A Trip In Wonderland

I recently made red velvet cupcakes for my lovely friend Thrya’s Alice in Wonderland themed Birthday party! We all met at Sketch; a fittingly psychedelic center for food, art and music. I placed them in a nice decorative box and surprised her with them. They got devoured in a instant! Here are a few snapshots of the evening:

My husband the Mad Hatter, I was the WHITE Queen of Hearts, the beautiful Mad Hatter birthday girl, and a lovely Rabbit!

The birthday girl!

Alice

This is a room in Sketch… can you guess which room?

To get baking here’s what you’ll need:

For the cupcakes (24 cupcakes)

2 cups of cake flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup softened margarine
2 eggs
4 tablespoons red food coloring- you may choose it to be tartrazine free
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (1 cup milk and 1 teaspoon of white vinegar, let sit 10 minutes)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 cup sour cream

For the cream cheese frosting

1/2 cup of butter at room temperature
1 package of philadelphia cream cheese (8 oz.)
3 cups of sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

To get the Alice in Wonderland theme:

1 bag of sugar letters
1 red icing food piping tube

Preheat oven to 4G/350F/180c. Put a dab of butter in each muffin cup and put in the oven for 5 minutes till melted. Make sure you spread evenly around the muffin cup and then line the muffin cups with cupcake liners. Let sit till ready to add the mixture.

In a mixer or food processor, cream the butter and sugar on high for about 1-2 minutes till light and fluffy. Add 1 egg at a time continuously beating

In a separate bowl mix together all the dry ingredients: cocoa, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda

In another bowl mix together liquid ingredients: red food coloring, buttermilk, vanilla extract and vinegar

Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mix, alternating with the liquid mixture, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Continue to beat on medium until the mixture is fully combined. Now mix in the sour cream and continue beating for about 1 minute.

Now spoon into the muffin cup to about 3/4 full

Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes. To check their readiness, stick a tooth pick through the center and if it comes out clean then they are ready

Preparing the cream cheese frosting:

First, cream the butter and cream cheese together for about 2 minutes, scraping the sides to ensure all is incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and sugar and mix well for 2 minutes. Now pipe onto the cooled cupcakes.

Take half the cupcakes and gently place the “eat me” sugar letters onto the cream cheese frosting. With the other half, in one go, pipe a rectangle. Now also in one go, draw a small heart inside

And VOILA!

Signature here.

Share and Enjoy:

(10.00)

Loading ...

Enjoyed this post? Suscribe to my RSS feeds!

Posted in: Alice in Wonderland, Red Velvet Cupcakes

11 Responses to “A Trip In Wonderland”

Manggy

05. Nov, 2008

Ah, Alice in Wonderland– I’ve no doubt the “Eat Me” cupcakes are sure to make the eater bigger! Ha ha ha. Well done! They look delicious!
jo-c

05. Nov, 2008

u are so creative!!! looks soooooo good
Joy @ Joy Of Dessert

10. Nov, 2008

How fun! Sounds like it was a lovely party with delicious food … and CUPCAKES!! They are all the rage these days.

Thank you for letting me know that you are one of my regular readers. Feel free to comment often. If you bake pies, I hope you will be participating in the pie and tart roundup on Nov. 14th! You’re invited.

I’ll be visiting again.
Bethany

10. Nov, 2008

Very cool party, looks like you had tons of fun. It was nice of you to make cupcakes, especially “eat me” and card cupcakes.
DirtyKitchenSecret

10. Nov, 2008

Mangy- Thank you! They worked their magic
Jo-C- Thank you x
Joy- Yes they are and I can see why… they are so much fun to make Thanks for stopping by and I would love to participate
Bethany- It was a very special night!
Jescel

11. Nov, 2008

creative and pretty… just like you! can you believe that i’ve only eaten red velvet cupcakes just once, i think.. somehow, the pink/fuschia stuff doesn’t attract me.. but i think i’m gonna change my mind soon. ;o)
yasmeen

11. Nov, 2008

Looks like you and your buddies had a wonderful party!. Decadent and creamy cupcakes:)
betakd

12. Nov, 2008

Jescel- Thank you for your kind words. Yes I thought they were a bit strange at first but once you bite you can’t stop… they are delish
Yasmeen- Yes decadent and creamy indeed! Thank you for your comment
Sydney

