"Baked" Red Velvet Cupcakes

My mom asked me if I'd make something sweet for her to take to her very last meeting at her job of 31 years. She's leaving to work with me as we open our own bakery. I hadn't made red velvet in a while, so it was time to break out the red food coloring. At first, I foolishly tried a recipe other than my favorite. I tried the one in Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott. MISTAKE! The cake had almost no flavor, and the tops stuck to the cupcake pan. Never fear, for I see lots and lots of cake truffles in my future. After that bomb, I ran back to my copy of "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking." I've made their red velvet cake as cupcakes before, and they were 100% perfect. Their frosting is the best I've ever tasted! I'll never stray from the red velvet path again!
Recipe here!

Please welcome back to the blog, VANILLA CUPCAKES!

Cheers! Yay! *applause applause* How long has it been since you've seen cupcakes on this blog???? I'll tell you... It's been 10 MONTHS since a cupcake has been spotted here (the last cupcake was seen July 23, 2009)! Cupcakes and I have developed a love-hate relationship. I really wore them out over the past few years, so now I only make them if someones asks. Well no, that's incorrect. If someone BEGS me to make cupcakes, I'll do it.

So... the wife of one of Josh's co-workers has never had a cupcake. *gasp* I know, right!? Anyway, Josh told her if she'd send some lumpia to work with her husband, then he'd bring in some cupcakes from me. Since she's sent in lumpia twice already, I guess it's high time I held up Josh's end of the bargain. And since I recently met her in person, along with his other co-workers who BEGGED me to make cupcakes for them, how could I say no??

I had forgotten all about my old standby recipes for vanilla cupcakes. Did I ever even settle on one? Knowing me, probably not. I rarely settle on recipes, even if by most people's standards the recipes are flawless. I digress...

Since I'm planning on opening my own bakery, I figured it would be a wise idea to learn baker's math. It's something I'll need to know in order to adjust and write my own recipes. I sat down with my copy of BakeWise by Shirley O. Corriher. There is no one in the baking industry I would trust more than her. Plus, my heart flutters a bit when she makes an appearance on Good Eats! ;) After traveling back in time to my community college days and scribbling a page and a half of notes, I felt pretty confident that I could look at any basic cake recipe with ingredients measured by weight, and along with the help of a calculator, I would be able to tell whether or not the recipes were accurately written according to baker's math. I would also be able to tell whether a cake was high-ratio (more moist but with a weaker structure) or lean (less moist but with a strong structure). For more info on baker's math, I strongly suggest anyone who's interested to read BakeWise!

First, I tested a recipe from The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. The measurements were accurate, but I didn't like the texture of the cake made using the reverse creaming (or two-stage) method (the cake was very crumbly/sandy and gave a false impression of dryness). Next, I found a good looking recipe in The Cake Book by Tish Boyle. It's ingredients were also accurate (with the exception of the weight of the eggs not being greater than or equal to the weight of the fat, but that's a whoooole other blog entry). This recipe utilized the creaming method, which produces a better mouthfeel, IMHO. This recipe is a winner. It has a soft texture without being SO soft that it crumbles into tiny particles in your mouth. The flavor is delicious, but the cake flour has a very detectable taste. Anyone else notice that about Swans Down? Anyway, I frosted the cupcakes with one of the few go-to's I live by, Swiss meringue buttercream, and sent them off with Josh. I'll update later with his co-workers comments! :)
In the next shot, you can sort see how moist and shiny the cake looks... and those luscious vanilla bean flecks!Basic Golden Cake Layers (from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle)
Makes 2 9-inch cake layers (or about 30 cupcakes)

3 1/4 cups (11.5 oz/325 g) sifted cake flour (notice it doesnt say "cake flour, sifted." SIFT FIRST, and WEIGH it!)
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks/8 oz/227 g) unsalted butter, softened (around 65-67°F)
1 1/2 cups (10.6 oz/300 g) granulated sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups (320 ml) whole milk

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans. Dust the pans with flour.

Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium-high speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add the sugar and beat at high speed until light, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla extract.

If you have a splatter shield for your mixer, attach it now (the milk tends to splash up as you add it). Add the flour mixture at low speed in three additions, alternating it with the milk in additions and mixing just until the flour is incorporated. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly, and smooth the tops.

Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges (my cupcakes baked for about 16-17 minutes). Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 15 minutes. Invert the layers onto the racks and cool completely.

Store at room temperature, covered in foil, for up to 5 days.


Swiss Meringue Buttercream (my own recipe)
Makes enough to frost 30 cupcakes generously

6 egg whites
2 cups granulated sugar
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 tablespoons vanilla extract

Put egg whites and sugar into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees).

Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until completely cooled to room temperature, about 7 minutes (it may take longer).

Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium, add butter two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase speed to high; continue beating until frosting comes together, about 3 minutes (it may take longer). During this time, the frosting may appear runny or curdled. Just keep beating it. If it seems to be taking too long, let it rest in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before returning it to the mixer on high speed.

Stir in vanilla extract.

IronCupcake_012: Marbled Lavender & Honey Cupcakes

Iron Cupcake:Earth_012
Theme: Herbs
My entry: Marbled Lavender & Honey Cupcakes
Voting begins: Tuesday, July 28 @ http://www.ironcupcakemilwaukee.com/ and will be open through Wednesday, August 5 at 12 noon Central.

Another last minute Iron Cupcake entry! Man, I gotta work on completing the Iron Cupcake challenge before the end of the month! Anyway, I made these Tuesday night for wing night. I knew I wanted to use lavender as my herb of choice, but I was worried the flavor would be overpowering. No way! I added some crushed lavender leaves to a basic vanilla cupcake recipe, and I ended up with a delicate, lavender-scented cupcake! To make them even fancier, I divided the batter and colored some of it purple. I swirled it into the white batter to give it a marbled look. Then for the frosting, I made a very simple buttercream with some honey added to it. It was just enough to accent the lavender flavor without overpowering it. These are probably the prissiest, most delicate cupcakes I've ever made. But don't let the dainty appearance fool you because they are DELICIOUS! ;D

Pretty marbled cupcakes... Oh btw, all of you searching for the perfect domed cupcake recipe... I FOUND IT! Marbled Lavender Cupcakes... Want a bite????? ;P

Marbled Lavender Cupcakes (adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes)
Makes 16

1 3/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk, room temperature
1/3 cup heavy cream, room temperature
2 tablespoons lavender leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Honey Frosting (my own recipe)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Food coloring, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine milk and cream.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream chopped lavender, butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two addi­tions of milk mixture, and beating until combined.
3. Measure out 1 cup batter, and transfer to another bowl. Stir purple food coloring into reserved 1 cup batter.
4. Fill prepared cups with alternating spoonfuls of white and purple batter, filling each three-quarters full. Run the tip of a paring knife or wooden skewer through batter in a figure-eight motion to make swirls. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until tops are golden and a cake tes­ter inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes (Mine were done at about 18 minutes). Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
5. To make frosting, combine all ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on low until combined. Increase speed to high and whip for 1 minute.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 5 (mmm... honey!)



Prizes provided by Etsy artists:
A sweet cupcake ID bracelet by INSANEJELLYFISH
A delicious treat from CIRCLEMONKEY
Also, CAKESPY, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice!
SWEET CUPPIN CAKES CUPCAKERY will be tossing in sweet surprise.
Corporate prize providers:
HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS
HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
JESSIE STEELE APRONS
CUPCAKE COURIER
TASTE OF HOME books
UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM
Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers

