Category Archives: Cupcakes

Boston Cream-ish Cupcakes

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Two more days before I can return to golfing! This forced time off is not helping my health.

I wanted to improve the cake in the Lady Baltimore cupcakes I am making for a friends birthday tbis weekend, but was not a fan of the traditional filling and frosting. Today I re-made the cake (3rd time is a charm) but filled the cupcake with creme patisserie and frosted them with my favorite chocolate frosting, topped with a white chocolate curl.

This modification of the cake recipe was excellent and what could be wrong with the rest?

Boston Cream-ish Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes:
• 171 g (1½ c) cake flour
• 150 g (¾ c) sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp of salt
• 84 g ( 6 Tbl) unsalted RT butter, cut into small pieces
• 90 g (3) egg whites
• 113 g (½ c) whole milk
• 2 Tbl KAB Bread and Cake Enhancer
• 1 Tbl sour cream
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla
• Optional: 1 Tbl vanilla pudding mix OR
• Optional: 1 Tbl vegetable oil
Frosting
• 62 g (3 Tbl) butter
• 63 g (¾ c) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 312 g (2⅔ c) confectioners’ sugar
• ⅓ c milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Crème Patisserie
• ¾ c 2% milk + 2 Tbl heavy cream
• 2 (40g) egg yolks
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 Tbl corn starch
• Pinch salt
• 1 Tbl butter
• ½ tsp vanilla

METHOD

  1. Heat an oven to 350⁰ F. Line 12 wells of a muffin pan with paper liners and set the pan aside.
  2. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
  3. Add the butter and mix by hand with a Danish whisk until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 5 minutes.If necessary use you hands to break up butter balls as if you were making pastry.
  4. Mix the egg whites, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl, then pour it into the mixer bowl.
  5. Beat vigorously with a Danish whisk for 5 minutes until the batter is creamy and homogeneous. (Makes 2 c batter)
  6. Evenly distribute the batter among the lined muffin tins (50g/tin) and bake until the edge of the cupcakes are light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, 14-16 minutes.
  7. Set the pan on a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove them from the pan and let them completely cool on the rack.
  8. Use an apple corer to to cut a cylinder out of the top of the cupcake. Slice the removed cylinder so that you have a ¼” thick disk of cake. Reserve the disk and discard (or eat) the rest of the cylinder.

    Frosting
  9. Cream butter until light and fluffy.
  10. Stir in the cocoa and confectioners’ sugar alternately with the milk and vanilla.
  11. Beat and add additional milk to achieve a spreading or piping consistency

    Crème Patisserie
  12. Whisk eggs and milk together and add to all other ingredients (except vanilla) to a medium saucepan.
  13. Bring to boil whisking constantly
  14. Cook until thickened (it will look lumpy, its ok)
  15. Vigorously whisk mixture, add vanilla, and vigorously whisk thoroughly
  16. When incorporated, cover with plastic directly on the crème patisserie and cool about an hour.
  17. Alternatively, slide the piping tip you would use to fill the pâte à choux into the piping bag but don’t cut off the tip. Spoon the hot batter directly into the piping bag with sealed end.
  18. When the crème patisserie is cool, cut the tip off, force the bag around the piping tip and squeeze the crème pat to fill the end.
  19. Pipe crème patisserie into each cylinder. Place a reserved cake disk on top of the filling and press down on it to seal the cupcake.
  20. Frost the cupcakes with the chocolate frosting.

For Flavored Cream Patisserie with Liqueur
Replace vanilla with 3 Tbl banana liqueur or an other flavored liqueu

Is This The Train to Baltimore M’Lady?

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I don’t bake for hire. It’s a hobby for me. But, when a once-neighbor asked me to make Lady Baltimore cupcakes as a surprise for his wife’s birthday (they were one of her favorites but not available near here) I was intrigued. I told him I don’t bake for “hire” but as I had never heard of Lady Baltimore cupcakes I couldn’t resist.

Lady Baltimore cake (or cupcakes in this case) is a light, delicate white cake, hollowed out and filled with a mixture of slivered almond flakes, raisins and figs bound with Italian meringue frosting. It (they) are frosted with more of the Italian meringue frosting and topped with a few almond slivers.

Current reports are they are delicious. Still waiting for reviews from the QC Cadre.

Cupcakes in various stages of production
Finished Lady Baltimore cupcakes.

Lady Baltimore Cupcakes

(makes 24 cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS
For the cupcakes:
• 3 c cake flour
• 1½ cup sugar
• 3 ¾ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp of salt
• 1 ½ sticks unsalted RT butter, cut into small pieces
• 6 egg whites
• 1 cup whole milk (2% + 1 Tbl heavy cream)
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
For the filling:
• 9 tablespoons slivered almonds, coarsely chopped
• 6 tablespoons golden raisins, coarsely chopped
• 6 dried California or Turkish figs, chopped
• 1/3 c fig jam
• ¾ cup Italian meringue frosting
Frosting:
• 3 ¾ cups Italian meringue frosting

