Earl Grey Cupcakes

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baked, cake, chocolate, cupcakes, dessert, frosting, recipes, tea

Earl Grey has got to be one of my favourite teas – love it especially, lightly sweetened with a spoonful of honey. I was really excited to make these to bring to a pot-luck party. The distinctive scent of bergamot, tempered with the floral sweetness of vanilla beans and a touch of citrus zest to brighten the flavour. The cupcakes were then crowned with a dollop of silky, dark chocolate ganache frosting. Then next time, i might even grind some of the tea leaves and add to the cupcake batter for a more intense earl grey flavour.

Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake

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baked, breakfast, cake, cinnamon, coffee, recipes

Cake for breakfast? Well, yes. I love cinnamon-anything. Put them together and I’m a happy camper. Crunchy, crumbly sweet topping covers the top of the fluffy and moist cake, with more swirls of cinnamon within. A slice served alongside some yogurt and fresh berries is (one of of my many ideas of) breakfast nirvana. This is also great for tea time or a snack whenever a craving creeps up on you. I’ve made this cake countless times and it has since become a family favourite!
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Edit: The last week or so, was crazy — throw together 2 presentations, law musical, SUNIG netball matches and rounding it all of with a quiz and 2 midterm exams. Woah. That pretty much explains the short hiatus from this space and the fact that I’ve had no time at all, let alone bake. Thankfully, I’ve got a few back-up recipes and here’s one which was made early last year. Enjoy!

Orange Almond Cake

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almond, baked, cake, citrus, fruit, gluten-free, healthy, recipes

Here’s my first attempt at a gluten-free cake – however, this one was merely coincidental. It was inspired by the one I had at Dean & Deluca @ Mandarin Gallery. It was moist, full of zesty orange flavour and had an interesting crumbly texture to it (thanks to the almonds). Sadly, it was a whopping $9 for a teeny wedge. Gosh. Did someone say overpriced? My quick search online for ‘orange almond cake’ turned up 2,700,000 results. After comparing the recipes, I realised it was only made from 4 ingredients. Yes, four ingredients! It was pretty simple too – begin by boiling the orange, then blending it down before adding whipped eggs, sugar and ground almonds. The final result was utterly delicious, pretty darn close to the one at Dean & Deluca I must say! (Hehehe this totally sound like I’m blowing my own horn here) Their version had a glaze which helps to keep the cake moist for longer, especially when stored behind the glass display. I skipped that to keep it super simple. Looks like I’ll be making this again and again! 

Chocolate & Coffee

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baked, cake, chocolate, coffee, espresso, frosting, fudge, recipes

Chocolate and coffee. Just like my absolute fave coffee drink at Starbucks, this was a Java Chip Frappuccino in a cake. An espresso-flavoured cake, dotted with specks of dark chocolate. This was further soaked in coffee syrup before being smothered in swirls of frosting. I had dreamt of a luscious mocha mascarpone frosting to fill and frost this one. However, we didn’t have any left at home and I was just too lazy to head out to the store just to get a tub of mascarpone. Well, on hindsight, it was such a blessing in disguise! The chocolate fudge frosting I had used instead was sooooo good with this cake. It was thick, intensely chocolaty and fudgy, which was the perfect foil to the light, delicately crumbed cake.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes + Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

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baked, cake, carrot, cheese, cream, cupcakes, food, frosting, healthy, recipes

I’ll pick a good ol’ carrot cake over almost any cake, everytime. I love mine slightly on the denser side, chockful of shredded carrots, nuts and dried fruits. Warm and earthy, with a generous measure of spices – cinnamon, cloves and a grating of nutmeg. Sweet, fruity notes from the olive oil. Not forgetting that creamy ivory-hued frosting that would either make or break the cake. Amber honey whipped into the cream-cheese frosting gave just a little floral sweetness without being cloying. Lastly, these cupcakes were topped with a whole pecan each for an edible (and healthy) garnish

It only gets better when reduced to handy single servings, all wrapped up in cupcake liners. No more struggling with getting the perfect slice or having to take out plates and forks. Great for desserts. Breakfast? Even better! Well, carrot cake cupcakes. I’m sold.