Minted Strawberry Cupcakes

Strawberries and mint, a perfect combination! These cupcakes are moist, tangy with the sourish strawberries and the lovely taste of the fresh mint leaves. And these are not sweet at all, they are just right. Though for those who have a sweet tooth, might want to add in a little more sugar for a sweeter taste. But we like it the way it is.

I topped with more strawberries before baking.

And instead of cinnamon powder, I used 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder instead. It gives a light and nice fragrant nutmeg aroma.

Instead of baking them in regular muffin sized cupcakes, I baked these in small cupcake cases, and got 15.

We eat this plain as it is, without any topping. 

These cupcakes are moist, with tender crumbs, tangy from the sourish strawberries, the light fresh taste from the mint leaves and a nice aroma from the ground nutmeg. Perfect for tea!

I'm sharing this with :

Cookbook Sunday at Mom's Sunday Cafe
Bake with Bizzy at Bizzy B. Bakes
Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli n Son

And I'm bringing this to a Cookbook Party, hosted by Louise of Months of Edible Celebrations. Louise is celebrating her Blogoversary by throwing a Cookbook Party, and October being the National Cookbook Month! There's a whole list of food celebrations just for the month of October! For full details, hop over to Months of Edible Celebrations. I'm submitting this Minted Strawberry Cupcakes under the list "Desserts"!

Minted Strawberry Cupcakes
(adapted from "Wild About Cupcakes" by  Rachel Lane)
1-1/4 cups (180gm) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I replaced with 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (125gm) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (100gm) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (essence)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup (90ml) single (light) cream (I substitute with equal amount of whipping cream and milk to make up 1/3 cup, mix together to combine)
1 cup (150gm) fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped, plus 3-4 extra, sliced, to decorate
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves, plus 1 tablespoon extra, to decorate
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
1/3 cup (90ml) creme fraiche or sour cream


Preheat the oven to 350F (180C/gas 4).

Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. 

Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. With mixer on low speed, add the mixed dry ingredients, alternating with the cream. Stir the strawberries and mint in by hand. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, filling each one three-quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch. Transfer the muffin tin to a  wire rack. Let cool completely before removing the cupcakes. 

Combine the remaining strawberries, mint, and vanilla sugar in a small bowl. Spoon creme fraiche over the cupcakes and arrange the strawberry mixture on top.

Buttered Garlic and Basil Sticks

These breadsticks are wonderful for a tea-time snack, for breakfast and a light lunch. It is really tasty. I ate these plain with a cup of Earl Grey. When eaten freshly baked, the crust is crispy and the insides are soft and chewy. 

I did not sprinkle any coarse salt over the bread before baking, as the butter I'm using is already salted.

Some finely minced garlic are stir-fried in a little butter until golden and fragrant, then more butter and shredded basil leaves and black pepper are added in until the butter has completely melted. This fragrant butter-basil mixture is then brushed over the hot bread.

I really enjoyed this with a cup of tea. We had some leftovers the next day, which I heated it up in the oven for a couple of minutes to soften it again, and had these with some soup. Good!

There's one request from my son, "Please add more basil leaves the next time"! Yup, this will definitely be back by popular demand!

I had some extra fragrant basil-butter left which I spread on some white regular bread and toasted them till cripsy, cut into strips which we dip in soup the next day together with the leftover breadsticks, yum! Would be delicious dipped in soft boiled eggs too! This makes a wonderful after school meal, which the kids enjoy.

You can choose either to make this by hand or by using the breadmaker. I did the easy way, I use the breadmaker to do the kneading. Just follow the instructions below.

I'm sharing this with Cookbook Sundays at Mom's Sunday Cafe

Buttered Garlic and Basil Sticks
(adapted from "The Bread Book" by Sara Lewis)
400gm (13oz, 3-1/2 cups) strong white flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1-1/4 teaspoon fast-action dried yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
200ml (7fl oz, scant 1 cup) water
coarse sea salt


To Finish :
100gm (3-1/2oz, 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter)
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small bunch fresh basil
pepper


To make by hand 

1. Put the flour into a large bowl then stir in the salt, sugar and yeast. Add the olive oil then gradually mix in enough warm water to make a soft dough.
2. Knead well on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
3. Tip the dough out on to a lightly floured surface, knead well then cut in half. Roll each half out to a thin oval about 35x18cm (14x7inches). Transfer to 2 greased baking sheets and cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) strips, making cuts a little in from the edge of the dough so that strips are still held together at the ends within the oval shape.
4. Sprinkle the dough with a little coarse salt. Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes until the bread has risen around the edges.
5. Remove the clingfilm and bake in a preheated oven, 220C (425F), Gas Mark 7, for 8-10 minutes until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped with the fingertips. Transfer to 2 large plates.
6. Melt a small piece of butter in a saucepan and add the garlic. Fry for 2-3 minutes until just beginning to brown. Add the remaining butter, basil leaves torn into pieces and black pepper to taste. When the butter has melted, brush this over the hot bread, separate into sticks and serve immediately.

