Cupcakes and Obama

Two of my favorite things.

Persian Love Cake... the Results

My new nickname is Love Cake, primarily a result of the success of the Persian Love (cup)Cakes I made this weekend.

I will definitely make this again; I've never had a cake quite like it. Especially warm out of the oven, they were so light and airy. The orange blossom substitution went well. The only thing I would change is the distribution of the cardamom seeds. I'll grind them a bit with a mortar and pestle next time, so they are more evenly distributed among the cupcakes. And I didn't get around to candying the rose petals, but I really liked how the chopped pistachios looked on top. (Photos by Lizzie Rothwell)

cupcakes playing backgammon (photo at left)

Persian Love Cake

Part 3 in the Valentine's Series

***

This Saturday I am attempting another grand cake making adventure. Though partly because of last year's debacle and partly because of my recent cupcake obsession, I plan on making them in cupcake form.

It's a Persian Love Cake. It combines saffron and cardamom and looks beautiful. (Photo by Mark Thomas for Bon Appetit)

The only thing is, it also includes rose water. I don't like rose water. My adult palate is starting to appreciate it, but too much of it in something and I become ill. As such, I'm going to take the suggestions of a few of the reviewers on Epicurious and substitute orange blossom water.

I'm posting the recipe now and I'll let you know how they turn out over the weekend. If anyone else is inspired to make it, let me know how it goes.

Persian Love Cake
from Epicurious

Candied rose petals

• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Petals from 2 organic roses

Cake

• 1 cup cake flour
• 14 tablespoons baker's sugar or superfine sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 6 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1/4 teaspoon whole cardamom seeds (removed from about 5 green cardamom pods)

Frosting

• 2 1/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
• Pinch of saffron threads
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon rose water
• 2 tablespoons natural unsalted pistachios

Preparation

For candied rose petals:
Whisk egg whites in small bowl until foamy. Using pastry brush, brush rose petals on both sides with egg whites; sprinkle on both sides with sugar. Dry on nonstick rack at least 6 hours or overnight.

For cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter two 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line pan bottoms with parchment paper; butter parchment. Sift flour, 7 tablespoons baker's sugar, baking powder, and salt into large bowl. Whisk yolks and next 4 ingredients in small bowl until smooth. Add yolk mixture to dry ingredients; whisk until smooth. Beat egg whites in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 7 tablespoons baker's sugar; beat until whites resemble thick marshmallow fluff. Fold whites into batter in 3 additions. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until cakes are golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out onto racks, peel off parchment, and cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap and store at room temperature.)

For frosting:
Combine 1/2 cup cream and saffron in small saucepan. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat; let steep 20 minutes. Chill until cold.

Beat remaining 2 cups cream, powdered sugar, and rose water in large bowl until soft peaks form; strain in saffron cream. Beat until peaks form.

Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Spread 1 cup frosting over. Top with second cake layer, flat side down. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours. Garnish cake with rose petals and pistachios.

Cupcakes and Cocktails, Part 2

Last week, Gabe had another, less formal, cocktail party. The association of cupcakes with cocktails has now been thoroughly solidified in my head. As such, I decided to make another batch for the party.

For some reason, I had molasses on the brain. So I searched epicurious for a molasses icing recipe. They had one paired with a carrot cupcake. I'm generally not a huge carrot cake fan (more of a chocolate woman on all dessert fronts), but the idea of carrots and molasses sounded really good.

Looking at the recipe though, I felt it needed two things: fresh ginger and some kind of garnish. I ended up putting the two together, by cooking up sliced carrots in sugar and ginger as a garnish.

Carrot Cupcakes with Molasses Cream Cheese Icing from epicurious.com

For cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon (I upped this to two tsps.)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I switched this out for two tsps. of ground ginger)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups finely shredded carrots (about 4)
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped fine, toasted lightly, and cooled
(1 tablespoon of fresh ginger)
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted lightly and cooled

For icing
1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. and line twelve 1/2-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. In another bowl whisk together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla and with a wooden spoon beat in flour mixture until combined well. Add carrots, walnuts, and coconut, (AND fresh ginger!) stirring until just combined. Fill muffin tins two thirds full with batter (there will be enough batter remaining to make 4 more cupcakes) and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Turn cupcakes out onto a rack and cool completely. Muffin tins may be used again immediately for second cupcake batch. Cupcakes may be made 2 days ahead and kept in airtight containers. (from kp: I actually yielded 20 cupcakes total.)

Make icing: In a bowl beat together icing ingredients until fluffy.

Icing may be made 2 days ahead and chilled in an airtight container. Soften icing at room temperature to spreading consistency. Spread icing on cupcakes.

from kp: Garnish with gingered carrots.

Gingered Carrots from kitchenplay

Using a vegetable peeler, slice off slivers from one carrot into a saucepan of water, sugar and fresh ginger. (I used maybe 2 cups water, half a cup of sugar and a good tsp. or so of ginger.)

