Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

I was introduced to this most pleasurable of taste sensations through Angie in London. They are served at the Hummingbird Bakery in South Kensington and are a classic American recipe. The combination of the rich cocoa with the red colouring is irresistible to the eye and the cream cheese icing is just divine.

Cupcakes

170g butter
2-1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
3-3/4 cups sifted plain flour
1/3 cups cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
3 teaspoons vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
30ml red food colouring

Icing

90g butter
250g cream cheese
4-5 cups icing sugar

Cream butter till light and fluffy. Add sugar slowly and continue beating for a few minutes.
Combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
Combine buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and red food colouring.
Add eggs one at a time to the creamed butter and sugar.
While the mixer is on, add a quarter of the dry mixture, then a quarter of the wet. Continue mixing on a low speed, alternating wet and dry.
Use a large spoon to divide mixture into 36 cupcake cases.
Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes in a moderate oven (180°).
While the cupcakes are baking in the oven, beat butter for a few minutes in the mixer. Add cream cheese and beat for another few minutes. Add icing sugar (sifted) one cup at a time and beat for about ten minutes.
Test cupcakes by lightly pressing on the middle of one – they should spring back to the touch. Cool cupcakes.
Once cupcakes are cool, ice with cream cheese icing.

Source: Jules

Stuffed Mushrooms

I made this recipe up one afternoon in a little kitchen in Melbourne a few years ago and it went down a treat. I had mushies, fresh ricotta, some prosciutto and some herbs. I can't remember now the exact ones I made that day, but I recreated the recipe for 2007 New Year's Eve and every last mushroom was eaten without delay. I am also using approximate quantities - so go for gold in terms of amounts and variations!

16 mushrooms
150g prosciutto or bacon, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250g fresh ricotta
50g grated parmesan cheese
1/2 chilli, chopped
handful fresh herbs, chopped
100ml fresh basil pesto
handful pinenuts or breadcrumbs

Remove stalks from mushrooms and chop finely. Saute with bacon, garlic and chilli till well cooked and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
Combine sauted mix with cheeses and herbs. Arrange mushrooms on tray with bottoms down. Place half a teaspoonful of pesto in each mushroom cap, then spoon the ricotta stuffing on top. Sprinkle pinenuts or breadcrumbs evenly over the mushrooms and place in a hot oven for approximately 25 minutes or until ricotta is nicely baked and mushrooms are tender.
Leave to cool for a few minutes and then serve.

Source: Jules

Mango Lime Cheesecake

One day about ten years ago, my sister and I had an impromptu dinner party. We had an abundance of mangoes and limes and so I adapted a standard chilled lemon cheesecake recipe I had learned at school to create this sublime summer dessert.

250g biscuits, crushed
125g butter, melted
500g cream cheese, softened
¾ cup caster sugar
¼ cup lime juice
2 tsp grated lime rind
2 mangoes, peeled, chopped and pureed
¼ cup milk
2 tbsp gelatine, dissolved in ½ cup hot water
½ cup cream, semi whipped

Combine butter and biscuits, mix well and press into springform pan, refrigerate. Beat cream cheese on low til smooth and creamy. Add sugar, lime juice and rind and milk. Fold in mango pulp. Add gelatine and blend well. Fold in the cream. Pour into crumb crust and refrigerate until firm (at least four hours, preferably overnight). Decorate with fresh cream, slices of mango and lime rind curls.

Variation: substitute ginger snaps for the plain biscuits for some added zing.

Source: Jules