Razz Pizzaz Cupcakes & Cupcake Hero

So this is when I'm thinking that maybe sophomore year of culinary school should be more about self expression and creativity. Then I could express myself through flavor and show my skills and get great grades for my creations. But, I guess that's why there's dreams. But I'm antsy to get out and have a free, always open kitchen with no limits, and no questions asked. Oh and can they please hurry and put an oven in my single before move-in day in three weeks? I am desperately going to need the relaxation of filling the room with the scent of homemade baked goods.


In the meantime, I wanted to take advantage of the fact that it is still summer and I still have three weeks to enjoy myself at home. That includes entering another round of cupcake hero with a second raspberry entry, because one is never enough.


For this version, I wanted raspberry to be the star; in as a part of the cake, not an afterthought; and accent it with lemon; a classic combination that would make for a treat tasting like an icy glass of pink lemonade. But I couldn't stop there. I added a big swirl of minty icing for a refreshing pizzaz and create the perfect, smooth finish that coats your pallet.


Oh, and might I add that the cake itself has been slashed of half it's fat. Yes, it's true. You can eat two then!


Who's the cupcake genius now? Can I please have a food truck like a.s.a.p.?

Razz Pizazz Cupcakes


Cakes

6 oz. (3/4 cup) boiling water

2 lemon or raspberry zinger tea bags (optional)

4 tbsp. flaxseed meal

8 oz. (1 cup) soy milk

1 oz. (2 tbsp.) raspberry or red wine vinegar

160 g. (1/2 cup) natural raspberry jam
374 g. (1 2/3 cup) granulated sugar
112 g. (1/2 cup) canola oil
1 tbsp. vanilla
the zest of 1 lemon
9 oz. (2 cups) all purpose flour
9 oz. (2 1/2 cups) cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 oz. (1/2 cup) plain or vanilla soy yogurt


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Place the tea bags into the boiling water and allow to steep for 4-6 minutes. Add the flaxseed meal, mix until smooth, then cool to room temperature.
3. Combine the soy milk and vinegar and allow to sit for at least 5 minutes, or until it curdles like buttermilk. Set aside.
4. In an electric mixer, combine the raspberry jam and the sugar and mix thoroughly. Add the oil and mix until smooth.
5. Add the cooled flaxseed mixture, the vanilla and the lemon zest and mix until smooth and very incorporated.
6. Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the liquid mixture and mix just until moistened.
7. Add the curdled soy milk and the yogurt and mix until barely combined, finishing the mixing by hand.
8. Distribute among the lined muffin cups, filling only 3/4 of the way with batter. You want the cupcakes to barely come above the top of the tin, not overflow. (If you have extra batter, you can add fresh berries and scoop out large muffins).
9. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.




Raspberry Lemon Kurd

120 g, (about 4 oz raspberry before pureeing and straining) raspberry puree (fresh or thawed, frozen raspberries, thawed, pureed, strained, then weighed)
125 g. (about 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp.) lemon juice
the zest of 1 lemon
200 g. (about 7/8 cup) granulated sugar, divided
3 tbsp. corn starch
6 oz. (3/4 cup) soy milk
2 oz. (1/4 cup) Earth Balance or other non-hydrogenated margarine


1. In a saucepan, combine the raspberry puree, lemon juice, lemon zest, and about half of the sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
2. Meanwhile, combine the corn starch and sugar. Slowly add in the soy milk, whisking until smooth.
3. Once boiling, add the corn starch mixture to the juice, whisking briskly. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a rolling boil and boils for 20-30 seconds. The "curd" should be thick and bubbling.
4. Remove from heat and add the margarine, stirring until smooth.
5. Pour into a separate bowl and chill to room temperature over ice, then refrigerate until cold and ready to use.




Minty Fresh Frosting


8 oz. (1 cup) soy milk
about 1/4 cup fresh mint
24 g. (1 tbsp.) corn starch
1 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
8 oz. (1 cup) granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. lemon juice
4 oz. (1 cup) confectioner's sugar, to taste


1. Bring about 3/4 of the soy milk to a boil with the mint leaves. Turn off the heat, cover, and let steep for at least 5 minutes. Remove the mint sprigs.
2. Combine the corn starch and remaining milk and mix until smooth. Add to the warm, steeped milk and bring back to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 20-30 seconds, then remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
3. Beat the shortening and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add vanilla, lemon juice and cooled milk mixture and beat until smooth.
4. Add enough confectioner's sugar to create the desired amount of sweetness and the desired texture.