POM Wonderful Chocolate Cupcakes

I know what you're thinking... "Ummm where are the cupcakes? All I see is this freakin bundt!" Well, SORRY! I made the cupcakes, but THEY ALL GOT EATEN! The wing-nighters went buck wild on 'em! I don't know if they were just curious about the pomegranate, or maybe they just really love all things chocolate, or maybe the cupcakes were just that good! I didn't stand a chance telling them to back off while I took 20 pictures just to pick 1 or 2 blogworthy shots. But I did snap a few quick photos of the small bundt cake I made with the leftover batter. My dad's description of the cake was given after a few beers, so I can't quote him word for word (or else I'd have to change my blog rating to "adult content" if you get what I'm saying!). Let's just say he felt very strongly that these cupcakes would fly off the bakery shelves if I ever got a place of my own! Lol ;D

I made these cupcakes because a few months ago I was contacted by POM Wonderful asking if I'd be interested in some pomegranate juice in exchange for saying a few things about it on my blog. I was already a long time fan of pomegranates and their juice, so of course I said yeah! I've had 8 little bottles of POM sitting in my fridge ever since then, just waiting to get put into one of their suggested recipes. So this week when you guys chose pomegranate cupcakes as the poll winner, I was super happy! I used POM's recipe for chocolate cupcakes. The cake itself was a little gummy because of all the water in the recipe, but none of the wing-nighters noticed. At first, the frosting was looking more like a glaze... that is until I bad-mouthed it into becoming spreadable. It only took a few minutes in the fridge and some "Come on, stupid frosting, whip!" pep talks, and that frosting became just as spreadable as it was edible! Then I melted it back down and poured it over the bundt cake. Yeah, I like to do things backwards. Ya wanna fight about it? Anyway, the pomegranate flavor was indistinguishable in the cake itself, but there was a distinct sour, slightly btiter aftertaste to the frosting. I think the POM was really there to accent the flavor of the chocolate. Overall I'd say this recipe is a 8.5, but all the wing-nighters gave it a 10!!
POM Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting (Click here for printable recipe)
Makes 24 cupcakes
Juice from 2-3 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates, or 1 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water, heated to boiling
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar (not wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon vanilla

Pomegranate Chocolate Frosting
Juice from 1 large POM Wonderful Pomegranate,* or 1/2 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
6 tablespoons butter
1 6-oz. package chocolate chips (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
12 tablespoons whole milk (You definitely don't need this)

1. Preheat oven to 350F with rack in the center.
2. Place a paper baking cup in each of 24 regular sized muffin cups.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients to combine well.
4. In a large measuring cup, combine pomegranate juice and boiling water.
5. Add oil, vinegar and vanilla to the pomegranate juice mixture.
6. Add to the flour mixture all at once and whisk to combine (batter will be lumpy).
7. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups (about half full).
8. Bake 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and free of crumbs (Mine were done around 16-18 minutes).
9. Let cool. Frost with pomegranate chocolate frosting and decorate with arils.

Frosting:
1. In a saucepan, bring pomegranate juice and butter to a boil.
2. Remove from heat; blend in chocolate chips.
3. Stir in vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat until frosting is of spreading consistency. If frosting is too stiff, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk to thin. (Mine never got thick. I stuck it in the fridge for 5 minutes, and then whipped the heck out of it until it lightened in color and became spreadable.)
(For the glaze, mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar with about 2 capfuls of POM. It should be thick. Drizzle it on top with a whisk or put it into a ziploc bag and cut the corner to use it as a piping bag.)

Ina Garten's (Toasted) Coconut Cupcakes

UPDATE: I wrote this entry when I was the only one who had tasted the cupcakes. The concensus from the wing-nighters is that these are the BEST cupcakes so far! One wing-nighter had this to say: "Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!" :D If that's not proof enough that this is a winning recipe, I dunno what you want... a sacrificial lamb? No thanks.

Strawberry cupcakes won the poll... but as you can see this post isn't about strawberry cupcakes. Well, what had happened was... It started raining before I had a chance to go out and find local strawberries. And the strawberries at the grocery store were from Florida. This time of year I can get beautiful strawberries that were grown only 10 minutes from my house. I wasn't going to settle. No offense, Florida. Anyway, if you voted for strawberry cupcakes, please direct your complaints to The Rain. Thanks!

