Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins/Cakes

Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins*
Makes 6 large muffins
As shared from the kitchen of Once Upon a Plate by Mari
(www.onceuponaplate1.com)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries
1 cup chopped white chocolate

Directions: Preheat oven to 350º F Line ¾ cup-capacity muffin/cupcake tin (a tin that holds 6 muffins/cupcakes) with non-stick baking paper, making sure the paper is at least 1/4-inch above the top of the tin. (I used the more rigid folded paper muffin/cupcake liners as shown in photo.) Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar and stir to combine.  In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream, eggs, lemon rind and oil and whisk together. Stir through the flour mixture until just combined. Carefully fold in the raspberries and chocolate and spoon into the lined moulds. Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.  Note: These are very rich, I consider them small cakes and serve them as dessert. Recipe adapted from Donna Hay Click HERE to return to Once Upon a Plate www.onceuponaplate1.com

Tiramisu Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting

Tiramisu Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting
As shared from the kitchen of Once Upon a Plate by Mari
www.onceuponaplate1.com
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's "Cupcakes"
Yields 18 standard size cupcakes
My Notes: If making cupcakes from scratch seems too time consuming, you can use a boxed cake mix white or yellow cake mix instead.*  (But shh! I'm sure Martha would shudder if she knew. :))
For the coffee-syrup, Martha's recipe suggests using Marsala wine ~ however you can use brandy, rum, or a liqueur (Kahlua, for example.) I chose Frangelico (Hazelnut liqueur.) Ummm!
If using a liqueur, I suggest you reduce, or eliminate the sugar in the syrup as they are already plenty sweet.


Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
3 large whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks, room temperature
1 cup sugar


>Flavored Coffee-Syrup (see recipe below)
>Mascarpone Frosting (see recipe below)
>Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting


Position rack in center of oven, preheat oven to 325 degrees (F).
Heat milk and vanilla-bean pod and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles appear around the edge. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter until melted, and let stand 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place paper liners in standard size cupcake/muffin tins.
Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, and discard vanilla-bean pod.


Mix together whole eggs, yolks, and sugar in an electric mixer. Place mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, whisk by hand until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture becomes warm warm, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. With an electric mixer on high speed, whisk until mixture is fluffy, pale yellow, and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds when whisk is lifted.
Gently fold flour mixture into the egg mixture in three batches, until it is thoroughly mixed; stir 1/2 cup batter into the strained milk mixture to thicken, then fold milk mixture into the remaining batter until just combined.
Fill the paper-lined tins evenly with the batter, making each three-quarters full. Place in preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until the cupcakes are lightly-golden brown. Rotate the pans halfway through the baking time. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes and proceeding with recipe.


Flavored Coffee-Syrup:
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly brewed very strong coffee (or espresso)
1 ounce marsala, or other liquor, or liqueur (see note in introduction.)
1/4 cup sugar (omit or reduce if using a sweet liqueur)
Mix above ingredients until combined and sugar dissolves (if using sugar)
>Martha's recipe indicates to brush the tops of the cupcakes with this syrup. Instead of brushing ; I deeply poked the tops of the cupcakes several times with a wooden skewer, then drizzled the coffee-mixture over with a teaspoon, allow it to soak in. Use all of the coffee syrup (some reviewers did not use it all, and regretted that the cupcakes didn't have enough flavor.) Allow cupcakes to absorb liquid 30 minutes. Dollop (or pipe) frosting onto cupcakes; refrigerate up to 24-hours in airtight containers. Dust generously with cocoa powder just before serving.


Mascarpone Frosting
Note: Here is where I deviated from Martha's recipe (A couple of reviewers complained that Martha's version was a little grainy.) To avoid this I blended the ingredients as follows:
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
In a small bowl, beat 1/2 of the heavy cream until soft peaks barely form (don't over beat), gradually beat in 1/4 cup of the confectioner's sugar until medium peaks form. It's better to under-whip this mixture, than over whip.
In a separate medium-size bowl, blend 1/2 cup of the heavy cream and the remaining 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar into the mascarpone with an electric mixer until very creamy and smooth.    
Add the sweetened whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture and blend until creamy and smooth. Use immediately.


Alternative for Mascarpone
(This will make a little more than you need for the Mascarpone Frosting, (but I'm sure you'll find a use if there is any left over.)
In my area Mascarpone can sometimes be difficult to find ~ A top notch substitute:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
Directions:
In a medium-size bowl, beat all ingredient together until well combined and creamy.
Use as a substitute in recipes requiring Mascarpone Cheese
Important: Do NOT substitute low fat cream cheese or sour cream.


