Who doesn’t love a cupcake? A beautifully decorated, perfectly portioned, whole cake to yourself. While I’m known for encouraging people to share, here on Feasting is Fun, that’s not a problem with cupcakes. Simply bake a batch and share them with whoever you want. These Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Drizzle Cupcakes are perfect for sharing.
Cupcakes are great for those who struggle to share. Indeed I used to not be as keen on sharing when I was younger. Nowadays, however, if you visit, knock on the door, clean the windows, etc I am more than willing to give you a cookie or cupcake. Since cupcakes come as a complete package, they are easier to share. Our window cleaners and post lady were very appreciative of these MaraschinoCherry Chocolate Drizzle Cupcakes that I gave them today.
Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Drizzle Cupcakes great with Afternoon Tea.
Light sponge tinged pink with chopped maraschino cherries, topped with a swirl of frosting and a whole cherry. Dark chocolate is drizzled over the frosting. Resulting in a perfect balance of flavours. The dark chocolate tempers the sweet frosting and compliments both the cherry and almond flavours.
Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Drizzle Cupcakes so cheerful.
The unique flavour of maraschino cherries can be tasted through every single bite of these cupcakes. Adding almond extract to the frosting emphasises their flavour too. Substituting glacé cherries wouldn’t give the same result. Maraschino cherries are easily found in the supermarket. Usually near the alcoholic drinks section.
2tbsp Very Hot Water – from a recently boiled kettle
50g/2oz Dark Chocolate minimum 70% Cocoa
Method: Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan, gas mark 3
First of all, line a cupcake or muffin tin with 12 cupcake cases.
Remove 12 nicely shaped, maraschino cherries from the jar and place on to kitchen towel to drain. Weigh out slightly more than 50g of cherries and place into a bowl. Tip away any excess liquid that collects in the bowl. Follow, by cutting the cherries in the bowl into small pieces and set to one side.
Next, into a large bowl add the sugar, butter and salt. Beat until pale and creamy.
Add the vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons of liquid from the cherry jar. Now beat these into the mixture.
Using the ‘all in one’ method, add the eggs to the bowl and then sift in the flour and the baking powder. Finally add the chopped cherries and gently mix the ingredients together until they are combined.
Fill each cupcake case with one dessert spoonful of cake batter.
Place the tin into the centre of the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
The cupcakes may look a little darker than usual. This is due to a combination of the cherries in the batter and the liquid from the jar added to the cake batter.
They are fully baked when the sponge springs back from a light touch, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Once baked remove the cupcakes from the oven.
Remove the cupcakes from the baking tin and place on a cooling rack.
Making the batter, filling the cases and baking the cupcakes.
While the cupcakes are cooling make the buttercream frosting.
Into a large bowl add butter and then sift in the icing sugar.
Next add the hot water and almond extract.
Start whisking on a very slow speed, until the butter and icing sugar have combined. Then gradually build up the whisking speed to high. Continue whisking until the frosting is pale and fluffy.
Spoon the frosting into a piping bag that has been fitted with a large star tip. I use a Wilton #1M.
Starting at the outside edge, on the top of the cupcake pipe a complete swirl. As the next swirl overlaps, lift the piping bag to bring the swirl inwards. Continue piping in swirls, finishing in the centre, by pulling the bag away. Similar to piping a Mr Whippy ice cream.
Continue until all of the cupcakes have been piped with frosting. Do not worry if there is a little buttercream left in the piping bag.
Next place a cherry on top of each cupcake.
Making the frosting, piping and decorating the cupcakes with maraschino cherries.
Allow the icing to set on the cupcakes.
While the cupcakes are setting, make the chocolate drizzle.
Break up, or chop the chocolate and place into a small, heatproof, microwaveable bowl. Heat for 20 seconds at a time, in the microwave. Making sure to stir the chocolate after each heating. When the chocolate has completely melted pour into a small, disposable piping bag.
Snip the very end of the bag off and drizzle chocolate over each cupcake.
Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Drizzle Cupcakes melted dark chocolate drizzle adds the finishing touch.
Finally, allow the chocolate to set before serving these Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Drizzle Cupcakes.
Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Drizzle Cupcakes
These cupcakes will last for 5 days if kept in an airtight container. However, it is doubtful, once shared that they will last that long 😉.
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Sharing baked goodies, not only makes others happy, but also keeps waistlines from expanding! While selling my own bakes is not something I ever wish to do, sharing them allows me to follow my real passion. Since that is recipe development, mixing flavours, textures, being creative, giving away baked treats actually helps me. Resulting in smiles all round!
Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes fresh apple filled cupcakes, topped with light, dreamy, buttercream and drizzled with maple syrup.
