Recently in Cupcakes Category
Next up on the cupcake train: delectable devils food
cupcakes. With these, you start with a
great cupcake base, and then you just start adding stuff to them without
telling anyone. These cupcakes are ripe
for filling; something deserves to go inside so they can be happy. Some might think custard, or some weird store
bought icing substitute, but marshmallow fits the bill the best.
What kind of marshmallow should go inside? Obviously, homemade marshmallows, what other
kind are there? Well, in a pinch, marshmallow fluff might be acceptable, but
not in my house :)
Flavors:
Plain is just too plain, you need something to jump out and surprise
your cupcake patrons. First, think about
your icing. If you use the recipe here,
it will have a strong cocoa flavor, so you need something to compete with and
compliment that flavor at the same time.
Some favorites with chocolate are orange, lavender, mint, raspberry, and
cherry.
I chose a vanilla orange filling for these cupcakes. First, you have to let the cupcakes come to
room temperature, or you will have a huge mess on your hands. I have a few recipes for marshmallows; I
chose to use the one that I adapted from the elBulli recipe for passionfruit
marshmallows. This is a moister
marshmallow, this helps keep the cupcake from drying out.
I should have already mentioned this - if you don't have a stand
mixer, you will either lose an arm making this recipe, or have to compromise
some of the parts and use store bought replacements.
The marshmallows will make your stand mixer work a little
overtime, but it will make enough to fill 36 cupcakes AND probably another
60. So you will end up with homemade
marshmallows afterward. Friends and
family will gladly take them. If you
cannot find anyone to take them, start drinking list of hot chocolate, or go
camping....
Where were we? Ok, you have
the cupcakes made and the marshmallows in the stand mixer, the next step is to
pipe the filling into the cupcakes. This
should be easier, but it's just a mess.
The marshmallows are beyond sticky; i suggest using gloves when you load
the mess into the piping bag. Use a
plain round tip, and test the amount to pipe inside the cupcake. The goal is to get a decent amount of
marshmallow in the cupcake; it is easy to underestimate how much you piped in.
Once they are all piped, you need to take the remaining
marshmallows and spread them in a pan, or pipe out strings for mini mallows.
Follow this link to learn about the recipe.
Icing: Chocolate Swiss Buttercream. This produces a wonderful
icing every time that is delicate and flavorful. Using cocoa instead of chocolate alters the
flavor and makes it a little more ...
chocolaty. Get a good Dutch processed
cocoa and give it a try. Making this can
be a little different. You whisk the egg
whites and sugar over a double boiler before whisking in the stand mixer, then
you add in the butter two tablespoons at a time (along with the cocoa) until
you have a stable buttercream. Many
people have issues making Swiss and Italian buttercreams. If you follow the directions and use a candy
thermometer when needed (depending on the icing you are making). I've
never had a batch that I could not recover if it tried to break. If you try this and it breaks, I can probably
help.
For piping, I use an Ateco 825 tip with most of my icings. I love the shape and size of the output, many
people have asked me about this, so I thought I would share that here.
Pipe the buttercream and eat some cupcakes :D Recipes after the break.
In the past few months, I've gotten into baking
cupcakes. Lots and lots of cupcakes. So far, I think my favorite recipe would be Red Velvet. They are light and fluffy, and the ermine icing is to die for. I chose to skip the expected cream cheese icing, and went with the traditional ermine icing (boiled milk). This icing is different from the heavy cream cheese icing that most people are used to.Ermine butter-cream icing is similar to it's French, Swiss, and Italian counterparts, but instead of using egg yolks or egg whites to create the emulsion, it uses boiled milk and flour to create a suspension. It's similar to a roux, but the lack of a fatty medium, prevents it from technically being called a roux.
How is it different? Well, French and Italian butter-creams are smooth, very very smooth. The ermine icing is a little more dense, but the suspension of the milk and flour makes it unexpectedly smooth, while having a bit of texture at the same time. The recipe is a classic that has fallen out of use in the last 20 to 30 years. I personally think the ermine icing is superior to the heavy and dense cream cheese icing you typically see on red velvet cake. I feel the cupcakes should have an icing that compliments the airiness of the cake. not one that overpowers the cake and brings so much strong flavor to a delicate cupcake.
The Neighbors LOVED these cupcakes and have even asked for them to be made into a birthday cake. I brought them to work up in DC and I think I was almost mugged on the metro getting to my building.
The Icing can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator or icebox, just make sure to bring it to room temperature and beat it in the mixer before you pipe the icing out. The consistency of the icing is made to be piped. It held up quite nicely with the two tips I used.
The Red Velvet recipe comes from the cookbook: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes The cupcakes are light and fluffy, there is a nice chocolate flavor in them, and, with the addition of food coloring, they come out nice and red. I tried making the cupcakes without the food coloring first, but the cocoa powder and vinegar gave it a weak, almost sickly, brownish red color. There was no taste difference with the addition of the food coloring, so I say go for it. Side Note - This cookbook is amazing. I don't care if you hate Martha - the recipes in here are gold
Recipe after the break
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