To make with a breadmaker

1. Lift the tin out of the bread machine, fit the kneader blade then add the measured cold water and oil. Spoon in the flour then add the salt and sugar. Make a slight dip in the center of the flour and sprinkle in the yeast.
2. Insert the tin into the bread machine. Shut the lid and set to dough or basic dough. Press Start.
3. At the end of the programme, lift the tin out of the machine, tip the dough on to a lightly floured surface and continue as step 3, above.

Makes about 20 sticks

Tip : To make these breadsticks in advance, brush the hot breads thinly with a little of the butter mixture, then leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Warm them when needed and brush with the remaining warmed butter when ready to serve.

Coconut Cake

This is one of the best coconut cakes I've eaten. It is so good! Another keeper recipe from "Kiss My Bundt" by Chrysta Wilson. 

Messy, that's me. I can never get the batter into the bundt pan without any drips onto the sides or centre of the pan. I spilled some batter into the centre of the hole when I was transferring the batter to the pan  :o)

Only half a cake?

A friend was around when I baked this. As soon as the cake came out from the oven, she wanted to try it, as it smells really nice! Well, we waited about 15 minutes, and could not wait any longer! She took a slice, goes "Wow" and ended up taking half the cake home with her. That's where the missing half went!

This cake is really moist, soft, crumbly and delicious! I did make a few changes. While this recipe does not call for coconut flakes, I added in about 3/4 cup of sweetened coconut flakes which I wanted to use up. I guess the coconut flakes gives a crumbly texture to the cake, but it is so good, I would suggest not to skip the coconut flakes, it makes a wonderful addition to the texture and taste of the cake. Instead of using the quantity of milk and coconut milk as given in the recipe, I switched the quantity the other way round (see recipe below). The coconut milk I used is "Cholestorel Free", I wonder if that's possible, but that's what printed on the pack! Next, I do not have coconut extract, so I use my own homemade rum-vanilla extract, mmm....  smells heavenly.  And as usual, the amount of sugar would usually be the first ingredient that I would adjust. I only use 180gm instead of 1-3/4 cup (320gm) as stated in the recipe, and the sweetness is just right. The cake gets a little bit more sweeter the next day. This is one of the cakes that gets really good after sitting overnight.

It's a good thing that my friend took half of the cake, otherwise I'll be eating more than I should! This is really good with a cup of tea.

I'm sharing this with :

Hearth and Soul at Mom's Sunday Cafe
Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli n Son
Bake with Bizzy at Bizzy B. Bakes
Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage

Coconut Cake
(adapted from "Kiss My Bundt" by Chrysta Wilson)
2-1/2 cups flour
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1-3/4 cup sugar (I use 180gm)
3 eggs, at room temperature
1-1/2 tsp vanilla (I use 2 tsp homemade rum vanilla extract)
3/4 tsp coconut extract, (optional) * (I omit this)
3/4 cup whole milk * (I use 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup coconut milk (I use 3/4 cup)
3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes (my addition)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift flour and baking powder and salt together. (Mix in coconut flakes). Set aside.
3. Beat butter with an electric mixer until soft, about 2 minutes.
4. Slowly add the sugar. Mix for about 2 minutes.
5. Crack eggs into a separate bowl and add to batter one at a time. Then beat on medium speed for an additional 2 minutes.
6. Mix vanilla, coconut extract (optional) and the two milks together.
7. Beginning and ending with the flour, mix 1/3 of the flour into the wet mixture, then 1/2 of the milk, alternating until all ingredients are mixed.
8. Transfer batter to cake pan than have been coated with a baker's cooking spray that includes flour (or greased and floured), filling until cavity is about 3/4 full.
9. Bake cake until an inserted toothpick or cake tester comes out clean - about 40 minutes for a big bundt.
10. Invert cake onto a cooling rack or serving plate. If cake resists, cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting. (If cake still resists, cool an additional 15 minutes in the pan). Cool completely before frosting at least 1 hour for a big bundt.

* Coconut extract is optional but it will intensify the coconut flavour of the cake. For a more rich and exotic cake, you can omit the whole milk and use an additional 3/4 cup of coconut milk instead.