Easy Baking: Lazy Crazy Chocolate Cake and Lemon Curd Cupcakes
What do you do after you finish an epic work week where you have done nearly 12 hours a day that makes you happy?
For me, no matter how tired I am after a big work week or day, I can always find some energy to bake something beautiful and sweet smelling.
It's been a few weeks since my last post and since then, there has been a couple of things I have really started to miss.
1. Travelling.
Friends are all escaping the cold Melbourne winter in favour of sunny Europe. Seriously need some summer vacation time soon!
2. Time.
Say what? What is that? Between getting up, going to work, coming home, cooking, planning wedding or just being a zombie because I am too tired to even take off my socks, I am finding that my energy levels has not really allowed me time to do the things that I love, which are normally the slow weekend type of cooking and baking. I am always swamped with a million things on my to-do list and my recipe test wish list is growing beyond control.
3. Mid week baking
When I was working part-time, I used to get two or three days to myself where I could day dream about the next recipe I would try or improve and plan out the baking day, styling and photography. These days, it would seem the only things that are getting into a cake pan are quick but still delicious things like, brownies, cupcakes and fun things like a Lazy Crazy Chocolate cake from the Women's Weekly, "Love to Bake" cookbook (I am in love with the recipes in this book!). It uses Mayo instead of eggs or butter. Still equally delicious and really easy!
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| The Lazy Crazy Chocolate Cake. Using whole egg mayonnaise. Delicious genius. |
Because I am so time poor, I have been on the look out for easy but delicious recipes and when I had to bake some cupcakes for fundraiser, I opted to bake cupcakes and these delicious Monte Carlos again! H can't get enough of it. They are just too good to resist.
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| The always impressive Monte Carlos |
The cupcakes I wanted to bake originally were Lemon Meringue cupcakes but after much research for a good recipe, I decided to just go with my gut instinct and make up a cupcake that I know I would love to eat. I turned to cake mix for the quick fix, not my first choice but this Duncan Hines French Vanilla Cake mix is the favourite choice when it comes to cake mixes. It has never failed me in times of need and it most certainly didn't fail me this time around.
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| Lemon curd cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting |
I ended up making these super delicious Lemon curd cupcakes with a lemon cream cheese frosting. I used an apple corer to remove the centre of the cupcake and popped in some left over delicious lemon curd that I had in the fridge. They were very well received at work. I couldn't be more pleased with the result especially because it took minimal time to whip them up and because I used a couple of short cuts.
Try these pretty darlings when you are short on time and in need of a recipe for a bake sale or just to have for when friends visit, they will not disappoint. Recipe is down below.
Hoping everyone is having a great week so far. What have you all been up to?
Until next time!
x Lynnette
LEMON CURD CUPCAKES
Yield: 15 servings
PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE
CUPCAKES
1 x packet of Duncan Hines French Vanilla Signature Cake Mix
(see back of packet for cooking times for 24 x cupcakes)
LEMON CURD CENTRE (from scratch)
Original recipe from: Taste.com.au
4 eggs ( 2 whole, 2 yolks) - room temperature
3/4 cup (165g) of caster sugar
80g of chilled unsalted butter
zest and juice of 2 lemons
Whisk whole eggs, yolks and sugar in a saucepan until smooth, then place pan over a low heat. Add the butter, juice and zest and whisk continuously until thickened. Strain through a sieve into a sterilised jar. Lemon curd keeps, covered, in the fridge for 2 weeks.
OR... if you are short on time, buy this pre-made Yackadandah Curd - equally delicious!
I used an apple corer to cut a hole in the middle, but you can do that with a small paring knife :)
Fill the cap then use the same bit you cut out and push it back in to seal the hole :)
LEMON CREAM CHEESE ICING
This delicious recipe is adapted from the amazing, Baked by an Introvert
• 125g cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoon of thick cream
Make the frosting: Beat together the cream cheese, butter, and lemon curd until well blended. Beat in the powdered sugar until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Top the cupcakes with the frosting.
The Topping: SUGARED LEMON & COCONUT ZEST
Mix 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of desiccated coconut with the lemon zest.
Pop into microwave and zing it for 30-45 seconds till warm, then use a spoon or fingers to mix it all together so it looks a little bit like candy crumble
Sprinkle on top of cupcakes!
Recipe by Lynnette L.
Yield: 15 servings
PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE
CUPCAKES
1 x packet of Duncan Hines French Vanilla Signature Cake Mix
(see back of packet for cooking times for 24 x cupcakes)
LEMON CURD CENTRE (from scratch)
Original recipe from: Taste.com.au
4 eggs ( 2 whole, 2 yolks) - room temperature
3/4 cup (165g) of caster sugar
80g of chilled unsalted butter
zest and juice of 2 lemons
Whisk whole eggs, yolks and sugar in a saucepan until smooth, then place pan over a low heat. Add the butter, juice and zest and whisk continuously until thickened. Strain through a sieve into a sterilised jar. Lemon curd keeps, covered, in the fridge for 2 weeks.
OR... if you are short on time, buy this pre-made Yackadandah Curd - equally delicious!
I used an apple corer to cut a hole in the middle, but you can do that with a small paring knife :)
Fill the cap then use the same bit you cut out and push it back in to seal the hole :)
LEMON CREAM CHEESE ICING
This delicious recipe is adapted from the amazing, Baked by an Introvert
• 125g cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoon of thick cream
• 55g unsalted butter, softened
• 21⁄2 Tbs lemon curd
(add one tablespoon at a time and check consistency)
• 1 1/2 cup icing sugar mixture
Taste test, add curd if you need more zing, or add more icing sugar mixture if you need it to be thicker/sweeter
Grate the lemon zest in to a bowl, make sure to scrape the back part of the grater for the zest (where the oils of the lemon has come through)
• 1 1/2 cup icing sugar mixture
Taste test, add curd if you need more zing, or add more icing sugar mixture if you need it to be thicker/sweeter
Grate the lemon zest in to a bowl, make sure to scrape the back part of the grater for the zest (where the oils of the lemon has come through)
The Topping: SUGARED LEMON & COCONUT ZEST
Mix 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of desiccated coconut with the lemon zest.
Pop into microwave and zing it for 30-45 seconds till warm, then use a spoon or fingers to mix it all together so it looks a little bit like candy crumble
Sprinkle on top of cupcakes!
Recipe by Lynnette L.
All recipe sources are linked and referred back to it’s original site and recipe owner.
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