![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.foodfourthought.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/PS-5029-021012-575x486.jpg\" "\\"Passionfruit")
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Cooking with seasonal ingredients is something I always try to do.\u00a0 It gives our dishes the best possible flavour because the produce is at its peak when it is in season.\u00a0 It also means that we can (generally) source items from our local area.<\/p>\n
This was one of the things I\u00a0considered when choosing a business name. There are 4 seasons that we use as a planting guide for produce and for setting menus and my cooking classes always have 4 courses.<\/p>\n
Hence \u201cFood 4 Thought\u201d.\u00a0 But I digress, back to our seasonal produce.<\/p>\n
Recently I delivered a machine to a lovely couple,\u00a0very excited to receive their new “kitchen hand”.\u00a0 As I was leaving I noticed a large bag of passionfruit by the front door.\u00a0 I mentioned how lucky I thought they were and that I hoped they were going to put them to good use.\u00a0 To which the reply was \u201cWould you like them?\u201d\u00a0 Trying to cover my absolute joy, I asked \u201cAre you sure?\u201d.\u00a0 After hearing how their vine had been prolific and many had been passed on and too many consumed, I didn\u2019t ask again and left looking like a kid who had just raided a candy store.\u00a0 (Thanks so much Sonia and Adam).<\/p>\n
So what is one to do with a bag full of passionfruit?\u00a0 Why Passionfruit Curd of course!\u00a0 It was easy and delicious.<\/p>\n
Then one of\u00a0my\u00a0gorgeous friends offered me more fresh passionfruit.\u00a0 Not being one able to ever turn away free organic home-grown produce of course I said yes.\u00a0 (Thanks Cherie!).\u00a0 So what next?\u00a0 Passionfruit Cupcakes.<\/p>\n
Adapting recipes to the Thermomix is easy.\u00a0\u00a0What recipe have you adapted?\u00a0 Leave me a comment below or on my FB page<\/a>.<\/p>\n passionfruit cupcakes\u00a0\u2013 (recipe adapted by Fiona at Food 4 Thought from here<\/span><\/a>).<\/span> Ingredients<\/span> Preparation<\/span> Add sugar to TM bowl and mill for 3 seconds on speed 9<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Scrape down sides of bowl, add remaining ingredients and mix on reverse <\/strong>for 20 – 30\u00a0seconds on speed 5.<\/strong><\/p>\n Divide mixture between cases.\u00a0 Bake for\u00a020 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in centre of one cake\u00a0comes out clean.\u00a0 Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.\u00a0 Decorate as you wish.<\/p>\n buttercream icing \u2013 (recipe adapted from original by Alyce Alexander from “Quick Fix in the Thermomix”).<\/span> Ingredients<\/span> Preparation<\/span> Scrape down sides of bowl, add butter and chop for 5 seconds.\u00a0 Cream butter for 15 seconds on speed 5.\u00a0 *I used room temperature butter so skipped the chopping and creaming stage.<\/p>\n Turn dial to speed 2<\/strong> and begin adding sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.\u00a0 Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.\u00a0 As the mixture begins to thicken with more sugar being added, increase the speed to 3 and then to 4<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0 Once all the sugar is added, mix at speed 4 for 30 seconds<\/strong> or until the mixture is creamy.<\/p>\n If texture is too soft to spread or pipe, refrigerate for 15 minutes.<\/p>\n My tips\/alterations<\/span>: CUPCAKES – *Don’t overcook these cupcakes as they will dry out too much.\u00a0 *This recipe is so easy and could have other fruit or flavour added instead of the passionfruit.\u00a0 *I used reverse to mix the cupcakes so that the passionfruit seeds weren’t broken up.\u00a0 *I used a mini ice-cream scoop to ensure the mixture was divided evenly between the cases.\u00a0 You can use anything you like so long as it is\u00a0equal in each case.\u00a0 \u00a0BUTTERCREAM – *It might seem excessive to pulverise the raw sugar for that length of time, however, to reach the desired consistency for the icing it needs to be super fine and aerated.\u00a0 *I used a small amount of what the recipe makes because I decided not to pipe it onto the cupcakes (due to it being 30\u00b0C outside and the kitchen being warm) so I\u00a0stored the remainder in\u00a0an airtight container in the refrigerator.\u00a0 \u00a0When I want to use it again I will mix it on speed 4 until it is smooth again.\u00a0 *You can add fruit, chocolate or coffee to the icing to make it whatever you want it to be.<\/p>\n You could use the cupcakes with the buttercream and have a wonderful result.\u00a0 However, being one to always like a surprise when it comes to food, I decided to add a little something extra to the centre of these beauties.\u00a0 I used an apple corer to make a little well in the centre of each cupcake, then piped in some of the delicious passionfruit curd that I had made recently.\u00a0 (See below for picture reference).\u00a0 If you don’t have a piping bag, are scared of piping of simply can’t be bothered, here are some options.\u00a0 No piping bag – use a zip lock bag that you would normally store food in and cut off the corner.\u00a0 Scared of piping – take two teaspoons.\u00a0 Use one to spoon the mixture into the cupcake and the other to push in gently into the well.<\/p>\n
\n makes 12 cupcakes<\/span><\/p>\n
\n150g sugar
\n170g butter, softened
\n200g self-raising flour
\n\u00bd teaspoon baking powder
\n1\u00a0teaspoon vanilla extract
\n3\u00a0eggs
\n100g passionfruit pulp (6 – 12 passionfruit – depending on size)<\/p>\n
\nPreheat the oven to 160\u00b0C with the fan on (or 180\u00b0C for non fan-forced oven).\u00a0 Line and\/or spray a 12-hole, 1\/3 cup-capacity muffin pan with paper cases.<\/p>\n
\n makes approximately 4 cups<\/span><\/p>\n
\n400g raw sugar
\n340g butter
\n2\u00a0teaspoons vanilla extract<\/p>\n
\nAdd sugar to TM bowl and mill for\u00a02 minutes on speed 9.<\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.foodfourthought.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Consolidation-575x180.jpg\" "\\"Making")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.foodfourthought.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/PS-5036-021012-486x575.jpg\" "\\"Passionfruit")
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