Cupcakes for tonight

[Apocalypso]

For tonight's Halloween party, I made a coffee spongecake recipe into cupcakes (I snuck a tablespoon of cocoa powder in as well), inserted a dollop of dulce de leche in the top center, and then covered in a mascarpone whipped cream frosting and topped with a chocolate covered espresso bean. I was going to try to pipe small spider legs on each bean, but have decided to dust with a little cocoa powder instead.

I wish they were more uniform... but they're definitely homemade from scratch. Keeping them cold in airtight containers until I box them up to take to the party. 24 in all. It's kind of killing me not to try a whole one, but I did get a taste of all the components, as the batter made only 24 cupcakes, but I did scoop a small divot out of the top of each of them with a 1/4 teaspoon measure to put the dulce in.

 

[ChesterV]

OMG!!!! I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE coffee flavored ANYTHING!!!! I would gobble all of those up!!


Funny thing is, I never heard of mascarpone until I started watching Chopped. I've never even known anyone who has ever used it. Even the bakeries and restaurants here I've been to don't use it. I have no idea what it tastes like.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Those look absolutely delicious. The mascarpone whipped cream frosting is such a nice touch. It’s delicious and more elegant than a standard cupcake frosting.

 

[Apocalypso]

Chester, think of mascarpone as a naturally sweet-cream version of cream cheese. The frosting came out really nicely, and to make sure they wouldn't warm up too much at the party, I kept them in the fridge, then popped them in the freezer for 30 minutes before finally packing them in the box. (I used a tip from online and used a square of no-slip shelf liner on the bottom of the box and the cupcakes didn't move around in the box.

I must say that the cakes themselves were disappointingly dry, but thank goodness the frosting made them palatable. I would use a richer cake next time for cupcakes. I had soaked with coffee-liqueur-flavored simple syrup when I baked them, but maybe I should have really drowned them. The box held them five across and five deep; to fill the empty spot in the middle I had a small jar filled with the chocolate covered espresso beans.

 

[Apocalypso]

Next up: preparing for parties at the end of the week. Party 1 on Saturday, we technically aren't asked to bring anything, but I'd like to make something. Might be something healthy like marinated vegetables. I can throw that together Friday. Party 2 on Saturday is our delayed grown-ups Halloween gathering, for which I was going to do a cake but then found out my friend is baking one. So, the plan so far is for a little array of Halloween-y treats, using my cupcake-and-cake-pop display carrier.

1. Candy apple cakes - I baked mini apple cupcakes, carved a bit with a paring knife to make them a little more apple shaped, and I made a cinnamon buttercream to cover lightly and try to smooth out as well as crumb coat. My plan is to dip them in red candy melts after they've been adhered to lollipop sticks. Kind of like a cake pop but more whole-cake and not crumbs mixed with a lot of sweet frosting.

2. Ghost meringues - which I haven't made before but they seem easy enough to pipe. I'm borrowing another idea I saw on a video, and putting a marshmallow inside so there'll be a soft center surrounded by crunchy meringue. Putting those on pop sticks too, so those will be alternating with the apples.

3. Dessert shooters - I picked up the little plastic shot glasses and mini spoons the other day at Party City. I plan to make a batch of no-bake cheesecake filling, crush up some cookie crumbs, and make some fruity fillings that kind of look ghoulish. I have a jar of purply Bing cherries, and will make that into a deep red filling. On others, my plan is to make a key lime curd (since I figured out the orange curd a month or so ago), and color it bright slimy green, and use that in the cheesecake, or maybe pastry cream, making parfait layers. I guess those will sit in the little cupcake divots on the display.

Thankfully, because this party is after the holiday, I may track back to Party City and see if some little battery powered lights go on sale and use them in my display.

Because we have the two events in one day, I plan to make the meringues in advance (they should keep in airtight container in the fridge I think), the apples too (freezing them after the candy covering hardens), and get the shooters fillings all prepped and ready to pipe into the little cups just before leaving. I hope they come out cute!

