Zucchini Cupcake

 

            It was one of the busiest weeks in my life. I was on a roller coaster ride of life where you literally forget to breath. After all life could never be so idle when you have three kids (Well, I mean four!! Grown up ones can  be more insisting) around. Juggling between cooking, sewing, blogging, reading and lot more kids stuff which you would probably not find in the dictionaries; is what recently life is like. I call myself lazy no more. You just don't have space for that word in my 60 miles/hr marathon life. Aaah!! I think you can of course hear me panting.. just halting a bit to take breath!!

            Still!! I am enjoying it on the go!! I seriously can't imagine life with a lower pace. I guess it's all part of the fun. I am just trying to enjoy an ice lolly on the ride... After all roller coaster rides are meant to be fun. And of course it is!! If you take it in the positive sense :)

           So, I'm posting the recipe of Zucchini cupcake I had made a few months back. It is one of the latest additions to my kids menu,which helps me sneak in veggies to their veggie resistant tummies. Gosh! The boys never suspected, their enemies were hiding right under their noses; and the cakes were gone, before I even knew it. Try this for your kids, if yours are Yuck! Yuck! towards veggies too.. A sure shot to success; believe me;)

Here is the recipe...

Mocha Cupcakes with Chocolate Butter cream frosting

 

"Coffee makes it possible to get out of bed. Chocolate makes it worthwhile."

~Author Unknown

 

      
                       Though I like baking very much, big fat (iced) cakes tends to suffocate me. Even while thinking about the long sessions of frosting, smoothing and  decorations, my spine makes a lazy squeak and my mind tends to go suddenly numb and wary. And I frantically find excuses to leave the larger cakes for another day zeroing in on cup cakes again and again. For I have the excuses that they are easier to make   more charming and beautiful, no fuss about elaborate icing techniques and just a piped swirl or flower looks cute and stunning on them than on any other cakes. And what more, no strangulating thoughts of cutting the cake to smooth slices or how to decently serve them to your guests or kids. So there! cup cakes pop up in my oven very often and big cakes, once in a blue moon.

                     Being a great fan of coffee,I recently wondered why I didn't post any recipes with coffee in KB yet. Though I use coffee in everything from dessert to bread, the thought of posting them had queerly abandoned me!The combination of chocolate and coffee is a tempting flavour in any desserts and cakes. For those who are both chocolate and coffee lovers, there is no better option other than mocha. Add a streak of mocha sauce to your vanilla pudding and it becomes all the more vibrant and flavourful.The sweet aroma of coffee and chocolate which wafts up while the cup cakes are being baked, can never be traded with anything better.

            I make mocha muffins often, as my son loves chocolate and I love coffee. But my cupcake icings were not as good to gawk at. I recently saw a cup cake swirl tutorial ( there is a lot going on in U tube, by the way)  and tried my hand at it. I know it is not as beautiful as they did, but still it is a swirl, and Jr KB gave the verdict 'pretty'. He loved it with chocolate butter cream even better, though there were a lot more clothes with annoying streaks of chocolate cream in the laundry! Mr.KB took one with out comments and then grabbed one more soon after, which is a complement in itself as he is not a great fan of chocolate, nor is he a sweet tooth.

       Coming to the recipe..

Mocha Cupcakes with Chocolate butter cream frosting

(Makes about 3 dozen cupcakes)

Things you need:

     

                                                           For muffins:

2 large egg (at room temperature)

1/2 cup (120 ml) butter milk

1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable or canola oil

1/4 cup (60 ml) black coffee or espresso (at room temp.)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup (130 g) all purpose flour

3/4 cup (95 g) whole wheat flour

1/4 cup (25 g) regular, unsweetened cocoa pdr

1 cup (205g) light brown sugar

1/2 tsp baking pdr

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

For frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature

1/4 cup cocoa powder, or 2 ounce semi sweet chocolate squares, melted

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups sifted confectioners sugar

1& 1/2 to 2 tbsp milk



Method:

       Preheat oven to 190 degree C (375 degree F). Place the rack in center of oven and line 2 muffin trays with paper liners.

       In a large bowl , beat the eggs and sugar until creamy and pale.Beat in the butter milk, oil, coffee and vanilla extract.

      In another bowl, whisk together flours,cocoa powder, baking pdr, baking soda and salt.

      With a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and stir only until combined. Do not over mix or beat with a whisk.

      Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for 18 to 25 minutes or when a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire wrack and let cool for 5 to 10 min, before removing from pan.

Chocolate Butter cream frosting:

 In a bowl cream the butter or margarine with a whisk until smooth. Add cocoa and vanilla extract. Gradually add confectioners sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, often. The icing will now appear dry. Add milk and continue beating at medium speed until light and fluffy.

      Fill it to piping bag and squeeze swirls or rosettes over cooled cup cakes. If you are not using the icing immediately, refrigerate it in an air tight container. It can be stored up to two weeks in the refrigerator. Re whip on low speed before using.

Vanilla Cupcake

              The weather is not lately as much torturing. The grueling cold has subsided a bit and it is more or less tolerable. So the kids enjoyed the outing for our weekend purchase like never before. The younger one was cooing and bubbling in his pram and the elder one was a packet full of energy. For him our purchase outing to our favorite supermarket is more enjoyable than going to the park. He loves the car trolley in the super market. For him it’s not just a shopping hike but a ride across the whole supermarket in his trolley car, crisscrossing across the array of goods and goodies.

            So it was not a wonder the boys were still up and chatty when we reached home late at night while Mr. KB was literally sleeping on his feet. On reaching home my elder sons first demand was, “ I want cup cake n I wanna have it right now” Phew! He is three now and I was a fool to think the ‘terrible two’ stage is over.. but nay, the tantrums has only begun. When he says,“I WANT IT ”, I guess it’s an order. It took too much persuasions and promises to make him understand that it is already late for bed and will make him cup cakes the first thing in the morning. And the boys were finally asleep at twelve O’ clock. Ah! I only remember my head touching the pillow and I was fast asleep. So to keep the promise I baked these cup cakes the very next day.

Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

Things you need:

100g  unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 large lemon
1 1/2 cups (195g) all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk (60ml)
For the frosting:
Dream whip powder -  50g
Cold milk                 -  125 ml

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degree F (177 degree C) and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners
• Separate the eggs into yolks and whites and keep aside.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Sift atleast three times to aerate it.
• With an electric whisk, beat the butter and half of the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks little by little and beat well. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest
• With the mixer on low speed alternately add the flour mixture and milk in three additions, begining and ending with flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
• Now beat the egg whites in a separate bowl with the remaining sugar until white and peeks appear
• Fold it gently into the cake mixture with a rubber spatula or metal spoon.
• Fill the muffin cups with the batter upto 3/4th hieght. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted at the centre comes out batter free.

Frosting:

Whip the powder and milk at high speed for 5 to 10 minutes untill stiff peaks appear. Fill it in an icing bag with star shaped nozzle. Squeese it over the cupcakes to form swirls or any shape you like. Refrigerate covered before serving. Enjoy!