National Apple Day was yesterday here in the U.K. With two trees, groaning under the weight of their abundant harvest, in our back garden, an apple bake was a must. Recently having received a sample of Real Maple Syrup, the idea for these Maple Syrup FrostedApple Cupcakes formed. The finished result was better than I could have ever predicted.
Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes perfectly complimenting flavours.
One apple tree produces Spartan apples. Tennis ball sized, shiny red apples that are deliciously crunchy and sweet. The variety of the other apple tree is unknown. Slightly sharper, the apples resemble a slightly sweeter version of Granny Smiths in taste, yet with a red/green colouring. Fortunately, both apples are great for eating and cooking. Resulting in a combination of both being used for these cupcakes.
Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes one bite and you lose yourself in a taste sensation.
Grating the apples into the cake batter ensured they didn’t brown too much. Unlike Granny Smith apples, both of the varieties I used brown easily when sliced/grated and exposed to the air. While the grated apple could have been tossed in some fresh lemon juice, which would have prevented discolouration, I didn’t want to do this for two reasons. First, the lemon flavour would have been present in the cupcakes, this could have overpowered the apple and frosting. Finally, the lemon juice would have added moisture, resulting in a wetter batter, where the apple may not have kept it’s even distribution.
Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes even better the next day!
Preparing the cake batter first and then adding the grated batter worked well. Each cupcake had plenty of evenly distributed apple and had a light, moist crumb. Without the maple syrup frosting, these could easily be served as muffins, in which case the addition of some toasted pecan or walnut pieces would bring added flavour and texture. Having tasted these cupcakes with the dreamy frosting I could not possibly eat them any other way now!
Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes just a hint of cinnamon takes this to another level.
Maple syrup frosting. Just think on those words for a moment!
Initially I had worried that the addition of maple syrup to a buttercream frosting would result in a too sweet topping. Instead, the opposite happened, with the maple syrup adding a very slight smoky, creamy flavour. Resulting in the sweetness of the unflavoured frosting being dumbed down. As a result, the final flavour paired beautifully with the lightly spiced apple cupcake.
Recipe: Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes – makes 12
200g/7oz Grated Eating Apple – approximately 3-4 peeled apples
Frosting Ingredients:
250g/9oz Salted Butter very soft, ideally removed from the fridge the night before
500g/1lb 2oz Sifted Icing Sugar
1tsp Vanilla Extract
2tbsp Maple Syrup – use real maple syrup not maple syrup flavouring
1tbsp Very Hot Water from a recently boiled kettle
Extra Maple Syrup to drizzle over the finished cupcakes
Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan, gas mark 4
First line a 12 hole deep muffin tin with tulip cupcake wrappers, or deep muffin cases.
Next in a large bowl add the butter, sugar and salt. Whisk/beat them together until they are very pale and creamy.
Add the vanilla extract and all 3 eggs to the bowl. Whisk/beat briefly to partially mix the ingredients, without the risk of them curdling – no more than 30 seconds.
Now sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into the bowl. Set the bowl to one side.
Working quickly, yet carefully, peel and grate 200 grams of apple.
Add the grated apple on top of the flour, in the large bowl and using a spoon mix all the ingredients together, until they are just combined.
Next, using a dessert spoon, place a heaped spoonful of cake batter into each of the cupcake wrappers. Finish by dividing any remaining batter between the twelve cases, so that they are all equally filled.
Finally place the tin in the middle of the preheated oven and bake the cupcakes for 25-35 minutes.
The cupcakes are baked when they spring back from a light touch. Use an inserted skewer to check if they are baked, if it comes out clean they are ready to remove from the oven.
Once baked remove the cupcakes from the oven and leave them in the tin to fully cool, regardless of which type of wrapper/case has been used.
The stages of making the cupcake batter, through to filling and baking them.
Allow the cupcakes to fully cool before frosting them.
Making the Frosting and Decorating the Cupcakes:
First, add the very soft butter to a large bowl.
Then sift the icing sugar into the bowl.
Next add the vanilla extract, maple syrup and very hot water.
Finally whisk the ingredients, starting slowly and increasing in speed, until you have a smooth, creamy, light buttercream.
Fit a large piping bag with a large star piping nozzle – Wilton #1M.
Fill the piping bag with the maple syrup frosting.
Starting in the centre of each cupcake pipe swirls, so that the entire top of the cupcake is covered and then, continue to pipe, bringing the tip back to the centre and finishing with a star, as the nozzle is pulled away.
Continue piping until each cupcake is generously topped with frosting.
To finish the decoration, drizzle approximately 1/2 teaspoon of maple syrup on to the top of the frosting, allowing the drizzle to drip around the frosting swirls.
Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes ready to be served.
Maple Syrup Frosted Apple Cupcakes a taste of Autumn in a cupcake!
Fresh apple filled cupcakes topped with whipped maple syrup buttercream.
These cupcakes certainly make the most of seasonal fruit. Since there are plenty of apples freely available they will be made again. Another reason to bake them is also so they can be shared. While none of our friends or neighbours expect deliveries of cake, it is an extra special way of sharing our abundance of apples, which are also given away.
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Because I find baking and cooking relaxing, creating new recipes can also be very rewarding. Firstly as a personal achievement and also because of the pleasure my baking brings to others. Faces full of pleasure as they bite into a delicious treat, big smiles when a friend receives a birthday bake and gracious thanks from a busy, tired family upon receipt of a homemade lasagne. Life is for sharing and if my small contribution encourages others to do the same, well then, this blog, Feasting is Fun, will have served its purpose.
Chocolate Share Eclair Flower individual choux pastry petals, filled with chantily cream and covered in chocolate, surround a filled chocolate profiterole.
During the nine weeks that the Great British Bake Off is aired, Renshaw Baking have been holding various competitions, to encourage bakers to get baking. For my part, as a blogger, I chose to take part in the blind, technical challenge. The result being my Chocolate Share Eclair Flower.
Chocolate Share Eclair Flower perfect for sharing.
True to the ‘technical challenge’ on the programme, I was given a list of ingredients and vague instructions on what to do with said ingredients!
I immediately recognised the recipe as being that for choux pastry, however, when making choux pastry you add water or milk and Renshaw had kindly left that part out!
Fortunately I have baked quite a few profiteroles and eclairs over the years and remembered the 2:1:1:2 rule – that is double liquid and egg to flour and butter. All good except the recipe called for differing amounts of flour and butter.
Aargh. Stay calm Sammie.
It does me good to have a good talking to myself and remember to relax and enjoy the process.
After a couple of trial bakes, both of which produced 8 even, straight eclairs, I knew I wanted to play.
Chocolate Share Eclair Flower 3D and fun to make.
I came up with the idea of creating flower petals, of two different sizes. The larger petals sitting on the base surrounding the central, single profiterole, whilst the five smaller petals sit on top and between the lower petals, creating a 3D flower, made from choux pastry.
Whilst making and baking my Chocolate Share EclairFlower I stuck rigidly to the recipe, as they would have to do on the television programme. It was so hard not to add sprinkles, glitter, piped contrasting chocolate, but I didn’t. The instructions asked for our inventive interpretations of the recipe – I took that to mean design!
Below is the recipe and method. Written in bold is where I had to fill the gaps!
Method: Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan, gas mark 6
Note: This recipe will yield 8 straight chocolate eclairs. Baking time is the same, simply pipe 8 even straight lines.
Line 2 large baking trays with baking parchment, set to one side.
In a large saucepan add the butter, salt and water. Place over a high heat.
When the liquid boils, turn the heat down to medium and add all of the flour.
Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for 3 minutes, keeping the pan on the heat. The mixture should be completely lump free and the flour will have had a chance to cook slightly – this needs to happen to ensure a good structure for the eclair.
Pull the saucepan off the heat and keep stirring to cool down the mixture.
Add 1/2tsp vanilla extract to the beaten eggs.
Add the eggs to the flour mixture and beat thoroughly to incorporate them into the mix, it can take a little time, just keep stirring with the wooden spoon and eventually everything will come together to form a thick, sticky choux pastry.
Making the choux pastry.
Spoon the choux pastry into a large disposable piping bag.
Cut approx 1cm off the end of the bag.
On one baking sheet pipe 5 tear drop shapes, approximately 10cm/4″ in length.
On a separate baking sheet pipe 5 more tear drop shapes, approximately half the size of the larger ones. Pipe one single profiterole, using a damp finger to press down any tip.
Place both trays, evenly spaced in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Do not open the oven during the first 25 minutes of baking as this could cause your piped choux petals to collapse!
After 30 minutes remove the trays from the oven and place the choux pastry petals and the profiterole on to a cooling rack.
Leave until cold.
Piping, baking, cutting and preparing the choux petals to be filled with cream.
Whilst the pastry is cooling pour the whipping cream, 1/2tsp vanilla extract and 4tsp icing sugar into a medium bowl.
Whisk until the cream holds a stiff peak.
Spoon the cream into a large disposable piping bag.
Starting with the largest petals, using a serrated knife cut the petal in half, so that the cream can be piped onto the bottom half. Lay each petal down so that the bottom is cut side up and the top is cut side down.
