Homemade Butter in 5 minutes

I kid you not. Your Thermomix will whip up a batch of fresh, delicious butter with no extra chemicals, preservatives or nasties of any kind, in around 5 minutes.




There's absolutely NO wooden churning, wearing of silly bonnets or suffering aching arms involved - I promise! Just a couple of buttons to press. Here's how:


INGREDIENTS

• 500 - 600g fresh cream, chilled (not thickened, minimum fat content 35%)

METHOD

• Place butterfly into TM bowl
• Add cream and blend for 1 - 3 minutes (depends on freshness of cream) on speed 4 until separated
• Once separated, strain the buttermilk carefully and remove butterfly
• Place 500g of cold water into TM bowl and mix for 5 - 10 seconds on speed 4
• Strain and repeat last step
• Strain liquid again through basket and you are left with your butter

TIPS

• Butter will last around 2 weeks in the fridge
• Add oil and mix to keep it softer when refrigerated
• The leftover buttermilk can be used to make scones, bread or in drinks
• Once butter is ready you can add flavours - herbs, salt, olive oil - and mix for 30 seconds on speed 4. I sampled some made with truffle oil last week and it was utterly divine!

*Recipe taken from Thermomix Every Day Cooking cookbook*

Lemon cupcakes with creamy vanilla frosting

This was one of the first recipes I tried out when I got my Thermomix, and it was a raging success! I honestly think these are the best cupcakes I've ever eaten.

Major thanks must go to member "I Love Bimby" from the Thermomix forums for sharing this amazing recipe (from a previous TM calendar) which I now share with you!

Cupcake ingredients:

250g sugar
Zest 1 lemon
150g unsalted butter
200g self raising flour
2 eggs
50g milk
Juice 1/2 lemon stirred into milk
Lemon Butter from the Every Day Cookbook

Method

• Preheat oven to 160C (I believe TM HQ use a fan forced oven, so this should help the FF vs Normal debate ~ hopefully). Prepare muffin tin with paper liners. Place sugar and zest into TM bowl and pulverise for 10-15 seconds on speed 9.
• Add butter and chop for 5-10 seconds on speed 7. Scrape down sides of bowl and insert Butterfly. Cream mix for 1 minute on speed 4.
• Add half the flour and continue to beat on speed 4. Reduce to speepd 2 and drop eggs through lid onto rotating blades one at a time.
• Add remaining flour and milk combined with lemon juice.
• Mix a further 20 seconds on speed 4. Scrape down sides of bowl if necessary and beat another 20 seconds. Drop generous tablespop of mixture into each cupcake liner. Using a teaspoon dolop a small amount of Lemon Butter on top of cupcake. Cover with additional mixture. DO NOT OVERFILL. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Makes approx 20 cupcakes

Creamy Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients
35g plain flour
200g whole milk
150g sugar
200g unsalted butter
35g natural vanilla extract

Frosting Method

• Place flour and milk into TM bowl and blend for 5 seconds on speed 6. Cook for 15 minutes at 80C on speed 4. Pour into bowl, cover with plastic wrap, pushing plastic down onto surface of mixture.
• Cool completely.
• In clean TM bowl add sugar and pulverise for 15 seconds on speed 9. Add butter and chop for 5-10 seconds on speed 7. Insert Butterfly and aerate butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes on speed 3 with MC off to allow air into the bowl. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Add vanilla and beat for 6 seconds on speed 4. Add cooked milk mixture and continue to beat for around 2-3 minutes on speed 3 until very smooth and white. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes (NO LONGER, NO LESS!) Use immediately.