 

[-Daniel-]

Yummmmyyy! They look fab, I love chocolate flavoured cakes and the idea of a dollop of dulce de leche sounds heavenly!
Your 3 ideas for the party sound fab- please post pics! I love Halloween themed foods

 

[Apocalypso]

Thanks! The thing that has me a bit scared is dipping the cakes in the melted candy. I was going to attempt to make an actual red-tinted caramel, but it seemed tricky to get to just the right consistency, and would make the apple cakes hard to eat. I used an all-shortening buttercream that doesn't taste very great but it's such a thin later, just to smooth out the surface. I may try coating them tonight. I'm also worried the cake got dry, and may try to inject a little more simple syrup laced with sour apple schnapps.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Your dessert gifts sound so festive. The candy apple red cake pops essentially sound incredible. I think you’re right about not trying real caramel. My sister and I grabbed lunch together yesterday. They gave us a caramel covered apple flavored lollipop at the end of the meal. It took me over half an hour to finish that little lollipop.

 

[Apocalypso]

Thanks! My skill level is pretty low for decorating. I love to cook and bake, but making things look pretty, not so much. I was just wondering what it would look like if I added one black candy melt to like 20 red ones, deepen the color I hope. I have some coconut oil for thinning it out. I'm trying to talk myself into trying this before I watch TV tonight.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Thanks! My skill level is pretty low for decorating. I love to cook and bake, but making things look pretty, not so much. I was just wondering what it would look like if I added one black candy melt to like 20 red ones, deepen the color I hope. I have some coconut oil for thinning it out. I'm trying to talk myself into trying this before I watch TV tonight.

I’m not sure about how to deepen the color of candy melts.

But from my experience working with them for dipping, I found the following approaches helpful.

Using 1/2 power on the microwave and very short bursts. Candy melts will go from melted to gummy in a split second. I’ve overheated them more than once.

I found a deep plastic container works best. The first few times I used a ceramic coffee mug. After reheating the melts were too stiff to use. But didn’t have that problem with plastic.

When dipping, don’t twist or turn using the stick. The candy melts are thick, so twisting or turning will pull the cake off the stick. Go straight in, and pull straight out. If the sides aren’t fully submerged, tilt the container and allow the candy melts to flow around the cake instead of turning on the stick.

Personally, I’d dip before watching TV. I find coating anything in chocolate stressful. It will be nice to put your feet up and cozy up with the cat after a project like that.

 

[Apocalypso]

Thanks! All good to know. I ended up making more simple syrup and spiking with the sour apple schnapps (which thankfully came in an airplane size bottle) then poking a hole in each and trying to get the syrup in the cakes. It was messy. So they are in for another freeze and I'll try dipping them tomorrow. I actually wish I had some plain club soda/seltzer to put some of that apple syrup in! I'm out.

I watched a few videos, including the cheerful Australian lady on the MyCupcakeAddition YouTube channel. She thinned the candy melts slightly with a bit of shortening, but I see coconut oil will work as well.

There's a chart of mixing candy melts to make custom colors, but nothing that shows red + black. I think it would work though. I'll try one just red first and see if I like the color.

And, I got a phone call so was glad to finally say I'll put it off another day. I was comparing key lime curd recipes. They don't seem to call for very much lime zest.

So now I'm wondering if I could temporarily paint my cupcake carrier shelves black? Like with black poster paint that would wash off? I'm not sure it would stick to the plastic though. Maybe I could decoupage black tissue paper on there with food safe glue and soak it off earlier. I know, getting a bit overzealous. Our friends really go all out on their decorating, and Rick (the husband) enters these Christmas cookie contests every year and does some elaborate display. I thought it would be fun to try to vamp(ire) it up a bit.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Thanks! All good to know. I ended up making more simple syrup and spiking with the sour apple schnapps (which thankfully came in an airplane size bottle) then poking a hole in each and trying to get the syrup in the cakes. It was messy. So they are in for another freeze and I'll try dipping them tomorrow. I actually wish I had some plain club soda/seltzer to put some of that apple syrup in! I'm out.

