I don’t know about you, but I ate lots of chocolate over the holidays. I felt like a break and decided to make a trio of citrus curds to stuff into some basic vanilla cupcakes. I topped them with a simple cream cheese frosting and a little zest for decoration. Simple, fresh, and delicious.

I used some existing recipes this time around… Magnolia’s Traditional Vanilla Birthday Cake recipe (adjusted to use all-purpose flour only) and Martha Stewart’s lemon curd recipe. I have used both of these, on numerous occasions, with great results. I have reprinted them as I have altered them slightly and I provide some tips along the way.

Cupcakes from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook
24 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl.
5. Measure out milk and vanilla together.
6. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
7. Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined.
8. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.
9. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes).
10. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Tip: It is important that the butter is at room temperature and beat well. Otherwise you might get butter chunks which sort of melt into little pools and make the cupcakes come out funny-looking. Not a huge deal, but I thought I’d mention it.

cupcakes ready for baking

Citrus Curd from MarthaStewart.com

4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
5 tablespoons freshly squeezed citrus juice, strained
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
7 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar

1. Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and citrus juice in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes.
2. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in butter, piece by piece. Cover with plastic wrap, and cool in the refrigerator.
3. Whip together cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.
4. Fold cream into the chilled curd.

Tip: The above recipe makes enough curd for over a teaspoon of filling for 24 cupcakes. I made 6 egg yolks worth so that I could get three batches for the three flavors. I ended up with extra, but those who wandered into the kitchen didn’t mind having something to dip the cupcake guts into.

Cream Cheese Frosting

12 ounces or 1-1/2 packages of Philly cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Bring cheese and butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours
2. Sift powdered sugar into a bowl or onto parchment
3. Beat butter and cheese at medium speed until creamy
4. Add half of the sugar and the vanilla. Beat until combined
5. Gradually add remaining sugar (more if you have to) until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like

cupcakes ready for filling

Assemble
1. Using a small pairing knife, cut off the top of the cupcake in the shape of a cone. Flip the top over and cut off the cone.
2. Fill the cavity with a teaspoon or so of curd.
3. Replace top.
4. Frost with frosting.
5. Decorate as you wish. I topped the cupcakes with zest.

Summer equals berries in this house. Even if summer also equals fog. (There is something refreshing about walking to work in a cool drizzle in July.) The three of us go through containers of blackberries on a regular basis – we heart blackberries. I was itching to mash some up and make a cupcake out of them. But things are hectic these days and I was having trouble committing. I think I purchased one or two ingredients every shopping trip over two weeks until finally on the way home Tuesday night I stopped at the corner store and thought, “I will see if they have lemons and blackberries”. And they did! Organic, too!

But was fear of rotting fruit going to be enough to get me out of my cupcake funk? I walked the ingredients home with wavering intentions… it was already getting late, I had dinner to cook, work to do, a child to hug! But I new if I got the ingredients measured out, I could get them done in no time.

Ok, maybe it wasn’t that easy (I woke up early to finish them), but they got done and they were yummy! With this combo you can’t go wrong. I like the creaminess of the curd and the looseness of the blackberry mash (I didn’t want to thicken it with too much starch). It made the cupcakes messy, but I just asked everyone to eat them with a spoon. No one seemed to mind.

Vanilla Cupcakes
12 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
5. Measure out milk and vanilla together.
6. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
7. Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined.
8. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.
9. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full.
10. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Lemon Curd

2 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar

1. Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and lemon juice in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes.
2. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in butter, piece by piece. Cover with plastic wrap, and cool in the refrigerator.
3. By hand, whip together cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form.
4. Fold cream into the chilled curd.

Blackberry Mash

6 ounce blackberries
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
seeds from 1/4 vanilla bean

1. Heat blackberries, water, and sugar over medium heat until boiling.
2. Mash with a potato masher.
3. Add cornstarch and vanilla bean and cook for a few minutes until thick.
4. Remove from heat and cool.

