ABOUT US
Born of an obsessive compulsive cake fetish disorder, Everlasting Cakes rose from the ovens to create a range of cake paintings and cake painting products in celebration of the cake.
These cupcakes arose as part of a challenge from Macmillan to create something yummy for 2007 WBCM. However, they also evoke memories of a wonderful Italian coffee bar I used to visit with my very young daughter. Italians love family and were especially enamoured with my angel’s beautiful blonde curls. She would sit up on one of the high stools at the counter and the proprietor would bring me a real Italian cappuccino and for my daughter, an espresso cup filled with foam and a sprinkling of chocolate – a treasure which my daughter called cuppofchino!
These are designed as cupcakes, but can also be made as a layer cake to slice if you wish. Prepare a set of lined and greased 20 – 22cm tins; reduce oven temperature to 175˚C and cook for 25 mins till middle springs back when pressed lightly. Ice middle and top then sprinkle with sieved cocoa.
Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups golden caster sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
8 rounded tsp instant espresso coffee
200gsm butter, cubed
4 eggs
1 tsp good vanilla extract
1 cup self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
Icing
250gsm Mascarpone cheese
350gsm sifted icing sugar
Sifted cocoa powder
or
Squirty cream
Turn oven to 200˚C, and line two muffin pans with cases. Place boiling water in a pot over low heat and dissolve powdered espresso. Add golden castor sugar and stir till liquid. Turn off heat, add cubed butter – allow to melt and cool slightly.
Separate eggs. Beat up egg yolks with vanilla and add to the coffee mixture. With clean beaters whisk up egg whites till stiff peaks form, set aside. Mix sifted flour and baking powder into coffee mixture and gently fold in the egg whites. This mixture is a bit runny and you may need a soup ladle. Pour mixture into cupcake cases (don’t worry I you splosh a bit on the sides, this gets sorted in the oven), place trays in heated oven and bake for about 20 minutes, turning round tins halfway through baking time. Remove from oven and pans; allow to cool on a rack.
For the icing; Mix together cheese and Icing sugar till a stiff consistency – adding a bit more sugar if too runny, or a spoon of warm water if a bit too stiff. When cupcakes are cooled, liberally dollop spoonfuls of icing onto each cupcake and finish with a swirl of your spoon. A light sprinkling of sieved cocoa completes the effect. I have sometimes completely cheated and used squirty cream instead of icing – it looks and tastes yummy, but the cakes must be eaten immediately as if kept they go soggy. Don’t forget to sprinkle with cocoa.
Makes 24 cuppofchino cupcakes
Created for Macmillan Cancer Support by Everlasting Cakes
www.everlastingcakes.co.uk