In honor of all of my blog followers who are waking up to bitter cold temperatures this morning - I'm posting a winter themed cupcake. White chocolate snowflakes, tiny white nonpareils, white sanding sugar and edible pearls on top of a winter white cupcake. Seems like an appropriate way to celebrate the snow and the cold weather. These snowy cupcakes are flavored with almond and I think you'll agree - they're pretty great. White Cupcakes 2 cups flour 1 Tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup butter 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 ½ cups sugar 1 cup milk 5 egg whites Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Cream butter and sugar in standing mixer until light and fluffy. Add extracts and eggs, one at a time. Add dry ingredients, alternating with milk. Whisk egg whites in clean bowl of standing mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into batter with a rubber scraper. Scoop batter into paper lined cupcake pans. Bake 23 minutes at 350. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Frost with vanilla buttercream. You can also make these cupcakes in mini versions!! Jumbo cupcakes or minis - you really can't go wrong either way. They are equally cute and delicious. Ciao!
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In an effort to balance out my cupcake recipes and try and tip the scales back in the direction of "healthy" foods - I'm posting my very favorite rice recipe. I make this recipe all the time - for us - for company - for clients - and everybody loves it. You just can't go wrong with herbed basmati rice. Basmati Rice 1 teaspoon oil 1 cup basmati rice 1 clove garlic 1 cup water 1 cup chicken broth 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup chopped green onions 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped 3 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese 1 Tablespoon fresh basil (or oregano) 1 teaspoon fresh thyme 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Heat oil in skillet. Add rice and garlic and saute until lightly toasted. Add water, broth and salt to pan. Bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Stir in onions, nuts, cheese and fresh herbs. Serve. This recipe is even better when it's made with lots fresh herbs. Unfortunately, in the middle of January, I am lacking great herbs but when I make it in the height of summer when herbs are at their peak - it's even more amazing. Trust me on this one. Ciao! You really cant go wrong when you present your true love with chocolate dipped strawberries. If you present them with a chocolate dipped strawberry on top of a delicious strawberry cupcake - bonus points. It's February and that means that Valentine's Day is right around the corner. And nothing says Happy Valentine's Day like chocolate and strawberries. These cupcake really are amazing and they taste just as good as they look. If you want to impress your Valentine with a special treat this Valentine's Day - I recommend chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes. Place strawberries in a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 minutes. Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes 12 ounces frozen whole strawberries, thawed 3/4 cup whole milk 6 egg whites 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 1/4 cups cake flour 1 3/4 cups sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 12 Tablespoons butter, room temperature Strawberry Buttercream 10 egg whites 2 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar 40-48 Tablespoons butter, softened Chocolate Ganache 2/3 cup bittersweet chocolate 4 Tablespoons heavy cream 1/2 cup powdered sugar 2-3 Tablespoons water Garnish 12 chocolate dipped strawberries Allow to cool. Press fruit through a sieve into a bowl. Reserve Solids. Pour strawberry sauce into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup and thick and syrupy. Whisk milk into reduced strawberry juice. Whisk in egg whites and vanilla. Add butter, 1 Tablespoon at a time. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in bowl of mixer. Add milk, half at a time and beat until just combined. (I added a little bit of pink food coloring too.) Scoop batter into 12 paper lined jumbo cupcake tins. Bake 23 minutes at 350. Cool on wire racks. Prepare strawberry buttercream. Whisk together egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in bowl of standing mixer. Set over double boiler and cook until foamy and warm to the touch. Transfer bowl to mixer and whisk on high until stiff peaks form. Switch to flat beater and beat in butter, 1 Tablespoon at a time. Beat in strawberry solids and a drop of pink food coloring. Pipe a circle of strawberry buttercream on top of each strawberry cupcake. Refrigerate cupcakes while you prepare ganache. Heat chocolate and cream in microwave for 1 minute. Stir to combine. Whisk in powdered sugar and enough water to make a smooth, glossy, spreadable consistency. Spoon a Tablespoon of ganache over each chilled cupcake. Refrigerate 5-10 minutes. Pipe a small amount of buttercream over ganache and garnish with a chocolate dipped strawberry. There you have it - the perfect Valentine's day treat. Ciao! |
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