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces or 1 package of Philly cream cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2-3 cups sifted powdered sugar
seeds from 1/4 of a vanilla bean
vanilla extract to taste

1. Bring cheese and butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours
2. Beat butter until soft and creamy.
3. Add cream cheese and beat until combined.
4. Add half of the sugar and the vanilla bean. Beat until creamy.
5. Gradually add remaining sugar (more if you have to) until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.
6. Add vanilla extract to taste if the seeds aren’t enough adding in 1/2 teaspoon increments.

Assemble
1. Fill the cupcakes with the lemon curd and blackberry mash using the cone method. This post has step by step photos of the method.
2. Frost.
3. Top with a blackberry.

Topping a baked good with fried one is indeed excessive. But I needed an excuse to make doughnuts, so here goes.

Firstly, I must take a moment to appreciate the doughnut. Doughnuts should be an occasional treat. They have little redeeming value other than tasting great and are fried! But boy do freshly fried doughnuts taste so very, very good. I have vowed that if I am to eat a doughnut it will only be one a fried by my own hands.

I used the recipe from Richard Bertinet’s Dough: Simple Contemporary Bread.He has a unique kneading method which he demonstrates clearly in the included DVD. I am providing the mixer version of the instructions as my words will be inadequate to describe his method. I made one slight change from his recipe (the frying temperature) and recommend that you plan on eating them all – with friends – the day, the moment even, they are fried.

Now for the cupcakes – they tasted like a latte – sweet and moist with a milky coffee flavor. I enjoyed the end result like it was two desserts. I dipped the doughnut in some of the whipped cream and ate that, then had the cupcake separately. Both were tasty, but I must admit that the doughnut did out shine the cupcake. Maybe it was the novelty.

Coffee Cupcakes
19 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dark roast coffee grounds
1/2 cup strong brewed, dark roast coffee
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons milk

1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and coffee grounds in a bowl.
5. Measure out coffee and milk together.
6. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
7. Add about one third the coffee/milk mixture and beat until combined.
8. Repeat above, alternating flour and coffee and ending with the flour mixture.
9. Scoop into cupcake papers about two-thirds to three-quarters full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes. Note that these cupcakes will shrink slightly when they cool).
10. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Tip: Be careful when adding the coffee/milk mixture to the batter. If you add it too quickly the mixture will look curdled. Add small amounts and beat well to incorporate.

Whipped Cream

3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar

1. Whisk cream on high speed until soft peaks form.
2. Add sugar (more or less depending on your taste) and whip until thick.

Doughnuts

9 ounces whole milk
1/4 ounce envelope active dry yeast
17-1/2 ounces white bread flour (not all-purpose)
3 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 ounces superfine sugar
2 teaspoons fine-grain salt
2 large eggs
2 cups peanut oil
superfine sugar for dusting

1. Warm milk over low heat until it is ay body temperature. It should feel neither warm nor cold when you touch it.
2. Measure the flour into your mixer’s bowl. Rub in the yeast with your fingertips until it disappears in the flour.
3. Rub in the butter until its a sandy texture. Rub in the sugar and salt.
4. Using the dough hook attachment, turn the mixer onto the lowest speed. Add the eggs and milk. Mix for 2 minutes.
5. Turn up to medium speed and mix for 6-7 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
6. Gently remove the dough from the bowl with the help of a plastic bowl scraperonto a lightly floured surface. Form into a ball. Place into a lightly floured bowl and cover with a lint-free towel and set in draft-free spot to rise for 1 hour.
7. Gently remove the dough from the bowl with the help of a plastic bowl scraper onto a lightly floured surface. Cut into two equal portions with your scraper. Gently roll out to about 1/2 inch thick, turning and using flour only as needed.
8. Cut out doughnuts and their holes using a circular cutter and a large pastry tip, respectively.
9. Set on a lightly oiled and floured baking pan with sufficient space between each. Cover with a lint-free towel and set in draft-free spot to double in size or for 45 minutes.
10. Heat the peanut oil in a high-sided, 8″ diameter pan to 350 degrees. Using a slotted spoon gently add about 5 doughnuts to the oil. Allow them to fry on one side until golden, about 45 seconds. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove doughnuts onto a sheet pan covered in paper towels to drain. Continue in the same fashion with remaining doughnuts.
11. Roll drained doughnuts in the sugar. Eat.

