RSPCA Puppy Cakes

Make these delicious honey flavoured cupcake with a sweet peanut butter and cream cheese centre and toasted meringue topping to raise funds for the RSPCA and share them with your four legged friend!

Obviously don't top the human cupcakes with dog-chocolate and bone treats...unless you want to.

Now. I don't know if you know but I love dogs. I adore them. I'm obsessed with them. I have a folder on my phone full of photos I've met on the street. I have over 60 kilos of dog that lives inside my house, two dogs who literally are my children. My puppies are a 6 year old German Shepherd named Stompypants and a 5 year old yellow Labrador named Puca but her name really should be Cheekypants. And I'm working on getting a rescue pug who I plan on naming Sausage.

Two dignified ladies, ready for their picnic.

As you can see, when I am on the topic of dogs, I can talk forever and I do get sidetracked in lovely puppy kisses and wet noses and wagging tails. My puppies are so spoilt, treats, fresh food, water, daily walks...but not all dogs are so lucky. Some dogs, through no fault of their own, have no warm place to put their fluffy bum and no one to pet their pretty heads. Some dogs are born into puppy farms or on the street. Some puppies are mistreated or suddenly can't be looked after anymore.

Oh that looks good..

...can I have it?...

AWESOME!

But thank the canine stars that we have the RSPCA. The RSPCA do vital work. They house and feed and give life saving medical attention to literally tens of thousands of dogs across Australia each year. And their care and welfare doesn't just stop with woman's best friend! They care for cats, birds, horses, chickens, snakes, Guinea pigs, rats, mice, lizards...all of our furry, scaly, feathery friends. Haven personally volunteered at RSPCA, I can tell you the care they give to animals is outstanding and wonderful.

This care doesn't come cheap. RSPCA QLD needs $42 million a year to keep running. And 99% of their funding comes from donations from people like me and you! And here's where you get to make a real difference. August 15 is RSPCA Cupcake day. All you need to do is register, bake some delicious cupcakes, (like the ones I have made here!) and raise some much-needed funds for those saints at the RSPCA.

What could be more awesome than baking some delicious cupcakes and raising money for a important cause AND EATING THEM! Can you show me the downside? No! Cos there isn't one!

The fun thing about these cupcakes is that you can eat them...and your dog can eat them too! Bake these Honey and Peanut Butter cupcakes, then sit down and share one with your dog! How much fun is that? And then whip another bunch and sell them at your work or your school or invite some people over and have a fundraising puppy cupcake party!

Head on over to www.rspcacupcakeday.com.au and register. Print out some posters and get all your friends and family involved and raise as much money as you can for RSPCA! And enjoy these photos of the puppy picnic I put on for Stompypants and Puca. They were such ladies.

Honey and Peanut Butter Puppy Cakes
These cupcakes are safe for your dog to eat, but please be treat-wise. Dogs don't need sugar. For this reason, these cupcakes are smaller in size. Top with dog treats for the doggies and a rice marshmallow crispy for you!
Prep time: 60 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Total time:  75 mins

Servings: 24 small cupcakes

Honey Cupcakes

125g butter, softened 

125g caster sugar

3 tablespoons honey

2 whole eggs plus 3egg yolks (reserve the whites)

1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 cup lactose-free milk

Peanut Butter Filling

3 tablespoons sugar free peanut butter

3 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons honey

Meringue Icing

3 egg whites

1/2 cup caster sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a 12-hole cupcake tin with smaller cupcake liners
2. Beat the sugar and butter together until lighter in colour
3. Add eggs and yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Sift the flours into one bowl and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, in three lots, starting and finishing with the flour
5. Fill each cupcake liner two-thirds full
6. Bake for 23 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, add the peanut butter, cream cheese and honey to a small bowl and stir thoroughly to make the peanut butter filling.
8. Allow to cool while you prepare the meringue. 

Meringue

1. Wipe a mixer bowl with a paper towel dampened with lemon juice.
2. Add egg whites to the bowl and whip until soft peaks form.
3. With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar mixture and beat until thick and glossy.

Assembly

1. Scoop out a small amount of the cupcakes with a teaspoon or a melon baller. Put the bit aside.
2. Fill cavity with a generous teaspoon of peanut butter filling.
3. Replace the cut-out cupcake piece.
4. Pipe or spoon on the meringue on each cupcake and pass a kitchen blowtorch over the meringue is toasted. Alternatively, place the cupcakes back into a 200°C oven until golden.

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

 

That one up there in a left got a little charred! It was a lot of fun to use the blowtorch...


I love lemon meringue pies. There are not that many sweet pies that are widely served in Australia, in comparison to the US where when you say pie, it's assumed you mean a dessert. In Australia, when you say pie, people will want to know if you want the tomato sauce on top or on the side.

I simply adore this book. It's an heirloom.

Such awesome photography.

