big hit at Christmas but I decided to try something different for the toppings: I covered half with a vanilla buttercream; and the other half with a rose-fondant icing. I was really pleased with the way they turned out and it was a great way to make one cupcake base into two completely different cupcake experiences.

When you read my recipe you may be surprised to see that I make the cupcakes themselves with margarine rather that butter. When I was told this tip on my cupcake course I hated the sound of it, yucky old marg instead of lovely organic butter? But now I am a convert. There are a number of reasons but the most important is that with marg your cupcakes will not dome in the same way as they do with butter. I've tried most recipes both ways and the ones made with marg are much easier to ice - especially if you're going for a flat fondant finish. On top of that I genuinely cannot tell the difference in taste. I wouldn't dream of using marg for a topping but once it's mixed in with all that sugar, flavouring - in this case chocolate - baked and slathered in sweet topping it really does taste the same. My teacher on the course told me that professional cake bakers rarely use butter in their sponge bases. Of course there's the added bonus that it's also much cheaper. Anyway, here are the recipes:

Chocolate Cupcakes (makes about 18)
100g good quality chocolate (I use 70% Green & Blacks)
125g margarine
225g sugar
4 eggs
100g plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
large pinch of salt

• Preheat the oven to 170º fan/180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4
• Break up the chocolate and place it, with the margarine, in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until melted and well combined
• Take off the heat, stir in the sugar & then set aside
  
• Once mixture has cooled (after about 10 minutes) beat with an electric mixer for 2 or 3 minutes
• Add eggs one at a time continuing to beat for around 10 seconds between each
• Sift the rest of the ingredients (flour, cocoa powder & baking powder) into the mixture and beat until well blended
• Spoon or pipe mixture into lined cupcake tins until each case is between one third and one half full
• Bake in the oven for 25 minutes - I turn my tray 180º after 15 minutes to compensate for hot-spots in my oven. They are ready when a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean
• Place on a rack and let them cool. Do not attempt to ice until fully cooled
  

Vanilla Buttercream (enough to generously cover 8-10 cupcakes)
125g butter
250g icing sugar
5 ml vanilla extract
1 tbsp of water if required

• If the butter is not already at room temperature beat with an electric whisk until fluffy
• Add sifted icing sugar, vanilla extract and, if necessary, a little water
• Mix until light and fluffy

Rose Fondant Icing (enough for 8-10 cupcakes)
250g fondant icing sugar (ignore packet instructions)
Few drops of rose water
Few drops of pink food colouring
A little water

• In a heatproof bowl very carefully add rose water (a little goes a long way) & food colouring to the fondant icing sugar. Then add water a few drops at a time - go slowly with this as the paste needs to be very stiff, almost too stiff to stir
• Heat gently over a pan of simmering water until about body temperature by which time it will be more runny
• Remove from the heat and spoon fondant onto cupcakes one at a time
• Tip & shake cupcakes from side-to-side to get fondant up to edge of case. When completely covered used a sterilised pin to prick out any air bubbles (this will ensure a nice smooth finish)
• As icing starts to cool and stiffen return it to the heat until it reaches body temperature. Continue like this until cupcakes are all iced

When doing a mixture of fondant & buttercream iced cupcakes it obviously makes sense to use the flatter cupcakes for the fondant icing. Ideally there should be a few millimetres between the top of the cupcake and the edge of the cupcake case to enable you to get a really perfect finish.

Finally, I decorated my cupcakes with a variety of purple & white flowers (using piped stiff royal icing as glue on the fondant icing) and green sparkly spring leaves (I'm ever hopeful). I have to admit I thought they were pretty good - and I didn't get any complaints from anyone else either. However you decide to decorate them, this chocolate cupcake recipe is a real winner.

An Expedition to the West

Whenever I am in Berlin I rarely venture to the west of the city. I'm not necessarily talking about the part of the city that used to be on the "right side" of the wall as I do hang out in Kreuzberg quite a bit - although I'm not sure that really counts. It's become something of a standing joke amongst my friends and family, and my Berlin-loving friend K likes to remind me that I no longer need to obtain a special pass to visit.