Note: I got about 24 mini doughnuts and doughnut holes plus a small loaf of bread out of this recipe. I took the scraps from cutting, quickly kneaded them together and shaped into a loaf. I baked the loaf at 425 degrees for 11 minutes until golden on top. Tasty!

weighing out ingredients

cutting out doughnut holes

ready to rise

Assembly
1. Top cooled cupcakes with a dollop of whipped cream.
2. Top frosted cupcake with a doughnut.

Welcome to the CupcakeBlog archives where you will find over 85 cupcake recipes dating back to March 2005 organized into 5 sections fresh – for recipes that contain herbs, flowers, or plants; fruity – for, well, fruits; spicy – for recipes that feature spices like cinnamon, fennel, cardamom, etc; rich – for recipes that feature chocolate, coffee, liquors, etc; other – i needed someplace for the ube cupcake

fresh

Lavender Cream Filled Cupcake with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Tarragon Cupcakes with Tarragon Cream Cheese Frosting

Basil Cream and Mint Cream Filled Cupcakes with Raspberry Mousse Frosting

Late Summer Peach, Blueberry, and Thyme Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Lemongrass Cupcakes with Lemongrass-Coconut Buttercream Frosting

Green Tea, Lavender, and Honey Cupcake Bombe

Green Tea Bubble Cream filled Cupcakes with Green Tea Cream Cheese Frosting

Lemony Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes with Lavender and Rose Frosting

Lemon Cupcakes with Bitters, Sorrel, and Toasted Meringue

fruity

Hummingbird Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Coconut Lime Cupcakes

Lime Custard Cupcake with Meringue Frosting

Ricotta Raspberry Almond Cupcakes with Citrus Meringue Frosting

Persimmon Pavlova Cupcake

Lemon, Lime & Grapefruit Curd Filled Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Papaya-Coconut Cupcakes with Ginger-Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

Banana Cupcakes, a Few Ways

Mooncake Cupcakes (Bean Paste Filled Cupcakes with Date-Pineapple Cream Cheese Frosting)

Pomegranate-Grapefruit Cupcakes

Cherry-Vanilla Cupcakes

Alfajore Cupcakes or Peruvian Caramel Filled Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream and Coconut

Jackfruit, Banana, and Peanut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Blueberry & Raspberry Ricotta Almond Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Fresh Fig and Almond Cupcake Bombe

Fresh Cantaloupe and Honeydew Cupcakes with White Chocolate-Cardamom Butter Cream

Wasabi White Chocolate Cupcakes with Plum Sake Filling

Lime Tart Cupcakes

Grape Cupcakes

Fig And Quinoa Cupcakes

Pomegranate Green Tea Cupcakes

Meyer Lemon Cranberry Cupcakes

spicy

Thai Ice Tea Cupcake Experiment No. 1

Horchata Cupcake Experiment No. 1

Thai Ice Tea Cupcake Experiment No. 2

Carrot Ginger Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Carrot Sprinkles

Mini Chili Chocolate Cupcakes with Chili Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Lychee-Coconut Cupcakes with Ginger-Cream Cheese Frosting, Candied Ginger Sprinkles, and Sugar Decorations

Churros and Chocolate Cupcake

Ginger-Cream Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Eggnog Cupcake with Bourbon Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes with Fennel Cream Cheese Frosting

Coconut Rice Pudding Stuffed Cupcakes with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting & Fruit

Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes with Fennel Meringue Frosting

Carrot Orange Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Orange Peel Nest

Pistachio Cupcakes with Rose Petal Buttercream

Chocolate Chai Spice Cupcake

Thai Tea Cupcakes

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Fresh Pumpkin Cupcakes with White Chocolate Chunks and Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Hot Cupcakes

