Almond Joy cupcakes

Almond joy cupcakes look unassuming...

...but check out what's inside!

I have been talking about these cupcakes for months. No lie.

Almond Joy candies have to be one of my favorites, although I've always thought they'd be better if they were enrobed in dark chocolate rather than milk. Not that I won't devour them anyway regardless of the chocolate intensity, but don't you think that a marriage between a Mounds and an Almond Joy would create the perfect candy? And then throw a cupcake into the mix...

My mom and sister and I all love coconut. I don't really get people who don't (but then, I don't care for jelly beans and I also like Cadbury Cream Eggs so what do I know?), and granted, this cupcake is geared towards a specific audience. I'd probably not take them to my niece's fifth-grade class and expect them to vanish. But I'd not trust their chances at a Kessler family reunion (that's my mom's side of the family and we appreciate our groceries, and the more off-the-wall, the better). Even I, and I'm not really a sweets person, am having a hard time not dipping into the tray of these tucked into the back refrigerator. I was downright grateful to send my sister back to the desert with over a half-dozen, and I hope to gift the rest of these tonight to some unsuspecting friends. I need to make a cupcake I won't eat.

Be that as it may, this one turned out better than even I'd hoped. I've seen other cupcakes with this theme on the internet, but I wasn't satisfied with what I saw. I knew I wanted white cake, not chocolate, and I knew I wanted the dark chocolate to coat the cupcake just like the candy. Had I any of the filling leftover, I would have frozen it and dipped it in melted chocolate for homemade candy bars.

However, I had the most wonderful helper in the kitchen this time, my beloved sister Deirdre (for whom the baby at the end of this post is named), and she is generous with her filling. The cupcake lids were perched on top of the filling like jaunty, spongey berets! She was also responsible for the almonds on top, and as the family artist, they looked perfect. I probably would have just lumped them on there. Deirdre has a far more delicate touch than I. Not to mention she's one of my most gratifying tasters! But back to the cupcakes...

I haven't used nuts like this as the crust before, and I really flew by the seat of my pants on this one - I just added a little of this and a little of that and used what sounded good and then hoped for the best...and it worked (and I love it when that happens!). So what you have is a crunchy, deeply nutty crust, with a moist, springy white cake, filled with a coconut filling just like the candy (but better, because you can add more coconut and vanilla) and topped with a dark, not very sweet ganache. It's like the perfect coconut, almond, and chocolate candy reborn as a cupcake, and the contrast of flavors and textures (sweet! bittersweet! savory! crunchy! gooey! smooth!) plays together really, really well. I would have to say this is one of my very favorite cupcakes...and it makes about 24, so feel free to share.

~ Almond Crust for cupcakes ~ 

• 1 1/2 cups ground almonds (ground in food processor)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-count muffin tins with baking liners; set aside.

Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl. Press about a tablespoon's worth of the almond mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner, pressing down to make an even layer. Bake at 350 for about ten minutes (be aware of the smell - if you smell toasted nuts, the crust is ready. If you smell burning nuts, you'd better start over). Set aside to cool while preparing the cupcakes batter.

~White cupcakes ~

• 1 cup milk
• 6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature (I used the ones from a carton and you can, too!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar 
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened

Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into small bowl, and mix with fork until blended.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating on low speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs.

Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to bowl and beat at medium speed for two minutes. Add remaining half cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium speed and beat 20 seconds longer.

Divide batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15-17 minutes. Let cool completely before filling and frosting.

~ Coconut filling ~

• 1 14-ounce can condensed milk
• 1 7-ounce bag of shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoons salt

Combine all the ingredients for the filling in a medium bowl. After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. Using teaspoon, scoop in a bit of the coconut filling into the cupcake's cavity, then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Chill before topping with ganache.

~ For ganache ~

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• toasted sliced almonds, for garnish

On the stovetop, bring cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Off the heat, stir in chocolate and mix well until fully incorporated and shiny. Let cool for about 15 minutes before using (this will also let your cupcakes chill).

Carefully spoon the cooled but still liquid ganache on the top of each cupcake. Sprinkle the toasted almond slices around the outside of each cupcake.Chill the cupcakes in the refrigerator until the ganache is set (about 15 minutes).

This is the mighty Baby Deirdre

Baby Deirdre with cupcake...

Baby Deirdre heartily approves of the cupcake.

