A salty-sweet treat

When I was flipping through my cookbook/magazine last week, looking at the Shamrock Milkshake Cupcake I stumbled upon this recipe. As soon as I saw the word "salt' AND "caramel" in the title I knew this was going to happen asap. I mentioned to a few coworkers last week that this was my plan, and they all started drooling, immediately. All of those weight-watchers instantly made a plan to watch their points for the following Wednesday because a possibly epic cupcake was on it's way.
What is it with salt vs. sweet? Perhaps you're not sure if you're a fan of that combo, yet? Well, if you need some convincing, give this a whirl. You won't be disappointed.

Salted Caramel-Chocolate-Bourbon Cupcake

from BHG Cupcake Magazine, or on their website

For the batter:

1 c butter

3 eggs

2 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 c water

1/3 c bourbon

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 c sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the fudge frosting: 

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, shopped

2 tbsp butter

1/2 c sour cream

2 1/2 c powdered sugar

For the salted caramel:

2 tbsp whipping cream

1 tbsp bourbon

24 unwrapped vanilla caramels

1/4 tsp sea salt

Additional sea salt, for garnish

Allow butter & eggs to sit at room temperature for 30 min. Meanwhile, prep your cupcake pans. This recipe will give you between 32 & 36 cupcakes, no problem. In a medium bowl stir together your flour, soda, and kosher salt. set aside.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave (uncovered) your bittersweet & semisweet chocolate for 1 minute, then stir. Microwaver for another 30 seconds, then stir until smooth. Let cool slightly.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter by itself for about 30 seconds, then slowly begin to add your sugar, about 1/4 c at a time. Beat at medium speed until combined, scraping as necessary. Slow down your mixer, then add your eggs one at a time, making sure they are fully incorporated after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture, and bourbon mixture to the chocolate mixer, beating at low speed after each addition, until just combined.

Grab your trusty ice cream scoop and start scooping batter into your cups, filling about 3/4 full. Now, you want to add this much batter because these are not going to rise (and stay risen) like your normal cupcakes. These are going to fall. Little makes my heart as sad as it gets to see my beautiful cupcakes deflate! About 3/4 into cooking time you will look through the window and see some beautifully plump cupcakes. By the time you remove them from the oven, they will be flat as a pancake - maybe even flatter if hey have an indent. Don't cry....don't panic - accept it for what it is, then move on. How could you possibly easily pool a puddle of caramel sauce on top of a rounded cupcake? See...it'll be ok. 

Bake your cupcakes for 18 minutes, or until your toothpick comes out clean, when inserted. Let cool in trays for 5 minutes, then remove them to a wire tray, to finish cooing. While they cool, prep your frosting.

In a medium saucepan melt 6 oz bittersweet chocolate and 2 tbsp butter over low heat. Stir frequently, or you risk it burning. Once melted, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 c sour cream. Put your powdered sugar in mixer bowl. Once your sour cream is incorporated into chocolate, pour that into mixer bowl, and mix at low speed, initially, then increase to medium. Mix until combined. Once this is done, I'd go ahead and pipe borders around all of your cupcakes, so they have time to set while you make your caramel.

In a small saucepan combine whipping cream and bourbon. Heat over medium-low heat until steaming (NOT BOILING) Add caramels and 1/4 tsp sea salt. Mix constantly until melted and smooth. Spoon into centers of cupcakes, then garnish with sea salt.  

Sham-rockin' a Cupcake!

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day I decided not only to do something with the word ‘shamrock’ in the title, I also wanted to make sure it had a little booze in it. I’ve had my eye on this recipe for a while, but never had an excuse to make it – until this week! These cupcakes were extremely moist, and the crème de menthe gave them a subtle hint if mint that really MADE the cupcake. The cupcake was topped with a white chocolate frosting, which was delicious, but very soft. If the weather had not been so unseasonably warm, it would have been easier to decorate with. Since we are experiencing higher than normal temperatures in Indiana, the frosting wasn’t pipe-able – thus, the excuse I have for a not so beautiful cupcake. Trust me, though….it was DELICIOUS!!

I got this recipe from the Better Homes & Gardens Cupcake magazine, but it is also on their website.

Shamrock Milkshake Cupcakes

For the batter:

4 egg whites

2 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 c buttermilk

¼ c crème de menthe

½ c shortening

1 ¾ c sugar

1 tsp vanilla

For the frosting:

1 c butter, softened

6 oz white baking chocolate, shopped

1/3 c whipping cream

1 ½-2 c powdered sugar

Allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prep your cupcake pans with liners. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. In another small bowl, or measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and crème de menthe. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat your shortening with a mixer for about 30 seconds. Slowly add sugar, vanilla, and then eggs . Add 1/3 of flour mixture, followed by buttermilk mixture. Repeat, ending with flour mixture. Make sure all is thoroughly combined.

Grab your trusty ice cream scoop and scoop batter into cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake cupcakes for 15 minutes, or until tops bounce back when touched. Cool cupcakes in pan for 10 min, then remove to rack to cool completely.

While those cool, make your frosting. Chop up your white chocolate, and put it in your mixer bowl. Bring whipping cream to a simmer, then pour over chopped chocolate and let it sit for 5 min. Once the 5 min passes by, start stirring, until smooth (and all your chocolate has melted.) Let set for another 15 minutes. Gradually beat in butter on medium to high speed, until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar until it reaches your desired consistency. (I added 2 ½ c of powdered sugar and it still never became stiff enough to pipe. Oh well)

Pipe or spread over your cupcakes and dig in!!

