Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Cookie Crust, Cheesecake Filling, and Salted Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Wow. Those are really pretty. Now check out the inside:

Cheesecake! Cheesecake baked into a cupcake? Do you know what this means?

That I'm going to bake cheesecake into every cupcake? Well, no. I mean, I could. But what it really means is that it works, and when I started on these cupcakes I wasn't sure that it would. I'll explain in a sec, but I need to talk about something else first.

This is Odile.

Well, that was Odile, and sometimes when I think of her, it still is Odile. You might see her more like this:

Or this:

Odile is my niece, and I just love her. These cupcakes were her birthday cupcakes. I am a very lucky Auntie, because my oldest niece is sweet and smart and kind and beautiful and she loves food, which makes her a kindred spirit, in my book. She got to spend her birthday in San Francisco with her mother, her Aunt Kory, and her Nana, and while I am terrifically jealous, I do hope she enjoyed her cupcakes. 

In the spirit of fairness, I do have two other wonderful nieces, but one is not particularly into chocolate (hi, Lily!) and the other's mama probably wouldn't let me feed her such a thing anyway (hi, Savannah!). And I love them both as well.

Okay, okay. On to the cupcake. But just look at that face! Isn't your day better now? I know mine is. Carrying on...

This is going to seem like a complicated cupcake (oh, don't they all?) and while, sure, there are a few steps and it may take awhile, you can do them over a few days so you don't have to kill yourself to get them done. I promise that it will be worth it. I do recommend that you use the very best ingredients you can, because that's going to affect the final cupcake. I used Ghirardelli chocolate, solid and cocoa, and really good coffee (Nevada Black, whee!) because I wanted to make these as delicious as I could. 

Let's start out with the crust - I decided on this because I wanted to do the cheesecake and I was hoping to mimic a cheesecake crust. What I did, though, is used some chocolate cookie dough that I already had rolled up and chilling in the fridge - Dorie Greenspan's World Peace chocolate cookie dough, and if you haven't tried it I seriously recommend that you do, tout suite. Half of a recipe was enough to line the bottom of 24 cupcakes, and them you have a whole 'nother roll of chocolate cookie dough that you can slice and bake and gloat over! You can find the recipe here: World Peace Cookies

So, get your oven preheated to 350 degrees, then line 24 muffin tin cups with cupcake liners. Put about a tablespoon's worth of cookie dough into each cup, then press it out to completely cover the bottom. The dough is crumbly, so this won't be too hard. 

Bake the cookie filled cupcake tins for about 8-10 minutes or until just starting to turn golden around the edges. Once you can really smell them, they are done. Set them aside to cool while you prepare the cupcake batter and the cheesecake filling. And now, on to the cupcakes.

~ Chocolate Cupcakes ~

• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon espresso powder
• 1 1/2 cups hot coffee
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

~ Cheescake Filling ~

• 10 oz, cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine chocolate, cocoa, espresso powder 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. Set this aside for just a moment.

For the filling, beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and salt with a handheld mixer until creamy and smooth. Ready to assemble now?

Pour the batter into the lined muffin tin, just covering the cookie layer - the batter will be thin. Using a tablespoon measure or a disher, plop the cheesecake mixture on top of the cupcake batter. Carefully cover up the cheesecake with more cupcake batter (your batter is going to get frighteningly close to the top of the cupcake liner. Just go with it, but don't overfill them). 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.

This made me really nervous...

But see? It worked out fine!

And now, we are moving on to the buttercream. But first we have to make a caramel. Easy, easy - just don't put your fingers in it.

~Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream~

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 12 ounces unsalted butter, softened, and cut into tablespoon-sized pats
• 5 large egg whites, room temperature (save the yolks for lemon curd! Or custard!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Bring 3/4 cup of the sugar and the water to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan. Cook, undisturbed, until the caramel is dark amber. Remove from the heat, and slowly add in the cream, stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth. Let cool before proceeding.

This is how it starts.

Don't touch it!

Something's happening - no touchie!

TAKE IT OFF! TAKE IT OFF!

Whew!

What? Your own caramel-making doesn't feel like that?

