baking mission week 2 - apple pie muffins and tiramisu cupcakes
This week is off to a good start! Two delicious successes.
Apple Pie Muffins
Recipe from here, halved as usual. The original author used canele molds, which is a great idea.
2 1/4 cups self-raising flour
2-3tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
4 oz melted and cooled butter
5 oz apple pie filling
Preheat the oven at 400F. Grease and flour 16 Caneles molds. In a medium mixing bowl sift together 2 1/4 cups of self raising flour, 2-3 tsp cinnamon and 2/3 cup light brown sugar.
In a measuring cup mix 1 1/3 cup milk with 2 eggs. Pour over the flour mixture and mix slightly.
Now add 4 oz melted but cooled butter and in the end 10 oz apple pie filling chopped. Mix just until incorporated. Don't over-mix.
Pour the mixture into prepared molds and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove while still warm to hot and let them cool on a wire rack.
I had a heart-attack halfway through when I added the melted butter - it refused to mix! While I was panicking it was quietly absorbed and the next time I looked at it the batter was fine. Go figure.
These are lovely for breakfast. They are muffins, not cupcakes, and so are heartier and denser. Toast one in the morning and slather with good butter - perfect way to start the day.
Tiramisu Cupcakes
Ohhhhhh gosh. I don't care who you are or what you're doing, drop EVERYTHING and make these right this instant. Recipe from here, amounts halved.
Vanilla Cupcakes (Recipe below)
Coffee Soaking Syrup (Recipe below)
Cream Cheese Filling/Frosting (Recipe below)
Cocoa powder OR semi-sweet chocolate shavings, for garnish
Chocolate-covered coffee beans OR chocolate chips, for garnish
Cut a cone out of the top of each cupcake and set it to the side. Using a spoon or pastry brush, coat the sides and bottom of the opening with coffee syrup. (You don't want the cake to be soggy, but you can be fairly generous here - up to 2 tablespoons.)
Fill the opening with the cream cheese mixture, brush the bottom of the cone with a little coffee syrup, then place it back onto each cupcake. (There should be enough filling that some of it oozes up and attractively frames the cone) Top each cupcake with another small dollop of frosting. Garnish the tops with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings. Crown every cupcake with a chocolate coffee bean or chip and you're all set!
It's best to let these hang out for at least an hour so that all the caffeinated goodness of the syrup can soak in.
Vanilla Cupcakes
1 cup PLUS 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter, oil, milk, and vanilla to the dry ingredients and beat with an electric mixer on medium until the batter is smooth and uniform (no more than 2 minutes). Add the egg and yolk, then continue beating an additional minute.
Fill cupcake liners until they are about 2/3 full (I like to use my large cookie scoop for this). Bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer cupcakes from the pan to a cooling rack within 5 minutes of removing from the oven. Let cool completely.
Coffee Soaking Syrup
1 tbsp instant coffee or espresso powder
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp dark rum, amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy
Stir the coffee powder, water, and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir in your alcohol of choice; set aside.
Cream Cheese Filling/Frosting
6 oz. (3/4 cup) cream cheese, room temperature
3 tbsp heavy cream, cold
1 tbsp dark rum
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Beat cream cheese until smooth with a mixer on low. Add in the heavy cream and continue beating until incorporated. Sift the powdered sugar then add it slowly, starting with the lowest amount and adding more as required to reach your desired sweetness and consistency. Add vanilla and increase mixer to medium. Beat 1-2 minutes. Set aside (in the fridge if you'd like the frosting to be firmer).
2 things:
#1 - Now it didn't make sense to me to use a cream cheese frosting when these are supposed to be tiramisu cupcakes - why not mascarpone?? So this is the frosting I used, from Martha Stewart.
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form (be careful not to overbeat, or cream will be grainy). In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated. Use immediately.
The frosting was divine, divine, divine. And - To all those who helped me with the whipped cream question the last time, thank you! I kept the cream in the fridge until the very last moment and whipped it by hand, and it came together in less than 5 minutes. I was like, 'Is that it??' So very happy. Thank you all!
#2 - I don't know if you've noticed, but the ingredient list for the cupcakes includes sugar and yet there is no mention of sugar in the method. I checked and double-checked and even went through all the comments on the site to see if anybody else had mentioned it and the author had corrected it, but nothing. Therefore, since the method just requires you to chuck everything together in a bowl and mix, that's what I did. No disasters ensued. I did wonder, however, how come some recipes require you to beat the butter and sugar together before adding the eggs and vanilla and oil, before adding to the dry ingredients - this recipe mixed everything together at once and the cupcakes came out perfectly fine. Light and moist. So why is this?
Anyway, please try these. They're so beautifully good and really do taste like tiramisu.