Candied Mint and Lemon


mint leaves
lemon peel, cut with a peeler or zester that makes long strips
vegan gelatin or xanthan gum ( I used about 1/4 tbsp.)
hot water (about 1/4 cup, almost boiling)
granulated sugar


1. Make sure the mint and lemon peels are well washed.
2. In a shallow bowl, combine the gelatin and hot water and mix until smooth.
3. Place the sugar in another shallow bowl.
4. Dip the mint/lemon into the gelatin, then into the sugar, coating well.
5. Place on a parchment-lined dipping rack, then on a cookie sheet.
6. Dry at room temperature for several days, or in a very low oven, about 150-175 degrees F.




Assembly


You can either hallow a hole out of the top of the cupcake with a melon baller, spoon in some filling, then press together the cake that you took out and cover up the filling. Alternatively, if the filling is thick enough, fit a pastry bag with a filler tip and jam it deep into the cupcake, pushing in some filling until it just comes out the top. Make several incisions of filling in each cupcake if you plan on using this method.


Spoon a few tablespoons of frosting on top of each cupcake. Using an offset spatula, smooth over the top surface, then use short, quick movements to smooth out the top and remove excess frosting (you'll want to start with more than you think you'll need).


Garnish with candied mint and lemon peels, as well as fresh raspberries, if desired.




Note: the decoration that I made with the candied lemon is not meant to signify crossbones; rather chef's knives that show the expertise of these cupcakes and the person who created them. :)

Storytime: A Cupcake's Life Journey

You've probably guessed by now that decorations aren't really my thing. But that just goes to support the fact that the taste will be magnificent! After all, who want's to eat something that looks so much like a real object that no one wants to eat it? For me, pastry is about taking you out of your comfort zone with just a punch of unexpected flavor and a big, heavenly treat to devour.
That brings me to me to my story: a journey through the world of the cupcake.

First, there is the raspberry, that sweet fruit that thinks he is the center of the flavor universe. Yet, once his sweetness talks itself out, a tart, astringent tang of selfishness reveals itself. The raspberry, after all, is just human.

It is only after the raspberry has shown off his perspective of the world and displayed his ownership, that one encounters the almond. In it's plant-like ability to gently cover the earth in lush, green leaves of creamy, nutty flavor, and duplicity as it becomes a crunchy surprise, the almond is perhaps one of the world's biggest treasures.

The almond is perhaps overlooked by the humanly raspberry, who wants nothing of the overpopulating leaves, but instead seeks to display the beauty of the buds that lie within them. This is where we find the rose, Petals gently blowing to settle softly atop the earth, awaiting the soul who will find and treasure them. For the true fact of it is, their beauty is rarely used for more than display. Almonds too, have the alarming ability to take flight, feeding upon the sweet sap of flowers, and making them come to life.

Underneath all of this lies the earth. It is a subtle, lightly-flavored, crumbly abyss that seems to have no life, even when a sweet, red syrup is drizzled over like waves crashing ashore. Without the earth, the life-like cake, there would be nothing for life to find its foundation. The raspberry would never get to live its rein.

And so,  just like this sweet earth began, it is time that we treasure the true beauty that could never be displayed in this early cupcake. All we have to do it take a bite!

And so, I will do just that!

I present: Oreganic Cupcakes; my (first) entry for this month's Cupcake Hero

Note: I was able to use the flowers off the Rose of Sharon in my back yard. I’ve used them in recipes before, and they are an easy way to capture the flavor of the garden in the summer. if you don’t have access to edible roses that you can pick whenever you want to, you can often find dried rose petals in international markets or health food stores.

Note 2: While these are vegan cupcakes, fitting in with the vegan baking I’ve been doing lately, I was having a debate with myself over honey. While I know it’s in no way considered a vegan product, I loved the way it brings out the flavor of the roses. Plus, unlike other animal products, i can’t find any harmful ways in which honey is harvested. On that note however, i’ve included the option of using agave nectar, which may not support the flavors, but will at least have a similar textural role.

