Evil in cupcake form.

/ Lisa / 2 Comments

This has been sitting in my drafts for a while and obviously I’m going on a finishing spree of posts lately. Don’t be deceived by the cloud like appearance. These cupcakes are evil, pure evil because of the amount of sugar they have in them. They do taste amazing though. I devoured four by the end of the day.

Ingredients:

Coconut lemon curd cake: 125g butter, softened. 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind. 2/3 cup (150g) caster sugar. 2 eggs. 1/3 cup (80ml) milk. 3/4 cup (60g) desiccated coconut. 1 1/4 cups (185g) self-raising flour

Lemon curd: 4 egg yolks. 1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar. 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind. 1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice. 40g butter.

Coconut meringue: 4 egg whites. 1 cup (220g) caster sugar. 1 1/3 cups (95g) shredded coconut, chopped finely.

Instructions:

1. Make lemon curd. Combine ingredients in a small heatproof bowl over small saucepan of simmering water, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Cover tightly, refrigerate curd until cold.

2. Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Line 6-hole texas or 12-hole standard muffin pan with paper cases.

3. Beat butter, rind, sugar and eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.

4. Stir in milk and coconut, then sifted flour. Divide mixture among cases; smooth surface.

5. Bake large cakes about 25 minutes, small cakes about 20 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool. Increase oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced.

6. Cut a 2cm deep hole in the centre of each cake, fill with curd; discard cake tops [WHY!?]

7. Make coconut meringue: Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form; gradually add sugar beating until sugar dissolves. Fold in coconut. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain tube.

8. Pip meringue on top of each cake; place cakes on oven tray.

9. Bake in hot oven 5 minutes or until meringue is browned lightly.

Tips:

The recipe calls for coconut in the cake and in the meringue, but I made it without. Partly because there was none in the cupboard when I decided to make them and partly because coconut is such a weird ingredient.

With meringue you literally need to beat the shit out of it, and then some more. This is usually where people go wrong – they don’t beat the egg whites enough. Just so happens, this was the first time I have EVER tried to make meringue and I think I did a pretty damn good job. Except for the fact that after a day you could see the sugar coming out in the meringue – a tell-tale sign I did not beat the egg whites enough. My mother said you can test if it is done by rubbing some meringue between your fingers (DIRTY) to feel if the sugar is dissolved. If you can still feel crystals, beat that shit some more. This she tells me after I’ve already baked them and eaten two. Oh well.

With piping the meringue onto the cupcakes you don’t necessarily have to pipe it. I don’t have a piping bag so instead used a knife to spread it on. Bit more messy, but it gets the job done.

Don’t just throw away the left overs. Why would you? It’s good eating. You can perhaps make a cake of sorts. Grab a baking dish, layer the cut out bits of cupcake on the bottom, spread with left-over lemon curd and then spread left-over meringue over that and bake until golden. Of course, you could just eat the left-overs without doing this, like I did. Nom nom nom. But be warned: I felt sick for hours and no amount of Coke Zero made me feel better. And trust me. YOU WILL HAVE LEFT-OVERS.

Too taboo for you?

/ Lisa

blog011111_hanson

They’re not little kids anymore, it’s okay.

Hanson.

Yes. The band.

It makes many people cringe nowadays. But it also still manages to make some swoon (even though swoon is a recent term made popular by R-Patz.) They have a new single and eventually a new album one would assume? I take it that super band didn’t go so well then Taylor, or are you just trying to cash in on the fact people know who you are again?

Anyway. I’ve listened to and watched the video for the new single called “Thinking Bout Somethin”. And well gosh darn, if it isn’t good. Catchy even. At this point someone told me to go wash my mouth out and, admittedly, I almost did head for the soap. Because Hanson are supposed to be taboo right? They’re that ultimate guilty pleasure, but no one ever confesses to it because it is just too shameful. You will be shunned if you admit to liking them. Well, I already am a hermit in a hole of my own making, so it’s okay.

Oh, and by the way. They’ve grown up, which does wonders for how they look and sound.

Their myspace page has details, but thanks to my sister-from-another-mister she found the YouTube video, which is probably an easier watch because I had issues with the myspace player. The video is just as amazing as the song. One word came to mind: Hairspray. Not the original with Ricki Lake, but the remake with Zac Efron.

Month of massive gig madness. Mean.

/ Lisa

Paramore at Waitakere Trusts Stadium

In what happened to be one of the best months I have had in a long time. March was filled with numerous international acts. Unfortunately I was unable to get to all of them, with my restricted income. Namely that of The Pixies. Now of which I find out the gig they announced in Christchurch is the same day as 30 Seconds To Mars. And as I cannot be in two places at once (lets admit, that would be pretty fucking cool) I once again miss them. Because there ain’t no way this bitch is missing Jared Leto and his tight tight jeans.

Anyway, the month of March contained a whirl-wind trip to Auckland for Paramore. Then the following weekend of insane madness for Backstreet Boys, Cobra Starship and Lady Gaga.

