White Wine Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting and Raspberries

White Wine Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting and Raspberries

First up, I have to admit that these cupcakes didn't turn out very well. The texture was great, but they tasted extremely yeasty and musty. My thinking is that I used the wrong kind of white wine -- I know that's where the taste came from, and I assume that the kind I used was not actually meant for baking. The recipe suggests using a reisling, so maybe that is the way to go. On the other hand, although I didn't like the taste, one of my taste testers loved these, so maybe it's up to individual preferences. You be the judge!

Cupcakes:

2/3 cup (13 2/3 tbsp, or about 1 and 2/3 stick) butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 3/4 cup flour

3 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup sweet white wine

6 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In one bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. In another, sift together flour and baking powder. Mix the dry ingredients into the butter, alternating with the wine.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full.

Bake for 10 minutes, turn tins, bake 10 minutes. Let cool.

Makes about 22.

Frosting:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter

6 oz. white chocolate

2 1/2 cups xxx sugar

1 1/2 tsp sweet white wine

Melt your white chocolate either over a double boiler or in the microwave; if you use a microwave, remember to do it in small increments, stirring often, so it doesn't burn. Let cool somewhat.

Cream butter until fluffy. Add in white chocolate, then sift in xxx sugar and wine. The icing may get somewhat runny because of the warm chocolate; if necessary, sit it in the fridge for a little while to cool.

When the frosting is the correct consistency, frost your cupcakes. This recipe makes more icing than is strictly necessary, so I was extremely generous with the frosting. I do think it can balance the cupcakes well.

To finish:

Garnish with fresh or thawed frozen raspberries. I used black raspberries because they're in season right now, but red raspberries and white wine are a classic combination.

As I said, the biggest problem with this recipe was the yeasty taste from the wine. I think with a more delicately flavored wine they could be really good. And the cake was wonderfully light from all the egg whites. I'd love to hear from anyone who tries this recipe and see whether you had more success!

Recipe adapted from We Are Not Martha.

Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes with Coconut/Lemon Frosting

Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes with Coconut/Lemon Frosting

Lemon chiffon is an amazingly light and fluffy cake due to the large number of egg whites that are added at the end, which makes them a great choice for summer when a more dense cake can be overwhelming. I made these for a coworker's last day, hence the fancy decorations and the need for a sturdy frosting, but you could almost definitely use a simple homemade whip cream to continue the light and airy theme.

Cupcakes:

7 eggs, separated

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 tsp grated lemon peel (I used four lemons, but you can probably get away with two)

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1 tsp lemon juice)

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Put egg whites in a metal bowl of a standing mixer to let come to room temp.

In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and sugar. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks, water, oil, lemon peel, & vanilla. Add in dry ingredients and blend well.

Add cream of tartar or lemon juice to egg whites and beat until they reach stiff peaks (this is why I recommend a standing mixer; you can do it by hand but your arm will try to fall off). Fold egg whites gently into batter.

Fill cupcake tins about 3/4 full. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn, bake another 10 minutes.

Let cool.

Makes about 36.

Frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2-3 cups xxx sugar, sifted

Lemon variation:

1/4 cup lemon juice 

Coconut variation:

2 tsp coconut extract

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp milk

Make sure butter is at room temperature or slightly soft. Beat until creamy. Add in xxx sugar and wet ingredients. Beat until icing reaches desired consistency; should be firm enough to pipe. Add color if desired.

To combine:

When cupcakes are cooled, pipe a spiral of frosting on the tops of each. Decorate as desired. I used some edible gold stars and a strawberry garnish (not pictured) on the lemon frosting:

and edible spray paint on the coconut:

I have to say, as someone who is not the hugest fan of lemon, I think the coconut frosted cupcakes were better because the coconut balanced the lemon in the cupcake. Even using just lemon peel and juice, lemon-flavored things can have a very overwhelming and almost artificial lemon taste that I personally don't much care for. Obviously, if you are a lover of all things citrus, go for the double lemon!

Cupcakes adapted from TasteofHome.com

Icing by me.

Creme Brulee Mini Cupcakes

Creme Brûlée Mini Cupcakes

These two-bite little cupcakes are tasty, and can really be flavored any way you want -- I used vanilla in my custard, but you can use almond extract, coconut, something fruity -- basically any flavor that you really enjoy.

Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda.

In another bowl, whisk together sugars, oil, vanilla, and buttermilk. Pour into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined and smooth.

Fill mini cupcake liners with about a tablespoon of batter (about 2/3 full). Bake 7 minutes, turn tins, bake another 7 minutes.

Let cool.

Makes 36.

Creme Brûlée:

2 egg yolks

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

Beat egg yolks until thick and light colored. Beat in sugar.