Do the same for the smaller petals and make a small incision in the side of the profiterole.
Cut approx 0.5cm off of the piping bag and proceed to pipe cream, following the shape of the petal. As each petal is filled replace the top. When all the petals have been piped with cream, push the piping bag into the incision in the profiterole and fill with cream.
Filing and piping the choux pastry with chocolate.
Place the chopped milk chocolate into a heatproof, microwaveable bowl and zap on medium, in the microwave for 30 seconds, stirring after each zap. When the chocolate is fully melted pour into a disposable piping bag (or alternately you could dunk the petals in the chocolate).
Pipe chocolate around the choux petals and cover the top half of the profiterole in chocolate.
Use a butter knife to spread the molten chocolate on the choux petals.
Whilst the chocolate is still warm assemble your Chocolate Share Eclair Flower.
On a large flat plate or board place the profiterole in the centre. Evenly space the 5 larger petals around the profiterole. Carefully place the smaller petals inbetween and on top of the larger petals.
Chocolate Share Eclair Flower dusted with a little icing sugar.
Dust the centre of the choux flower with the remaining icing sugar and your Chocolate Share Eclair Flower is complete.
Place in the fridge to allow the chocolate to set.
Serve with friends and family, who will no doubt be impressed with your artistic flair. As the flower has now been submitted I have embellished it a little using some sparkles.
Chocolate Share Eclair Flower with sparkling pollen!
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like profiteroles or eclairs, so this is the perfect way to make them into something different, that can then be shared and enjoyed.
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I hope I’ve shown you how easy it is to make and bake choux pastry?
It really is one of the easiest pastries to master and as you have seen can be piped into regular profiteroles, eclairs, or be more adventurous, it really makes beautiful hearts.
Whatever you are making, have fun. Let your creativeness flow and if you make a mistake, well bake it, eat it and try, try, try again. For me the fun is in the learning!
Chocolate Vanilla Viennese Finger Biscuits sandwiched together with a light, white chocolate ganache. These light, melt in your mouth biscuits are perfect for an Afternoon Tea treat.
Chocolate Vanilla Viennese Finger Biscuits perfect for Afternoon Tea.
The first time I made Chocolate DippedViennese Fingers was an experience, shall we say. It was relatively early on in my blog and in my wisdom I decided to set the dipped Viennese biscuits on a cooling rack!
Most of them stuck. Badly.
I had a kitchen full of broken biscuits and managed to salvage just enough for a decent photograph.
Chocolate Vanilla Viennese Finger Biscuits far more remained intact this time!
These light, meltingly delicious ChocolateVanilla Viennese Finger Biscuits are so yummy and are my wonderful hubby’s favourite.
As part of the #GBBOTwitterBakeAlong run by Jackie Heaton and Rob Allen, both amazing bakers and huge encouragers, I wanted to really make an effort. Each week will have a different theme, this week’s being biscuits.
Now we all know I am a self confessed Cookie Monster. In fact I think our whole family are. When I was younger my Grandad would bring my youngest Auntie, my sister and I a cup of tea, in bed, every morning. No one made tea like my Grandad. Anyway we would always get three biscuits, which we would swap so that we had our favourites – I still cannot understand the appeal of custard creams, but each to their own.
Chocolate Vanilla Viennese Finger Biscuits the perfect way to start my day.
Ever since I was little, staying in the comfort and security of my grandparents home, that was my routine. It still is. I can miss breakfast and lunch, so long as I’ve had a cup of tea and a biscuit or cookie first thing in the morning. It is the one thing I would not choose to ever give up. It is part of my morning routine, so much so, that when I was in hospital last year see here, I would save my packet of 3 biscuits given out with the hot chocolate in the evening, so that I could have them with my morning tea.
Growing up, although my Grandma was an accomplished cook, I cannot recall her making biscuits. For me though, it was the very first skill I mastered in the kitchen. These days I tend towards lazy cookies rolled into balls, or scooped with an ice cream scoop. So to actually pipe biscuits, make a ganache and sandwich them together, well that’s a first for me – not the piping, I’ve definitely never made sandwiched biscuits.
I made and baked one batch of my ChocolateDipped Viennese Fingers and then tweaked the recipe to make a chocolate version. There’s a tiny bit more icing sugar in the chocolate finger biscuits as I wanted to offset any bitterness from the cocoa.
Whilst the biscuit fingers are cooling it is worth making the White chocolate ganache that will be piped on the underside of the fingers and used to sandwich them together.
In a heatproof, microwaveable jug add the white chocolate and double cream.
Zap for 1 minute on medium power.
Remove from the microwave and stir. If there are still lumps of unmelted chocolate, pop it back in for a further 30 seconds on medium.
