Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Angie at bakerella.com is the rightful owner of this red velvet cake recipe and I am so grateful she posted it on her website to share with us, because this cake is the hot selling cake of all the cake flavors I make. Children and adults like the flavor. The cake is rich and moist and is very easy to make.

I have made this cake flavor for birthdays & wedding anniversaries, and it is a special treat to make it for valentine's day.  The red color of the cake is inviting and one cannot resist eating this delicious cake.

Now you are lucky, my darling husband a professional photographer wanted to experiment food videography.  Lucky him, he turned around to me and said he would like to shoot a video of me baking and decorating cupcakes. I grew conscious of being on camera, and he assured me that I will not be seen in the video. It would be a cupcake tutorial.  So we worked it out, and I must say one must appreciate such videos as a lot of planning and efforts goes into making these.

To view the tutorial on red velvet cupcakes click here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDq-ewozuUo&t=10s

For the red velvet cake recipe click here: https://www.bakerella.com/red-velvet-cake/


For the buttercream recipe:

1.  Beat 250 grams of unsalted butter (at room temperature) with an electric beater till light and fluffy.
2.  Add 1 tsp. vanilla essence / extract and mix well.
3.  Sieve 500 grams of icing sugar and add to the butter, one cup at a time and beat well after each addition.
4.  Then add 2 tbsp. of milk (at room temperature) and beat well till fluffy.
5.  Store in air tight container in the refrigerator.  Thaw at room temperature and mix well before frosting or decorating cakes.

I am sure you are going to bake these beautiful beauties soon.  Enjoy!!







 

Daddy's favorite Chocolate Walnut Cake

Daddy's favorite Chocolate Walnut Cake.

The very first cake I baked, turned out to be my daddy's favorite cake.  At first I thought he said that to encourage me.. but every time I would bake a cake daddy would say, "make sure it is a chocolate walnut cake", and he would relish it with his cup of tea.  This is a tea cake.

Sharing with you my chocolate walnut cake.... shhh!!! it is the family's secret recipe..  
So here we go....

You will need :
250 grams of all purpose flour
250 grams of granulated sugar (fine grain)
250 grams of unsalted butter at room temperature.
3 Tbsps. cocoa
3 tsps. baking powder.
1 tsp salt.
5 eggs at room temperature.
1tsp vanilla extract
1tsp glycerin.
100 grams walnut cut into small pieces.


Roll up your sleeves and lets mix in the batter :
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Grease and dust an 8" round or 8" square x 3" high cake pan. 
Sieve together flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt.
Coat the cut walnuts with a tablespoon of the flour mixture.

In a bowl beat butter and granulated sugar on high till nice and fluffy.
Then add one egg at a time and mix well on medium speed till all eggs are used.
If the batter begins to curdle add a tablespoon of the flour mixture and mix.
Add the vanilla extract and mix. Add glycerin and mix.
Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time and mix on low speed till all the flour is used.
Mix till all is well combined.  Do not overmix.
Add the walnuts and mix with the spatula using the cut and fold method.
Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan.  (Tip: Remember to fill the pan 3/4 only allowing space for the cake to rise).

Bake for 45-50 minutes at 180 degree C. (Tip: Always set timer 5 minutes less than baking time, as ovens differ in temperature).

Test if the cake is done using a cake tester or a wooden skewer. If the skewer comes out clean the cake is done.

 

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10 mins.

Then turn the cake over to a cooling rack and let it cool for another 20 mins.

 

Cut the cake into slices and enjoy this cake with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

(Tip: Cut the cake as required. Wrap it in cling wrap to retain the moisture.)

Store the cake in an air tight container in the refrigerator.  

To take this cake to the next level,  drizzle melted chocolate on it and enjoy.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Baking Basics (continued....)

Baking Basic (continued …..)

When I said there is more to baking basic, I really meant it. 

And you can see why.... Amy says you should read the recipe completely before you begin baking. I would say you should read this from Amy before you start baking

https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2013/09/17/baking-basics-101/

So now you know why you should be
1. reading the recipe in whole, not parts.
2. know the importance of commas in a recipe, sift and then measured,  or measured and then sifted.
3. understand the language; sliced, diced, cubed, beaten, whisked, melted etc..
4. measuring dry and wet ingredients.


These baking basics covered how to handle the ingredients. Now let us see how to handle the heat, the actual baking in the oven which contributes to getting perfect bakes.

Every oven differs. or you could say; each oven is unique, and thus it is for you to learn your oven. This would mean a few burnt bakes or uncooked bakes.

Often I hear people say, "how do I know my oven is pre-heated to 180 deg. C.  Some oven don't have the pre-heat knob, indication etc.  This is where Oven 101 brought to you by Handle the Heat comes handy.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uMWXYOKpy0  watch the video to learn more about understanding your oven.

While we are on Oven temperatures here is a simple conversion of gas mark / Fahrenheit / Celsius which will also help you understand your oven and oven temperature requirements as mentioned in the recipe.