In a saucepan, heat cream over medium heat until warm. Stir in vanilla.

A little at a time, stir half of the cream into the egg yolks. Make sure you are stirring constantly during this process to keep the eggs from curdling. Then add the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring continuously.

My recipe claimed it would take 5-8 minutes for the custard to thicken, but my experience was that was a LIE. It actually took closer to 50 minutes, and I eventually had to add a little cornstarch to get it to thicken up. However, I didn't have enough heavy cream and I had to supplement with about 1/3 cup light cream, so I think this is one possible cause.

Whatever the case, don't panic if your custard takes a little while to thicken. Remember to keep stirring it, and when it's thick enough to coat the spoon it's ready.

When the custard is finished, strain it into a bowl using a fine mesh to remove solids. You will need to use it immediately.

To Finish:

1/4 cup brown sugar

Before making your custard, core a small hole in the top of each cupcake.

When custard is finished, spoon enough into each cupcake to fill the hole. Set the cupcakes in the fridge for at least two hours.

Before serving, sprinkle a generous amount of brown sugar over the top of the custard.

Then use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar into a crust. It will turn brown.

You only need to turn the heat on it for a short while -- too long and the sugar will burn, so use your judgement based on whether or not you like the burnt sugar taste.

This recipe was a little more nerve-wracking than some due to the custard, but overall not too bad. The mini cupcakes are perfect for a tea or garden party where finger food will be served; you can even unwrap them from their wrappers ahead of time to minimize trash. And the carmalised sugar topping looks extremely elegant.

Adapted from Design Bake Run.

Black Walnut Cupcakes

Black Walnut Cupcakes

This week I'm traveling! I had to borrow a friend's kitchen, and I'm always a little out of my depth when I'm not in my own baking stuff. So I picked a really easy recipe (one bowl) that can be topped with an ice cream of your preferred flavor.

Cupcakes:

1/3 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup cake flour (or regular flour, sifted three times)

2/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup walnuts

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream shortening and sugars until fluffy. Beat in eggs one by one. Sift together flour, baking soda, and nutmeg in a bowl, then add to batter alternating with buttermilk. Add in walnuts and vanilla.

Fill cupcake tins about 3/4 full. Bake for 15 minutes, turn, bake for 15 minutes. 

Makes 14.

While cupcakes are still warm, remove from wrappers and top with a scoop of ice cream (I used cookie dough at the request of a housemate). The subtle crunch of the walnuts contrasting with the fluffy cupcakes is a great texture, and the ice cream kind of gets everything soggy in a delicious way.

Adapted from Cooks.com.

Apricot-Glazed Black and White Cheesecakes

Apricot-Glazed Black and White Cheesecakes

If you're ever in need of a cupcake recipe that's quick and basically as easy as falling off a log, cheesecake is the way to go. It has approximately five ingredients, and it seriously takes very little effort, and everyone always acts so amazed that you did it. Great ego boost for no sweat.

Crust:

1 cup crushed chocolate cookies (she recommends Nabisco's, but my grocery didn't have any, so I wound up using chocolate graham. I've seen someone else say that oreos work if you scrape out the filling)

1/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix the sugar and the crushed cookies -- they can be more or less fine depending on how you like the texture -- then stir in the melted butter. Press about 1 tbsp into the bottom of each cupcake liner. You can also vary the thickness depending on how much crust you like in your cheesecake.

Bake about 7 minutes. Let cool.

Cupcakes:

1 lb (2 8 oz boxes) cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/c cup sour cream

Reduce the oven temp to 275 F.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, then the vanilla. Drizzle the eggs in a little at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure they're well mixed in. Add sour cream and mix well.

Fill cups almost full, then bake 10 minutes, turn, bake 10 minutes. The sides will be set but the middles will be a little wobbly, which tricks you into thinking you haven't baked them long enough. BUT YOU HAVE.

Makes 24.

To finish:

2/3 cup apricot jam

When the cupcakes are cool -- you can refrigerate them overnight for best results -- top them by warming the jam in a saucepan or the microwave until it's kind of liquidy. The recipe recommends straining it, but if you prefer a little pulp, don't bother. Spoon around 2 tsp onto the top of each cheesecake.

I used a homemade jam that my mother canned, and didn't strain it (I'm lazy); it looked pretty and tasted even better. If you don't like apricot jam, substitute one that you do like -- the cheesecake has no real flavor in and of itself, so you can modify the topping however you want. A cherry jam with big chunks in it sounds pretty super.

Or, if you're not a fruit person, you can always use fudge sauce or caramel. Cheesecake is great because it's so versatile!

Now if only I actually liked it. :(

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes.