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.

Peaches and Cream Cupcakes with Almond Shortbread Crust

Just check out this gentle, unassuming cupcake. This is the kind of cupcake that you spy (trailside, apparently), and you have no idea what is actually happening here. Well, wait no longer, my friends.

Kablammo!

What we have here is a white cupcake with a salted almond shortbread crust, filled with fresh peach filling and topped with a light peach whipped cream. The peaches came straight from the farmers' market (I wouldn't even bother making this with canned peaches. You need the real deal!) and all things considered, I had them pulled together in a matter of a few hours.

The reason I chose to make this particular kind of cupcake is as you may know, I hail originally from Mobile, Alabama. Yeah, yeah, Georgia peaches and all and I get it, I do, but we in Mobile just quietly enjoy our own marvelous peaches and let everyone else have a hissy fit next door. The ones with the most to brag about are usually the quiet ones, you know...

My father came out west this past weekend (hi Papa!) and since my dad was instrumental in getting me to cook in the first place, I really wanted to make something he'd enjoy. I think this worked. The fact that my mom, my sister, my lovely niece Lily also liked them was all icing on the (cup)cake. My children were summarily not impressed. They rarely are. Baby Deirdre licked off the frosting (she is sitting beside me at the moment and interjected, "Because I love frosting!") and Liam suspiciously poked his (half) cupcake with a finger and scooped out the filling to leave it on the plate. "I don't like that stuff," he informed me. Sigh. Still, out of 18 cupcakes yesterday, I have two left this morning, and I do consider that a success.

Stone fruit, like peaches and plums and cherries, too, pair wall with almond, I don't know why, exactly; it just seems to be one of those things, like peanut butter and cheese crackers (stop judging me). I like a crunchy bottom to my cupcake, and shortbread is just about the easiest crust around, so I just subbed out half the flour with almond meal (found in the natural foods section of your grocery store or, out here, at Trader Joe's. Whee, Trader Joe's!).

Sometimes I am loathe to work with peaches because I don't love peeling them, The trick to that is to drop the whole peach into a large pot of boiling water and let it hang out there for about a minute. Remove the peach with a slotted spoon and then put it into a colander in the sink to let it cool a bit. The skins will slip right off; I usually don't even use a knife.

For some reason this cupcake looks like it's at School Picture Day. I think it's the lighting.

Anyway, to put these cupcakes together, I would start with the peach filling first. You're going to reserve some of this to make a puree for the frosting, so just keep that in mind.

Oh wait, FIRST of all, sprinkle about half of a teaspoon of unflavored gelatin into about 1/8 cup of cold water. Let it bloom and then stir it in to dissolve. You're going to use this in the hot peach puree which is going to mix with the hot peach puree to go into the whipped cream for the frosting? Get that? And this way, your frosting won't melt all over the place. Great! And, moving right along...

~Peach Filling (and puree for frosting)~
Four pounds peaches, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Put the peaches into a large, heavy-bottom saucepan. Sprinkle in the cornstarch and toss well with the fruit to make sure all the pieces are coated. Add in the lemon juice, cinnamon, and almond extract, and stir to combine. Cook this mixture over medium heat until it is bubbly and thickened. Remove from heat. Reserve about two ladle's worth (maybe 3/4 of a cup) still hot and puree in another bowl, using a stick blender if you have one, or a food processor or regular blender if you do not. Once the reserved peach puree is smooth, add in the gelatin water and stir to combine well. Let cool completely before using. Let the remaining peach mixture cool completely as well. 

~Almond Shortbread Crust for Cupcakes~

1 cup almond meal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 cups in muffin tins with foil cupcake liners. Combine all dry ingredients into a bowl. Add in the butter and mix with your (clean) fingertips until the mixture comes together and can hold its shape as a ball when you squeeze it together. Divide the mixture evenly among the cupcake cups and press down with your (clean! clean!) fingers to form an even layer. 

Bake in the preheated oven for about ten minutes or until the shortbread is starting to brown. Remove the muffin tins from the oven and let them cool a little bit before filling with the cake batter which is coming up...

~White Cake Batter~

3 egg whites

1-1/4 cup milk

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2-1/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon butter, softened

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the egg whites, 2 tablespoons of the milk, and the vanilla and almond extracts.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the sugar. Add the butter beat well into the dry ingredients. Add in the milk and mix. Gradually add in the egg white mixture.
Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full with the batter. Bake for 15 - 18 minutes,
or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before filling and frosting.

To fill the cupcakes, 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 cooled peach mixture(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.