I don't actually make many lemon meringue pies as I love them but Mr. Cakes does not. So if I were to make one, I would eat the whole thing. Probably in one sitting. With a tub of ice cream. And some chocolate. And a brownie.


Sexy lemons.

My lemon meringue pie recipe comes from the 'Australian and New Zealand Complete Book of Cookery'. This version was my nanna's and my mum had a copy too. Does everyone's mum have a copy? Was it handed out in the maternity ward? I loved this book and I remember pouring over the retro recipes and the strange way the dishes were presented. But behind the salmon mousse in the fish shaped mould, there are actually a lot of wonderful recipes. They're classics. The lemon meringue pie is one such classic! But because I really would eat the whole pie, I decided to make lemon meringue cupcakes! Portion control, y'all.

I love the yellow colour of this curd, which really comes from the yolk, not the lemon.

I took the lemon filling from the Complete Book of Cookery and paired it with a simple, plain cupcake with a few tablespoons of lemon juice in the batter. I like my lemon curd to be very tart and lemony. When in a cupcake, it won't be overwhelming and too tart, rather it will be a lovely little burst of sunshine.

The cupcakes start like this...

...then they go like this...



...then they go like this!


With these cupcakes, I decided to pair them with a Swiss Meringue. Personally, I get a little weirded out by raw meringue. I love lemon meringue pie but if I start to think about the egg whites being raw, it can totally turn me off my slice.


Perfectly baked little cupcakes.

With Swiss Meringue, the egg whites are cooked with the sugar to 55°C. This just makes me feel better about eating egg whites. Generally, the nasties are just in the yolks and egg whites are safe to eat raw (unless pregnant or in some other delicate state) but just knowing they're cooked reassures me.


Lovely, glossy Swiss Meringue!

I used my go-to vanilla cupcakes from a lovely book I've had for a few years now, 'Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery' and made them into lemon cupcakes. I didn't want them to be hugely citrus flavoured, rather to be subtlety lemony to pair with the curd and meringues.

Lovely, lemony cupcake. I love that melon baller.

A nicely swirled pile of meringue, before being subjected to FIRE!



Action shot! Notice the charring of the cupcake wrapper. Oops!

Try out this cupcake recipe, they're perfect for a morning tea or to take on a visit with friends. The perfect springtime cupcakes! 


Ahhhhhh *angels singing*



A little bit of cupcake styling.





Cupcake and lemon, sitting in a tree...

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue
Adapted from the Australian and New Zealand Complete Book of Cookery and Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery

Prep time: 30 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Total time:  60 mins

 

Servings: 15 cupcakes

Lemon Curd Filling
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoon cornflour
20g butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
Rind of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
2 egg yolks, free range

Lemony Cupcakes
110g softened butter
230g caster sugar
2 eggs, free range
150g plain cake flour
125g self-raising cake flour
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Swiss Meringue
6 egg white, free range
300g caster sugar

Lemon Curd Filling

1. To make lemon curd filling, place water, cornflour, butter, caster sugar, lemon rind and juice in a small saucepan.
2. Whisk over a medium heat until at a fast simmer and then whisk continuously for a further 22 minutes.
3. Take off the heat and stir for another minute then add egg yolks, while continuing to whisk.
4. Allow to cool while you prepare the cupcakes and Swiss meringue.

Lemony Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a 12-hole cupcake tin.
2. Beat the sugar and butter together until lighter in colour.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Sift the flours into one bowl and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, in three lots, starting and finishing with the flour.
5. Fill each cupcake liner two-thirds full, or about 50g on scales.
6. Bake for 23 minutes.
7. Allow to cool while you prepare the Swiss Meringue. 

Swiss Meringue

1. Wipe a bowl with a paper towel dampened with lemon juice.
2. Add egg whites to the bowl with the sugar and simmer over a pot of water whisking constantly but gently until temperature reaches 55°C or until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Whisk egg whites and sugar until the meringue is thick and glossy and egg whites have reached room temperature.

Assembly

1. Scoop out a small amount of the cupcakes with a teaspoon or a melon baller. Put the bit aside.
2. Fill cavity with a generous teaspoon of lemon curd filling.
3. Replace the cut-out cupcake piece.
4. Pipe or spoon on the Swiss meringue and pass a kitchen blowtorch over the meringue until nicely golden. Alternatively, place the cupcakes back into a 200°C oven until nicely golden.

White Chocolate Meringues with Strawberry Coulis and Fresh Raspberries

These are so easy to make and look so spectacular!

On my trip to the amazing Jan Powers Farmers markets, I couldn't resist the fresh raspberries on offer from My Berries and the fresh picked strawberries from the stalls. I have so many amazing idea as to what to do with these berries and this is just one (I'm thinking up a pretty spectacular cake) but for now I want to show you this super simple dessert that really let's the berries be the star of the show.

