Cupcake Decorating Class, Cafe Central, Matlock

Another Groupon find.  My good friend Phil and I decided to partake in a cupcake decorating class in Matlock.  We did not bake the cupcakes, nor did we create the sugar or the frosting.  It was basically like spending two hours with edible playdoh.

Matlock is not a particularly tricky place to drive to, but my little clio Stella wasn't impressed by the obcene gradient of the hills.  Our class was at 6pm so I had no trouble parking quite close to the cafe, but should you go to the class at 3pm I recommend you get there enough in advance to scope out a parking spot that you can stay in for more then one hour at a time.  

I got there about 40mins early as the owners were setting up.  They are a pleasant couple who as well as running the cafe, decorate wedding cakes and cupcakes for any number of events.  They also run other confectionery, baking and decorating classes.  After everyone got there and had a complimentary tea/coffee, the instructor went through the basics of spooning frosting on to the cakes then topping them with patterned icing.  It was oodles of fun, using patterned rolling pins and cutters to blanket the top of the cupcakes.  We were then shown how to use molds and pearls to decorate the rest of the cakes.  Half way through there were more drinks and a sample of cupcakes prepared by the owners.  They were topped just with frosting and were bland but teeth achingly sweet.  The instructor also came round with a sample of chocolate cake which, whilst rich, was on the dry side.  

 

After two hours of playing and feeling proud of myself like a three year old who's made a duplo tower, Phil and I left with a box each of cupcakes decorated by our own fair hands.  I loved how they looked, but I don't like thick icing and the cupcakes underneath were soft but tasteless.  Should professionally iced cupcakes be your thing, you would love them.

All in all I would definitely go back for another class and it was a fun and unusual way to spend a few hours but the eating of the cakes was not as fun as playing with the icing.

White Chocolate Chunk Muffins with Raspberry Frosting

These are delicious.  Tart yet sweet, this recipe makes approx. 12 muffins and toppings.  Mine are not the prettiest as I had nothing to use to properly decorate the tops with raspberry sauce.  The pictures are of the raspberry muffins plus some muffins with milk chocolate chunks and vanilla frosting.  They are teeth-achingly yummy and ideal for that mid-afternoon time at work when you need a quick pick-me-up.  This recipe may at a glance look long winded and difficult but trust me - if I can do this, anyone can.

Basic muffin recipe

• 300mls milk
• 100mls vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 120g caster sugar
• 250g self raising flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 100g white chocolate roughly chopped in to chunks

Raspberry sauce

• 75g fresh raspberries 
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon water

Frosting

• 250g unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 100g icing sugar (approx.)
• 2-5 teaspoons raspberry sauce

Muffin method

1. Preheat oven to 180c and line a muffin tray with cases.
2. Beat egg and caster sugar until light and fluffy.  In another bowl combine oil and milk.
3. Add oil and milk to sugar and egg and mix until combined.  Stir in flour, baking powder and chocolate until incorporated.
4. 3/4 fill muffin cases and bake for 15-20 mins, until a wooden toothpick comes out lean.

 Raspberry sauce method

1.  Place all ingredients into a small saucepan and set to a very low heat.
2. Stir continuously until all raspberries have melted away into a seedy goo approx 10 mins and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
3. Strain through a sieve (I used a tea strainer) into a separate bowl.

Raspberry icing method

1.  Beat butter until softened.  Add icing sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until texture begins to get thick.  Alternate adding teaspoons of raspberry sauce with tablespoons of icing sugar, whipping with a fork in between each until the frosting achieves the desired consistency.

And finally....

1. Spoon the frosting on top of the muffins and smooth out.  I've been using a spoon for the this and using a circular motion, but go wild.  A piping bag would probably be more artful.
2. Give the frosting a little bit of time to set, then top with the rest of the raspberry sauce.  I attempted to spoon it on and it ran everywhere.  Good for Halloween cakes, but not ideal for pretty little summery muffins.  Next time I'll find a little bottle and splurt it on a bit neater.

For the milk chocolate and vanilla ones, I used the same recipe for the muffins, then used a few drops of blue food colouring and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract in the frosting and topped with sprinkles.