Zucchini cupcakes and caramel icing

Zucchini cupcakes... but it is the caramel icing which really intrigues me:

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1-1/3 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1-1/2 cups shredded zucchini
• CARAMEL FROSTING:
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup 2% milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 to 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil, orange juice and extract. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to egg mixture and mix well. Stir in zucchini.
2. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.
3. For frosting, combine the brown sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cool to lukewarm.
4. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until frosting reaches spreading consistency. Frost cupcakes. Yield: 1-1/2 to 2 dozen.

Chicken breast recipes

All kinds of chicken breast recipes here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/melissaharrison/chicken-breast-recipes?sub=3402109_3488289#.lenqMa3Ap 

Croquembouche

Choux pastry proportions, per egg.

75ml water
30g butter  just over 1 ounce
35g flour:  approximately 1 1/4 ounce
1 egg

Lakeland recipe:  See also BBC Good Food.  Interesting discussion here, too.

No piping bag needed for the buns if they are carefully mounded onto the baking sheet using a teaspoon and finger!

FOR THE CHOUX BUNS
• 375ml water
• 150g butter, cubed
• 175g plain flour
• 5 large eggs, beaten
FOR THE CRÈME ANGLAISE FILLING
• 600ml full fat milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
• 6 large egg yolks
• 75g caster sugar
• 65g plain flour

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INSTRUCTIONS

For the Choux buns
1. Preheat the oven to 200 C / fan 180 C / Gas mark 4. Line 3 baking sheets with baking parchment. Pour the water into a large saucepan and add the butter. Cover the top of the saucepan with cling film and bring to the boil. Remove the cling film (take care to avoid the steam) and add all the flour quickly in one go.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and beat the mixture vigorously to a firm paste, stirring continuously. Transfer the mix to a bowl and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
3. Beat in the eggs a little at a time (either by hand or in a food mixer), stirring vigorously until the paste is smooth and glossy. Continue adding the the eggs until you have a smooth ribbon consistency.
4. Spoon the mixture into a large piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle about 5mm dia. Pipe around 75 rounds (25 per tray), each about the diameter of the top section of the anodised top-cone, onto the baking sheets. Leave enough space between each round to allow for spreading. Dip a finger in cold water and flatten any peaks.
5. Bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden, rotating the baking sheets half way through cooking. Remove from the oven and pierce the base of each bun with the tip of a knife or skewer to allow steam to escape.
6. Return to the oven and cook for a further 3 minutes to dry out. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on wire racks.
For the filling
(As an alternative, you can fill the buns with crème Chantilly).
7. Pour the milk into a pan with the vanilla bean paste. Bring the milk slowly to a simmer over a low heat. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and flour until pale and creamy.
8. Pour the warm milk over the egg mixture, stirring. Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over a low heat for 4-5 minutes, whisking, until the mixture starts to thicken and the whisk leaves a trail in the custard. The mixture should be thick and the flour taste cooked out.
9. Remove from the heat and pass through a fine sieve into a bowl. Cover the surface with cling film to prevent a skin forming and leave to cool. Chill until ready to use. Spoon the chilled custard into a piping bag fitted with a long nozzle (like the nozzles used to pipe jam into doughnuts) and fill the choux buns through the steam holes.
10. The choux buns can be made in advance and frozen, or can be stored unfilled for up to 3 days in an airtight container. If the buns are soft after defrosting or storage, lay them on lined baking sheets and bake at 180 C / fan 160 C / mark 4 for 5 minutes until crisp.
To build the Croquembouche
11. To assemble the croquembouche, start by making the caramel which will act as the glue to hold the whole thing together. Use 300g of caster sugar and 225ml of water, (this will be more than enough, but you will find the temperature is easier to control than with a smaller amount). You will also need a jam thermometer.
12. Beware : Melted sugar is VERY hot and sticky - handle with care. Place sugar and water in a clean pan and dissolve by stirring gently on a low heat.
13. Once dissolved, raise the temperature to boiling
14. Whilst boiling do not stir. Keep the sides of the pan and the thermometer continuously washed down with a little water to re-dissolve any sugar crystal which may form. Boil as rapidly as possible to the required temperature 154 C.
15. If any scum appears on the surface remove it with a spoon.
16. When the required temperature has been reached, remove the pan quickly from the heat and plunge it into a pan of cold water for a few seconds to prevent the temperature rising further due to heat absorbed by the saucepan.
17. Keep the cold water handy ready to plunge your hand in if/when you burn it on the sugar!
18. Holding each choux bun on its side, dip into the caramel (which will be very HOT) and arrange the buns around the baser of the mould. The caramel will help them stick together. Continue dipping the buns in the caramel and layering them up around the mould, until you reach the top. If the caramel gets too thick, briefly return it to the heat to warm through, but be careful not to burn it. Once assembled, leave the caramel to set for at least 30 minutes.
• Can also create the tower by building up in careful circles into a pyramid, without using a mould: just hold each bun in place for a few seconds to set the caramel glue.

