Jun 1
Oh yes, it’s true, I went back to Sweetness The Patisserie in Epping again. There were just so many different things to try there that I couldn’t cover them all in one visit, of course, so I had to go back. I had to go back for that fudge, and more of those marshmallows.
May 18
I love being back in Sydney. There are so many amazing bakeries to explore. I’ve been back in Sydney for almost 6 months but I’ve hardly explored outside of my suburb, mostly because the most amazing bakeries are at least one hour away from me (or at least the ones I know about are!). On a recent trip to the library to borrow a back issue of delicious. magazine (November 2009) I found a photo reference to Sweetness The Patisserie at Epping. I instantly perked up because Epping is not far away from me at all. A few days later, I was standing inside of Sweetness The Patisserie with my 2-year-old son, trying to make a decision on what to buy from this beautiful shop.
The shop is indeed beautiful. I wasn’t brave enough to ask if I could take a photo inside the shop, so all you get is this sideways shot of the outside! The inside of the shop is loaded with sweet treats of all kinds, including macarons, marshmallows, fudge, toffee, truffles, or, easier yet, let’s just say that if it’s sweet, it’s in this shop!
Jul 26
On a recent visit to My Baking Addiction I saw a faux Hostess cupcake. Like Jamie, I keep seeing these cupcakes over and over again and have tried to keep from baking them myself. I thought that there were way too many out there already, and they looked just a little time-consuming. But Jamie’s version was the very last straw for me, they looked so absolutely irresistible!
So, at the very next opportunity I had, I made my own version.
I used Martha Stewart’s devil’s food cupcake recipe for the cake. I really like this particular recipe. It makes a beautiful smooth batter and a very nice firm, yet moist and tender, chocolately cake. I divided the original recipe in half and ended up with 17 cupcakes!
For the cream filling, I used Annie’s Eat’s marshmallow filling recipe that she used in her faux Hostess cupcakes. I chose this because I didn’t want to take the time to make the 7-minute frosting that I have mainly seen used for filling in these cupcakes (next time I will use it though). I have to agree with Annie that the filling isn’t as light as in the commercial version, but it is definitely suitable, and yummy, to use in these cupcakes. As per Annie’s recipe, I also used the filling to pipe the swirls on top of the cupcakes (with added cream).
For the chocolate glaze I also used the same one that Annie used in her faux Hostess cupcakes. I used the full recipe and ended up with exactly enough glaze to double-dip all of the 17 cupcakes.
They are reminiscent of the real Hostess cupcakes, but no, they are definitely not an exact replica! However, they are extremely delicious! I preferred the taste of these the day after baking. I stored them in the refrigerator and also preferred them at room temperature.
They are a little time-consuming, but they are oh so worth it!
Jul 8
This is going to be a 2-in-1 cupcake post! I was going to post a recipe for mixed berry tea, but quite a few people have expressed interest in both of these cupcakes, so I decided I’d go ahead and post the recipes for them instead.
The first cupcakes I’d like to absolutely rave about are these peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate glaze from I Heart Cuppycakes.
These are amazing! I’ve been reluctant to make peanut butter cupcakes because I thought that the peanut butter might make the cake heavy or dense. But these cupcakes are so incredibly moist and soft and so full of rich peanut butter flavor! I was blown away, this is one awesome cupcake!
This will definitely not be the last time I make these. If you love peanut butter and chocolate, I highly recommend you bake a batch of these right now! And make sure you have a tall glass of milk to go with them!
Now for the second cupcake. The peanut butter cupcakes got me thinking about Nutella cupcakes. Nutella can often be substituted for peanut butter in recipes, so I decided to give it a go with these cupcakes. I used the same amount of Nutella, but I did decrease the sugar by about 1/4 cup because Nutella is much sweeter than peanut butter. I did everything else the same as for the peanut butter cupcakes.
What I found was that the Nutella cupcakes sank slightly in the middle when they were done baking. They seemed to rise higher as well, so next time I wouldn’t use a full 1/4 cup of batter in each liner; my Nutella cupcakes overflowed a little bit!
But, the cake did taste of Nutella and still came out very moist and soft.
I wasn’t sure of the type of frosting to use on Nutella cupcakes. I didn’t really want to use more Nutella in case it ended up being a bit too much. A friend suggested marshmallow frosting, which sounded like a winning combination! I guess sort of like a fluffernutter cupcake, only with Nutella instead of peanut butter!
