Elizabeth's May Cake - Fudge Cupcakes

I did it again.

I couldn't help myself! I thought I had learned my lesson, but I guess I didn't.

I read another Joanne Fluke book.



I know! It's ridiculous that I read it, given how much I hated the other one. But the very next one in the series had cake in the title, and I had looked at it when I picked up the Lemon Meringue Pie one, AND it involved a mystery ingredient.....so I just had to get it from the library when the year of cakes started.

Luckily, it wasn't quite as bad as the Lemon Meringue Pie book (although that's not saying much). Still, I just had to find out what the secret ingredient was in the Fudge Cupcakes, which was the title recipe). Well..... (spoiler alert!) it was Raspberry Syrup! Who knew!? Thus solving the best mystery Ms. Fluke could possibly put together, because her murder investigations are completely absurd.

Getting back to the cupcakes....

These were awful. I made them twice, because I thought I might have done something wrong, and they were just as bad the second time. I eventually searched online for reviews of the book to see what others had to say about the recipe. Turns out there was a MISPRINT in the original edition: it's not baking SODA, it's baking POWDER! Argh. This was the title recipe, and Fudge Cupcakes sounded oh-so-tasty. I'm thinking about making them again the correct way, but .... I don't have the energy for it just now. If I make them again, I'll post the results. I promise. And I promise not to read another Fluke book again. Really.

Cross my heart and hope to die.

...'Cuz I'll WANNA die if I read another one! Oh snap!! Good one, Elizabeth.


Right before melting the chocolate


Waiting for the chocolate to melt


And...the chocolate has melted.
I skipped all the steps after this, such as adding flour, etc. Boring.



The finished cupcakes. What the....?


The cupcakes after we poked at them a little bit. They didn't taste too terrible, actually, but they clearly went over the pan and didn't hold their rise. They were also too chewy-weird.

Fudge Cupcakes

(This is the correct recipe, in case you want to make them and post them or something)

Ingredients

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate squares (1 oz each)
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup raspberry flavored syrup (for pancakes- I used Knott's red raspberry)
• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature (one stick, 1/4 pound, I use sweet butter)
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar (you use 1 3/4 cups sugar in all)
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup milk

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F Position rack in the middle of oven.

2. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with double papers. Since this recipe makes 18 cupcakes, you can use an additional 6-cup muffin pan lined with double papers, or you can butter and flour an 8-inch square cake pan or the equivalent.

3. Microwave the chocolate, raspberry syrup and 1/4 sugar in a microwave-safe bowl on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave again for another minute. At this point, the chocolate will be almost melted, but it will maintain its shape. Stir the mixture until smooth and let cool to lukewarm. (You can also do this in a double boiler on the stove.).

4. Measure flour, mix in baking powder and salt, and set aside.

5. In an electric mixer (or with a VERY strong arm), beat the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. (About 3 minutes with a mixer--an additional 2 minutes if you're doing it by hand.) Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition to make sure they're thoroughly incorporated.

6. Add approximately a third of the flour mixture and a third of the milk. (You don't have to be exact--adding the flour and milk in increments makes the batter smoother.) When that's all mixed in, add another third of the flour and another third of the milk. Thwn that's incorporated, add the remainder of the flour and the remainder of the milk. Mix thoroughly.

7. Test your chocolate mixture to make sure it's cool enough to add. (You don't want to cook the eggs!) If it's fairly warm to the touch but not so hot you have to pull you hand away, you can add it at this point. Stir thoroughly and you're done.

8. Let the batter rest for five minutes. Then stir it again by hand and fill each cupcake paper three-quarters full. If you decided to use the 8-inch cake pan instead of the 6-cup muffin tin, fill it with the remining batter.

9. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes. The 8-inch cake should bake an additional 5 minutes.

Fudge Frosting - for 18 cupcake, or 12 cupcakes and 1 small cake, cooled to room temperature and ready to frost.

• 2 cups chocolate chips (12-ounce package)
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk.

1. If you use a double-boiler for this frosting, it's foolproof. You can also make it in a heavy saucepan over low to medium heat on the stovetop, but you'll have to stir it constantly with a spatula to keep it from scorching.

2. Fill the bottom; part of the double boiler with water. Make sure it doesn't touch the underside ot the top.

3. Put the chocolate chips in the top of the double-boiler, set it over the bottom, and place the double boiler on the stovetop at medium heat. Stir occasionall ntil the chocolate chips are melted.

4. Stir in the can of sweetened condensed milk and cook approximately two minutes, stirring constantly, until the frosting is shiny and of spreading consistency.

5. Spread on cupcakes, making sure to fill in the "frosting pocket.".

Ann's February Cake - White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

Last Christmas, my mom gave me some heart-shaped cupcake holders, and they were absolutely screaming to be used during February. So I made my month's cake on the night of Valentine's Day. Luckily for me, I had plenty of love to go around that evening. What better way to show affection to those dearest to me than to make some awesome heart-shaped cupcakes?

I knew exactly what I wanted to make, but didn't have a recipe to use, so I found a basic white cupcake recipe and added the raspberry elements that I knew would make these perfectly Valentine's-y.

The batter was super simple, with a light almond flavor, but the frosting I used was made with white chocolate and cream cheese and it was luscious. After the cupcakes had baked and cooled, I frosted them, which obscured the shape of the heart a bit, but I did my best to keep the shape.
I cut the tops off the frosted cupcakes and then filled them with whipped cream into which I had stirred and mashed some fresh raspberries. The raspberry cream was mounded onto the bottom of the cupcake, then the frosted top was replaced, and finally I added some fresh raspberries in an attempt to make a heart on top. It didn't really work, but no one was complaining.



These were SSSSSSSOOOOOOO good! The cream cheese and white chocolate was the perfect match with the raspberries, which were completely worth the out-of-season expense. Is there anything better than a perfect raspberry? I really can't think of anything more satisfying than these ruby-topped cakes. My roommates agreed:

Since I made these, they have been spoken of with reverence in our apartment. It's a good thing they tasted great, because they were also quite difficult to eat.


Valentine's Cupcakes

Cakes: (Recipe is "White Christmas Cupcakes" from Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans)
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 C whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pure almond extract
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 C sugar
3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set out 12 heart-shaped cupcake holders.

2. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, stir the milk, vanilla, and almond extracts together.

3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until smoothly blended and lightened in color, about 3 minutes; the mixture will look sugary and form large clumps. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. On low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing just until the flour is incorporated and the batter looks smooth. Set aside.

4. In another large bowl, beat the egg whites with clean beaters on medium speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Beat on high speed until the egg whites look shiny and smooth and the beaters form lines in the egg whites. If you stop the mixer and lift up the beaters, the whites should cling to the beaters. Stir about 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the reserved batter. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the remaining egg whites just until blended.

5. Fill each cupcake holder with 1/3 cup of batter. Bake just until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Frosting:
3 oz. white chocolate, chopped
1/4 C unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 C powdered sugar

1. Carefully melt the white chocolate in a double boiler, stirring until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Transfer into a large bowl.

2. Add the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla to the white chocolate and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth and blended, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar, mixing until it is incorporated and the frosting is smooth, about 1 minute.

Assembly:
Heavy whipping cream
Fresh raspberries

1. Whip cream to desired consistency, and add a handful of fresh raspberries and mash with a fork to tinge the cream pink. Add more as desired, stirring and mashing.

2. Slice the tops off the cupcakes. Frost the top with the cream cheese frosting, carefully preserving the heart shape.

3. Mound the raspberry cream onto the cut side of the cupcake bottom, then place the frosted top back over the cream. Finish with three fresh raspberries.