Sunday, July 30, 2006

Cupcake!


One of my favourite cupcakes is the nutella cupcake from Marmalade Pantry - a sinfully rich chocolate cupcake with nutella frosting on top. But that little package doesn't come cheap, at $5 each if I'm not mistaken. I always said it would be cheaper to make them on my own, and I finally got it right today.

My first attempt at recreating the Marmalade Pantry experience was not very successful. The chocolate cupcake recipe I used from Clare Crespo's Hey There, Cupcake! book turned out salty, and it required generous slatherings of Nutella on top to make them palatable.

Then I chanced upon another recipe from S'pore blogger The Baker, who had tweaked a Donna Hay recipe to create her own Nutella frosting cupcakes. The pictures looked sufficiently tempting enough for me to have another go.

My version is slightly different - I used one less egg, slightly more salt, and less baking powder (all accidents in measurement, I might add). I also didn't have vanilla extract in my fridge, so I subsituted that with some dessert port wine, which didn't seem to do the cupcakes any harm. I have to admit, I am quite pleased with the result; the cupcakes came out with just the right consistency and texture, although I could have swirled the nutella into the batter a little better. Well, there's always next time.

If you're interested, here's how I did my cupcakes:
140 grams unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar (I used cane sugar)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (200 grams) sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
Nutella, more than half the 220g bottle!
1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Add eggs and vanilla extract.
3. Stir in flour, baking bowder, salt until batter is smooth.
4. Dollop batter into muffin trays until 3/4 full.
5. Top off with Nutella (as much or as little as you want), and swirl through batter with a toothpick
6. Bake in oven at about 170 deg for 15-20 min.
7. Remove, cool on wire rack.
8. Admire, then eat!

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Locked on Target

I've really been on a complete accessories binge lately. I'm currently waiting for a bracelet to arrive and have now plonked down money for this pretty silk necklace from the Target Go International Tara Jarmon range. Target doesn't ship to international destinations, so I had it sent to my sister's apartment in Philadelphia. The good thing is she'll be back end of the month, so I'll be able to wear this very soon! Hurrah!

Thursday, July 06, 2006

I is turning into a gym rat!

I've been sneezing the whole day, feeling hot and cold at turns, and a little headachey. Methinks those are classic symptoms of the flu. And yet I still want to go to the gym for boxercise class and some resistance training.

Am I turning into a gym rat? Eek!

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

This July, I am into...



...dresses, mint chocolates, surfing local jewellery sites (see previous post), going to the gym (I joined a gym, and that's a story for another time), rediscovering Bruch through Last.fm, rummaging through my mum's old wardrobe, wide elephant-leg pants, gold necklaces, more themes for Firefox.

How about you?