Cake of the Week: Bourbon Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling and Meringue Frosting

I hate to be the bearer of bad (obvious) news, but it's mid-August and summer is almost over. Exactly one year ago today I started grad school, which is crazy. Hallelujah right now for a semester sans pre-session this time around (and best of luck to all you back schooling it up in Boston already!).

I will be making my way back to the great metropolis of Somerville at the end of this month and will be making the absolute most of my summer until then. So far it's been a great one -- there's nothing like summertime-ing/weekend-ing in DC: friends and fun and outside activities, and a bit of work here and there too of course. AND after just one more week of work I'm going on vacation to Turkey!!! So that is awesome and you will likely hear about it here on the blog.

But back to the here and now. Summertime desserts are delicious and I've been on a bit of a lemon kick. So let me present to you my most recent baking innovation, inspired by an afternoon of not wanting to think about North African terrorism, and created for an epic end-of-summer rooftop extravaganza: Bourbon Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling and Meringue Frosting.

They are super light because there are a lot of egg whites going on here, and super-delicious. These are the kinds of cupcakes you feel totally ok eating multiples of (oh why oh why do I have no more?), so make many if you can. The frosting is magical -- I first made it long long ago for a s'mores cake and called it marshmallow frosting. Now that I'm older and far more sophisticated let's call it meringue though, ok? Ok.

The recipe sounds complex, but it's really just three simple components all put together. My roommate made ice cream last week (oh yeah), and so we conveniently had a lot of egg whites in the fridge. A word of warning though: do not use those egg whites that you buy already cracked in a carton. They are not fresh enough to whip into meringue. Also, you can use bottled lemon juice if you feel so inclined, but then you'll miss out on the zest, which gives the curd a lot of flavor.

Bourbon Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling and Meringue Frosting

White Cake Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk, room temperature
• 6 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup butter (6 oz), softened

Lemon Curd Ingredients: 

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons) (do not use the bottled lemon juice)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon zest

Meringue Frosting Ingredients:

• 2 large egg whites (about ¼ cup)  
• ½ cup sugar  
• ½ tsp cream of tartar  
• ½ cup water  
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

Directions:

1. For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners. 
2. Combine milk, eggs whites, vanilla, and bourbon in a small bowl with a fork. Set aside.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in an electric mixer and mix at slow speed with a paddle attachment. Add butter. Continue beating at slow speed until mixture looks like wet sand (If you’re doing this by hand, sift the dry ingredients together and rub in butter).
4. Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat at medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining milk mixture and beat for an additional 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary. Do not overmix.
5. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 of the way. Bake 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool. 
7. For the lemon curd: While the cake is cooking, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Cook, stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes thick (like sour cream or a hollandaise sauce). This will take approximately 10 minutes.
8. Remove from heat.
9. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted. Add the lemon zest and let cool.
10. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Cover immediately with plastic wrap (so a skin doesn't form) and refrigerate for up to a week. 
11. For the frosting: Put the egg whites in a clean, dry mixer bowl or in another large bowl. Have a candy thermometer (or a meat thermometer can work too) at hand. Put the sugar, cream of tartar and water in a small saucepan and stir to combine.  
12. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, cover the pan and boil for 3 minutes. Uncover and allow the syrup to boil until it reaches 242 degrees F on the candy thermometer (soft ball stage). 
13. When the syrup is at about 235 degrees F, begin beating the egg whites on medium speed with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer. If the whites form firm, shiny peaks before the syrup reaches temperature, reduce the mixer speed to low and keep mixing the whites until the syrup catches up.  
14. With the mixer at medium speed, and standing back slightly, carefully pour in the hot syrup, pouring it between the beater(s) and the side of the bowl. Splatters are inevitable—don't try to scrape them into the whites, just carry on.  
15. Add the vanilla extract and keep beating the whites at medium speed until they reach room temperature, about 5 minutes.  
16. You should have a smooth, shiny, marshmallowy frosting. Although you could keep it in the fridge in a pinch, it's really better to use it right now.