On medium heat, bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes. The idea is to get the carrots to a point where they are soft and pliable, not fully caramelized from the sugars.

Cocktail pairing: a Sidecar, perhaps? Brandy, cointreau, lemon juice.

Cupcakes and Cocktails Part 1

Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting

My friend Gabe is a mixologist... a scientist of sorts, but his beakers are martini glasses and his chemical solutions are tasty liquors. He hosts regular martini parties at his home and his selection of alcohol is impressive. The question is not, "Do you want a vodka or gin martini?" Rather, he asks, "What type of gin do you prefer? Hendricks, Tanqueray, Bluecoat, organic, etc..." Not to mention the myriad specialty liqueurs he keeps on hand: creme de violette, ginger, the list continues.

And he makes his own maraschino cherries.

So for his last official cocktail party, I decided I would bring along something to show my gratitude for his amazing hospitality. I had just found the now defunct blog, Cupcake Bakeshop. While Chockylit is no longer posting new recipes, she has kept her archives online. It was there that I found a recipe for Old Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes and another one for Salted Caramel Frosting.

Salted caramel is the new balsamic vinegar. Once seen as an exotic culinary item, it can now be found amidst the offerings at Wal-Mart or Starbucks, firmly grounded in mainstream consumption (or so says the New York Times.).

Salt added to most things, and certainly sweet things, adds an extra dimension of flavor. When added well, it doesn't just add saltyness, but can bring out some of the essential aspects of the dish. One of these days I will learn just how it manages to accomplish that. In the meantime, I'm just going to eat a lot of it.

Thanks Eleanor for being such a great photographer!

Mixing the cream with the hot sugar to make
caramel

Modeling my cupcake apron

Salted caramel pre-frosting

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes from cupcakeblog.com

24 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cocoa powdered

2 tablespoons instant espresso powder (from kp: I omitted this)

1-1/2 cups milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition.

3. Measure the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and espresso powder into a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine.

4. Measure the milk and vanilla into a measuring thing.

5. Add about a third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar and beat to combine. Add about a half of the milk/vanilla and beat to combine. Continue adding, alternating between dry and wet and finishing with the dry.

6. Scoop batter into cupcake cups about 3/4’s full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Salted Caramel from cupcakeblog.com
from kp: The frosting recipe calls for one cup of caramel. I actually had to make two batches of the caramel to get that amount.

4 tablespoons water

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher or sea

1. Combine the water, sugar, and the corn syrup in a deep saucepan and cook over medium heat.

2. Stir together with a wooden spoon until the sugar is incorporated.

3. Cover the saucepan and let it cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.

4. After 3 minutes, remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.

5. Do not stir from this point on, but it is important to carefully shake the pan so that one area of the caramel doesn’t burn.

6. Continue to cook until the caramel turns an even amber color then remove from the heat and let stand for about 30 seconds.

7. *** This is the dangerous part *** Pour the heavy cream into the mixture. Wear oven mitts, stand away from the pan, and be careful. The mixture will bubble up significantly.

8. Stir the mixture, again being careful. Add the butter, lemon juice, and salt. Stir until combined.

9. Measure 1 cup into a Pyrex measuring cup. Stirring occasionally, allow to cool until thick like molasses and warm to the touch, about 20 minutes.

Note: There was a small bit of extra caramel that I poured onto a small plate that I covered in aluminum foil and greased with vegetable oil. I transferred the plate to the freezer for about 30 minutes. I chopped the caramel quickly into squares (its starts to get soft) and topped each cupcake with a square.

Salted Caramel Frosting from cupcakeblog.com
from kp: I only used 2 cups of powdered sugar. That changed the consistency, I'm sure, but it was definitely sweet enough. I think 5-6 cups would be serious overkill.

2 sticks butter

8 ounces or 1 package of Philly cream cheese

5 to 6 cups powdered sugar

1 cup salted caramel

1. Bring butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours.

2. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.

3. Sift 3 cups of powdered sugar into the butter/cream cheese mixture and beat to combine.

4. Add 1 cup of the salted caramel and beat to combine.

5. Sift 2-3 cups of powder sugar, in 1 cup increments and beating between each, until you arrive at the thickness and sweetness you desire. I used 6 cups. The frosting wasn’t super thick, but it was starting to get pretty sweet.

Assembly

1. Frost cooled cupcakes with a generous amount of frosting.

2. Sprinkle each cupcake with sea or kosher salt. I ground some rock sea salt onto each.

3. Top with a caramel candy, homemade or otherwise.

from kp: I saved some of the caramel and put it in the freezer to harden, per Chockylit's suggestion. It didn't get quite hard enough, but I was able to decorate the cupcakes with a small spoonful of the soft caramel.

And as a pairing with this cupcake, might I suggest the following cocktail: Aviation.

gin, crème de violette, maraschino liqueur, lemon juice
garnished with a maraschino cherry and lemon rind