By Tamara Jane
Photography by Danielle Saudino & Adam Toomer
Despite what the foodies say about the supposed rise of the macaroon, the delectably frosted cupcake still takes the biscuit as the most desired melt-in-your-mouth mini treat.
Owner of luxurious cupcake boutique Tempt, Tamara Jane knows we still can’t resist these bite-size indulgences. She has put together a new collection of recipes marking festive and special occasions and called it, ‘Celebration Cupcakes’, to follow her first book, ‘Divine Cupcakes’.
Tamara has created these jewelled beauties to celebrate very special occasions throughout the year, with a little bit of imagination and glittery ganache.
Whether it’s cutesy Easter bunny designs, romantic red and white flower frosting for Lovers’ mud cake on Valentine’s Day, secret boozy ingredients for Bastille day or New Year’s Eve… luxurious rosewater and vanilla for Mother’s Day (see below) or gingerbread cupcakes for Christmas… cupcakes really can mark those occasions. And that perfection really does come in small packages.
And if you are already a cupcake fiend, (like my grand-daughter!), Tamara will show you even more innovative ways to tempt the cake decorator inside you.
About the Author and Photographers:
Award-winning patisserie chef Tamara Jane has worked throughout Europe, America and Australasia. Her designer cupcake shop called Tempt is found in Wellington. Divine Cupcakes, her first book with New Holland, was published in 2009 and is now in its fourth reprint. Tamara is married with three children. Danielle Saudino collaborated with Tamara Jane on her first book. Working with her partner Adam Toomer, she is an internationally recognised commercial photographer, now based in New Zealand.
Mum’s Rosewater and Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes 18
225g butter
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
225g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
1 teaspoon rosewater
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Line one-and-a-half muffin-trays with cupcake papers.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition in a mixer or with electric beaters.
Beat in the flour on a low speed and then the vanilla and rosewater.
Divide the mixture between the cupcake papers.
Bake for 20 minutes or until cakes spring back when lightly pressed in the centre.
Allow to cool completely.
Decoration
Ice the cakes with vanilla frosting (see below). Sprinkle with something as simple as dried rose petals, or add gum paste decorations such as pink hearts made from a silicon mould (see below).
250g butter
800g icing sugar
85-100ml milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
Place the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Beat on a low speed with electric beaters until combined, then increase the speed to medium and continue to beat until the frosting lightens in colour and becomes fluffy.
You might need to add a little more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the mixture is too stiff.
Store in an airtight container. This frosting will keep for 3 days out of the fridge or 1 week in the fridge.
You might need to gently soften the refrigerated frosting for 15 seconds in the microwave before piping onto cupcakes.
Variations
Caramel frosting: Alter the amount of milk to 1 tablespoon, add 80g golden syrup, omit the vanilla and beat together until light and fluffy.
Cinnamon frosting: Add 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon to the mixture.
Coffee frosting: Omit the vanilla and add 10g instant coffee powder, dissolved in a little hot water. Add milk to make up to 65ml liquid in total, then add to the mixture.
Coloured frosting: Add a small amount of paste or liquid colour to the mixture until the desired colour is reached.
Ginger frosting: Add 2 teaspoons ground ginger to the mixture.
Lemon or lime frosting: Omit the vanilla and add the grated zest of 1 lemon or 1 lime. Squeeze the juice from the lemon or the lime and measure this with the milk to make 65ml liquid in total, then add to the mixture.
Silicon moulds are an exciting addition to your cake decoration toolkit. The detail in the moulds lets you create highly ornate pieces to decorate your cupcakes. They come in an amazing array of flowers, ornaments, seasonal decorations and animals. Although relatively expensive, they last a long time and can be used for chocolate and sugar work as well.
food colouring paste
gum paste
cornflour
silicon mould of your choice
Mix a little food colouring paste into the gum paste. Mix well to evenly blend the colour. Rub a little cornflour into the silicon mould. (When using dark-coloured gum paste, be careful not to use too much cornflour as this will leave white powder on your finished pieces. If this does happen you can wipe off the excess, once the decoration has dried, with a piece of damp absorbent kitchen paper.)
Press the gum paste into the mould, gently pushing it out to the edges. Peel away the mould gently to expose the shape.
Leave to dry overnight.
My thanks to the publishers for permission to post on my blog this recipe from the book, Celebration Cupcakes.
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