Is it St. Patrick's Day yet?

For Valentine's Day I avoided baking a red velvet cupcake for the blog, I guess in hopes of avoiding the cliche. To shake things up a little bit I put this recipe together. I was very pleased by the outcome. Not only are they an intense green color, they are deliciously moist & topped with a "just sweet enough" cream cheese frosting. 

Green Velvet Cupcake

For the batter:

2 1/2 c cake flour

2 c sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp cocoa - I used Valrhona

1 1/2 oz. green food coloring

1 c buttermilk, room temperature

1 c oil

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp baking soda

For the frosting:

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla 

2-3 tbsp water

2 lbs powdered sugar

Turn your oven to 350 degrees, and prep your cupcake pans.

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in your mixer bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla together. With your mixer on low, slowly add milk mixture to your flour. Mix until thoroughly combined. In a small bowl, make a paste with the cocoa and food coloring. This will be thick. Flip your mixer back on, then add the green paste. Mix this in really well, then remove bowl from mixer. Put the soda in a little bowl, add vinegar, then prepare for a fun show! Your concoction will begin to bubble & foam like a science project volcano. Fold this to your batter, and make sure you combine it well.

Fill your cupcake liners about 3/4 full. This batter will be very thin, so be careful, or your kitchen will end up like mine, with little small drops of green all over the counter. Bake cupcakes at 350 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 335 degrees, and bake for another 5 minutes.

Cool cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack. While these cool, go ahead and make your frosting.  

I'm not the world's biggest cream cheese frosting fan, but I wanted to come up with something that still tasted cream cheasy, but still had the texture of a buttercream. Here is what I did. 

Toss your cream cheese and butter into a mixer and whip for about a minute, or until nice and creamy. Add vanilla and about 1 tbsp water and combine. Now, slowly, start adding your confectioners sugar. If your mixer starts to sound exhausted, add some more water. I ended up using 2 1/2 tbsp. Mix to your desired consistency, then pipe or spread on your cupcakes. Even after I piped a huge pile of frosting on all of my cupcakes, I ended up having a bunch of frosting left over. 

Enjoy!!

Bacon Makes it Better

When word got out about this cupcake, the reaction was the same. "Wooooaaah! That sounds AMAZING! When will they be ready?" Needless to say, that added some pressure on me. "What if they don't turn out?" "What if they are gross?" Ugh....going into this one was nerve wracking - then I tasted the batter and realized that all my worries might have been for nothing. "If the batter is this good, surly the cupcakes will be deliciouso as well, right?"
I pulled a batch out of the oven and basically stared at them for 10 minutes while I waited for them to cool in the pan....then I took them out of the pan, and continued to stare at them until they were cool enough to eat. I took my first bite and seriously said out loud, "Oh my goodness....I can't BELIEVE that worked!!!" When you try these on your own, I believe you will find yourself saying the same thing!

Maple Bacon Cupcakes
adapted from Vanilla Garlic

For the batter:
1 stick + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tbsp bacon grease (left in fridge to become solid)
2 eggs
1/2 c + 2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 c good quality maple syrup (I used a dark amber syrup)
2 1/2 c self-rising flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
3/4 c milk
3/4 c cooked bacon, cooled & diced

For the frosting:
1 stick of unsalted butter
5 tbsp maple syrup
3 c confectioners sugar

For the garnish (optional)
Turbinado sugar (or sugar in the raw)
Coarse grain sea salt
Pieces of bacon

Cook up bacon. I would recommend using a thick cut, and the best quality that is within your budget. I cooked up the entire package and had zero left over. (If your husband is at home, make sure you prep some extra, or you will run out before you get to the garnishing step)
Once bacon is cooked, pour grease into small dish and pop in the refrigerator. I would just put all of it in there. You may end up using more than 1 1/2 tbsp. Once it's cool enough, mince up your bacon, and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 365 degrees, and prep your cupcake pans. After grease has solidified, put that and room temperature butter in mixing bowl. Beat until creamy, then add your brown sugar & maple syrup. Once combined, add your eggs and mix well. Sift your dry ingredients together. Add 1/3 of your dry's to the butter/grease mixture. Add 1/2 of your milk. Repeat this, ending with dry's.

Check your flavor. If you want to add more syrup you may, but be cautious. First of all, the frosting is going to be really sweet. Second, maple syrup can break cake batter when too much is used. I think that if your batter has a slight maple flavor, you're good to go.

Fold in bacon (YAY!!!)  Using your trusty ice cream scoop, scoop batter into your cupcake liners. Fill up 1/2 way, as this batter will grow more than normal cupcake batter does.. Bake them at 365 degrees for 10 minutes. Rotate your pan, then bake for an additional 5-7 minutes. They are done with they bounce back when tops are touched (and when your toothpick comes out clean.) Let them cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove them to a cooling rack, and let them cool the rest of the way.

For the frosting, combine butter and maple syrup. Whip until creamy. Add your confectioners sugar, one cup at a time. Whip until it reaches your desired consistency. If it is too thick, add a few drops of water. If it is too thin, add some more confectioners sugar. This made barely enough frosting to coat all of my cupcakes. Depending on how you are planning on decorating, you may want to double the frosting recipe.

Pipe or spread onto your cupcake, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar & sea salt, if desired. Garnish with a piece of bacon from before....then....ENJOY!!