Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Cookbook paradise at CupcakeCamp NYC

Do you love cookbooks? Are you attending CupcakeCamp NYC this Friday, April 9th? If so, bring some extra cash and/or good luck charms because we're going to have foodie books galore to give and for sale.

The wonderful team at Clarkson Potter are going to be on hand, and they are bringing two copies of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes with them, which we'll be giving away to two lucky cupcakers. We've also got copies of The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross to give way to two attendees, and Jennifer will be on hand to sell her book and sign copies as well. Buttercup Bake Shop are bringing copies of their various cookbooks too - we weren't kidding when we said it's going to be a cookbook paradise.


And for those of you that need a little inspiration for your cupcake recipes this Friday, we've got a great recipe to share with you. The ladies at Clarkson Potter e-mailed us an amazing Meyer lemon cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes - happy baking!




Martha’s Meyer Lemon Cupcakes

The mild and sweet flavor of Meyer lemon is one of Martha’s favorites; these -zest--flecked cupcakes are filled with Meyer lemon curd, which peeks out from the tops. The fruit, which is actually a -lemon--orange hybrid, is generally available at specialty stores in winter and early spring. If you can’t find Meyer lemons, use regular lemons instead. The recipe yields a lot of cupcakes, so you may want to consider these for a bake sale or large gathering, such as a shower or special birthday celebration. makes 42

3 1/2 cups -all--purpose flour, sifted
2 tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice (from 1 to 2 Meyer lemons)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2teaspoons coarse salt 
1 3/4 cups ( 3 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
7 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting 
Lemon Curd (made with Meyer lemons; below)

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, zest, baking powder, and salt.

2. With an electric mixer on -medium--high speed, cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in cream cheese. Reduce speed to low. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. Add flour mixture in three batches, beating until just combined after each.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each -three--quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

4. To finish, dust cupcakes with confectioners’ sugar. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a coupler and a medium round tip (#8) with curd. Insert tip into top of each cupcake, and squeeze some curd below top to fill the inside, then lift the tip and squeeze more curd in a pool on top. Filled cupcakes can be kept at room temperature up to 1 hour (or refrigerated a few hours more) before serving.
Lemon Curd
A high proportion of lemon juice gives curd its intense flavor. As an acid, the juice also prevents the yolks from curdling when heated (unlike when making pastry cream, which requires the extra step of tempering). You can substitute an equal amount of juice from other citrus, such as lime, grapefruit, or blood orange. makes about 2 cups.

2 whole eggs plus 8 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature

Combine whole eggs and yolks, sugar, and lemon juice in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Strain through a fine sieve into another bowl, and cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap, pressing it directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).

2 comments:

  1. I actually made these a couple of weeks ago for a friend's birthday party. They are yummy!

    This doesn't really work, though: "Insert tip into top of each cupcake, and squeeze some curd below top to fill the inside..." So I mostly just pooled on top. They were a hit!

    Photo of mine!

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  2. Hi Mary Ann! Okay, let me thank you for sharing this recipe. My sister and I prepared these cupcakes in our friend, Andrea's wedding last summer. The guests loved them, especially her colleagues from San Diego. Tent rentals however, were not a problem 'coz there are plenty of choices. We considered the canopy (Los Angeles) type so the guest could feel the summer breeze outside near Redondo Beach. Anyway, thanks again!

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