My family was invited to a Cinco de Mayo celebration last month. It's a pretty sure thing that when I'm invited to a gathering, people ask that I bring dessert. This time around, the hostess mentioned (and shared) a recipe for margarita cupcakes. Lime margarita to be precise. Well, the recipe she shared included tequila in the buttercream. Now, had children not been invited to this party, I would have been daring and included the tequila. However, knowing that children could inadvertently consume them I made my version without the tequila. I've included the recipe with the tequila, so make the frosting as you like.
This recipe was a definite keeper. The texture of the cupcake was almost like that of an angel food cake. The buttermilk assists with that special texture (also in the red velvet). You will see that most of my favorite cake recipes contain buttermilk. They are to die for. Also, this buttercream is more of a Swiss meringue buttercream. The process is a bit more time consuming (slowly cooking the egg whites over a water bath before whipping them with sugar), but doing it gives you the lightest, melt in your mouth texture. Absolutely heavenly.
http://cookbook-recipes.org/margarita-cupcakes/
My next set of recipes were made for my son's dance school. Their competitive dance team held a fundraiser and we showed our support by donating about six dozen cupcakes for them to sell. I wanted to make two very different cupcakes to hopefully appeal to just about everyone. So, I went with the chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream (yes, both recipes I've posted in the past), as well as red velvet with whipped cream cheese buttercream. I even managed to rope the hubby/photographer into making white chocolate toppers for the cupcakes (yes, he is even my chocolatier). The toppers included the dance team's name and the dance school's logo dancer. He did a GREAT job.
Once again, both of these cake recipes include buttermilk in the batters. These recipes were also "borrowed" from Sweetapolita. She is my IDOL. I also want to make a special point of discussing this whipped cream cheese buttercream. OH MY GOODNESS! Yes, it would seem that by adding cubes of cream cheese to whipped butter that you would end up with something incredibly heavy. WRONG! The fact that this is whipped into submission, it is so incredibly light and fluffy and creamy and NOT overly sweet. I'm usually really good at exercising self control while baking. I'm not a bigger licker of spoons or eater of batters and frosting. I'm going to be completely honest with all of you. I licked the frosting bowl once all of the cupcakes were frosted. I did...and I don't even feel guilty for doing so :) Here are the recipes and photos.
Sweetapolita’s Perfect Chocolate Cake
Ingredients for the Chocolate Cake:
2-1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon (330 g) all-purpose flour
3 cups (600 g)
granulated sugar
1 cup + 1
tablespoon (135 g) Cacao Barry Extra Brute Cocoa Powder (or similar premium
brand)
1 tablespoon (15 g)
baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons
(7.5 g) baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons (12
g) salt
3 eggs, at room
temperature
1-1/2 cups (360 mL)
buttermilk, room temperature
1-1/2 cups (360 mL)
strong black coffee, hot
1/2 cup (120 mL)
vegetable oil
1-1/2 tablespoons
(22.5 mL) pure vanilla extract
1 lb butter (2
cups)(454 g), at room temperature
4 cups (500 g)
icing sugar (confectioners' or powdered), sifted
1 tablespoon (15
mL) pure vanilla extract
¾ cu ovaltine
powder
Pinch of salt
8 oz (250 g)
quality Belgian chocolate, chopped, melted and cooled
1/2 cup (120 mL)
whipping (35% fat) cream
Directions (Cake)
For the Chocolate
Layer Cake:
Preheat oven to
350° F. Prepare three 8-inch round cake pans (butter, line bottom with
parchment paper, butter paper, dust with flour).
In bowl of electric
mixer, sift all dry ingredients, including sugar. Combine eggs, buttermilk,
coffee, oil and vanilla in a measuring cup and beat lightly with a fork.
Add milk mixture to
the dry ingredients mix for 2 minutes on medium speed (you may need the plastic
splash-guard that comes with mixer). Divide batter evenly among prepared pans.
(Batter will be thin.)
**Bake for 20 minutes
and rotate pans in oven. Continue to bake until toothpick or skewer comes almost
clean (a few crumbs), about 12 more minutes. Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes
then gently invert onto racks until completely cool.
For the Malted
Belgian Chocolate Frosting:
In a bowl of stand
mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine the icing sugar and butter and
beat on low speed for about 1 minute.
Add malt powder,
vanilla and salt, and beat on low until well combined. Add the melted chocolate
and beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes).
Add whipping cream
and beat on med-high speed for another minute.
Mix and "work
in" with rubber spatula right before applying to cake (to rid of air
bubbles).
**
This recipe makes approximately 4 dozen regular sized cupcakes. Bake cupcakes for 15-17 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Once cupcakes are removed from oven, immediately remove cupcakes from the pans and allow to cool completely on cooling racks.
**
For a “malted” chocolate add the ovaltine to the recipe. I tend to leave it out for a straight
chocolate frosting.
Red Velvet Cake
3/4 cup
(170 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup
(225 g) packed light brown sugar
1 cup
(200 g) white sugar
1
teaspoon super red soft gel paste, optional
3 eggs,
at room temperature
2 cups
(260 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup
(55 g) cake flour
1
tablespoon (8 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
1
teaspoon (8 g) kosher salt
1-1/2
cups (360 ml) buttermilk, warm
1/4 cup
(60 ml) mayonnaise
1
tablespoon (15 ml) vinegar
1-1/4
teaspoons (8 g) baking soda
**3
tablespoons (45 ml) *red velvet flavor
1. Preheat
oven to 350° F. Butter the bottom of three 8-inch round cake pans, line with
parchment rounds, and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
2. In a
stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugars, red
velvet flavor, and red gel paste on medium-high speed until lighter in color
and slightly increased in volume, about 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.
3. Sift
the flour and cocoa powder into a medium bowl. Add the salt to the dry
ingredients after sifting, and whisk dry ingredients. Alternate dry ingredients
and buttermilk into creamed mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
Mix until just incorporated, or finish by hand gently. Fold in mayonnaise.
4. In a
small cup or bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda until it fizzes, then
quickly add the batter and whisk until blended.
5. Divide
the batter evenly between the prepared pans. If possible, weigh the batter in
each cake pan for 460 g each (excluding the pans--you will want to tare the
scale each time.) This ensures even layers. Smooth with small offset palette
knife, and bake on top of a baking sheet (two pans on sheet for first round,
then the final pan) until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean,
about 25 minutes. Try not to over-bake.
6. Let
pans cool on wire rack for 20 minutes, then invert cakes onto racks, gently,
peeling away parchment rounds. Let cool completely.
**This
recipe makes approximately 5 dozen regular sized cupcakes. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick
inserted into the center of cupcakes comes out clean. Upon removing from the oven immediately
remove the cupcakes from the pans and let cool on racks.
Finally, I made a different combination of the same chocolate cake recipe above and combined it with the whipped cream cheese buttercream and topped them with a chocolate ganache drizzle. Also included in the photos are banana nut cupcakes with the whipped cream cheese buttercream topped with toasted walnuts. THAT recipe is one that I recently inherited from a friend and it will be featured as a layered cake in a future blog. Consider the cupcakes a teaser :)
As always I hope you enjoy these recipes. Please feel free to post pics of any of the recipes you sample. I'd also love to hear your thoughts on any of the recipes, should you try them. Finally, always remember to have amazing Adventures in the Kitchen :)
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