Stir the ganache until the melted white chocolate is fully mixed into the cream.
Whisk the ganache to cool it and continue whisking until the ganache thickens and becomes airy – today it was so warm that I wasn’t able to get the ganache to solidify.
Whisk the ganache until it is cool and thickened.
If the weather is cool the thickened ganache can be scooped into a piping bag with a medium round tip fitted – I poured the ganache into a disposable piping bag, which I then sealed with an elastic band and I placed it into the coldest part of the fridge until it had thickened.
Whilst the ganache was cooling I melted both the dark and white chocolate in small heatproof, microwaveable bowls.
Dip the chocolate fingers into the white chocolate and the vanilla fingers into the dark chocolate. Lay the dipped biscuit fingers on to anon stick silicone mat or baking parchment.
Not all of the biscuit fingers will be dipped in chocolate, that’s fine it is nice to have a variety.
Once the ganache has firmed up to piping consistency, think buttercream, then you are ready to assemble your biscuits.
Pipe a line of white chocolate ganache down the length, flat side upper, of one biscuit.
Place a similar sized biscuit on top and set aside.
Continue until all of the biscuits are sandwiched together.
Chocolate Vanilla Viennese Finger Biscuits sandwiched together with ganache.
NOTE: Due to the fragile, melting nature of the Viennese biscuits, it is inevitable that some will break. I thoroughly enjoyed ‘taste testing’ the few breakages with our 2 daughters!
I ended up with 18 perfectly sandwiched biscuits.
Due to the heat I popped all the filled biscuits on to a baking tray and placed them back into the fridge to set, before taking the photographs.
To store I placed the Chocolate VanillaViennese Finger Biscuits into a shallow tin and place them back in the fridge. With temperatures set to rise over the next few days, assuming they last that long 😉, they will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Chocolate Vanilla Viennese Finger Biscuits ooh I bet you go back for seconds!
Serve on a pretty plate, adorned with flowers from the garden. These Chocolate VanillaViennese Finger Biscuits are perfect with afternoon tea, or morning coffee.
If you have enjoyed these Chocolate Vanilla Viennese Finger Biscuits here are some other recipes you may like:
Sitting together with friends over a mid morning coffee, or with family for afternoon tea, doesn’t have to be a formal occasion. Yet when a little extra effort is made, for example, adding the rose to the centre of the plate, it really lifts the occasion.
All food should be feasted on and enjoyed, not just eaten for the sake of it (unless circumstances, for example illness, dictate otherwise). Food shared, tastes better and eating with company can be more fun.
Make the most of what’s left of the summer to eat outside. Watching the butterflies, listening to the birds, bees and ruffling leaves of the trees, adds an extra element of fun to our feasting.
For for those of you who have visited Feasting is Fun before, you will be very aware of my love affair with lemons. I absolutely adore not only their tart, intense flavour, but also their ability to transform a sweet or savoury dish. After using lemon curd to create my Lemon Ripple Ice Cream, I decided to use it in a bake. Specifically this delightful LoveliestLemon Curd Cake.
Loveliest Lemon Curd Cake perfect for afternoon tea.
A wonderfully moist, damp cake, the lemon curd injects a wonderful tartness in the centre that is balanced by the lemon swirled buttercream on top.
If you love lemons, then I’ll guarantee this LoveliestLemon Curd Cake will delight you!
Loveliest Lemon Curd Cake whatever time of year brings the sunshine indoors.
Baked as a whole cake, that is then cut in two, this refreshingly flavoured cake is simple to make and decorate.
Loveliest Lemon Curd Cake with an added sprinkle of glitter.
I was sent a new cake tin to try out, so I decided on this Loveliest Lemon CurdCake. The cake batter has both finely grated lemon zest and lemon extract oil in it. I’ve given an alternative for the oil in the recipe, although I do recommend buying some if you can. It brings another level of lemonyness to the cake and unlike fresh lemon juice, does not cause any curdling of the cake batter or buttercream.
Loveliest Lemon Curd Cake look at how the light shines through the lemony yellow of the cake?
Lemons have such a sunny yellow colour that they really do bring the sunshine indoors whatever the weather!
Recipe: LoveliestLemon Curd Cake serves 8-10
You will need an 8″/20cm diameter cake tin that is 3″/7.5cm deep
275g/10oz Unsalted Butter – plus a little extra for greasing
4-5tbsp Lemon Curd – I use Waitrose luxury lemon curd – make sure you pick a tart one
For the icing:
100g/4oz Unsalted Butter
200g/7oz Sifted Icing Sugar
1/2tsp Lemon Oil – or 1tbsp Lemon Curd
2tbsp Very Hot Water from a kettle
Optional – Sprinkles and edible glitter
Method: Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan, gas mark 3
Grease with butter and line the base of the cake tin with baking parchment. I was testing a new PushPan. I still greased and lined the tin.