To finish off the Nutella cupcake, I spooned a dollop (or about a teaspoon) of fresh Nutella into the middle of the top of the cupcake and frosted them with marshmallowy Swiss meringue from the queen of Swiss meringues at How To Eat A Cupcake. This frosting is definitely a keeper, it was fantastic!
The Nutella cupcake is quite sweet, but a flavor combination I haven’t yet experienced. Next time I probably wouldn’t use so much frosting on each cupcake, but instead just spread a light layer on top.
What kind of frosting would you like on a Nutella cupcake, just out of curiosity?
May 27
I have a backlog of recipes and photos waiting to make their appearance on The Sweetest Kitchen. You can see photos of what’s in the queue in the sidebar, under My Food Photos. Today I’m posting about Surprise Cookies, which is a recipe from Martha Stewart’s COOKIES book. The recipe can be found here.
The original recipe used regular marshmallows, but as you can see, these are pink strawberry marshmallows.
These are very chocolatey. The strawberry taste of the marshmallow is subtle; I’d probably prefer to use regular marshmallows next time. The cookie itself is cake-like and soft.
My opinion is that I most likely wouldn’t make them again, as I didn’t think they were that great. The photos of them, especially the photo on Martha’s website, look great, but I personally didn’t care much for them. My daughter didn’t like them at all, but my 2-year-old son did!
May 23
I’ve been wanting to make ice cream cupcakes for a while now. There are so many different combinations of ice cream, cake and frosting that one could use that is was difficult to make up my mind! I’ve decided to go with coffee ice cream, chocolate cake and marshmallow whipped cream frosting. I may try a mint chocolate one next time!
My ice cream cupcake tastes sort of like a mocha covered with marshmallows and hot fudge. It’s really tasty.
The idea for the frosting came from the latest issue of Taste of Home magazine (June/July 2009); it was the frosting for a coffee and chocolate pie. I lessened the amount from the recipe a bit, since I wouldn’t be needing as much as the recipe made. It is very light and would be a good frosting for regular cupcakes as well if you’re after something light and marshmallowy.
The cake recipe I used is the same from my s’mores cupcakes. It is a recipe from Martha Stewart and Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle. I chose this cake recipe because it was very soft and moist in the s’mores cupcakes. For my ice cream cupcakes, I divided the cake recipe in half.
Keep in mind that you can use any cupcake flavor you wish to make ice cream cupcakes, as well as any ice cream flavor. I won’t post the recipe for the cake, as you can find a link to that on my s’mores cupcakes post, but I will post the instructions for assembling the ice cream cupcakes, as well as instructions for making the frosting.
Marshmallow Whipped Cream Frosting
Adapted from the June/July 2009 issue of Taste of Home magazine
Makes enough to frost 10-12 cupcakesIngredients
1 cup whipped topping
1/2 cup marshmallow creme
Warmed hot fudge sauce
Mini chocolate chipsMethod
Just before frosting cupcakes, gently stir together whipped topping and marshmallow creme until combined. Spread onto cupcakes. Drizzle warmed hot fudge sauce on top of cupcakes and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.To Assemble Cupcakes
Bake cupcakes as directed in recipe. Cool completely. Freeze cupcakes in freezer for 15-30 minutes, as this will help keep the cupcakes firm and manageable while slicing and spreading with ice cream.Unwrap cupcakes from liners (do not discard the used liners) and slice each one horizontally. Spread 1-2 tablespoons softened ice cream on the bottom half of each cupcake, then top each bottom half with a top half. Place the cupcakes back into the used liners, and put each one back into the cupcake pan and return to freezer for at least one hour. Putting them back into the liners and the cupcake pan will help keep everything in place.
When ready to frost, follow directions above for marshmallow whipped cream frosting.
After storing these cupcakes in the freezer, I would suggest letting them sit out at room temperature about 15 or 20 minutes before enjoying them. This will let the cake soften back up again. :)
Thank you to Cupcakes Take The Cake for posting my ice cream cupcakes on your blog!
Jamieanne has a passion for food and baking that dates back to her early childhood. She is the author of The Sweetest Kitchen blog, which features her favorite recipes from magazines, cookbooks and other food blogs. Keep up to date with Jamieanne and her blog by following on:
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