Week Three: Chocolate Cupcakes

There is definitely such a thing as too much chocolate!! The problem is it tastes almost uncontrollably good, and it doesn't matter how many times you have told yourself to be strong when it comes to chocolate. Oh well, I keep telling myself I haven't been eating chocolate in a while ... Since last week. 

So we planned to make the chocolate cupcakes yesterday afternoon, because there was an event down at the accommodation lounge to celebrate the final episode of The Great British Bake Off (no matter who the winner was ;) ) by having our own little baking competition. 

For those of you who dont know what The Great British Bake Off is, it is a baking competition television show that has 12 contestants (who are put through terrific audition processes to finally get accepted) who have to bake three recipes each week over 10 themed-weeks to finally get a cake-stand trophy. I think it is more the thrill of baking for top bakers than the prize ;) haha

I had a mix-up with my timetable, so it meant that I was running late to get back to uni to bake with Jennifer. I missed the first train I was supposed to be getting from Edinburgh, went shopping for ingredients we needed for the cupcakes while waiting for the train, sped through the store thinking that I was going to miss the next train, and ended up getting the train (most definitely) on time :D I think I need to relax now, I am getting stressed just writing all this down!

I got back to my flat, and there was a girl sitting outside Sophie's door who said she was waiting to surprise her BOY friend (in an all girls flat). I assumed she knew that she was in the right place, but after 30 minutes she was told whose flat she was in, and she suddenly realised she was waiting in the wrong flat ;) She was very content just sitting on the floor in the wrong flat!! :D

So, back to the baking, we quickly whipped up the batter for the cupcakes. Jennifer I worked well as a team: I did the wet and she did the dry. 

Then the fun ( ;) ) began when I measured out the butter, chocolate and golden syrup for the ganache. Mmm, this is where I started eating too much chocolate ;) haha. 

All the ganache ingredients in a heat-proof (well, we assumed it was) bowl over a saucepan with boiling water in it 

The ganache coming together

After chilling for a while, we whipped the ganache up

Jennifer and I were not expecting the ganache to thicken just from whipping!! We were going to skip the whipping, but I am super glad we stuck to the recipe and whipped it!!

Jennifer piping the ganache onto the cupcakes in a "rose-like" pattern 

We were all crowding around Jennifer to get a close look 

Ganache!! After piping my half I piped the rest of it back into the bowl for Sophie to eat 

I gave Sophie the electric whisks with the ganache smothered on them ...

And I think she loved it ;)

The iced cupcakes!!

Me dusting the cupcakes with icing sugar like my grandmother does :)  

Our Chocolate cupcakes on the tasting table at the competition 

 And we were just in time to watch the final episode of The Great British Bake Off 2016!! 

I have never heard such a silence ;)

The last challenge for the final three contestants was to bake a full picnic in 5 hours!! I am kinda glad I was watching them baking that, not actually doing the baking ;) haha. Maybe in the future I would like to challenge myself, but I am pretty happy right now baking two bakes a week with my flat mates!!!

The Baking Students xx