Now that your caramel is cooled, place the egg whites and the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar in a heatproof mixing bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to 160 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Remove the egg white mixture from the heat, and attach the bowl to the mixer. Whisk on medium speed for 5 minutes. Increase the speed to medium high and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 6 minutes. Change to the paddle attachment, and add in the butter, one pat at a time, mixing until each is completely incorporated before adding a new pat. Whisk in the salt and vanilla.

(Now, sometimes when you do this, the mixture starts to look curdled. Don't panic, and keep mixing. I don't know why this happens. Maybe Alton Brown can tell me. All I know is, 4 times this will go just fine, and the 5th time it looks curdled. Just keep mixing and it will smooth out. I promise).

With the mixer on low speed, add caramel, and beat until smooth.

With a piping bag fitted with the star tip, pipe the frosting onto the filled cupcakes (or just swoop it on with a butter knife). You should have just enough frosting for the 24 cupcakes.

And now, because I can't leave well enough alone, you can make a ganache to drizzle over the top. You certainly don't have to, but it's easy, and you can then use the rest to top ice cream, your left over cookies, your finger...I'm certainly not going to judge. Ganache is easy.

~Chocolate Ganache~

• 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Put the chocolate chips and the salt into a bowl. Heat the cream in a heavy pot over meium heat until bubbles are starting to form. Pour the hot cream over the chips and then whisk the mixture until the chocolate is melted and all is smooth. Pour into a piping bag, or a squeeze bottle, or use a spoon and drizzle the ganache over the frosted cupcakes.

Store these in the refrigerator, but make sure you let the cupcakes come to room temperature before serving. Makes 24.

Happy, happy birthday, my Odile!

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Apricot Jam Filling and Apricot-Sour Cream Frosting

Huzzah for summertime! Berries, stone fruits, tomatoes, fresh corn, basil...and zucchini coming at you from just about everywhere! All right, I don't really care for zucchini. I think it's mushy. My teeny-tiny-I-live-in-an-apartment container garden boasts only tomatoes and a few herbs this year, but even had I the space, I'd not grow zucchini. Why? Who needs to? There's bound to be someone nearby who has a pile of gigantic, out-of-control zucchini...you know the ones...the ones that look like troll clubs. I am told that these do not work well for cooking (too watery? I have no idea. I avoid zucchini in savory applications). They do, however, work wonderfully in baked goods, such as zucchini bread and, most definitely, chocolate zucchini cake.

I mean, look at those photos. Do you see any vegetables? Well, there are three cups of zucchini shoehorned into these cupcakes. The addition of the zucchini makes the cupcakes surprisingly light and very, very moist. This works well for summer, when chocolate can get a little heavy. In keeping with the summer theme I filled the cupcakes with apricot jam (I used homemade but by all means open a jar of store bought) and then topped them with an apricot-sour cream frosting). Light, easy, summery, and delicious, and the recipe uses an entire monster zucchini (or about 3 cups, grated). I'm sure you only have a few dozen left to get through.

Have you considered pickling?

This recipe makes 24 cupcakes, exactly, so be ready to share with your friends.

~Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes~

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups shredded zucchini (use a box grater or your food processor - this will take one giant zucchini or three medium zucchini)
• (2 cups apricot jam)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside.

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the oil, sugars, eggs, yogurt, vanilla, and zucchini. Pour in the dry ingredients and mix until all is well-combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the 24 cupcake liners. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cakes are done (test for this by inserting a skewer into the middle of a cupcake - if it comes out clean, it is done). Let the cupcakes cool for five minutes in the pan before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

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 in the cupcake with apricot jam (again, use homemade if you have it or storebought if you don't. Either is fine). Replace the cap. Repeat the process with the remaining cupcakes. You will probably need about a jar and a half of apricot jam to fill all the cupcakes.

~Apricot-Sour Cream Frosting~

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup apricot jam
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 7-8 cups powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and jam on medium speed until fluffy and combined. Beat in the sour cream, vanilla, and salt.

