Who doesn’t love a good cupcake? Go ahead and try these fun ideas at your next birthday bash!
Lemon poppyseed cupcakes
SERVES 14 • TOTAL TIME 45 min, plus cooling
Yoghurt ⅔ cup
Vegetable oil ⅔ cup
Eggs 3
Zest of lemons 3 lemons
Caster sugar 300 g
Self-raising flour 300 g
Salt ½ tsp
Poppy seeds, plus extra for garnish 40 g
FOR THE LEMON BUTTER ICING
Butter, room temperature 250 g
Icing sugar, sifted 500 g
Lemon juice 3 tbsp
Zest from lemon 1 lemon
1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC and line a 12-hole muffin tin.
2. Whisk together the yoghurt, oil and eggs. In a separate bowl, rub the lemon zest into the caster sugar, then combine with the remaining ingredients. Pour in the egg mixture and mix to form a smooth batter.
3. Fill the cupcake liners two-thirds full with batter.
4. Bake for 12–15 minutes until golden and the cake springs back when poked.
FOR THE LEMON BUTTER ICING
1. Beat the butter in a bowl until light and creamy.
2. Mix in the icing sugar in three batches, then mix for 2 more minutes until smooth and fluffy.
3. Mix in the lemon juice and zest.
TO ASSEMBLE
1. Dollop or pipe the lemon butter icing onto the cooled cupcakes. Decorate with a sprinkle of poppyseed, lemonzest and edible flower, if desired.
Red velvet & toasted marshmallow
SERVES 18 • TOTAL TIME 1 hr, plus cooling
FOR THE CUPCAKES
Flour 1 ¾ cups
Cocoa 3 tbsp
Baking powder ¾ tsp
Salt ½ tsp
Sugar 1 ½ cups
Vegetable oil ¾ cup
Eggs 2
Vanilla essence 2 tsp
Red food colouring 2 tbsp
Buttermilk 1 cup
Bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp
White vinegar 1 tsp
FOR THE MARSHMALLOW TOPPING
Egg whites 3
Cream of tartar ¼ tsp
Granulated sugar ¾ cup
Vanilla extract ¾ tsp
FOR THE CUPCAKES
1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Line two 12-hole muffin tins with cupcake wrappers.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Add the sugar and oil to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until the oil is incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in between
each addition. Add the vanilla and the food colouring, then beat until thoroughly combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the sugar mixture in alternating batches, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat the batter until the flour is just incorporated.
5. Add the bicarb and vinegar to a small glass and mix to incorporate. Add this mixture to the batter and beat through for 15 seconds until well combined.
6. Spoon the batter into the muffin holes – try adding the same amountsto each hole. We spooned four tablespoons (about 60 g) of batter into each cupcake holder.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, until the cupcakes bounce back when poked. Take out of the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tray, then remove.
Recipes & styling: Sjaan van der Ploeg
Photography: callen jefferson/hmimages.co.za
Cupcakes are one of our favorite childhood treats, but instead of having regular chocolate or vanilla ones, why not have mojito cupcakes?
