Team Kiwicake's - for SPCA Cucpake Day

Today I've registered "Kiwicakes" in the team category for the SPCA Cupcake Day. Laura and I will be baking up a storm in Kiwicakes' test kitchen Monday 26 August (more details to come on the cupcakes that will be available)

Kiwicakes is the official cake supplies sponsor for Cupcake Day - as we've been since its inception - so today I sent an enormous parcel of goodies off to the SPCA. The SPCA is a cause close to my heart and I've had fun baking for the SPCA each year. This year we intend to outdo ourselves!

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The SPCA has some pretty cool merchandise to support SPCA Cupcake Day. Last year Minette Hanekom from Red Cherry Design (who designed the Kiwicakes Trixie kiwi logo) designed these awesome tea towels (above). This year Beck Wheeler has made these funky designs (below). You can check out all their cool merchandise here I've just finished placing an order for tea towels, stickers and cupcake cases.

Chelsea Winter, New Zealand's Masterchef 2012 winner, has supplied her cupcake recipe for the SPCA Cupcake Day. The SPCA has granted permission for us to share this with you (click on our photo to print a copy).

Vanilla cupcakes with white chocolate ganache icing (Chelsea Winter)

Makes about 24

Cupcakes

225g butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

3 free range eggs, at room temperature

1 ½ teaspoons pure natural vanilla essence

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 cup milk

Icing

200ml cream

200g good quality white chocolate

 5 cups icing sugar

Freeze-dried raspberries or strawberries (or powder)

Method

Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 180°c. Line 2 x standard 12 pan muffin tins with cupcake liners (24 total – you may need to do in two batches).

Sift the flour and baking powder into a small bowl, stir to combine and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar with an electric beater or mixer until very pale and fluffy (or you can do it by hand, it will just take longer). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides with a spatula. Beat in the vanilla essence.

In three parts each, alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk. With each addition, beat only until the ingredients are just incorporated, but at the end the mixture should be smooth. Again, scrape down the sides as you go.

Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners about ¾ full, and bake in middle of the oven for about 15 minutes until they just start to turn golden on top.  Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Icing

Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler. Add the cream and mix to combine. Cool, then chill in the fridge for an hour. Beat the mixture until it goes thick and creamy, then beat in the icing sugar until thick and smooth. Pipe or spread the icing on to cupcakes and sprinkle with the raspberries/powder.