Anyway, last week we decided to venture across to visit Manufactum, a shop selling the most bizarre selection of goods I've seen since I visited A. Schwab's in Memphis. To give you an idea I came away with a product to make scratches in wood disappear; a big Chinese bicycle bell; and an old-fashioned glass bottle with a dropper. Before we set out I had sussed out a place for cake nearby and once we'd finished our shopping and had a little walk we decided to pop in (as if there were any chance we wouldn't...).
I'd read a couple reviews of BagCo which were pretty positive. I was almost put off by the name which struck me as one of those weird examples of Berliners embracing English but in a slightly odd way. I wasn't really sure what the "bag" referred to but hoped it might be tea. On arrival I was no less perplexed: although nicely decorated, with a particularly cool large pendant light in the centre of the seating area, the place had the definite feel of a chain. From the seemingly mass-produced signage listing their wares to the uniforms of the staff behind the counter, this place was about as far away from the individual, cool cafes that we usually visit in Berlin as it could be.

Having come so far from home (a good seven stops on the S-Bahn) I wasn't going to be put off by some questionable styling. It was a self-service place - another downer in my book - but I was pleased to see a good selection of tins containing loose-leaf teas. I opted for an Assam, usually a good safe bet with cake, and Coffee Boy had his usual latte. Cake-wise there was the usual vast array of delicious looking goodies to choose from. I have basically made a ruling that whenever we visit somewhere new we have to get two different cakes and share them. This is not necessarily good news for Coffee Boy who pretty much hates sharing food, but I insist as I feel it's difficult to judge a place on just one cake. So this time we went for a Mohnkäsekuchen (a poppy seed cheesecake) and a Pflaumen-Streuselkuchen (plum crumble cake). Although it wasn't by design we ended up ordering what I think of as two of the classic German cakes. Poppy seeds are really popular here and virtually every cake shop will have at least one poppy seed variety. And a Streusel is almost the definitive German cake. A firm base somewhere between a sponge and a biscuit covered with fruit and then finished off with a crumble style topping.

My tea came served in a nifty glass cup with a built in infuser and lid which allowed plenty of room for brewing. Sadly, the cup was more worthy of excitement than the tea it contained. Despite allowing the leaves to brew for a good few minutes the tea was rather thin and lacking in flavour - I'd have been hard pushed to even identify it as an Assam. The cakes, on the other hand, were really good: the poppy seed cheesecake had a lovely consistency and a distinctive but not overpowering poppy seed flavour; and the Streusel was fantastic. The sharpness of the plum was perfectly balanced by a crunchy, sweet crumble top. It went down very well indeed.

Yet again I am bowled over by the quality of cakes on offer in Germany. Overall I felt this cafe was nothing to really write home about. The decor was nice but felt, as I've said, strangely corporate (on finding the website when I got home I saw that there were two branches which can't really account for the chain feel). The cakes though were really good. If this cafe was in London I'd be tempted to make it a regular haunt, at the very least for a cake-away, but in Berlin where there are so many lovely cafes serving really good cakes I'm not sure I'll be stopping by too often. I don't mean to damn it with faint praise, I just think it's possible to do better if you're searching for the perfect afternoon tea spot - especially if you actually want to drink tea. Coffee Boy wasn't bowled over by his latte either so it wasn't just a tea-related disappointment. But there is no doubt the cakes were really good and if you find yourself in the area you could certainly do a lot worse.

Cake in a City of Ice

I'd heard that Berlin had recently had a big snowfall so I wasn't altogether surprised to see the entire city blanketed in white as my plane came in to land at Tegel Airport last week. But what did come as something of a shock was the eight inches of thick ice - still containing the residue of New Year's Eve fireworks - covering every pavement. Winters are always hard in Berlin but this was something else. Ice upon grit upon snow upon ice - well you get the picture. Undeterred Coffee Boy and I headed to the Mauerpark Flohmarkt the morning after we arrived. It's an enormous flea market held in a park where part of the wall used to run and sells everything from handcrafted baby clothes to bits of old electrical cable. In truth we were more interested in browsing than actually buying anything (sorry freezing stall holders) but did purchase some delicious caramel & mint licorice. After we'd had our fill of shuffling past the eclectic offerings we stopped to watch the intrepid sledgers on the steep hill in the park alongside - some of whom were reaching speeds that wouldn't look out of place in the Winter Olympics. By this stage we were thoroughly cold and decided that the best thing to warm us up would be a hot drink and perhaps a slice of cake.

Luckily, just across the road from the flea market is Oderberger Strasse, a street chock-full of restaurants, bars and cafes. Whilst pondering which one to visit I suddenly remembered a nice place I had been to a couple of years ago. As the streets were thronging with Sunday moochers we crossed our fingers and hoped we could find a table. And we were in luck: as we peeked behind the heavy door curtain, protecting the customers inside from the biting cold, we spotted one table for two which looked made just for us.

