Margarita Cupcakes

Cake.  Frosting.  Booze.  Perfect.

I made these adorable Mini Margarita Cupcakes for a fun couple who were having their wedding shower this week-end.  I happen to know that they enjoy having a tequila shot (or two) every now and then.

Doesn’t this just take you back to hot summer days on a patio?    Seems such a long way away at the moment, as my husband is outside stringing up the Christmas lights.

No matter, these festive shots are perfect for any adult party any season.  With tequila on the cakes and in the icing, they have all the flavour of the popular lime drink.  Sans hangover…..  gracias!

I used Martha Stewart’s recipe for Lemon Cupcakes and just substituted the lemon for lime.   Then I brushed the tops of the warm cakes with some tequila.  Then, and you know this is coming, I made my favourite frosting and flavoured it with tequila and lime.  Just for an extra lime kick, I put a little dollop of lime curd right on top.

Lime Cupcakes

yield is about 30 minis

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2  tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• tequila for brushing on warm cakes

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare muffin tins with mini paper liners or line mini baking cups on a cookie sheet.

1.  Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.

2.  Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes).  Add eggs one at time, mixing thoroughly before adding the next one.  Add lime zest and lime juice and mix well.

3.  On low, add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk.   Mix only until just incorporated.

4.  Fill each muffin cup ~3/4 full. Bake for 8 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.  Remove cakes to a wire rack to cool.  Lightly brush each cake with tequila while still slightly warm.

Tequila and Lime Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 2 cups unsalted butter cubed, at room temperature
• 5 large egg whites
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp of sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp tequila (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp lime juice

1.  Fill a saucepan (large enough to fit your mixing bowl just a few inches) with two inches of water.  Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low so water continues to simmer.

2.  In your stand mixer bowl, hand whisk the egg whites and the sugar just until combined.  Place over simmering pot and whisk for approx 4 mins until the egg whites are hot (about 150 degrees).  The sugar should be dissolved by this time as well.  Place bowl on stand mixer and attach the whisk attachment.  Whisk on medium until whites have increased in volume and the outside of the bowl is just slightly warm to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes!).

3.  Remove whisk attachment and replace with paddle attachment.  Beat on low-speed until mixture is completely cooled.  Increase speed to medium and add butter pieces one at a time.  Scrape the bowl and continue to beat until buttercream is glossy, smooth and thick.  It may separate at first, but continue beating and it will emulsify.  Add vanilla flavouring, a pinch of salt tequila and lime and beat until combined.  Use immediately.

Lime Curd

*from Food.Com

Note: this makes a lot of curd!  Save it and use it for a yummy lime mousse or halve the recipe.

• 3 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (2 to 4 lemons)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 8 tablespoons butter
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1.  In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine lime zest, lime juice, and sugar.  Bring just to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5 minutes.  Add butter and stir until it has melted and combined.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature  Beat eggs into cooled lime mixture until well blended.  Return to heat and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, 10 minutes or until mixture thickens and coats spoon.  Refrigerate at least one hour.

Dark Chocolate Roses

Last week I was researching places to buy the best modeling chocolate for a special project I am working on.    It didn’t take me long to figure out that it can be fairly expensive and that most bakers make their own.

Remember here, when I made Garden Party Cupcakes and added gumpaste flowers?  Well they sure do look beautiful, but that’s where it ends.  They aren’t really edible just lovely to look at.  Modeling Chocolate however, looks decadent and tastes yummy too.  It’s essentially like playing with the best smelling and tasting play dough ever!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a few obsessions:

1. Dark Chocolate

2. Swiss Meringue Buttercream

3. Beautiful Cupcakes

This is like the culmination of all of  my favourite things!

I’ll follow-up with the recipe for the cupcakes in another post.  It was my first time trying small batch baking because I just wanted a few cakes to show off my lovely roses.

The recipe is really simple, just two ingredients as a matter of fact!

Melt 6 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate over a double boiler (I used Callebaut) .  Mix until no lumps remain.  Let the chocolate cool for just a few minutes before adding 1/3 cup light corn syrup. Mix thoroughly until combined. The chocolate will start to form a hard ball that is difficult to stir.   I put my chocolate in a resealable freezer bag and I left it on the counter over night to harden up.

It was quite a hard lump in the morning….

No worries, just a little kneading to do!  I used cocoa powder to lightly dust my hands and work surface.

Ok, all set!

Everyone has different ways of making fondant/gumpaste and chocolate flowers.  I did find that I had to work quickly as my hands were quite warm.  Guess what happens to chocolate when your hands are too warm?

I rolled out about 10 little chocolate balls, maybe 1/4″ in diameter.

Forgive some of my shots, I had to work quickly!

First I made a cone shape for the center of the rose.

Then, I put each ball under some parchment paper and flattened it out with my fingers to start to form petals.

See?

I let the petals sit for a few minutes to harden a little.  It made them easier to work with.

I wrapped each petal around my rose, being careful to over lap each piece.

Even these rosebuds look sweet.  You could stop here and these would be just fine too.  Somebody would be delighted to eat it!

Or you could keep adding until your little chocolate rose heart is content.

Not bad for my first attempt at a tutorial!

Let these sit on the counter until firm.  Keep these in an airtight container until you need them.  Store leftover modeling chocolate in an airtight container as well.  Use it to make any number of decorations as it dries fairly firm.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cherry on Top

Notice I didn’t say with a cherry on top?

Nope not a cherry on top but a delicious Sweet and Tart Cherry Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  On top of a rich Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  Then, a Lindt Chocolate Truffle, you guessed it, on top.  Are you still with me?

