Raspberry and coconut cupcakes

raspberry and coconut cupcakes

I had a lot of coconut to use before moving house, and given the heat this summer I thought fruit rather than chocolate would be the best combination this time, hence these rather pretty looking cupcakes! Astonishingly there is no food colouring used at all, it is all natural from the raspberries.

Ingredients:

• 175g self-raising flour
• 140g caster sugar
• 50g desiccated coconut
• 140g butter, softened
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 free range eggs
• 4 tbsp milk
• 140g raspberries, fresh or frozen

Icing:

• 280g icing sugar
• 85g butter, softened
• 4 tbsp raspberry coulis, or mashed raspberries
• a little desiccated or shredded coconut, to decorate

 

finished cupcakes

Method:

1. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas mark 5. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. Beat all of the ingredients together except the raspberries in a large bowl for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.
2. Gently stir in the raspberries and then divide the batter between the paper cases, they may look fuller than usual, this is fine.
   

   raw cupcake

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown, then transfer to a cooling rack.
   

   raspberry icing

4. Make the icing by beating the icing sugar, butter and raspberries together for 4-5 minutes then either pipe or spread on the cupcakes with a palette knife, then sprinkle coconut on top.
   

   raspberry icing

    

   (all photo credits miss suzylee)

F is for…Frangipane cake

F is for…Frangipane cake

I was struggling with F… I’m trying to save fruit cake for ‘xmas cake’ and I made fudge cupcakes recently so didn’t want to replicate that so soon. In despair I asked the other half for a suggestion and he immediately said ‘frangipane’, so here we have it! I smothered it in raspberry puree icing for an extra burst of flavour and decorated with fresh raspberries, but you could easily leave off the icing and serve with a dollop of creme fraiche or ice cream etc… The raspberry icing is a great use of natural colour and flavour, and the cake is also gluten free.

Ingredients:

• 200g butter, softened
• 200g caster sugar
• 4 free range eggs
• 200g ground almonds
• 30g cornflour
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 16 raspberries

Icing:

• 85g butter, softened
• 280g icing sugar
• approx 4 tbsp raspberries, mashed

adding the dry ingredients

Method:

1. Grease and line a 20cm by 20cm (8 inch by 8 inch) square tin. Preheat the oven to 180c / 160 c fan/ gas mark 4.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar until it’s pale and fluffy.

3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the almonds, cornflour and zest.

4. Pour the batter into the tin and spread it evenly with a palette knife. Push the raspberries into the batter.

raw cake

 

5. Bake for around 25 minutes, or until the top is golden and the cake is cooked through and springs back when touched.

6. Leave in the tin to cool completely, then transfer to a cooling rack.

cooked cake

7. Beat the icing ingredients together for 4-5 minutes (you will see the colour go a bit paler as air is incorporated into it), then top the cooled cake using a palette knife or spatula.

I think this may become a new favourite recipe…

finished cake

(all photo credits miss suzylee)