Friday, November 21, 2008

I joined Iron Cupcake Challenge!


This is my first Iron Cupcake event. I Stumbled on its web page recently and it looked like fun so I joined. This month's ingredient is cranberry. Im a big fan of them and have made my own cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving for ages. We dont find them here so I have had to limit my use to dried cranberries. For this challenge, I decided to make a cupcake inspired by a recipe that looked interesting in Better Homes and Garden's Complete Book of Baking on page 131. I got this book several years ago and its a reliable source of nice recipes.
I tweaked that recipe to suit my taste today and I think it turned out quite well.
I also had some beautiful local organic honey I wanted to use so I was excited when I found this recipe that could showcase the cranberries and the honey. It is a light as air genoise cake with chewy bits of cranberry and crunchy bits of walnuts perfumed by the orange and sweetened with aromatic honey. So yummy!
I topped it with an orange buttercream icing and sprinkled more cranberries and walnuts on top.

I call this Cran-Orange Honey-Nut Cupcake with Orange Honey Buttercream

3 egg yolks
3/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup finely chopped dried cranberries

1. Place egg yolks in an electric mixer bowl(I used my Kitchen Aid) and whisk until they turn lemon yellow and thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, 2 T. sugar, and salt. Set aside.

3. Add orange juice to the egg yolks and beat on low speed until mixed together. Gradually add the 1/3 c. sugar and beat on medium speed, about 5 minutes, until the sugar is almost dissolved. In four parts, add the flour mixture to the yolk mixture until it is just incorporated. Stir in the orange peel.

4. With a clean whisk, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the honey, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.

5. Add 1 cup of the egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Then gently fold the yolk mixture into the whites until no streaks are visible.

6. Spoon the mixture into your cupcake papers(about 24). Bake the cupcakes at 325F for about 35-40 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool on a rack to room temperature.

8. Meanwhile make your buttercream frosting. Place 1/2 cup of butter in a mixing bowl and cream until smooth. Gradually add 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar and mixed. Add 2 tablespoons of honey and blend until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel. If icing isnt smooth enough, add enough orange juice until it reaches spreading consistency.

9. Spread cooled cupcakes with icing and sprinkle with more walnuts and cranberries.

I also bake this recipe in an ungreased angel food pan. If you do that, bake for about 50 minutes and be sure to invert it to cool and then gently pull it away from the sides of the pan.

I hope you try this and enjoy it!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I don't like cup cakes,but it looks yummy.........
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