Who You Callin' Cupcake - Michelle Garcia [33]
1 recipe French Meringue (page 32)
Put It All Together
12 small graham cracker pieces
HOW TO MAKE IT
Filling Start the day before—Prepare the ganache according to the recipe directions.
Cupcakes Prepare and bake the Devil’s Food Cupcakes according to the recipe directions.
Frosting Prepare the French meringue according to the recipe directions.
Put It All Together Poke holes through all the cupcakes with your index finger and fill the holes with the ganache, then dip the top of each cupcake in the ganache as well. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a big round tip with the French meringue and top each cupcake with a big dollop of meringue. If your meringue seems too grainy, just calm it down by mixing it by hand with a rubber spatula for a few seconds. With a crème brûlée torch, make the top of each meringue golden and top with a piece of graham cracker.
PEPPERMINT COOKIES AND CREAM
This one was an accident. We had a bit of peppermint frosting that was white, and without tasting it, I frosted a whole bunch of chocolate cupcakes. Later, I learned that it was peppermint—and it was delicious. I added bits of dried cupcake and fresh mint for texture, and it has been a hit ever since. Now I dye the frosting green so there are no more mishaps.
Cupcakes
1 recipe Devil’s Food Cupcakes (page 19)
Frosting
1 recipe Vanilla American Buttercream
(page 27)
1 tablespoon peppermint extract, or to taste
(or according to the bottle’s directions; see
note)
4 tablespoons fresh mint, minced
HOW TO MAKE IT
Cupcakes Prepare and bake the Devil’s Food Cupcakes according to the recipe directions. Once the cupcakes are cool, crumble two of the cupcakes onto a sheet pan and toast them in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes. Transfer the toasted pieces to a food processor and pulse them a few times to make crumbs. Set the crumbs aside to cool.
Frosting Prepare the Vanilla American Buttercream according to the recipe directions and add the peppermint extract when you add the vanilla. Fold the mint and the toasted cupcake crumbs into the buttercream. If you want, fold in a drop of green food coloring.
Put It All Together Use a piping bag with a star tip to frost the cupcakes. You can leave them as is or top them with a few leftover cupcake crumbs.
NOTE: There are amazing, nonchemical peppermint extracts out there. Try to find one that is still clear and not too syrupy. Nielsen Massey is my favorite.
CARAMEL CORN
I always have fun using up spare ingredients to invent new cupcakes, and this one was really a hit. These cupcakes cannot be refrigerated, so you need to make them the day of consumption, but they seem to fill that human need for salty, sweet, smooth, and crunchy.
Cupcakes
1 recipe Devil’s Food Cupcakes (page 19)
Put It All Together
caramel corn, preferably artisan-style from a local bakery or candy maker
Frosting
1 recipe Ganache (page 30)
HOW TO MAKE IT
Frosting Start the day before—Prepare the ganache according to the recipe directions.
Cupcakes Prepare and bake the Devil’s Food Cupcakes according to the recipe directions.
Put It All Together Place a big dollop of the ganache on top of each cupcake. Dip the cupcakes into the caramel corn face down. Make sure the caramel corn sticks to the entire top.
DIRT
Well, I love the band, but I suppose that has nothing to do with the cupcake itself. We actually developed this recipe for Earth Day. You can do a lot of renditions of it, like dyeing the pastry cream red instead of making it chocolate or having a gummy worm inside.
Cupcakes
1 recipe Devil’s Food Cupcakes (page 19)
Chocolate Pastry Cream
1 recipe Pastry Cream (page 40)
1 cup melted dark chocolate (64% cocoa
content or higher)
Frosting
1 recipe Ganache (page 30)
HOW TO MAKE IT
Frosting Start the day before—Prepare the ganache according to the recipe directions.
Chocolate Pastry Cream Prepare the pastry cream according to the recipe directions. Whisk the melted chocolate into the warm pastry cream.
Cupcakes Prepare and bake the Devil’s Food Cupcakes according to the recipe directions. Allow