Recipes from N'fest

I'll post here the recipes we used at N'fest and will gradually replace the ones that got lost when I pressed delete!  Please feel free to request any you don't see that you want NOW though!

Strawberry Cheesecake  Cupcakes

115g butter (room temp)

115g sugar

2 eggs

115g SR flour

½ tsp vanilla extract

2 tblsp milk

175g white chocolate

175g full fat Philidelphia

6 tblsp crème fraiche

1½ tsp vanilla extract

6 tblsp icing sugar

Fresh strawberries

Preheat oven to 180C and line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper cases.

Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs.  Add the flour and fold into the mixture and lastly add the vanilla and milk.  Mix together gently and spoon the mixture into the paper cases.  Bake for about 10 mins until risen and golden and an inserted skewer comes out clean.  Leave to cool completely

Melt chocolate gently in microwave (careful as white chocolate can burn/seize particularly easily!) then cool slightly.  In another bowl beat together cream cheese, crème fraiche, vanilla and icing sugar, then add melted chocolate and beat that in too.  Smooth topping mixture over tops of the cooled cupcakes and decorate with a fresh strawberry.

Courgette & Lime Muffins

Cake:

250g courgettes (about 1 large one) coarsely grated

2 eggs

125ml vegetable oil

150g caster sugar

225g self-raising flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp baking powder

Filling:

50g butter

2 or 3 limes

150g sugar (or use less sugar to make it more tangy!)

4 eggs

Icing:

200g cream cheese

100g icing sugar

Juice and zest of 1 lime

Place grated courgette in a sieve to remove excess moisture.

Put eggs, oil and sugar in a bowl and beat until creamy.  Add flour, bicarb and baking powder and beat until well combined.  Add grated courgettes.   Add paper cases to a 12 cup muffin pan and divide mixture between them and bake for about 25 mins, until firm.  Cool completely.

For the curd filling – melt the butter in the microwave in a medium sized bowl.  Grate the lime zest into the bowl, juice the limes into the bowl and add the sugar and eggs.  Whisk until well combined.  Microwave on high for about 5 mins, opening the door after every 45 secs or so to beat well (otherwise it’ll just be a big lime omelette/scrambled egg!).  Towards the end of the time it will thicken up noticeably.  It can be put in a jar and stored in the fridge for 2 or 3 weeks as there will be some curd left over (can easily make half this quantity if preferred).

For the icing – beat cream cheese until smooth, add icing sugar and beat until combined, then add lime juice and zest and mix well.

To assemble cakes – hollow a small piece out of the top of each cake and fill the hole with lime curd, and top with a generous dollop of icing!

 

Lemony Cupcakes

Cake:

240g plain flour

300g caster sugar

3 tsp baking powder

Zest of 2 lemons

80g butter

240ml milk

2 eggs

Frosting:

250g icing sugar

80g unsalted butter

Zest of 2 lemons

Juice of approx ½ lemon

For the cakes: Beat flour, sugar, baking powder, zest and butter in a bowl until sandy in consistency (freestanding mixer is best) then gradually add milk and beat until just incorporated, followed by the egg, beating until smooth.

Put paper cases in a 12 cup muffin pan and fill with the cake mixture.  Cook for 25 mins or until firm – cool completely.

For the frosting: beat icing sugar, butter and lemon zest until well combined and then slowly add the lemon juice.  Once well incorporated, beat on a higher speed (if using a mixer) until light and fluffy – the longer you beat, the lighter it goes.

Spread the frosting over the cooled cakes.  You could also hollow a little piece from the top of the cake and fill it with lemon curd – this is what I did when they were served in the café.  Either buy good quality lemon curd or make your own AMAZINGLY easy 5 min microwave lemon curd – for the recipe, see the Lime and Courgette recipe and just swap the 2 or 3 limes for 2 lemons!

Triple Choc Muffins

9oz plain flour

1oz cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

half tsp bicarbonate soda

3oz each dark and white chocolate - roughly chopped

4oz milk choc - roughly chopped

2 eggs

10 fl oz double cream

3 oz light muscovado sugar

3 oz melted butter

Put dry ingredients in a large bowl (I've got a lovely glass one called the Classic Batter Bowl which is ideal - make by The Pampered Chef - have you heard of them?).  Mix wet ingredients together and add to dry ingredients and mix until JUST combined - don't over-work.  Spoon into (large scoop ideal) 11 holes of muffin pan (again I've got a super stone one - ask me for more details)

Bake at 200 C/Gas 6 for 20 mins, leave in pan for about 15 minutes to firm up and then scoff the lot.