PRODUCT REVIEWS: BOOKS

This recipe actually comes from the book Martha Stewart’s CUPCAKES that I received as a gift from the chitlins earlier this year.  The book contains “175 inspired ideas for everyone’s favorite treat” – cupcakes!  Or, so the cover says.  This is the only recipe I have prepared thus far, but they all look delicious and of course are all beautiful.  I like that when the cupcake requires a special topping the recipe for it is on the same page as the cupcake.  There is also a separate section on frostings, fillings, and embellishments with recipes for basic icings like vanilla, chocolate, seven-minute, cream-cheese, buttercream, ganache, etc.  The back of the book also gives some cute ideas for displaying your cupcake creations and even templates for paper-craft embellishments.

Unlike many of Martha’s recipes this one is neither difficult nor fussy to make.  For the cupcakes you will need:

• ²/₃ cup all-purpose flour
• ¹/₂ teaspoon baking powder
• ¹/₄ teaspoon salt
• ¹/₂ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• ³/₄ cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.  Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water; stir until melted.  Remove from heat, and let cool slightly. {I melted my butter and chocolate in the microwave rather than on the stove}

2.  Whisk granulated sugar into cooled chocolate mixture.  Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth.  Stir in vanilla.  Add flour mixture; stir until well incorporated.

3.  Spoon 2 tablespoons chocolate batter into each lined cup, followed by 1 tablespoon peanut butter filling.  Repeat with another tablespoon of batter, and top with 1 teaspoon filling.  Swirl top of cupcake batter and filling with a wooden skewer or toothpick.

4.  Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 40 minutes.  Transfer tin to a wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes.  Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

The book says that the “abundance of creamy peanut-butter filling renders these cupcakes extra-rich and irresistible.”  Mine were dry and certainly resistible.  I can’t blame it on the recipe though.  I have a crazy-whacked-out oven with no temperature control.  It just does whatever the hell it wants.  We do use a thermometer in the oven, but sometimes don’t notice the skyrocketing temperatures until it’s too late.  So mine were done way under the recommended time.  Then there’s the peanut butter.  The peanut butter I used wasn’t exactly creamy.  I like to buy my peanut butter in bulk by grinding my own fresh from the food coop.  Since there is no added oil, the butter is a pasty mix of minutely ground peanuts.  Plus, it was old.  Not old from the coop, but old sitting around in my kitchen that I wanted to use up and that is why I chose this recipe.

I would still recommend this recipe {and the book!} and will try making it again.  Only this time with either creamier peanut butter or the addition of yogurt or sour cream to keep it moist.  Let me know how it turns out for you.

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Tagged as: CAKE & CUPCAKES, NOW YOU'RE COOKIN': FROM SCRATCH, NOW YOU'RE COOKIN': RECIPES {DESSERT - MY FAVORITE!}, PRODUCT REVIEWS: BOOKS, YOU CAN DO IT: DIY/MYO

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