S'mores Cupcakes, part deux

Yes, obviously I've already made s'more cupcakes - but even then, I wasn't very happy with them. At the time, one of my dearest friends, whose opinion I value so highly, didn't think they were quite up to snuff either, although he'd never have said so. You know how you can just tell, sometimes? He did, however, heartily approve of my torching them on top.

This version comes much closer to the mark - they really are like the best parts of a s'more all put together (although my sister is now touting the benefits of Nutella in a s'more, so who knows, there may be a part trois coming up before summer's end) - the crunchy graham bottom, the graham cake, the fudgey middle, and the roasted marshmallow on top. Eagle-eyed readers (and my sainted mother, who misses nothing) will notice that these are made up of bits and pieces of cupcakes that I've posted before. Well, that's cooking, isn't it? Taking something you know and expanding on it and playing with it until it evolves into something new.

These were fun to share, and fun to make - and I got to use up the last of my graham cracker crumbs and whip up some more wonderful hot fudge sauce a la David Leibowitz (did you get The Perfect Scoop yet? What are you waiting for???) - and it's a little bit of summertime in a foil wrapper.

This makes about 18 cupcakes.

~ Graham Cupcakes ~
For graham bottom:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter, salted
1/4 cup sugar
For cupcakes:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole milk
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 standard-sized muffin cups with baking liners (or grease well).

In a small bowl, combine the 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1/4 cup sugar, mixing until crumbly. Press a small amount into the bottom of each muffin cup, dividing the total evenly, and press down with your fingers to form a smooth(ish) bottom layer. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes and let cool before filling with cupcake batter.


Cupcakes now:
Beat the butter for about 30 seconds until well creamed. Add the sugars and mix with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in vanilla and mix again.
Combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda and powder, and salt into a small bowl. Add in about half of the dry mixture into the butter mixture and stir until combined. Add in the milk and mix well. Finish with the rest of the flour mixture and mix just until combined. 
Scoop the batter into the muffin cups (the ones you already have the graham cracker crust baked into, remember?) and bake at 350 for about 15 - 18 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the muffin tins for 2 minutes or so, then remove from pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
 
 ~ Hot Fudge Sauce (from David Leibowitz's The Perfect Scoop) ~

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter

Mix together the cream, brown sugar, cocoa, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add in the chocolate and butter, stirring until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add in vanilla and serve. This will make more than you need for the cupcakes - store any leftover in the refrigerator and serve warm over ice cream. Let the sauce cool completely before using to fill the cupcakes.

To assemble:
After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. Using teaspoon, scoop in a bit of fudge sauce into the cupcake's cavity, then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Chill before frosting.

~ Marshmallow Frosting ~
8 large egg whites, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the top of a double boiler, or set your (immaculate) mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water. Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it reaches 160° F with an instant-read thermometer.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whisk starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form.  Mix in the vanilla until combined. 

Use a large star tip to frost the cupcakes however you like. Now the fun part - carefully using a kitchen torch, heat the top of each cupcake until just toasty, like a roasted marshmallow.

Keep the cupcakes in the refrigerator until serving, of course, but let them come to room temperature before you eat them, if you can. They're also good cold.

The one complaint I heard about these was that they were messy. Well, yes. So is summertime.

M&M's cupcakes

 

These were the third set of cupcakes for this weekend's fundraiser (the other two can be found here and here) - and I hate to say this, but I think they will be the biggest hit of the three. They look really impressive, especially en masse, what with all the colors and all. And besides those who abhor chocolate, who doesn't like M&M's?

I'd been thinking about a cupcake using these candies for awhile, but I'd wanted to use the mini's. Two stores later and no luck (really? Because both stores actually use the mini candies in cookies from their respective bakeries), so I just threw caution to the wind and used the regular size. Did some of them sink to the bottom? Sure. Did I mind? Not at all.

The real show stopper here was the fudge filling. If you don't have it yet, David Leibowitz's The Perfect Scoop is a wonderful book that I have used over and over again. It's worth it for this hot fudge sauce recipe alone. And the fresh mint ice cream. And the toffee. And...well, I could go on and on about it. You can grab one here. It is dark and rich and almost pudding like, and I plan to incorporate it into many future cupcakes. He's also got a marshmallow sauce...well, anyhow...