This is my version of Eton Mess. Traditionally made with meringues, strawberries and cream, my version ups the stakes by adding chunks of white chocolate to the meringues and lightens it ever so slightly with the zingy tang of Greek yoghurt.


Here's (almost) everything you need! ...lemon juice was camera shy

I recommend using the biggest eggs you can find and make them fresh and free range. Start by separating the eggs. Now eggwhites freeze easily but egg yolks take a little work to save, you need to mix some salt or sugar in with the yolks before freezing. Honestly, I don't bother. Keep them in a container in the fridge if you're going to use them in the next couple of days.


This is the satiny, shiny, stiff meringue!

Beat your egg whites til they turn foamy and just start to hold their shape, then beat in the sugar in, tablespoon by tablespoon til it's all gone. I used vanilla sugar in this, as I love the dimension it adds. Whenever you use a vanilla pod, chuck the scraped pod into some sugar for easy, flavoured sugar. I hate waste and vanilla pods are expensive, yo! Plus you get vanilla sugar - win, win, win. If you haven't been so lucky as to craft yourself up some vanilla sugar, regular caster sugar works perfectly well.


The chocolate rubble...like white chocolate gravel.



So once all the sugar has been added, fold in the white chocolate, one teaspoon of white wine vinegar and a pinch salt Make sure when you chop up the white chocolate you get a range of sizes in there. The small pieces will melt through your meringues and permeate them with flavours while the big pieces will be delightful chunky surprises.



See that pink spatula thing? That has got to be one of my most favourite kitchen tools and it was an impulse buy for like $3. This is once the vinegar and chocolate is folded in.



The vinegar may seem an unusual addition to sweet meringues and if you're cheeky and taste the raw meringue, you can taste it. Don't worry, that cooks away and you won't notice it in the finished meringues. The vinegar makes the meringues turn wonderfully crisp on the outside and chewy, soft and delightful on the inside.



I fit three on a sheet and then did the same thing over with the remaining mixture, so 6 meringues all up.

I like to use the outline of a bowl to trace circles on baking paper to make sure all my meringues are the same shape and size. I used a bowl that was 14cm in diameter.  Add a little dab of the meringue to the back to stop your paper slipping around. You could use a piping bag to make the meringues neater but I like the roughness of shaping the with a dessert spoon. Make a little hollow with the back of your spoon for the berries and yoghurt to nestle in later.


See the indentation? That's gonna make the meringue into an awesome little bowl for your toppings.



The strawberry coulis couldn't be easier. Put the elements on the stove, give them a quick stir and let them simmer away into a delightful sauce. There is less sugar than you'd find in a lot of coulis recipes, I don't think fresh strawberries need much sugar.


This is the completed syrup. So easy, so good.



Once you've got it all together, your mouth is in for a treat. Assembly takes no time. Everything can be made ahead and plated up quickly. These are the perfect thing to serve at a dinner party if you're being a grown up, or just as good for afternoon tea!


See that little chunk of white chocolate in there? That's the magic.





Like my flat lay? Yeah. I'm a professional food stylist now...





The raspberries are lovely bursts of sweet tartness!



A delightfully easy dessert, you're gonna love it.





Get in mah belleh!



And the not so pretty aftermath!

White Chocolate Meringues with Strawberry Coulis and Fresh Raspberries

For the meringues
6 large egg whites
250g vanilla sugar - ordinary caster sugar is also suitable
100g white chocolate
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Pinch Salt

For the strawberry coulis
500g strawberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons water

To serve
500g Greek yoghurt
Fresh raspberries
White chocolate, extra

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 60 mins

Total time:  75 mins

 

Servings: 6 large meringues

To make the meringues

1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Roughly chop chocolate into varying sized pieces and set aside.
3. After separating the egg yolks from the white, place egg whites into a large, metal or glass bowl.
4. Beat on a high speed until the eggs are foamy and starting to stiffen.
5. Add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time until all the sugar is added and the meringues are at the stiff peaks stage. They should be stiff and shiny.
6. Gently fold the chocolate and the white wine vinegar.
7. Cover a baking sheet with baking paper and use a bowl to trace circles on the baking paper.
8. Spoon meringue onto the circles and use the back of a table spoon to create an shallow indentation.
9. Place tray into the over and turn the oven down to 150°C. Bake for 30 minutes.
10. After 30 minutes, turn the oven off and leave meringues in the oven with the door shut for a further 30 minutes.
11. Take the tray out of the oven and allow meringues to cool.

To make the coulis

1. Roughly chop the strawberries and add to a medium saucepan.
2. Add the sugar, water and lemon juice in the pan with the strawberries
3. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, til the coulis has thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
4. Allow to cool.

To serve

1. Add a 2 - 3 tablespoons of Greek yoghurt to each indentations of the meringue and divide the strawberry coulis between each meringue.
2. Tumble over fresh raspberries and grate white chocolate over the top.