Highlights from The Princess Party Cookbook, by Annabel Karmel.
Jewelled Cupcakes
Makes 10
Let your party girls create their own jewelled cupcakes with a swirl of icing and a variety of “gems”. You can cupcake wrappers and buy edible jewels at Squire’s Kitchen, www.squires-shop.com.
- 125g butter or margarine
- 150g caster sugar
- Half tsp lemon zest
- 2 eggs
- 150g plain flour
- Quarter tsp baking powder
Cream Cheese Icing
- 110g cream cheese (room temperature)
- 110g butter (room temperature)
- Half tsp vanilla
- 85g icing sugar
- Edible food colouring
Decoration
- Edible jewels
- Jelly beans in bright colours
- Jelly tots
- Jelly diamonds
- Smarties or M&M’s in bright colours
- Sugar diamonds (available from Squires Kitchen UK, Fancy Flours USA)
Pre heat the oven to 180C Fan 160C. Line a muffin tin with 10 paper cases. Cream the butter in an electric food mixer until soft. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy, then mix in the lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time and add a tablespoon of the flour with the second egg, beat continuously, then sift in the flour and baking powder. Divide the mixture between the paper cases and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch.
Remove from the oven and cool in the muffin tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Whilst the cupcakes are baking you can prepare the icing. Beat together the cream cheese and butter. Beat in the vanilla, then sift over the sugar and stir in until the sugar is combined, then beat for one minute until fluffy. Transfer to a bowl and set aside in the fridge whilst the cakes area baking . You can divide the icing into two and colour with a few drops of food colouring
Once the cakes are cold swirl some of the icing on top of the cakes and stick decorations into the icing. Allow to stand for around 30 minutes for the icing to set. Put cupcake wrappers around the cupcakes.
Party planning – the cakes can be made up to 1 month in advance and frozen in a plastic box. Defrost at room temperature for around 1 hour then ice as above.
Chocolate Malted Milkshake
Makes 2 large shakes (easily increased)
My deluxe shake has both chocolate and ice cream – using vanilla ice cream makes this a “black and white” shake (half chocolate and half vanilla) and using chocolate ice cream makes it a double chocolate shake. For chocolate milk, just stir half of the base mixture into a 150ml glass of milk (or hot milk for hot chocolate!).
Base
- 55g (2oz) dark chocolate, chopped
- 2 tbsp malted milk powder (Ovaltine)
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- 4 tbsp milk
Shake
- 200ml (7fl oz) milk
- 2 large scoops ice cream, vanilla or chocolate
Put the base ingredients into a small saucepan. Heat very gently, stirring constantly, until the chocolate has almost melted. Remove from the heat and continue to stir until the chocolate has fully melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.
Put the milk and ice cream in a blender and add the chocolate base. Whiz for about 1 minute, until frothy. Pour into tall glasses and serve with a straw.
I have used just chocolate but if you prefer you could use a Mars bar, as in the original party book, though omit the golden syrup. You could also increase the malt a bit if you like.
Party planning – the base can be made up to 2 days ahead. Refrigerate in a jam jar or covered container until needed.
Cinderella’s Coach Risotto
Makes 4 to 6 portions
Pumpkins can become wonderful things, like a beautiful coach for a princess or a delicious risotto for her supper. You could serve this in hollowed out mini pumpkins, the hollowed out base of a butternutsquash or a small squash with top removed and the flesh hollowed out.
- 1/2 medium butternut squash or wedge of pumpkin (250 g peeled weight )
- 30g (1oz) butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 225g (8oz) risotto rice (such as Arborio)
- 800 to 900ml hot vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp mascarpone
- 30g (1oz) grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley, optional, to serve
Peel and deseed the squash and cut into 3cm (1 1/4 in) chunks. Steam for 10-15 minutes, until tender. Cool slightly and puree until smooth. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan and sauté the onion for 5-6 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and rice and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes, until the rice is translucent around the edges.
Add 300ml of the stock and simmer, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes, or until the stock has been absorbed. Add a further 300ml stock and cook again, stirring frequently, for another 8-10 minutes, until the rice is almost tender (if you bite into a grain it will still be slightly chalky in the centre) and the stock has been absorbed. If the rice is still very under-cooked then add 100ml stock and continue to cook, as above, for a further 3-4 minutes.
Add the squash puree and 100ml stock and cook for 2-3 minutes, until thick. Stir in enough of the remaining stock to give a loose, but not runny, consistency then remove from the heat and stir in the mascarpone, Parmesan and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve in bowls with extra Parmesan and sprinkled with chopped parsley, if using.
Party planning – the puree can be made up to 1 month in advance and frozen in a resealable container. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently in a saucepan before using.
Princess And The Pea Cake
- 4 Madeira Cakes
- 6 tbsp strawberry jam
- 200g butter cream icing
- 4tbsp apricot jam
- 1kg white ready to roll regalice
- 500g pink ready to roll regalice (available from cake decoration shops) or use white icing and some pink food colouring
- Sugar flowers
- Sugar sprinkles
- Green food colour
- A doll about 18 cm in length
- Cake board or a tray approx 25 x 35cm
Cut the cakes in half lengthways and vertically. Spread jam thinly on one sides and butter cream on the top, then sandwich together. Sit the cakes on their sides on a board, side by side. Trim the tops level so that the cakes fit together snugly to form a rectangle approx 18 x 24cm.
Dust the work surface with icing sugar and roll out 500g ready to roll white icing to 28 x 34 cm. Warm 3tbsp of apricot jam in the microwave (or small saucepan) until runny and brush over the cakes. Cover the cakes with the white icing and trim away excess icing. Fold the four corners of icing to make it look like a folded sheet.
Use 50g of icing to make a pillow. Make a rectangle shape with a slight dent in a centre, and stretch out edges to make a frilled edges for a pillow. Place on the cake.
To make a duvet, dust the worksurface with icing sugar and roll out the remaining 450g of white icing to approx 24 x 28 cm, slightly thicker than the sheet. Also roll out the pink icing to roughly about 22 x 28 cm. Place the pink icing on a top of white icing, leaving 2cm on one side. Fold the 2 cm of white icing on a top on pink duvet.
Place the doll on a bed and cover with the pink duvet. Create drapes around the corner of the bed and trim away excess icing. Using the apricot jam and a small brush, attach the sugar flowers, spread the sugar sprinkles around the flowers
Use the remaining pink and white trimmings to make a pair of slippers and place on the cake board. Finally, using some drops of green food colour, make a small pea and tuck it under the mattress.
