Ideas I really need to set into motion...
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes: Vanilla cupcake, cinnamon-sugar sprinkled on top, cinnamon buttercream, cinnamon-sugar sprinkles.
PB and J Cupcakes: Vanilla cupcake, strawberry jam filling, peanut butter frosting.
Sandwich cookies: cocoa-nib shortbread sandwiched with chocolate ganache and dipped in chocolate, hazelnut and chocolate bacci.
Also, I tried to make a White-Chocolate Lemon Curd as a filling for wedding cake cupcakes. Basically, I used about 3oz white chocolate and 3-4 tbsp of butter in my regular lemon curd recipe. The result was nothing short of decadent and wonderful.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
White Chocolate Cupcakes, White Chocolate Frosting
I'm experimenting with Italian Meringue Buttercream. Well, technically I experimented with it last week; I simply didn't make any cupcakes to go with the frosting. As a result, it sat in my fridge, sad and unused. In an effort not to be so terribly wasteful, I'm making a white chocolate variation. The basic frosting is simple--just omit the white chocolate--and I found it very tasty and easy to pipe. It has a texture comprised of density from the butter and airyness from the meringue. One would think those textures would be diametrically opposed to one another, but the result is a delicious frosting.
White Chocolate Cupcakes
yield: about 16 cupcakes
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cup sugar
3 extra-large eggs
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
4 oz white chocolate, chopped and melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line 2 muffin tins with 16 cupcake liners. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl as necessary, and avoid over-beating.
Mix in the dry ingredients alternately with milk in a 3:2 ratio, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Remove the mixing bowl and fold in the melted white chocolate until incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared cupcake tins and bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes they are until light golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Frost with White Chocolate Frosting.
White Chocolate Italian Meringue Buttercream
5 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup butter
1 tbsp vanilla
4 oz white chocolate, melted
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks. With the mixer running on medium speed, add in the sugar gradually, and continue beating until medium peaks.
Meanwhile, combine 1 cup sugar and water in a saucepan set over medium high heat. Stir to help the sugar melt. Once melted, stop stirring and boil until it has reached 245 degrees F. This can happen relatively quickly considering the size of your pan.
Once the sugar has reached 245 degrees, stream into the egg whites while the mixer is running at medium-high speed. This will cook the egg whites and create a beautiful, voluminous mixture. Continue beating for 7-10 minutes until the mixer bowl is room temperature. It's safer to err on the side of 10 minutes to ensure the egg whites are cooled.
Cut in the butter 1 tbsp at a time with the mixer running on medium-high speed. The mixture may get soupy (if so, let it chill for a couple minutes and continue beating) or it may look broken (continue beating). In the end, the frosting will deflate to about half its original volume. Mix in the vanilla and melted chocolate. Let cool and pipe onto cupcakes.
White Chocolate Cupcakes
yield: about 16 cupcakes
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cup sugar
3 extra-large eggs
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
4 oz white chocolate, chopped and melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line 2 muffin tins with 16 cupcake liners. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl as necessary, and avoid over-beating.
Mix in the dry ingredients alternately with milk in a 3:2 ratio, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Remove the mixing bowl and fold in the melted white chocolate until incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared cupcake tins and bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes they are until light golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Frost with White Chocolate Frosting.
White Chocolate Italian Meringue Buttercream
5 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup butter
1 tbsp vanilla
4 oz white chocolate, melted
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks. With the mixer running on medium speed, add in the sugar gradually, and continue beating until medium peaks.
Meanwhile, combine 1 cup sugar and water in a saucepan set over medium high heat. Stir to help the sugar melt. Once melted, stop stirring and boil until it has reached 245 degrees F. This can happen relatively quickly considering the size of your pan.
Once the sugar has reached 245 degrees, stream into the egg whites while the mixer is running at medium-high speed. This will cook the egg whites and create a beautiful, voluminous mixture. Continue beating for 7-10 minutes until the mixer bowl is room temperature. It's safer to err on the side of 10 minutes to ensure the egg whites are cooled.
Cut in the butter 1 tbsp at a time with the mixer running on medium-high speed. The mixture may get soupy (if so, let it chill for a couple minutes and continue beating) or it may look broken (continue beating). In the end, the frosting will deflate to about half its original volume. Mix in the vanilla and melted chocolate. Let cool and pipe onto cupcakes.
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