Recipe - Red Velvet Cupcakes

Hi Everyone

Yesterday I spent a wonderful day with the Cameo Papercrafts Club at Lawnton where I demo'd 3 Darkroom Door cards using the Bright Blossoms stamp sets.

I bought with me my 'world famous' (ok, maybe not world famous, but many of you who have been to the weekend classes have tasted them) Red Velvet Cupcakes and I have been asked for the recipe many times.

Credit must be paid to www.taste.com.au where I found the recipe and it is a very easy recipe... pull out your mixing bowl and here goes.

Red Velvet Cupcakes
350g (2 1/3 cups) Plain Flour
2 Tab Cocoa powder
1 tea Bicarbonate of Soda
1 tea Baking Powder
315g (1 1/2 cups) Caster Sugar
250ml (1 cup) Buttermilk
185ml (3/4 cup) Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs
3 tea Red Food Colouring
2 tea White Vinegar
250g packet Cream Cheese (at room temperature)
100g butter (at room temperature)
195g (1 1/4 cups) Pure Icing Sugar
1 tea Vanilla Extract
Sprinkles

Preheat your oven to 180'C.  Line muffin pans with paper cases. 
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into a large bowl.  Sift in the sugar.

In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, oil, eggs, food colouring and vinegar until just combined. 

In the dry ingredients bowl, make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk mixture and stir until just combined.

Divide the mixture among the prepared pans and bake for 20-25minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean.  Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Using a electric beater, beat the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.

Pipe the frosting over the cupcakes and top with the sprinkles. 

Happy Stamping
Michelle

Cheryl's Macadamia Ginger Nut Balls

Due to popular demand, here is the recipe for the Macadamia Ginger Nut Balls.

Ingredients
200g crushed Ginger Nut biscuits
100g Macadamia Nuts
3 Tablespoons of Margarine or Butter
1 Tablespoon of Golden Syrup
1/3 tin of Condensed Milk
Coconut

Roast and crush the macadamia nuts (10mins in the oven or 2mins in the microwave).

Melt the butter, Golden Syrup and condensed milk.  Mix all ingredients together and roll into small balls.  Roll the balls in coconut and refrigerate.

Keep in fridge, suitable to freeze

RECIPE: Thai-Styled Red Curry Pumpkin Soup

By popular demand, here is the recipe for Robyn's soup at this month's class:

2tbsp peanut oil
1 brown onion, coarsely chopped
2-4 tsp red curry paste
3 cups vegetable stock
1.3kg butternut (or JAP) pumpkin, peeled, seeded, coarsley chopped
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup fresh coriander leaves
Optional: 20 green prawns, peeled, leaving tails intact

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring for 3 minutes or until soft.  Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until aromatic.

Stir in the stock and bring to the boil.  Add the pumpkin and lime leaves.  Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until pumpkin is tender.

Transfer half the pumpkin soup to a blender and blend until smooth.  Transfer the soup to a clean saucepan.

Repeat with the remaining pumpkin mixture.

Place over low heat and add the coconut milk.  Stir for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

If using prawns - heat the remaining oil in a large frypan over high heat.

Add the prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until they curl and change colour.

Ladle the soup into shallow bowls.  Top with the prawns and coriander and serve.