On the other hand, if you voted for coconut cupcakes, feel free to direct all your exuberant exclamations to ME! Thank you! Thank you! *Takes a bow* You like me! You really like me! (Am I too young for that joke??) Excuse me, let me get myself back together. These cupcakes are the SHIZZ! They are sort of a re-imagining of Ina's coconut cupcakes. I made them with toasted coconut (for Josh! Am I a good girlfriend or what!). I also used buttermilk powder instead of buttermilk. I cut the recipe in half, but I used 3 eggs instead of 2 1/2 (the original recipe calls for 5 eggs). These are fantastic! The toasted coconut flavor really comes through. The almond extract is a good co-starring flavor, but it doesn't steal the spotlight. And the cream cheese frosting... well that needs no added explanation. These are definitely a 5 all the way across my ratings board! :D

Can you smell that yummy toasted coconut?? My favorite step...
...Creaming the butter and sugar until FLUFFY!
After the last addition of flour, I like to finish mixing by hand.
The recipe says to fill the cups to the top. I NEVER do that, but I decided to try it on 4 cupcakes...
The cupcakes I did not fill all the way to the top came out looking nice.
The full cups overflowed a bit and looked like mushrooms.
Ohhhhh yeah......
I urge you to add this to your "to-bake" list. The toasted coconut sends you straight into nirvana!

Ina Garten's Coconut Cupcakes (halved and with minute changes)
Makes about 16 (The original recipe says it makes 18-20, half would be 9-10... umm who are they kidding?)

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
3 eggs (original recipe calls for 5, half would be 2 1/2...)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used 2 tablespoons of buttermilk powder mixed into the dry ingredients and substituted 1/2 cup of water here)
7 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut (toasted, if you like; to toast, preheat the oven to 375F. Spread coconut evenly on a cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Stir the coconut and bake for 5 more minutes. Keep an eye on it because it burns quickly.)

Frosting
1/2 pound (1 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, room temp (I prefer to make mine with cold cream cheese)
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 3 1/2 ounces of coconut (I took into consideration that my toasted coconut would have less moisture and therefore weigh less. I only added 2 1/2 ounces of it to the batter. And I crushed it with my hands to allow the flavor to spread more evenly throughout the batter).

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes (Mine were done at 19 minutes), until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 5

Mini Margarita Cupcakes for Cinco de Mayo!!!

This morning I "tweeted" asking what kind of cupcakes I should make for Cinco de Mayo. I had planned on making Dulce de Leche cupcakes, using some of the dulce de leche that my friend Maela was sending me from Argentina. However, the US postal service has really proved their reputation to me by losing the package for a week and a half! Thanks guys!! Anyway, the majority of my Twitter friends suggested Margarita Cupcakes! These cupcakes are for: @ActuallyNevis, @hswoap, @quinn1083, and @Iheartcupcakes2. :D

I'm getting into my "duck and weave" stance. I don't want to get punched in the face when I tell you I made these with cake mix. I've said it 1,000 times, so I'll say it 1,001 times. I grew up on cake mix. I discovered my love for cupcakes over a box of Duncan Hines red velvet cake mix. While I prefer to bake from scratch (and you already know that if you love me and read my blog all the time!), I'm not going to snub my nose at cake mix! Plus, by posting this recipe, I'm making it super easy for all you 9 to 5er's who just won't have time to make cupcakes from scratch tonight! :D Besides, once you see the recipe I made up for Margarita SMBC, I have a feeling you'll forgive me! ;P
Margarita Cupcakes (recipe from Cupcake Fun by Wilton)
1 pkg (18.25 ounces) white cake mix (no pudding in the mix)
1 can (10 ounces) frozen Margarita mix thawed (undiluted) (I used Sauza)
3 egg whites
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon lime zest grated (about 1 lime)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line standard muffin pan with baking cups.
In large bowl, combine cake mix, Margarita mix, egg whites and vegetable oil using electric mixer (30 seconds on low, 2 minutes on medium). Stir in lime zest; mix completely. Fill prepared pans 2/3 full.
Bake 22-24 minutes (about 12-14 minutes for minis) or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean.
Cool in pan on cooling rack 5-8 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan; cool completely.