~Peach Whipped Cream Frosting~

1-1/2 cups whipping cream

3/4 cups reserved peach puree, with gelatin, cooled

Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks, Turn off the electric beater. Using a spatula, carefully fold in the peach puree, a little at the time, until fully incorporated into the whipped cream. Be gentle!

As soon as the puree is combined with the whipped cream, pipe onto the cupcakes using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Let the cream firm up in the refrigerator before serving if you can, or go ahead and serve and make a mess. You will definitely want to store these in the refrigerator, though.

This will make eighteen cupcakes. They will go quickly! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

This cupcake seems to have been given accolades from a higher authority. Hmm...

Arnold Palmer Cupcakes

Welcome to the Arnold Palmer, a cupcake riff on a drink I've never had that was named after a golfer I'd not recognize if he jumped out and bit me. "Why, hello! You must be Arnold Palmer. Would you care for some tea...with lemonade?" Because that's really all an Arnold Palmer is, a non-alcoholic beverage of the country club set that's half iced tea and half lemonade. You can even buy the stuff premixed (really, lazy Americans? For reals???). 

My own experience with the country club beverage set is limited to the Shirley Temple (my brother always got the Roy Rogers which actually had cola in it! No caffeine for my delicate female system, I guess. And if you don't think I'm actively plotting Shirley Temple and Roy Rogers cupcakes, then you've never met me. How cool would that be for a debutante party? Wait - I don't think there are any debutantes in Northern California. Curses! Well, cheerfully moving on...). 

So why, you might ask, when I haven't a nodding acquaintance with golf and I've never even tasted an Arnold Palmer (beverage or otherwise - shudder -) - I don't even put sugar in my iced tea, much less lemonade - why would I make this into a cupcake? That's easy enough. I saw a recipe for a cake online. And it looked weird. So I kept looking. And every recipe I found just seemed a little...off. Because I am incapable of letting well enough alone, I decided to try my own hand at it - making an Arnold Palmer cupcake in my own way.

My own way starts off with a Ritz cracker crust (in my head I has always believed that those crackers were as southern as RC Cola, but nope - they were invented by a German man in Ohio. Good enough!), and then the cake has a subtle lemon-tea flavoring (by steeping the tea bags in the milk for the cake and then letting it cool before adding to the batter). The filling is a very mild black tea mousse which gives you a, "Hey! This tastes like tea!" moment. The frosting is a breath of fresh air - just a simple lemon cream cheese frosting. By the time you get there you're singing, "Hallelujah!" But in a restrained, country club way, of course. No pearl-clutching here..just absolute restraint decorum. And two cups of cream, several sticks of butter, and lots and lots of sugar. It's the good life!

Arnold Palmer Cupcakes

~ Ritz Cracker Crust ~
1 1/2 sleeves Ritz crackers
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup sugar

Grind the crackers to a fine consistency in the bowl of a food processor. Add the sugar and blend. Add in the butter and combine until the mixture comes together.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 twelve-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners. Place about a tablespoons' worth of the cracker mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Using your (clean) fingers, press the mixture down to make an even layer on the bottom of each cupcake liner.

Bake a 350 for 10 minutes or until the crust is starting to brown (and watch this, because it can happen in a hurry!). 

~ Lemon - Tea Cupcakes ~

1 cup milk

6 black tea bags (Lipton or similar is just fine)

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Zest of two lemons

Juice of two lemons (about 1/3 cup)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Heat milk to just below boiling point (I just used my microwave but you can use your stovetop too). Add in teabags and let steep ten minutes. Remove tea bags and squeeze them over the milk to get every bit of tea out (yes, I know this all goes against every rule of tea-making but we are making cupcakes, people!). Let the milk cool before proceeding with the batter.

If you are a good person who follows directions, here is where you sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set this mixture aside.

Once the milk is cool, cream together the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until the mixture is nice and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the vanilla and mix well. 

Okay, so here is where I poured my lemon juice and lemon zest into my tea-milk, knowing full well that it would curdle. And it curdled. So I beat the heck out of it with a whisk and then poured it into the batter. Once I mixed in the dry ingredients, it looked fine. OR, you can pour in the tea milk, mix that in well, add in the lemon juice and zest, and then mix in your dry ingredients until just combined. Whichever way you like. I seem to prefer heart attacks.

Spoon the batter into your crust-filled muffin tins, filling about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for about 15 - 18 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before filling and frosting.

~ Black Tea Mousse ~

 1 cup heavy cream

4 tea bags (Lipton is fine)

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

1/3 cup boiling water

Heat heavy cream to just below boiling point. Add in the teabags; steep for about 10 minutes. Remove the teabags, squeezing over the cream to get every bit of tea, and then discard them. Chill the tea-cream mixture for at least an hour or until it is good and cold. 