Lotterleben is a gem of a little cake spot. Decorated in muted beige, with a few walls papered in beautiful gold cherry blossom wallpaper it exudes an understated elegance yet manages to feel cosy at the same time. That probably comes from the fact that this is a family-run business, with the cakes being made by the cafe owner along with her mother and grandmother. And as you enter, the vitrine greets you loaded with a delicious-looking array of those cakes. After some debate we settled on Chocolate Espresso Tart and a Gooseberry Meringue Tart (Stachelbeer-Baiser-Torte). These Baiser Torte are really popular in Germany and I can see why. Usually I would have no interest in a meringue cake, but the Germans really get it just right: soft pillows of sweet air coupled with a crunchy top. Nearly every time I've tried one I've found them to be delicious. And Lotterleben didn't disappoint with either of our choices.

The Chocolate Espresso Tart was a dense sponge infused with both rich chocolate and a fairly decisive hit of coffee, topped off with a velvety chocolate sauce. The taste was really intense, not like an over-sweet mocha, but a proper grown up combination reminiscent of the flavour of a good chocolate covered coffee bean. But as if that wasn't enough pleasure for one afternoon, the Gooseberry Meringue Tart was amazing: a firm base topped with the perfect combination of sweet, crumbly and then soft meringue and there in the middle was the sharp bite of the gooseberries. I love the way Germans embrace fruit like gooseberries and rhubarb in their cakes - it seems to be very much out of fashion to use these kind of old-fashion fruits in Britain - but personally I think the sharp/sweet combo is hard to beat.

We washed our cakes down with a latte (for Coffee Boy, obviously) and and cup of Russian Tea for me; incidentally I'm enjoying the fact that I'm increasingly finding various Russian blends on tea menus both in London & Berlin - long may it continue. The tea was of the good loose-leaf kind served in one of those large open tea bags, and it even came accompanied by a pot of cold milk rather than the usual warm frothy stuff. It tasted great and Coffee Boy confirmed that his latte was pretty good too. All round, this is a lovely little cafe and I found myself wondering why it took me so long to go back. It has a really nice atmosphere, somehow quite different from most of the other Berlin cake spots I frequent and that coupled with quality cakes, and a nice selection of teas make Lotterleben well worth a visit. But when you've eaten your fill and decide to totter off an hour or two later, don't let the extra pounds you've inevitably put on knock you off balance - you might have to negotiate eight inches of ice on your way home. Obviously I'm not suggesting you avoid eating cake, I'm just saying, be careful out there people!

Global Communitea

It was a cold and miserable day in London last Monday (no big surprises there - it is February) so walking Jimmy, my beloved terrier, was a little bit more of an effort than usual. It's not helped by the fact that as he gets older - he's around 16 - he gets more reluctant to go out in the rain himself. Anyway, on arriving home, damp and ever-so-slightly gloomy, I discovered a parcel left by the postman. It had come from Australia so I knew it had to be the tea that The Likkle Girl who Wurves Pwetty Things had promised to send me. But I was expecting a few tea bags and this was a not inconsiderable parcel. What could be inside?

Firstly, I discovered a card, and then a parcel wrapped simply and beautifully. And inside that parcel was a selection of three different teas: the Japanese green tea that she had told me was her favourite; a zip-lock bag full of Chrysanthemum tea - something I love but have never seen in London; and a gorgeous little tin full of pouches of Oolong. The Oolong pouches are such a clever idea: each one contains enough for a serving which can, of course, be infused a number of times. As I was heading over to Berlin a couple of days later, and was busy until then, I didn't get a chance to try anything except the green tea. We had had a discussion about how much of a tea-snob I was as Likkle Girl was concerned I wouldn't like the tea as it came in a teabag. And although I must admit I never buy bags myself anymore she needn't have worried: the green tea was lovely. A classic Sencha style tea with a fruity, grassy flavour, it reminded me that good tea is good tea, whatever receptacle it comes in.

One of the nicest things about all of this, aside from receiving lovely gifts in the post from the other side of the world, is the knowledge that I have made another new friend in the blogosphere. When people talk about the internet causing the break-down of communities and social isolation I have to say that my experience since I began writing this blog has been the complete opposite. I have met some lovely people, both virtually and in person and have found a community of like-minded people who care about cycling, good food, design and, of course, tea. They may not all be near enough for me to meet up with them on a regular basis, but I like to think that if my travels take me to some of the places where my new friends live we'd get together for a pot of tea and perhaps a slice of cake. And if that's not something positive, I don't know what is.