These cupcakes would be perfect for a kids' party, a baby shower, a Thursday...whatever. There's not too much frosting, they are colorful and fun, and really, they are quite delicious. And it just goes to show that you don't need to be fancy to impress. Sometimes I forget that (with cupcakes - I'm anything but fancy otherwise).

M&M-studded white cupcakes (makes 24 cupcakes)

• 1 cup milk
• 6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature (I used the ones from a carton and you can, too!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar 
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened 
• 1 cup m&m's candies (mini if you can find them, but regular is okay too)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-count muffin tins with baking liners; set aside.

Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into small bowl, and mix with fork until blended.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating on low speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs.

Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to bowl and beat at medium speed for two minutes. Add remaining half cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium speed and beat 20 seconds longer. Fold in candies.

Divide batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15-17 minutes. Let cool completely before filling and frosting.

Hot Fudge Sauce (from David Leibowitz's The Perfect Scoop)

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter

Mix together the cream, brown sugar, cocoa, corn syrup, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add in the chocolate and butter, stirring until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add in vanilla and serve. This will make more than you need for the cupcakes - store any leftover in the refrigerator and serve warm over ice cream. Let the sauce cool completely before using to fill the cupcakes.

Basic Vanilla Buttercream

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 - 4 tablespoons milk or cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• gel food coloring (I used blue, green, red, and yellow)

 In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add in half of the powdered sugar and all of the salt, and mix until combined. Add in the heavy cream and vanilla. Add in the rest of the powdered sugar, and mix until incorporated. Add in more cream and/or sugar until the frosting is of the desired consistency. Set aside about 1/2 cup of white frosting for your m's, then divide the rest evenly and color however you prefer. You'll need a separate bag for each color, unless you want to clean the bag after every use, and I used a large round tip for frosting.

To assemble:
After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. Using teaspoon, scoop in a bit of fudge sauce into the cupcake's cavity, then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Chill before frosting.

To decorate:
Using a large round tip, pipe a swirl of frosting over the cupcake, not quite touching the sides (you want this to look like a flat round surface sitting on top of the cupcake). Smooth this surface as much as you can with a spatula (but it need not look perfect). Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Let set at room temperature until the frosting has crusted over (give yourself about an hour to be safe). Fill a small bowl with warm water; set aside. Using a CLEAN finger, dip into the warm water and gently smooth over the frosted surface of each cupcake. Change water between colors and wash your hands frequently. Let cupcakes dry for about a half hour. Using the white frosting and a small writing tip (or use a ziptop baggie and snip off the corner), write an "m" on the top of each cupcake.

Rough surface before smoothing

Store in the refrigerator. These are optimal if you let them come to room temperature before serving, but they're pretty tasty cold, too.

So some of the candies sank to the bottom. Big deal!

Honey Graham Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Filling

 

Check it out! There's no chocolate in this one! Instead, here we have a graham cupcake with a crunchy graham cracker base, filled with a not-too-sweet peanut butter filling and topped with a honey buttercream, and sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs.

See, what happened is that I volunteered to make cupcakes for a fundraiser this weekend. I know what tends to go over well, so I made the chocolate cream-filled cupcakes out of a sense of duty, but I wanted to try something new, too. I've been neglecting my baking lately for a number of very good reasons, but I've missed it, and why do when you can over-do (which has been and likely always will be my motto)? So two varieties it was (actually, three, but the last one will have to keep until the next blog entry).

Did your mama ever make you peanut butter graham crackers for snack? Mine sure did, and I do it for my little ones too - always saving a bit for myself. It's one of those classic combinations, like apples and peanut butter (ooh! That gives me another idea!), but if you are avoiding peanuts, then by all means use almond butter or cashew butter or sunflower seed butter or who knows what all they've got on the store shelves these days. The consistency might be a little grainier but you'll get the idea and avoid allergic reactions.

My mom never put honey on our graham cracker sandwiches, but she should have. It's the crown on the confection. Bearing that in mind, neither the cupcake nor the filling are particularly sweet, because the frosting really is. You have to like honey to enjoy this, which I do, and wholeheartedly did.

One thing I didn't wind up doing, but I would have if I were giving these out at once, is to drizzle a bit more honey on the top of each cupcake before serving. Honestly, I don't know how that would hold up in the long term, and I'm not willing to sacrifice a cupcake to find out. If you try it, do let me know, please.

Have one of these with a cold glass of milk and revel in your own regression. You've earned it!


