Recipe ReDux – Cupcake Conundrum
The call this month for Recipe ReDux was asking the question if people were over the cupcake trend, I can tell you there are several television shows, bakeries, and eating establishments that hope people answer NO to that question.
A standard cupcake uses the same ingredients as a standard sized cake: butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. Nearly any recipe is suitable for a layer cake can be used to bake cupcakes. Cupcake batter can be flavored or have other ingredients stirred in, such as dried fruits, berries, chips or candy. Cupcakes may be topped with frosting or other cake decorations. Another popular surprise in cupcakes is to fill them with frosting, pastry cream, jam or jelly.
Most cupcakes highlight at least one ingredient, but for my blog I decided to incorporate vegetables into the recipes. Researching recipes that use vegetables in cupcakes drew me to several sites. One site was from the American Institute of Cancer, featuring beets in a Red Velvet Cupcake. What a great way to get the health benefits, in a less traditional way. Check out the link: http://www.aicr.org/assets/docs/pdf/her/red-velvet-cupcakes.pdf Other vegetables that I found recipes for were sweet potato cupcakes, snap pea cupcakes, pineapple-zucchini and chocolate zucchini cupcakes.
The recipes that I choose to feature in my blog this month didn’t come from the web or nationally published cookbooks, but from a couple of church cookbooks that I received when I was first married. I did take the liberty to modify the recipe from their original state to decrease the fat and sugar. They were also originally made into the standard 9 X 13 inch cake pan, but I have made them as cupcakes for the family for years. Don’t forget that if you are using a standard layered cake recipe, and making it into cupcakes they will bake much faster than a normal layered cake because they conduct the heat more efficiently.
| Carrot Cake Cupcakes | |
| 3/4 cup oil | 1 tsp salt |
| 2 cups flour | 2 eggs |
| 1 cup sugar | 4 egg whites |
| 3 cups grated carrots | 2 tsp cinnamon |
| 1 cup chopped nuts | 2 tsp baking soda |
| Instructions: | |
| Beat eggs, oil, and sugar together. Mix flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda into egg mixture. Beat well. Add carrots and nuts. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. Cool. Frost cupcakes with favorite frosting recipe. |
| Pumpkin Cupcakes | |
| 2 cups flour | 1 cup sugar |
| 2 tsp baking powder | 1 egg |
| 1 tsp cinnamon | 4 egg whites |
| 1/2 tsp baking soda | 2 cups mashed pumpkin |
| 1/4 tsp salt | 1/2 tsp vanilla |
| 3/4 cup butter, softened |
| Instructions: | |
| Preheat to 350°F. In medium bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl beat butter with mixer on high speed. Add sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs until combined. Add pumpkin and vanilla, beating until combined. Add flour mixture; beat until combined. Divide batter evenly between 24 muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes. Cool in pan on rack for 1 minute. Remove and let cool. Frost with favorite frosting recipe. (Sweet potatoes can be substituted for the pumpkin) |
Here is the recipe that I used for the pumpkin and carrot cake cupcakes.
| Cream Cheese Frosting | |
| In a large mixing bowl, beat 8 ounces softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup softened butter together. Add two tablespoons milk and beat until combined. Beat in 8 cups powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, until smooth and of good piping consistency. Makes 4 1/3 cups. |
| Glazed Carrots Garnish | |
| Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium heat; add 1 cup grated carrots and 3 tablespoons maple syrup. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until carrots are tender. Spread on a paper towel to cool. Use as a garnish on top of carrot cake cupcakes. |
I hope that you enjoy the recipes as much as I did. And don’t forget to check out my fellow Recipe Redux Bloggers.