Apple traybake

SERVES 12

• 225g (8oz) butter (room temperature), plus extra for greasing
• 550g (1¼ lb) cooking apples, such as Bramley
• juice of ½ lemon
• 225g (8oz) light muscovado sugar
• 300g (10oz) self-raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tbsp full-fat or semi-skimmed milk
• icing sugar, to dust

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

• traybake tin, 30cm x 23cm (12in x 9in) and 4cm (1½ in) deep

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan/350°F/gas 4). Grease the traybake tin with butter and line with baking parchment. Quarter, peel, core and thinly slice the apples and put them in a shallow dish. Pour over the lemon juice and toss gently together. (See below, Soft, juicy apples.)
2. Put the butter, muscovado sugar, flour, baking powder, ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon, the eggs and milk in a large bowl. Beat thoroughly using an electric hand whisk for about 2 minutes (or use a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes) until smooth and light.
3. Spoon half the mixture into the prepared tin and spread it out evenly. Lay half the apple slices on top and sprinkle over the remaining ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. Spoon the remaining cake mixture on top and carefully level the surface. Scatter the rest of the apple slices over the cake mixture and press them lightly into the surface. (See below, Defined layers.)
4. Bake for 40 minutes or until well risen and golden brown on top. The cake will feel spongy but firm and will be starting to come away slightly from the edges of the tin. Also, the apples should be soft. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then loosen the sides with a small palette knife and turn out the cake, peel off the parchment paper and leave to cool on a wire rack. Sift icing sugar over the top of the cake.

Alternative cooking: 15 minutes at 160 degrees and 90 watts in the combi oven, turn off and leave another 5 minutes, take out and cool on a wire rack.

KEYS TO PERFECTION

Soft, juicy apples

• It’s important to slice the apples very thinly. If they’re too thick, they won’t soften enough when baked. Tossing them in lemon juice helps stop them from turning too brown, as well as giving flavour and extra juiciness.

Defined layers

• When spreading the second half of the cake mixture over the apples and cinnamon, do so gently using a palette knife to ensure the apple slices beneath aren’t disturbed, thus retaining the layered effect.
• Spread the apples evenly over the cake mixture and lightly press them in. You don’t need to be too neat when layering the apples; in fact, the top looks more interesting if you scatter over the apples in a random pattern.

Coffee and walnut cake

Classic coffee and walnut cake - from Waitrose

• Preparation time:10 minutes
• Cooking time:20-25
• Total time:30-35 minutes 

Serves: 12

Ingredients

175g essential Waitrose Salted Dairy Butter, at room temperature
175g golden caster sugar3 large Waitrose British Blacktail Free Range Eggs, beaten2 tbsp cooled strong coffee175g self-raising flour1 tsp baking powder100g Waitrose Walnut Halves, 6 reserved for decoration and the rest roughly chopped

For the frosting:

200g essential Waitrose Salted Dairy Butter, at room temperature400g icing sugar2 tbsp strong black coffee, cooled

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Grease and line 2 x 20cm loose-bottomed cake tins.

2. Using an electric hand whisk, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually whisk in the eggs, then coffee, until well blended.

3. Sift over the flour and baking powder and gently fold into the mixture with the chopped walnuts. Divide between the 2 cake tins, level off the surface and bake for 20–25 minutes until just set. Turn the cakes out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, to make the frosting, beat the butter until soft and pale then gradually beat in the sugar followed by the coffee.

5. Spread the top of one cake with a third of the frosting then place the second cake on top. Smooth the remaining frosting around the sides and top of the cake. Decorate with the reserved walnut halves.

Chocolate cake

Chocolate cake recipes:

This one is with mayonnaise

Cake:

• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 3/4 cups boiling water
• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1 1/3 cups mayonnaise (do not use reduced-fat or fat-free)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• Special equipment: Three 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides

PREPARATION

For cake: 
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour three 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Combine chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in medium metal bowl. Add 1 3/4 cups boiling water and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Sift flour, baking soda, and baking powder into another medium bowl.Using electric mixer, beat both sugars and mayonnaise in large bowl until well blended, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with chocolate mixture in 3 additions, beating until blended after each addition and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Divide batter among prepared cake pans (about 2 1/3 cups for each).

