Birthday Cupcakes!!

With a new electric stand mixer how could I resist making super awesome birthday cupcakes?! This was Patrick's birthday gift to me and neither one of us could wait to test it out! This recipe is from his Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe. We were a little too eager for our cupcakes and didn't quite let everything "soften" enough or quite get to "room temperature" so the batter wasn't as smooth as it should've been... can't wait to perfect the next batch! 

Birthday Cupcakes! aka Yellow Cupcakes with Simple Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients
Frosting
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg, plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. For the Frosting: Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan or in a microwave. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and pour the hot cream over it. Let chocolate soften for a few minutes and then whisk the mixture until smooth, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cook and slightly firm, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Transfer the frosting to the bowl of a standing mixer. Whip the mixture at medium speed until it is fluffy and mousse-like and forms medium-stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. Set aside.


3. For the Cupcakes: Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the middle position; heat the oven to 350F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper or foil liners.
4. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer. Add the butter, sour cream, egg, yolks, and vanilla and beat the wet ingredients into the dry at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and stir by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.

Dry ingredients
 
Addition of the wet ingredients.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the cups of the prepared tin using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop or a spoon. Bake until the cupcake tops are pale gold and a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Use a skewer or paring knife to lift the cupcakes from the tin and transfer to a wire rack; cool the cupcakes to room temperature, about 45 minutes.


6. Spread 2 to 3 generous tablespoons of the frosting on top of each cooled cupcake; serve.

Here's our professional cake decorator:







1 comment:

  1. You know sweets are my downfall! Can't wait to try some of your cupcakes. Will rival that place on Franklin St.

    ReplyDelete