National Cupcake Week with OXO baking tools

Baking with OXO for National Cupcake Week

Did you know that this week is National Cupcake Week? I didn’t until I was asked to get involved with the help of OXO’s expert baking tools and The Happy Egg Co. The week itself (14-20 September 2015) is designed to help promote the popularity of cupcakes in order to help bakery businesses boost their sales. But it’s also an opportunity for amateur bakers to show off their achievements via Facebook or Twitter @cupcakeweek

I didn’t actually know that OXO had branched out into cooking and baking tools, but it’s worth taking a look at their website. I particularly like the Baker’s 4 Piece Silicone Decorating Bottle Kit (which takes the mess out of piping and makes delivery more precise) and also the Bakers Dusting Wand! By adding a little icing sugar or flour to the dome, you get a much more delicate delivery of product than you would otherwise.

I felt inspired this weekend to knock up a batch of my favourite lime and coconut cupcakes which I’ve based on the recipe in the Hummingbird Cookbook:

Ingredients:

120g plain flour
140g caster sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
40g unsalted butter
100ml coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 lime (juice and zest)
Desiccated coconut to decorate

For the icing:

250g icing sugar, sifted
60g unsalted butter
20 ml coconut milk

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and butter and beat until you get a sand like consistency. Mix the coconut milk, lime juice and zest and vanilla extract in a separate bowl and then beat into the flour mixture and finally add the egg and mix everything until well combined. Then divide between the paper cases and bake at 170C / 325 F / gas mark 3 for about 25 – 30 minutes.

For the coconut frosting, beat the icing sugar and butter together quite vigorously (you will probably need an electric whisk for this) and then slowly add the coconut milk while still whisking. Once you have a light and fluffy mixture you can pipe onto the top of your cooled cupcakes. Finally sprinkle a little desiccated coconut over the top and finish with some grated lime zest.