Kinder Bueno Cupcakes- Take 2!

Every time I check my blog statistics, the numbers for my original Kinder Bueno cupcakes keep going up and up. This makes me feel like a very poor blogger as they really have nothing to do with the delicious bar besides a chunk on top!

And so along came the huge and continuing urge to redeem myself and create a real Kinder Bueno cupcake! This was easy; chocolate cupcake and hazelnut buttercream. But then came the quest on how to create the 'smooth milky and hazelnut' buttercream. At first I thought I'd use hazelnut flavoured Baileys but was unable to find a miniature version. I also wanted to eliminate alcohol so Frangelico was out of the question! Then, after what seemed like hours trailing around Newcastle, the idea struck- hazelnut syrup...

I used my favourite chocolate cupcake recipe from The Caked Crusader and also followed her step by step guide for making Swiss Meringue Buttercream which is hugely helpful even after you've made it several times!

The hazelnut syrup works really well with the buttercream, and provided a really subtle flavour, just like a Kinder Bueno! I added around 2 and a half teaspoons of syrup although you could add more for a stronger flavour

I'm really happy with these cupcakes, I feel like I've finally redeemed myself! Happy baking everyone!

Kinder Bueno Cupcakes

These cupcakes are delicious, I love Kinder Buenos! Post Blog update- I remade these properly, try here!

I had an hour to whip up this batch of cakes and figured that some Bueno, no matter of the form it came in, constituted them being called Kinder Bueno cupcakes. The recipe is just a basic vanilla sponge from a book my dad picked up for me- Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski.

Although the recipes are a tad tricky and complicated, the book contains sections on ingredients and supplies you'll need, how to fill and frost cupcakes and ideas for decorations. Alongside this, she's categorised her cupcakes for easy finding.

My second confession is that I used pre made buttercream. Again, I did this out of ease and for speed and, much against expectation, Betty Crocker let me down! You could taste too much vanilla and it was blatantly obvious that vanilla essence had been used and not extract, a faux pas on all accounts! The book did come with a vanilla buttercream recipe suggested for the cupcakes which I'll provide below. In future, I shall stop being so lazy...

As a last note, Bueno doesn't work in this sort of cupcake. It dried out after a day and was most unpleasant!

Ingredients:

For the cake:
200g plain flour
1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
185g sugar
90g unsalted butter at room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
125ml whole milk
1 large egg
the white of one large egg

For the buttercream:
3 large egg whites at room temp
185g sugar
pinch of salt
250g unsalted butter, in pieces, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

For the cake:

Position a rack in the middle of the oven a preheat to 180C. Line a muffin pan with paper cases
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt
In a separate, larger bowl beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and the egg white one by one, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla
Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions (this confused me, basically it's Flour,Milk,Flour,Milk,Flour)
Continue to beat until well combined and there are no signs of flour, don't over beat though
Divide the batter among the cases, roughly 3/4 full and bake until lightly golden, about 18-20 minutes, a skewer should come out clean
Allow them to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes and then transfer them onto the rack for roughly an hour

For the buttercream:

In a large, heatproof bowl, combine the egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan and heat the mixture, whisking constantly until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch- roughly 2 minutes
Remove the bowl from the saucepan and, using an electric whisk, beat the egg white mixture until it is fluffy, cooled to room temp and holds stiff peaks- roughly 6 minutes
Gradually add the salt and the butter, a few pieces at a time and beat well after each addition. Continue to beat until smooth and creamy, it may appear liquidy after the addition of the butter so keep beating!
Add the vanilla and beat until combined
Use right away and decorate your cupcakes as you wish
Enjoy!