Paul’s recipe for reading Angel of Kindness.

When my dearest friend, Paul a fabulous cook and baker, read Angle of Kindness, he emailed me back saying he had the perfect cupcakes to make while sitting down with a hot, frothy cappuccino to read my book. Red Velvet cupcakes, much like the handsome debonair Richie King. Wickedly irresistible, and once you have tasted, you will go back for more.

                                                                                 Red Velvet Cupcakes 

Makes: 12                Prep Time: 20 minutes                     Cooking Time: 25 minutes

You’ll need

90g unsalted butter at room temperature
225g caster sugar
2 eggs
30g cocoa powder
40ml red food colouring
¾ tsp vanilla extract
180ml buttermilk
225g plain flour

¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp white vinegar
1 x 12-hole cupcake tray, lined with paper cases

For the frosting:
300g icing sugar, sifted
50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g cream cheese, cold

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3.
2. Put the butter and the sugar in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy and well mixed. Turn the mixer up to high speed, slowly add the egg and beat until everything is well incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, red food colouring and vanilla extract to make a very thick, dark paste. Add to the butter mixture and mix thoroughly until evenly combined and coloured (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Turn the mixer down to slow speed and slowly pour in half the buttermilk.
4. Beat until well mixed, then add half the flour and beat until everything is well incorporated. Repeat this process until all the buttermilk and flour have been added. Scrape down the side of the bowl again. Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until you have a smooth, even mixture. Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Beat until well mixed, then turn up the speed again and beat for a couple more minutes.
5. Meanwhile, make the frosting by beating the icing sugar the remaining 20g of the unsalted butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat it until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least five minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny.
6. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the cream cheese frosting on top.

                                       Adapted from a recipe from the Hummingbird bakery

Thank you Paul, they are so yummy.  So, go on ladies and gentlemen treat yourself to an afternoon of, naughty, sweet, sensual pleasure.

Hoping that Paul has found us something naughty for Always MR. Wrong!

 

About my dearest friend Paul:

Paul lives in North London.  We met all the way back in 1999. MR. R and I had gone away on holiday and left the Cherry Tree in the hands of a relief manager and our then assistant. When we got back, we found that half the staff had walked out in disgust with how things had been run. Several new faces where behind the bar, one being this young man.

          We hit it off straight away and to this day, he blames me for his still ongoing employment in the pub and hospitality business.  Even though he came into the business for experience, for when he travelled to Oz.  The fact that he fancied one of our male bar staff was another big excuse.  I am not sure if was the cutting bitchy remarks that flew out of his mouth, before I had a chance to blink, or the filthy flirty talk to the straight men who would come in that made me love him.  When I wanted to rant and rave about the customers, he would offer a sympathetic ear when I needed it. Every Sunday he would woo me with fresh smoked salmon and bagels.

           Paul loves to bake, and every so often as I flick through his Facebook page a new batch of pictures of his latest cakes pop up. From a chocolate cola cake with a caramel sauce or Banana bread with fresh blueberries and heaps of white chocolate to gooey chewy chocolate brownies, his shopping list is not suitable for those of you watching your weight.

           He loves to take a basic recipe and adapt it and says, when he bakes a cake it tends to reflect the person, he’s baking for and can sometimes end up completely different to how he originally planned it.