Upmarket Cupcakes

I've realised I am becoming quite fussy when it comes to cupcakes. The more baking I do myself, the more I feel it's unacceptable for so-called bakeries to make a boring old vanilla cupcake, stick a few sweets on top and charge upwards of £1.75 for it. So what a delight to stumble upon Molly Bakes yesterday. I had a lunchtime bowling date for a friends birthday and on the way home decided to pop into UpMarket at the Truman Brewery to grab a bite to eat. One delicious Ethiopian injera wrap later it was time to head home. But just as I was thinking "hmmmnnn, what I really fancy is something sweet", the Molly Bakes stall appeared before me as if a vision. My growing scepticism about cupcakes may have encouraged me to walk on by were it not for the lavender cupcakes I spotted.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but I am a lavender fiend. I can't get enough of it. The smell is good - but the taste is just heavenly. So imagine my excitement when I spotted a stand of violet-coloured cupcakes with tiny lavender buds sprinkled on top. I just had to try them. As it was getting towards the end of the day, the lovely lady behind the stall (Molly herself I presume) offered a bargain deal - 4 cupcakes for £5 - so I really had no choice but to accept.

Half-an-hour later, at home, with a steaming cup of my Assam/Darjeeling/Lapsang blend in hand, it was the moment of truth. And, I'm pleased to say, a pretty good moment it was too. The texture of the cupcake itself was perfect - light without being insubstantial. But the biggest delight was the presence of tiny lavender buds throughout the cake which gave a subtle yet distinctive flavour. The vanilla buttercream was a lovely texture and those few extra sugared lavender buds topped the whole thing off beautifully. Coffee Boy had a banoffee one which he declared to be delicious: banana sponge with lovely little chewy toffee bits. I also chose a lime & coconut, and a rose & pistachio one, neither of which I've tried yet. But if the two we've sampled so far are anything to go by, we're in for another treat.

It really is a pleasure to find someone making genuinely good cupcakes and selling them at a reasonable price, rather than the scores of places that seem to be jumping on the cupcake bandwagon and offering - at best - pretty ordinary goods for far too much dosh. So if you find yourself wandering down Brick Lane one weekend and need a little sugary pick-me-up, you know where to go. Just save a lavender one for me!

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

I really hate wasting food; it just feels wrong on every level. But there are some things that no matter how infrequently I buy them, I seem to find myself tossing, mouldy, into the bin a week or two later. One such culprit is the black banana. Truth be told I'm not the world's biggest banana fan. Oh I like them and everything, but if I'm reaching for a piece of fruit it's generally fairly low down on my list of preferences. Coffee Boy purportedly loves them though, so from time to time I buy him a bunch. But clearly he doesn't love them quite enough as I often find them hanging sadly upon the banana stand (yes, yes, I know I have far too many kitchen gadgets) looking black and pretty yucky.

The other day, spying a few sad specimens, I decided to make something with the black bananas before they became good for nothing but the bottom of the bin. I remember from the bad old days of yo-yo dieting a surprisingly delicious Rosemary Conley recipe for a banana loaf - apart from the use of sweetener which I loathe and even then used to substitute for actual sugar. But if black bananas can work in a healthy recipe, I reasoned, there's no reason they can't work in an unhealthy one too. So this is what I came up with:

Banana Cupcakes (makes about 18)

Adapted from various recipes including Ellen Einstein's Banana Cake recipe

125g butter

200g sugar

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 egg - large

200g plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2-3 very ripe bananas - black is OK

125g of sour cream

• Heat the oven to 170º fan/180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4
• Beat the butter in a bowl until it's creamy - I use an electric whisk to save time
• Add the sugar and beat until pale and fluffy
• Add the vanilla and the egg and continue beating for around a minute or so
• In a separate bowl sift together the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda
• Add half of the flour mixture to the butter and sugar and mix in
• Add the sour cream - don't worry if the mixture looks like it's separating, it will come out OK in the end
• Finally add the rest of the flour mixture and blend until everything is well mixed
• Spoon, or preferably pipe, the mixture into lined muffin tins so each case is no more than half full
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes - I turn my tray 180º after 15 minutes to compensate for hot-spots in my oven. They are ready when a skewer inserted into the cakes comes out clean
• Place on a rack and let them cool to room temperature

I usually leave my cupcakes for a day, or at least overnight, before frosting but if you're in a hurry just make sure you leave them until they are really cool.

Chocolate Buttercream

200g of good quality dark chocolate

225g of butter

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tbsp of milk

325g of icing sugar

• Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt above a bowl of simmering water. Leave to cool
• Beat the butter (again I used my trusty electric whisk) until it is smooth
• Mix the cooled melted chocolate into the butter until well combined
• Add all of the other ingredients and beat until evenly mixed. Take care not to over mix
• Pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes - don't be stingy you have enough for a generous frosting!