Assembly:

1. Use a sharp paring knife to cut the centers out of each cupcake: cut in a circle at an angle to pop out a little cone. Do with these what you will (aka eat them dipped in the lemon curd as you assemble...I will neither tell nor judge). 
2. Scoop a spoonful of curd into the holes. 
3. Frost liberally. 
4. Enjoy!!

Cake of the Week: Pumpkin-Ginger Bundt Cakes with Browned Butter Glaze

This past weekend the pumpkin cravings hit me hard. It feels like everything good about fall here in DC: crisp cold morning, sunny warm afternoons, skirt and scarf and no jacket necessary kind of weather. Basically the perfect time of year for a hot cup of coffee accompanied by a spicy pumpkin-y baked good. Yessssss.

Saturday afternoon/evening I turned up some music, put on my apron, and made something delicious that I've been eyeing all week -- Pumpkin-Ginger Bundt Cakes with Browned Butter Glaze.

There are some people who do crazy things like not eat sweets before a race. Clearly I am not one of those people. I’m not saying I won Sunday’s race because of these bundt cakes…but correlation vs. causation = potato vs. potato, right? (No that is not right. But in this context I’m going with it.) Basically, these were great the night before the race, and even greater the night after.

There’s something almost cake donut-y to the texture, and the slight crunch of sugar in the Browned Butter Glaze might be my new favorite thing. At first I wasn't sure if I just thought they were awesome, or if they actually are that good, but LLC confirmed that "no, they are that amazing" as she enjoyed one with her breakfast coffee yesterday.

I think the awesome light-but-dense texture of the cake (I know that’s a oxymoron, but if you try them you’ll know what I mean) can be attributed to all of the beating time – seriously, that butter and those eggs didn’t know what hit them! – and subsequent careful folding to keep it all from going flat and over-mixed.

My love of all things pumpkin has been well-documented on Eat Run Read, but I think this is my favorite pumpkin cake/cupcake recipe to date!

As the original recipe warns, be sure to thoroughly grease and flour your pans! You don’t want to lose any of these babies to sticking. I have a silicone mini bundt pan (sidenote: it feels weird calling it a “pan” when it’s essentially rubber), which makes it easier to push the cakes out (since you can actually turn the pans inside-out).

Pumpkin-Ginger Bundt Cakes with Brown Butter Glaze

Adapted from Une Gamine Dans La Cuisine
Yield: 6 mini bundt cakes plus about 12 medium-sized cupcakes (or one large bundt cake) -- I tend to make very small cupcakes, so I ended up with 6 mini bundts and 18 cupcakes.
Printable recipe. 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup (that's 1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 4 eggs, separate the yolks and the whites
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups dark brown sugar 
• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened pumpkin pureé 
• 1/4 cup of canola oil

For the glaze:

• 4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar 
• 2 Tablespoons whole milk (or half & half) 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 6-well mini bundt pan, and line a 12-muffin/cupcake pan.  
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg; Set aside.
3. In a large bowl with a beater(or a stand mixer fitter with the paddle attachment), beat the butter on medium speed until creamy (about 3 minutes). In  1/2 cup increments add the brown sugar, beating well after each addition and scrapping down the bowl as necessary. Once all the sugar has been added, beat everything together on medium speed for 3-4 minutes.
4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg yolks and beat on low until incorporated. Add the pumpkin pureé and oil, and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
5. In a separate medium-sized bowl, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form (if you’re using the same eggbeater, wash it before doing the egg whites, otherwise they won’t work). 
6. Now switch to a large rubber spatula. Fold in about 1/3 of the flour mixture. (How to fold: Cut down through the center and bring the heavier mixture back up to the top. Think down-across-up-and-over. Turn the bowl as you are doing this. Do not stir!) Keep folding until the flour has disappeared. Repeat with the remaining flour. 
7. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
8. Spoon the batter into the prepared bundt pan and muffin/cupcake tins. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake pan from the oven and place onto a cooling rack. Let the cakes sit in the pan for 10-15 minutes, before inverting onto a cookie rack to finish cooling. 
9. Cool completely before adding the glaze. 

