Celebratory Hippo Cupcakes {Blog Rename/ FINALLY got a domain Celebration Post!!}

I have FINALLY settled on a blog name I like enough to buy a domain for and so to celebrate I have made HIPPO CUPCAKES!

You would not believe the blummin' efforts I went to.

Seriously.

If you would like to see ten million photographs of said delights please continue reading, if you are just here for the recipe feel free to scroll straight to the bottom where the recipe is located.

Hungry Hippo Baking Blog, whilst I love it and its name is familiar and fuzzy now, is too cute and rather a mouthful. Hippopotamousse, however, rolls off the tongue - well at least I think it does! I didn't want 'blog' in the title because well duhhhh and 'hungryhippobaking' sounds rather like unfinished business to me.

I am switching my domain myself so if you are reading this but the address is still hhbb don't be too surprised, I have NO idea what I am doing but I am giving it my best shot!

Hannah and I discovered the cutest little marzipan mice in Betty's Tea Rooms and immediately fell in love with them, however, at £2.95 a pop they are a little out of our price range, plus there are only 4 shops to my knowledge none of which are in Liverpool where I will be heading back to on Saturday! (SO SO SO EXCITED) They are little sponge mice  filled with buttercream and covered in a thick layer of marzipan complete with ears and tail. The marzipan to sponge ratio is just delightful (obv 54653745x more marzipan than sponge, this is me you're talking to).

Oh crikey I have just realised this is ANOTHER almond post, it didn't click immediately because... the hippos are purple... true story, I promise no more for at least 5 posts.

Anyway I wanted to try and recreate those little rodents in hippo form. I added a few teaspoons of lemon juice to my sponge to offset the sweetness of the marzipan. If you don't fancy marzipan you could use 150 g ready rolled fondant icing instead in the exact same way.

Since this is a special occasion, I made sure my hippos were dressed smartly, although I am sure they would look equally as handsome in white.

On a practical note does anyone know if foodgawker links etc will be redirected? I'd hate for my blog to get lost in cyber space. Eeesh this computing lark est très difficile.

Would ya just look at their adorable little faces

They're almost too cute to maul to death in one's mouth... almost
Happy domain day to me!
hippopotamousse.com

Ingredients

These quantities make 4 large cupcakes, feel free to double up to make more (I wish I had!)

For the sponge

110 g white granulated sugar
110 g softened, unsalted butter
2 medium free-range eggs
2 tbsp milk (I used semi-skimmed)
110 g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tsp lemon juice

For the hippo

150 g marzipan
2 tsp apricot jam
Purple and/or black food colouring (I used Sugarflair paste food colouring in Grape Violet and Liquorice Black)
1/2 tsp icing sugar + enough water to make a very thick paste
Icing pen in black or brown

Directions

To make the cake 

• Pre heat the oven to 220 degrees C. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy then beat in the 2 eggs and the milk.
• Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix until incorporated then add the lemon juice.
• Spoon the mixture into 4 large bun cases and bake at 220 degrees C for 8 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 180 degrees C and bake for a further 7 - 9 minutes until the tops have turned golden brown. Baking at a high heat for the first 8 or so minutes encourages the buns to rise spectacularly, forming the domes that are crucial to your great big round hippopotamuses (is that the plural?)

To form the hippos

• Take 150 g marzipan and pour 3 drops of grey and 2 drops of purple food colouring onto it. Knead the colouring in, adding more if necessary. Split the marzipan into 4 equal lumps. Tear off a third of each of these 4 lumps and set the 4 smaller balls aside. From the bigger lumps take enough marzipan to form 2 small ears for each hippo. 
• Bring the 4 larger lumps back together and roll out the marzipan so it is about half a centimetre thick. Using a cookie cutter the same diameter (or larger) as the open face of your bun cases cut 4 circles out of the marzipan.
• Warm 2 tsp apricot jam and using a pastry brush cover the top of the cakes in the jam. Lay the circles of top of the jam.
• Next take the 4 smaller balls and mould them into snout shaped cylinders. Paint one of the longer sides and stick them on the marzipan covered cakes as shown in the photos.
• Mould the ears using a teaspoon handle to create the indent. The ears should only be about 1 cm squared. Dip the base of the ears in the apricot jam and stick them on the hippo, again as shown in the photographs. 
• To make the whites of the eyes, combine 1/2 a tsp of icing sugar with cold water added drop-wise until a thick paste is formed. Using a tiny palette knife or the handle of a teaspoon scoop out a small ball of icing and place it on the marzipan circle just above the snout. Wait for this to set completely before you draw on the pupils with an icing pen. 
• Using your trusty teaspoon handle engrave the hippos nostrils at the top of sides of the snout and its little smiley mouth (see the last photo for a clear picture of this).
• Voilà your hippo is complete! 
• Serve, share, eat and ENJOY! These will go down a treat at birthday parties, bake sales, animal themed events or with your pal that really really likes hippos!