Muffins vs Cupcakes

Muffins tend to be a mix of cake batter and bread batter. They have a more bread like texture and a cake like taste. Cupcakes are single servings of cake, as bakers know, cakes are dainty little things, they are whimsical and tend to make you groan out if you see a dimple appearing in the middle of the cake. Thus my fear was very real when I began mixing the batter.

This by the way is the best Description I have heard so far ‘”If you throw a cupcake against a wall you get a sound like “pouf”; if you throw a muffin against a wall you get a sound like “thud”!

Almost all bakers would lie if they declared they didn’t have a disastrous day of baking at least once in their life. I know I have my days. Those are days I love since I end up learning so much about ingredients, temperature, time management and such. Everything matters when baking, too much or too little doesn’t bode well for you. If possible, invest in proper measuring cups and spoons.

Ah so lets get back to my first attempt at baking cupcakes. Since I was working from home, usually the kitchen was the last place to end up in. Then this urge to bake these masala chai cupcakes popped up, it was this pestering need to bite into them again. We were having a few friends over for dinner that evening and while gritting my teeth decided to attempt this new challenge, since most of the people coming knew I’m not a whizz in the kitchen, I figured they’d understand if the dessert was a bit of a mess.

Getting everything precisely correct, measurements, ingredients, oven temperature and of course my heart rate, I started the process, got my cupcake papers all set up, mixed everything and put it in the oven.

For 20 minutes or so I had a peek every 5 seconds to see if they turned out ok, and as they rose slowly, I felt an angel and harp nudging me. The house smelt divine and finally out they came, soft, golden fluffy cakes. Yup you guessed it theangel and harp. (as you can tell I have a vivid imagination).

As they cooled I made the perfect accompaniment, buttery cinnamon frosting. Just then my boss who dropped by, for meetings showed up. The cupcakes having cooled enough, I offered him one, and got a thumbs up.

Masala Chai cupcakes

That evening was a success, and my family and friends enjoyed them and had a wonderful time.

They are now a favourite of mine to make for special occasions. Actually I just need an excuse to make them.

Ah Bliss…

It’s been an eventful one for everyone, be it personal, professional, politically or culinary. In my case the biggest deal was baking. I thank my lucky stars everyday for letting me do something I enjoy.

I keep wanting to make a few new dishes and I probably will this coming year. Cookies are a great way to give gifts to friends and family and themes are obviously very popular right now, so over the next few days, depending on when I get around to shopping, I shall make cookies to celebrate the beautiful and chaotic beginning to 2012.

I also want to say thank you to many of you, for opportunities given, encouragement sent and support passed on. It’s been appreciated more then you know.

I do have some great ideas for cupcakes and cookies, all wonderfully themed and very very cute. Photos will be uploaded as soon as possible.

Christmas time was fun for us, spent time with the family and since it was crazy half’s birthday, was full of celebrations and hangovers. New year’s eve repeated the pattern and lets just say this year begins in an awesomely healthy way.

As we begin the election year, remember we are all one nation, our decisions and choices do make a difference. Lets pray for a better future and an awesome year filled with hope, love, joy and togetherness. Kenya is us and we are Kenya..

Also remember when you feel stressed out or just need a pick me up, bite into a cupcake or a cookie. It’ll cheer you up immensely…

Christmas Cupcakes

For a quick whipping up, you need:

• 2 eggs,
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup milk,
• 1/2 teaspoon of dry, ground ginger,
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 250g cake mix

Whisk the ingredients in a bowl, and pour into a baking tray.
Bake as per the instructions on the cake mix box. Yeah, I was too lazy to mix my own ingredients.

Ps: Cup refers to a teacup, not a mug.

Enjoy! Needless to say, my New Year Resolution to lose weight has gone out the window….

Muthoni,

Happy New Year! I hope this year has started on a great note. I have awesome news. I have a niece named C_______,10 years,so I told her that I have a meal that almost sounds like her name… Mango Chutney! They went to Malindi over the holidays,she called and asked me to send the recipe. She made it and it wowed the whole family,I’m taking from grandma to uncles and aunties and cousins. I was sooooo excited! It would not have been possible without your sharing heart. I’d like to thank you so much.
May your year be fully blessed!
Regards,
Jay

Luke 12:19 New King James Version (NKJV) 

And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”

And this we did….! The grounds in Tigoni are surrounded by tea farms.  Ms. Naomi Mutua and family where gracious enough to open their doors to us.

I know for me this was a good chance to be in the good outdoors and have a good laugh.  What stood out for me these past cook outs, you can never have enough of them…friendships are things people live for.

