FoodCycle is a UK charity that combines volunteers, surplus food and spare kitchen spaces to create tasty, nutritious meals for people at risk of food poverty and social isolation." You can find out more here if you're interested in volunteering for a worthy cause!
The LSESU FoodCycle Society held their bake off last Wednesday to raise money for FoodCycle and I decided to enter my chiffon cake with lightened strawberry creme patissiere. First prize for these light and fluffy babies! They are perfect if you are tired of eating regular cupcakes and they also contain less butter/oil. A moment on the lips forever on the hips? Not when you're eating these.
Chiffon Cupcakes
(yields 13)
4 - Egg yolks
25g - Caster sugar
80ml - Milk
45g - Oil or melted butter
1 tspn - Vanilla extract
95g - Cake flour
4 - Egg whites
35g - Caster sugar
~ Preheat the oven to 170°C or 150°C fan oven. Line the cupcake pan with large muffin sized paper cases.
~ Whisk egg yolks and sugar together till it's pale (until it reaches the ribbon stage).
~ Mix in the milk, oil and vanilla extract. Sift the flour and fold it into the mixture.
~ In a separate and completely dry, clean, metal bowl, whisk the egg whites and sugar together till it forms firm peaks (slightly short of stiff peaks).
~ Fold the whites into the egg yolk mixture (in thirds).
~ Fill the paper cases with batter till it's almost full and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Once it's done, let them cool before frosting. You can fill them with a sweetened whipped double cream mixed with chopped up strawberries. Another option would be to fill it with a lightened pastry cream.
Strawberry Cream
1 - Egg
20g - Caster sugar
5g - Cornflour
40ml - Water
50g - Softened butter
Equal amount of double cream.
Strawberry Jam
~ Combine the egg, sugar and cornflour in a saucepan. Whisk to combine.
~ Add in the water and set the pan on a gentle heat while stirring continuously.
~ Remove from heat once mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of your spoon. Let it cool for 10 minutes before combining the thickened mixture with softened butter in a blender.
~ Add jam into the blender (add to taste). Press a clingfilm over the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a layer of skin from forming and refrigerate it overnight.
~ Weigh out the pastry cream the following day and whip up an equal amount of double cream to soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the thickened mixture and you'll be ready to pipe it on your cupcakes.