High Hat Cupcake

I spent my Sunday once again with making some cupcakes!

i found this recipe  and tried it myself.

here's how:

I prepared all the ingredients

with this one I'll be needing a lot of eggs.

I sift all the dry ingredients first

then in a separate bowl I mixed all the liquid ingredients

then I mixed the liquid ingredients with the dry one

place it in cupcake trays

baked for 20 minutes

and viola!

first step done..

Now the tricky part..

I bring the sugar, water and corn syrup to a boil reaching 387 deg F

whipped the egg whites until it forms firm shiny peaks

add the syrup to the egg whites, then vanilla and continue util it cooled down a little.

scoop the mixture into a pipe bag and make coils

there.. so many...

coat the tops with melted chocolate..

and there you have it..

HIGH HAT CUPCAKES!

if you wish to try it here's the recipe from the barmy baker page:

or visit this blog site: the barmy baker

Chocolate Blackout Cake (makes 20 cupcakes, or one nice 9x12" pan o' cake)

2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cocoa powder (natural, not dutch-processed)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

4 ounces melted butter

1 cup brewed coffee (I used instant espresso powder in one cup boiling water)

3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350f

-Prepare 2 muffin tins by lining with 20 or 21 muffin liners.-This is just like making a quick bread. Sift the dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl.

-Mix together the wet ingredients, Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. This will be a fairly wet batter.

-Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling until about a quarter of an inch from the top of the liner.

-Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger.

-Remove from oven, let cool in pan about 10 minutes and then finish cooling on a rack. Place the room temperature cupcakes in the refrigerator while you make the Italian meringue. These cupcakes (or cake if you make one from this recipe) do tend to taste better the next day after the flavors have all come together.

Italian Meringue: (adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours)

1/2 cup (4 egg's worth) egg whites

1 cup sugar

1 tsp corn syrup

3/4 tsp cream of tartar

1 cup water

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract (or if you want to flavor this with something else, feel free) 

_______________________-Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer.

-Place the sugar, water and corn syrup in a heavy bottomed saucepan with a candy thermometer placed on the side of the pan dipping into the mixture. Bring the mixture to 238F.

-When the sugar syrup is about 10 degrees away from 238F, add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and begin whipping them to firm shiny peaks. If the whites get to this state before the syrup is at 235, turn your mixer to low speed and just let them keep moving.

-Once the syrup is at 235 and your egg whites are firm and pretty, Carefully (hot sugar=ouch, I know from past experience) and slowly pour the syrup into the egg whites with the mixer running on high speed. Don't worry about any spatter on the sides of the bowl, it happens and won't effect the final product. Add the vanilla extract and continue whipping the egg whites until they cool to room temperature (I also add about 1/2 tsp salt, as I like my icing a bit salty with the sweet). Once the mixture is cool, scoop it into a pastry bag fitted with a large piping tip (or you can just use a plastic baggie with the corner cut off to pipe).

-Pipe coil mounds on top of the chilled cupcakes, mounding each high to form the marshmallow "hat". Place the cupcakes in the refrigerator and make your chocolate coating.

 til next time!

T