Margarita Swiss Meringue Buttercream (my own recipe)
5 egg whites
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened but cool
2 tablespoons tequila
Zest and juice of 1/2 a lime

Put egg whites, sugar, and pinch of salt into the top of a double boiler over a pan of simmering water. Whisking constantly, cook until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm (about 160 degrees).
Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat egg white mixture on high speed until it forms stiff (but not dry) peaks. Continue beating until fluffy and cooled, about 7 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium speed, add butter two tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; add tequila, lime zest, and juice and mix until incorporated.

Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 5

IronCupcake_009: "Drink Cheerwine" Cupcakes

Iron Cupcake:Earth_009
Theme: Soda Pop
My entry: "Drink Cheerwine" Cupcakes
Voting begins: Tuesday, April 28 @ http://www.ironcupcakemilwaukee.com/ and will be open through Monday, May 4 at 12 noon Central.

As soon as I saw that this month's theme for Iron Cupcake:Earth was soda, I knew immediately what drink I was going to use! Since I was born, we've been going to my Grandma's house in North Carolina for every major holiday. While we're there, it's always a treat to get a bottle of Cheerwine. Until recently, Cheerwine was hard to find oustide of NC. Thankfully, now you can get it at most grocery stores in the South. For my Iron Cupcake entry, I went in the direction of red velvet. I wanted to emphasize the color of the soda, and I also needed a recipe that called for water. (Substituting water in recipes that call for milk can result in gummy cupcakes.) I adapted a recipe called "Wacky Cake" from the 1983 book, The Southern Heritage Cakes Cookbook. Instead of using cold water, I used cold Cheerwine. I also added a tablespoon of red gel food coloring. The flavor of Cheerwine wasn't really detectable in the cake, so I knew I had to bring it in the frosting! I made a 7-minute frosting, again subbing Cheerwine for the water. I also added a tiny bit of cherry and almond flavorings. Finally, some Cheerwine flavor! These cupcakes are 100% delicious. The cake part is moist and tender, and the frosting is so light and airy! I am very pleased with these "Drink Cheerwine" Cupcakes as my Iron Cupcake entry for this month!

Ingredients... I promise that's not a jar of blood! I'm thinking the original cake was called "Wacky Cake" because of the strange order the ingredients are mixed.
Finally, it looks like batter! Ready for the oven...
Making the frosting...
I'm pretty proud of these cuppies! ;)

Cheerwine Cupcakes
Makes 12-14 cupcakes

1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon red gel food coloring
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup cold Cheerwine soft drink

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Add vanilla, vinegar, food coloring, and butter; beat well. Slowly stir in water; beat well.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Finish cooling on wire racks.

Cheerwine Frosting
1 ½ cups sugar
2 egg whites
¾ cup Cheerwine soft drink
¼ teaspoon cherry flavoring (or 1 drop cherry candy flavoring)
¼ teaspoon almond flavoring

Combine sugar and egg whites in top of a double boiler; add water, and beat on low speed of electric mixer for 30 seconds or just until blended.
Place over boiling water; beat constantly on high speed of electric mixer about 7 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Remove from heat. Add flavorings, and beat 2 additional minutes or until frosting is thick enough to spread.


Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting: 5

Prizes provided by Etsy artists:
A creation by FRUITFLYPIE
A pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES
Also, CAKESPY, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice!
SWEET CUPPIN CAKES CUPCAKERY will be tossing in sweet surprise.
Corporate prize providers:
HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS
HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
JESSIE STEELE APRONS
CUPCAKE COURIER
TASTE OF HOME books
UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM
Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers

Milk Chocolate Malt Ball Cupcakes

Those "Baked" boys have done it again! Of course I'm referring to Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, authors of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. This is the second recipe I've tried from this awesome book, and it's just as fabulous as the first one! If you don't remember, I made their Red Hot Velvet Cake in cupcake form a few months ago, and it became my new favorite red velvet recipe! I don't know how often I'll need a go-to recipe for Malt Ball Cake, but this one is definitely it! The cake itself is so soft, it nearly falls apart in your hands. Some of the cupcake wrappers were even coming loose from the cake! Now, usually I'd see that as a bad thing. But since these cupcakes are so freakin good, WHO CARES IF THE WRAPPER IS FALLING OFF?? It's just giving you a head start! ;D Let's talk about this frosting. At first I was nervous, because I've never had good results when ganache is involved in the frosting recipe. And I did have to do things a little differently than the book said in order to get my frosting to a good constistency. But once it was there, it was heaven! My dad says it's so light, you almost don't feel it when you're biting into the cupcake! And it's so chocolatey! You don't even need to scroll to the bottom of this post to know that these cupcakes get a 5 out of 5 all the way across the board!

PS: In case you didn't notice, these cupcakes came in dead last in the poll. The whole time I was making them, I was in fear of being drug (dragged? drug?) out in the street and stoned by you guys for breaking my own poll rules. I hope you trust me that they were WAY worth the rule-breaking! ;) Don't worry though, you'll see the actual winning cupcakes sometime soon. I pinky promise!



Oh I guess you wanna know how I made those little Easter egg nests on top, don't you?? There's really no recipe, but I can give you the general idea. I toasted about 1/2 cup shredded coconut and let it cool. Then I melted umm... maybe 1 cup of guittard dark chocolate apeels? Maybe more? I'm not entirely sure, it was just the last I had and I didn't measure. Then carefully stir the toasted coconut into the chocolate, making sure not to break it up too badly. Spoon it onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Press a few malt ball eggs into the "nests." Pop the sheet into the freezer for a few minutes to harden the chocolate. And TADA! Do whatever you want with them! :D

MILK CHOCOLATE MALT BALL CAKE (halved from Baked; original quantities in gray yield 3 8-inch cake layers or approximately 32 cupcakes)
Makes 16 cupcakes
“You can find Carnation brand malted milk powder in most local grocery stores, or you can substitute malt Ovaltine.”

FOR THE MALT CAKE LAYERS
1 cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour (2 1/4 cups)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (3/4 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon salt (3/4 teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon)
1/2 cup malted milk powder (1 cup)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup vegetable shortening (1/2 cup)
1 cup sugar (2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla (1 tablespoon)
1 cup ice cold water (2 cups)
2 egg whites (4)

FOR THE MILK CHOCOLATE FROSTING
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (8 ounces)
4 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped (8 ounces)
3/4 cup heavy cream (1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon light corn syrup (2 tablespoons)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into 1-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups [3 sticks])

MAKE THE MALT CAKE LAYERS (or cupcakes!)
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust with flour, and knock out the excess flour. (For cupcakes, line your muffin pans with paper liners, duh silly!)
Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg together into a large bowl. whisk in the malted milk powder. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening on medium speed until creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the ice water, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl, then mix on low speed for a few more seconds.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Do not overbeat. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes (or 18-20 minutes for cupcakes), rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the pans, and let cool completely. Remove the parchment.

