Lemon Cupcakes with White Chocolate and L&P Ganache

Everyone seems to be going wild for the new Whittakers L&P chocolate (have you tried it? Thoughts?…) so I decided to give it a go and use it in some baking. I wanted a light, fluffy lemon cupcake and to use the chocolate as frosting. The ganache was a little trickier than I have found it in the past due to the consistency of the chocolate compared to white chocolate melts, if I was making these again I might try a light lemon butter cream and topping each cupcake with finely chopped L&P chocolate, that way the popping candy will really POP!

To make my cupcake base I decided to adapt one of the most popular posts on the blog – Orange Cupcakes – the cupcakes were perfect and even a little lighter that the standard orange cupcakes thanks to a special ingredient…

Ingredients:
Cupcakes
1 ¾ cup flour
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
100g butter, softened
2 large eggs, separated and whites beaten until stiff
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup L&P
Zest of one lemon

L&P White Chocolate Ganache
250grams Whittakers L&P White Chocolate, roughly chopped
150mls cream

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Grease, or line a 12 hole muffin tray with cupcake papers.
Combine butter, sugar, egg yolks, lemon zest and vanilla in a mixing bowl and cream together thoroughly.
Mix flour, salt, and baking powder together in a separate mixing bowl.  Add dry ingredients to creamed ingredients ⅓ at a time  alternating with adding portions of the L&P to the creamed mixture.
Fold in beaten egg whites.  Spoon batter into cupcake holes until ½ full.
Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.
Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.
To make the ganache put the white chocolate and cream in a glass bowl, place bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is melting and cream is hot (but not boiling).
Remove from the heat and stir to combine into a smooth consistency.
Refrigerate to cool and thicken, this will take at least an hour or two so is best done ahead of time.
Beat the ganache with an electric mixer until it becomes pale and fluffy so that you can pipe it.

Enjoy your Kiwiana cupcakes!

P.S – A big welcome home to Mel and Simon who are back from their OE!

Passionfruit and Lemon Tarts with White Chocolate Ganache

I almost didn’t post this recipe today but these are so yummy I just had to share! You see I’ve made these twice over the last month or so but because they were for Christmas and a bridal shower I catered I didn’t get a chance to ‘shoot’ them the way I normally would… These are summery and a lot easier to make than I thought they might be, however, if the idea of making your own pasty cases is just too difficult or you are short on time you can use store bought cases.

Ingredients:
Pastry Cases
1 cup flour
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
4 tablespoons caster sugar
125 grams cold butter, cubed
3-5 tablespoons iced water

Filling
Barkers Passionfruit and Lemon Filling

White Chocolate Ganache Topping
100 grams white chocolate melts
100 mls cream

Method:
To make the pastry place listed ingredients (bar the iced water) into the bowl of your food processor. Whizz for about 30 seconds or until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
Using the pulse mode begin to add the iced water until your mixture forms a dough.
Remove the dough and wrap it in cling film. For ease later in the process flatten it and work it into a disk shape before refrigerating for at least an hour.
Spray x2 12 hole mini muffin pans with oil. Ensuring that the pans are well coated.
Flour your bench or work space lightly and roll out the pastry to about 3mm in thickness.
Use a round cutter (5-7cm works best for mini muffin pans) to cut out 24 disks.
Press the disks into the base and sides of the muffin pans. Use a fork to prick the base of each of your tarts (pricking prevents the pastry from shrinking).
Place the tarts into the freezer for at least an hour before baking.
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C. Bake tart cases for 12-15 minutes until the pastry is golden and firm. Remove from the oven and cool in tins for 5 minutes before placing on cooling racks to cool completely.
Once the cases have cooled fill with Barkers Passionfruit and Lemon filling. If you are short on time you could serve as is, maybe placing a mint leaf on top as a garnish, but if you truly want to impress top with white chocolate ganache.
To make the ganache place the white chocolate and cream in a glass bowl and microwave for about 45 seconds until the cream is hot (but not boiling), stir to combine into a smooth consistency. Refrigerate to cool and thicken, this will take at least an hour or two so is best done ahead of time.
Beat the ganache with an electric mixer until it becomes pale and fluffy so that you can pipe it.

Raspberry Macarons

These were far easier than I imagined they’d be! I tore this recipe out of a Foodtown magazine well over a year ago but put it in the too hard basket until now.

70g packet of ground almonds
1 cup icing sugar
2 egg whites (room temperature)
2 tablespoons sugar
a few drops of food colouring/flavouring (I used raspberry)

1. Line a baking tray with non stick paper.
2. Place the ground almonds and icing sugar in a food processor and pulse until it forms a mixture.
3. Beat the egg whites until they are frothy, add the sugar gradually and continue to beat until the mixture is glossy (2-3 minutes).  Add your colouring/flavour at this stage.
4. Using a spatula, gently fold the almond mixture into the egg mixture.  Fold until the mixture folds back on itself, it is important not to over fold.
5.Place mixture in a piping bag with a 2cm opening.  Pipe onto the lined tray a disc 3cm in diameter.  You should get 12 single macarons each tray.
*TIP: To stop the baking paper moving place a small dot of the macaroon mixture in each corner of you tray – the paper will stick to it.  For best results at this point you should leave your macaroons on the bench for 30 minutes to form a ‘skin’ - this will also allow your oven to pre-heat.


6. Place macarons in the oven for 18-20 minutes at 140˚C.  Once they are removed from the oven, leave them on the trays to cool.
7. Make the following ganache and use to sandwich the macaroons together.

75grams of white chocolate, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons each: cream, icing sugar

Place the chocolate and cream in a glass jug or bowl and place in the microwave on medium for 1-2 minutes.  Whisk gently to combine.  Stir in the icing sugar and leave until thickened.  Once thickened, place mixture into a piping bag or spoon on to the centre of half the macarons and sandwich with the other.  You want the ganache to spread but not come out the sides so be careful.

Enjoy these delicious wee treats!