Into a large bowl add the butter, salt and sugar.
Whisk/beat until pale and creamy.
Add all 6 eggs (I crack mine into a separate bowl first) and the lemon oil/substitute with 1tbsp of lemon curd if no lemon oil is available.
Sift in the self raising flour.
Mix on a low speed until just combined.
Add the finely grated zest of one whole lemon.
Mix the cake batter until just smooth – I do this by hand using a spoon.
Spoon the Loveliest Lemon Curd Cake batter into the cake tin and smooth the top.
Loveliest Lemon Curd Cake ready for the oven.
Place the cake tin into the centre of the oven and bake for 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes. The cake is baked when an inserted skewer comes out clean. My cake took 1 hour 15 minutes to bake.
Once the cake is baked remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the cake tin.
Baked Loveliest Lemon Curd Cake cooling in the tin.
When the cake is cold remove from the tin.
With the PushPan tin I used, I simply popped the pan on to a tin of beans and pressed the sides down. The cake released from the tin very easily.
Loveliest Lemon Curd Cake easily released from the PushPan
Making the lemon buttercream:
Into a large bowl add the softened butter, sifted icing sugar, lemon oil or curd and 2 tablespoons of hot water.
Whisk slowly at first, increasing in speed as the icing sugar is absorbed. Continue whisking on high for a couple more minutes until you have a pale, creamy, light buttercream.
Scoop the buttercream into a disposable piping bag fitted with a large closed star tip.
Carefully cut the cake in half horizontally, so that it becomes a sandwich cake.
Spoon enough lemon curd on to the bottom layer to cover it generously.
Add a generous layer of lemon curd.
Place the top of the cake back on and pipe six buttercream swirls around the edge and one in the centre of the cake.
Loveliest Lemon Curd Cake so pretty but there’s room for a finishing touch.
Add sprinkles and edible glitter (if using) and your Loveliest Lemon Curd Cake is ready to be sliced and served.
I do love a slice of cake for Sunday afternoon tea, or any day of the week afternoon tea, when the cake is this good!
Loveliest Lemon Curd Cake perfect for any occasion, but especially afternoon tea.
I honestly think the pictures in this post speak for themselves. This LoveliestLemon Curd Cake bursts with lemony yellowness once cut and tastes absolutely perfect. The soft buttercream and tart lemon curd, with a deliciously moist lemon cake.
Today will not be the only time I make this cake!!
If you have enjoyed the recipe for this Loveliest Lemon Curd Cake here are some others you may also enjoy:
Whilst this Loveliest Lemon Curd Cake looks pretty with the buttercream swirls, it really is the layers of lemon flavour that make this cake so enticing.
Whatever you are making and baking in your kitchen this weekend I hope that you are having fun. As I popped a couple of slices of this yummy cake over the back fence to our neighbours, almost blinded by the glitter sparkling in the sunlight, I was reminded of how much I simply enjoy sharing.
Baking for my family, friends, neighbours, postman and postlady, random delivery drivers, makes me feel good. Why?? Because it puts a smile on someones face. The heart of this blog is to share, enjoy feasting with people and have fun whilst doing so.
I have have wanted to make a ‘drip cake’ since I first saw one on Pinterest. This past weekend with the help of 2 Wright’s Baking cake mix kits, I did it. I made a Strawberry Chocolate Vanilla Drip Cake.
Strawberry Chocolate Vanilla Drip Cake decorated with chocolate covered strawberries.
Had it not been for the cake mixes from Wright’s I honestly would not have had the energy to make this cake. However, I have proved that with a little bit of patience and guidance anyone can make a drip cake using great packet mixes, plus some extra chocolate and strawberries.
The Chocolate and Victoria sponge mixes create cakes that are as light as clouds. I baked the cakes on Saturday and then assembled and decorated this gorgeous Strawberry Chocolate Vanilla Drip Cake on the Sunday.
If you have ever wanted to make a drip cake, but been too scared to try, my step by step photographs will show you how. You need not be a proficient baker or cake decorator, yet you CAN make this Strawberry Chocolate Vanilla Drip Cake.
I will take you through every stage, showing you how to achieve a stunning drip cake. Once you have learnt the basics you can create all different kinds of drip cakes. I wanted to keep my cake simple, yet elegant. The chocolate dipped strawberries add height and a pop of colour.
Strawberry Chocolate Vanilla Drip Cake an elegantly delicious cake.
