I've been wanting to practice piping cupcakes to make them look more professional and yesterday was a great opportunity to do so. I found Martha stewart's recipe online and decided that chocolate would go well with just about any kind of frosting? The cupcakes were easy to prepare and bake. My little helper Chance placed the liners in the muffin pan for me (saved a few minutes). I wanted to make frosting that wasn't so rich and fattening. I realized that I don't want to use a recipe that calls for a couple sticks of pure butter in my frosting and I don't necessarily want straight cream cheese either with all the extra sugar added. I think I just about eliminated all the key ingredients in frosting, huh? The other option I had was a merengue type frosting using egg whites but then I didn't want to eat or serve raw eggs either. So I decided to experiment with a few ingredients to see if I can whip up something. The goal was to make a coffee flavored frosting using egg whites (somewhat cooked) by using a double boiler. Well, I don't know what went wrong, but it was such a big flop. I tried saving it by adding cream cheese and more sugar but it was at a point of no return. The mixture was to fluid, even after a few minutes of whipping. I think maybe the steps were out of sequence or maybe too much liquid was added. Did I stop here, of course not! I was determined to make frosting and so I gave it another try using only 1 egg white and 1/2 the sugar and then added instant coffee and a little water. Again, it didn't turn into a fluff, just flat liquid :( I still couldn't figure out what went wrong? At this point, it was time to go to work. While at work, it was still hanging over me so I went online to find other recipes. I came across this: whipped cream cheese frosting. It was supposed to be lighter than buttercream. It uses heavy whipping cream and cream cheese. When on my lunch break, I had to make this and it really turned out well. I thought the sugar content could be cut back. Maybe it's just me but I find that most frostings are way too sweet and most of the time I don't eat it anyway. I usually scrape it off and throw it away when no one's watching. Is it mainly used to dress up cupcakes?? I don't care much for it but my little boy loves it. That's all he eats when he's having a cupcake. He leaves the cake part once he's done licking the frosting. I didn't get to take any pictures this time. I'll post it when I make it next time.
Martha Stewart's One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 18 to 24
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons safflower oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
First published
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners; set aside. Sift together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla, and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.
Frosting Recipe Link: from Allrecipes
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/whipped-cream-cream-cheese-frosting/detail.aspx
No comments:
Post a Comment