I don’t know if it’s quite normal to base cooking around crockery but when I saw this Wedgwood Queen of Hearts cup and saucer set I knew a) I had to have it and b) I had to bake a cupcake for it. I have a penchant for things that have hearts and also for details and I can be a right pain when it comes to details but rest assured anyone that has created things with flourishes or details, I’ll be one to notice.
It was easy matching a cupcake to this heart cup and saucer as I’d seen a card cupcake recipe in the Women’s Weekly cupcakes book which I adapted to up the ginger flavour. Better still is my husband loves ginger so it would be easy to get him to eat them. I realise I would have done better to get an Alphabet cutter set than make my own feeble Q’s but I haven’t seen one for the life of me so I had to make do with what I had.
Ginger buttermilk cake
Makes 8
- 1/2 cup (110g) firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (75g) plain flour
- 1/2 cup (75g) self raising flour
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarb of soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 90g butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk
- 25g glace ginger chopped into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons golden syrup
Decorations:
- 1/2 cup (80g) icing sugar
- 400g white prepared fondant
- 1/3 cup (110g) ginger marmalade
- 100g red prepared fondant
1. Preheat oven to moderately slow (170c/150c fan forced). Line pan with paper cases.
2. Sift dry ingredients into bowl, then add remaining ingredients. Beat mixture with electric mixer on low speed until ingredients are combined. Increase speed to medium, beat until mixture is changed to a paler colour.
3. Divide mixture among cases; smooth surface.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool in tin.
5. Dust surface with sifted icing sugar, knead white fondant until smooth. Roll out fondant to a thickness of 5mm. Cut out rounds large enough to cover tops of cakes.
6. Brush tops of cakes with marmalade, cover with fondant rounds.
7. Roll out red fondant until 5mm thick. Cut out heart shapes and roll pieces into thin ropes and shape letters.
8. Secure fondant shapes to cakes by brushing backs with a tiny amount of water.
Recipe adapted from Womens Weekly Cupcakes book
Wedgwood Harlequin Queen of Hearts up and saucer available at David Jones, Myer & selected boutiques, $99 for the boxed set.
