Cupcake 8 - Coconut Chocolate Chip cupcakes

Coconut cupcakes to represent the snow that never showed. Just like little snowballs, but these won't melt. More muffin than cupcake, dense and thick crumbed with only a subtle coconut flavor. The coconut powder added to the muffin-like texture without being grainy like shredded coconut. The frosting was tooth-achingly sweet, I blame the coconut powder, it upped the sweetness level a notch, maybe more. (I've got to remind you, I'm not a huge frosting fan on a good day, most people won't find this overly sweet.)

I used a different cupcake wrapper for this batch, I think Wilton calls them "nut cups." Much more substantial than traditional cupcake wrappers, super easy to frost, but a bear to unwrap to eat. Guess a pretty cupcake is just eye candy if you can't eat it without making a mess.
Scale of 1-10, I'd give these a 6.8. The somewhat difficult to find coconut powder did not add a lot of value.

Cupcakes
1 c + 2 T cake flour
1 c AP flour
1/2 c coconut milk powder (sifted, then measured)
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/4 c (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 c sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 t coconut extract
5 large eggs
2 T whole milk
1 3/4 c bittersweet mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups with liners. Sift flours, coconut powder, baking powder and salt into medium bowl, set aside. Using electric mixer, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar, then vanilla and coconut extracts. Beat in eggs one at time until well mixed. Gradually add dry ingredients alternating with milk. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill cupcake liners 1/3 full. Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 19- 22 minutes. Let cool in pans 10 minutes and finish cooling on wire rack.

Frosting
3/4 c unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c coconut milk powder (sifted, then measured)
1/2 t salt
1 t vanilla extract
3/4 t coconut extract
6 c powdered sugar
6 T whole milk
Flaked sweetened coconut (optional)

Using electric mixer, beat butter, coconut powder, and salt in large bowl until creamy, about 3 minutes. Mix in vanilla and coconut extract. Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time alternating with milk 1 T at a time until well mixed, turn mixer to high and beat for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Spread frosting on cupcakes. Sprinkle with flaked coconut.

TIP: Coconut powder can be found at Asian or Indian markets.

Next cupcake?

I'm sitting on a fence about the next cupcake. I was thinking lemon, the weather has been wonky in Baltimore all week, 72 on Monday and 17 today. I feel the need for citrus. (a little lemon zest counts, right?) But then I wandered into a nest of Asian, Indian, Mexican markets that I didn’t realize were in my area. I have a huge fascination with the taste and textures of different ingredients; the international markets fuel my curiosity (and I must admit, intimidate me.) Among the things I procured, was a pound of powdered coconut milk and have no idea what to do with it. “It” needs a purpose. I briefly googled some recipes to find a suitable use. My searches turned up a more savory bent; nothing piqued my interest. But then I was re-visiting February's Bon Appetite the other night (while watching Project Runway, don’t judge) and voila a coconut cupcake recipe using powered coconut milk. A good starting point, at least I have the ratios for the dry ingredients. This particular recipe also calls for whole-wheat pastry flour. I'm not so much a fan of whole-wheat flour for baking, I have bad luck/bad results, not sure which, but everything tends to be dry. I'm hesitant. My current plan is to “monkey” with it a bit. I’ll let you know what happens.

Cupcake 7 -Yellow Cupcakes with Butterscotch frosting

Old school cupcakes, buttery, light and fluffy. Perfect. This recipe is from the February issue of Cooks Illustrated which promised the ultimate yellow cake, just like Betty and Duncan. I must admit I'm hooked on the back story science and testing behind the recipes in Cooks Illustrated, but you need to enter into CI recipes with your "A" game. The recipes are involved, lots of steps, lots of equipment, lots of clean up. Don't fall asleep at the oven.

Scale of 1-10, these were a 9.

Cupcakes
2 1/2 c cake flour
1 1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
1 3/4 c sugar
10 T (1 1/4 sticks) usalted butter, melted and cooled
1 c buttermilk, room temperature
3 T vegetable oil
2 t vanilla
6 large egg yolks at room temperature
3 large egg whites at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cupcake pans with liners for 24 cupcakes.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1 1/2 c sugar together in large bowl. In second large bowl whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and egg yolks. In clean bowl of stand mixer using whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium high speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. With mixer running gradually add remaining 1/4 c sugar, continue to beat until stiff peaks form. about 30 - 60 seconds. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

Add flour mixture to now empty mixing bowl. With mixer running at low speed, gradually pour in butter mixture and mix until moist and incorporated. (a few dry streaks of flow will remain) about 15 seconds. Stop mixer and scrape beater and sides of bowl. Continue to mix at medium low speed until smooth and fully incorporated, about 10-15 seconds. Using rubber spatula, stir in 1/3 of egg whites into batter to lighten. Add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Fill cupcake cups 3/4 full, tap lightly on counter to dislodge large air bubbles.

Bake 17-20 minutes, cool on wire racks.

