I think most of you are across my addiction to chocolate and cake but some of you may not know about my coffee addiction. It all started about 3 years ago when my two gorgeous girlfriends brought me a coffee machine for the birth of my second child. They figured I needed coffee more than a bunny rug or rattle and they were right!! It has become an extension of me in the mornings and the kids know to go quietly until the first brew is poured.
I found this gem of a recipe in the Herald Sun Newspaper while in Mornington.
I had to go against everything my heart was saying to me and just follow the recipe to see if it worked. You see, unlike most of the recipes I do, which have about 5 steps and a few twists to keep them interesting and "worthy" this one was a one step "throw it all in the bowl and beat" mix.
I thought hard about the recipe and really wanted to revert back to the multiple steps I was accustomed to. Everything I have learnt so far has pointed towards not overmixing at the flour and milk or liquid stage. This one just said "put everything in the bowl and mix for 4 minutes". It really tormented me but in the end the only thing I did differently was beat the butter before everything else was thrown in.
It was amazing. I was nervous the coffee would never dissolved. But it did. I was nervous you would be able to throw these at a window and break in to steal the "real deal" cup cakes. But you couldn't. They were delicious.
I am a bit bored with the usual buttercream icing. I am also experimenting with finding one that holds in a hot climate and is not so sweet for those of us that don't have a sweet tooth. Hard to believe, I know. This icing was out of the box. A white chocolate and sour cream combination.
I did my usual piping swirl and dusted it with cappacino chocolate dusting. Usually I would also put something on top, a handmade topper or a nut or something but I was time poor, in my mum's kitchen and given it was post christmas, the local supermarket had run out of my white icing! How could they?!
That is when mum whizzed into the kitchen and said "would you like some chocolate coffee beans for them?". Absolutely perfect, don't you think? Thanks mum.
I don't mind saying that if I saw these in the shops I would have to buy one. As it is, I had two!
Yum.
Here is the recipe, reproduced from the Herald Sun.
125g unsalted butter (softened)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbs instant coffee granules
2/3 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup milk
Preheat oven at 180c
Place all ingredients in a bowl and beat with electric mixer for 4 minutes.
Put in cases in muffin tin and bake for 18 minutes or until the centres spring back lightly when touched. Remove from tin and cool on a wire cake rack.
Ingredients for icing
80g white chocolate
30g butter
60g sour cream
140g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp cocoa powder
Melt chocolate and butter together. Allow to cool a little and stir in sour cream. Gradually beat in sifted icing sugar until desired thickness (I added in more than recipe).
Generously ice your cakes and sprinkle with sifted cocoa.
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