I gave these cupcakes to my neighbours.  They deserve a cherry on top kind of dessert.  Yesterday was their birthday.  That’s right, their birthday.  Both of them.  And they have been married more than 25 years.  To each other.  And they are just good, kind, fun people.  So they deserve a little somethin’ with a cherry on top!

They were out last night celebrating, so I left them a little treat at their door this morning.

Since cherries are pretty impossible to find, I just made a simple cherry jam out of frozen cherries.  Then I added it to my usual Swiss Meringue loveliness along with some cherry oil for extra flavour.

Just make these rich chocolate cupcakes without the added espresso powder.  Then layer with the Cherry Swiss Meringue Buttercream and the Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream (recipe below).

Before I go, I am also sending a virtual cupcake over to Rosie at Sweetapolita for offering an AMAZING Chocolately Giveaway last week ( Holiday Truffles & Bonbons class at the highly respected Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts in Toronto + 1 kg box of Cacao Barry Origins Dark Chocolate Couverture Mexique 66% + 1 kg box of St. Domingue 70% + a copy of Barry Callebaut’s Simply Chocolate Magazine, featuring recipes from Canada’s top pastry chefs & chocolatiers.)!  I was so tickled to hear that I won!  My daughter said I was jumping and hollering so much she thought I won the lottery.  Well for me, attending a class at the Bonnie Gordon School of Confectionary Arts is just like winning the lottery!  Thanks Rosie!

Cherry Jam

• 1 cup frozen sweet and tart cherries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

1.   Combine ingredients in a small saucepan on medium heat, stirring frequently until mixture is thickened.  Use a fork to mash cherries while stirring.  Allow cherry mixture to cool completely before adding to your icing.

Chocolate

• 1 1/2 cups of quality Belgian semi sweet chocolate chopped

1.  Melt chocolate over a double boiler.  Mix until smooth and no lumps remain.  Allow to cool before adding to icing.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

* I made one batch for chocolate and one batch for cherry

• 5 egg whites
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 cups of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• pinch of salt
• chocolate or cherry jam to taste to taste

1.  Fill a saucepan (large enough to fit your mixing bowl just a few inches) with two inches of water.  Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low so water continues to simmer.

2.  In your stand mixer bowl, hand whisk the egg whites and the sugar just until combined.  Place over simmering pot and whisk for approx 4 mins until the egg whites are hot (about 150 degrees).  The sugar should be dissolved by this time as well.  Place bowl on stand mixer and attach the whisk attachment.  Whisk on medium speed until whites have increased in volume, are thick and glossy and the outside of the bowl is just slightly warm to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes!).

3.  Remove whisk attachment and replace with paddle attachment.  Beat on low-speed until mixture is completely cooled.  Increase speed to medium and add butter pieces one at a time.  Scrape the bowl and continue to beat until buttercream is glossy, smooth and thick.  It may separate at first, but continue beating and it will emulsify.  Add vanilla flavouring, a pinch of salt and chocolate/cherry jam (include a few drops of cherry oil if you have some) (to taste) and beat until combined.  Use immediately.

Dark Chocolate Beetroot Cake with Sugared Cranberries

I am not a huge beet fan.

This week I asked a lady I work with whether she ate beets.  She rattled off a few ways that she likes to cook them and  proclaimed that she loved them.  The only thing that kept circling through my tiny brain was “Ewwwwww….”

But this week-end beets and I have had a new beginning.   A re-awakening!  A moist, chocolatey, gloriously decadent new beginning.  Are you with me??

I simply could not get over how amazing this cake tasted.  I was pretty skeptical last night as I was boiling the beets in preparation for this morning.  I mean, how can a cake that tastes this awesome be chalk full of antioxidants and nutrients?   And, not even a hint that there are beets in here.  Just a deep chocolatey, moist, earthy cake.   If I didn’t have beet stained fingertips, no one would believe me.

A simple ganache and some sugared cranberries is all that is needed for garnish.  Even a slight dusting of powdered sugar would do.  It’s so elegant and so simple.  Very impressive.  I’m not kidding.  Put beets on your grocery list.  You will not be disappointed!

I think my husband did a wonderful job on these photos.  I stood there watching with my finger in the ganache bowl.  Afterwards, we shared this piece.  We’re a good team.  A good food blogging, photo taking, cake eating team.

Dark Chocolate Beetroot Cake

*recipe adapted from Always Order Dessert

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons extra dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
3/4 cup + 1/4 cup butter, softened and divided
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup quality Belgian semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups beet puree (about 6-7 small-medium beets roasted, peeled, and processed until smooth)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

For the ganache:
1 cup quality Belgian bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup heavy cream

Grease and flour your bundt pan.

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and sift until evenly distributed. Set aside.

2. Cream 3/4 cup butter and the sugar in a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs in one at a time and beat until well incorporated.

3. Combine the chocolate with the remaining butter and microwave 20 seconds at a time, stirring each time, until melted. Stir in espresso powder and set aside.

4.  Add the vanilla extract to the eggs, followed by the chocolate, and the beet puree and mix until well combined.

5.  Add the flour mixture to the beet mixture and mix just until completely and evenly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake at 375 degrees F for about 50 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting on a wire rack.

6. While the cake is cooling, make the ganache by combining the chocolate and butter in a medium bowl. Heat the cream through gently just until it starts to bubble and pour over the chocolate. Stir slowly until the chocolate melts and the ganache becomes smooth and glossy.

7. Pour the ganache over the cooled cake and let set 15-20 minutes before serving.

Garnish with sugared cranberries.

Note:  If you taste the cake while warm you will taste the beets.  Strange, I know, but if you wait until the cake is completely cool, you will taste nothing but rich chocolate!