Note 3: I made my cupcakes in a muffin tin that was narrower and taller than the standard muffin tin, as I liked their shape and style. Overall though, they use about the same amount of batter as regular muffin tins, so use whatever one you have.

Oreganic Cupcakes

Make 8-9 cupcakes

9 oz, (2 1/4 cups) cake flour

1 oz. almond meal (or blanched almonds that are finely ground in the food processor)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

4 oz. (1/2 cup) Earth Balance Margarine (or other non-hydrogenated vegan margarine) , at room temperature

5 1/4 oz. (1/2 cup plus 2 1/2 tbsp.) sugar

1 3/4 oz. (2 1/2 tbsp.) honey or agave nectar

4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsweetened applesauce

5 1/2 oz. (11 tbsp.)  soy milk

45 g. (about 2 tbsp.) cornstarch

1/2 vanilla bean

2 tsp. rose water

approximately 18 fresh or frozen raspberries (make sure they are firm, not mushy, so that you can easily handle them)

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick spray.
2. Sift cake flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt. The purpose of sifting is more for aeration than to eliminate lumps, so when you get down to just almond flour, feel free to just dump it in to the other dry ingredients.
3. In an electric mixer, cream the margarine and sugar on medium speed until smooth and lightened in color. Add the honey and blend, then add the applesauce.
4. Add the cornstarch, soy milk, rose water and vanilla and mix until smooth.
5. On low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix just until no dry specks show. Remove from the mixer and mix by hand just until fully blended.
6. Distribute the batter among the greased muffin cups; you should only fill 8 or 9 of them. Fill the cups about 3/4 of the way to the top.
7. Press 2 raspberries into the cupcake, pressing them down into the batter so that the batter comes up and around the berries as to try and completely hide them.
8. Bake about 20 minutes, or until firm to the touch and barely beginning to brown on top.
9. Cool completely before glazing.

Glaze

1 cup sugar

water, as needed

1 tsp. honey

approximately 1/4 cups roses or dried rose petals

2 oz. frozen raspberries

1 tbsp. corn starch

1/2 to 1 cup powdered sugar, as needed

1. Have a bowl-filled with cold water and a pastry brush near by in case you need it.
2. Place the sugar in a high-sided pot. Pour in enough water to just come up to the same level as the sugar. Stir the sugar; it should be the constancy of wet sand. Add the honey.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. If you find any crystals appearing along the side of the pot, brush them down with a wet pastry brush.
4. Once the sugar boils, stop stirring and continue cooking until it reaches 235-240℉.
5. Remove from the heat and pour into a separate bowl. Add the rose petals and allow the syrup to cool.
6. In a food processor, blend the cooled sugar syrup, raspberries and corn starch until smooth.
7. Pour the puree into a bowl. Add enough powdered sugar to make a thick, yet pourable glaze.
8. Remove the cakes from the pan. They should have pulled away form the edges of the pan, therefore easy to remove; but you can use an offset spatula to help. Place the cakes onto a drying or dipping rack that has small enough grates that the cakes will stand. Place the rack on a cookie sheet for easy clean-up
9. Using a spoon or spatula, slowly drizzle the glaze over the cakes; allowing it time to slowly drain into and drizzle over the cakes. There will be a lot of excess that will collect under the rack, which you can use as a second coating if you’d like. Allow the glaze to set.

Almond Cream Frosting

(this filling is so good that I can eat it by the spoonful; like spreadable marzipan!)

2 oz. blanched almonds (the process is quicker if the almonds are also pre-sliced or slivered)

1 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. water

2 oz. (1/4 cup) Earth Balance Margarine (o other non-hydrogenated margarine), softened 

1 tsp. vanilla

1-2 cups confectioner's sugar

1. Sprinkle the almonds over a sheet pan and toast in a 400℉ for 5-10 minutes or until fragrant and beginning to brown.
2. Immediately remove and pour into a food processor. Add the honey and blend until pasty. Add water and blend until as smooth as possible.
3. Cream the almond butter that you’ve just made with the margarine and vanilla. Add about 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar at a time until you get a thick, barely spreadable frosting. You can also add some soy milk if you find the frosting being too thick.
4. Fit a piping bag with a large star tip, then fill with the almond cream frosting.
5. Near the edge of each cupcake, pipe a rosette of frosting. To do this, hold the bag at an angle in relation to the cupcake, then make a quick “e” pattern, lessening the amount of frosting as you come back around. The design does not have to be perfect, as this cupcake represents nature.
6. Garnish with a fresh, whole raspberry, placed near the edge of the cream, a slivered almond, and a candied or crystalized rose petal.