Gas mark	Temperature (°F)	Temperature (°C)	Description
1/4	225	110	very cool
1/2	250	130
1	275	140	cool
2	300	150
3	325	170	very moderate
4	350	180	moderate
5	375	190
6	400	200	moderately hot
7	425	220	hot
8	450	230
9	475	240	very hot

 

Baking basics

While you put on your apron and pull your sleeves back, let me tell you why I chose cake decorating.

As a child, I was always around my aunts, who were excellent bakers and cake decorators. You might think I was there to help them but no; I would be there to lick the batter or the frosting from the bowls.  Little did I know that it was in the blood, and I would soon walk in their footsteps. I started baking cakes and experimenting when I was at university. I would bake cakes for birthdays, anniversaries or simply because I wanted to experiment. 

Later, when I got married and came to Kuwait, a friend of mine introduced me to cake decorating. I took up the 9 week long class and since then there was no looking back.  A couple of more cake decorating classes, trial and error, self study, YouTube videos, free cakes and Facebook forums, all account for 16 years of experience in cake decorating, leaving me no choice but to acclaim myself as a "Cake Artist", and you can see just how I evolved at   https://www.facebook.com/cakeobsessed/.

Let's get to Baking Basics... we can always talk about me while we are at it.

You will need...

Basic Tools:
1. Couple of steel / glass mixing bowls to sieve and mix ingredients.
2. A fine mesh sieve to sift the ingredients.
3. Measuring Cups.
4. Measuring Spoons.
5. Liquid Measuring Cup.
6. Weighing Scale.
7. A knife to level out the ingredients.
8. A handheld electric mixer or standing mixer for mixing the cake batter.
9. A spatula to scrape the ingredients off the bowl.
10. Baking Pans (8" round, 12 cupcake pans, loaf pan)
11. Parchment paper  (optional), 
12. Cupcake liners for cupcakes
13. Ice cream scoop.
14. Oven (gas, convection, OTG).
15. Cooling racks.

Watch CupcakeJemma video on Essential Kitchen equipment guide for home baking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSxpnisWnl8  to learn more about basic baking tools.


Basic Ingredients:
A    Dry Ingredients :  
       1.  Flour  - All purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cake flour.
       2.  Sugar -  Fine sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar.
       3.  Baking Powder
       4.  Baking Soda
       5.  Cocoa powder of baking.
        
B    Wet Ingredients:   
        1. Unsalted butter
        2. Vegetable oil
        3. Eggs
        4. Milk / Buttermilk
        5. Vanilla extract / essence.

1.  All ingredients should be at room temperate before baking.
     Remove butter, eggs, buttermilk from the refrigerator and let it arrive to room temperature
     before you start mixing the ingredients.

2.  All dry ingredients should be measured using a measuring cup (not liquid measuring
     cup) or weighed using a weighing scale.

3.  All dry ingredients should be mixed together and sifted twice.

4.  All wet ingredients should be measured using a liquid measuring cup.


Woah! So many basics! But there is more to this... let's just take it one at a time. 







  
 

Blogging @ Toastmasters International

Hello,  I am back!!!!

You will want to know where I have been all this while.  Well I joined Toastmasters International 2 years ago. It has been a wonderful experience and thanks to Toastmasters International I am back to blogging. Long story short... One of the projects in Toastmasters is to create a compelling blog.

 

    Returning to blogging, why do I say returning to blogging?

   It is because I have been blogging at
   https://priscillamakes.blogspot.com/ for some time now.

 

   Returning to blogging is to apply it to a project in my education   
   journey in Toastmasters.  I had always wanted to create a blog  
   on baking and cake decorating... I am a cake artist at Cake
  Obsessed https://www.facebook.com/cakeobsessed/ and I make
  custom designed cakes, something close to my heart, something I
  love doing and is what I do for a living.

 

Oh I get it... that frown on your forehead is asking me, "but what is toastmasters??"

 

 
Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., the organization's membership exceeds 358,000 in more than 16,800 clubs in 143 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators, and leaders.

 

I just picked that up from Toastmasters International website www.toastmasters.org. To learn more about Toastmasters International go through the website and you will be amazed at what the organization has to offer. Mark my words you will want to be a Toastmaster.

Well, what did I achieve?  As the organization claims to provide, I have achieved self confidence and personal growth.  I am a better communicator and have acquired leadership skills.  I have learned to be positive and supportive.  I have contested at speech contests. I have inspired others with my speeches. I am a mentor.  I am a triple crown holder. I am the President of Kuwait Challengers Toastmasters Club. All this in only 2 years since joining Toastmasters International.  I see your eyebrows raised.

 

Post here will be dedicated to baking and cake decorating. Friends, family and toastmasters have often asked me to conduct cake decorating classes, and every time I think of doing it, I think of all the organization that goes behind the scene and then I don't want to do it. So, the next best thing is to blog. Here I will share the same essentials, tips and tricks of baking and cake decorating which I would do in a class.

 

So are you ready?? Grab on your apron....