Cashew, Carrot, Cardamom Cupcakes with Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting

Cranberry White Chocolate Cupcakes

Pine Nut and Candied Orange Peel Cupcakes with Christmas Spice Buttercream Frosting

Walnut Cupcakes Topped with Rose White Chocolate Mousse and Baklava

Chocolate, Pumpkin Cupcakes With Toasted Meringue Frosting

rich

Devil’s Food Cupcake with Chocolate Buttercream

Peanut Butter-Banana Chocolate Cupcakes with Caramel Glaze and a Caramelized Banana Disk

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Melt in Your Mouth Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Cream

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

German Chocolate Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Glaze

Coffee Buttercream Filled Almond Cupcake with Valrhona Ganache

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

Rich Chocolate Cupcakes Filled with Chocolate-Mint Ganache with Topped with Mint Buttercream

Samoas® Cupcake

Vietnamese Coffee Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chestnut-Fromage Blanc Frosting and Madeira Wine Glaze

Chocolate Bread Pudding Cupcakes with Toasted Walnuts, Homemade Toffee, and Cream

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cupcake with Coconut Buttercream Frosting

Himalayan Goji Berry Chocolate Cupcakes topped with Chocolate Ganache and Himalayan Pink Salt

Banana Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

S’mores Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcake Stuffed with Ginger Caramel, Frosted with Mango Ganache, and Topped with a Mango-Ginger Won Ton

Dark Chocolate Truffle Cupcakes

Doughnuts and Coffee Cupcakes

Sweet Corn, Maple, and Bacon Cupcakes

Gluten-Free and Gluten-Full Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

Adzuki Bean Paste Filled Chocolate Cupcakes with Matcha Green Tea Frosting

Pequin Chili Chocolate Cupcakes

Plain and Simple Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes

Sweet & Salty Honey Peanut Cupcakes

Pear & Vanilla Bean Filled Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Buttercream

3 Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Sea Salt

Chocolate Cupcakes Stuffed with Strawberry Chocolate Ganache and Frosted with Chocolate Glaze and Buttercream

Sweet Corn, Maple, Bacon Cupcakes

Toffee, Chocolate, Bacon Cupcakes

Cream Filled Vanilla Cupcakes With Ganache Glaze And Coconut

Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting (Plus Tips & Tricks for Baking Cupcakes)

other

Ube Cupcakes with Bubble Buttercream

One call for cupcakes and what do you end up with? Well over what I could come up with in a year. Over 60 recipes, each different… lots of chocolate cupcakes, many fruity cupcakes, some spicy ones, and a few more that fit no category. Garrett and I were delighted (if slightly overwhelmed) with the response.

Enjoy browsing. I know I have. I will be hard pressed to pick just one recipe to recreate for a future post.

Note that cupcakes are organized into four categories (chocolate, fruit, spice, other) and that there are a handful of gluten-free recipes dispersed among them.

Chocolatey Cupcakes

Black and Tan
By Mike of
A Tasty Pedia’s Blog

Dr Pepper Cupcakes
by Kristen of
Dine and Dish

Cappuccino Chip Cupcakes with Mocha Frosting
By Rachel of
Rachel’s Bite

Orange Chocolate Cupcake with Nutella Ganache Filling and Hazelnut Buttercream Frosting
By Sandra and Ernae of
The Sour and the Sweet

Chocolate Cheesecake Muffins
By Lexi of
Boybeater

Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes
By Mary of
Alpineberry

Party Cupcakes
By Shini of
Shini

Chipotle Cinnamon Chocolate Cupcakes
By Garrett of
Vanilla Garlic

Triple Chocolate and Raspberry Cupcakes
By Janell the Great of
Janell the Great

Tiramisu Cupcakes
By Becky Brown of
beckybrown24

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes
By Margaret Meaney of
Chez M, en Retard