Butterscotch Frosting

1 c butter
2 c light brown sugar
2/3 c whole milk
4 c powdered sugar
2 t vanilla
pinch of cinnamon

Melt butter in saucepan. Add brown sugar; bring to a boil over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in milk; bring to boil, stirring constantly. Cool to lukewarm. Gradually add vanilla, cinnamon and powdered sugar. Beat until thick enough to spread

Carmel Spun Sugar
1 c sugar
1/2 c warm water
1/8 t cream of tarter

Mix all ingredients in sauce pan, bring to boil, washing down the sides of the pan with pastry brush, continue to boil until liquid reaches 310 degrees and turns amber. Allow to cool for 3-4 minutes, using a fork, carefully drop threads onto cookie sheet line with Silpat or parchment. Allow to harden several hours.

Cupcake 6 - Cinnamon Cupcakes with Chocolate Chili Cinnamon Frosting

I must confess, I got side tracked early this weekend. My plans were in place to make the Ultimate Yellow cupcake, actually excited to "cupcake" the Cooks Illustrated yellow cake and then.... the new Food and Wine showed up in the mail on Friday. The recipe for the Cinnamon Cake with Chocolate Cinnamon Ancho Chilli frosting called my name, begging me to give it a whirl. I love the idea of ancho chilli powder in the frosting! I quickly shelved the yellow cupcakes, jumped on board with much more sexy cinnamon cupcakes and was not disappointed. A little dicey getting the baking time down from cake to cupcake, but over all nice cinnamon flavor and the frosting was over the top! The cinnamon, ancho chili powder and cyanne worked well with the chocolate in the frosting. Next time I may go with all bittersweet chocolate, instead of half white chocolate and half bittersweet. I rarely have a use for white chocolate.

Rating 9 out of 10.

Not to worry the yellow cupcakes are on the roster for next weekend. Its my Dad's birthday and he has requested "something" with butterscotch frosting. I've got to stay old school, Dad's not too adventurous.

Cupcakes
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c AP flour
1 c cake flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
3/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 t pure vanilla extract
1 c sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners, 24 cupcakes.
In a medium bowl, whisk the AP flour, cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a standing mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time until incorporate, add vanilla. Add dry ingredients alternating with sour cream, scraping sides of bowl between additions. Scoop 2/3 c of batter into each cupcake well. Bake 17-20 minutes until golden until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

Frosting
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 c confectioners’ sugar, sifted 1
1/8 c heavy cream
1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ancho chile powder
1/4 t cayenne pepper
pinch of salt
2.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
2.5 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled

In a standing mixer beat the butter until creamy, add the confectioners' sugar in three additions, beating until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Add the cream vanilla, cinnamon, ancho chile powder and cayenne beating at low speed until incorporated. Gradually beat in the bittersweet and white chocolate. Once the bowl is scraped, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 3 minutes until light. Frost cooled cupcakes.

Note: I doubled the frosting recipe and had lots left over after generously frosting the 24 cupcakes.

Update on the search for the Yellow Cake

Funny thing happened while browsing the latest issue of Cooks Illustrated last night. They have a whole spread on the illusive yellow cake. Not just a yellow cake, but the yellow box cake recipe I've been searching for (apparently so have a lot of other people.) You know the cake with the great texture, not too dense, a good crumb, but almost fluffy. The cake I grew up with, the cake with zillions of variations that will garanimal it into another desert. After much trial and error the folks at Cooks Illustrated could not recreate the box cake. The emulsifiers and stabilizers are key to the familiar texture. They have, however, recreated a cake that is close the "Box." I'm going to "cupcake it" this weekend and see if it holds up to my old familiar friends Betty and Ducan.

Cupcake 5 - Malted Chocolate Cupcakes

This week was a bit of experiement, I had some malt powder on the shelf and was curious to try it, not sure what I was expecting. They tasted more milk chocolate than dark chocolate. The frosting had a nice texture thanks to crushed malted balls. Next time I might add a little more milk to the frosting before adding the malted balls, they sucked out a little mositure making the frosting more fudgy than creamy. Scale of 1-10, 7.5

Cupcakes:
4 eggs, at room temperature
3 1/3 c AP flour
1 1/3 c malted milk powder (not Ovaltine)
1 c sugar
1 c milk, at room temperature
1/2 c light brown sugar
1/2 c dutch process cocoa
6 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 t salt
4 t baking powder
2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 375. Line two cupcake pans with liners. Mix dry ingredients. Stir in wet ingredients alternation between milk and eggs, add melted butter and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Fill each cupcake cup 3/4 full, bake 12-15 minutes or until pick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Frosting:
3 c powdered sugar
1 c dutch process cocoa
1/2 c malted milk powder (not Ovaltine)
1 c unsalted butter, at room tempertaure
6 T milk
3/4 c crushed malted balls
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients, gradually adding butter and milk. Beat until desired consistancy. Stir in crushed malted balls.