Working with about one cup of sugar at a time, add in the sugar and beat on low until each cup is incorporated. Once all the sugar is in, increase the speed to medium-high and beat the frosting for about 3 minutes or until fluffy.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, pipe on frosting on top of each cupcake and then garnish with edible glitter (or use a butter knife and just swoop it on). It is best if you store these cupcakes in the refrigerator, but let them come to room temperature before serving.

Cardamom Cupcakes with Pistachio Shortbread Crust, Peach Jam Filling, and Light Lemon Frosting

I'm still deep in my fruity dessert phase (although I am likely to change that up a bit for my next cupcake, which is bouncing among my synapses even as we speak). This is the time of year when I'm more likely to make a cobbler for dessert than anything else, and if I have MY way it's going to be a peach cobbler. We just made peach jam last week - we have gone jam-crazy here this summer. So far we've made Strawberry, Strawberry-Ginger, Strawberry Rhubarb, Cherry, Apricot, and Peach. We haven't even started pickling yet, although we did take a class at our wonderful local nursery here, Eisley's, and Earlene was knowledgeable and helpful and I want to be just like her if I ever grow up.

It was difficult for me not to add a bit of cardamom to our first batch of peach jam. Cardamom is one of those flavors that tends to be overlooked in this country. It goes well with citrus, as well as stone fruits, which is why I always add it to peach cobbler (very few people can identify it, but I've not had any complaints thus far). My current favorite ice cream, made by Three Twins, is "Dad's Cardamom" (I don't know why Dad gets the cardamom), which also goes well with stone fruit (grilled, cobbled, pie'd...). Now, cardamom gets too heavy in a hurry if too much of it is used (at that point it goes from spicy to perfume-y, which is not what I want in a dessert), so the best advice I can give you is to add a little, taste, then add a little bit more. Don't just snuffle it out of the jar, either. It needs to be helping other ingredients along to really shine.

My mom knew that I wanted to do a cardamom cupcake, and she suggested the peach jam filling (she knew that I had some on hand - you do not have to make your own. Just use a jar of the best possible jam you can get). Her stumbling block was the frosting. Regular American buttercream would be too sweet. Swiss buttercream would be far too buttery. Whipped cream doesn't hold well. Cream cheese? Too overpowering. Cooked flour? Nah. Sour cream? Maybe...

What I ended up doing was starting with an American buttercream, adding in lemon curd (yes, I made that too, but by all means go get a jar of it - it should be near the jam), and then folding in whipped cream. There - light, lemony, and not too sweet. The only catch is that these do need to be refrigerated, and they will wilt in the heat, so keep them cool(ish), and you'll be fine.

The pistachio shortcrust is optional, and comes right from my obsession with The Great British Baking Show. The contestants are always playing around with tart crusts, and I had pistachios on hand, so why not toss 'em in as well? My sweetie said that while he liked the crust on the cupcake, he didn't know that it was absolutely necessary. I wanted to leave it because I enjoy the nutty flavor, and I particularly like the additional texture (because otherwise you're left with soft and jam and soft cream - which isn't a bad thing, either). It's up to you. It won't hurt my feelings one way or the other; I'm just pleased that you looked at the recipe! Which is coming up now...

This makes 24 cupcakes, which is a gracious plenty.

~Pistachio Short Crust~

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 ounces finely chopped pistachio nuts

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together the butter with the sugar and salt until creamy. Add in the vanilla and the egg yolk and continue mixing at medium speed until it all smooths out. Add in the flour and pistachios and mix on low until just incorporated. Gather together the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk, then wrap in plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.

While you're waiting, you can go ahead and line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Once the dough is chilled, tear off about a tablespoon's worth of dough and place in each cup (I know that's vague but I eyeballed it and you can, too. You just want to make a crust on the bottom of each cup). Then flatten out each bit of dough, using your fingers or a small glass lightly dusted with flour, making sure the dough completely goes to the edge of each cup.

Much like so.

Bake the crusts for about 10 minutes or until starting to turn golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

That is a well-used muffin tin. Sheesh.

Now, on to the cake itself...

~Cardamom Cupcakes~

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 2 teaspoons cardamom
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 large eggs
• grated zest from 1 lemon
• juice from one lemon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

Make sure your oven is preheated to 350 degrees, and that you have one rack in the bottom third of the oven and the other in the top third. 