Mocha Cupcakes
By Haalo of
Cook (Almost) Anything At Least Once

Grasshopper Cupcakes
By Freya of
Writing at the Kitchen Table

Turtle Cupcakes
By Raspil of
The Noisy Kitchen

Chestnut Cupcake with Chocolate Swirl Frosting
By Helen of
Tartelette

Orange Poppy Seed Cupcakes with Chocolate Whipped Cream
By Garrett of
Vanilla Garlic

Oh My Darling Clementine Cupcakes
By Christina of
Wishing on Clovers

Devil’s Food Cupcake’s
By Ellie of
Kitchen Wench

Chocolate Cupcakes with Berry Ganache & Cinnamon Buttercream
By Sarah of
Slighcarp and Grimshaw

Deep, Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Tangerine Honey Frosting
By Lis of
La Mia Cucina

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
By Anita & Cameron of
Married with Dinner

Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Quick Orange Frosting & Chocolate Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream
By Maggie of
The Maggpie

Cuba Libre Cupcakes
By Rachel of
Coconut and Lime

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes
GLUTEN FREE!
by Brendon of
Something in Season

Pumpkin and Mexican Chocolate with Toasted Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
by Posy of
Posy Party Cakes

Basic Vanilla Cupcakes with Two Kinds of Chocolate Buttercream
by Sheryl C. of
Crispy Waffle

S’mores Cupcakes
by Aoife of
Yumbrosia

Fruity Cupcakes

Lemoncello Ricotta Cupcakes
By Cynth of
A Tasty Pedia’s Blog

Almond Cupcakes with Guava Cream Cheese Filling
By Jenny of
Sew Darn Cute

Lemon Sunshine Cupcakes
By Jennifer of
Weekly Dish

Fruit-filled Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut-Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting
By MRBUNSROCKS of
Definetly Not Martha

Hunk of Burning Love (The Elvis Cupcake)
By Sher of
What Did You Eat?

Chempedak Cupcakes with Mango Drizzle
By Noraishah Hamid of
My Gastronomic Adventure

Passionfruit-Coconut Cupcakes
By Ann Martin Rolke of
Sacatomato

Figgy Cupcakes with Mascarpone Icing
By Kelsey of
ironskillet90

Lime-Vanilla Cupcakes with Cucumber Buttercream
By Andrew of
Real Butter and Clean Milk

Coconut Cloud Cupcakes
By puddingpop of
Wait and See Pudding

Avocado Cupcakes with Palm Sugar Buttercream
By Ratna of
Simply Cake

Lammas Cupcakes with Lemon Curd and Whiskey Cream
By Pancha of
Panxa

Almond Brown-Butter Cakes with Sour Orange Meringue
By Lara of
Cook and Eat

Double Seville Orange Cupcakes
By Gemma of
Dressing for Dinner

Almond-Ricotta Cupcakes with Lemon Royal Icing
By Sean of
Hedonia

Carrot Cupcakes and Banana Cupcakes
by Brilynn of
Jumbo Empanadas

Banana Tropical Pomegranate Surprise Cupcakes
by Sandra of
Yes, I Am a Bitch, Get Over It

Spicy Cupcakes

Vanilla-Cardamom Cupcakes with Grand mariner Buttercream and Candied Orange Zest
By Julie O’Hara of
A Mingling of Tastes

Saffron Vanilla Cupcake
By Kerry Alice of
a Tasty Pedia’s blog

Ginger-Cardamom-Jaggery Cupcake
By Mandira Banerjee of
Ahaar

Spice Cupcakes with Maple Marshmallow Frosting
GLUTEN FREE!
By Gluten Free Momma of
Gluten Free Organics

Key to My Heart (Pear & Walnut Cupcake with Cardamom Buttercream)
By Glenna of
A Fridge Full of Food

Curried Cupcakes
By Emilie of
QuintanaRoo

Gingerbread Cupcakes
By Laura of
Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen

Very Gingery Cupcakes
GLUTEN FREE!
By Cathy, aka “The Dear Wife” of
Something in Season

