Cupcake Coring for Science
Our New Product Development team recently invested in a new tool to ease the potential growth of ideas and production for The Boozy Bakeshop.
The device can be commonly referred to as a cupcake corer. It was transported to our state-of-the-art testing facilities and run through our rigorous standards. The results were highly conclusive that with a clean twisting motion in one direction, (agitation is not recommended), the center of the cupcake was removed uniformly and with ease to create a vessel for added deliciousness.
The first batch was processed with devil’s food cupcakes. The cored section was filled with a raspberry chocolate ganache, and topped off with cream cheese frosting. It was deemed awesome by out carefully selected official tasters.
With these findings, the potential for delicious fillings is immeasurable, and will be explored further in the foreseeable future.
Old Timey Cozy
these cakes like sunsets, funny movies, and long walks on the beach.
While somewhat a grinch, I really do have a soft spot for the holiday season when it comes to food, fuzzy sweaters and that one Salvation Army guy who dances while ringing not one, but two bells and partying like its 1899 with wassel, toddies or spiced buttered rum to warm up the insides. They’re the perfect beverages to go with your monocle.
The problem with spiced buttered rum is that while delicious, there is only so much buttered rum one can drink. With these, you can eat all 36 and feel just dandy.
Spiced Buttered Rum Madeleines
Makes 3 dozen
Eggs should be room temperature. If not, soak them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. It adds volume to the batter.
For the madeleines
- 1/2 cup of melted unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 teas vanilla
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tbs flour
- 1 teas baking powder
- 1/4 teas salt
- 1/2 teas ground ginger
- 1/2 teas ground nutmeg
- 1 teas cinnamon
For the glaze
- 1 Tbs dark rum
- 1 Tbs apple cider (also quite tasty with oj)
- 1 teas vanilla extract
- 3/4 cups confectioners sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter over low heat. Brush madeleine pans with melted with butter. Set both aside.
In a large bowl, beat eggs; add sugar gradually and beat until smooth, about 4 minutes. Mix in vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift flour with salt and baking powder and spices. Gradually add to egg mixture.
Fold in melted (not hot) butter with a rubber spatula until just blended.
Fill pans about 2/3s full and bake for 7 to 10 minutes until edges are golden and cakes spring back when pressed.
Remove immediately from pans and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, mix confectioners sugar, vanilla, rum and cider in a small bowl. Glaze should be thick. Spoon onto madeleines. Let glaze set at least 15 minutes before serving/packaging.
Schnapptastic!
striped!!! like a peppermint!!!
I went to New Zealand during part of the rainy season. Surprisingly we had great weather, save a few torrentially rainy days that prohibited outdoor activities. On one such day, we went to the local tourist office to see what what we could do. My friend and I were in wine country and wandering around to vineyard tastings seemed like a good way to take the chill off. Then I saw the flyer – bright yellow with pictures of 1950′s men and women dancing a fancy jig. “Schnapptastic!” it exclaimed. “Schnapperrific!” I turned to my friend. “This place. We must go. It is Schnappciting!”
And lo, we went and it was as foretold: a schnapps distillery (brewery?) of epic deliciousness.
Remembering the warm and fuzzies the schnapps provided on that rainy day provided some inspiration for these Peppermint Mocha cupcakes (well, that and my second favorite seasonal Starbuck holiday beverage, but getting nostalgic for commercial enterprise is a little embarrassing). There is a boozy and non boozy baking option.
Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes
Ingredients
Makes 3 dozen mini cupcakes or 1 dozen standard
For the cupcakes
- 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tablespoons instant espresso powder
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- (optional) 2 Tablespoons coffee liquor, like Kahlua (or coffee schnapps!)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
For Boozy Frosting
- 1 stick of butter (8 Tbs) softened
- 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 cups confections sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Peppermint Schnapps
- (optional) 1 teaspoon peppermint extract if you like it extra minty.
- 2 teas vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons whole milk
For Sober Frosting
- 1 stick of butter (8 Tbs) softened
- 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 cups confections sugar
- 2 or 3 teas Peppermint extract (start with one, add more to taste)
- 2 teas vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup whole milk
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini muffin tin with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, espresso powder, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture alternating with sour cream, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
Divide batter among cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 16 to 18 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile make the frosting.
with an electric hand mixer, cream butter. Add vanilla, 1 cup confectioners sugar. Beat until combined. Add milk, peppermint flavor (schnapps or extract) and 2 1/2 cups more sugar. Mix until combined. Add additional sugar if frosting seems soft and additional extract if you want it mintier.
Frost as desired. Eat. Schnappawesome.
Sober Sunday: Diwali Madeleines
Late October is a great time for food…between harvest season, the onslaught of pumpkin everything, Oysterfest, and widely available candy corn, there is much deliciousness to be had. Late October also brings Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. In my universe, Diwali is always celebrated with a dinner of ridiculous proportions, ridiculously delicious recipes from the cookbooks of my friend Kunur’s family, and a quest for goat meat.
This year was the first time I was not playing sous chef so I had time to make a dessert. My mother’s go to for sweets after an epic meal were always madeleines, those simple, fluffy shell shaped cakes. But madeleines didn’t really fit into the cuisine. They’re kinda…French. Doctored with citrus and cardamom, however, they felt like appropriate fusion food to join in the family recipe feasting. Oh, and there is a boozy modification below, should you want one.
Orange Cardamom Madeleines
The secret to madeleines is the order of combining ingredients, and not over-mixing the flour. These should be done by hand, never with an electric mixer
For the madeleines
- 1/2 cup of melted unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 teas vanilla
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tbs flour
- 1 teas baking powder
- 1/4 teas salt
- 1 teas orange zest
- 3/4 teas ground cardamom
- 1/4 teas nutmeg
- 1/4 teas cinnamon
For the glaze
- 1/8 cup orange juice squeezed from the zested orange. Eat remaining orange. (for boozy baking, substitute with 1 Tbs orange juice and 1 Tbs Cointreau or Triple Sec)
- 1 teas orange zest
- 3/4 cups confectioners sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter. Brush madeleine pans with melted with butter. Set both aside.
In a large bowl, beat eggs; add sugar gradually and beat until smooth. Add vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift flour with salt and baking powder and spices and zest. Gradually add to egg mixture.
Fold in melted (not hot) butter with a rubber spatula until just blended.
Fill pans about 2/3s full and bake for 7 to 10 minutes until edges are golden and cakes spring back when pressed.
Remove immediately from pans and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, mix confectioners sugar, juice and zest in a small bowl. Glaze should be thick. Brush onto madeleines. Let glaze set at least 15 minutes before serving/packaging.
