Cupcake crazy: The small cakes that have made a big impression

Cupcakes are, quite literally, on the rise. And with it being National Cupcake Week this week we thought we would take a look at where the colourful and captivating cakes came from.

The cupcake phenomenon has exploded into modern cuisine culture in recent years, mainly thanks to famous TV chefs like Nigella Lawson and boutique cupcake shops such as the Hummingbird Bakery.

Cupcakes first made steps toward baking popularity in the United States where they first made a revolutionary mark for the time they saved in the kitchen.

They can be traced as far back as 1796, when a recipe in American Cookery, by Amelia Simmons, suggested that these convenient cakes could be ‘baked in small cups’.

This not only meant less cooking time, but the advantage of using a cup as a simple measuring device to weigh out the ingredients in traditional recipes.

However, cupcakes have come a long way from simple sponges – now encompassing a wide variety of ingredients, shapes, sizes and decorations.

To celebrate National Cupcake Week, we’ve put together a selection of recipes for delicious baked treats for you to whip up a storm in the kitchen:

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chilli Chocolate Sauce

Very-Berry Whoopie Pie

Keep baking cupcakes as simple as its origin with these handy cupcake-making tips:

- To get even-sized cakes every time without the use of a cup, simply measure the batter for each paper case with an easy ice-cream scoop.

- For perfect piping use a bag with a metal nozzle and always start the swirl from the middle.

- Add milk to your butter cream icing to stop it going lumpy and being too sweet.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chilli Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients
110g self raising flour
½ tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
55g cocoa powder
140g caster sugar
2 eggs
3 tbsp milk
100g plain chocolate
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp Ground Chilli mixed with in Sunflower Oil

Method
1) Preheat the oven to 190c/Gas 5. Grease 8 holes in a non-stick muffin tin.
2) Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cocoa powder into a bowl. Add the butter, caster sugar, eggs and milk and beat until smooth.
3) Divide between the 8 wells in the muffin tin. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cakes are well risen and firm to the touch.
4) To make the chocolate sauce place the chocolate, butter, sugar, syrup, milk and chilli in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, making sure that the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir until smooth.
5) Place the warm cup cakes on serving plates and spoon over the chocolate sauce. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Very-Berry Whoopie Pies
Ingredients
275g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g caster sugar
75g butter, melted
150g Greek yogurt
2 medium eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling
100g raspberries
100g butter, at room temperature
250g icing sugar
5 tablespoons raspberry puree

To decorate
200g icing sugar, sifted
6-7 teaspoons water
Selection of fresh raspberries and sugar sprinkles, mini marshmallows, sugar flowers

Method
1. Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl then stir in the sugar.
2. Mix the melted butter, yogurt, eggs and vanilla together in a separate bowl until smooth then beat into the dry ingredients until creamy.
3. Spoon into a large piping bag and pipe or spoon 40, 4 cm (1 ½ inch) wide, domed circles on to three baking sheets lined with non-stick baking paper. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.
4. Bake in batches at 180°C / 350°F / Gas mark 4 for 10-12 minutes until golden and crisp to the touch. Leave to cool on the paper on a wire rack.
5. To make the filling, puree the raspberries in a liquidiser or food processor then press through a sieve and discard the seeds. Beat the butter and half the icing sugar together until soft. Gradually beat in alternate spoonfuls of raspberry puree and the remaining icing sugar until smooth.
6. Sandwich the whoopies together in pairs with a spoonful of the raspberry buttercream.
7. For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl then gradually mix in enough water to make a smooth icing that can be spread. Spoon a little on to the top of each whoopee then spread over the tops with a knife.
8. Decorate with fresh raspberries and sugar sprinkles, slices of mini marshmallow, or sugar flowers. Leave to set for 15 minutes then arrange on a serving plate.