METHOD

  1. Heat an oven to 350⁰ F. Line 24 wells of a muffin pan with paper liners and set the pan aside.
  2. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to the bowl of a mixer (or a large bowl) and mix to combine (mixer: lowest speed; by hand: whisk). Add the butter and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 2 minutes.
  3. Whisk the egg whites, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl, then pour it into the mixer bowl. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
  4. Evenly distribute the batter among the lined muffin tins and bake until the edge of the cupcakes are light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, 14-16 minutes.
  5. Set the pan on a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove them from the pan and let them completely cool on the rack.
  6. Mix the filling ingredients in a bowl.
  7. Use a small paring knife to cut an inverted cone out of the top of the cupcake. Flip the cone over and slice it so that you have a ¼” thick disk of cake. Reserve the disk and discard the rest of the cone. If necessary, use a small spoon to scoop out some of the cake to make the hole larger.
  8. Use a small spoon to evenly distribute the filling among the cupcakes. Place the reserved cake disk on top of the filling and press down on it to seal the cupcake.
  9. Frost the cupcakes with the Italian meringue frosting.

Dark Chocolate Blackberry Cupcakes

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I am a big berry buff and when I saw this recipe I knew I would make these.

I followed the recipe exactly on my first bake, but made changes the second time around. Mainly, I swapped the blackberry buttercream for a blackberry meringue frosting. I used some purple food coloring and added some freeze dried blackberry powder. Blackberry is not an overpowering flavor but this added just enough to complement the dark chocolate cupcake.

Dark Chocolate Blackberry Cupcakes

Makes 18 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
For the cupcakes:
• 1 c AP flour
• ½ c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ c unsalted butter, melted
• ¾ c brown sugar
• 2 large RT eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ c buttermilk (milk with ½ Tbl lemon juice)
• ½ c hot water
• ½ c mashed, fresh blackberries
Blackberry Italian Meringue
• 3 egg whites room temperature
• 2/3 cup caster sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 Tbl freeze dried blackberry powder

METHOD

  1. Wash 2 c fresh blackberries in cold water
  2. Blend cleaned blackberries until totally broken down.
  3. Add 1 Tbl sugar and blend again.
  4. Separate into ¼ c and ½ c portions. Set both portions aside. (Use any leftover on ice cream or in a margarita, etc.)
  5. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a cupcake pan with liners.
  6. In a bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
  7. In another bowl, mix melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, then stir in ½ c mashed blackberries.
  8. Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk, mixing gently. Stir in hot water until just combined.
  9. Fill cupcake liners ¾ full and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely.
  10. For the frosting, beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, ¼ c blackberry puree, and vanilla. Beat until fluffy, adding cream if needed. Be sure the frosting is thick enough to hold its shape after piping.
  11. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

Italian Meringue Method

  1. Wipe down all tools with white vinegar.
  2. Place sugar and water mixture over medium heat for 5 minutes. Do not stir it at all during this time. The mixture will look cloudy.
  3. Gently stir the mixture for 1 minute. There should be little to no granules of sugar left at this point.
  4. Once the mixture begins to bubble from the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes, place the digital thermometer in the pot and increase to medium-high heat. Do not stir it at all after this.
  5. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the eggs whites on low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium, and beat until soft peaks form.
  6. Allow the sugar mixture to come to a boil and watch carefully. Once it reaches 230 °F turn stand mixer on highest speed to whip egg whites to peaks.
  7. 7. Once the sugar syrup reaches 240 °F, remove from heat and remove the probe. This takes about 4- 6 minutes.
  8. Allow the boiling to come to a slow bubble before moving on.
  9. Slowly pour sugar syrup (steady stream) into whisked egg whites. Avoid the whisk attachment or it will fling your mixture all over the bowl.
  10. Add 1 Tbl blackberry powdered and ~ 3 drops purple food coloring
  11. Allow mixture to whisk for another 3-5 minutes until the mixer bowl is cool/room temperature to the touch.

80 Is The New…

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Today is the 80th birthday of one of our good friends, and golf buddy. She asked me to make cupcakes for the 15 guests coming to her bowling/birthday party. I decided to make cupcakes using my Extreme Chocolate Cake recipe with Italian Meringue frosting, because that combination is my fav. I did ask her what her favorite color is, and pink was among her answer, so I made a bi-color frosting.

My notes in my recipe said the recipe would make 36 cupcakes, but of the 3 different sizes of cakes in the recipe, it didn’t say which one made the 36. I decided to go with the medium size cake (10” round.) Well long story shorter, that made 54 cupcakes. I have since modified the recipe.

The cupcakes are soft and delicious and the meringue isn’t too sweet and pairs nicely.

Field of Dreams

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As they say, “Build it and they will come.” Dan and Frances built it and they came. It was our granddaughter Grace’s 7th birthday party and she requested FunFetti cupcakes as her party dessert. With an anticipated attendance of 100 kids and parents I figured 10 dozen cupcakes would be plenty. Well, I was wrong. They managed to eat only 40 cupcakes and we gave away an addition couple of dozen. Best laid plans of mice and men often go awry!

Kitchen at lift off
Field of dreams
Fun!
Ready for delivery
Cupcake tower
Dessert table
Ready
Set
Go!
A little known fact. The candle was lit with a blowtorch!

