Who You Callin' Cupcake - Michelle Garcia [36]
Cupcakes
1 recipe Chocolate Sponge Cupcakes
(page 22)
2 cups mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons dry instant coffee
½ cup dark rum
Ganache
½ cup espresso beans (whatever your
favorite are)
1 recipe Ganache (page 30)
Frosting
1 recipe Vanilla American Buttercream
(page 27)
2 cups mascarpone cheese
2 vanilla beans
HOW TO MAKE IT
Ganache Start the day before—Run the espresso beans through a food processor (or ask your local coffee shop for excess grounds that they tap out before they get used in drinks). Bring the cream for the ganache to a boil and add the coffee. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture steep for about 20 minutes. Strain the coffee grounds out of the cream through a very fine sieve or cheesecloth. Bring the cream to a boil again and pour it over the chocolate mixture, then finish the ganache according to the recipe directions.
Cupcakes Prepare the Chocolate Sponge Cupcake batter according to the recipe directions. Mix the mascarpone cheese into the cupcake batter by hand. Squeeze it in your hand and swirl it into the batter, leaving larger chunks and smaller chunks. Mix in the instant coffee with a rubber spatula. Bake the cupcakes according to the recipe directions. When they come out of the oven, heavily soak the cupcakes in the dark rum.
Frosting Prepare the Vanilla American Buttercream according to the recipe directions. Soften the mascarpone in the microwave on high power for a few seconds until it’s soft and spreadable but not melted and warm. With a rubber spatula, mix the cheese and the vanilla scrapings into the frosting until incorporated.
Put It All Together With your index finger, poke holes in the rum-soaked cupcakes and fill the holes with the espresso ganache. Frost the cupcakes with the mascarpone buttercream. Top each one with a sprinkling of cocoa powder or chocolate-covered espresso beans.
BANANAS FOSTER
The very first dish I ever had to pretend I knew how to cook to impress a chef I wanted to work for was bananas foster on a hot-line buffet. Being a big fan of liquor, I think I did a great job, but I don’t remember if I was hired or not. Anyhow, this cupcake is in memory of my early years when I was still trying to get my footing in this industry.
Cupcakes
4 bananas
¼ cup butter
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean
1 cup rum
1 recipe Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
Frosting
1 recipe Vanilla American Buttercream
(page 27)
1 cup brown sugar
Streusel Topping
2 tablespoons raw sugar
4 tablespoons flour
½ cup pecans
2 tablespoons butter or soy margarine (to
keep it vegan)
Put It All Together
1½ cups rum
HOW TO MAKE IT
Cupcakes Slice the bananas into ¼-inch coins. Melt the butter in a sauté pan and add the banana slices. Sauté the bananas for about 1 minute on each side, keeping the pieces moving, then sprinkle them with the sugar and add the vanilla extract. Throw in the whole vanilla bean cut in half and scraped, including the pod, and pour in the rum. The pan may flame up a little, so be VERY careful. Once the flame goes down, the alcohol has evaporated. Then pour out contents onto a baking sheet to cool. Prepare the Vanilla Bean Cupcake batter according to the recipe directions. Once the banana mixture is cool, remove the vanilla bean pod and fold the bananas into the batter. Bake the cupcakes according to the recipe directions.
Frosting Prepare the Vanilla American Buttercream according to the recipe directions. Fold the brown sugar into the buttercream.
Streusel Topping Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, mix the sugar, flour, pecans, and butter together with your fingers until the topping is mealy in texture, but with some pea-sized pieces left. Bake the mixture on a baking sheet in the oven for about 15 minutes. Let the streusel cool and then break it up with your fingers.
Put It All Together With a pastry brush, heavily soak the cupcakes