Sift together the flour, cardamom, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

In another small bowl, whisk together the eggs and the zest (but not the juice) of the lemon.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (yep, we're on bowl number three now), beat the butter until it is creamy. Add in the sugar, and then beat the tar out of it - you want it to beat on high for around 5 minutes. The butter's color will change, and the mixture will be very fluffy. You want that.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and mix the lemon juice into the butter mixture. Gradually add in the egg mixture, continuing to scrape down the sides. Mix until combined. Now, mix in the dry ingredients in four additions, alternating with the buttermilk beginning and ending with the flour, just until all is combined. Do not overmix. 

Fill up each prepared cupcake cup with the batter, filling about 3/4 of the way full (this is a very fluffy batter, so it's not going to be easy. Just do the best you can and trust your own judgement). Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes, switching the position of the pans at the ten minute mark so that the cupcakes bake evenly. A tester inserted into the center of the cupcake should come out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to let them finish cooling.

Fluffy!

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the top of each cupcake. Slice off the extra cake (set it aside for nibbling!), leaving the flat cap. Fill the resulting space with peach jam (again, homemade or from the store, preferably at room temperature), then replace the flat cap onto the cupcake. Repeat the process for the remaining cupcakes.

~Light Lemon Frosting~

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup lemon curd, store bought or homemade (I recommend Alton Brown's recipe)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the heavy cream into stiff peaks. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and lemon curd together until smooth. Add in one cup of powdered sugar, the vanilla, and the salt. Mix on low until combined. Mix in the remaining cup of sugar on low until it's all incorporated, then increase the mixer's speed to high and let it go until the frosting is light and fluffy. Turn off your mixer (I can't believe I just typed that but I shudder to think what might happen if I did not).

Take about 1/4 of the whipped cream and fold it into the frosting to lighten it. Transfer the frosting to the whipped cream bowl and gently fold together until it is all combined. Using a pastry bag fitted with a closed star tip, pipe your frosting onto each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, glitter, or nothing at all, as you like. Keep the cupcakes stored in the refrigerator, but do try to let them sit for around 5 minutes at room temperature before serving, if you can.

Enjoy!

Mixed Berry Cupcakes with Shortbread Crust and Strawberry Mousse

It's surprising how so much butter can taste so light and fruity!

I have to apologize - it has been over 2 years since I posted anything! That's not to say that I haven't baked anything; in fact, I've cooked and baked quite a bit. But I've forgotten to take pictures, or I didn't think the recipe was good enough, blah blah blah fishcakes.

So, here we are. And I think I'm coming back with a bang. A BERRY BIG BANG...er, sorry. But these really are nice: what you have is a crisp shortbread base, a buttery vanilla cake just stuffed silly with blueberries, a bright and sweet-tart strawberry mousse in the middle (with a special bonus treat I'll tell you about after awhile), and a rich, buttery, but still snappy raspberry Swiss Meringue buttercream. The end result is a perfectly summery (and marvelously messy) cupcake that manages to be both a luxurious treat and yet feel light on the tummy. And it's full of antioxidants! See, I'm helping you.

Ready to start, then? Off we go!

First of all, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 12-cup muffin tin and 4 cups of a 6-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners (I really prefer the greaseproof ones but use whatever you like). Then...

~Shortbread crust~
8 tablespoons room-temperature salted butter, cut into cubes
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until softened and creamy. Add the sugar and mix until well-combined.

Mix together the flour, cornstarch, and salt and mix at low speed until the ingredients are just incorporated.

See? It really is "just incorporated"

Flour your work surface and gently knead 5 to 10 times until the dough has smoothed out and come together.

Then, breaking off 1-inch balls (slightly smaller than ping pong balls), put one small dough ball into each cup of the muffin tin. Press out the dough gently until it fills out the cup entirely.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until the shortbread is just starting to turn golden on the edges.

Set the pan aside to cool. Now, shall we make some cake? You'll love it. You don't even need a mixer.

~Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes with Blueberries~

•  1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup salted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 extra large egg
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• Juice and zest from one large lemon
• 2 cups blueberries

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined, then set it aside. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Whisk both the sugars into the butter, and then add in the egg, sour cream, vanilla, milk, egg, and lemon juice and zest; mix until it all comes together. Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until no lumps remain; fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter among the 16 cupcake liners and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let rest in pans for 5 minutes, then move the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

They look like muffins, don't they? Well, tell your guests they are Gilded Lily Muffins and serve them for breakfast!

And now, the filling:

~Fresh Strawberry Mousse Filling~

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1 tbsp. powdered gelatin
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cups heavy cream

Puree your strawberries in a food processor (your blender will work, too). Strain out as many seeds as you can using a fine sieve, but don't fret if seeds get into the finished puree. Strawberries have seeds. Teeny, tiny ones. Such is the way of the world.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let it bloom for 5 minutes. Get your double boiler set up while that's going. After the 5 minutes have passed, pour the gelatin mixture into the top of the double boiler and heat over the boiling water until the gelatin has melted. Stir the melted gelatin into the strawberry puree and let it cool. It will become a bit thick.

Whip the heavy cream until medium to stiff peaks form. Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the strawberry puree and fold it in to lighten the puree a bit. Then pour the strawberry mixture back into the whipped cream and carefully fold it in until all is combined.

Fresh, delicious strawberry mousse! Oh, check that out - do you see how tacky I am? I see a finger swipe there, right in the middle. Hey, it's my kitchen...I dare you not to do it. At least smooth it out before you take a picture, though.

Let's go ahead and fill the cupcakes so we can get those a-chillin' in the refrigerator. Cut a cone-shaped bit out of the top of each cupcake; trim the extra off the bottom so that all you have left is a hat. Spoon in about a teaspoon of the strawberry mousse into the cavity left in the cupcake; top with the hat. Don't worry too much about overfilling; you're going to be frosting these after all. Continue the process until all the cupcakes are filled and hatted - put them in the fridge to chill until it's time to frost them. Now, look around.

What you should be seeing is a pile of delicious blueberry cupcake bits...and a whole lot of leftover mousse. No worries! You can either spoon them into dishes and let the mousse chill and set up for your next gathering; you can rustle up a pound cake and make a trifle...OR...you can drag out that ice cream maker and make frozen strawberry mousse! Just dump in whatever's left in the bowl and let it churn for 20 minutes or however long your freezer recommends. And just like that...2 desserts.

And now (we are getting there, I promise) the frosting. You're going to need that double boiler again.

~Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream~

• 1 cup raspberry coulis
• 5 egg whites
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 sticks salted butter, cubed and at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the coulis, combine 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 pints of raspberries in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 8 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the seeds and set it aside to cool.
In the top of a double boiler, above simmering water, combine the egg whites and the sugar. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until it reaches 140 degrees and the sugar is dissolved.
Put this mixture into the (very clean) bowl of your electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites for 8 - 10 minutes or until the meringue is thick and glossy and the bowl no longer feels warm to the touch.

It starts out loose...

And ends up glossy! And sort of tastes like marshmallows, in a really good way.

Switch over to the paddle attachment and, with the mixer on low, add the butter cubes, one at a time, until the butter is incorporated. Continue mixing until the mixture is silky and smooth. Add in the vanilla and salt and raspberry coulis and stir until well combined.

Fill a large piping bag fitted with a star tip with the frosting. Swoop the frosting however you like onto each cupcake, making sure to cover the entire top. Keep the cupcakes in the fridge to store (since you're dealing with quite a bit of dairy here), but let the cupcake warm up to room temperature before serving.

Enjoy! I'm very glad to be back. And I'll not wait for two years to pass for the next post. I promise. Plus, peaches and plums are in season! Wheeeeee!

Now, go share with your friends.

Funfetti cupcakes with lemon curd filling

It's a party! But wait, there's more...

Now it's REALLY a party.

Did y'all know that Funfetti cupcakes are actually a thing?