FunFetti Cake

makes one 3-layer 8″ cake or 24 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
CAKE:
• 2 ½ c AP flour
• 1/4 c cornstarch
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 c unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 ½ c sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 1/4 c vegetable or canola oil
• 1 Tbl clear imitation vanilla
• 3/4 c whole milk (2% OK)
• ½ c rainbow sprinkles (artificially colored cylinders)

Pairs nicely with Edna’s Crusting Buttercream or Italian Meringue Buttercream or Less Sweet Buttercream.

METHOD

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºf. Grease and line the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans or line 24 cups of two muffin tins.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder.
  3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg whites, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the oil and the extract.
  4. By hand add the dry mixture and the milk in two or three alternating batches and mix until just barely combined, using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the sprinkles until they’re evenly distributed. Distribute the batter among the cake pans or muffin cups, spreading it out evenly if using cake pans.
  5. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (~200 F. Do not overbake!) Begin checking for doneness at 20 minutes for cakes and 15 minutes for cupcakes.
  6. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Buttercream Frosting – Less Sweet

For 3 cups of buttercream:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened slightly
• 2/3 cups (208g) light corn or glucose syrup
• 1 1/4 cups (141g) powdered sugar (unsifted)
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt (to taste, start with a pinch)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3-6 tablespoons of heavy cream, room temperature
• purple gel food coloring (optional)

METHOD

  1. Add the softened butter to the bowl of your stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat the butter on high speed until it’s paler in color and slightly more voluminous.
  2. Add the corn syrup in 3 to 5 additions. Stop the mixer, add a little bit first, and mix it in at medium speed (still using the whisk attachment). Repeat until all the corn syrup has been added. Scrape down the bowl a couple of times to ensure everything is mixed well.
  3. Once all the corn syrup has been added, mix at the highest speed for two minutes. This is an essential step, so make sure to time it. You need the butter to emulsify the sugar syrup, which won’t be visually apparent because the syrup is clear. If you under-whip at this step, your final frosting will have an overly buttery (fatty or greasy) feel. Proper emulsification will ensure that the syrup integrates evenly within the butter, giving it a much more pleasant texture.
  4. Now give the frosting a taste. It should be smooth, creamy, and very buttery, with a slight sweetness. This is to gauge how much powdered sugar to add in this step. Notice how glucose (the sugar type in corn syrup) is not as sweet as the sucrose in powdered sugar.
  5. Add the powdered sugar in a few additions, mixing on low speed to reduce the mess.
    Once all the sugar has been added, mix on high speed for 30 seconds. Give it another taste. Do you want it sweeter or need a firmer consistency of buttercream? Add more powdered sugar.
    You can add as much powdered sugar as you like. This buttercream can handle more, but remember that the more you add, the sandier the finished frosting will be.
  6. Now let’s flavor and color the buttercream. Add the vanilla, a pinch of salt, and, optionally, a toothpick’s end of purple food coloring (to achieve a whiter shade). Mix on high speed for another minute.
  7. Give it a taste. If it’s too buttery, add some heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, until you like the consistency. Whip it in on high speed for at least one minute when you like the texture. (See my footnotes about this below.)
  8. Switch over to a paddle attachment and run the frosting on low speed to get out any large air pockets. The finished buttercream will have minimal air bubbles and be ready to use.

Waste Not, Want Some

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I am making FunFetti cupcakes for my older granddaughters birthday party this week. I made two practice batches of cupcakes and one of American buttercream. The cakes are now great but the frosting was too sweet. (Think 60 seven-ish year old kids on sugar highs.)

Today I made a recipe of Italian buttercream frosting. It uses about one fourth the amount of sugar and will (hopefully) stand up to the expected outdoor temperature.

I had about a dozen chocolate cupcakes frozen that needed to by used soon, and I had a nice frosting, so, why not?

Italian Buttercream

INGREDIENTS (Half Recipe)

  • 10 large egg whites (5 egg whites)
  • 2 c sugar (1 c sugar)
  • ½ c water (1/4 c water)
  • 3 c (6 sticks) cubed, RT unsalted butter (3 sticks butter)
  • 1 Tbl clear imitation vanilla extract (½ Tbl vanilla.)


    METHOD
  1. Mix 1½ cups (3/4c) of the sugar and the water in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar. Continue to cook,without stirring, and bring to the softball stage (240°F).
  2. As the simple syrup is heating, whip the whites at high speed in a stand mixer until soft peaks form, approximately 5 minutes. With the motor running, add the remaining ½ cup (1/4c) sugar gradually, continuing to whip until medium peaks form.
  3. When the simple syrup reaches 240°F, and the motor running on slow, very slowly pour it into the egg whites in a thin stream, to avoid cooking the eggs. Raise the speed to high and continue
    to whip until the mixture has cooled to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.
  4. Whip in the butter at medium speed, add the butter in 5 increments, stopping the motor between additions, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula before adding each addition of butter.
  5. With the motor running, add the vanilla, and whip just until it is blended.


    Yield:
    About 7 cups (3 ½ c)