To be honest, I never dreamt that my Strawberry Chocolate VanillaDrip Cake would turn out this well. I really didn’t.
Firstly, cake decorating isn’t my strongest skill and then secondly, sometimes my hands can be really shaky, which means there are fewer cakes posted on here, as they didn’t look good enough once decorated!
What I’m trying to say is, I’m just like you. Yes I’ve learnt to pipe roses with buttercream, but that really is the extent of my cake decorating knowledge. So my hope is to teach you how to create a show stopping cake and that, with a little patience you too can create one!
Strawberry Chocolate Vanilla Drip Cake a view from above.
Starting with a good quality boxed cake mix from Wright’s meant that all my concentration could be used decorating the cake. I certainly will be creating recipes with different flavours, colours and toppings in the future, but for my first drip cake, all I wanted to concentrate on was creating that iconic ‘drip’!
I choose to use chocolate and vanilla simply because the inside of the cake would then reflect the beautiful outside. The cake mixes are so easy to whip up and bake, plus the buttercream mixture is included in the box. All I needed to add was butter.
Strawberry Chocolate Vanilla Drip Cake using great boxed cake mix kits.
If you want to bake a cake from scratch that is fine, I would suggest the recipe from my Victoria Sponge and substituting 75g/3oz of flour for cocoa powder for the chocolate sponge (you may have more batter than needed to create this cake). I will give a buttercream recipe in the recipe section.
Note: in order to decorate this cake successfully you will need a large palette knife (not a small offset one – that I mention in some of my recipes).
1 Victoria Sponge Baking Kit – also from Wright’s Baking
2tbsp Butter for greasing the sandwich cake tins
240g Unsalted Butter- softened to room temperature
200g White Chocolate – I use Waitrose Belgian white chocolate
100g Dark Chocolate minimum 70% Cocoa Solids
15 Good Quality Fresh Strawberries medium/large in size – if only very large strawberries are available you may want to use fewer.
Note: if making your own buttercream you will need 250g unsalted butter, 100g good quality cocoa powder (sifted) and 400g icing sugar (sifted), prepare as for the buttercream including the 2tbsp very hot water.
Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan, gas mark 4
Grease 2 x 7″ (17.5cm) sandwich cake tins and line the base with baking parchment.
Make up one packet – I used the Victoria sponge mix first – according to the instructions on the box.
Divide the cake batter equally between the 2 tins.
Sponge mix ready to be baked.
Place the sponge tins in the centre of the oven and bake for 15- 20 minutes. The sponges are baked when they are a golden colour and spring back from a light touch. Mine took just under 20 minutes to bake.
Once baked remove the cake tins from the oven.
Allow the sponges to cool for 5 minutes, then run a palette knife around the outside rim of the cake.
Tip the cake out gently and place right side up on a cooling rack.
Light vanilla sponges baked and cooling on the rack.
Wash up the sponge tins in warm soapy water, dry, grease and line the bases as before.
Make up the chocolate sponge mix according to the packet instructions.
Divide the cake batter equally between the 2 tins and bake in the middle of the oven, as before for 15 – 20 minutes. Mine were baked at 15 minutes.
Once baked remove from the oven.
Gorgeous baked chocolate sponges.
After 5 minutes cooling run a palette knife around the outside of the cake, tip out gently and allow to cool on a rack.
Once cool your cake is ready to assemble and decorate.
Assembling and decorating your drip cake:
Gently peel the parchment paper away from the base of each sponge.
Whisk/beat 240g of softened butter in a large bowl.
Add both packets of buttercream mix – chocolate and vanilla.
Slowly whisk until they are incorporated into the butter.
OPTIONAL – I always add 1-2 tablespoons of very hot water to any buttercream that I make. I added 2 tablespoons to the buttercream mixture. I would not advise adding water if you are using stork or other margarines.
Continue whisking until you have a smooth, glossy, chocolate buttercream.
Glossy spreadable chocolate vanilla buttercream.
I recommend using either a cake board or a flat plate on top of a cake stand, or cake decorating turntable – I used a cake board on top of my cake stand. This is so that once covered in buttercream, the cake, which is 4 sponges high, will fit into the fridge to chill.
Add a small splodge of buttercream to the cake board, this helps anchor the cake whilst it is being assembled and decorated.
Place your first sponge flat side up on the centre of the board.
Using a palette knife thinly coat the upper, flat side of the sponge in buttercream.
The first sponge top covered in a thin buttercream layer.
Next add the second chocolate sponge, again flat side up and cover with a thin layer of buttercream.
Continue in the same manner with the vanilla sponges, leaving the last sponge without a covering of buttercream.
Beautifully straight stack of four sponge layers.
