New Beginnings & Raspberry and Rose Cupcakes

Many apologies for my six week or so absence from here. Though I do doubt that anyone is sitting at their computer waiting for me to post a new recipe! I have had an exciting few weeks full of new experiences and new beginnings. All of which meant time spent updating my blog were few and far between. 

In summary, during the last few weeks I have taken part in a food photography and styling workshop with Billy Law and Luisa Brimble, baked forty cupcakes and 20 biscuits for a bridal shower, baked 60 biscuits, made 250 mini quiches and 330 finger sandwiches for a wedding afternoon tea, quit my job, bought a new camera and attended a wonderful weekend ‘Slow Living Workshop’ with Beth Kirby, Rebekka Searle and Lusia Brimble (photos of the weekend to come!). 

Hopefully you will notice an improvement in my photography and styling skills soon, and fingers crossed I will be able to dedicate more of my time to this blog from now on! 

Below are some photos I took at the workshop with Billy and Luisa. 

 . . . . 

 The recipe I have decided to post today is something I created a month or so ago. I had been reminiscing about the cakes and teas Mum and I enjoyed while we were in Paris back in February. At Ladurée in Paris we tried a creation called the rose réligieuse. It was a round two layered choux pastry with crème pâtissière and raspberries, decorated with a rose icing on the outside. The flavour combinations were simply wonderful. And of course the presentation was impeccable. 

Tea & a Rose Réligieuse at Ladurée, Paris.

I decided to create something using this as an inspiration, and came up with a raspberry and rose cupcake. I am very pleased with how they have turned out, and seem to have become an instant crowd pleaser. 

Raspberry & Rose Cupcakes

Ingredients: 

125 g margarine (flavourless such as canola oil based)

3/4 cup caster sugar 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

2 eggs 

1/2 cup milk, preferably low fat

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted

185 g raspberries, roughly chopped (approx. one and a half punnets if using fresh)

Ingredients for Icing: 

2 - 2 1/2 cups icing sugar, confectioners 

3 tsp rosewater

2 tbsp hot water 

pink food colouring 

dried rose buds, for decoration

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius and line two cupcake trays with cupcakes cases. The mixture will only make about 15-16 cupcakes, so you won’t need to line all of the second tray. 

In a large bowl, cream the margarine, vanilla and sugar until it has combined, and is fluffy and light. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Then add the flour and the milk, half of each at a time, beating in between to combine. 

Once all the ingredients are combined, add the raspberries to the mixture, gently folding them in with a spoon or spatula (not an electric mixer) until evenly distributed. 

Evenly fill each cupcake case with the mixture, approximately 3/4 full. 

Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the cakes are lightly golden and spring back when touched. 

Allow to cool on a wire rack. 

Once the cakes have cooled make the icing. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, then add the water and rosewater and mix to combine. The icing should be smooth and slightly thick so it doesn’t run down the sides of the cakes. Add the pink food colouring, keeping the colour light. If the icing is too runny, add more sifted icing sugar a little at a time. If the icing is too thick, add more hot water a little at a time.

Spread the icing over each cupcake and place a rose bud in the centre. Allow the icing to dry before storing in a airtight container, or eat straight away! 

Original cupcake recipe from The Australian Women’s Weekly Cakes & Slices Cookbook, p.89.

 Originally Posted September 8, 2014.

For more recipes showcasing the best of rose, check out my Baking with Rose eBook by clicking the link below!

Galette au Beurre and ‘À La Mère de Famille’ Paris

Recently, I was lucky enough to travel to London and Paris. I’m not really sure what anyone else thinks of doing when they travel, but all I think about is the food. Once the travel plans were organised, I set out looking up where I wanted to eat. Which in the end, mostly meant I had looked up where the cake shops, bakeries, patisseries and tea salons were. The list I made for each city took us round to all the places we could get good food, cake, tea, kitchen and baking supplies and more cake. By the time we returned home I was really excited to bake something inspired by my travels.

This recipe is from a book I bought before I knew I would get to go overseas. The book, ‘À La Mère de Famille’, is the cookbook from a confectionary shop/chocolatier in Paris of the same name. The shop, which now has more than one location in the city, was established in 1761. The original shop, on the Rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, was on my absolute must do list. As in, I wasn’t leaving the city unless we went there. I even walked past one of the newer subsequent locations of the shop and refused to go in because I had my heart set on going to the original one. I’m not really sure why I was so insistent on only going to the original shop. Maybe there’s just something special about going into a shop that has been there for so long. In any case, I’m glad we waited because it was very quaint and sweet. The window displays were enticing and once you were inside, it was easy to imagine the shop selling more or less the same things for all those years. They even had a separate booth for the cashier. All the pâte de fruits, caramels, chocolates and cakes were beautifully presented and I had a hard time choosing what I wanted. I settled on some chocolates for gifts, some marshmallows and some passionfruit caramels. 

So, once we were home, the chocolates were gifted away and the marshmallows eaten (I am still rationing the caramels because they are so very good), I decided I just had to make something from À La Mère de Famille’s book. Confectionary was ruled out due to my jet lagged state, so I settled on these plain but very pleasing biscuits. They are quite easy to make, and they make a fairly large quantity too. Everyone who ate them agreed they were nicer than shortbread, as while they are a butter biscuit they are lighter than shortbread and less crumbly as well. I gave some to my Grandpa and he told me, that not only did he like them, but had gotten up in the night to eat them! 

Ingredients: 

270g softened unsalted butter

250g icing sugar

2 eggs

500g plain flour 

milk (for glazing) 

Method: 

Using an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, then sift in the flour. Lay a sheet of baking paper onto a bench or flat surface and tip the dough onto it. Cover the dough with a second sheet of baking paper and roll the dough until it is 2-3mm thick. Chill in the refrigerator for one hour. 

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius and line three large baking trays with baking paper. Remove dough from fridge and remove top layer of baking paper. Cut biscuits out using a fluted 48mm pastry or biscuit cutter. Place evenly on trays. Brush with milk and push down lightly on each biscuit with a fork to create a slight indentation. 

Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. I found I needed an extra 10 minutes or so until the biscuits were golden, but it will depend on your oven. 

Best stored in an airtight container. Makes at least 50 biscuits. 

Recipe from ‘À La Mère de Famille Artisanal Recipes’ by Julien Merceron p.214.

The shop can be found at 35 Rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, Paris.

À La Mère de Famille - 35 Rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, Paris.

Originally Posted March 18, 2014.