More cupcakes!

Now, on to the other coconut cupcakes! For this one (still vegan, mind you, I want to enjoy my treats), I wanted something earthy and somewhat punchy, to be mellowed out by the sweet coconut. For this, I went to a flower, specifically lavender, a spice I've recently fell in love with. I also wanted to include lime, a classic combination with coconut, but I didn't have any, so I settled for lemon, which worked out great!
You'll notice that the cupcake itself is the exact same recipe, but the different spices and the fluffy frosting make it a whole different animal! i like the look that piping frosting in a peak on the cupcakes gives; but maybe that's just because I like a ton of frosting on my cupcakes!
These are the culmination of summer; combining a desire for fresh tropical flavors with the availability of pungent herbs.

Coasting Coconut Cupcakes

Cupcake Batter:

2 cups cake flour

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

the zest of 1 lemon

2 tsp. dried lavender buds

6 oz. Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (or other non-hydrogenated vegan margarine)

1 1/4 cups coconut milk (I used like)

2 tbsp. flaxseed meal

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a standard, 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
3. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and lavender in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
4. Add the margarine and 2/3 cup of the coconut milk on low speed. Mix until incorporated, then increase to medium-high speed and beat 2 minutes, or until fluffy.
5. Meanwhile, combine the remaining coconut milk, the flaxseed meal and the vanilla. Add to the fluffy mixture and beat on low speed until incorporated.
6. Fold in the coconut.
7. Distribute the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-25 minutes, or until golden and just barely bouncy to the touch. Cool completely before filling or frosting.

Coconut Lavender Seven Minute Icing

1 cup coconut milk

3 tbsp flour

2 tsp. lavender buds

1 cup (8 oz.) Earth Balance Buttery Sticks Margarine (or other vegan margarine

1 cup granulated sugar

pinch of salt

1. Combine the flour and about 1/4 cup of the milk in a small saucepan and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining milk and the lavender buds (if you don’t want to see the lavender buds in the final frosting, you can bring the milk to a boil first, with the lavender buds, then allow it to steep for about 5 minutes, then strain and cool the milk before continuing you can also infuse some coconut in too for maximum flavor).
2. Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool
3. Whip the margarine, sugar and salt on medium speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Add the cooled milk mixture and whip briefly.
5. Frost the cupcakes using a piping bag and a spiral motion starting from the center of the cupcake and working out.
6. Garnish with toasted coconut, if desired.

I've gone vegan!

Well.. ok, only partially vegan. I guess technically I'm not vegan at all. But for about 2/3 of my day, usually all except one meal, I eat animal-free. No meat, eggs, dairy. That can be pretty hard for a baker that likes to taste everything through every step of the baking process. But so far I've done good, and the best part is; this is a diet that lets me eat all the sweets I want!

That brings me to the real topic of today's post: Cupcake Hero! Yes, the contest is back again, which makes me realize both how little I post, and how quickly summer is going by (why does it have to be that way). Anyway, I love this month's challenge: coconut; and the added challenge that my friend, Amy, and I have put on ourselves to make a great tasting vegan coconut. Of course, I like to think out of the box with my flavors, so I've created two delicious creations that are all vegan from the first bite to the last.
In creating my cupcakes, I knew i wanted to make a cupcake that was delicate, had a recognizable coconut flavor, and had a punch of spice. Being from a Swedish background, and loving Swedish Cardamom Bread and the potent, chai-like aromas of the cardamom pod, I wanted to include cardamom in one of my version. Cardamom pairs well with orange, which would make a tropical pairing with coconut; made delectable by a vegan cream cheese frosting. So ca-boom! my first vegan cupcake creation!


Zinger Coconut Cupcakes

2 cups cake flour

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

the zest of 1 orange

1 1/2 tsp. cardamom

6 oz. Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (or other non-hydrogenated vegan margarine)

1 1/4 cups coconut milk (I used like)

2 tbsp. flaxseed meal

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a standard, 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
3. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, orange zest and cardamom in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
4. Add the margarine and 2/3 cup of the coconut milk on low speed. Mix until incorporated, then increase to medium-high speed and beat 2 minutes, or until fluffy.
5. Meanwhile, combine the remaining coconut milk, the flaxseed meal and the vanilla. Add to the fluffy mixture and beat on low speed until incorporated.
6. Fold in the coconut.
7. Distribute the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-25 minutes, or until golden and just barely bouncy to the touch. Cool completely before filling or frosting.