Paramore: It was totally awesome to finally see these guys live. We’ve only been waiting, oh, four years or so. Their albums do not do them justice. They are a band. Bands need to play live. ‘Nuf said. They sold out the first Auckland venue on the first day of ticket sales. It was then announced they were to move to a second venue and another allocation of tickets were to be sold. These also sold out promptly. Of course there was also the Christchurch gig the next night, which I hear was just as awesome. They played the usual hit singles – Misery Business, Brick By Boring Brick, Crushcrushcrush… ya get the picture. Also was a throw back to their first album, All We Know Is Falling. The Jury and the Saints opened for them. Another stand up Kiwi band. I personally love their catch phrase: “When you find someone else who hates The Beatles, U2 and Coldplay just as much as you. Start a band with that person.” – That’s my type of band. So first gig of the madness run was successful.

Backstreet Boys - chair dance!

Backstreet Boys: Oh swoon. If you thought these guys were awesome back in the ’90s, nothing has changed. They managed the same level of singing and dancing at this concert, that I expect they were doing 10 years ago. Afterwards, my voice was worse for wear from all the childlike girlish screaming and my eardrums were bleeding from everybody else’s childlike girlish screaming. They played the favourites – Everybody, Backstreet’s Back, Larger Than Life… But they also played the new from their latest album This Is Us (most of which I didn’t know, because I haven’t listened to their new album. Shocking, I know.) Overall, a good night of girlish fun spent with my sisters-from-other-misters (you know who you are!)

Good girls go bad at Cobra Starship.

Cobra Starship ft. Owl City: What a combo. Owl City opened. They were pretty fucking awesome. With their mini string section and shiz. Total respect there. But the fun really started when Cobra took the stage. This was the second time I’d seen them play (the first was with Panic! back in 2008) and I think they got better. Their third album isn’t the best – it has it’s moments, but their stage presence has most definitely improved. And being in the Auckland Town Hall was amazing. It was such a weird place to have a gig like Cobra, but that is what made it awesome. The only downside was the floor. I would suspect it is a dance floor, which has the extra bounce put underneath to give dancers help with their jumps. Unfortunately when you fill the floor with a mosh pit of people, you get an experience like being double jumped on a tramp. Uncomfortable. Fun, yes, but uncomfortable.

Mz Gaga.

Lady Gaga: OHEMGEE. Semi Precious Weapons opened for Mz Gaga. Rather fitting as they are just as provocative as she is. The most amazing part of the entire concert were the costume changes. I think it was 16 in total. Her singing was amazing, the full stage setting was amazing and the fact I got almost within touching distance of her, made it magical. Her stage show and presence were nothing like I have ever seen before. If you ever get a chance to see her, it is a must. It will change your life forever. EVER.

And that wrapped up the end of the massive weekend/month of gig madness I have ever been to. Needless to say I was exhausted. I could barely move without aching. I was sleep deprived and my voice was fairly non-existent. But as I like to think, if you still have your voice the next day, you didn’t scream loud enough.

She’s got her inner fierceness down.

Mars is coming.

/ Lisa

I have this in poster form. It will now be adorned with a concert ticket.

It has finally happened. 30 Seconds to Mars are coming to New Zealand for one show only. I am so excited. Words on a page cannot show my excitement – just like you can’t read sarcasm in text. And I don’t like using exclamation marks because they are overused and ridiculous. This is a lie, but why would you trust me?

But I am not being sarcastic in this moment, contrary to my personality. 30 Seconds to Mars are one of my favourite bands. Their music is awesome, but yet a lot of people bag on them because they say Jared Leto is a douche. Well he’s not.

He’s dreamy.

And he’s coming to New Zealand. Swoon, girls, swoon. (Yes, I am one of those swooning girls.)

Pre-sales start tomorrow. I’m so there. If I don’t get one, someone’s going to die. Because it will mean I have to get up before 9am on Thursday to try to get one. Note: my wake up time is never before midday. If anyone asks, there is no nine in the morning. When someone mentions there is one, my reply usually is: “They make one of those in the morning too?” I’m allowed this liberty, because I’m unemployed. I blame the economic downturn, which has affected the journalistic job market. Others blame laziness. I’m okay with that.

In commemoration of 30 Seconds to Mars finally coming to New Zealand and the start of their ‘This Is War’ tour, I implore you to change profile pictures/avatars etc (whatever the fuck you want to call them), to the Triad, which you can find on my Twitter page:http://twitter.com/splatdevil, just click on mine (Note: This is my attempt to gain more followers, because it would be really easy to just insert a picture, but I don’t want to. Why should I when I can use this opportunity for personal gain? Don’t judge me.) I’ve also done it on Facebook, but that’s private. You can’t go there. Unless you’re a friend. And I’m selective of my friends. Deal with it.

What was the point of this post again?

Oh yeah, 30 Seconds to Mars. Their latest single is, in fact, This Is War, and the music video has been recorded and due out soonish. When it is, be sure to check back for my views on it. For now, you will have to settle for The Kill as the attached video, because there is a moment when Jared Leto is face-to-face with himself and the only words that ever come to mind then are “HOOK UP”. You’ll see. Just watch.

 

This is war. Are you ready?

Sunday cupcake fun.

/ Lisa

Just having a play around with some left-over icing-in-a-can. Came up with these delicious creations. Used a basic vanilla cupcake recipe and the icing is Wilton’s icing in a can/tube, which I originally found from Milly’s in Ponsonby, but you can probably find it in any baking/cooking shop – I have found it at Total Food Equipment in Napier.