Candied Lemon Peel, Walnut, & Dulce de Leche Cupcakes
By Letincelle of
Leitncelle&Soleau

Other Cupcakes

Citrus-Basil Cupcakes
By Michelle of
Another Yarn

Green Tea Bubble Cream Filled Cupcakes with Green Tea Cream Cheese Frosting
By Chockylit of
Cupcake Bakeshop

Demarara Sugar Rimmed Pound Cake Cupcakes
By The Parson’s Wife of
The Parson’s Wife

Green Mung Bean Cupcakes with Palm Sugar Buttercream Frosting
By Ratna of
Simply Cake

Baklava Cupcakes
By Lara of
Aral Traven

Black Sesame Peanut Butter Cupcakes
By Joann of
Baking + Graduate School = Joann’s Life

Cappuccino Cupcakes
By Margaret of
Kitchen Delights

Derby Cakes
by Posy of
Posy Party Cakes

This is definitely an experimental recipe… one that ended up tasting great, but, trust me, looked a bit funky.

I got introduced to Ube in the form of ice cream from Mitchell’s Ice Cream here in San Francisco. I was ready to finally try an Ube cupcake recipe, so I went to Pacific Super, an awesome Asian grocery on Alemany Street not too far from where I live, and bought nearly everything Ube.

I reconstituted Ube powder per the instructions on the packet, but didn’t like the taste very much at all. I boiled and mashed some fresh purple yams and they tasted much better. It was an easy decision to skip the powdered and go with the fresh.

One thing I didn’t do, that I noticed the few recipes on the net did, is add food coloring. After my red velvet experience, I have been anti-food-coloring-in-batter. In this case, I think I would have been better off to relax my newfound prejudice…

The yams were a deep purple blue, which was great, but when mixed with the yellow egg yolks and other ingredients, the batter ended up a ghastly green. Maybe a little red food coloring would have balanced it out. On the other hand, I can say that the ghastly green is natural! Maybe a half cup of smashed beets might do the trick, if anyone cares to experiment even further.

One definite keeper for me is the topping of peanuts crushed with a good amount of salt. This is something I stole from a caterer friend. The salty-sweet taste is very satisfying.

Ube Cupcakes
24 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

3-4 small to medium purple yams (ube)
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil, grapeseed or vegetable
1/2 cup macapuno, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk milk

1. Peel and slice the yams into inch thick slices. Transfer into a medium pan, rinse, then cover with cool water. Bring to boil and simmer until tender. Mash with a fork
2. Crack eggs into a large bowl. Beat with a whisk until yellows and whites are combined.
3. Gradually add sugar and whisk until combined.
4. Add oil and whisk until combined. Add chopped macapuno and vanilla and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
5. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in another bowl.
6. Add about a third of the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix to combine.
7. Add about one half of the buttermilk and mix to combined.
8. Repeat above, alternating flour and buttermilk and ending with the flour mixture.
9. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to two-thirds full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes. Note that these cupcakes will don’t shrink. Two-thirds full will result in domed cupcakes.)
10. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

cooked ube

ube cupcake batter

baked ube cupcake

Bubble Buttercream

3 cups water
1/4 cup tapioca balls
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
5-6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Boil the water in a medium saucepan (I used the water from the yams).
2. Add the balls to the boiling water and boil for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Turn off heat and let the balls steep in the water for another 30 minutes.
4. Transfer balls to a sieve and rinse with cool water to remove starch. Transfer to a bowl and cover with cold water until ready to use.
5. Beat butter in an electric mixer until soft.
6. Add 3 cups of the sifted sugar and beat until combined.
7. Drain tapioca balls and measure out 1/2 cup. Fold into the frosting.
8. Add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, stirring until combined.

