A reader emailed me requesting a recipe for honeydew cupcakes. I took a shot at it and sent her what I “would” do. I haven’t heard back if she tried it or how it worked out, but I did them myself with some minor adjustments. I decided to do both cantaloupe and honeydew. I thought the color combination would look nice.
I knew when I was first asked about honeydew cupcakes that this recipe would be a challenge. Melon flavors are pretty mild and not what you think of when you think of baked goods. I knew straight off that I would need a fruit filling as the cupcake alone wouldn’t be melony enough. The fruit fillings worked great, especially the cantaloupe. The cupcakes were very moist and dense. I expected that with the all the chopped fruit and the fruit puree and that was a price I was willing to pay to get the flavor I was aiming for. I felt using a standard butter-based recipe would have been too over powering. The frosting was sweet so I only used a little of it, smoothing it on as opposed to piping it on.
Considering what I was up against, I consider the cupcakes a success. I am especially satisfied with the cantaloupe cupcakes. I could really taste the cantaloupe and the overall experience was nice.
This was also Naomi’s first baking lesson. She was being fussy so I held her in one arm while I cracked eggs and mixed cupcakes with the other. She is doing great though — getting really big, smiling, sleeping better (most nights). It truly is amazing how quickly they change.
Lastly, I posted a table of contents to help you find recipes from the archives and enabled two new features that can be found at the bottom of each post – print this post and email this post. I also plan to do a thorough index. It will take a while, but it would be cool and helpful – no doubt.
Cupcakes
20 cupcakes / 350 degree oven
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ounces honeydew, pureed
3/4 cup honeydew, diced
4 ounces cantaloupe, pureed
3/4 cup cantaloupe, diced
1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a large sized bowl. Add sugar and mix to combine.
2. In a separate small bowl, beat eggs to break up.
3. Add the oil and vanilla to the eggs and mix to combine.
4. Add the wet to the dry ingredients, mix to combine.
5. Separate the batter into two, about equal sized batches.
6. Add the honeydew to one batch and the cantaloupe to the other. Mix to combine.
7. Scoop into cupcake papers with an ice cream scooper about 3/4 full.
8. Bake at 350 degree oven for ~30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Note: These cupcakes are moist. Be sure that they are fully baked before removing them from the oven. The cake tester (or toothpick) must come out clean.
baked cupcakes
Cantaloupe Filling
1 cup fresh cantaloupe, diced
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1. Add the cantaloupe and water to a pot. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
2. Stir together sugar and cornstarch then stir into the cantaloupe.
3. Cook until thick, about 5-7 minutes.
Honeydew Filling
1 cup fresh honeydew, diced
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1. Add the honeydew and water to a pot. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
2. Stir together sugar and cornstarch then stir into the honeydew.
3. Cook until thick, about 5-7 minutes.
cantaloupe filling
White Chocolate, Cardamom Buttercream
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1-2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1. In a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, gently melt the white chocolate. Allow to cool for 2 minutes or so.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy.
2. Beat in the melted white chocolate.
3. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar, vanilla, and cardamom and beat at low speed, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl, until light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar to arrive at the consistency and sweetness you like.
Assembly
1. Fill each cupcake with filling.
2. Smooth on frosting.
3. Chop some chiffonade of fresh mint and top cupcakes with a bit.