For the glaze: 

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Once melted, increase the heat to med-high and cook until the butter turns brown (about 5-8 minutes). You will know when the butter is ready by it's nutty fragrance and brown-tinged bubbles. (Do not walk away! There is a fine line between browned and burnt!) 
2. Pour the butter into a bowl and add the powdered sugar, salt, and milk. Quickly whisk until blended and smooth (it hardens fast). Immediately drizzle the glaze over the cakes and muffins. 

Printable recipe. 

My kitchen counter as I take pictures/prep cupcakes to bring to work. 

I originally planned to half the recipe, but then in my singing-along-with-ZBB daze I totally spaced and added all the baking powder. Oh well! No harm in having extra cupcakes to take to work and share with the people I like!

Cake of the Week: Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

When life gives you lemons, make Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting. 

I realize that’s not how the saying usually goes, but can you really disagree? I mean, lemonade is good, but can anything really compare with a rich and chocolatey cake covered in sweet creamy (and pink!) frosting? Nope. Nothing can.

A few weeks ago SpeedyKate and I had a chocolate cupcake-needing day, so I made a batch of these babies to cheer us up. I knew they would be good – but oh man this is almost like a flourless chocolate cake kind of good. I only wish I had some right now!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

Printable recipe.
(Recipe adapted from Une Gamine Dans La Cuisine.)
For the cake:

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
• 2 ounces chopped bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate (I used unsweetened)
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ baking powder
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup sour cream OR Greek yogurt

For the frosting:

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup pureed strawberries (or a large spoonful of strawberry jam)
• A splash of milk or cream if your frosting is too thick

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
3. In a medium heat-proof bowl combine butter, chopped chocolate, and cocoa. Either set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water to melt the butter and chocolate while stirring until smooth OR microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring between. Set aside to cool.
4. In a separate bowl, wish flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
5. In another large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk the chocolate into to the egg mixture. 
6. Sift in about 1/3 of the flour mixture. Then add the sour cream or Greek yogurt. Stir in remaining dry ingredients. 
7. Divide evenly among the cupcake liners and bake for 18-20 minutes. (Warning: Do not over-bake! Err on the side of underdone for these. I baked for 20 minutes and it was a bit too much.) Let cool in the pan 5 minutes, then remove to finish cooling on a wire rack.

Frosting:

1. Beat all ingredients together. Add more sugar or some milk as needed to either thicken or loosen your frosting. 
2. When the cupcakes are completely cool, frost with a spatula or piping bag.

Printable recipe.

Cake of the Week: King Cake Cupcakes

In Rio they have Carnival, in the New Zealand it’s Shrove Tuesday, in the UK it’s Pancake Day, and in New Orleans it’s Mardi Gras. Here in DC it’s just the Tuesday after President’s Day…but hey, we’re only 1,084 miles from The Big Easy, so I’m going to listen to some jazz and blues, eat a gaudy green/purple/gold cupcake, and wish a Happy Mardi Gras to you all!

These cupcakes are inspired by the traditional Mardi Gras King Cake. The King Cake actually  originates from the Epiphany celebration that traditionally falls on January 6 (12 days after Christmas) and recognizes the day that the kings (Magi) arrived in Bethlehem and Jesus was baptized.  In the southern United States, the King Cake is a part of the entire Carnival season of celebrations (a party a week - woohoo!), which last from Epiphany to Mardi Gras and the beginning of Lent. 

King Cakes are usually circular twists of brioche-style bread decorated with traditional Mardi Gras colors. They're sometimes filled with cream cheese or fruit. They also tend to have a plastic baby, bean, orange peel, or nut hidden inside – whoever finds the hidden treat is the “king” of the party, or has to make the cake for the next party. (I didn't hide anything, but you definitely can!)

Since I’m not actually a Southerner, I hope you’ll forgive me for adjusting this traditional treat and making my own mini version: King Cake Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling.