Ensure that you have plenty of space to work around the cake. I moved mine to the dining room table where I was able to sit (better for my back) and cover the cake.
Add enough buttercream to cover the top of the cake evenly – approximately 0.5-1cm deep. Run the palette knife across the top to roughly smooth it.
Next add buttercream to the side of the cake near the top. Spread it with the palette knife so that it fills in the gaps between the sponges. I started at the top and rotated the cake stand, working my way down to the bottom of the cake as each sponge layer was covered. Aim to keep the buttercream as even and smooth as possible, using your palette knife.
A buttercream covered drip cake.
Looking good! The whole cake is now covered in buttercream with a roughly smoothed top and sides.
Fill a large jug with very hot water and have some pieces of kitchen paper to hand.
Clean your palette knife and let it sit, immersed in the hot water for a minute.
Remove the palette knife and wipe dry with the kitchen paper.
Hold the flat side of the palette knife to the side of the cake and smooth the buttercream. Repeat by dipping the palette knife back into the hot water, drying and smoothing, rotating the cake stand as you do so. This may take a little practice but you’ll soon get the hang of it.
You will see the buttercream becomes very glossy and smooth. Continue until the sides are as smooth as you can get them.
Next smooth the top of the cake in exactly the same way.
A smooth buttercream covered 4 sponge cake.
Use kitchen paper to gently go around the base of the cake and remove excess buttercream from the board. I tend to remove any big lumps and then hold the kitchen paper to the board as I rotate the cake, gradually getting closer and closer to the cake.
Place your covered cake into the fridge to chill and set for 30 minutes.
When it is touch dry you may start to decorate it.
Break up the white chocolate into a heatproof microwaveable bowl.
Zap in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between each heating session. When the chocolate has half melted remove the bowl from the microwave and continue stirring until all of the chocolate is melted.
Set to one side to cool.
Meanwhile break up the dark chocolate and melt in exactly the same way as for the white chocolate.
Dip half of the strawberries into the dark chocolate, ensuring they are completely covered with only the green showing – I use a teaspoon to pour the chocolate near the top of the strawberry. Set the strawberries on to a silicone mat or some baking parchment.
Remove 2 tablespoons of the melted white chocolate and place in a small, disposable piping bag. Snip the very end off leaving a small hole.
Pipe lines across the uncovered strawberries and over the chocolate covered strawberries. You can also experiment with piping little dots on to the strawberries. Leave the strawberries to set.
Next, whilst the white chocolate is still pourable but cooled you can start creating your drips!
Look how effective the white chocolate looks against the brown buttercream.
Using a spoon pour the cooled, melted chocolate around the edge of the cake encouraging drips to form by adding a little more chocolate in places. Try to get a variety of drip lengths around the outside of the cake.
Next spoon the remaining white chocolate on to the centre of the top of the cake. Use the spoon to spread it to meet the rim formed by the drips and then swirl with your spoon to give an attractive finish.
My very first drip cake – I hope this is helping you make your first too?
If there is a slight slant to your cake ensure the higher part of the cake is at the back.
Gently add some strawberries to the back of the cake, building height by laying them on top of each other. It is also nice to add a few strawberries around the base to create a stunning, professional finish.
Strawberry Chocolate Vanilla Drip Cake you made it well done.
Place the cake back into the fridge, especially during warmer weather, until it has just set.
Strawberry Chocolate Vanilla Drip Cake worthy of a celebration feast.
Now take lots of photographs as it is great to have a visual reminder that you have accomplished something so stunning.
Keeping some of the strawberries red, with just a little piped white chocolate really makes the whole cake pop. Having a burst of colour stops the cake from being all brown and cream, which is definitely not as fun as a spot of red here and there!
Almost always a chocolate ganache (equal parts chocolate and double cream melted together) is used for a chocolate drip cake. This being my first I wanted to keep things as easy as possible.
Since I have made this drip cake, I now want to make one with fruit and coloured icing. The possibilities are absolutely endless.
If you have enjoyed the recipe and tutorial for making this Strawberry Chocolate Vanilla Drip Cake here are others you may also like:
Fluted Chocolate Lemon Marble Cake a great cheat at making an amazing looking cake.
Just because I’m not the world’s best cake decorator, doesn’t mean I can’t learn, try and occasionally cheat. Cakes should be fun. They should be baked and decorated with love and eaten with appreciation.
Have I inspired you to try a new cake decorating technique?
Have fun decorating, making and baking your feasts.
Sammie xx
Wright’s Baking provided me with the cake mix kits to try. All content, opinions, views and photographs are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy. I am not a professional baker or cake decorator, any advice given is purely for guidance.
