Red and White

I knew my co-worker's birthday is in July but I couldn't remember the date. At around 5pm I got reminded it's actually tomorrow! And I have a deadline at work tomorrow! And I have to stay late to finish the work before I leave. What to do?

I started composing a cake that is fast and easy to make. I decided to make cupcakes as I know the office will be super crazy tomorrow and we wouldn't have time to spare to cut a cake. I bought Roger Pizey's Small Cakes: from Fondant Fancies to Florentines last week and I want to test the cupcake recipe first. So here it is (you can actually get this from the Amazon website):


Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes 8


2 eggs
175g caster sugar (I had reduced to 145g)
140g plain flour, sifted
small pinch of salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
75ml heavy cream
50g melted butter
a few drops of vanilla essence


Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. In a mixer, whisk the eggs with the sugar until fully blended. add the flour, salt and baking powwder a little at a time, and whisk together. Mix in the cream, then fold in the melted butter. Finally, add a few drops of vanilla essence.
Place muffin cases in a muffin tray and fill 3/4 full with the mixture. Bake for 20 minutes on the miffle shelf until golden brown. To test the cakes are gooked, gently pushed a skewer or small knife through to the centre of one cake - it should come away clean. Leave the cakes for a minute in the moulds, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Decorate with the toppings of your choice.

It's really easy to make and they smell so good when they are in the oven. I also made a white chocolate raspberry ganache and pipe it in between the cake batter before I put it in the oven.

White Chocolate Raspberry Ganache
(adapted from Fields of Cake and Other Good Stuff)

3.3 ounces fine white chocolate (cut into 1/4 inch or less pieces)
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter (softened)
21ml heavy cream
pinch salt
1 tsp. dark rum or raspberry liquor, like Chambord
20ml strained raspberry puree

1. Place chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl and set aside.
2. Bring cream, corn syrup and pinch of salt to a boil in a small sauce pan over medium heat, immediately pour over chocolate and butter, shimmy the bowl to help the chocolate and butter settle under the cream and cover the bowl and allow to sit for two minutes.
3. Uncover and stir gently until mixture is smooth and silky.
4. Add rum until fully incorporated.
5. Whisk in raspberry preserves until fully incorporated and smooth.