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 30 to 32 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 20 minutes. Run small knife around sides of cakes to loosen. Carefully invert cakes onto racks and let cool completely.

For frosting: 
Place chopped chocolate in medium metal bowl; set bowl over saucepan of simmering water and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Carefully remove bowl from over water; let melted chocolate cool until lukewarm, stirring occasionally.

Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth and creamy. Sift powdered sugar over butter and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add melted chocolate and beat until well blended and smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl.

Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread 3/4 cup frosting over top of cake layer to edges. Top with second cake layer; spread 3/4 cup frosting over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining frosting decoratively over top and sides of cake. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and let stand at room temperature

And this:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
• 1 cup strong black coffee OR 2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee plus 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan.Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl.
2. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes (batter will be thin).Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
5. Frost as desired.

Notes:

• To sour milk: Use 1 tablespoon white vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup.

Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake

Once you pour the hot coffee into the batter, don’t be alarmed by its thinness.
“It’s definitely the thinnest cake batter I’ve ever worked with,” [Portland Baker
Melissa] McKinney says. As for the frosting, there’s no need to use fancy chocolate,
she says. “I just use semi-sweet chocolate chips and it comes out perfect.”

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted)*
1 1/3 cups canola oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups freshly brewed, extra-strong hot coffee*
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
24 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch cake pans with nonstick spray, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

2. Place flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, mix on low to combine. Keeping the mixer on low , add oil, buttermilk, then eggs one at a time. Add hot coffee in a thin stream, pouring down the side of the bowl. Add vanilla and mix until batter is smooth. Divide into pans and back until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs, about 30-35 minutes. Let cool in pans for at least 20 minutes.

3. To make the chocolate ganache frosting, create a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bringing it to a boil. Place chocolate chips and cream in a stainless steel mixing bowl (I used glass) and set on top of simmering water, Allow mixture to melt–do not stir right away, When chocolate has melted, stir it with a whisk. Allow to cool at room temperature.

4. Remove cakes from pans. Place one layer of cake on a serving plate. Trim the top with a serrated knife to make it even (although I didn’t find this necessary). Place a scoop of ganache in the middle and smooth it out to the edges using a palette knife or spatula. Trim the top off the other layer and place the untrimmed side down on the top of the frosted layer, pressing gently. Spoon more ganache on the top and smooth it around the sides, adding more ganache as needed to cover. If you need to apply a second coat of ganache, put the cake in the refridgerator for no more than 15 minutes to set before adding a second coat (although I found myself with a surplus of frosting). Makes a single 9-inch layer cake.

 

Lemon sour cream cake with cream cheese frosting by Destitute Gourmet

Destitute Gourmet's recipe:

This moist cake is deliciously citrusy. You bake it simply in a 25 cm tin and serve dusted with icing sugar and a dollop of Greek yoghurt or Bake in a smaller deeper 20 cm tin and split into 3 layers for a celebration cake. Its delicous with lemon curd and lemony butter cream or cream cheese icing.

250g butter
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
4 tsp lemon zest
250g sour cream – use lite if you wish
2 cups pl flour
2 tsp baking powder

Glaze
Juice of 1 lemon combined with ¼ cup sugar

Cream cheese icing
250 g full fat cream cheese – don’t use lite cream cheese see cooks tip
2 ½ cups sifted icing sugar
a squeeze of lemon juice –to your personal taste
¾ cup lemon curd - optional
Pre heat the oven to 180° regular bake not fan.

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, use electric beaters if you have them.
Beat in the eggs 1 at a time then add the lemon zest.
Whip the sour cream with a fork until is it soft then mix it into the eggs, butter and sugar.
Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold in gently with a metal spoon.
Place in a greased and lined 20 - 25 cm cake tin.
For a 25cm cake bake 60 – 70 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. For a 20 cm cake reduce the temperature to 170 ° and bake for 1 hr 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Pour the glaze over the warm cake, cover and let cool in the tin.
When cool split the cake into 3 layers, set aside the base of the cake to use as the top as it will be perfectly flat.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth then mix in the icing sugar and lemon juice. Spread one layer of the cake with lemon curd if using and then spread with 1/3 of the icing, place a cake layer on top and repeat with the curd and icing. Add the final layer, which was the base of the cake with the smoothest side facing up. Pile the remaining icing in the and spread it over the top working from the centre out to the sides. Chill the cake until required.
Cooks tip: Lite Cream cheese won’t hold its shape once beaten. It becomes very runny and will simply run off the cake even after refrigeration. Much as we love to use lighter options where we can, in the case of cream cheese icing its full fat or nothing.

Flowers: edible flowers brushed with egg white, dusted with castor sugar and air dried.