Okay, I admit that I knew that Funfetti existed, but I don't use cake mixes and I am not sure that my mama ever allowed sprinkles to enter the house when I was growing up (except for Christmas sugar cookies, and those were just the tiny dots, not the jimmies - and I didn't even know that the longer sprinkles were called "jimmies" until I got to college). I remember once I begged and begged for the rainbow chip cake mix (and can o'frosting) and actually got it - and wow, that stuff was...not to my taste. 

Anyway, there's this big, bearded grumpy guy that I used to work with and we were sitting around talking about cakes and cupcakes (which was fun just in and of itself - "How about camouflage? Can you make a camouflage cake???") and then he rested back in his chair, clasped his hands together and said, "You know what I really like? Funfetti cake. That's my absolute favorite."

Hee. Really, tough guy?

And that's how Funfetti cupcakes started bouncing around in my brain. Like my mother, I'm not really a sprinkle kind of girl. I like to add flavor, not just color (unless it's edible glitter, because, sparkles). But I couldn't drum up any real interest in them because it seemed like it would be just white cake, white frosting, and sprinkles. Eh.

Then I started thinking about it - you know what ELSE has white cake and white frosting? Birthday cake. At least, what I think of as birthday cake. I know, I know - I make all these complicated cupcakes and flavors and that's well and good, but when it comes to birthday cakes I want white cake, white frosting, lemon filling, and pale pink roses for decoration. Just like I used to get from Pollman's Bakery in Mobile, Alabama growing up (which is still my standard for THE birthday cake, and I can't get anything like it where I live now). Adding a lemon curd filling to the funfetti standards should take the flavors right to birthday cake level, I thought, and the sprinkles will bring the party.

They did, too. This works perfectly, for me at least. One bite of these cupcakes just yells "birthday," but what's even better, the lemon curd is smooth and tart and relieves the unrelenting sweetness of the Funfetti. I also decided on a whipped vanilla buttercream instead of the standard, dense, birthday shortening-y buttercream, for a lighter effect. I also added sprinkles to the batter, and to the frosting, and then even over the tops (because seriously, why do when you can overdo?).

These are pretty easy to make - the whole thing came together in a morning - and while it may not be the most sophisticated and over the top cupcake you'll ever have, it's familiar and fun and happy and that's a-okay with me. I'm going to stop sneering at the sprinkles. My daughter will be so pleased!

Makes 24 party-in-the-cupcakes

Start with the lemon curd filling, and then set it in the refrigerator to cool while you make the cupcakes.

Lemon Curd
(Adapted from Ina Garten)

• 3 lemons
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 pound butter (1 stick), softened
• 4 extra-large eggs
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Zest the three lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.
Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined. The mixture is going to look curdled. Don't panic! Just keep going.
Pour the mixture into a heavy 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees, or just below simmer. Remove from the heat set in the refrigerator to cool until the cupcakes are ready to fill.

Looky! I got a new candy thermometer. It works much better than the glass one I used to have.

Funfetti Cupcakes

• ½ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup shortening
• 2¼ cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 4 egg whites, room temperature
• 2½ cups cake flour
• 2¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup sprinkles (I used jimmies)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
In a bowl, cream together the butter, shortening and granulated sugar. Cream for 5 minutes. Return to the fridge for 5 minutes. Then, cream for another five minutes. This will add in lots of air into the batter, making for fluffier cupcakes.
Add the vanilla extract. Add each egg individually, and then add the egg whites.
In a separate bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Beginning and ending with the flour, alternate mixing in the flour mixture and milk. Fold in the sprinkles with a spatula.
Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 full, and then bake for 15 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for five minutes, them remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

To fill 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 lemon curd (or however much you need). Replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, and then put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill and set the filling.

Whipped Vanilla Funfetti Buttercream

• 1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (optional)
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sprinkles (I used jimmies)
• Extra sprinkles for garnish

Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whip on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.  Add the confectioners’ sugar to the bowl and mix on medium-low speed just until incorporated.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean pod (if using) into the bowl and add in the salt.  Continue to beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.  Mix in the heavy cream and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated.  Increase the mixer speed and whip on high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed, about 4-5 minutes. Fold in the sprinkles gently with a spatula.

Frost the filled cupcakes with a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Sprinkle on a few more jimmies over the top of each cupcakes because hey, why stop now?