* Using a box-cake mix:
Martha's recipes makes 18 regular sized cupcakes, whereas a box mix usually makes 24 cupcakes. You may want to make a little more Mascarpone Frosting if using a mix (or simply make 18 of the 24 into the Tiramisu cupcakes, and frost the remaining 6 with another frosting.)


Enjoy!


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Bite-Size Vanilla Cupcakes with Cream Cheese & Coconut Frosting

Bite Size Vanilla Cupcakes

Yields 24 mini cupcakes

This recipe is identical to Nigella Lawson's recipe for Fairy Cakes, and could not be simpler as the batter is made in the food processor.

Preheat oven to 375* (F)

24 cup mini-cupcake pan, with mini-baking cups placed in each cup
OR for regular size cupcakes:
12-cup muffin pan lined with 12 paper baking cups

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup superfine sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup self-rising cake flour (or 3/4 cup all-purpose flour with a scant 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder sifted in)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 Tablespoons milk or cream

Place all ingredients except milk into food processor bowl. Process until smooth. Add the milk or cream and pulse until soft consistency is reached; soft enough to drop from a spoon.

This amount looks very sparse, but it will be enough to fill each cup. Fill each cup equally. I use a very small food portion scoop to make the job easier.

Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cupcakes are baked and golden on top, a toothpick inserted in the center should reveal moist crumbs.
When baked, remove from oven, allow to cool a few minutes in the pan, then remove from pan and cool completely on a cake rack.

Sometimes this recipe tends to produce mounded peaks, you can either frost over the mound or trim flat with a small, serrated knife, then decorate.

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Cream Cheese Frosting

I use Ina Garten's recipe for Cream Cheese frosting for these cupcakes, but I divide her recipe in half. The proportions for half a recipe are as follows:

Note: This will make plenty of frosting. I frost very generously but always have some frosting left over. It can be refrigerated for several days.

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
3/4 pounds (12 ounces) confectioners' sugar, sifted
Sweetened, moist shredded coconut to finish


In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost cupcakes, then sprinkle generously with the coconut.

For the leaves I used tiny organic mint leaves, the "berries" are 'Red Hots' (tm) , cinnamon candies.

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Nigella Lawson's Fairy Cakes

 
Nigella Lawson's Fairy Cakes
Recipe yields 12 regular size cupcakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
7 Tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup self-rising cake flour *
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
(May use 1/2 teaspoon almond extract instead of the suggested 1 tsp.vanilla extract.)

2-3 Tablespoons milk
Directions :
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (I bake them at 375* F)
Line a 12 cup muffin tin with baking paper cups.


Put all the ingredients except for the milk into a food processor and blend until smooth.
Pulse while adding the milk down the funnel to make for a soft consistency. (I use the full 3 Tablespoons)  It doesn't seem like enough batter, but it will all work out, scrape every bit from the bowl and try to fill each cup equally.

Bake for 15-20 or until they are golden on top. (These are perfectly baked in 14 to 15 minutes @ 375* in my oven) It's best to start checking them at 12 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack, but remove from the tin as soon as possible.
Before you decorate, if desired, slice off any mounded tops so you have a flat surface to decorate. Some don't cut the mounds off, but with Fairy Cakes, I always do... and the trimmings become cook's treat!


For the Icing ~
Note: Some don't like this icing because it hardens in less than a day. I don't mind because the cakes usually don't last an entire day around my house. They are delicious with a soft buttercream, chocolate ganache, or simply softly whipped cream, too.

Icing:

Enough for 12 fairy cakes

1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg white
3-4 drops lemon juice
food coloring, if desired


Mix the sugar, egg white and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth and creamy, it should have the consistency of heavy cream. Nigella suggest dividing the batch of icing into smaller portions so you can add different colors to each, if you like.


In the cookbook the "Fairy Cakes" are topped with rosebuds and little sugared daisies and fresh berries, so cute! But allow your imagination to take over, these are so much fun to decorate in a number of ways.


* Note: I make my own self-rising cake* flour, using the following guideline:
Mix the following (in the proportions you need):
For each 1 cup cake flour add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt.


Tips:* For some reason, in my experience, these bake up much more uniformly when I use all-purpose flour, rather than cake flour.


I use the full 3 Tablespoons of milk for best cake results, and always bake these in a 375* (F) preheated oven, not 400*.

My Alternate Frosting suggestion:

Extra creamy Buttercream Frosting

1 stick softened butter (4 ounces)
2 cups confectioner's sugar
Enough heavy cream to loosen
Flavoring of your choice (I used 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract for the icing shown here)
If you choose to use almond extract reduce amount by a scant 1/2 teaspoon.


Blend all ingredients (except cream) together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. Whip on high speed until well mixed and fluffy, gradually adding enough cream to produce the desired consistency for spreading or piping.


Since this frosting contains cream, the frosted cupcakes should be stored in refrigerator until shortly before serving.

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