I met some wonderful women this year Nonie and Naomi and my camera simply fell in love with Nanjira.  Notice how all these names start with N.

I met Pastor Wa and his gorgeous family…amazing daughter whose confidence is inspired by both parents. I truly look forward to 2012…!

If you ever want to have a good laugh ensure you have Wamathai, Zack and Muendo in the same room.

But I saw chemistry in some folks I was certain they were made for the camera Sarah, Ivory et al bisous…! Vincent, we missed you! Mwirigi it is criminal for you not to be in the presence of people who love you and cannot stop talking about you.

James and Kevin we will click away together we will make everything beautiful.

I cannot emphasis this any more…take it ease this year, drink and make merry.

2011 ended in style!

Pure Komachi Range of Knives

The way to this girl’s heart is most definitely through the kitchen. These are a fantastic, eye-catching set for any kitchen enthusiast.

Pure Komachi

The brilliant monochromatic colors on the series serve dual purposes: color-coding makes it easy to choose the right knife for the job and it helps guard against cross-contaminating food. The bold blade color is achieved by bonding food-safe FDA-approved resin to high-carbon stainless-steel blades.

I got magazines and a gorgeous dress too

ION I’m making Samosas for a dinner that my grams is having tonight in honor of my aunty (the knife giver) and her boyfriend. A full on post on that, this is my first time making them

Sneak Peek of Nonie's Samosas

There was a good turn out….we believe we can cook for more than 20 and even think of bigger menus and outdoor venue!  Next year is going to be a good year! More food and more people to feed.

We also had the chance of meeting 3 generations of fabulous women…Nonie’s grandma, Nonie’s Mom and Nonie herself…and I can testify that these women behold a beauty that has been passed down from generation to generation.  To be hosted with such open arms and with such genuineness is beyond what we have experienced in a while.

So we got cooking…we had a simple menu yet we wanted people to experience complexity in their mouths through the flavours in the foods we cooked.  We had a curry flavoured grilled beef with some tasty spiced rice prepared by Nonie and Lulu respectively.  I worked on some baked potato and arrowroot on a bed of rosemary leaves.  The kitchen was just alive with flavours….nyummy!   I also prepared a medley of vegetables ranging from spinach, pumpkin leaves, mchica (traditional greens) and sukuma wiki (Kale) cooked in home-made cream and the desert was sinfully delicious – ripe bananas coated with chocolate sauce that won hearts of all.

But what would a good meal be without good wine to accompany it…people came with all ranges of white and red wine like Malan Cabernet Sauvignon, Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon, Angaro Chardonnay and Mamma Mia Sauvignon Blanc.  There was also some Castle brandy and King Robert vodka that Nonie made a punch out of.

People met people they’d only read about.  People laughed.  People ate and drunk. People danced.  It was a surreal day for one Nonie but it was real for everyone who was there! It was a wonderful event and I recommend we do it again and again and again.

But the take out of for me from this 1st cook out is that it is possible to cook, eat and laugh together.  Love your friends.  Pray together and never stop eating together because Mondays are made lovely when you have those you love around you.

Enjoy the Photos Courtesy of Cous Cous using a Samsung NX10 18-55mm!

Cake Mix

We have a wonderful relative (let’s call her dancing queen), in the UK who tends to bake as well, and she is really good at it too. She decided to treat us, by sending down a whole bunch of goodies over with a friend of hers who was travelling.

She asked us our favourites and as always, anything to do with nutella caught crazy half’s eye. She makes these divine muffins with a hint of nutella in them. As for me I decided to try something I had never heard of before, masala chai cupcakes, sounds mouth watering huh? Though not a fan of drinking tea, these sweet spicy concoctions just seemed perfect with a glass of milk.

They were sent down with a friend of hers who was kind enough to deliver them to us (and they didn’t even know us), between their travelling time and tight schedule, they didn’t get to us as fast as we would have wanted, I mean who can wait for baked goodies that you know are heading your way right? Finally they arrived, packed neatly and once unwrapped we both took one bite of our respective baked goodies.. The masala chai cupcakes were a burst of sweet, with just a hint of each spice. From crazy halves face I assume his nutella ones were equally satisfying.

Ah the pleasures of being married, while he jealously guarded his nutella muffins, I scoffed down a few cupcakes. I snuck away one of his muffins while he wasn’t looking and ecstatic is the correct way to describe the nutella flavor, not overwhelmingly sweet, just a perfect amount of hazelnut rolling around on the tongue (my mouths watering as I type this). But sadly I got the only one I managed to nick. So I resolved to end the strife by attempting this slightly harder recipe. Just so I could have another bite of that delicious muffin.

