Unicorn Cupcakes

I found this Unicorn Cupcake recipe back in March and I've had my eye on it since then. The outcome of the cupcakes looked really cool and quirky and they were definitely something I wanted to try. 

I would say you need at least two people to make these cakes - I did it by myself and I end up with cake mixture and colouring absolutely everywhere, so at least two people would probably make it a lot easier. 

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

430g of Plain Flour
3 teaspoons of Baking Powder
265g of Caster Sugar
1/2 teaspoon of Salt
125g of Unsalted Butter, softened
375ml of Milk
2 tablespoons of Greek Yoghurt (or use Sour Cream instead)
125ml of Vegetable/Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
2 Large Eggs
4 drops of Pink food Gel
2 drops of Blue food Gel
2 drops of Purple food Gel

Icing:

200g of Icing Sugar
100g of Unsalted Butter
1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon of Milk or Water
2 drops of Pink food Gel
2 drops of Blue food Gel
1 drops of Purple food Gel


Method:

Cupcakes:

1) Pre-heat the oven to 180C (356F) or 160C (320F) for a fan oven. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners
2) In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder, caster sugar and salt. Use an electric whisk and whisk the mixture together for a few minutes of until all the ingredients are combined. Alternatively - if you don't have an electric whisk, try sifting the ingredients together to ensure their are no lumps. 
3) Add the unsalted butter, softened butter and mix the ingredients again until it resembles a very fine, sand like, texture.
4) After this, measure out the milk, yoghurt, oil and vanilla extract into a separate jug or bowl and whisk well until the ingredients are fully combined.
5) Next, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in a steady fashion, whilst whisking the mixture, until you've completely combined the two mixtures. 
6) Split the batter equally between the three bowls. Then, colour one with 2 drops of blue gel, one with 2 drops of pink gel and the last one with 2 drops of pink and 2 drops of purple (or use as much gel as it takes to colour your mixtures). 
7) Transfer the batter in 3 separate piping bags and carefully pipe little blobs of each colour in the cupcake liners. Make sure you alternate which colours you use in order to create un-ordered but colourful cupcakes. For example, pipe a blob of pink, then blue, then purple and repeat until you've filled the cupcake liner 3/4 of the way. 
8) Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted into the centre of a cake, comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and allow them to cool.

Icing:

1) To prepare your icing whisk your unsalted butter until it is fluffy and completely softened.
2) Next, add your icing sugar and whisk the mixture until the butter and icing sugar are completely combined and you have a fluffy mixture.
3) Add the vanilla extract and milk/water, to softened down the mixture - you can always add more if need be, but ensure your icing retains 'peaks' (points). 
4) To add colour to your icing, use the same method as your cupcake mixture. Separate the icing into three bowls then add 2 drops of blue to one bowl, 2 drops of pink to another and 2 drops of purple and 2 drops of pink to the last (or use as much gel as it takes to colour your mixtures). 
5) Then transfer the mixture into ONE piping bag - trying to ensure the colours stay separated as much as possible.
6) The last part - of how you actually ice your cupcakes - is up to you. You can either:

• Frost three blobs of frosting onto the cupcake. The bottom of being the biggest and top one being smaller. And then pipe little blobs around each blob - finishing with one final blob on top OR
• You can use a star shaped piping head and ice the cupcakes in a spiral movement - for a simpler but still effective look. 

I used the second icing technique - just because I felt the first would create more icing than their was cupcake. I hope you enjoy these cupcakes if you make them! They're quite a lot of work, but totally worth it. 

"Be the baddest unicorn in the whole freakin' galaxy"

Until next time,

Alice x 

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Salted Caramel Cupcakes

I've made these Salted Caramel Cupcakes twice now; the basic cupcake recipe is super easy to follow, however filling and icing the cupcakes is a bit more complicated and time consuming (however SO worth the yummy cupcakes you end up with), so if you decide to make these cakes make sure you have enough time and perhaps a bit of help to help you prepare the icing and the salted caramel.

The first time I made these cupcakes, me and Meg wanted to film a video and needed a recipe to do so, we found a salted caramel cupcake recipe online but we wanted to put our own twist on the cakes, so we decided to fill the cupcakes with salted caramel as well as creating our own icing to compliment them. If you'd like to check the video out, you can do so here.

The second time I made these cupcakes I had a bit of help from my mum; I attempted to make them by myself, however, honestly, a little bit of help goes a long way, and having someone to cut out the centres of the cakes and ensure the icing and salted caramel is the right consistency for being piped means you have a little less to do.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:
210g Plain Flour
1 3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
200g Caster Sugar
2 Medium eggs, beaten
170ml Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
112g Butter/Margarine
Salted Caramel Sauce (or anything similar)

Icing:
200g Icing Sugar
100g Unsalted Butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon Milk
Salted Caramel Sauce (or anything similar)

Method:

1) Preheat the Oven to 175/180 degrees Celsius. Line a cupcake try with 12 paper liners (you can always add more if you have additional cupcake batter).
2) Using a mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and margarine until they're fully combined.
3) Beat the eggs together in a jug and add in the vanilla extract. Gradually whisk the eggs into the sugar and margarine mixture, adding a little at a time and beating well after each addition.
4) Using a separate bowl combine the flour and baking powder. Then carefully fold in the flour mixture alternating with the milk, in several additions.
5) Half-fill the paper cases with the batter and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the centre of a cupcake)
6) Once cooked transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool.

Filling

1) Once the cupcakes have cooled cut out the centre of the cakes. Make the hole circular and about half way down the cupcake (a small to medium size).
2) Once the centre of the cakes have been removed start piping the salted caramel into the centre of each of them.
3) Replace the centres of the cakes as you go. Cut off the bottom of the centres only leaving the top part remaining - do this so the salted caramel doesn't overflow out of the middle of the cake.

Icing

1) Weigh and combine the icing sugar and the unsalted butter together by whisking the mixture together.
2) Add in the vanilla extract and milk and stir them into the mixture. The icing should be light and fluffy and should drop off a spoon without any force, but not run off a spoon otherwise it is too runny. 3) If you want to add some colouring into your icing you can do so now. To only colour part of your icing remove a small section and place it into a separate bowl. Then add in a drop of your chosen colour.
3) Put the icing into your piping tube and pipe it in a circular motion onto the top of each cupcake. If you have coloured icing too try to place it directly next to your white icing in the actual piping tube.
4) Once you have iced all of your cupcakes return to your salted caramel piping tube and follow the lines of your icing to ensure your salted caramel follows the structure of your icing.
5) Then ENJOY!  

"You can't be sad when you're holding a cupcake"

Until Next Time,

Alice x

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