Archive for November, 2009

Vanilla Cupcakes with Rose Petal Jam filling topped with chopped raw Pistachios and Honey Buttercream

Saturday, November 28th, 2009

rosey
When I saw a jar of rose petal jam in a gourmet shop in Inverness, I knew I had to buy it, take it home and fill cupcakes with it. The recipe itself took barely five minutes to conceive of. A honey pistachio topping based on the flavours of baklava seemed obvious. So, filled with the all consuming desire to bake immediately I gleefully purchased the rose petal jam and the rose petal salt in the picture, although I still don’t have a purpose in mind for the salt. There was however, one or two catches. Firstly, I was in Inverness and far from my home and hearth and extra large mixing bowl. Secondly, the person who would get the most pleasure out of eating a rose and baklava flavoured cupcake is my dad (Hi Dad!). So I had to wait until an opportunity arose to send freshly prepared cupcakes off to my father for taste testing. That day has finally come! Go forth my cupcakey minions!

rose cupcakes

Sweet Potato Kit-Kat

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

The picture doesn’t really convey quite how yellow this Kit-Kat is. It’s very presence brightens up my desk. Taste-wise, it is an interesting experience. The overriding flavour is that of the wafer biscuit but there are creamy hints of sweet potato and another tangy flavour I can’t quite identify which prevents it from being too sickly. However, if I hadn’t seen the package, I’m not sure I would be able to guess what flavour it was. It put me more in mind of McVitie’s Gold biscuits than of sweet potatoes.

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Brown Tea Mini Kit-Kat

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

I love tea. A lot. I’m ashamed to admit it but I really can’t get through a day without at least one cup of tea. However, I have never been a tea and biscuits sort of girl. Tea and cake, definitely, count me in, but biscuits never cross my mind while I’m waiting for the kettle to boil. That said, when I found a tea flavoured Kit-Kat, I had to try it. Upon tasting it, I am sad to say that I was disappointed. There was perhaps the faintest hint of bitter tea if you tried very very hard to taste it but otherwise it tasted exactly like a regular Kit Kat. Just as well I like regular Kit Kats then.
NOTE: Interestingly, I had a sip of water 10 minutes later and there was a faint after taste of tea.
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Sweet Bean Mini Kit-Kat

Monday, November 9th, 2009

I’m currently working on a red bean paste cupcake but can’t quite make a decision on the frosting. The cupcake itself is going to be a vanilla bean sponge filled with red bean paste but as for the frosting there are so many choices. Vanilla bean, red bean, dark chocolate, mango buttercream, coconut buttercream, crushed pineapple cream cheese frosting, green tea/macha . How to choose?! Perhaps the only solution is to make them all in the smallest possible batches and taste test them. One thing I have learned from this little Kit-Kat is that too much sweetness can be a bad thing. While the aftertaste is pleasantly beany , the initial flavour is cloyingly sweet with flowery undertones that I’m not too fond of. Worth trying, but I won’t miss it terribly once it has gone.
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Salt Caramel Mini Kit-Kat

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

I have a real weakness for anything sweet and salty from Chinese crispy seaweed to salt toffee chocolates so naturally this Kit Kat was going to be a winner and the mini size keeps the sweetness from being over powering. That said, don’t expect too much from this little biscuit. It is, after all, only a humble Kit Kat, not a Michelin starred dessert.
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