Orange “Cream Cheese” Frosting

2 oz. Earth Balance Buttery Sticks Margarine (or other vegan margarine

4 oz. Tofuti Imitation Cream Cheese

2-3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla (a couple splashes; whatever you like)

1 tbsp. orange juice

1. In an electric mixer, cream the margarine and Tofuti until smooth.
2. Add about half of the sugar and blend well.
3. Add the vanilla and orange juice, then whip, momentarily, until smooth.
4. Add enough powdered sugar to make the desired consistency of frosting for your cupcakes. This frosting does not taste like tofu, even though I thought it would at first.

Frost the Cardamom & Orange Coconut Cupcakes with a generous amount of frosting (don’t frost to close to the edge, the frosting will naturally make its way out). Garnish with toasted coconut.

Thoughts about sickness, Oregon and... Blueberry Cupcakes

Have I said how much I love Oregon? Well I do LOVE it! Maybe it's just the fact that I need a total charge from the long winters and endlessly humid summers, or just need a change of lifestyle; but something about it has always appealed to me. So, a couple weeks ago, I finally got to see if it was all true. And boy, was it ever! Granted, I only saw like a fraction of what there is to see, but I could certainly see myself packing up and moving there.

And, well... I came very close to doing that, right now!

But I guess it's good because now, here i am recovering from a stomach bug.

My darn immune system!

Anyway, so I've spent a lot of time in the house during this last week or so, and before I got sick on Friday, I'd been experimenting with my new favorite kind of baked good. Cupcakes. Being on an Oregon high, I wanted to make something with blackberries and hazelnuts. Turns out, we didn't have anything blackberry in the house, except for about 2 tbsp. of Smucker's Jam. Nor did we have any butter. There went all my ideas!

But then, I found this contest at Kitchen Koola (thanks to my friend... in Oregon) which challenged me to create a cupcake highlighting blueberries. An easy enough switch. And quite tasty too!

I must admit that the frosting I made for these cupcakes was a shortening/cream cheese/seven-minute icing mix (due to the lack of ingredients), so I improvised a bit from what the recipe actually says- the Italian Meringue would much better compliment the cupcakes and would look great too!

Cascade Cupcakes

Hazelnut Butter (needed for cake and filling)

Spread 10 oz. whole hazelnuts on a standard sheet pan.

Roast, at 325 to 350℉ for 5-10 minutes, or until fragrant. When sampled, the nuts should have a deep flavor and a slight crunch.

Immediately pour the nuts onto a clean kitchen towel. Gather up like a pouch, then vigorously roll the nuts to remove the skin. If some skin remains, that’s okay, but it’s papery and bitter, so remove as much as possible.

Place the warm nuts into a small food processor and blend until a smooth, liquidy butter forms. You should not need to add any oil; the nuts should smooth themselves out.

Cupcakes

Yields: about 30 cupcakes

2 oz. hazelnut butter

6 oz. oil

19 oz. sugar

4 eggs

8 oz. buttermilk, microwaved until very hot

7.5 oz. sour cream

the juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp. vanilla

1 lb. flour

2 oz. cornstarch

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2-3 cups blueberries (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350℉ (though it should already be on from toasting the nuts). Line 3 standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.

Combine the hazelnut butter, oil and sugar and mix until smooth.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix more, as necessary to create a well emulsified mixture.

Slowly stream in the hot buttermilk. It may have separated into thick curds, but that’s okay. Continue beating on medium speed until all the buttermilk is incorporated.

Mix together the lime juice, vanilla and sour cream. Set aside

Toss the blueberries in the corn starch, coating well. If frozen, put back into the freezer until ready to use.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the wet ingredients, in two additions. Mix just until incorporated. After the last addition (which should be flour) goes in, mix only until about half of the flour is incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer.

Fold in the blueberries, being sure to get all of the cornstarch from the bottom of the bowl. Mix only until berries have been easily dispersed.

