I'm lucky to work with a whole crew of talented individuals at my job: stylists, photographers, writers, recipe developers, chefs (of the restaurant and TV varieties). But every once in a while you meet someone who's hyper talented—a stand-out!—and when that happens there's only 1 thing to do: turn yourself into a super-absorbent human sponge.
Welp, it's a fellow
editor's last day today. Even though she hasn't been with us long, I learned a
great deal from her and she'll be sorely missed. (A few months back I even
considered writing a "10 Reasons Why I Have A Girl-Crush On My New
Boss"-post but it felt a tad creepy, for obvious reasons.)
So to sweeten an otherwise sour day, I got up this morning and baked our departing food friend some peach cupcakes. They get their crumbly texture from a little yellow cornmeal. Oh! And the frosting is a new Fluff buttercream I've been playing with. Here's my recipe:
CORNMEAL-PEACH CUPCAKES
MAKES: 2 dozen cupcakes
FOR THE CUPCAKES
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup sour cream
½ cup milk
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, plus 3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
FOR THE PEACH FILLING
3 to 4 ripe peaches, finely chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
FOR THE FLUFF FROSTING
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups marshmallow cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1½ to 2 cup confections sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1. Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350˚ and line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Stir the sour cream and milk together in a liquid measuring cup; set aside.
2. Beat the butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk mixture in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each halfway. Bake until golden and a toothpick insert into a cupcake comes out clean with a few crumbs, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pans 5 minutes, then transfer to racks and cool completely.
3. Meanwhile, make the filling: Toss the peaches, sugar and salt in a bowl. Set aside at room temperature until syrupy, about 15 minutes.
4. Use a pairing knife to cut circles out from the center of the cupcakes, keeping the knife at an angle to make a cone-shape. Remove the cake cone and fill the holes with the peach mixture.
5. Make the frosting: Beat the butter, marshmallow cream, vanilla and salt with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until combined. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth. Add heavy cream and/or more confectioners' sugar to reach your desired consistency. Transfer the frosting to a resealable plastic bag. Snip the corner and pipe frosting onto each cupcake.
Hope you enjoy 'em! Do you have a work mentors you look up to? What would you make if they left?
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornmeal
½ teaspoon baking powder½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup sour cream
½ cup milk
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, plus 3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
FOR THE PEACH FILLING
3 to 4 ripe peaches, finely chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
FOR THE FLUFF FROSTING
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups marshmallow cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1½ to 2 cup confections sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1. Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350˚ and line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Stir the sour cream and milk together in a liquid measuring cup; set aside.
2. Beat the butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk mixture in two parts, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each halfway. Bake until golden and a toothpick insert into a cupcake comes out clean with a few crumbs, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pans 5 minutes, then transfer to racks and cool completely.
3. Meanwhile, make the filling: Toss the peaches, sugar and salt in a bowl. Set aside at room temperature until syrupy, about 15 minutes.
4. Use a pairing knife to cut circles out from the center of the cupcakes, keeping the knife at an angle to make a cone-shape. Remove the cake cone and fill the holes with the peach mixture.
5. Make the frosting: Beat the butter, marshmallow cream, vanilla and salt with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until combined. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat until smooth. Add heavy cream and/or more confectioners' sugar to reach your desired consistency. Transfer the frosting to a resealable plastic bag. Snip the corner and pipe frosting onto each cupcake.
Hope you enjoy 'em! Do you have a work mentors you look up to? What would you make if they left?
I love that these aren't over the top sweet in the cake, but adorably fluffy in the frosting.
ReplyDeleteI only recently made this kind of frosting- it was yummy, but I was surprised how much of the butter flavor came through! I want to use some on a sour cream apricot cupcake I've been dying to try!
ReplyDeleteCarlenes Figments, thanks a bunch! They're actually my new favorite cupcake. Just like you said, not over the top sweet, which I love!
ReplyDeleteYou're so right Kiki, the frosting is surprisingly buttery. I really liked that, actually! It'll be great on sour cream apricot cupcakes. Would love to know how it turns out!
ReplyDelete