Rolo Cupcakes

So I saw this recipe in an Afrikaans magazine and I must say... it's pretty awesome - I make something similar myself - very often - and it goes down really well!! Check right at the bottom of the recipe for my personal way to doing this sort of cupcake. All my little comments and tips are in pink!

RECIPE MAKES: 36

INGREDIENTS:

250ml milk
90ml cocoa
250ml  oil
8 eggs (I always add 1 extra egg per 3 or 4 given in a recipe – leaves cupcakes that much more moist - so here i'd actually use 10 eggs and reduce oil by 20ml)
500ml castor sugar
10ml vanilla essence
875ml baking flour
20ml baking powder
Pinch of salt
200g (4 x 50g-rolls) Rolo chocolate
45ml cream (optional)

ICING:

250 ml chilled cream
1 tin caramel
Extra roll Rolo

· Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

· Prepare muffin/cupcake pan with cupcake holders

CUPCAKES:

Heat up the milk and whisk in cocoa until well mixed.

Add the oil.

Whisk the eggs and castor sugar together until fluffy and light in colour.

Add the vanilla essence.

Sift all the dry ingredients together.

Slowly add the dry ingredients and the milk mix to the egg mix.

Mix well.

Dish up into the paper cupcake holders, ¾ full.

Push a piece of Rolo into the center of the raw cupcake.

Bake for ±15 minutes (I always bake for ¾ of the time they give on a recipe personally so I’d bake 12 minutes or so and only extend to 15 minutes if the dough is still raw. Remember that there is chocolate in the center to check the cupcakes readiness from the side and not dead center.)

ICING:

Whip the cream stiff and fold in the caramel.

Spread over the top of the cupcakes.

Place some extra chocolate over the top.

HOW I DO IT AT HOME:

Instead of pushing in a piece of Rolo, I buy a tin of caramel instead. I fill the cupcake holder 1/4 of the way. I then spoon 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of caramel on top of the raw dough and then cover the caramel with some more dough till 3/4 full. This is an awesome way to make cupcakes. I normally ice with caramel and sprinkle with chocolate shavings. It works well in both vanilla and chocolate cupcakes and is to everyone's liking. Go the extra mile by sprinkling  with some cake glitter (white one for best effect).

I will be honest in saying, I love using Snowflakes instant muffin mix packets when i'm in a rush and don't want to make cupcakes from scratch. They cost like R12.00 from your local PnP - it fills exactly 12 large muffin holders and I add one extra egg than instructed to the mix and get my caramel on. People LOVE IT!

Peppermint Crisp Tart

Peppermint Crisp tart is my weakness. This recipe is easy and really good!!


Needed:
Tennis biscuits
500ml cream
1 tin caramel
Peppermint crisp chocolate
Condensed milk, caramelized. (Optional but gives the best results. Check below on how to do it)

Instructions:
Beat the cream. Mix in the caramel.
Place a layer of tennis biscuits on the bottom of the dish. 
Layer the whip mixture over the biscuits. 
Sprinkle or layer some caramelized condensed milk over the whip mixture. (use your own discretion) 
Repeat the above 3 steps.
Sprinkle peppermint crisp on top.
Place in the fridge to set.

I like to sprinkle some smashed chocolate bits in between the layers too.


Caramelize condensed milk:
Microwave oven method: Pour milk into a glass or ceramic container. Cook at medium (50% power) for 4 minutes, stirring halfway through. Reduce power to medium low (30% power), cook for 12 to 18 minutes, stirring briskly every 2 minutes until smooth, thick and caramel-coloured. Cooking times depends on the wattage of the microwave.

Butternut soup

I haven't posted in forever, but with this winter weather, I felt a little inspired to post some winter favourites

One meal always goes down well: butternut soup. It's the closest one to mine - recipe wise. When I actually find mine, i promise to post it.

Ingredients

Salt

• Black Pepper
• 1 tbsp Margarine
• 2 Medium Onions roughly chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic roughly chopped
• 5 ml Nutmeg
• 1 ltr Water
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 250 ml Cream
• 1 kg Butternut peeled & chopped
• 1.25ml Peri Peri spice (optional) 

Instructions

In a large pot, melt the margarine, and fry the onions, garlic and nutmeg and optional peri peri until just soft.

Add the butternut, water and stock cube and bring to the boil.

Allow to simmer for about 30 minutes or until the butternut is soft.

Remove from the heat and blend until smooth in a food processor.

Stir in cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.