Mini Victoria Sponge Cakes!

Hello you lovely lot :)

It's been a while since I've Blogged (slaps back of hand!) Naughty Me!

Anyway i'm back and I'll now be blogging with a vengeance so watch out!

I just wanted to share with you my recipe for these gorgeous, what I like to call, Mini Victoria Sponge Cakes!

They are basically a vanilla cupcake with a section cut out, filled with jam and then topped with buttercream!  

So simple! 

So tasty! 

So here's how I made them:

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

175g Self Raising Flour

175g Caster Sugar

175g Unsalted butter/margarine 

3 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (good quality) 

For the buttercream

250g Icing sugar

150g Unsalted butter (softened) 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons of whipping cream

Also any Jam for the filling (I chose raspberry)

Method

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/180'C/350F

For the cupcakes

1. With a mixer, mix together the butter and sugar until light in colour and creamy in texture.

2. Sieve in the flour, mix and then add the vanilla.

3. Finally add the eggs and mix until combined.

4. Spoon the mixture into a 12 hole muffin tray lined with muffin cases.

5. Place in centre of the oven and bake for approx 20 minutes (or until golden and springy to the touch)

For the buttercream

1. Combine butter and icing sugar with a mixer.

2. Add the vanilla and mix.

3. Add double cream and mix.  (If mixture is too dry add more cream, if too moist add more icing sugar)

4. Once cakes have cooled, cut out a round section from the centre of the top of the cupcake. (keep the cut out piece) 

5. You should have a little well, into which you should put a dollop of jam.

6. Then top the jam with as much buttercream as desired and then top with the piece that was previously cut out.  

7. Finally once they are all done, dust with a little icing sugar.

Et Voila!

Enjoy!

Nutella Cupcakes

Well would you look at that! 

Has my favourite toast topping found it's way into my butter cream? 

I think it has, and let me tell you...it is AMAZING!!!

Not only are they amazing, but they are so simple to make and require very few ingredients.

Sit back and enjoy as I talk you through this delicious recipe that you can try at home.

Lets start with what you'll need:

Equipment

- Electric mixer (you can use a hand mixer but it may take longer)

- Mixing bowl (if you don't have a stand mixer with a bowl attached)

- Measuring cups and/or weighing scales

- Jug

- 12 space muffin tin

- Muffin cases (good, strong quality)

- Piping bag and nozzle

Ingredients

For the chocolate sponge:

- 110g of Self Raising flour

- 20g of cocoa powder (good quality like Bournville)

- 140g of caster sugar

- 40g of unsalted butter (room temperature)

- 120ml whole milk

- 1 egg

- 1/4 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)

- a pinch of salt

For the Nutella buttercream:

- 230g unsalted butter (room temperature-take out before baking sponge)

- 250g icing sugar

- 10 tablespoons Nutella

- 70 ml of double cream (if mixture too dry, add more)

- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas mark 3

2. Put the muffin cases in the tin

3. Sieve the flour cocoa powder and salt into the bowl

4. Add sugar and butter and mix together using electric mixer, until you get a sandy texture.

5. Whisk the milk, egg and vanilla together in a jug, then pour half into the bowl with the dry mixture, beat together until combined on a high speed to remove any lumps.

6. Turn the mixer down to a low speed and add the remaining milk and egg mixture, remembering to scrape down the sides with a spatula.  Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until smooth.

7. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until half-two thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the sponge bounces back when tapped, or a cocktail stick inserted into the middle should come out clean.

8. Remove from the cakes from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

They should look something like this!

For the buttercream;

1. Beat the softened butter on a medium speed with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until creamy.

2. Sieve in 250g of icing sugar and continue to mix on a medium speed, it should be quite thick.

3. Add the Nutella and vanilla and continue to beat.

4. Add the double cream and mix for another 30 secs-1 minute. (if the mixture is too thick add more cream 1 tablespoon at a time.  If too thin add more icing sugar a spoon at a time). 

5. Add the buttercream to the piping bag and pipe onto the top of the cakes.

Sit back, relax and enjoy!

I hope you have as much fun making these beauties as I did!

After all you can never have enough Nutella in your life!

Let me know if you have any recipe requests you'd like me to do, in the comment box below :D

Enjoy!