UFM Menu: Red Velvet Cupcakes and a business update

This is Day 57 of my project.  So far, things are going better than planned.  I haven't lost interest and moved onto some other project, which is how most of my projects die.  I've had some great events and wonderful response. Today I'm home sick, on a Saturday, and working again on the business plan.  This week I've:

• Created a web page, which will be debuted soon.  It's a work in progress.
• Ordered business cards.
• Have created a local 415 GoogleVoice number as a business line.

I need to:

• File for a fictitious name license and business license.
• Find a kitchen to work out of.  I'm thinking of putting up ads on Craigslist.
• Finish writing my business plan.  Deadline: May 1st.
• Decide what type of cupcake I'm doing for the Iron Cupcake Challenge on Monday (Theme: Chocolate)

I have a lot of work to do, but slowly steam is gathering.

 At the Underground Farmer's Market, the Red Velvet Cupcakes with Ginger Cream cheese Frosting and Candied Ginger were a huge success.  These cupcakes ended up not rising very much.  I think I would try this recipe again and just be more careful in my preparation.

Red Velvet Cupcakes  
(Adapted from Epicurious.com)
Makes about 24 cupcakes

• 3 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons red food coloring
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Preheat oven to 350°F. Fill a cupcake tin with 24 cupcake liners.

To make the cake: In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.

In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth. 

Divide the batter among cups.  They bake low in the cups and don't puff up much.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting

Ginger Creamcheese Frosting

(Adapted from Epicurious.com)

• 1 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger

Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.  Slowly add powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  Add ginger and beat briefly.

Homemade Candied Ginger

(Originally adapted from Ready For Dessert.  I got it from David Lebovitz.)

You don't need a candy thermometer to make this. Simply keep an eye on the pot and when the liquid is the consistency of thin honey, it's done and ready to go.

• 1 pound (500g) fresh ginger, peeled
• 4 cups (800g) sugar, plus additional sugar for coating the ginger slices, if desired
• 4 cups (1l) water
• pinch of salt

1. Slice the ginger as thinly as possible. It can't be too thin, so use a sharp knife.

2. Put the ginger slices in a non-reactive pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let ginger simmer for ten minutes. Drain, and repeat one more time.

3. Mix the sugar and water in the pot, along with a pinch of salt and the ginger slices, and cook until the temperature reaches 225F (106C.)

4. Remove from heat and let stand for at least an hour, although I often let it sit overnight. Or if you want to coat the slices with sugar, drain very well while the ginger is hot, so the syrup will drain away better.

5. Store ginger slices in its syrup, or toss the drained slices in granulated sugar. Shake off excess sugar, and spread the ginger slices on a cooling rack overnight, until they're somewhat dry. The sugar can be reused in a batter or ice cream base, or for another purpose.

Storage: The ginger, packed in its syrup, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one year. If you're concerned with it crystallizing, add a tablespoon or two of corn syrup or glucose to the sugar syrup at the beginning of step #3. If tossed in sugar, the pieces can be stored at room temperature for a few months.

UFM Menu: Bacon, the one that got away.

Our Colorful stand at the Market!  Thank you Jen for your amazing help and steadfast support.  You take such good care of me.

I decided to make some vegan and gluten free products for this event.  I think everyone should be able to enjoy cupcakes, no excuses.  A lot of people came up to me excited that I had things that they could eat on their limited diet.  Many others came up to me and said, "THANK GOD you have non-vegan cupcakes! Give me something with animal in it!... IS THAT BACON?!?"  Not surprisingly the bacon cupcakes sold out first.

I think everyone that came up to the table had an opinion about the bacon cupcakes, both good and bad.   Mostly good though. 

Please see my blog entry for the French Toast Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream and Candied Bacon recipe.