For Cupcakes:

• See here - just use the crust and cake recipe from the key lime cupcakes. Easy enough, right? After the cupcakes are baked, let them cool completely before filling and frosting.

 Peanut Butter Filling:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter (don't go for the natural here. Jiff is fine. Or Skippy. Or whatever).
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using an electric mixer, cream together the peanut butter and butter, then add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Honey Buttercream Frosting:  

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 6 tablespoons honey (raw and local if you can get it)
• 3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Extra graham cracker crumbs, for garnish

In an electric mixer, cream together the butter and honey until smooth and soft. Add half of the powdered sugar and, starting on low speed, mix into the butter and honey until the sugar is incorporated, then increase the speed until the mixture is smooth. Add in the cream and salt and beat well. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and repeat the process. You may have to add in more sugar or cream to get the right consistency - you're looking for a fairly stiff buttercream that will pipe well and hold its shape.

To assemble: After cupcakes have cooled, cut a cone-shaped piece out of the middle of each one, trimming the bottom of the cut bit so it forms a lid. If you're really greedy for peanut butter, you can even shave out the sides of the cavity to allow for more filling. Using a regular old teaspoon, scoop in a bit of filling into the cupcake's cavity, then top with the lid. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

To frost, using a large star tip on your pastry bag, swirl on the honey buttercream. Immediately sprinkle the cupcakes with the graham cracker crumbs, if using. I say "immediately" because any frosting using powdered sugar will crust over as it dries, and the crumbs will no longer stick at that point.

Store the frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator, but let them come to room temperature before serving, if possible. Makes 18 cupcakes.

This cake is so tender - I just love it!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cupcakes with Caramel Drizzle

My mom is reading a book right now, The End of Overeating, by Dr. David Kessler, and I think it's ruining her life.

She wants me to read it too and I probably will, eventually. I've read Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma and other tomes of that nature, and while I'm not saying I don't agree with the premise of these books, I think that in the wrong hands they just lead to trouble. Sort of the way there are certain people that really ought not watch Fox News. Or the 700 Club. It just makes them crazier.

The problem is that the (way oversimplified) main idea of the work is that the chain restaurant industry is out to get you by loading up offerings with fat and sugar and salt and additives and whatnot. And maybe they are (hello, Cheesecake Factory!), but it really doesn't apply to my mother because she doesn't ever eat at chain restaurants. But it still has her foaming at the mouth.

In the book the author refers to brown cows and purple cows. "Brown cows are fundamentally boring," writes Dr. Kessler. But purple cows - they are out of the ordinary and people stand up and pay attention to them. The food industry, according to one source, has the goal of creating foods that cater to multiple senses, with layers of flavor and varying textures that all work together into an amazing, cohesive whole. And that purple cow is so marvelous that it leaves consumers wanting more and more and even more exciting and multisensory taste experiences (usually adding even more calories, fat, and sodium), and more overeating.

Is that a bad thing? Yeah, maybe in the case of a 3,000-calorie entree. However, that premise is what I try to do with every cupcake recipe I come up with (because all of the recipes in this blog come out of my head, and are the result of long periods of thinking, and rejecting, and substituting, until I've finally tweaked the combination to the place where I want it to go). I like the contrast of a crunchy cupcake bottom, and creamy filling, and dense cake but fluffy icing, with salty and bitter and sweet and maybe sour all represented in one little package.

My mom tried to point out that the calorie content and the cupcake ideas are essentially just what the chain restaurants are doing. Sure, maybe. But a serving size is one cupcake, not a gigantic hubcap-sized platter. And if you look at the history of this blog, I maybe make cupcakes twice a month, more often if there are birthdays or special occasions happening. Do you know how many cupcakes I eat from each batch? One. Maybe only half. Then I give the rest away. Not overeating in the slightest, and perfectly reasonable to boot. Everything in moderation.

As I said once to my sister, these cupcakes are an event, not a snack. If you want a snack, try an apple. But I want the cupcakes that I do make to be amazing - purple cows, if you will - and I'm not saying sorry. So there.

All right, getting off my soapbox now. But seriously, that drives me crazy. "How can you eat like that all the time???" Guess what? I don't.

On to the cupcake! A lot of this one is made up of pieces-parts of other cupcakes I've already done (my basic chocolate cake recipe, the ganache, and the caramel drizzle). What I was really thinking of in this case was the bottom crust. I just love that crunchy contrast. It works really well in the key lime cupcakes and in the cookies and cream one as well. I've used a chocolate layer, a graham cracker layer, and a shortbread layer. What else could I try?