Keep in mind that the cake is actually a yeast dough, so it’s bready like brioche. After baking, the cream cheese filling kind of disappeared...so though it added some extra richness and flavor you could skip it altogether if you would like.  

King Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Filling (printable recipe)

- inspired by Baking Bites

Makes about 15 cupcakes.

Cake:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (.25-oz)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk (any kind), warm (100-110F)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk room temperature (save the white for the filling)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:

• 4-oz cream cheese (1/2 block), room temperature
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg white
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Line cupcake tins.
2. In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine 3/4 cup flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Stir to combine.
3. Add in warm milk and oil, then beat mixture for 2 minutes at medium speed. The paddle attachment works the best for this recipe. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, waiting until each has been fully incorporated to add the next. Add in the vanilla extract and an additional 1/2 cup of flour and beat for 2 more minutes at medium-high speed.
4. Stir in all remaining flour (creating a thick batter, rather than a standard dough), then cover the bowl and let rest for 10 minutes while you make the filling.
5. For the filling, beat together all ingredients at high speed until smooth and fluffy.
6. Scoop about half the dough into each cupcake tin (about 3 Tablespoons per cupcake). Using a spoon, add dollops of cream cheese filling to each cupcake. Spoon the remaining batter over each cupcake, trying to cover the filling (you won’t be able to completely cover it, which is fine). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (under a lamp, in a 100 degrees oven, on top of the dryer, etc.) until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
7. Preheat the oven to 350F.
8. Bake cupcakes for 15-18 minutes. 
9. Let cakes cool in pans for 5 minutes, then turn them out to finish cooling on a wire rack. 

Icing:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2-3 tbsp water
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• food coloring
• sprinkles

1. Beat all ingredients except food coloring until smooth, adding more water or powdered sugar as necessary to reach a drippy but not liquid consistency. 
2. Scoop out 1/3 of the icing into a separate bowl and mix in food coloring (as you can see, I went with purple).
3. Spoon  white frosting over the cooled cupcakes. Using a fork, drip purple frosting on top, then immediately decorate with sprinkles!   

Happy Mardi Gras!

(printable recipe)

Cake of the Week: Raspberry Filled Cupcakes

I have no skill with pencil or brush or clay or textiles. Neither is engineering my strength - haven’t built anything since Legos and K’Nex (flashback – those were awesome!).

But give me flour/butter/sugar and I will construct you a cake. Whip up some frosting and a masterpiece of buttercream will soon be on your plate!

 My kitchen is my studio and pastry is my medium.

I create works of cake-art that, on good days, are art, and on bad days are just food. 

Desserts can be as much of art as any painting – and arguably more challenging. A pretty cupcake is nice, but if it doesn’t taste good then there’s no point. Like a Project Runway designer I work with layers of textures and degrees of intensity. Sometimes I miss the mark – my creations flirt with (and sometimes overstep) the line of too sweet or too intense.  But when everything comes together in a perfect balance of sweet and tangy and smooth and spongey, a good cupcake can evoke emotion just like your favorite painting.

Raspberry gloriousness. That is what’s happening here. Vanilla Cupcakes with Raspberry Curd Filling and Raspberry Vanilla Frosting. They may be a bit pink for some visual palates, but in terms of emotion: childlike glee with a surprisingly mature sweet-but-sour center. These cupcakes make me happy. They brightened my cold and dreary weekend, and enlivened my co-workers’ Monday afternoon.

And I’m feeling particularly pleased with myself because I invented them.  I took my inspiration from the Lemon Filled Cupcakes (consistently one of my most popular posts), but then raspberry-ified them. 

Lemon curd is one of my favorite things…so why shouldn’t it have a raspberry counterpart? I wasn’t satisfied with the raspberry curd recipes I found online, so I made up my own using fresh raspberries, egg yolks, sugar, butter, and lemon juice.  And miraculously, it worked!