I watched a few videos, including the cheerful Australian lady on the MyCupcakeAddition YouTube channel. She thinned the candy melts slightly with a bit of shortening, but I see coconut oil will work as well.

There's a chart of mixing candy melts to make custom colors, but nothing that shows red + black. I think it would work though. I'll try one just red first and see if I like the color.

And, I got a phone call so was glad to finally say I'll put it off another day. I was comparing key lime curd recipes. They don't seem to call for very much lime zest.

So now I'm wondering if I could temporarily paint my cupcake carrier shelves black? Like with black poster paint that would wash off? I'm not sure it would stick to the plastic though. Maybe I could decoupage black tissue paper on there with food safe glue and soak it off earlier. I know, getting a bit overzealous. Our friends really go all out on their decorating, and Rick (the husband) enters these Christmas cookie contests every year and does some elaborate display. I thought it would be fun to try to vamp(ire) it up a bit.

That a very nice carrier. I would not paint it.

I find a little zest goes a long way. Buy I don’t usually use key lime since the ones we get here are terrible. I always use the big green Persian limes.

I’m thinking about doing a cara cara orange chiffon cake with orange curd filling, covered in a thin layer of white chocolate ganache montee for Thanksgiving. I love citrus anything. There’s about 6 or more Myers lemon trees in the orchard here. I’m inspecting them for ripe lemons—dreaming of lemon desserts.

The My Cupcake Addiction lady is funny. I was just poking around on the Internet because without water I can’t do much of anything. I was just watching a few of her videos.

 

[Apocalypso]

The My Cupcake Addiction lady is funny. I was just poking around on the Internet because without water I can’t do much of anything. I was just watching a few of her videos.

Yeah, she's so full of energy and does some fun stuff. My other favorites are Cupcake Jemma (in London) and Tatyana's Everyday Food, which I've just started watching but she does some elegant desserts. On my Nexus player on the TV, it just keeps loading video after video and I can really waste an hour or two watching food porn if I let myself. Cupcake Jemma gave me the ideas for the ghost meringues (and for hiding a marshmallow in them, from another meringue recipe), and inadvertently for the candy apples. It's her apple cake recipe I used, anyway.

I guess you're right, I wouldn't want to ruin the cupcake carrier by painting it, in case it didn't wash off the shelves. There is a little spot on each layer where you can weave ribbon though the holes.

 

[Apocalypso]

That a very nice carrier. I would not paint it.
I’m thinking about doing a cara cara orange chiffon cake with orange curd filling, covered in a thin layer of white chocolate ganache montee for Thanksgiving. I love citrus anything. There’s about 6 or more Myers lemon trees in the orchard here. I’m inspecting them for ripe lemons—dreaming of lemon desserts.

Mmm, sounds great. I entered this site talking about orange cake and orange curd - I had made Martha Stewart's which is an all-yolk curd. https://www.marthastewart.com/349999/orange-curd I may use a whole-egg one for the lime as I want it to look a little more like green-slime in my Halloween dessert.

Just found out about a type of cherry that can grow in Florida. It's called the barbados cherry and I guess it's a kind of shrub rather than tree. An acquaintance posted pictures of hers with the fruit. I'm hoping to track some down as I'd love to give one as a holiday gift, and since they grow in containers I might get one for myself and see how it does.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Mmm, sounds great. I entered this site talking about orange cake and orange curd - I had made Martha Stewart's which is an all-yolk curd. https://www.marthastewart.com/349999/orange-curd I may use a whole-egg one for the lime as I want it to look a little more like green-slime in my Halloween dessert.

