Who You Callin' Cupcake - Michelle Garcia [26]
2 bananas
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup brown sugar
Put It All Together banana chips, for garnish
Frosting
1 recipe Vanilla American Buttercream
(page 27)
2 cups fresh ricotta
1 tablespoon lemon zest (optional)
HOW TO MAKE IT
Cupcakes Prepare the Vanilla Bean Cupcake batter according to the recipe directions and set it aside. To roast the bananas, melt the butter in a sauté pan on high heat. Slice the bananas into thin disks and lay the disks in one layer in the butter. Keep the bananas moving so they don’t stick and after about 1 minute, flip them over and let them cook for an additional minute. Both sides should be slightly brown. Cover the bananas with brown sugar and sauté until the sugar is melted. Allow the roasted bananas to cool and then fold them into the cupcake batter with a rubber spatula. Bake the cupcakes according to the recipe directions.
Frosting Prepare the Vanilla American Buttercream according to the recipe directions. Fold the ricotta and lemon zest, if using, into the buttercream with a rubber spatula.
Put It All Together Pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes with a piping bag with a star tip. Top each cupcake with a banana chip.
ORANGE BLOSSOM
This recipe is a bit more adult than a more traditional orange cream cupcake. The flower water is a little perfumey, but when used in the right amounts, it actually adds a lot of depth and makes the cupcake stand out.
Cupcakes
1 recipe Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
½ cup finely chopped orange zest
1 recipe Simple Syrup (page 44)
4 tablespoons orange flower water
Frosting
1 recipe Vanilla American Buttercream
(page 27)
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 tablespoon orange oil
HOW TO MAKE IT
Cupcakes Prepare the Vanilla Bean Cupcake batter according to the recipe directions. Add the orange zest to the cupcake batter. Bake the cupcakes according to the recipe directions. Mix together the simple syrup and the orange flower water. When the cupcakes come out of the oven, brush the tops with syrup while they’re still hot so the syrup soaks in, then set the cupcakes aside to cool.
Frosting Prepare the Vanilla American Buttercream according to the recipe directions. Fold the orange zest and orange oil into the buttercream.
Put It All Together Frost the cooled cupcakes with the orange-scented frosting using a pastry bag with a star tip. Usually I top these cupcakes with edible flowers or candied violets, but you can also top them with candied orange peel or fresh orange zest if you’ll be eating them right away.
NOTE: If you really want to get all fancy, you could make a batch of orange curd (see Lemon Curd, page 39) and fill the cupcakes with that. Doing this would also add moisture and lengthen the shelf life of the cupcakes.
THE INFAMOUS SPINACH AND APPLE
Truth be told, it was my mentor in Amsterdam who inspired this cupcake with his spinach and apple roulade. His cake was a huge hit in Europe, as I believe this cupcake would be. When we opened Chaos Theory, our former evil-twin bakery, this cupcake took everyone by surprise, but we still get orders for it, so maybe it does have a place here.
Cupcakes
6 cups spinach
1 recipe Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
Sautéed Apples
3 cups chopped apples
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
Frosting
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups minced purple onions (see note)
1 recipe Vanilla American Buttercream
(page 27)
HOW TO MAKE IT
Cupcakes Steam the spinach in a large pot just until the spinach is wilted and turns bright green. Strain the spinach in a colander and squeeze out any remaining water. Purée the spinach in a food processor and then strain it again. Prepare the Vanilla Bean Cupcake batter according to the recipe directions. Fold the puréed spinach into the batter. Bake the cupcakes according to the recipe directions.
Frosting Melt the butter in a sauté pan, then add the minced onions. Cook the onions until they’re a little past the translucent stage but are only slightly caramelized. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels and lay the onions on top so the towels absorb the