Work Catering #7: Cupcakes and cookies!

Back into the catering swing of things!! This week it was all about cupcakes and cookies =) I wanted to use the ready made Cream cheese frosting I had bought so I looked back at my previous recipes and found Red Velvet Cupcakes! I made mini cupcakes so I could cater for more people :p

before icing..... Just so you can see the red colour =)

Ready made cream cheese frosting!!

This stuff is the BEST! and actually cheaper and easier than making it myself... sometimes I do get lazy too ;)

My friend ripped out pages of a magazine filled with wonderful recipes for me! thanks!!! So found this simple recipe for cookies (basic dough only using 4 ingredients!!!). It makes a bunch of cookies (~50.. depending on how big or small you make them) and its so simple as well =)

Choc chip and Macadamia cookies
(Recipe adapted from New Idea magazine)

Ingredients
250g butter
200g sweetened condensed milk (1/2 x 395g can)
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 1/2 cups self-raising flour
250g dark chocolate chips
110g macadamia nut halves

1. Pre-heat oven to 170oC and line 3 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Beat butter, condensed milk and sugar in bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Stir in the flour, choc chips and nuts. (You can really add your own flavours! such as M&Ms, raisins, cranberries, walnuts....)
4. Roll teaspoons of dough into balls and place on lined baking tray. Press down with back of spoon or palm of hand to flatten cookie. (remember to leave a bit of space between each one!)
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden in colour.

cookies!!! :D

ready for catering~

mini mouthful

Work Catering Week 3: Whoopie pies!

After visiting Whoopie Pie bakery in Camberwell a few weeks ago, I was inspired to make some for this week's catering for work ^_^

Blueberry and almond whoopie pie

Raspberry and white chocolate whoopie pie - top looks bigger than the bottom XD

I went for 2 flavours: Red velvet and Carrot & Walnut! Red velvet - for the bright red colour! and Carrot and walnut for a healthier option. It also made it easier to make one filling for the 2 flavours: CREAM CHEESE FROSTING! my favourite!

I didn't have a whoopie pie pan but read you can use mini-muffin pan and just fill them 1/4 full. They rose slightly too much.. so instead of sandwiching two little cakes together, I cut each one in half and sandwiched them with the frosting. 

Red velvet whoopie pies
Recipe adapted from taste.com.au
Ingredients
125g butter, softened at room temp
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs 
3 tsp red food colouring
1 3/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 180oC. Grease 4 mini-muffin pans. 
2. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until light and fluffy. 
3. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add food colouring, beat until combined. 
4. Sift flour, cocoa, bicarb soda and baking powder into a large bowl. Add half the flour mixture to butter mixture. Stir to combine.
5. Add vinegar and half the buttermilk. Stir to combine.
6. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and buttermilk until just combined.
7. Place 1/2 tsp mixture into muffin holes. Bake for ~6-8 minutes or until cooked through. (because they are small it takes no time at all!). Allow cakes to cool before removing from pan.
8. When cooled, either sandwich two cakes together with cream cheese frosting or cut cakes in half and spread with cream cheese frosting.
Recipe for cream cheese frosting here.

Carrot and walnut whoopie pies
Recipe adapted from taste.com.au
Ingredients
125g butter, softened at room temp
160g brown sugar (1 cup, lightly packed)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
1 tsp bicarb soda
1 cup coarsely grated carrots (~2-3 carrots)
45g (1/3 cup) walnuts
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
330ml (1 1/3 cups) buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 190oC. Grease 4 mini-muffin pans. 
2. Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until pale and creamy. Beat in egg.
3. Stir in bicarb soda, carrots, walnuts and cinnamon. 
4. Fold in flour and buttermilk in alternating batches, until just smooth. Mixture should be a bit stiff. 
5. Place 1/2 tsp mixture into muffin holes. Bake for ~6-8 minutes or until cooked through. (because they are small it takes no time at all!). Allow cakes to cool before removing from pan.
8. When cooled, either sandwich two cakes together with cream cheese frosting or cut cakes in half and spread with cream cheese frosting.

I'm happy with the red colour! maybe need to have more filling......

Ok.. they aren't the best of shapes ><"

Comments were that they looked cute ^_^" just like little burgers and I'm not sure which one was more popular... personally I like the red velvet ones =p I think next time I shall try making larger ones and pipe/spoon them straight onto a lined baking tray :) Also to pipe the filling so it's pretty ^^" 

I think I already know what I'm going to bake for next week!!! excited!! =D I'm going to try some slices again... =p