Chocolate Walnut Cupcakes

I have been using this recipe on and off for the past few years. I love the soft fluffiness of the cupcake with the crunch of the chopped nuts. Enjoy for a bit of crunch on your chocolate cupcakes. This is also lovely to have with coffee after a LONG work day. 

Chocolate Walnut Cupcakes

Ingredients

150g lightly salted butter

150g caster sugar

175g self raising flour

1 cup chopped walnuts

3 eggs

3 tbs baking cocoa

1 tsp vanilla essence

Spare chopped walnuts (to top cupcakes)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180⁰ prepare cupcake tray.

2. Combine butter, sugar, eggs, flour, cocoa and vanilla essence in a bowl. Mix with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy.

3. Gently fold through walnuts. Spoon into cupcake tray. Sprinkle with spare chopped walnuts.

4. Cook for 20-25 mins. Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack. 

Banana Muffin Update- better recipe

Okay, I may be obsessed with banana's. They taste good on their own, in a smoothie, on a cake, in a fruit salad, dried and baked. What more could you want from a fruit AND they are plentiful around here. I never thought I would get over my 'never want to look at a *@$#ing banana phase' after working on the farm. But, I am glad I did. Previously I posted a recipe I use for my banana muffins. However, I have a simpler and in my opinion yummier recipe that I am making today. It requires less ingredients and I use brown sugar. Here is my amended awesome Banana Muffin Recipe (esp. good if you are short on cooking supplies).
  Awesome Easy Banana Muffins 
-from a friend who wishes not to be named- you know who you are :)

  Ingredients
- 3-4 ripened bananas
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tblsp butter
- 1 egg
- 2 cups self raising flour
 - 2 tblsp milk

  Method
 1. Squash bananas, place in bowl
2. Add all other ingredients and mix.
3. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees celsius, prepare trays
4. Bake for 15-17 mins

 Serve
I normally do not put any icing on however, previously I have dusted with icing sugar or sprinkled with brown sugar. My friend uses cream cheese icing with hers (sorry haven't made this before, perhaps google for a recipe). On a side note these also freeze well (in case you need to make hundreds).

 Happy baking! Here are a few clever banana art pictures I have seen on the interwebs previously. So talented!

Banana Muffin Addiction

Here is my plan. Just go with it okay. I have 3 bananas left from my bunch the parents brought down for me from the farms North of here. I am so excited because they are almost perfect for making Banana Muffins, I am so excited!!! I want to make them tonight but I am half way through making my previous fritter recipe for staff lunch tomorrow. Here is the recipe I use I got it from one of my aunties. If I don't get it done tonight it will have to be tomorrow.

Banana Muffins

Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups self raising flour
- 3/4 cup of brown sugar
-1 cup of milk
-1 egg
-2 tbsp butter
-1 tsp vanilla essence
- 2-3 bananas mashed

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees, prepare muffin tray.
2. Combine milk, egg, butter, vanilla and bananas blend in a metal bowel.
3. Add flour and sugar and mix well.
4. Put mixture into muffin tray
5. Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden
6. Serve warm with butter or eat cold.

Lazy Saturday, cupcakes and a curious kitty

I can has cupcake?

Today has been a slack one, but I was in a baking mood. So I decided to make up some simple yummy vanilla cupcakes with chocolate butter cream icing. Yum! I am being so naughty with my cooking lately. I of course also had my little side kick being super cute and annoying the whole time. Here are the recipes I used to make these.

Vanilla Cupcakes
Recipe taken from: Mum (she probably got it from a recipe book like 200 cupcakes or a Women's Weekly Cookbook)
Serves: 12 larger cupcakes or 15 smaller
Prep Time:10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
150g butter, softened
150g caster sugar
175g self-raising flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:
1. Line a 12 section muffin tray/cupcake tray with papers or foils.
2. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F), Gas Mark 4.
3. Put all cake ingredients in a large bowl and beat with electric beater 1-2 mins until smooth and creamy.
4. Divide cupcake mixture into papers/foil holders
5. Cook for 20 mins, transfer to wire racks to cool.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting
Recipe Taken from: Combined 2 different to find middle ground
Makes enough to cover 12 muffins (yes leftovers!)
Prep time: 2 mins
Cooking time: Nil

Ingredients:
150g softened butter
250g icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp hot water
2 drops vanilla essence

Method:
1. Use an electric mixture to combine butter and icing sugar.
2. Dissolve cocoa into hot water, add to icing mix. Use beater until combined and smooth.
3. Spread over cupcake in preferred manner. (My piping bag broke so I just used a knife)