Who You Callin' Cupcake - Michelle Garcia [34]
Put It All Together With your index finger, poke holes through the centers of the cupcakes and fill the holes with the chocolate pastry cream. Using a piping bag with a big round tip, dollop the top of each cupcake with the ganache. Dip the whole cupcake face down into the “dirt” cupcake crumbs, and you’re done.
COOKIE DOUGH
This new rendition of a delicious classic is just what we needed to keep the cookie dough craze alive. The cookie dough is vegan, so you don’t have to fumble around finding pasteurized eggs.
Cupcakes
1 recipe Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
Frosting
1 recipe Vanilla American Buttercream (page 27)
Cookie Dough
1 cup palm fruit shortening
½ cup vegan margarine (like Earth Balance)
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips
HOW TO MAKE IT
Cupcakes Prepare and bake the Vanilla Bean Cupcakes according to the recipe directions.
Cookie Dough In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, starting at low speed and slowly increasing to high, combine the palm fruit shortening, vegan margarine, sugar, and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the flour, salt, and chocolate chips. Mix on medium speed until the ingredients all come together. If it needs moisture, add soymilk until it gets to a cookie dough consistency.
Frosting Prepare the Vanilla American Buttercream according to the recipe directions. Set aside about a quarter of the basic buttercream. You’ll only need three quarters for this recipe. Mix the remaining buttercream with half the cookie dough with your hands. Let the cookie dough stay in little chunks, but nothing huge because it won’t fit through a piping bag.
Put It All Together With your hands, form the remaining cookie dough into little gumball-sized balls and stuff one into the center of each cupcake. Frost the cupcakes with the cookie dough frosting and top each one with chocolate chips.
SHUT YOUR PIE HOLE
BLACKBERRY PEACH CRUMBLE
This quintessential farmer’s market cupcake uses the best fruit at the peak of the season.
Cupcakes
2 whole ripe peaches
3 tablespoons sugar
1 recipe Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
1 cup blackberries, chopped
Frosting
1 recipe French Meringue (page 32)
Streusel Topping
2 tablespoons raw sugar
4 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter or soy margarine (to
keep it vegan)
HOW TO MAKE IT
Cupcakes Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pit and slice the peaches, leaving the skins on. Toss the slices in the sugar on a baking sheet, and bake for about 20 minutes until the peaches are soft and bright orange. Let the peaches cool in their juices. Prepare the Vanilla Bean Cupcake batter according to the recipe directions. Chop the peaches, leaving the skins on, into little bite-sized pieces. Toss them together with the chopped blackberries, and then fold all the fruit into the batter. Bake the cupcakes according to the recipe directions.
Streusel Topping Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, mix the sugar, flour, and butter with your fingers until the topping is mealy in texture, but with some pea-sized pieces left. Bake the mixture on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes. Let the streusel cool and then break it up with your fingers.
Frosting Prepare the French meringue according to the recipe directions.
Put It All Together Using a piping bag with a medium star tip, place three big, spiky dollops of French meringue on each cupcake. Sprinkle the toasted streusel on top of the meringue and you’re done.
CARROT CAKE
OK, so I love carrot cake—I have no idea why, but I just do—and I hate coconut. Hate is a strong word, and I believe that coconut may be the only thing I really hate (except racists). However, this carrot cake recipe is awesome and uses coconut perfectly. We’ve had some