Day 6: Drunken Lemon Cupcakes with Champagne Buttercream

 The biggest realization I had with this recipe was: I have no interest in eating as many cupcakes as I'm making.  This was the first batch that after I had one and even though it was fantastic, I couldn't stomach another.  That's a good thing for my waistline.  It's also a bad thing, because now I have to start finding people who want my confections regularly.  Any takers?  Cupcakes for a minimum donation to cover costs? ^_^

In process pics of my messy kitchen:

 

 

This lemon cake is AMAZING.  It outshone the frosting to the point that you almost wanted to wipe the frosting off, and just have the delightfully tangy cake.  Really moist and fluffy.  Make sure to really beat the crap out of the butter, so your batter is light.  I bought the cheapest champagne at my corner store, which leads me to my second favorite thing about this recipe: you get to drink all the champagne afterward.  I don't know if I could think of a better night than one consisting of fancy cupcakes and champagne.
The champagne buttercream was just ok.  It didn't taste like champagne, it just tasted like butter.  Just like a lot of different types buttercream just end up tasting like butter.  I'm thinking of experimenting with coconut oil/vegan frostings, to see if I can get some variety of taste in the cupcakes. Also of experimenting with different liquor flavorings.

Drunken Lemon Cupcakes Cupcakes:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 eggs 
1(8-ounce) cartons dairy sour cream
1/3 cup chamagne
 juice of 1 lemon
zest if 2 lemons

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill a standard muffin tin with about 14 paper liners.  Combine first four dry ingreedients, mix. Beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and egg until combined and moderately fluffy.  Begin to ad dry mix, alternating with sour cream, alternate 3 times.  Batter will be very thick.  Fold in champagne and lemon juice.  Fold in zest.  Fill paper liners 3/4 full with batter.  Bake for 19 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Champagne Buttercream
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups powder sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup champagne
pinch salt

Whip ingreedients on high until they become light and will hold peaks, about 5-7 min.  Add more powdered sugar or champagne as necessary to get the right.

Day 2: Chocolate Vanilla Cupcakes

I've been working with the book Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski.  I really like this book because it has a wide variety of recipes that use a lot of different techniques and each recipe is geared for a relatively small batch of 12 cupcakes.  Not sure it's the highest quality baking cook book I've ever seen, but it's a good place to start. 

These turned out really really good.  The cake was rich, moist and fluffy.  The contrast (I wanted to use the word juxtaposition, but I restrained myself.  You're welcome.) between the cake and the buttercream is wonderful.  I really love buttercream, but there's something about it that makes my stomach hurt.  Maybe it's because this type of frosting is more or less just whipped butter.  I need to find a way to make a frosting that's noms-o-licious, but not so very heavy.  I mean, really, two sticks of butter?  It's like a fancy way to dip a stick of butter in sugar and lick it like a Popsicle.  I'm not sure if that sounds like a dream come true, or if it makes me vomit a little in my mouth. Probably both

Also, if you try to make buttercream and your butter is too cold, it looks nasty, like this:

Just keep mixing and it will all work out.

Chocolate Cupcakes
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F.  Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.  Place the chocolate and the butter in a large heatproof bowl and set over (but not touching) simmering water in saucepan; stir frequently until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes.  Remove the bowl from the saucepan let the mixture cool to room temperaure, 10-15 min.

Using a wooden spoon, stir the sugar into the chocolate mixture until combined.  Stir in the eggs one at a time, beating until combined after each addition, and then beat in the vanilla.  gently fold in the four mixture just until no traces of flour remain, do not overmix.

Divide the batter evenly amont the perpared muffin cups, filling each about three-fourths full.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 22-24 min. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 min.  Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. 

Vanilla Buttercream
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
In a large, clean heatproof bowl, combine the egg whites and sugar.  Set the bowl over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan and heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has copletely dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch ( about 160F on a ninstant- read thermometer), about 3 minutes.  remove the bowl from the saucepan.  Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg white misture unitl it is fluffy, cooled to room temterature, and holds stiff peaks (the mixture should not look dry), about 6 min.

With the mixer on medium low speed, add the salt and the butter, a few pieces at a time, beating well after each addition.  If the frosting appears to separate or is very liquid after all the butter is added, continue to beat on high speed until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add Vanilla, and beat until combined.  Use right away.

Tomorrow's Challenge: Lemon Somethings.  ^_^