Have a good one!
Apple Pie Muffins
Recipe from here, halved as usual. The original author used canele molds, which is a great idea.
2 1/4 cups self-raising flour
2-3tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 1/3 cup milk
2 eggs
4 oz melted and cooled butter
5 oz apple pie filling
Preheat the oven at 400F. Grease and flour 16 Caneles molds. In a medium mixing bowl sift together 2 1/4 cups of self raising flour, 2-3 tsp cinnamon and 2/3 cup light brown sugar.
In a measuring cup mix 1 1/3 cup milk with 2 eggs. Pour over the flour mixture and mix slightly.
Now add 4 oz melted but cooled butter and in the end 10 oz apple pie filling chopped. Mix just until incorporated. Don't over-mix.
Pour the mixture into prepared molds and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove while still warm to hot and let them cool on a wire rack.
I had a heart-attack halfway through when I added the melted butter - it refused to mix! While I was panicking it was quietly absorbed and the next time I looked at it the batter was fine. Go figure.
These are lovely for breakfast. They are muffins, not cupcakes, and so are heartier and denser. Toast one in the morning and slather with good butter - perfect way to start the day.
Tiramisu Cupcakes
Ohhhhhh gosh. I don't care who you are or what you're doing, drop EVERYTHING and make these right this instant. Recipe from here, amounts halved.
Vanilla Cupcakes (Recipe below)
Coffee Soaking Syrup (Recipe below)
Cream Cheese Filling/Frosting (Recipe below)
Cocoa powder OR semi-sweet chocolate shavings, for garnish
Chocolate-covered coffee beans OR chocolate chips, for garnish
Cut a cone out of the top of each cupcake and set it to the side. Using a spoon or pastry brush, coat the sides and bottom of the opening with coffee syrup. (You don't want the cake to be soggy, but you can be fairly generous here - up to 2 tablespoons.)
Fill the opening with the cream cheese mixture, brush the bottom of the cone with a little coffee syrup, then place it back onto each cupcake. (There should be enough filling that some of it oozes up and attractively frames the cone) Top each cupcake with another small dollop of frosting. Garnish the tops with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings. Crown every cupcake with a chocolate coffee bean or chip and you're all set!
It's best to let these hang out for at least an hour so that all the caffeinated goodness of the syrup can soak in.
Vanilla Cupcakes
1 cup PLUS 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter, oil, milk, and vanilla to the dry ingredients and beat with an electric mixer on medium until the batter is smooth and uniform (no more than 2 minutes). Add the egg and yolk, then continue beating an additional minute.
Fill cupcake liners until they are about 2/3 full (I like to use my large cookie scoop for this). Bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer cupcakes from the pan to a cooling rack within 5 minutes of removing from the oven. Let cool completely.
Coffee Soaking Syrup
1 tbsp instant coffee or espresso powder
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp dark rum, amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy
Stir the coffee powder, water, and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir in your alcohol of choice; set aside.
Cream Cheese Filling/Frosting
6 oz. (3/4 cup) cream cheese, room temperature
3 tbsp heavy cream, cold
1 tbsp dark rum
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Beat cream cheese until smooth with a mixer on low. Add in the heavy cream and continue beating until incorporated. Sift the powdered sugar then add it slowly, starting with the lowest amount and adding more as required to reach your desired sweetness and consistency. Add vanilla and increase mixer to medium. Beat 1-2 minutes. Set aside (in the fridge if you'd like the frosting to be firmer).
2 things:
#1 - Now it didn't make sense to me to use a cream cheese frosting when these are supposed to be tiramisu cupcakes - why not mascarpone?? So this is the frosting I used, from Martha Stewart.
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form (be careful not to overbeat, or cream will be grainy). In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated. Use immediately.
The frosting was divine, divine, divine. And - To all those who helped me with the whipped cream question the last time, thank you! I kept the cream in the fridge until the very last moment and whipped it by hand, and it came together in less than 5 minutes. I was like, 'Is that it??' So very happy. Thank you all!
#2 - I don't know if you've noticed, but the ingredient list for the cupcakes includes sugar and yet there is no mention of sugar in the method. I checked and double-checked and even went through all the comments on the site to see if anybody else had mentioned it and the author had corrected it, but nothing. Therefore, since the method just requires you to chuck everything together in a bowl and mix, that's what I did. No disasters ensued. I did wonder, however, how come some recipes require you to beat the butter and sugar together before adding the eggs and vanilla and oil, before adding to the dry ingredients - this recipe mixed everything together at once and the cupcakes came out perfectly fine. Light and moist. So why is this?
Anyway, please try these. They're so beautifully good and really do taste like tiramisu.
Have a good one!