MAKE THE MILK CHOCOLATE FROSTING
Place both chocolates in the bowl of an electric mixer. In a small saucepan, bring the cream and corn syrup to a boil, then remove from the heat and immediately pour the mixture over the chocolate. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes. Starting in the center of the bowl and working your way out to the edges, whisk the chocolate mixture until completely smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
With the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, on medium speed gradually add the butter pieces and mix until thoroughly incorporated. The frosting should be completely smooth and have a silky look.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
Refrigerate the frosting for a few minutes (but no more), until it can hold its shape. (Here’s a helpful tip from yours truly: Chill the frosting until it feels cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high until the frosting lightens in color, about 10-20 seconds. This is makes the frosting a lot easier to spread than the way they suggest making it!) Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Trim the top to create a flat surface and evenly spread about 1 1/4 cups of the frosting on top. Top with the next layer, trim and frost the top, then add the third layer and trim. Crumb coat the cake and put the cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up the frosting. Frost the sides and top with the remaining frosting. Garnish the cake with the malted milk balls and refrigerate again for 15 minutes.

This cake will keep beautifully in a cake saver at room temperature (cool and humidity free) for up to 3 days. If your room is not cool, place the cake in a cake saver and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.

IronCupcake_007: Scharffen Berger Crater Cakes w/ Homemade Ice Cream

Iron Cupcake:Earth
Theme: Coffee
My 2nd entry: Scharffen Berger Crater Cakes w/ Homemade Ice Cream
Voting begins: Sunday, March 1 at 8 pm Central @ http://mkecupcakequeen.blogspot.com/ and will be open through Friday, March 6 at 12 noon Central.

For my second IronCupcake:Earth entry this month, I knew I wanted to use the homemade coffee ice cream I made last week. I had a bag of Scharffen Berger tasting squares laying around, and because I rarely eat chocolate on it's own, I decided to bake with it. I made Martha Stewart's sunken chocolate cupcakes, but I added some coffee to really boost the chocolate flavor. Right before serving these, I topped them with a scoop of coffee ice cream and a drizzle of caramel. They were perfect! The creaminess of the ice cream paired well with the deep, dark chocolate flavor of the cupcakes. I think next time I'll substitute at least half of the bittersweet chocolate for semi-sweet, because the cupcakes were slightly bitter on their own. Sadly, I ran out of coffee ice cream before I could snap a photo. Oops! I guess the "wing nighters" really liked it! The ice cream pictured on the cupcake is chocolate cookies & cream.

I found these at TJ Maxx! Egg whites ready to be folded into the thick, shiny chocolate batter...
I just barely got eleven!
They puff up in the oven and sink drastically as they cool.
Hello IronCupcake #2!

Scharffen Berger Crater Cakes
Makes 10-12
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in pieces
5 ounces Scharffen Berger (or other good quality brand) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, separated, plus 2 large egg yolks
Coffee Ice Cream
Caramel ice cream topping (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray; set aside.
Place butter, chocolate, and instant coffee in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally, until melted and thoroughly combined. Remove from heat; set aside.
Combine the 4 egg yolks with 2 tablespoons sugar. With a handmixer on high, beat until the mixture is pale yellow and thick. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture.
With a hand mixer on high, beat the 2 egg whites until soft peaks form, add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and beat until stiff and shiny but not dry. Fold into chocolate mixture. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, and bake until set and slightly springy to the touch, 14-16 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in pan; carefully run a knife around edges of cakes, and unmold. Serve each with a scoop of coffee ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.



Overall rating on a scale of 1-5
Moistness: 5
Tenderness: 5
Frosting Ice Cream: 5

Prizes provided by Etsy artists:
DIANAEVANS
A pair of cupcake earrings from LOTS OF SPRINKLES
Also, CAKESPY, who is now going to be doing a piece for our winner each month until further notice!
SWEET CUPPIN CAKES BAKERY AND CUPCAKERY SUPPLY will be tossing in another treat as well.
Corporate prize providers:
HEAD CHEFS by FIESTA PRODUCTS
HELLO CUPCAKE by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson
JESSIE STEELE APRONS
CUPCAKE COURIER
TASTE OF HOME books
UPWITHCUPCAKES.COM
Iron Cupcake:Earth is sponsored in part by 1-800-Flowers