13. Nov, 2008

What a cute idea for the cupcakes!
eating&reading 16th Nov 08: I’ve got food on my mind. — London Eater

16. Nov, 2008

[...] Dirty kitchen secrets Hey i’m not chef, my skills in the kitchen aren’t anything to crow about, but here’s some nice red velvet cupcakes for you to try on a cold weekend. [...]
jo-c

18. Nov, 2008

Hey! Big congrats for ur listing in the London Eater that’s just fab

"I'm tickled pink to have you here & I'd love to hear from you! So, drop me a note, exchange your secrets or just have a nibble x"

Mad About Chickpeas-Hummus B’ Lahme

Signature goes here...

Share and Enjoy:

(10.00)

Loading ...

Enjoyed this post? Suscribe to my RSS feeds!

Posted in: chickpeas, hummus, hummus awarma, hummus b lahme, hummus b tahini, minced lamb, olive oil, tahini

39 Responses to “Mad About Chickpeas-Hummus B’ Lahme”

Chris Bourne

12. Jan, 2010

Well all i can say is the wind in this part of the world has increased tenfold!….but its worth it. Lovin’ this
Sarah, Maison Cupcake

12. Jan, 2010

I love proper hummus and I love minced lamb too so the combination of them together is a real winner in my book.
Kerrin @ MyKugelhopf

12. Jan, 2010

I am so with you B ! I absolutely love chick peas, and always find myself adding them to any dish when possible, my latest was in a frittata with caramelized onions, mmm ! And hummus with lots of tahini is my fave. Love this post, makes me love chick peas even more. Can’t wait to try your recipe.

Do you make your own Arabic bread to serve with? Would love to see that recipe too… Beautiful pics by the way, as always !
Mustapha

12. Jan, 2010

Mmm.. This is one of my favorite breakfast meals! (yes breakfast), Of course, one shouldn’t forget the pickles, mint & Tomatoes on the side!
Bethany

12. Jan, 2010

Agreed. I’ve had it for breakfast…it is the ultimate!
Mowie @ Mowielicious

12. Jan, 2010

This is my ultimate favourite Lebanese dish. I could eat it all day and all night.

Having said that, I’ve never had it for breakfast!
Jamie

12. Jan, 2010

Oooh both chick peas and lamb? My absolute favorites and this dish looks so extraordinarily delish! Love it! Breakfast? Really? Interesting, but I see that I could eat this anytime, anywhere!

Congrats on the new blog! Wow! Truly dynamic you are!
shayma

12. Jan, 2010

huge huge fan of humus b’lahme. it’s not easy to photograph white foods, your photos came out lovely. i also like humus the way an egyptian friend has taught me- chickpeas, olive oil and a dash of cumin powder. sometimes the tahineh is too strong for me (only sometimes!) best wishes, shayma
Bethany

12. Jan, 2010

Hi Shayma and thanks for your lovely comment If the chicpeas are left chunky then I believe you are talking about this one http://www.dirtykitchensecrets.com/mad-about-chickpeas-hummus-balila/ I do love that version as well…
Jeanne @ Cooksister

12. Jan, 2010

Ooooh – I think I’m in love! Chickpeas are fantastically versatile ( I also serve thm instead of mashed potato – mashed with some slow-cooked sliced onions in lots of olive oil with amoky paprika). I like the etymology lesson too – I’m a sucker for words
Cherine

12. Jan, 2010

I’m mad about chickpeas too. Love the photos, they’re so appetizing!! Congrats on the new blog. I’ll take a peek at it.
Trissa

12. Jan, 2010

Congratulations on your new blog! I’ll head over to check it soon. In the meantime thanks for sharing the information on hummus! Who would have thought a chickpea could be so interesting. You managed to pull it off!
Asha@FSK

12. Jan, 2010

Sighhh.. if this isn’t comfort food, I don’t know what is!! Add to that, home cured lamb… you lucky lucky thing ) Does your dad sell them by any chance??
Kitchen Butterfly

12. Jan, 2010

You know what I’ll be making next as I have a huge bottle of Tahini, a rather large tin of chickpeas and some pomegranate molasses……Thanks for the inspiration!