Just found out about a type of cherry that can grow in Florida. It's called the barbados cherry and I guess it's a kind of shrub rather than tree. An acquaintance posted pictures of hers with the fruit. I'm hoping to track some down as I'd love to give one as a holiday gift, and since they grow in containers I might get one for myself and see how it does.

Oh Martha’s recipe is very similar to Pierre Hermès lemon curd. I was just going to use Hermes’ recipe and just swap out the lemon for orange. Most curds add the butter in at the beginning. Hermès added it after to give the curd a lighter body. Not surprised Martha does it the same way. She an excellent baker.

Googled the barbados cherry. They sound very interesting. They have a really nice shape a color. If you find some, please post and tells us about them.

 

[Apocalypso]

Update: I'll admit, working with the candy melts was trickier than I'd thought. Even after putting in some coconut oil it was so thick. They came out a little gloppy. In the end I put in even more coconut oil, and the final dip came out smoother, but then didn't set up until I chilled them. One fell off the stick, so I did get a sample. The apple schnapps laced simple syrup does have them pretty moist, so I'm not unhappy with the cake part. Debating making another batch of the cupcakes and trying again. Note, the black in the red didn't achieve the color I was hoping, so I ended up then adding the rest of the bag of red to get it redder. I guess they suggest a little dark green with the red to deepen it, but I didn't have that.

This is just becoming a rambling mess of an Ann baking blog, at least through Saturday.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Update: I'll admit, working with the candy melts was trickier than I'd thought. Even after putting in some coconut oil it was so thick. They came out a little gloppy. In the end I put in even more coconut oil, and the final dip came out smoother, but then didn't set up until I chilled them. One fell off the stick, so I did get a sample. The apple schnapps laced simple syrup does have them pretty moist, so I'm not unhappy with the cake part. Debating making another batch of the cupcakes and trying again. Note, the black in the red didn't achieve the color I was hoping, so I ended up then adding the rest of the bag of red to get it redder. I guess they suggest a little dark green with the red to deepen it, but I didn't have that.

This is just becoming a rambling mess of an Ann baking blog, at least through Saturday.

Don’t be discouraged. Candy melts are very difficult to work with. I find the brand really matters. Wilton brand seems to be very thick and gooey. Very very difficult to work with. Some years ago when I took a cake pop class the brand used was Wilton. Even the instructor had a difficult time creating a consistency that was workable.

With Wilton, crisco works best. Use about 4 1/5 tablespoons crisco per bag of candy melts. Wilton does not reheat well either. So you have to work pretty fast.

Guittard and Mercken are the preferred brands for most bakers as they produce a better dipping consistency. Unfortunately you have to purchase online as these two brands are not stocked in the big box stores like JoAnne’s and Michael’s. They are difficult to find even in cake decorating specialty stores and restaurant supply stores.

 

[Apocalypso]

Thanks for all this info! I am not usually a big fan of cake pops, and not sure how often I'd want to use candy melts again, but good to know.

I made the meringues tonight. I guess my idea of inserting a regular size marshmallow in the meringues wasn't such a great idea. They are big and unwieldy and look more like boobs than ghosts. Worse sin, I don't care for them. It's just pure sugar on sugar. I guess I'll just do the dessert shooters and the apples, and call it a day.

The other thing I made today was the hummus recipe as made on last week's Milk Street Kitchen show, only I used cannelini beans because I had two bags on hand. (They are harder to find dry, so when I found them I stocked up.) The texture is wonderful (you process the steaming hot beans for three full minutes in the food processor, before adding tahini and lemon juice) but the taste is pretty blah. I added more tahini and lemon, and a little dash of sesame oil and EVOO. Toying with making fresh homemade pita to go with it and take that to Saturday's first party. I've never made pita but that seems like fun.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Lol, Well, I’m sure the guys at the party would’ve like the boob pops!

I’ve never actually eaten a cake pop since I can’t eat gluten. I took a class to learn to make them since a man I dated for several years I had a young son who really liked them. To be honest I was pretty repulsed by the method and ingredients.