I’m not in love with the white cake recipe I used. It’s from Sweetapolita, and she describes it as “an old Mennonite recipe, it’s different than any other cake crumb and taste I’ve made before, and although I really enjoy it, it’s not for everyone. It isn’t very sweet and it does have an unusual dense-yet-light texture. When first baked it’s very light and then it does tend to get heavier tasting shortly after.” I think the not-super-sweet aspect worked well in the case of these cupcakes, since the filling is so tangy and the frosting so sugary, but they were a bit heavier than I would have liked.

Though I will point out that it’s kind of diet cake - just one stick of butter and egg whites! (Indulge me here…me and my delusions that is…)

My main reason for choosing this cake is that it calls for 4 egg whites, and I needed 4 yolks for my raspberry curd, so the recipes were conveniently complementary.

Snow White Vanilla Birthday Cake  (source)     

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter

2 cups white sugar

3 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups ice water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Zest from one lemon

4 egg whites beaten stiff

Method:

• Add sugar to the butter and beat until light. Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with ice water and flavorings, beating thoroughly after each addition. 
• Fold in the beaten egg whites. 
• Scoop into muffin tins lined with cupcake liners and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.  
• Cool completely before assembly.

Raspberry Curd

Make ahead!

4 oz fresh raspberries, blended/pureed (to smooth out the seeds)
4 egg yolks
3 T sugar
1/2 a lemon's juice (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)

4 T butter, cut into cubes

• Mix the first 4 ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly for about 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens.
• Remove from heat and whisk in the butter.
• Cover with plastic wrap, with the wrap touching the top of the curd (to prevent a skin forming). Cool for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Raspberry Vanilla Frosting

1 ½ stick butter (12 T), softened but not melted

3 cups powdered sugar

¼ cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

¼ teaspoon raspberry extract (optional)

Gel  food coloring (I mixed “burgundy” and “marigold” to get a nice raspberry-ish color)

• Beat all ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth. Add more milk of powdered sugar as needed to reach a light spreadable consistency.

To assemble the cupcakes:

• Cut out a conical hole from the top/center of each cupcake (what happens to those little cake cones in the kitchen is between you and your cupcakes - I won't tell anyone…). 
• Using a small spoon or butter knife, fill the holes with raspberry curd (be generous).
• Fill a piping bag with frosting and swirl over the tops.

You can refrigerate them for storage, but cupcakes are best enjoyed at room temperature. 


Oh, and I made a few minis - just for fun!

Best of the Week #29

I may melt any second. Literally. DC is the hottest place in the US today.

In light of this most uncomfortable fact, my Best of the Week is brief...blame it on my overheated brain.

Last Friday I made South Sudan independence cupcakes, modeled after the new country's flag:

They’re vegan chocolate and red velvet, all with cream cheese frosting, and were well received at my weekly staff meeting.

My most popular post this week was Cherry Cupcakes with Cherry Frosting. Oh yeah those were delish!

And per usual, here are some random stories to amuse you this Friday:

BBC reported a "500kg shark 'lands in boat'"! Listen to the story here, talk about a risky internship!!!

“Luckily the intern stepped towards me…the shark landed with all of its body in the boat…and started panicking…so all my interns made their way to the front of the boat.”

Though I complain about DC being hot, running Badwater would be worse. Check out this post for pictures. And has anyone else seen Running On The Sun? "Considered by many to be the most extreme running race in the world, the Badwater  Ultramarathon covers 135 miles from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA in temperatures up to 130F." (source)

From Popular Science, “Mice Engineered to Lack Muscle Contraction Gene Have Superior Endurance (and Humans Might, Too).”  You know that feeling towards the end of a race when your muscules tighten up? Well, it might be genetic! This study shows that “Mice that lack this gene, which is related to muscle contraction, can run much farther than their counterparts…suggesting a genetic predisposition to endurance in some athletes.”

Good news and great pictures: “Snow Leopards Rebounding in Afghanistan.” (source)

And this video is beyond adorable! Toddlers + Track = Cuteness (source)

 

For those of you on the West Coast (dare I say…the best coast?), Wharf to Wharf is this weekend! My family (this year minus me and Sister2) runs it every summer, so everyone wish them luck!

