Cappucino Cakes & Espresso Buttercream

I love coffee –  It’s my thing!

 My husband and I are more likely to go out for coffee than we would for dinner, and our coffee machine is the only appliance in the house that gets a regular service.  Before my Thermomix came along, the coffee machine was my one true love in the kitchen.  Now, I get to use my TMX to help do large batches of milk when guests come over.

I picked up the cutest little cupcake cup & saucer sets on one of the daily deal kind of sites, and just couldn’t wait to give them a test.  One of our friends is pregnant and has a baby shower coming up, so I thought I had better get busy and test them out, so I have it perfected by the time the party happens.  They came in a box of 12, so they are going to look fabulous all made up for an afternoon tea.  I will definately be taking more photos of the food on that day!

Anyway, today I wanted to play with a coffee kind of cake, and see where it took me.  Here is the result –   A moist cupcake, with a hint of espresso coffee!

Ingredients

160g plain flour
140g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
40g butter (room temperature – I use TMX butter)
50ml espresso
70ml milk
1 egg

Method

1. Place all dry ingredients in the TMX and mix for 5 seconds @ Speed 5
2. Add butter and mix for a further 10 seconds @ Speed 5 until the butter is conbined and the mix looks a little like fine breadcrumbs
3. Add espresso, egg and milk and then mix again for a further 5 seconds @ Speed 5
4. Scape down the edges of the bowl, and again mix for 5 seconds @ Speed 5
5. Pour the cake mix into prepared cupcake cases and bake at 180 degrees for 20 -25 minutes until cooked
6. Remove from the tray and let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack

Espresso Buttercream

Ingredients

125g butter

150g icing sugar

1tsp milk

2tsp espresso coffee

Method

1. Attach butterfly to the TMX, add butter and whip for 20 seconds on speed 4
2. Add icing sugar, milk and coffee, then whip again for 20 seconds on speed 4
3. Scrape down sides and whip again for 20 seconds on speed 4
4. Pipe onto the coffee cupcakes and top with some grated chocolate

Hits & Tips

• Always test your cupcakes with a skewer – if it comes out clean, then your cupcake is ready
• Always make sure that you cool your cupcake (or cakes) completely before attempting to ice it
• I used too much icing on the cupcakes (well – it made them look better in the cool cupcake moulds!), so go a little bit easier otherwise you get overwhelmed with butter & sugar!
• Enjoy with a coffee!