“Ooh. What’s that flavor?” asked a woman as she leaned toward a cupcake display and smiled. “I could eat them all!”
Need an excuse? Dec. 15 marked National Cupcake Day.
“There’s some confusion over what day should be National Cupcake Day,” explained Betsy Gibbons of ICED by Betsy in Royersford. “There’s National Vanilla Cupcake Day. There’s National Chocolate Cupcake Day … It is crazy. There’s a day for everything now.”
And there’s a cupcake for every occasion from banana nut to maple bacon to chocolate espresso stout.
“We had one that had a chicken wing on it for the Super Bowl,” recalled the baker.
Anything with salted caramel sauce also scores big.
“Sometimes it’s a drizzle. Sometimes we use it in the frosting. Sometimes we use it in the filling,” Gibbons said. “That salty-sweet combination is really popular.”
Cupcakes are “a good way to celebrate everyday moments,” she added. “Everyone speaks the language of a cupcake.”
“It’s just a cute, little, easy celebratory item,” agreed Thais Viggue of Dia Doce in West Chester. “It’s such an easy way to make someone feel special.”
The “Cupcake Wars” winner shared her recipe for fudge, mint and raspberry cupcakes, inspired by Girl Scouts’ Thin Mints. They’re even vegan, soy- and nut-free. Her equally creative holiday offerings include a peppermint swirl cupcake “dipped in three kinds of ganache” and a “modern take on the fruit roll.”
For another twist on tradition, try Tracey Deschaine’s signature “Upcakes” – upside-down, icing-covered cupcakes just like her great-aunt made.
“The story was my Mom used to eat the icing off of the top, so she started icing the whole thing,” said the owner of Dixie Picnic in Malvern. “The icing around the side keeps it very moist. It’s almost like a mini layer cake.”
A favorite: toasted almond on yellow cake, reminiscent “of an old-fashioned Good Humor bar.”
“We call it yellow cake, but it’s a hot milk cake that my grandmother used to make,” Deschaine described. “It’s a cake that requires a touch of technique, and we’ve got that down.”
Or make that “up” as in Upcakes.
“Upcakes are for icing lovers,” she said. “They’re meant to be eaten as a daily pleasure” – Dec. 15 or otherwise.
“Every day should be National Cupcake Day!” Gibbons declared.
Vegan, Soy-Free, Nut-Free Fudge, Mint and Raspberry Cupcakes
IngredientsCupcakes:1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar1 cup gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt3/4 cup sugar1/3 cup vegetable oil
11/2 teaspoons vanilla extractMint frosting:
1/2 cup vegan butter3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons coconut milk2 teaspoons mint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste1/4 teaspoon salt
Raspberry compote:1 cup fresh red raspberries
1 tablespoon sugarChocolate ganache:
1 cup vegan chocolate chipsChocolate cookie crumbles:
1 cup gluten-free vegan chocolate cookies
InstructionsFor the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a traditional cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners. Combine the coconut milk and vinegar and set aside. In a separate bowl, sift together the baking flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, oil and vanilla extract with the milk and vinegar mixture, and beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full with batter and bake until the tops spring back when touched, about 22 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely. Once cool, remove the cupcakes from the liners and cut horizontally in half creating 2 pieces.
For the frosting: Whip the butter until it is white and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time until thoroughly combined. Add the coconut milk, mint extract, vanilla bean paste and salt, and mix until smooth. Put the frosting in a piping bag and cut 1/2-inch off the tip.
For the compote: Combine the raspberries and sugar in a small skillet and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let cool.
For the ganache: In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool until it is still warm and easy to spread.
For the cookie crumbles: Using a food processor, crush the cookies into crumbles.
To assemble: Lift the top off of a cupcake and generously frost the bottom with mint frosting. Drizzle with raspberry compote and replace the top. Spread approximately 11/2 tablespoons chocolate ganache on the top, and then sprinkle with chocolate cookie crumbles.
Recipe courtesy of Thais Viggue, “Cupcake Wars”
Coca-Cola CupcakesHope you brought your sweet tooth, because you’ll need it for this recipe. It is a beloved recipe of Southerners, and they love their sweets!
Ingredients2 cups sugar2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup Coca-Cola11/2 cups small marshmallows
1/2 cup butter or margarine1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons cocoa1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract
InstructionsPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake tins with paper inserts. In a bowl, sift the sugar, flour and marshmallows. In a saucepan, mix the butter, oil, cocoa and Coca-Cola. Bring to a boil and pour over dry ingredients; blend well. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk just before adding to batter along with eggs and vanilla extract, mixing well. Distribute evenly in cupcake tins, filling not quite to the top. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 190 to 195 degrees with an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and frost while still warm.
Coca-Cola frosting:1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons cocoa6 tablespoons Coca-Cola
1 box (16 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 cup chopped pecans
InstructionsTo make frosting, combine the 1/2 cup butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa and 6 tablespoons of Coca-Cola in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and pour over confectioners’ sugar, blending well. Add vanilla extract. Spread on the top of cupcakes while still warm because the icing thickens quickly as it cools. Sprinkle the top with pecans.
Recipe courtesy of Dixie Picnic
Salted Caramel SauceTotal time: 12 minutes
Yield: 2 cupsIngredients2 cups granulated sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature), cut into pieces
1 cup heavy cream (room temperature)
1 tablespoon fleur de sel (or other flaky sea salt)
InstructionsThe golden rule of caramel making is: DON’T WALK AWAY!
In a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, melt the sugar over medium-high heat. You may choose to stir until the sugar is all melted, but you will get a smoother caramel if you do not stir, but rather just swirl the pan frequently. Once all the sugar has melted watch your caramel carefully; swirling the pan occasionally.
As soon as the sugar turns amber in color (about 350 degrees if you are using a candy thermometer), add your butter and whisk vigorously. Be very careful as it will bubble up aggressively. Keep whisking until all the butter has melted. Remove pan from the heat, wait 30 seconds, and then slowly pour in the cream while whisking very quickly. The caramel is going to bubble aggressively again, so be very careful!
Once all the cream has been incorporated, add in the fleur de sel and whisk until dissolved. Set the sauce aside to cool for 15 minutes prior to pouring it into a glass jar to cool completely. You can keep the sauce for at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Warm up as needed and enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of ICED by Betsy
Holiday cupcakes to loveThis holiday season, indulge in festive cupcake flavors like eggnog, peppermint stick and lemon-iced gingerbread from Dixie Picnic.
Or check out “Grandma’s house.” It’s the name of a cupcake from ICED by Betsy with baked sugar cookie dough inside and a sugar cookie on top.
Dia Doce’s holiday collection ranges from red velvet candy cane to champagne. That’s champagne cake with champagne buttercream and white buttercream roses.