I will be spending a lovely morning tomorrow taking the GREs. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm "prepared"...but nor am I egregiously* unprepared...So think me some smart thoughts at 9am tomorrow! YIKES!

*Egregiously - adj - extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant.

Raspberry Cupcakes

This is a guest post by Sister1.

Rain in June! Come on! It’s the time of year for bbqs, baseball games and swimming...not sitting inside watching Mad Men episodes one after the other while baking way more than two people could possibly need. Thank goodness for mamas who complain when their dessert supply gets low!

 

[Editor’s Note: Sister1 lives 5 minutes from my parents, so she is the official dessert supplier for the family. I only wish I could teleport home to eat some of her cupcakes on a regular basis!]

While on a post-yoga shopping trip yesterday, I picked up blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. I wanted to make something delicious and summery, hoping to influence the weather gods to change their weekend forecast. Unfortunately their predictions were correct (Rain! Cold! It’s June!) but I decided to make something bright and friuty anyways to cheer myself up.

These cupcakes were so delicious and light. I especially loved the buttercream - because it wasn’t too sugary and had an almost whipped creamy texture. They were so good that when I delivered them to the Mama she instantly ate two in a row!

Raspberry Cupcakes

(Adapted slightly from Martha Stewart’s Blueberries and Cream Cupcakes)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups cake flour (not self rising), sifted

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 pints fresh raspberries

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard paper liners. Whisk together both flours, baking powder, and salt.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla.

3. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each. Fold in raspberries by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until pale golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

Fluffy Vanilla Bean Buttercream

1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature

7 cups powdered sugar

3 vanilla beans, insides scrapped out

1/3 cup milk

Beat butter and vanilla bean until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar and milk and whip until fluffy and smooth. Depending on how you like your frosting, add more powdered sugar or milk.

Enjoy!

Cake of the Week: Brown Sugar Banana Cupcakes with Avocado Frosting

I spend a lot of time baking for other people, but sometimes I get lucky and others bake for me! As you may remember from the Butter Tarts amazingness, LLC is quite the skilled kitchen craftswoman, and this weekend she got adventurous and tested a very intriguing recipe for our friends' enjoyment.

Brown Sugar Banana Cupcakes = totally normal. Avocado Frosting = somewhere on the far side of crazy! 



We gave these cupcakes mixed reviews. Everyone agreed that the Brown Sugar Banana Cupcakes were delicious. They're very muffin-y, and actually kinda healthy. 

But the Avocado Frosting is where things get tricky. LLC couldn't get over the fact that the smooth green goop was not guacamole (and may or may not have tested it with chips and salsa). I didn't love it plain, but combined with the cupcakes it fulfilled that creamy sweet frosting need.


And you must admit, they're striking to look at!

So basically, the avocado frosting wasn't bad, but I don't think it added anything particularly amazing to the cupcake consumption experience. I say save the avocados for some guac and next time frost these babies with buttercream! But if you're looking for something a little off the wall that'll make your friends go, Wow, hmm, weird but good! then maybe the Avocado Frosting is the thing for you.

Brown Sugar Banana Cupcakes (from How Sweet It Is)

makes 12-20 cupcakes, depending on your scoop
1 1/3 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 egg
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt)
1/2 cup butter, melted


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.


Combine dry flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg and set aside. In a bowl, whisk egg and add brown sugar, mixing until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Add sour cream or yogurt and melted butter and mix. Stir in dry ingredients, then add mashed bananas and mix until batter comes together. The batter will be thick. Using an ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measure, scoop batter in liners.


Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool completely.


Avocado Buttercream
2 ripe avocados
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
pinch of salt
Cream avocado and butter together until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and add vanilla. More sugar can be added if you’d like the frosting thicker. Frosting can be store in the fridge for up to 3 days. I recommend refrigerating the cupcakes.