Rainbow Cupcakes!!! A Bright End To Cupcake Week :)

Ok, so we cheated a little but what's cheating if it means you get extra cake? LOL! I'm going to excuse myself with the fact that it's Friday, it's fun and it's the last day of cupcake week! After all the hard baking work the Devnaa team have been doing I thought they deserved a treat (plus my inner child has been dying to make these for aaaaaages!), so Rainbow Cupcakes it is!

They are in fact just a batch of basic vanilla cupcakes, divided by 7 (I have been singing the 'Rainbow Song' to myself all day!), each bowl of batter was coloured and then a spoonful of each colour per cupcake case - simples! The flavour is not so much Indian but again - excuse at the ready(!) - the vibrant colours are so representative of Indian culture it just naturally fit!

Use whatever vanilla cake recipe you like with whichever colours please you, these are by far the happiest cupcakes I have ever baked, putting a smile on everyone's faces! :)

Cupcake Week Day 5 - Chocolate, Coconut & Cardamom Cupcakes

Hello All! For the last blog of cupcake week the Devnaa team thought that we'd quite like to base a cupcake on one of our signature chocolates - chai masala has been done before (by us and many others!), pisatchio and saffron.... Well, we did the pistachio thing on day 1 and so - Coconut & Cardamom it was! Yes we've used coconut icing on our gingerbread cupcakes (day 2) but this is a full on, chocolate cupcake with coconut filling (baked inside, not poured in after!) and coconut and cardamom icing, topped of course with a Devnaa Coconut & Cardamom Signature Caramel. We hope you like it as much as we do :)

Chocolate, Coconut & Cardamom Cupcakes (makes 12)

Ingredients for Filling:
100g Cream Cheese
25g Fine Desiccated Coconut
25g Caster Sugar

Method

• Simply beat the cream cheese until smooth, beat in the desiccated coconut and sugar until well mixed and leave aside until needed

Ingredients for Chocolate Sponge:
200g Butter
200g Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
150g Self Raising Flour
50g Cocoa Poder
100ml Soured Cream

Method:

• Pre heat oven to gas mark 4/180C/350F and linbe a cupcake tin with cases
• Cream the butter and sugar until white and fluffy
• Beat in the vanilla extract
• Scrape down the sides of your bowl and beat in the eggs one by one until you have a smooth mixture
• Sift together the flour and cocoa powder and then slowly beat into the creamed mixture a little at atime, adding the soured cream as and when you need it until you have used all the dry ingredients and the batter is of a smooth and creamy dropping consistency
• Divide half of the batter between all 12 cupcake cases
• Now, using a teaspoon, divide the coconut filling between all 12 cupcakes, carefully placing it in the center of each cake
• Top the filling in each cake with the remaining chocolate batter and then bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
• Cool completely on a wire rack.

Ingredients for Coconut & Cardamom Buttercream:
200g Butter
350g Icing Sugar
4 tblsp Coconut Powder
1/2 tsp Coconut Extract (if you have it otherwise add more coconut powder until the taste is right for you)
1/4 tsp Powdered Cardamom (grind it up as fine as you can - nobody wants to bite on a stony chunk, it can be really bitter!)

Method:

• Beat the butter until soft and creamy and then beat in the cardamom and extract (if using)
• Sift together the icing sugar and coconut powder and gradually beat into the butter, ensuring your icing remains smooth and creamy
• Add a little more coconut powder if required and then swirl onto each cupcake
• Top with a Devnaa Coconut and Cardamom truffle if you wish!
• Enjoy :)

Cupcake Week Day 4 - Mint Chocolate Mango Cupcakes

Ok, so we know we're starting to deviate a lot now from the Indian inspiration but after 3 days without it, we were craving chocolate sponge!!! Plus we had a little mango left over from yesterday and we thought why not be different and go with mint? Although it is quite surprisingly not used much in Indian cuisine, mint is used in India as more of a medicinal herb and is often brewed alongside black tea to produce a stomach relaxing brew.

Mint and mango are sometimes paired to make a savoury dressing or condiment but today, we at Devnaa quite liked the sound of this mint chocolate mango cupcake and it has turned out to be our favourite so far this week! Chocolate and mint are of course a classic combination and the mango comes through right at the end providing a delicate tang that fits in perfectly.

Mint Chocolate Mango Cupcakes (makes 12)

Ingredients for Chocolate Sponge:
200g Butter
200g Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
150g Self Raising Flour
50g Cocoa Powder
100ml Soured Cream

Method:

• Pre heat oven to gas mark 4/180C/350F and line a cupcake tin with cases
• Cream the butter and sugar together until white and fluffy
• Beat in the vanilla extract followed by the eggs, one at a time
• Scrape down the sides of your bowl and beat well until smooth
• Sift together the flour and cocoa powder then slowly beat into the creamed mixture, adding the soured cream as needed until you have used up all of the dry ingredients and have reached a smooth creamy, dropping consistency batter
• Divide batter between the cupcake cases and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
• Cool completely on a wire rack

