Friday again and we celebrate it with some luxury cup cakes!
Enjoy!
‘Sex and the City’ Cosmopolitan Cupcakes
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1/2 c sour cream or natural greek yogert
- 1/3 c oil
- 1 3/4 c flour
- 1 1/2 t baking powder
- 1/2 t baking soda
- 1/2 t salt
- zest of 1 lime
- 1/4 c cranberry juice
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 tsp jellied cranberry sauce
Method:
Preheat oven to 180C [350F]. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with papers. Scoop out 12 tsp of cranberry jelly and set aside on a plate.
With a whisk, beat eggs and sugar by hand for a minute. Whisk in sour cream and oil until smooth. Combine juices and extract in a small cup. Sift together dry ingredients and add to egg mixture alternately with juices – flour, juice, flour, juice, flour – whisking only until just combined each time.
Divide half the batter evenly into the 12 lined cups. Place a tsp of cranberry jelly into each cup then top with the remaining batter. Each cup will be 2/3 – 3/4 full.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes until firm on top and a toothpick comes out clean with no batter sticking to it. Turn out of pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Frost cooled cakes with Cosmopolitan Swiss Meringue Buttercream or Cosmopolitan Buttercream and sprinkle with extra lime zest. Makes 12 Cupcakes.
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Cosmopolitan Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients:
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 c sugar
- 100g butter at room temperature, cut into pieces
- 1 Tbsp jellied cranberry sauce
- 1 Tbsp cranberry juice
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp Cointreau [or orange juice for the kiddies]
- 1 c icing [powdered] sugar
- one drop of red or dark pink food colouring – optional
Method:
In a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk egg whites and sugar together. Place bowl over a simmering pan of water – making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Whisk gently for 5 minutes* until all sugar is dissolved and mixture is 70C [160F].
Remove from heat and scrape into a large heat-proof bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or fancy bench-top mixer on high until peaks are starting to form and the mixture is cooled to room temperature – about 5-7 minutes.
Beat in butter one small chunk at a time, this will take 5-10 minutes. If soupy, refrigerate for 5 mins then beat again. If it splits or looks curdled keep beating until thick and creamy*.
Once smooth, slowly add the sauce and juices – and beat for another 5 minutes. It will break and look curdled, it’s ok, just keep beating! After 5 mins place in fridge – even if it looks broken and curdled. Remove and sift over icing sugar* then beat again – it will all of a sudden come together into perfect, magical, creamy, dreamy icing. Stir through food colouring if using. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes.
Make enough for 12 cupcakes piled high.
English