Cappuccino Cupcakes for Steven

Steven is a beautiful friend of mine I miss every day. His presence in my world is testament that life can work in mysterious ways. Should he still be with us today would be his 30th Birthday – and what a day! There’s such beautiful sunshine here in Sydney inviting us into Spring.

We met a show five years ago and continued seeing shows together like the sweet indie kids we were at the time. Coincidentally we ended up working only doors away from each other so every second-or-so afternoon we would meet in a downstairs cafe, order two coffees and discuss the day’s events. To this day a cappuccino will always remind me of dear Captain Steve who is my inspiration to this lovely recipe – replicating this warming friendship via a warming beverage with warming cake . This will serve 12 lucky caffeine fiends.

Cappuccino Cupcakes for Steven

(an original recipe)

150 g butter (room temperature)

1 cup caster sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

2 shots (60 ml) espresso

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs dutch-process cocoa

Espresso Syrup

3 shots (90 ml) espresso

1/4 cup sugar

Vanilla Buttercream

100 g butter (room temperature)

2 cups icing sugar mixture

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbs milk

extra cocoa, for dusting

wafers, chocolate-covered coffee beans for decoration

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 12-cupcake pan with cupcake liners of your choosing.

2. In a bowl, beat butter for a few minutes until it begins to pale. Add sugar and eggs, one at a time. Beat until fluffy.

3. Add flour, espresso, milk, vanilla and cocoa and beat until combined and light.

4. Divide mixture between your cupcake liners – they should be around 3/4 full. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are springy to touch.

5. While the cupcakes are baking in a small saucepan combine your espresso and sugar. Allow to boil and leave on medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes without stirring until the mixture thickens to a syrup. Be wary of leaving it too long or it will become toffee.

6. As soon as your cupcakes are removed from the oven lightly prick them a few times with a fork and spoon your espresso syrups over the tops. This will take a few scoops as you must allow the syrup to slowly seep into the cake before the next. Allow to cool.

7. To prepare the vanilla buttercream beat the butter and icing sugar until just beginning to combine. Add the vanilla and slowly add milk until you reach the desired texture.

8. To assemble: prepare a piping bag and carefully ice your cupcakes. There’s no need to apply too much as the cupcakes are already quite sweet; we want to create a nice base to replicate the froth of a cappuccino. Lightly dust with additional cocoa and adorn with wafers or any other relevant candies of your choosing.

Life is precious and I’m so sorry I couldn’t make these for him sooner. Happy Birthday, my wonderful friend! We miss you.