Store the cupcakes in the refrigerator but let them come up to room temperature before serving.

Good morning to sunshine and sprinkles and pretty, happy cupcakes!

Chocolate-dipped Strawberry Cupcakes

Okay, these are hard to cut in half neatly. But you get the general idea.

Humph. It's been about eight months since I've done any cupcake posts. It's not that I haven't been baking - I just haven't made any cupcakes lately. I wanted to do something different. 

This is different. It's based on the hi-hat cupcakes I've seen online (which just make me think of the chocolate-dipped cones from Dairy Queen that my grandmother never let us get, and then I get said with the "might-have-beens")), and is also reminiscent of a chocolate-dipped strawberry. The frosting is a Swiss meringue buttercream (which I love and I never make, and I don't know why that is) with a fresh strawberry puree added in (so this cupcake is, of course, best when strawberries are in season). Swiss meringue buttercream is just so delicious - it's much lighter than a regular, powdered sugar buttercream and is billowy and shiny and just delicious, if a bit more work. Just make sure that you pay attention, use a candy thermometer, and follow the directions! The cake is my favorite, super-easy dark chocolate cake and the filling is really just a homemade strawberry jam. Really none of the steps are hard and the result is quite rewarding. Now I'm thinking about making cupcakes based on boxes of chocolates (I think I'm the only person I know who always liked the vanilla cream ones). But that's another project. On to the task at hand!

We'll start with the filling first, which is simple and then can just be set aside until it's ready to use.

~Strawberry Filling~

2 cups diced strawberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water (stir well to get rid of lumps)
pinch of salt
squeeze of lemon juice

Cook the strawberries in a medium-sized heavy saucepan over medium heat until they have started to cook down and the juices have been released. Add in the sugar and the cornstarch mixture and cook and stir for another two minutes, until the mixture has thickened. Add in the salt and lemon juice and stir; remove the strawberry filling and set aside to cool before using.

 
 

~ Chocolate Cupcakes ~

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1 tablespoon espresso powder
3/4 cup hot coffee
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 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.
Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin or line with baking liners.

Combine chocolate, cocoa, espresso powder 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) - the batter will be thin. 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.

To fill 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 raspberry filling (or however much you need). Replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, and then put in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to chill and set the filling.

  
 ~ Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting ~


1 1/2 cups diced strawberries
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature

Puree the strawberries in a food processor.
Combine the egg whites, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer set over a small pan of simmering water.  Whisk constantly by hand until the sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips) and the mixture has come to 160-165 degrees (so yes, use a candy thermometer).
Attach the bowl to the stand mixer and fit with the whisk attachment.  Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, mix until stiff (but not dry) peaks form.  Continue mixing until until the mixture is light, fluffy, glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the mixing bowl), about 10 minutes.
With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing well between each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, increase the speed to medium, and mix until the buttercream comes together (this can take awhile, so be patient. If the mixture looks a little runny, or even curdled, just keep beating. I think that this is where most people give up on Swiss buttercream. Don't do that!).  Switch to the paddle attachment and beat at medium-low speed to remove air bubbles, about 2 minutes.  Gradually add the strawberry puree, and mix to combine.

Frost the cupcakes using a pastry bag fitted with a large, round tip, then stow the frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator to firm up before dipping. 

~ Chocolate Coating ~

12 oz good bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (chocolate chips are fine, here)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Melt the chocolate and the oil in the microwave in 30-second intervals or until the chocolate is completely smooth and melted, stirring after every 30 seconds. Conversely, you can do this in a double boiler. Set the chocolate aside for 15 minutes or so to cool before dipping the cupcakes.

So, you'll see some recipes instruct you to hold the cupcake upside down and dip the frosted cupcake into the chocolate. I did this once and the frosting came clean off the cupcake. Therefore, I just put the cupcakes on a wire rack set over some wax paper, spooned the chocolate over the top of the cupcakes and let it drip down over the sides. It's artistic! Also, easier. 

Put the cupcakes in the refrigerator to let the chocolate set up before serving.

Makes 12 cupcakes.