My cooking classes are in full swing and this time I have some fun photos from Prep Kitchen Essentials latest class on Cupcakes!!!  We had a great menu full of tasty cupcakes, fillings, and frostings and also played around with some fondant and marzipan.  We used the fondant to make little embellishments for the top of our cupcakes by imprinting them with scrapbooking stamps.  To check out this technique you can look at some of my past posts.  I will also show the easy pumpkin making technique in another post this week.  So here goes the menu for the class:

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cream Frosting

Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Chunk Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Ganache Glaze

Candy Bar Cupcakes: Brown Sugar Cake, Caramel Filling, & Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache Frosting

 

As you can see we had a great time and they came out with some yummy creations.  As always, I couldn’t leave you without one yummy recipe from the class so here it is!

Candy Bar Cupcakes

adapted from Demolition Desserts

Caramel sauce

1/2 cup water

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or fresh lemon juice

2 cup (14 ounces) granulated sugar

½ c. light corn syrup

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

In a medium saucepan with high sides, mix together the water, cream of tartar and sugar. Add the corn syrup and stir until just combined. Place the pan over high heat and cover. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture comes to full rolling boil. Remove the lid, and cook until the syrup is a dark amber, 5-7 minutes. Remove the pan and add the butter. Carefully add the cream, standing back because it will sizzle and pop. It may form clumps, but that’s fine. The lumps will melt when the caramel is put back over the heat.

Place the pan over medium-low heat and stir gently with a whisk. Bring the mixture back to a boil and as soon as you see bubbles around the edge, remove it from the heat and strain the mixture into a heatproof container. Stir in the salt and vanilla and set aside to cool. Use immediately or refrigerate up to 2 weeks. 

Brown sugar cupcakes

3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

16 tablespoons (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened but still cool

1 ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoon granulated sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 ½ cup whole milk 

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 24 cup standard muffin pan with paper liners

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the salt and set aside. In a large bowl, using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.

On low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions and the milk in two additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and beating after each addition for about 15 seconds or until combined. Divide the batter evenly among the cups.

Bake the cupcakes, rotating the pan after 10 minutes, for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cook in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, loosen the cupcakes from the pan, then let them cool completely in the pan before removing them.

Fill the cupcakes with the caramel sauce by putting the sauce in a 8-ounce squirt bottle with the tip cut to about 1/4-inch wide, plunging the tip into the center of the cupcake, and squeezing. When you see the top of the cupcake rise just slightly, stop squeezing the bottle and slowly pull the tip out of the cupcake. Don’t worry if some of the sauce comes out of the top; it’ll be covered with frosting. 

Frosting

4 tablespoons (2 ounce) unsalted butter, softened but still cool

1 ¼ c. powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoon whole milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

10 ounces milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 heavy cream

6 tablespoons peanut butter

Garnish

1 cup salted, roasted peanuts

Fleur de sel for sprinkling 

In a large bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute until light and creamy. Gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. When all the sugar has been incorporated, add the salt, milk, vanilla and lemon juice, beating well after each addition. Then continue to beat on high speed for 5-6 minutes until fluffy. Set aside.

In a heatproof bowl, combine the chocolates. In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or just until it comes to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the peanut butter. Let mixture cool for 10-20 minutes, then whisk in the butter frosting. You should have about 1 1/4 cups.

Spread the frosting over the filled cupcakes with an offset icing spatula. Garnish with the peanuts and a few grains of fleur de sel.