Congrats on the Nomad Telegraph……………it looks gorgeous. Wow!!!!!!!!
Miranda

12. Jan, 2010

mmh…this looks incredible. i would love some of that about now!
Happy Cook

12. Jan, 2010

My daughter love chickpea too. When she was little she used to cakk them indian balls It is a really unique way of serving them with the meat.
Global Patriot

12. Jan, 2010

Beautiful dish, though I was expecting the savory lamb to stand on its own. What a surprise to see the pomegranate molasses on the list of ingredients, fabulous twist!
The Cooking Ninja

12. Jan, 2010

mmm…I love chick peas too. That dish is delicious.

Congrats on your new blog.
Maunika

12. Jan, 2010

Beth love hummus loads. I cud eat it with anything. Never tried it like this with minced lamb but have had it with diced lamb in restaurants. I definitely going to make this one. Your recipe looks really good.
Sarka

12. Jan, 2010

I don’t know if I love chickpea but I definitely like it! I bought a glass of tahini couple of months ago to make hummus (aka hummus b’ tahini) at home but never did it. Now you inspired me to try it.
Congrats of your new blog – wonderful!
Cynthia

12. Jan, 2010

I’m with you – a serious lover of chickpeas.

Hey, did you hear that feature on the BBC about the “row” over whose hummus is the best – Lebanese or Israeli?
Ben

13. Jan, 2010

Very nice post! I must admit that I don’t know much about hummus, other than eating them once or twice at parties, but I really want to make something with them now.
Bethany

13. Jan, 2010

Hey Cynthia! Yes I did and I’ve actually been thinking about writing up a post on my thoughts on the whole thing…I think I will now.
Katherine

13. Jan, 2010

I like chickpeas too. What a great combination, chickpeas, pinenuts and lamb mince. Now I’m hungry.
shayma

13. Jan, 2010

hi beth, the recipe from your link is very nice- but different than the one i am referring to. the hummus w/o tahineh she taught me involves whizzing the chickpeas and adding lemon, salt and cumin powder, that’s all. in fact claudia roden has the simple decription/recipe for it in her book, The New Book of Middle Eastern Food. x shayma
The Grubworm

13. Jan, 2010

Oh my word, i am in Hummus heaven! Hummus is one of those things i can eat over and over again, and there is nothing like the home made stuff. I’m excited by the recipe for Hummus B’Lahme – the combination of lamb and pinenuts works so well. Those photos are great too.
meeta

13. Jan, 2010

i love chickpeas too in almost any form and especially served with tahini! this with the meat looks great too and i can’t wait to get to dubai to start eating this stuff!
Su-yin

13. Jan, 2010

This looks fabulous – I love pine nuts as well and I think it’s brilliant that you’ve added this to the hummus. And you have meat in it as well, could it get any better?
deeba

13. Jan, 2010

I adore the ‘cast of characters’…you have me craving for some right now Beth! I love your foodie adventures! YUM!!
Bethany

13. Jan, 2010

Shayma- sent ya an email x
Grubworm- AMEN!
Su-yin: it’s diiiiiivine!
Deeba: I wanna hold youuuur haaaaand! XX
Bethany

14. Jan, 2010

I’m bringing you some this weekend
Barbara Bakes

14. Jan, 2010

The pine nuts sound like a great addition. I really need to get more brave about using chickpeas. This looks delicious!
tasteofbeirut

15. Jan, 2010

I too love hummos and sizzling pieces of fatty lamb! Yum! Your photos are splendid!
Chris Bourne

15. Jan, 2010

Need your food need your food!
Manggy

18. Jan, 2010

I went to an all-hummus restaurant in NY a few months ago and I absolutely loved it! This looks fantastic!
Ladybird

19. Jan, 2010

Hummus rocks! And it is sooo good for you, always a bonus
Kate/Kajal

19. Jan, 2010

I can see myself wiping this dish clean. I am a huge fan of Lebanese/Arabic food, and this is absolutely delcious ! The the kinda stuff that i love ! Awesome post, gr8 pictures I’m loving it !!!
diva

19. Jan, 2010

oh beth! ME TOO!! mad about chickpeas. i used to eat em outta the can just like that. lol.
beautiful houmous. i like having houmous wraps or sandwiches. so yummy!
barbara

08. Feb, 2010

I’m on a chick pea love fest at the moment. Too. I’ve been making a similar dish with pork mince served with rice. The lamb version sounds delicious.

Dirty Kitchen Secrets