Ingredients for Mango Filling:
2 tblsp Dulce de Leche (only if you have it)
2 tblsp Mango Puree
2 tblsp Cream Cheese (4 tblsp if not using Dulce de Leche)
1 tblsp Sugar (only if not using Dulce de Leche)

Method:

• Mix together the dulce de leche (if using) and mango pulp until smooth
• Beat the cream cheese until smooth and then beat in the mango mixture
• Sweeten with sugar if using and keep refrigerated for about 30 minutes

Ingredients for Mint Buttercream:
200g Butter
350g Icing Sugar
1 tsp Peppermint Extract
Green Food Colouring (optional)

Method:

• Beat the cream until smooth and then beat in the peppermint extract
• Sift the icing sugar and gradually into the butter, a little at a time, making sugar it is completely incorporated and you have a smooth icing
• Mix in a little green food colouring if you like, just enough to get a light green peppermint shade.

Assembly:

• create a hole in the top of each cupcake using your finger to push the surface about half way down the cake
• Fill each hole with the mango filling until oozing generously over the top
• Allow to set in a cool place for 10 minutes
• Pipe or spoon your mint buttercream on top and sprinkle with a little grated or finely chopped dark chocolate
• Enjoy! :)

Cupcake Week Day 3: Mango & Dulce de Leche Cupcakes

For today's tribute to cupcake week the Devnaa team decided that we really wanted to create a recipe using mangoes. Widely referred to as the national fruit of India, mangoes are cultivated there in masses - however our favourite variety - the Kesar Mango - is only available ripe for a very short period of time between May and July every year. Kesar mangoes have an incredibly intense, rich mango flavour and are so lovely and sweet. The colour is a vibrant orange, hence the name 'Kesar' referring to saffron. You can however buy tinned Kesar Mango Pulp throughout the year from most Indian grocery stores.

The cupcakes we created today were our first attempt at using mango in anything baked and as we read from a lot of bloggers who have tried this before, mango pulp just doesn't provide a strong hit of flavour when baked or even folded into icing. This can be remedied by using mango extract which is available on the internet and in some health food stores but this tends to be the flavour of West Indian mangoes and so we opted out, thinking lets see how we go. The result was a lovely soft cupcake, a beautiful bright yellow in colour with a light fragrance of mango. The addition of the dulce de leche lends a nice caramelly flavour which helps to lift the mango slightly.

Mango & Dulce de Leche Cupcakes (makes 12)

Ingredients for Dulce de Leche:
400g tin Sweetened Condensed Milk
Pinch of Salt

Method:

• Start this recipe with the dulce de leche as it takes a while and then even longer to cool - pre heat your oven to gas mark 7/220C/425F and set your kettle to boil
• Pour the condensed milk into a 25cm (approximately) baking dish and sprinkle on the salt
• Set this baking dish into a larger one and fill the larger dish with hot water until it reaches half way up the sides of the smaller dish
• Cover with foil and carefully place in the oven
• Allow to bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, checking every 30 minutes or so and replenishing the water if necessary
• When ready the condensed milk should look nice and golden and caramelly
• Remove from the oven and carefully take the smaller dish out of the larger one
• Allow to come to room temperature giving it a good stir every now and again to help it along and stop a skin from forming on top
• Once you have finished with the dulce de leche in this recipe you can store it in the fridge, just warm it slightly whenever you want to use it

Ingredients for Mango Sponge:
120g Butter
150g Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
185g Self Raising Flour
150ml Mango Pulp

Method:

• Pre heat oven to gas mark 4/180C/350F and line cupcake tin with cases
• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy and then beat in the vanilla extract (and mango extract if using)
• Scrape down the sides of your bowl and beat in the eggs, one at a time
• Slowly beat in a third of the flour followed by half of the mango pulp, followed by another third of the flour and then the rest of the mango pulp ending with the last of the flour
• Beat well to create a thick, smooth batter
• Divide between the cupcake cases and bake for around 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
• Cool on a wire rack

Ingredients for Mango Whipped Cream
200ml Whipping Cream
50g Caster Sugar
100ml Mango Pulp

Method:

• Whip the cream until it is thick and holding it's shape well
• Fold in the sugar and mango pulp carefully - the mango pulp will make the cream slightly loose again
• Refrigerate until required

Assembly:

• Poke a hole into each cupcake, going about two thirds down but not too wide
• Fill a piping bag with dulce de leche and pipe into each hole until it oozes out
• Top each cupcake with a swirl of the mango whipped cream
• Drizzle with more dulce de leche and even some mango pulp if you like (we sprinkled some edible gold glitter on ours)
• Best served immediately otherwise keep refrigerated until dessert!

Gingerbread and Coconut Cupcakes for Cupcake Week 2011 (Egg Free Recipe)

Ginger and coconut may be more widely regarded as West Indian flavours but they are just as prominent in India proper, especially in the South of the country where coconuts grow in abundance and are used in almost every local dish with ginger playing a strong complimentary flavour. Tea brewed from coconut water and whole ginger is one of the most invigorating, refreshing drinks one can have and is a specialty in South Indian states like Kerala, which is coincidentally on India's West coast!

