Who You Callin' Cupcake - Michelle Garcia [27]
Sautéed Apples Dice the apples into small, even pieces, about ¼-inch cubes. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a sauté pan. When the butter starts to brown, toss in the apples. Move them around a bit in the pan and toss in the sugar—not a lot, just enough to give the apples a little boost. Pour the apples out onto a baking sheet to cool.
Put It All Together Using the piping bag with the star tip, pipe a big circle of frosting around the cupcake tops. Fill the circles of frosting with the sautéed apples.
NOTE: You can use regular red onions for this, but if you happen to be by a farmer’s market during onion season, buy yourself some of the long purple-stalk onions. They’re sweeter and add a lot more flavor to the finished cupcake.
CANDIED WHITE BEAN WITH GRAPEFRUIT
On a trip to New York, I went to one restaurant that paired grapefruit and white beans together for a dessert that ended up being one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. I was incredibly inspired and knew I had to use the flavors. Out came this cupcake.
Cupcakes
1 recipe Simple Syrup (page 44)
1 (12-ounce) can white beans
1 recipe Vanilla Bean Cupcake batter
(page 16)
Put It All Together
1 recipe Grapefruit Curd (page 39)
Frosting
1 recipe Vanilla American Buttercream
(page 27)
2 tablespoons grapefruit juice
HOW TO MAKE IT
Cupcakes Bring the simple syrup to a boil in a saucepan. Strain and rinse the white beans and add them to the boiling syrup. Allow the beans to boil in the syrup for about a minute, then turn the flame off. Let the mixture cool and then bring it to a boil again. The cooked beans should be translucent. Prepare the Vanilla Bean Cupcake batter according to the recipe directions. Thoroughly strain the beans. Reserve 24 candied beans for garnish and fold the rest into the cupcake batter. Bake the cupcakes according to the recipe directions.
Frosting Prepare the Vanilla American Buttercream according to the recipe directions, but omit the vanilla and replace it with the grapefruit juice.
Put It All Together Prepare the grapefruit curd according to the recipe directions. With your index finger, poke holes through the tops of all the cupcakes and fill the holes with the grapefruit curd. Frost the cupcakes with grapefruit frosting and top each one with a few of the reserved candied white beans.
SERIOUSLY KILLER BANANA
Some flavors are just classic, and banana is one of them. For as long as baking as an art (and sport) has existed, so has the use of bananas for both flavor and moisture. We use this recipe for cakes and cupcakes, as well as for banana bread. It’s dense but moist, with just the right amount of sweetness. For a twist, try adding chocolate chips or candied pecans to the batter.
Cupcakes
¼ cup whole milk
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup shortening (I prefer palm fruit)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups mashed ripened banana (it’s easiest
to just mash it with a fork)
Frosting
1 recipe Chocolate American Buttercream (page 27)
HOW TO MAKE IT
Cupcakes Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners. In a small bowl, mix the milk with the lemon juice and set aside. This makes a poor man’s buttermilk. In a standing mixer using the paddle attachment, cream the shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla, and mix slowly to combine. The mixture will look broken, but don’t get scared. In the medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the mashed banana to the mixer, then slowly alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk mixture. Once all the ingredients are incorporated and the bowl sides have been scraped down, give the batter