For Bibba

It was recently my birthday and a very special person gave me a very special book. A book called Cakes, subtitled; To Celebrate Love & Life. Could there be a more perfect title. This book was made for me.

So this weekend I decided to take it for a spin. Delving first into the Chocolate Cupcake recipe. Instead of using the normal buttercream icing I was challenged to try the Meringue Icing. Never one to back down from a challenge I went full speed. And the result was delightful.

2 cups sugar
1 ¾ cups flour

¾ cup cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp baking powder1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs at room temp
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup boiling water

Preheat the oven to 180 C
Prepare muffin pans with 18-24 paper cups

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together all dry ingredients. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla essence.

Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Stir in the boiling water, the batter should be runny. A bit like chocolate soup.
Pour the batter into the paper cups equally.

Bake for 10-20 minutes. Leave to cool completely before topping with icing.

Meringue Icing

4 egg whites at room temp

1 cup sugar
A pinch of salt

A drop of food colouring if desired

In a heatproof bowl of an electric mixer, combine the egg whites, sugar and salt. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and hand-whisk continuously for 3-5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot to the touch.

Attach the bowl to the electric mixer with the whisk attachment, and beat on low for 2 minutes. Add a drop or food colouring, then beat on high for a further 5 minutes until mixture has cooled down and stiff peaks form. pipe immediately.

Maritz, Callie & Guy, Mari-Louis. Cakes, to celebrate love & life. Cape Town: Struik Lifestyle,

2009.

PS. The chocolate shavings made it!

xoxo

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