I’ve never thought of making hummus with anything other than chickpeas. I love to make hummus. But I’m very picky about the type of chickpea. I love the tiny beige chickpeas. I used to buy them at a Persian market down in SoCal. But I can’t find them in this area. The stores around here carry the Mexican variety. I’m not fond of them as they make a grainy hummus. And they’re very crumbly when cooked. The little tiny chickpeas from the Middle East cook up soft and smooth.

I’ve never made pita. If you make some, pleas do post about it!

How is that Milk Street Kitchen show? Chris Kimball and his wife really had a nasty breakup with ATK. I was under the impression that Kimball was the founder of ATK. I was surprised to learn he was an employee.

For the last few years I’ve been following Serious Eats blog. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is a alumni of ATK. So he uses the same approach as ATK. I thought his cookbook. It’s very good.

 

[Apocalypso]

Well, today after making the lime curd and a double batch of pastry cream, I had enough fresh egg whites leftover to prompt me to attempt the ghosts again. Okay, clearly something went wrong the first time and it may have been the pasteurized egg whites from a carton? Also this time I added cream of tartar instead of lemon juice, and a little hit of almond extract. The meringue came out a totally more stable texture, plus I piped them small. Instead of putting them on sticks, I'll just scatter them around between the dessert shooters on the display.

I have three bags of crushed cookie crumbs - graham cracker, animal cracker, and thin Oreos. I divided the pastry cream into about half, and added unsweetened coconut to one part, with a little dab of the green-tinted lime curd. That'll be layered: Animal Crackers, coconut lime cream, green curd "slime", crumbs, whipped cream, slime. The other cream, I divided again, laced one with a good bit of peanut butter, and left the other plain vanilla-bean. Those will be: Oreo crumbs, vanilla cream, crumbs, peanut butter cream, whipped cream, thick layer of oreo crumbs with a gummy worm protruding. Finally, I took from frozen cherries plus a jar of deep purple looking bing cherries which I've had for a while, and made a cherry jam. That will go: graham crackers, no-bake cheesecake filling, cherry jam, cheesecake, jam, whipped cream with a reserved stem cherry on top. I may have to do the final garnishing when I arrive, in costume. The candy apple pops will also join those, and I found some battery powered Halloween lights on closeout, hot-glued them into my cupcake display, so hopefully it all comes together. I should place the meringues on something, so I may have to flatten some mini cupcake wrappers, or cut out little squares of parchment?

No, I didn't get to make the pita, though this is something I definitely want to do. As for the hummus, I've had white-bean hummus before, so I was just winging it to see how it came out. I will have to look for the small garbanzos - they mentioned those are the best ones to get also. But I think it's the whipping the heck out of them in the food processor, steaming hot, for three full minutes, that made the nice texure. I'll just do that next time and add more lemon, and some garlic (this called for no garlic) as well.

I'm still not sure what to think of Milk Street. It's a bit dryer in tone, the guest cooks are really attractive, and the background looks totally fake, unlike the "real working kitchen" thing the ATK shows had. So far I was most intrigued by the corn starch gel in the pie crust, though I haven't tried it yet. I was late to find out that Kimball had left Cooks Illustrated/ATK. Like you, I assumed he was the franchise, so it was surprising it continued without him. Okay, you made me look it up - he and his wife were apparently separated since 2010. I do recall seeing his wife's name in the credits in the past. Apparently they separated, and he and his assistant fell in love and have since married. And apparently ATK has pursued infringement/theft suits against him, but apparently the show has still gotten off the ground. I still watch ATK with the remaining chefs, and they recently announced Dan Souza, the younger of the two male chefs who appear on the show, is going to be the new managing editor.

These ghosts are very un-uniform, and some of the chocolate ran, but they were fun to make and decorate, and they crack me up. Plus, they taste better than with the marshmallow inside. That was just too much sugar-on-sugar.