White Chocolate and Macadamia Praline cupcakes
White chocolate caramel cake
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60g white chocolate chopped roughly
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90g butter
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1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
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2 eggs
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2/3 cup (100g) SR flour
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2 Tbs plain flour
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1/4 cup hot water
White chocolate ganache (see recipe below)
Praline (see recipe below)
White chocolate coated macadamias
Fondant
Step 1 - Preheat oven to moderate 180degrees/160 fan forced.
Step 2 - Melt chocolate in bowl over small saucepan of simmering water
Step 3 - Beat butter, sugar and eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy
Step 4 - Fold in sifted flours and melted chocolate and hot water. Spoon into cases (do not overfill)
Step 5 - Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Cool in tin.
Step 6 - Cut a 2 cm deep hole in the centre of each cake, fill with praline, then chocolate ganache, cut off pointy ends of the cut out tops leaving a flat disc and replace tops with these discs and smooth surface carefully.
Step 7 - Roll fondant in discs, cut round or fluted outline with cutter and stamp with desired patterns using embossing plates. Top with flower and secure flower with thickish mixture of icing sugar and water.
White chocolate ganache
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100g white chocolate, chopped
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1/4 cup cream
Combine chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir with a metal spoon until smooth. Remove bowl from heat.
Set aside at room temperature to cool, stirring occasionally, until ganache is thick and spreadable.
Macadamia praline
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1/3 cup salted macadamias (excess salt removed by rubbing)
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3/4 cup sugar
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1/4 cup water
Step 1 - Lay out macadamias on a baking tray covered in baking paper.
Step 2 - In a small saucepan on low heat dissolve sugar in water. Once sugar is fully dissolved, turn up heat and leave boiling without stirring for 5 minutes (set timer if necessary) watching like a hawk and resisting all natural instincts to wander off. As soon as it starts to turn a caramel colour, remove from heat and carefully pour over macadamias (it will be very hot so kitchen theatrics are not encouraged at this stage).
Step 3 - Wait to harden and then process in food processor until resembles crunchy breadcrumbs.