Raspberry Curd filled cupcake with lemon butter cream cheese frosting

Submitted by Lisa

I have been watching Cup Cake wars on Food Network and have been dying to try one myself.  So, I picked one that used "normal" ingredients and gave it a try.  I am very pleased with the results.  Personally, I will probably make it again, but with a white or yellow cake.  I have never really been a fan of red velvet.  

Recipe originally called for blackberries

Recipe courtesy Victoria Donnelly, Cupcake Wars, 2010

Prep Time:

40 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

45 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

24 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons royal blue gel paste food coloring
• 1 tablespoon purple gel paste food coloring

Raspberry Curd Filling: 

(this made way too much curd for the amount of cupcakes, next time I would do about a 1/4 of this)

• 2 quarts fresh raspberries
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Raspberry Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons reserved Raspberry juice, from curd filling
• 1 lemon, zested
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 24 whole fresh raspberries, for garnish (optional)

Directions

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cupcake or muffin pan with 24 regular-size cupcake liners.

Place the oil, buttermilk, eggs, vinegar, vanilla, and sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until thoroughly mixed. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder together and slowly add to the mixer on low speed. Scrape down the bowl thoroughly, as needed. Add the food colorings in a steady stream until desired shade is achieved; it should appear bluish-purple. Beat for another 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl one last time and mix for 30 seconds by hand.

Fill the cupcake liners two-thirds full with batter and bake until they form a semi-hard crust on top, about 25 minutes. Immediately remove the cupcakes from their pan and place on a cooling rack.



For the raspberry curd filling: Bring the raspberry and water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Turn down the heat to low and simmer until the raspberries are soft and separate easily, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a sieve and pass through using a spoon to help mash the raspberries. Discard the pulp and reserve the juice. Place the flour and sugar in a clean saucepan and slowly pour in the raspberries juice, reserving 2 tablespoons. Whisk constantly. When thoroughly combined, add the whole eggs and egg yolks, whisking and cooking until the mixture thickens. When the curd has formed, after about 7 minutes, remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Cover tightly and place in the refrigerator until fully chilled.

For the cream cheese frosting: Beat the cream cheese and butter together in the bowl of an electric standmixer until pale and creamy. Add the raspberry juice and lemon zest and continue to beat until the color is even. (The lemon zest has a tendency to adhere to the beater blade. When removing from the mixer bowl, be sure to scrape this off and blend back into the frosting by hand.) Reduce the speed to low and slowly begin adding the confectioners' sugar. Keep adding until the frosting has a medium-stiff consistency. You may not require the full 5 cups sugar. Beat on high speed for a further 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.

To assemble: Remove the center of each cupcake using an apple corer. Fill the cavity with the raspberry curd until it is level with the top of the cake. Pipe the frosting on top using a plain pastry tip. Crumble one of the cakes into small pieces and scatter a few crumbles on top of each cake so that it adheres to the frosting.Garnish with a whole fresh raspberry, if desired.

• This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results
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Triple Chocolate Mini Cupcakes

( sorry for the bad picture!)

Submitted by Lisa

I made these into mini cupcakes.  Let me tell you, filling them with the ganache was challenging but oh so worth it!  I made them for a friends wedding reception.  They were a hit.  The frosting was delicious and the cake was very chocolaty. I am going to be keeping this recipe in my favorites for sure.  (recipe from Annies eats)

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes
Yield: about 32 cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
¾ cup hot water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1¼ tsp. coarse salt
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
2¼ cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
For the ganache filling:
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. heavy cream
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature

For the frosting:
14 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
9 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
9 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
6 tbsp. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sour cream

For the chocolate curls:
Large block of high-quality semi- or bittersweet chocolate

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line standard cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water until smooth.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and the sugar over medium heat.  Heat, stirring occasionally to combine, until the butter is melted.  Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Beat on medium-low speed, 4-5 minutes, until the mixture is cooled.  Mix in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed and beating well after each addition.  Mix in the vanilla and then the cocoa mixture and beat until incorporated.  With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, beating just until combined.

Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners, filling them about ¾ of the way full.  Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway through baking.  Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.  Heat the cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, remove from the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate.  Let stand about 1 minute.  With a whisk, gently stir the chocolate and cream together in small circles.  When the ganache has become smooth, whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time until incorporated.  Transfer the bowl to the freezer or refrigerator to chill and thicken the ganache a bit.  Whisk every 5-10 minutes to help it cool evenly.  Once the mixture is slightly thickened and no longer runny, you are ready to fill the cupcakes.

To assemble the cupcakes, cut a cone out of the center of each cupcake with a small paring knife.  Cut off the pointed end of the cone and discard (or eat) so you are left with a cap of cake to cover the filling.  Drop a spoonful of ganache into the center of each cupcake and recover the hole with the cap.

To make the frosting, melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Set aside to cool until just barely warm.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder and salt.  Beat in the melted and cooled chocolate and then the sour cream.  Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and well blended.  Frost cupcakes immediately.

To make the chocolate curls, warm the block of chocolate just slightly (heat in 5-second intervals in the microwave - be careful not to melt).  Use a vegetable peeler to create chocolate curls.  Top cupcakes with curls immediately.  Reheat chocolate as needed to keep it workable.


Printed from Annie's Eats

Banana Bars

Submitted by : Lisa

I just love this recipe. It isn't like banana bread. It is light and delicious and very versatile. It suggests putting it into a jelly roll pan 10x15 size. I have never done that. I have put it into a 9x13 pan, an 8 inch spring form pan and put it on a pedestal, and now I am making them into cupcakes.

The kids love them, but more importantly the adults love them. I got this recipe from a co-worker and truthfully I don't know where she got it from.

Ingredients:

1/2 c butter, softened

1 1/4 c sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup mashed bananas (top off with applesauce if you don't have enough banana)

1 8 oz carton sour cream

2 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

Grease and lightly flour 10x15 inch jelly roll pan. Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter and sugar; blend in eggs, vanilla, bananas and sour cream.

Combine the dry ingredients; stir into the creamed mixture just until blended.

Spread in prepared pan.

Bake until bars test done with a wooden pick, about 25 minutes. Cool

Spread with cream cheese frosting....recipe follows

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 3 oz package cream cheese, softened

3 tbsp soft butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

Beat until smooth. I like to serve it chilled, but it doesn't need to be.

Yogurt Orange and Lemon Mini Cupcakes

Submitted by Lisa

These are from www.DisneyFamily.com . I made them for Easter and they were a big hit. More of an adult dessert than young children.

Prep time 15 min.

Cooking time 20 min.

Makes 18 mini cupcakes (suitable for freezing un-iced)

4 tbsp unsalted butter softened

1/2 c superfine sugar (I blended my reg. white sugar a bit)

1 medium egg at room temperature

finely grated zest of 1/2 small lemon

finely grated zest of 1/2 lime

1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest

1 heaping cup of self rising flour

3 tbsp whole milk plain yogurt

For the icing:

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 tbsp fresh orange juice

1 tbsp lime juice

(I ended up using more of the orange and lime juice)

1. Pre heat oven 350 and line mini muffin pans with paper cupcake holders.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradualy add the egg, beating well between additions.

2. Stir in zests. Sift in the flour and fold in well.

3. Stir in yogurt. Divide the mixture among the muffin cups.

4. Bake for 18 to 20 min until risen, lightly golden brown and firm to the touch. Let cool in the pan for 5 min then transfer to a rack and cool completely.

5. Meanwhile make the icing. Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Make a well and stir in the juices and beat well. Spoon icing onto cooled cupcakes and allow to set up for 30 min. Store in airtight container for up to 5 days. Un-iced cupcakes can be frozen in a re-sealable box or freezer bag.