Note: This frosting was very soft and almost looked a little curdled. It definitely has a not so pretty texture, but it tasted fine. The tapioca balls are a novelty and perhaps not necessary. There is the added interest of the chewy texture, but I am not sure it’s worth the sacrifice in the visual appeal. If you are looking for something picture perfect, definitely skip this recipe. It needs work.

tapioca balls

Assemble
1. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.
2. Crush about a 1/3 cup of unsalted peanuts with about a teaspoon of salt. Sprinkle over cupcakes.

I have been thinking about making a Vietnamese coffee cupcake for a while – really since way back, when I worked on the Thai iced tea cupcake.

When it comes to coffee flavored cakes, what one typically finds are mocha type concoctions (coffee and chocolate) or tiramisu type desserts (sponge or lady fingers doused in coffee). I haven’t found many examples of coffee-flavored cake batter outside of these two options. In lieu of an existing recipe, my approach would be simple – substitute strong brewed coffee for the liquid in a basic cake batter.

And that got me wondering… what cake batter? If you’ve ever taken any baking classes or read any professional baking books, you know that there are basic methods of preparing cakes including the sponge method, creaming method, two-stage method and a bunch of others. My favorite method is the creaming method which is used for many American-style baked goods. You cream the butter and sugar, add eggs, then alternate dry and wet ingredients. The result is a heavy mixture and relatively dense cake. The two stage method involves separating the eggs, following the same basic steps as with the creaming (with the exception that only egg yolks are added), then whipping egg whites to soft peaks and folding in to the batter. The result is something somewhat lighter. The classic sponge method requires heating and mixing the eggs and sugar over a water bath until it is light and fluffy. Then folding in dry ingredients and sometimes melted butter. Which of these (or any of the other) methods will translate to the dense, rich, moist, coffee flavored cake base I was looking for? I decided that the basic creaming method would result in a batter that had the bones to support the rich coffee flavor.

The resulting cake was great – great texture and moistness, but even better, a super intense, coffee flavor – exactly what I was looking for. I made a sweetened condensed milk pudding to fill the cupcakes and decided to top them with lightly sweetened whipped cream. I haven’t tasted the end product (just all the components), so I will need to report on that tomorrow.

VN Coffee Cupcakes
24 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup strong brewed Vietnamese coffee
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon coffee grounds

1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
5. Measure out coffee and milk together.
6. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
7. Add about one third the coffee/milk mixture and beat until combined.
8. Repeat above, alternating flour and coffee and ending with the flour mixture.
9. Fold in the teaspoon of coffee grounds.
10. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes. Note that these cupcakes will shrink slightly when they cool).
11. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Tip: Be careful when adding the coffee/milk mixture to the batter. If you add it too quickly the mixture will look curdled. Add small amounts and beat well to incorporate.

cupcake ready for baking

baked cupcake

Sweetened Condensed Milk Pudding

2 teaspoons gelatin
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1. Sprinkle the gelatin over a 1/4 cup of water and let sit for 5 minutes.
2. In a small pan over medium heat, heat the sweetened condensed milk until warm.
3. Add the gelatin and stir over heat until the gelatin melts.
4. Transfer mixture to a bowl set over a pan of ice water. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens. It will get very thick and might clump if you stop stirring.

stirring over ice bath

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar

1. Whisk cream on high speed until soft peaks form.
2. Add sugar (more or less depending on your taste) and whip until thick.

cupcakes ready for filling

Assemble
1. Using a small pairing knife, cut off the top of the cupcake in the shape of a cone. Flip the top over and cut off the cone.
2. Fill the cavity with a teaspoon or so of sweetened condensed milk pudding.
3. Replace top.
4. Top with swirls or dollops of lightly sweetened whipped cream.
5. Dust with finely ground coffee.

assembly

Making Vietnamese Coffee

Vietnamese coffee is made with special grounds that contain coffee and chicory and using a special filter. It is brewed resting on a glass filled with an inch or so of sweetened condensed milk. The result is strong, rich, creamy, and sweet. I prefer mine iced. The melting ice lightens up the drink a bit.

get your filter ready

add grounds

replace filter

screw on tight for strong coffee

fill with water and wait!