Distribute among paper-lined muffin tins, filling only 2/3 of the way towards the top. These cakes puff up a lot.

Bake in preheated oven for 18-25 minutes, or until just beginning to brown.

Cool completely before filling.

White “Nutella” Filling

8 oz. cream

8 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped (or use good quality chips)

8 oz. hazelnut butter

vanilla extract, to taste

Pour the cream into a microwave safe bowl. Heat, on high, until boiling, 2-4 minutes.

Add the chopped white chocolate and mix, just until smooth.

Stir in the hazelnut butter and vanilla extract, to taste.

Cool to room temperature and thickened before using to fill cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature.

8 oz. butter, at room temperature

12-16 oz. powdered sugar

vanilla, to taste

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.

Add vanilla and beat until smooth.

Add about half of the powdered sugar and blend until smooth.

Continue to add just enough sugar to create a smooth, spreadable, not-too runny frosting. Cream cheese frosting is hard to pipe and will not get as thick as a pure-butter or shortening basic buttercream frosting would.

Fluffy White Italian Meringue (what I should have used as icing)

24 oz. sugar

12 oz. water

1 vanilla ban, slit in half lengthwise and scraped of its seeds

12 oz. egg whites

1½ tsp. cream of tarter

¾ tsp. salt

Combine sugar, water and vanilla bean (both seeds and bean pod itself) in a high-sided pot. Stir until the sugar is the consistency of wet sand.

Bring sugar to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove the vanilla bean pod, then stop stirring. If any sugar crystals appear to have formed along the side of the pot, use a pastry brush dipped in water to wash them down. Otherwise, put a thermometer in the sugar and walk away.

Meanwhile, prepare the egg whites. Put egg whites, cream of tarter and salt in a clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a clean whip attachment (tools must be clean because whites will not whip if there is even a slight amount of fat). Attach the bowl and the whip, but don’t turn on the mixer yet.

When the sugar reaches 235℉, begin beating egg whites on high speed.

When the sugar reaches 240℉, your egg whites should be at stiff peak. If they are not, add a small amount of water to the sugar and continue cooking until stiff peaks form.

Slowly drizzle the hot sugar into the beating egg whites, still on high speed. Aim the stream of sugar down between the beater and the bowl so that it hits the egg whites and cooks them, instead of seeping down the side of the bowl of making a mess.

Once all syrup has been added, continue beating until cooled to room temperature. You can determine this by feeling the bottom of the bowl. It should feel slightly cool, not warm or hot.

Assembly

About 1 cup blueberry jam, jelly or preserves (softened, if necessary) to a pourable consistency)

2 piping bags

1 filler tip (a long tip with a narrow, angled opening that is good for poking into your baked product and filling it; but you could also use a paring knife and a medium-size round tip)

1 large star tip

small offset spatula

Fit one piping bag with the filling tip. If you don’t have a filling tip, fit a bag with a medium-size round tip, and prepare your cooled cupcakes by making a deep insertion into each cake with a paring knife, then opening it with a round object.

Fill the piping bag with a small amount of cooled White “Nutella” filling. Put only as much as you can comfortably squeeze.

Jam the tip into the top, center of one of your cooled cupcakes, going almost to the bottom. Applying gentle, even pressure, squeeze filling into the cavity of the cake as you slowly pull up. Once the filling pokes up through the hole on top, stop applying pressure. Frosting will cover up this hole, so don’t worry about how it looks.

Continue filling all cupcakes, then chill until ready to frost. With the cream cheese frosting, the task is much easier when the cakes are cold.

For Cream Cheese-Iced Cupcakes

Pipe about 2 tbsp. worth of cream cheese onto the tops of each cupcake. Spread using a small offset spatula, smoothing over the top of the cake. If your frosting seems really runny (best if it’s cold too), do not spread it all the way to the edge.

Place a dollop of blueberry preserves in the center of the frosting, swirling if you’d like.

For Italian Buttercream-Iced Cupcakes

Fit the second piping bag with a large star tip. Open the bag up and, holding almost horizontally, spoon some jam along one edge. Spoon in frosting on top. You should have two pretty distinct layers of jam, then frosting.

Pipe frosting in a spiral motion on top of the cupcakes, creating a high peak.

Garnish with chopped hazelnuts, if you wish.