So I guess I'll knock off three in a row, but in chronological order...
Okay, so on the 5th of March was my good friend Anne's birthday, and of course, someone is always designated to bake something. Seeing as cupcakes are kind of my trademark, I decided to go with something new.
This is the hazelnut cupcake, and it is your run-of-the mill butter cupcake, but with some hazelnut meal in with it. This does add a bit of a texture, but I've never really been much of a nut person. However, the this is quite subtle and great for an afternoon tea or birthday!
The icing is something quite new to me. I found it a little heavy myself, but the taste just can't be compared.
It was quite simple, really. 750g of Nutella (I bought the 'hazelnut spread' brand because there really is no difference - especially with cooking) and some whipped cream. I found that the thickness of each of these ingredients clashed just a bit, weighing down the whole fluffiness of the cupcake. Again, due to the whipped cream, folding is a necessity to keep all the air in the mixture. But after all this, I added a splash of hazelnut frangelico, which really did give the whole flavour something else. Just a touch really does compliment the whole taste.
I do love piping tubes, and as you can see here, I've used a 9 pointed star to pipe.
Unfortunately, due to the consistency of the Nutella, and how folding is not a fantastic combining method, there were small parts where the cream had not mixed with the Nutella, so I got small lumps of it throughout, which made it hard to pipe. With piping, if there is a clog, you really cannot just push it through. Not only will this break the bag, but if you do manage to squeeze it through, you will end up with a pile of icing over the cupcake. After much changing around, I ended up with a very thick piping head, about the size of a 5c coin so the mixture could get through. I do prefer fine detail, but this was something that really couldn't have been helped.
Anyway, at the end, I just placed some cachous all around (I love cachous, they are amazing, they just add so much more interest to the overall look, plus add something to each bite!)
Again, full credit goes to the Crabapple Bakery book mentioned in the 50th birthday cake post.
I do not take credit for this recipe, nor can I post it here. If you would like to borrow the book from me, that would be okay.
So, yeah, just bang a candle in the top and start singing! Bye for now :)
~ "Food for thought is no substitute for the real thing" - Walt Kelly
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