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and allow it to soften. Add in the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved and the mixture is clear. Let cool slightly. 

Beat the plan whipped cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks are starting to form. Add in the sugar and the tea-cream mixture and whip until combined and the mixture is stiff. Add in the gelatin and beat until blended. 

To fill the cupcakes, 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 tea mousse mixture (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.

 

This is not very impressive because the filling is just about the same color as the cake! This guy isn't going to win any beauty contests. Still, have you seen your average golfer???

 ~ Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting ~

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

Juice and zest of two lemons

1 teaspoon salt

4 - 6 cups powdered sugar

Mix cream cheese, butter, lemon juice and zest, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium until well-combined. Add in the powdered sugar gradually, and beat it in until it reaches the proper consistency (you will want it to be a stiffer consistency if you are planning to pipe it on rather than spread it on, for example). 

Once you have in all the powdered sugar you need, frost the cupcakes by piping on the frosting or just spread it on with a knife. I further decorated mine by sprinkling on yellow and green edible glitter, because I could. 

Makes 24 cupcakes. Fore!

Atlantic Beach Cupcake

I'm just going to come out and say it. I love NPR. I have loved NPR my entire life. My parents were always listening to public radio, and I found myself doing the same, even as a teenager (that's right, rebelling even then, and in the dorkiest way possible). Now that I am more than qualified, age-wise (sigh), to be an NPR listener, it's time to admit it publicly.

You never know what you're going to hear on the radio, but anytime food is mentioned my ears prick right up. I was driving home from work one evening and heard a story about a particular kind of pie that was news to me. It hails from the North Carolina coast, and the story is that this lemon pie is served at seafood restaurants everywhere. There's an old wives' tale that you will get sick eating any kind of dessert after having seafood, but not, apparently, this pie.

I don't know anything about that, because I'm allergic to shellfish anyhow and I've never been to North Carolina (seems to me people on the Alabama coast have dessert after seafood all the time, but perhaps our stomachs are tougher). I did think that a lemon pie with a saltine crust topped with whipped cream sounded lovely, so I went straight home and made it. And it was, too! Then I forgot all about it.

Until, just recently, NPR decided to re-air the story (really, NPR?), and this time my mother was listening and mentioned it to me. I remembered making the pie and how much I'd liked it, but now...what if I turned it into a cupcake? What if I took the very simplicity of the pie and overcomplicated it? Fantastic!

Actually, it is. The components of the Atlantic Beach Pie work just swimmingly (heh) in a cupcake. Tart, sweet, creamy, salty, crunchy - it's all there, but it also manages not to be too heavy. So I think it would go well after a seafood dinner (not that I'd know. Do you know what a bummer it is being allergic to seafood, growing up on the Gulf Coast?), or a nice summer cookout, or heck, my kids had these for breakfast this morning.

And if you want to hear the original story on the pie, go ahead and click here

Atlantic Beach Cupcake

~For saltine crust~
1 sleeve saltine crackers
1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners. 

Pulse the crackers in a food processor until they are mostly broken up (but not finely so). Add in the sugar and butter and pulse until the mixture is starting to resemble a dough (you can do this with your hands, too; it will just take longer).

Divide the mixture evenly among the cupcake liners and press down to form a bottom crust in each. Bake the crusts for 13 - 15 minutes or until they are decidedly golden (don't be a chicken about the coloring here). Let the crusts cool completely before filling with the batter.

See how dark that crust is? Totally fine.

~ For lemon cupcakes ~
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the lemon juice and water on medium high heat. When the butter is melted remove from heat. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the sour cream (or yogurt), eggs, vanilla extract and lemon zest and whisk together. Let this mixture cool completely. In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt and baking soda together, then whisk the dry ingredients into the batter. It will foam up - don't panic. Once you've got the dry ingredients mixed in, the batter will be on the thin side. Again, don't panic.

Fill the prepared cupcake tins 3/4 full with the batter (this is an important step - I know this is more full than usually you'd go but please just listen to me). Bake, one pan at a time, at 350 for 15 - 18 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Do not open the oven door while the cupcakes are baking.

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for five minutes, then remove to a wire rack to let them cool completely before filling and frosting.

~For the lemon filling~
1 can sweetened, condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan and cook, stirring, over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil. Be careful to keep stirring because this will scorch in a heartbeat! Continue cooking until the mixture is starting to thicken, about five minutes. Remove from heat and let cool before filling the cupcakes.