Today in the Devnaa kitchen we thought we'd try and pair these two great flavours together in a cupcake for everybody to enjoy during cupcake week. The light, ginger sponge is delicately spiced and the addition of yoghurt means that this recipe requires no eggs, perfect for any vegetarians out there! The coconut icing is creamy and lightly flavoured - in fact although it tastes great on it's own, paired with the ginger sponge you do lose the coconut a bit so feel free to add a little more if you wish or do as we've done and add some coconut to decorate.

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Icing
(makes 12 small cupcakes, for big ones just double the recipe)

Ingredients for the sponge:
55g Butter
100g Golden Syrup
130ml Plain Yoghurt
200g Plain Flour
1/4 tsp (heaped) Bicarbonate of Soda
1 tsp Ground Ginger
3/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
A pinch of Ground Cloves
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tblsp Finely Chopped Stem Ginger (from syrup)

Method:

• Pre heat oven to gas mark 4/180C/350F and line a cupcake tin with cases
• Place the butter and golden syrup together in a saucepan over a medium heat
• Stir constantly until it comes to the boil and then transfer the mixture straight to a mixing bowl and leave aside to cool for 5 minutes
• In the meantime, sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt into a separate bowl and mix together to combine
• Stir the yoghurt into the butter mixture
• Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix just until you have a smooth batter
• Fold in the stem ginger
• Divide the batter equally between the 12 cupcake cases and bake in the centre of your oven for 15 - 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (leave for 25 - 30 minutes if making double quantity)
• Cool on a wire rack before icing.

Ingredients for icing:
60g Butter
115g Cream Cheese
130g Icing Sugar
4 tblsp Powdered Coconut

Method:

• Beat the butter until creamy
• Add the cream cheese and beat well until combined and smooth
• Sift together the icing sugar and coconut powder and gradually beat into the butter mixture until all of the ingredients have combined and you have a smooth, creamy, coconutty icing
• Swirl or spoon atop your cupcakes.

You can then decorate your cupcakes with more coconut - fresh or dried if desired, here we've used dried coconut and some heart shaped gingerbread cookies. Enjoy! :)

Pistachio, Almond & Rose Cupcakes for Cupcake Week

Hello all!

It's been a while I know but national cupcake week has inspired me to kick start my blogging once again and hopefully, fingers crossed I am going to stick with it this time!

To start me off - I'm going to create a fabulous new cupcake for each day this week to help celebrate cupcake week. In true Devnaa fashion the aim is to create a selection of Indian inspired flavours that look as good as they taste and then share the recipe and some pictures here with you at the end of the day.

Today's recipe is a new take on our classic Pistachio & Rose cupcake. We've pumped up the flavour by adding an almond cream filling for an extra dimension of scrumptiousness! The Devnaa crew seem to like it - I left one aside and came back 5 minutes later to find it had vanished! Give it a go and let us know what you think. Happy Baking :)

Pistachio, Almond & Rose Cupcakes (makes 12)

Ingredients for the sponge base:
100g Shelled Pistachio Nuts
200g Butter
200g Caster Sugar
3 Eggs
200g Self Raising Flour
125ml Milk

Method:

• Start by pre heating your oven to gas mark 4/350F/180C and line your cupcake tin
• Place the pistachio nuts in a frying pan and dry roast over a medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes, then switch off the heat and leave the nuts aside to cool
• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fuffy
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly between each addition and scraping the edges of your bowl as required
• Add half of the sifted flour and gently fold it in until fully incorporated
• Add one third of the milk and fold this in too
• Add the remaining flour and fold in completely
• Add the remaining milk as required, a little at a time until your batter becomes smooth and is of dropping consistency
• Quickly grind up the pistachio nuts and fold them into the mixture
• Divide the cupcake batter equally between the cupcake cases
• Bake in the centre of your oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden, springy and the skewer test comes out clean
• Cool on a wire rack.

Ingredients for almond cream:
100ml Whipping Cream
2 tblsp Caster Sugar
2 tblsp Almond Powder (lightly roast some almonds and grind down into a powder)
1/4 tsp Almond Extract

Method:

• Whip the cream together with the sugar until it reaches a soft peak consistency
• Fold in the almond powder and extract

Ingredients for rose buttercream:
175g Butter
300g Icing sugar (sifted)
1 tblsp Rose Extract (the better the quality, the better the flavour!)
Food colouring if desired

Method:

• Beat the butter until soft and creamy
• beat in the rose extract
• Slowly beat in the icing sugar making sure it combines well

Assembly:

• Using your thumb, poke a hole into the top of each cupcake, pressing until about hal way down (if you prefer you can cut a small disc out instead of pushing it down but this way is easier and less wasteful)
• Place the almond cream into a piping bag and fill the craters in the cupcakes until just oozing over the top
• Fill a piping bag with the rose buttercream and swirl on top as you wish (if you don't have a piping bag you can use spoons just as well to fill and swirl!)
• Voila!

(Excuse the poor quality of the images, Jay and his SLR aren't here!!! Lol!)