Mocha Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I love cupcakes. Their really a cinch to make, fun to decorate and really easy to give away (especially to a certain group of greedy monkeys) . So I made a batch of chocolate cupcakes but this time added some freshly brewed espresso and a nice shot of kahlua into the batter. They (the greedy monkeys at the park) absolutely loved it. Topped with a swirl of Swiss Meringue buttercream, it was a dream.
Mocha Cupcakes
replace milk/water in the recipe with freshly brewed espresso. Add a shot (or two) of kahlua (coffee liqueur)

Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
90g sugar
2 large egg whites
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 t vanilla
90g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa

Whisk the egg whites with sugar over a bain marie until warm. Transfer mixture into the mixer and whip until it turns white and about doubles in volume. Add the vanilla. Finally, add the butter a stick at a time and whip. When amalgamated and smooth, whisk in the melted dark chocolate.

Triple-Layer Carrot Cake with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

I was set on making a carrot cake after trying one that was plain nasty. It was stodgy & dry, and the frosting practically jumped of the cake in layers. Since I'm on a self-imposed ban on chocolaty & calorific stuff, I figured that if carrot cake contain a vegetable, they must be quite healthy for you right? This cake is also for this month's theme challenge (layer cakes) at bakebakebake.
So I whipped out my new mixer and prepared my mise en place. As usual, I fiddled around with my last carrot cake recipe to make things, well, more low-fat.
Triple-Layer Carrot Cake
A lighter/less fattening version of the perennial favourite carrot cake.

360g unbleached flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t ground cloves or allspice
1/2 t sea salt
250g brown sugar
3 eggs
3 T honey
125 ml olive oil
450g grated carrots
1 C walnuts, rum-soaked raisins

Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together dry ingredients. On medium speed, beat eggs and sugar until thick, about 3 minutes. Gradually pour in the olive oil and beat until thoroughly emulsified. Add the honey and mix well. Toss the grated carrots, raisins and nuts into the dry ingredients to coat the carrots with flour. Using a large spatula, fold that into egg mixture. Divide the batter into cake pans and bake for 35 min until golden.

Cinnamon-Rum Syrup
Combine 1 t ground cinnamon and 3 T sugar and 3 T water. Cook until dissolved & syrupy.

Lime Cream Cheese Frosting
350g cream cheese
70g unsalted butter
200g confectioner's sugar
60 ml lime juice
vanilla extract to taste

Beat everything together until smooth. Chill for 1/2 hour.

To assemble:
Slice cakes horizontally into layers. Brush the layers with cinnamon-rum syrup. Fill & frost the cake with cream cheese frosting. Chill 1 hour until cake is set. I also sliced some fresh nectarines to decorate the top.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes

These Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes were made some time back when my sister asked me to bake cupcakes for a friend's birthday. These cupcakes always come out perfect & the buttermilk gives it a delicious tang. I mixed up some chocolate ganache frosting & added some colourful sprinkles on top.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes
this is my no-fail recipe for vanilla cupcakes. moist, buttery & golden cupcakes everytime!

245g (1 3/4 cups) cake flour
1/2 t salt ( I used Pink Himalayan Salt)
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter
110g (1 cup) sugar
2 large eggs
2 t pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (alternatively, use half sour cream & half milk)

Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together cake flour, salt, baking soda & baking powder. Set aside. Beat softened butter until creamy, then add sugar. With the mixer on medium speed, cream the mixture until light & fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. On low speed, add 1/3 of the dry mixture followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat, ending with adding in the last 1/3 of dry mixture. Beat just to incorporate.
Portion batter into 12 cupcake liners and bake for 20 min, until golden. A tester inserted should come out clean. Cool for 5 min before turning out onto a wire rack.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Frosting
a really simple ganache. rich, dark & delicious.

220g good-quality dark chocolate (I used one with 72% cocoa)
1 C heavy cream
1-3 T sugar (add according to preference)
1 T unsalted butter
optional: 1 T liqueur (rum, brandy, bailey's, kalua)

Chop the chocolate into evenly sized small pieces. Heat the cream in a saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the hot cream onto the chocolate. Let it sit for about 3 min before whisking until smooth. Add butter and liqueur (if using) and sugar to taste. Allow the ganache to cool, it will thicken up.

Once cooled, frost the cupcakes with a generous dollop of ganache.