Eat Your Cake...and Your Vegetables, Too!

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Vegetables in my cupcakes? Why, yes!

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
• 12 parmesan chips for topping

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda until well blended. In a mixing bowl, beat egg, butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add half of the cream and half of the flour mixture into the mixing bowl, beat until combined. Add the remaining cream and flour, continue mixing for another 2-3 minutes. 
• Add chopped broccoli, fold into the batter using rubber spatula until well combined. 
• Divide the batter into 12 lined muffin cups. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and transfer to wire rack to cool. Top with a dollop of cream cheese and one piece of parmesan chip before serving.

Makes 12 regular size cupcakes

Avocado Poppy Seed Mini Cupcakes

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Avocado is more than just Guacamole. They are also good in desserts and cupcakes too. This mouthwatering cupcake recipe came to me after reading one blog entry from this lovely website. The recipe is adjusted to my liking, omitting almond flour and reducing the amount of sugar, as well as using avocado cream for the icing.

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

• 50 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
• 150 grams sugar
• 2 medium avocado, peeled and pitted
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 150 grams all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup poppy seeds
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Ingredients for the icing:

• 1 medium avocado, peeled and pitted
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees  (160 degrees C). Line mini muffin pan with cupcake papers. In a large mixing bowl, beat avocado, lemon juice, butter and sugar until smooth. Add flour, baking powder and baking soda to the mixing bowl, and continue beating until the batter is smooth and creamy. 
• Fill each muffin cup with batter, about 1 heaping teaspoon or until 2/3 full. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or unit toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the pan, transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, using electric mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream in a large bowl until stiff peak forms. Set aside. 
• In a different bowl, beat together avocado, lemon juice and sugar until smooth and creamy. Transfer the sweet avocado puree to whipped cream bowl. Fold them gently into the cream using rubber spatula until well combined. Place a dollop of avocado cream on top of each cupcake (alternatively, you can pipe the icing using star tip and piping bag). Serve and enjoy!

Makes about 48 mini cupcakes or 24 regular cupcakes.

Key Lime Cupcakes

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Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh key-lime juice
• 1 tablespoon grated key-lime peel
• 1/4 teaspoon green food coloring
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

For the icing:

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon finely grated key-lime peel
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Whisk both flours in medium bowl. Beat butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add sugar, beat to blend. Beat eggs one at  a time, then add the next 3 ingredients, continue beating. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions.
• Fill each lined muffin pan with batter, 2/3 full. Bake in the oven until done, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan, transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
• Add all frosting ingredients in a large mixing bowl, beat until smooth and creamy. Spread frosting over cupcakes, or pipe frosting using tip and piping bag.

Recipe is taken from Bon Appetite website.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Guinness, Baileys, and Whiskey Cupcakes

Another St. Patrick's day (themed) dessert that I attempted to bake. Who can refuse Guinness infused chocolate cupcakes filled with whiskey chocolate ganache, and topped with Baileys cream frosting? I know I can't...

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

• 1 cup Guinness beer
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Guittard dark chocolate powder)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

For the chocolate ganache:

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2-3 tablespoons Irish whiskey

For Baileys frosting:

• 4-5 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6-7 tablespoons Baileys

Directions:

• To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake tins with liners. Bring 1 cup Guinness and 1 cup butter to simmer in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
• Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl to blend. Using a mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add Guinness butter mixture to the egg mixture and continue beating until just combined. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on low speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on wire rack completely. 
• To make the chocolate filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer to the heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work). Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.
• To fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom - aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
• To make Baileys frosting: Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer for several minutes. You want to get it light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys and whip it until combined. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with the wide tip. Pipe the frosting onto the top of the cupcakes.

Make 24 cupcakes.

Recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Birthday Cake

Got my inspiration from Sweetapolita.com. I made this for my son's 9th birthday. It's probably the most ambitious project I have ever attempted. Took me 5 days to get it done.

Dark Devil's Food Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing

Dark Devil's Food Cake:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pans

3/4 cup Cacao Barry Extra Brute (or other premium dark) cocoa powder,

1/2 cup boiling water

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Butter three 8″ x 2″ round cake pans, line with parchment rounds, and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. Add boiling water to sifted cocoa powder in medium bowl and whisk; set aside to cool.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until lighter in color and slightly increased in volume, 3 to 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next.

Sift the flour and baking soda into a medium bowl. Add the salt to the dry ingredients after sifting and whisk together. Whisk buttermilk into cocoa mixture. Alternate dry ingredients and buttermilk into butter mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated, or finish by hand gently. 

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. If possible, weigh the batter in each cake pan to ensure even layers.  Smooth with small offset palette knife, and bake for about 35 minutes, rotating once after 20 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick or skewer comes barely clean. Try not to over-bake. I tend to under-bake a few moments, so the skewer is a little bit gummy. This works well for a moist chocolate cake (not vanilla). Let pans cool on wire rack for 20 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently, peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing:

Ingredients:

16 large egg whites (30g each--total 450g, or 2 cups)

4 cups granulated sugar (800g)

5 cups (2.5 lbs, 10 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened but cool, cut into cubes

30 ml (2 tablespoons) pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk attachment, small bowl, and whisk with paper towel and lemon juice (or vinegar), to remove any trace of grease. Add egg whites and sugar,  and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 140 degrees F, or if you don't have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot (you can feel a drop in between your fingers to ensure no granules.).

Take off of stove, and place bowl back on electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, begin to whip until the mixture is thick, glossy, and neutral (you can feel outside of the bowl to test temperature). Switch over to paddle attachment and, while mixing on medium speed continously, add butter one cube at a time until incorporated, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture (if curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth).  Add vanilla and salt, mix well. You can also add a wide variety of flavourings, extracts, and more. If buttercream is too runny, the butter was possibly too soft--place into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, then beat again. If still too runny, add a few more cubes of butter and keep beating. Use immediately, or refrigerate/freeze.

Notes:

Keep in airtight container in refrigerator for up to one week, leaving out at room temperature when needed, rewhipping in mixer for 5 minutes.

Can freeze for up to 6-8 weeks. To thaw, place on counter overnight, and rewhip for 5 minutes with paddle attachment in an electric mixer.

If buttercream still doesn't have its satiny finish after rewhipping, microwave 1/3 of the buttercream for approximately 10 seconds and add to remaining buttercream in mixer bowl, beating for a few moments to incorporate.

Variations:

The variations are almost endless, but here are some delicious options:

Chocolate Buttercream:  Add 300 g (1 1/2 cups before melting) melted bittersweet high quality chocolate (the best you can get--I use Callebaut) for every 5 cups of vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream and beat until incorporated.

Strawberry Buttercream (or any other berry version):  Add fruit puree to taste (approximately 1/2 cup for 5 cups of SMB).

Vanilla Bean Buttercream: Add 1 tablespoon of Vanilla Bean Paste OR 1 vanilla bean, scraped for every 5 cups of SMB, and beat until incorporated.

You can also add liqueurs, extracts, and other flavourings, as well as any food gel colours to achieve any desired colour. Just a note that SMB has a yellow tone, due to the butter, so it really can't be pure white.