Then the answer came to me. Pretzels. Why not? I really enjoy the combination of salty and sweet, and I figured I could use exactly the same method as I have with other crusts.

There, I had the bottom figured out. What next?

I know chocolate and pretzels go well together, so that took care of the cake part. One of my favorite treats (that I scarcely ever buy because I have a hard time not eating the entire bag) are peanut butter-filled pretzels, so I thought a peanut butter filling would be perfect (plus you see chocolate covered peanut butter-filled pretzels so already this cupcake was making sense). I knew the filling would be sweet, no way around it, so I wanted to use a simple ganache for the frosting. Because I like people to know what they're getting into, I decided to add a dollop of the peanut butter filling on top, and a pretzel garnish as well.

The caramel drizzle gave me pause. I knew I wanted to do it, but I didn't really know why. There isn't any other caramel in the recipe. Then I realized that the sweetness of the caramel would cut through the density of the ganache and it would just work. It did, too. Plus it's just fun to make caramel - it's like magic, the way that a sugar in a pot suddenly melts and turns a deep amber (and also turns into a sugary napalm - no touchy!). So there was the idea - and this is how you do it:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cupcakes with Caramel Drizzle

(Makes about 18 cupcakes)

~ For Pretzel Crust ~

• 2 cups finely crushed hard pretzels (about half a bag, pre-ground. I used the food processor)
• 3/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar

~ For Chocolate Cupcakes ~

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1 cup hot coffee
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line 18 standard-sized muffin cups with baking liners.

Combine together the ground pretzels, the butter, and the sugar into a small bowl, and mix together until moist and combined. Place about a tablespoon of the crumb mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup, dividing as evenly as possible among the 18. Press down gently with your fingers to cover the bottoms in an even layer. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes and let cool completely before filling with the cupcake batter.

Combine the chocolate and cocoa in a medium mixing bowl and pour hot coffee over. Let sit until chocolate is melted. Stir to combine; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. To chocolate mixture add vinegar, oil, eggs, and vanilla; mix well with fork to combine. Pour over flour mixture and stir well.

Pour the batter into the lined muffin tin (filling about 3/4 full). Bake at 350 for 15 - 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes in pan and then cool completely on a wire rack.

See the layers of goodness? Purple cow, right there.

~ Peanut Butter Filling ~

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Using an electric mixer (handheld is also fine), beat butter at a medium speed until creamy. Mix in peanut butter, vanilla, and salt. Alternately beat in powdered sugar and milk until the filling is the proper consistency (you want the mixture to be thick, but not too dense to pipe onto the tops of the cupcakes). 

Once the cupcakes have cooled, cut out a cone-shaped portion out of the top of each cake. Slice off the excess cake from the cone (leaving the flat cap) and reserve the top. Fill the resulting hole with about a tablespoon of the peanut butter filling (or however much you need). Replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Put the remaining filling into a pastry bag fitted with a #22 star tip (or whatever you like, really - that's just what I used).

With the chain link fence in the background it sort of looks like the cupcakes are in the pokey!

~ For ganache ~

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

On the stovetop, bring cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Off the heat, stir in chocolate and mix well until fully incorporated and shiny. Let cool for about 15 minutes before using (this will also let your cupcakes chill). 

~ Caramel Drizzle ~

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

In a heavy-bottomed, high-sided saucepan, cook the sugar over medium heat until it begins to melt around the edges, about 5 minutes. Stirring with a clean wooden spoon, continue to cook until the sugar is melted and has turned golden amber, about 3 minutes longer.

Carefully pour the cream down the side of the pan in a slow, steady stream (it will bubble and spatter), stirring constantly until completely smooth. Don't be alarmed if your sugar forms a huge lumpy pancake. Just stir, gently (you don't want this to splash on you, either), until it's all melted in. Stir in the salt. Pour the caramel into a small ceramic bowl and let cool completely before using. (The caramel can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week; bring to room temperature before using.) 

Final Assembly:

Carefully spoon the cooled but still liquid ganache on the top of each cupcake. Chill in the refrigerator until set (about 15 minutes). Pipe a peanut butter rosette on the top of each cupcake. Drizzle the caramel sauce on the top of the cupcake and top the rosette with a pretzel piece, if desired.

Cupcakes, cupcakes, as far as the eyes can see!

Jamoca Almond Fudge cupcakes

Ice Cream translated into Cupcake-ese

Don't you hate it when your mother is right?


I mean, obviously I don't really hate it but when I have an idea and she breezes in and smugly improves on it...even though no one asked her...like when I was making lemon tahini and she suggested garlic powder and really, who puts garlic powder in a fresh dressing but I begrudgingly did it and dang it if the matriarch wasn't right again...


After the maple-bacon (BACON??!??!) cupcakes, I didn't really know where to go with the next combination. I've been toying with a tiramisu idea, and there are some others percolating in my brain, but nothing seemed particularly interesting just now.

Breeze in She Who Must Be Obeyed (and I don't care if Rumpole refers to his wife as such - if your mother is doing her job you might as well think of her the same way. She'll like it.), who breezily breezes that Jamoca Almond Fudge would be a good cupcake.

This, from the parent who doesn't really like cupcakes!

So maybe Jamoca Almond Fudge is my favorite Baskin Robbins ice cream flavor - although I don't think I've set foot in a 31 Flavors since high school - how come she got to think of it first? Because as much as I hate to admit is, she's right (again) and it makes a mighty fine cupcake, indeed.

The cake is a very tender sponge-esque cake, with added oomph from almond meal (I got mine from Trader Joe's, but you can just whizz some almonds in your food processor). The filling and top rosette are an espresso buttercream, ganache is the fudge top, and toasted almonds add crunch.

I might as well warn you right now: when these cupcakes came out of the oven, they were uggggly. They spilled over the muffin cups and spread their flat tops into one another. They were so ugly I didn't even take a picture.

Still, nothing daunted, I pried the cakes out of the tin, trimmed off the edges, and sampled one. Delicious! I could cover up flaws with frosting, because these cupcakes are too good to waste. You can see for yourself that the end result is not too shabby.

Maybe they don't pop right out of their foil liners. These are not just anyone's cupcakes. You have to really want one. You have to commit to licking the wrapper. If you're willing to go to those lengths to appreciate these conditions - then I have a cupcake for you! And a napkin.

~ Almond Cupcakes ~

Recipe (slightly) adapted from here

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond meal
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 large egg whites
1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

1) Preheat oven to 350 F and line 15 cupcake wells with paper liners.
2) In a small bowl, mix together flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3) In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together sugar and butter until well combined. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in almond extract. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk, making three additions of flour mixture and two additions of buttermilk. Beat until combined.
4) Scoop batter into prepared pan. Bake 22 to 27 minutes or until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on rack.

~ Coffee Buttercream ~
1/4 cup hot, strong coffee
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 - 4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 - 4 tablespoons milk (or cream)

Dissolve espresso powder into the hot coffee and set aside to cool. Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until it is smooth. Slowly beat in 2 cups powdered sugar. Add in coffee mixture and salt. Add in remaining powdered sugar, and enough milk to get the frosting to a pipeable consistency. You can always add more powdered sugar if your frosting gets too soupy.

~ Chocolate Ganache ~
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Chop up the chocolate and set aside in a medium bowl. Heat cream and butter together over medium heat and let come just to a boil; mix in the espresso powder until dissolved. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for a couple of minutes; chocolate and cream mixture until well combined. Allow the ganache to cool for 60 - 90 minutes, then beat with an electric mixer until the ganache is a pipeable consistency (5 - 7 minutes).

~ Garnish ~
Toasted slivered almonds
Chocolate covered almonds

Close up - look how tender that cake is! It fell right off the wrapper...

To assemble:
After cupcakes are baked and cooled, remove a cone-shaped portion from the top of each cupcake, saving the lid of the cone. Fill the cavity with a teaspoon or so of the coffee buttercream, then replace the lid over the filling.

Pipe the ganache on top of each cupcake, swirling from the outside of the cupSavedcake in. While the ganache is still soft, sprinkle on the toasted almonds. Chill the ganache-topped cupcakes for 15 minutes. Pipe a rosette of the espresso buttercream on the top of each cupcake and top with a chocolate-covered almond.

Makes about 15 cupcakes.

Maple-Bacon Cupcakes (BACON????)

Breakfast-y Goodness!

French Toast cupcakes with streusel topping, bacon bits, and maple cream cheese frosting (and more bacon!)

I've been thinking about this recipe for a long time. I admit that I've tried to stay off the "everything is better with bacon" bandwagon. I like bacon just fine - I like sausage better. But I've never been one to dip my bacon into my pancake syrup (for one, I prefer molasses), and I don't particularly even care for maple (keep your maple bars and give me chocolate, if you please).

Still, this combination has been nagging at me. I know lots of people who would be all over it, and let's face it, I rarely eat the cupcakes I make (save for the first one I try in the interest of science and all that). In short, it's not really about me, is it? I had to make this for the good of the people!

Still, after studying various blogs on the subject, I saw lots of maple cupcakes with maple filling and maple frosting and my maple-reluctant self just balked at the idea. However, this is a breakfast combination, no? And you know what I do love for breakfast? French toast. And you know what makes an excellent French toast? Pound cake does. 

And so, here we have a pound cakey-French toasty flavor combination of a cupcake. Topped with a cinnamon struesel for even more of a French toast homage. And now what?

For frosting, I knew I wanted to incorporate cream cheese (using the tanginess to combat that darn maple) and some cinnamon for spice. Plus, there's an (in)famous breakfast-y chain restaurant that stuffs its French toast with cream cheese (which I've never tried, but I'd like to), so the combination made sense to me. Voila. Frosting.

And originally, I was going to fill these with a maple custard. Lucky for you, dear reader, my guardian angel dropped the hammer of sense during the process (and how's that for mixing one's metaphors?), and the damnable stuff didn't thicken, so...the filling was scrapped. Really, that's a good thing, because although I usually prefer my cupcakes with filling, I think the sweetness would have detracted from the cupcake (and might have sacrificed some of the bacon bits in the cupcake itself, and heaven knows we can't have that), so it worked out just fine in the end. As it usually does.

All in all, this was a success. My mother, who didn't say so, but was doubtful about this one (plus she'd really rather I just make key lime cupcakes over and over again), pronounced them "quite good." My stepfather, who thought I was kidding when I told him my idea, found them the ultimate "man cupcake." And Lucas, the Fit and Amazing Man (or, FAM), ate three. 

Oh! Quick story, because if you ever come to dinner at my house, this is going to come up. We were discussing these cupcakes (before they were borned) around the dinner table, and I announced my intention to make maple bacon cupcakes. It went a bit like this.

Me: I'm going to make maple bacon cupcakes.

Sister mine: Ooh! That sounds good.

Me: Yeah, I'll be doing that soon.

~ chatter chatter chatter chatter - time passes ~

Darling Niece Mo': ... ... ... BACON?

~ general giggling at Mo's expense ~

~ chatter chatter chatter - how's your mama - what's for dinner this week - I think it's going to snow - chatter chatter chatter chatter ~

Me: Yeah, so anyway, I just need to get the maple syrup and some bacon so I can make the maple bacon cupcakes.

Darling Niece Mo': ... ... (blink blink) ... (Twilight) ... (Hunger Games) ... BACON??? REALLY?????

So if you ever hear any of us exclaim, "BACON???? REALLY?????", now you know why. Poor Mo's quote has been engraved into the family's Stone Tablet of Humiliation. Don't worry, Mo'. I've practically got one side of the thing covered.

~Recipe~
For the streusel:
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

For the cupcakes:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract

1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon

For streusel: In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix the cold butter into the mixture by hand, squeezing the pieces in to mix it.

Chill the topping in the freezer while you make the cupcakes.

To make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners; set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the butter, sour cream, eggs, maple syrup, cream, and vanilla and mix well, until the mixture is smooth. Make sure all the flour is incorporated but be careful not to overmix the batter. Fold in any remaining flour from the bowl's edges as well as the bacon bits.

Fill each baking cup about 2/3 full. Divide the streusel evenly among the cupcakes, and sprinkle it on each one. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Maple Cream Cheese frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup maple syrup

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon maple extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream together butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. Mix in the maple syrup, and then slowly add in the powdered sugar. Add in the milk, salt, and flavorings and mix well. Add more powdered sugar if needed to get the frosting to a nice, pipeable consistency. 

Using a pastry bag with a large star tip, pipe a large frosting rosette onto the top of each cupcake, leaving an edge of the streusel topping exposed. Sprinkle the bacon crumbles onto the top of each cupcake. Store the cupcakes in the refrigerator.

Makes 24 cupcakes.