I decorated my cupcakes with mother-of-pearl stars which I made from very thinly rolled cream florist paste, dusted with edible mother-of-pearl powder, but you can use anything you like. Or nothing!

I was really pleased with these cupcakes. I was worried the chocolate would overpower the banana but I really liked the balance. And they've certainly gone down well with friends and family. So well, in fact, that I don't see myself throwing any black bananas in the bin anytime soon. Now, what better excuse to over-shop?

Excess in an Age of Austerity

My quest to sample afternoon teas beyond zone 1 yesterday took me out to West Hampstead and back to the 1950s. I had arranged to meet up with Miss O and remembered hearing about a place not far from her called Bake-a-Boo. To make sure I wouldn't be disappointed after my journey up the Jubilee Line I phoned the day before to see if I could book a table. I was told I could but if I wanted the Afternoon Tea, I would have to book in advance and pay a deposit. I was somewhat taken aback but we were keen to skip lunch and make an afternoon of it so I went ahead, reserved and paid the 50% deposit.

When I arrived at 3pm the cafe was very quiet, with just one other table taken. And there, right in front of me, was our table all laid out with our pretty coated-iron tea stand laden with all sorts of goodies. It was a surprise to see it there waiting for us, but a pleasant one. All we had to do was choose our tea. Bake-a-Boo sell quite a selection of Martyn's Teas - it's good to see another tea room supporting this local business - and they had a large selection of tea on their menu which they had split into those available in bags and the loose leaf variety. As I always choose loose leaf if available, and like a black tea with milk when I'm eating cake, I had the choice of English Breakfast, Assam & Earl Grey. Between us, over the course of the afternoon, we tried all three, and were impressed by them all - although, in truth, I wouldn't have minded a couple more to choose from.

The attention to detail in the cafe is fantastic. There's a lovely 1950s vibe with pastel spotted bunting and chintzy, old-fashioned crockery - all pleasingly mismatched. One thing that I loved was the large china jug of water on the table - even though I find tea incredibly refreshing, when I'm drinking a lot of it I do like to have some water too. There were plenty of nice things to look at, such as interesting cards, packs of tea, party invitations, and, of course, lots of cakes - many of which were on our table.

But we began proceedings with sandwiches. Each of us had 6 finger-sandwiches, with either cream cheese, cucumber or egg mayonnaise filling. Unfortunately, the downside of preparing the afternoon tea in advance is that these kind of finger sandwiches inevitably go a little dry. Coupled with that, the fillings were somewhat on the meagre side. To give you an idea, I would usually use about twice as much filling at home. Perhaps I like a particularly full sandwich, but Miss O was in agreement. Still, the sandwiches are just the foundations upon which the glorious edifice of the afternoon tea is built: they may be important, but if the layers above are good then nobody really minds too much.

That certainly proved to be the case with this tea. To say there was plenty would be quite an understatement. We each had: two scones (no fruit but still nice); a teapot shaped butter biscuit (very cute); three chocolate-dipped strawberries (the nicest I've ever had, thanks to the chocolate having a ganache quality rather than the usual hardness); a selection of old-fashioned sweeties (fudge and flying saucers); a slice of banana cake with an absolutely fantastic passionfruit buttercream topping; and lastly a full size cupcake (vanilla sponge with a thick fondant icing). To go with our scones, the table came equipped with a large bowl of strawberry jam and another large bowl of whipped cream. I hate it when you're given those rather measly little ramekins so it was great to have enough topping to match the scones - the only disappointment being that the cream was whipped rather that clotted. For me, whipped cream just can't match up, but I dare say my arteries will appreciate the break just this once.

The highlights for me were entirely unexpected: that banana cake and those strawberries were really good. They sounded straightforward but both had a delicious twist. The other really lovely thing was the atmosphere of the place. It was clearly run with love and an attention to detail that you can appreciate as soon as you walk in. And it's obviously loved by quite a few locals too. Come 3.30pm the place was absolutely chock-a-block with mums and their offspring on the way home from school. Apparently, they are planning to start offering courses in the mornings (they are currently closed until 2pm) which will hopefully see even more business coming their way. The afternoon tea may not have been absolutely perfect, and at £15 it wasn't a total bargain like others I've had, but it was certainly very enjoyable. Let's put it this way, I could very easily be tempted into a return visit. Next time I'd probably just go for tea and cake - you know, the healthy option... But a business like this, that puts so much care and attention into their premises - and makes some pretty mean cakes to boot - deserves our custom, and I for one intend to do my duty.