After my cookie baking disaster, cupcakes was a leap ahead, I mean if you can’t get cookies right… So I decided to attempt the muffins first, safe territory, just a few more twists to it.

Gritting my teeth, putting on some music to make me concentrate (read as dance) and gathering all my ingredients, I started the process of baking…

An hour later, covered in flour, licking a spoon of nutella and glancing at the clock every five seconds, they finally emerged. (Que – angels, harps and the rest of the shenanigans that happen). Success!!!!! and they smelt divine. Holding myself back was a test of wills, well at least until they cooled down slightly. A glass of cold milk, and these I had all to myself as crazy half was busy watching his weight.

Nutella Muffins

The first bite was….. something I recommend you have to try once in your lifetime, you might never stop eating these.

The question is how the cupcakes turned out… stay tuned for more baking mishaps, success stories and not forgetting the angels.

As always if you have any queries or suggestions, you can leave a comment or else email me on bakestress.nairobi@gmail.com

follow me on twitter @BakestressNbi

The creme de la creme of Kenyan bars and restaurants are competing in a ‘People’s Choice’and Judges category for the ultimate prize in awesomeness. You can vote for your favorite here.

Being called the ‘Oscars of the Nairobi Food World’ this year’s event will be an exceptional evening of fine food, great drink and unique entertainment.

Highlights of the awards night include; Host of the night, Fareed Khimani, live performance art by Tandawazi and DJ Cortega.

As metioned I had a couple of questions for the team and here’s what Shreya had to say:

Nonie: What makes the Kenyan eating experience unique? You mention cities such as NY, whose cosmopolitan diversity is not only unique but can possibly touch on a majority of global tastes. What is it about ours that people can look forward to on traveling here, or as locals can explore?   

Shreya: Nairobi as a city is exceptionally cosmopolitan. We have a great blend of cultures and ethnicities. With that comes great food from all these cultures be it African – Kenyan, Eritrean or Ethiopian to Indian, Japanese even Steak House. We have it all. What makes us equally unique is that our local produce is wholesome, fresh and full of great taste – all the essentials to make the perfect meal. Travellers rave about the good food in Nairobi and this is our way to acknowledge and champion that.

Nonie: Will there be a magazine or place where people can go to see reviews, as well as a comprehensive breakdown of the restaurants and bars shortlisted? Do we also get to see the reasons for the winners success?

Shreya: Yes, the event will be covered by a number of media houses and a list of winners will be featured.

Nonie: Are there any tickets available, and if so for how much?

Shreya: Sadly tickets are currently over-subscribed and are pretty much sold out, they were 3500Ksh

Nonie: Sad.. But can we at least look forward to this being an annual event?

Shreya: Yes, the Taste Awards are an annual event.

Nonie: Do you think there is a signature Kenyan dish?

Shreya: I don’t think we can really define a single dish as signature. We are a country of many cultures and preferences and this influences our palate. We find this comes through in the style of cooking, the flavors or even the serving style. The only question that remains is, what’s your personal preference?

So for the lucky who managed to snag tickets, your tastebuds will be singing with joy this December 1st at the Tribe, Nairobi. If not, look forward to the event next year and you can follow the website for news.

I realized a long time ago my forte, so as to speak, has never been in making food out of ingredients found in the fridge. That’s the crazy half’s speciality. Mine has been in planning for hours, agonizing over precise ingredients and making everything from scratch – slaving away for hours to make the perfect meal.

Now you can imagine the days when I’m clueless as to what to make, thank God I found a man that can cook, and who will ask me to not worry and whip something up in 10 minutes; and it always tastes soooo good. I’m envious of such souls.

Then again, one day I decided to try my hand at baking. Have you seen the scene in movies where angels play the harp and there is a glow to everything? Yup that’s what happened to me. Ok I will admit the first time I tried baking, it was a disaster. By disaster I mean a gooey chocolatey mess, which however did taste good.

I invested in measuring cups, rolled up my sleeves and did a simple recipe with perfect measurements, in the end the angels sang, and to be honest, it was the best feeling in the world.

Measuring Cups

I started off with baking muffins as they are not time consuming and I can bake them in the morning for breakfast and they are so divine.

Banana Muffins

Muffins can be healthy or decadent. I usually go for decadent as I believe baked goods should be enjoyed. One of these fine days I shall try a whole grain muffin and see how that goes.

Chocolate Orange Muffins

For now send me your baking queries and I shall try my best to help you out as much as I can from the little I know.Anyone wanting to share their tips and tricks is most welcome to do so.