To fill the cupcakes, using a sharp knife (honestly, I use a steak knife for this), cut a cone-shaped section from the top of each cupcake. Trim off the extra cake from each cone, just leaving a flat cap to cover the cavity you've made in the cupcake. Fill each cupcake with about a tablespoon or so of the lemon filling (this all depends on how big a hollow you've carved into the cupcake, and really, that is entirely up to you) and replace the cap on each one. There. All you've left is the frosting, and that's easy.

~Whipped Cream Frosting (stabilized)~
1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
1 packet dry gelatin powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Whisk the gelatin into 1/4 cup of the cream and let stand for about 10 minutes. Then add in the rest of the cream and the vanilla, with your electric mixer on low, beat until the cream is starting to thicken. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, and continue mixing, increasing the speed as you go, until the cream is forming stiff peaks (but don't overbeat because you'll end up with sweetened, gelatinized butter).

To frost the cupcakes, use a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe the whipped cream on top of each one. I finished mine with a grind of pink sea salt and edible yellow glitter. I like the crunch of the salt contrasting with the creamy sweetness of the frosting.

The gelatin will keep the whipped cream from weeping but these cupcakes still have to be stored in the refrigerator. Makes 24 cupcakes - enjoy!

Cupcake Army of Darkness!

Cupcake on a brick!

Red velvet cupcakes with dark ganache filling and chocolate cookie crust

You know, I'm just going to say it. I have fought against this particular kind of cupcake, nay, this cake in general, for as long as I've been baking. I don't care about its Southern heritage (I first met it in Atlanta, as far as I can remember, and I thought it was weird then). I don't care about Steel Magnolias. 

(Ok, that's a total lie. I care deeply about Steel Magnolias. Not, however, in reference to this cake.)

I don't care that everyone and their brother started making red velvet cake (not to mention white velvet! Green velvet! Blue velvet! Oh, we're all so cute that I'm going to beat my own head in with my cast iron skillet). I don't usually like to eat anything with an entire bottle of dye in it (unless it's a Dorito. So sue me. I said "usually"). I wasn't really being fair about all this, either, because I'd never actually tasted a red velvet cake. I just was objecting to it on principle. Loudly.

And then, enter one of the sweetest people I've ever met, a girl who hasn't said an ugly thing about anyone, ever, to my knowledge. A girl who never asks for anything. A girl with really big brown eyes that peep up at you from under her long brown bangs. And this girl was having a birthday. And this girl...well, you can probably guess what she asked for.

So, Micah, dear, I have thrown my principles right out the window in honor of your being born. And you know what? Those principles were darn tasty. 

The cake is cocoa-y without being too chocolatey (the dark crust and the ganache jump right into that role, don't you worry) and it's not too sweet. The cream cheese frosting provides the sweetness and a nice tang and contrast. Really, y'all, this is good. I would make it again. With a lot less hand-wringing. Now I just have to figure out how to shape an armadillo.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

~ Chocolate Cookie Bottoms ~

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (about one package of chocolate cookies)
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Very carefully so as not to scorch the chocolate, over low heat in a medium pot, melt together the butter and chocolate. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chocolate crumbs until all are moistened. 

Divide the crumb mixture evenly among the muffin cups. Using your clean fingers, press the mixture down into an even layer in the bottom of each cupcake liner. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes (you will be able to smell them - do not let them burn). Let cool for about 10 minutes before filling with the cake batter.

~ Red Velvet Cake Batter ~

• 1/4 cup red food coloring
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 

In a small bowl, gradually stir the food coloring into the cocoa until smooth. Add the vanilla. 

In a large bowl, beat the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the cocoa mixture as well as the salt. Add in the flour alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir the vinegar into the baking soda (it will foam). Quickly fold it - do not beat - into the batter.

Immediately divide the batter among the cookie-lined cupcake cups and place your first pan into the oven (unless you have a big oven with a lot of air circulation which I do not, but if you do go ahead and bake both pans at once). Bake the cupcakes for about 15 minutes or until an inserted tester comes out clean. Repeat the process with your other pan of cupcakes. Let the cupcakes cool completely before attempting to fill with the ganache. 

~Ganache filling ~

• 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped 
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• pinch instant espresso powder

In the top of a double boiler over gently simmering water, combine all ingredients until smooth. Let cool until room temperature and then, with a hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the stuffing out of it until it is nice and fluffy, then set aside until you are ready 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 whipped ganache, then replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

~ Cream Cheese Frosting ~

• 1 cup cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add in the vanilla and salt and mix in well. Add in the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until the sugar is blended in well and the frosting is stiff enough to hold its shape when piped.

Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes using a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. If desired, sprinkle the cupcakes with grated chocolate and edible red glitter for a garnish. 

Makes about 20 cupcakes. 

Blackberry Cupcakes with oatmeal crust and blackberry-mandarin curd filling

I love pretty cupcake photos. I could almost say that once I've got that part over with, that my job is half done, but this. of course, would be a lie. I have to make the cupcake first, of course, and then I have to remember how I did it! That is no easy task. I've already made another cupcake since these and I am plotting another that I was hoping to make today...so you can see how the recipes start to jumble in a mind that is not-quite-organized in the first place. I'll do my best, though, Where was I? Oh yes - pretty picture.

And I know, blackberries are not (yet!) in season, but they were on sale. And i was wanting to do a purple-ish cupcake for Lent.  What? You don't celebrate Lent with cupcakes? Hey, I went to Catholic school and I can't recall anyone ever giving up cupcakes for Lent. So there.

I jazzed these puppies up with an oatmeal cookie crust (oatmeal + blackberries = health food!) and a blackberry mandarin curd. Why mandarin? Well, for one, because I live in mandarin country. And two...I was out of lemons. Any citrus would probably have been good (and blood oranges would certainly have followed along with the theme) but just in case Gary Gilligan ever reads this...Mandarins were clearly the superior choice.

And these were a superior cupcake. Pretty, too. Shall we begin, then?

~ Oatmeal Cookie Crust ~

• 1/2 cup butter, melted

• 1/4 cup flour

• 1 cup regular oats

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Combine melted butter, flour, oats,and brown sugar in a small bowl. Put about a tablespoon of the oatmeal mixture into each lined muffin tin. Press down with your fingers to make an even crust on the bottom of each one. Bake for about 10 minutes until starting to brown. Let cool before filling with cupcake batter.

~ Blackberry Cupcakes ~

• 2 large (12-ounce? I'm sorry; I didn't check) blackberries, plus one small container (about 24) for garnish)

• 1/3 cup milk

• 6 large egg whites

• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

• 2 1/4 cups flour

• 1 3/4 cup sugar

• 4 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Puree blackberries in a food processor or blender. Scrape into a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl. With a rubber spatula, work the blackberries through the sieve, leaving seeds behind. Remove 1/4 cup of puree for the frosting. You ought to have a good 3/4 cup of puree left for the cupcakes and 1/2 cup of the puree for the curd. 

• In small bowl, combine puree, milk, egg, lemon juice, and mix with fork until well blended. In bowl of stand mixer, add sifted flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. Continue beating at slow speed and add the butter. Mix until combined and resembling moist crumbs.

• Add liquids and beat at medium speed for about 1 minute or until well combined. Stop mixer to scrape down the sides of the bowl and fold in whatever is remaining. Resist the urge to beat this stuff silly! Fill cupcake liners on top of baked oatmeal crusts ~3/4 full.

• Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center cupcake in each pan comes out clean

~ Blackberry-mandarin curd filling ~
1/2 cup reserved blackberry curd
3 large egg yolks
zest of one mandarin orange
1/2 cup mandarin orange juice
6 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

Combine egg yolks, zest, lemon juice and sugar in a sauce pan. Set over medium heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook until the mixture has thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add in butter, one piece at a time. Stir until completely combined. Once completely combined, add in blackberry puree and mix well. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on to the surface of the curd then refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.

~ Filling 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 blackberry-mandarin curd filling, then replace the cap. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

There was just no way to take a pretty picture of this, but you get the idea

Whew - almost done! Just the frosting left!

2 sticks butter, softened

1/4 cup blackberry puree

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 - 5 cups powdered sugar

2 -3 tablespoons milk (if needed)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend together the butter, puree, vanilla, and salt until mixed well. Add in the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, and mix into the butter, starting out at a low speed and gradually increasing the speed until it is all nice and incorporated. If the mixture seems too stiff, add milk; if it seems too loose, add more sugar. I like a consistency that will pipe well though a pastry tube, but you can just spread it on with a butter knife or spatula too. No worries.

Pipe the frosting onto all of your cupcakes and then garnish as desired - I used clear edible glitter and a fresh blackberry on the top of each one (you do want to have your garnish give a clue as to what is inside the cupcakes. Although, in this case, I guess the oatmeal cookie bottom is a complete surprise. Oh well. This was two weeks ago, people! I've moved on. 

I do hope you have enjoyed reading along, though!

They're coming to get you, Barbara...with all of their antioxidants!

This was the runner-up for the cover photo, but I still really liked it. Lopsidedness and all.
You should see me pick out a Christmas tree!