Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Orange 50/50 Cupcakes


I'm so excited that summer is around the corner!  All except for the part about wearing a bathing suit...but Mr. Pixie Crust and I have started a new diet regime that I think will help prepare us for that part.


These cupcakes definitely will not help with getting you beach ready, but they are a really fun soda shop inspired treat.  


For the Cupcakes:
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 
2 cups, plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar 
4 large eggs, plus 1 white at room temperature 
3 cups GF flour (3/4 cup white rice flour, 1 cup sweet rice flour,  3/4 cup potato starch, 1/2 cup GF oat flour) 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon kosher salt  
2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature 
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tbsp orange zest
2 tbsp lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 


Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.


Zest one orange and lemon onto a small cutting board or plate.  Set aside.


Sift baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flours together.  Set aside.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs and egg white one at a time.  Mix until fully combined.  Add vanilla extract and citrus zest.


Combine juice and sour cream into a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add in 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the bowl of the mixer, alternating with wet ingredients.  Mix until fully combined, but do not overmix.  Distribute batter evenly into each cupcake liner.  Bake for 16-20 minutes, until cupcakes spring back to the touch. 


For the Orange Curd Adapted from Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Curd Recipe

  • 2 oranges
  • 1 lemon 
  • 1 cup, plus 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup, plus 1 tbsp orange juice
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • Pinch of kosher salt
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest of 2 oranges and one lemon. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is fine and incorporated into the sugar.
Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the orange and lime juice and salt. Mix until combined.
Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and cool.  Refrigerator until fully cold and thickened.  

For the 50/50 Swiss Meringue Buttercream 

4 egg whites 
1 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
3 sticks unsalted butter

1/2 tbsp vanilla bean paste
Juice from 1 whole orange and 1/2 lemon 


Combine egg whites and sugar in bowl of stand mixer.  Place bowl inside a sauce pan of simmering water (to create a double boiler effect).  Whisk mixture until egg white/sugar mixture reaches 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. 


Take bowl out of water and place on mixer.  Whisk on high for 8-10 minutes, or until mixture is completely cool. 

With mixer running, add butter in piece by piece until fully combined.  Switch to paddle attachment and mix for another 1-2 minutes.



Remove half of the buttercream and set aside in separate bowl.  Add vanilla bean paste to remaining buttercream and beat with paddle attachment.  Set vanilla bean buttercream aside.  Place other 1/2 of plain buttercream in mixing bowl and beat in orange and lemon juice until satisfactory flavor is reached.


To assemble:

Once cupcakes are cooled, core out the center of each one.  Fill a pastry bag with orange curd and pipe into center of cupcakes.  Fill a pastry bag with 1 vertical layer of vanilla bean icing and 1 vertical layer of orange icing (to create marbled effect) and frost as desired.





 

Monday, May 7, 2012

Churro Cupcakes






For the Churro Cupcakes (makes 2 dozen cupcakes)
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 
2 cups, plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar 
4 large eggs, plus 1 white at room temperature 
3 cups GF flour (3/4 cup white rice flour, 1 cup sweet rice flour,  3/4 cup potato starch, 1/2 cup sorghum flour) 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1 teaspoon kosher salt  
3 tbsp water 
3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature 
1/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
Pre-heat oven to 330 degrees.  Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.


Sift baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flours together.  Set aside.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs and egg white one at a time.  Mix until fully combined.  Add vanilla extract and vanilla bean seeds.


Combine water, buttermilk and sour cream into a mixing bowl and whisk together.
Add in 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the bowl of the mixer, alternating with wet ingredients.  Mix until fully combined, but do not overmix.  Distribute batter evenly into each cupcake liner.  Bake for 16-20 minutes, until cupcakes spring back to the touch. 


For the Browned Butter sauce and Cinnamon Sugar Topping:


- 1 stick butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
-1/2 cup sugar, 3 tbsp cinnamon 


Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tbsp cinnamon onto a small plate and mix together well.


Heat 1 stick of butter in a small sauce pan until it smells nutty and has a tan color.  Add 1/4 cup of sugar to the butter until dissolved.


While the cupcakes are still warm, use toothpicks to poke small holes into the top of each cupcake.  Dip each cupcake into butter sauce and then into cinnamon sugar mixture.  


Once all cupcake tops are covered, cut hole into each one and fill with dulce de leche or mexican chocolate pudding.  


For the Frosting :

-3 sticks butter, unsalted
-1/2 block cream cheese
-2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
-seeds from one vanilla bean

Combine butter and cream cheese in bowl of stand mixer and beat with paddle attachment until well mixed.  Add vanilla and confectioner's sugar.  Continue to beat for 3-4 minutes until frosting is a good, whipped consistency.

Pipe onto the top of each covered, filled cupcake and decorate as desired. 


PS: I know these cupcakes sound SUPER rich, but you will have leftover buttercream and you really need the butter sauce and cinnamon sugar to emulate the "frying" aspect of a churro.   Plus, they are super tasty.  :)  Treat yourself once in a while.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Flower Basketweave Cake and An Announcement


Hello Friends,

Today I'm sharing the cake I made for my last Wilton Cake Decorating Class (Course Two).  My brother-in-law took the super cool photos.

 



 

 

If you took the 1st Wilton Cake Decorating Class and were on the fence about taking two and/or three, I highly recommend course two.  We learned how to make all kinds of fondant, gumpaste, and royal icing flowers.

In addition to sharing this cake with you, I want to share an announcement.  Pixie Crust will soon be unveiling a new business name and I will be equipped to start taking orders from the public- not just friends. I don't want to jinx anything by saying too much, but suffice it to say that I'll be giving updates on Facebook and the blog regularly as they happen.

Lastly, tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo and I will be sharing a delicious recipe for Churro cupcakes.  See you then!