3 posts from 2007

Blackandtan

Beer makes icing bubbly. Or at least this beer made this icing bubbly. Anyway, here's my entry. Only change I'd make would be to the amount of confectioners sugar in said topper--a bit less next time would be better.

Black and Tan Cupcakes

Cake (adapted from this recipe):

1 Cup Rogue Chocolate Stout (effing good on its own, I might add)
1 Cup unsalted butter
2/3 Cup unsweetened cocoa

2 Cups all purpose flour
2 Cups sugar
1.5 tsps baking soda
pinch of salt
2/3 Cup sour cream

Icing (adopted from this pretty generic recipe):

1/2 Cup softened butter
2 Cups confectioners sugar (again, I'd knock that down a bit next time)
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Egg White
4 Tbls Harp Lager

To make the cake:

Preheat yr oven to 350.

Bring the stout and butter to a simmer over medium heat in a heavy large saucepan. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, blend eggs and sour cream in another large bowl. Add stout-chocolate mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Spoon into cupcake holders in muffin tin.

For Icing:

Combine the butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla, egg white and two Tbls. of Lager in a bowl. Beat until fairly smooth. Add remaining Lager.

Ice cupcakes when cool. Sprinkle a bit of cocoa powder on top.

Yr done.

So, as Ms. Kelis mentioned in a previous post, she roped us into this super-fantastic idea for a contest. Not only did we end up making cupcakes, but we also made delicious vegetarian and non-vegetarian chili -- all in a matter of 3.5 hours! I kind of finagled the whole thing at the last minute, but I think it came together quite well. Both the cupcake recipe and the icing are modified from this Cooking Light recipe for Lemonade Layer cake. And props to Kanin who candied my lemon cos I got stuck in a meeting. 

Lemoncupcake

Lemoncello Cupcakes
Ingredients:
2/3 c. sugar
3 tbls. softened butter
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
5 tsp. thawed lemonade concentrate
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg white
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. buttermilk (i used milk plus 2 tsp. white vinegar)

Making the tasty cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place first five ingrediants in a large bowl, and beat 'em for until they're well blended -- about 5 min.
3. Add the egg and egg white, one at a time.  again, make sure they're well combined after each addition.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. whisk to combine well.
5. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Limoncello

my favourite cupcake blog was throwing a little call-for-submissions, if you will.  being the baker and cupcake enthusiast that i am, i couldn't pass this opportunity up.  i roped in my fellow baker friends, cynth & kanin, and we started baking ideas... then the real things!  we gathered last nite at my humble abode and made a tastey mess.  so  for the chockylit & vanilla-garlic's cupcake round-up contest, i decided to take a fluffy vanilla cupcake recipe, and top it with saffron buttercream and toasted almonds.  without further ado... the process avec photos: 

the night before i started baking, i infused the butter with the saffron.  i melted half a stick of butter in a saucepan and crumbled approximately two pinches of saffron into and let it sit overnight.

the cake recipe i chose to use was a slight variation of chockylit's horchata cupcake recipe:

Vanilla Cupcakes
350 degree oven

1/2 stick butter
3/4 cups sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup organic skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large egg whites

1. soften butter in the mixer on high speed
2. drizzle the sugar mixture in with the butter and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes
3. sift flour, baking powder, and salt together
4. mix the milk and vanilla together
5. add the flour mixture and milk mixture to the butter/sugar in 3 parts alternating between flour and milk and beating well after each addition
6. set aside incorporated mixture
7. in a clean mixer bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form
8. fold egg whites into cake batter until incorporated
9. scoop batter into the prepared cupcake pans
10. bake in the 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean

for the frosting, i used a variation of the food network's quick vanilla buttercream:

Saffron Buttercream

1.5 cups confectioners' sugar (add more until preferred consistancy)
1/2 cup saffron-infused butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon organic skim milk
In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and milk and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream/sugar if needed for spreading consistency.

for photos from the entire evening, check out:

Cupcakery

special thanks goes to fancypants who documented the whole adventure.

xö
kelly alice.