MORNING STAR • OCTOBER 25 - 31, 2007
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From cupcakes into scary treats There’s a TV commercial in which a young lad informs his ORETTA NORR mom the night before that he needs to take a bunch of cupcakes to school the next morning. Without gnashing a molar, she enlists his help as they merrily get to whipping up their treats. These happy bakers may live in Texas, where the legislature adopted a Safe Cupcake Amendment to protect this goodie from being banned from school parties out of the real concern that children are Red food coloring being bombarded with unnecessary sugar, Small black jelly beans fat and empty calories. But in an article ti- Round candies with hole in the middle tled, “Don’t Even Think About Touching Line cupcake tins with the liners. Fill That Cupcake,” New York Times writer the tins two-thirds full with the batter and Sarah Kershaw suggests that cupcakes’ bake the cupcakes as directed. emotional value, on occasion, might legitiFrost the cupcakes, reserving some of mately outweigh their nutritional value. the frosting. Pile the frosting up a little in Many, I suspect, would agree. The cup- the center to make a sort of domed shape, cake has a universal appeal. It’s individmore like an eyeball. To make the surface ual, it’s just-for-you special and you don’t smooth, dip a butter or frosting/palette have to share. knife in hot water and smooth it over the Clare Crespo is a cupcake expert. She top of the frosting. began a Web site called Just for Fun and Tint the remaining frosting bright red. cites Willy Wonka as her inspiration, which Using a pastry bag, pipe the red frosting will give you an idea of the type of person on the tops of the cupcake in vein patwe’re dealing with here. Her 2004 cookterns. Make the veins radiate from the book, Hey There, Cupcake, was an immedi- center of the cupcake to make the bloodate success. In it, she shares lots of tips and shot quality more realistic. hints for whimsical and inventive creations Cut the jelly beans in half. Place a jelly using a few basic recipes. Here are a couple bean half into the circle of the round canof her wacky Halloween ideas. dy. Now you have an iris and a pupil. Place this in the center of a cupcake. ConBleeding Heart Cupcakes tinue with the rest of the eyeballs. Makes 14 to 18 cupcakes 20 glass marbles or small balls of tinfoil White Cupcakes 1 batch white cupcakes (below) Makes 14 to 18 cupcakes 2 to 3 cups strawberry jelly or smooth 3 cups all-purpose flour strawberry jam 2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 batch buttercream frosting (below) 1/2 teaspoon salt Red and blue food coloring 2/3 cups unsalted butter, softened Line cupcake tins with paper liners. Fill 1 and 3/4 cups sugar the liners two-thirds full with the batter. 2 eggs Place 1 marble or tinfoil ball between 1 and 1/4 cups whole milk each liner and the tin. This will make a 1 teaspoon vanilla extract dent in your cupcake when it bakes to Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare cupmake it heart-shaped. Bake the cupcakes cake tins as directed in the recipe you are as directed in the recipe. If you are using following. marbles, be careful when removing the Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt cupcakes from the tins because the martogether in a medium bowl. In a separate, bles will be very hot. larger bowl, cream the butter. Gradually With a small paring knife, cut out a cir- add the sugar, creaming until light and cle about the size of a dime in the center fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and of each cupcake, going about two thirds of beat well after each addition. the way in. Pull the little plug of cake out. In a small bowl, combine the milk and Cut off the top of this piece (about 1/2 vanilla. To the butter mixture, add about inch thick) and eat or discard the bottom. one quarter of the flour mixture and mix Use a teaspoon or a squeeze bottle to fill well. Add about one quarter of the milk the hole partway with the strawberry jelly mixture and mix well. Continue alternat“blood.” Put the little cake plug back in. ing the flour mixture and milk mixture, Continue with the rest of the hearts. beating after each addition until smooth. Put one third of the frosting into two Pour the batter into the cupcake tins. Bake separate bowls. Color one bowl of frosting for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cake with the red food coloring. Tint the other springs back when touched. bowl of the frosting blue. Tint the remainRemove from oven and let cool for ing two thirds pink. about 10 minutes. Turn the cupcakes onto Frost the cupcakes with the pink frosta rack to cool completely. ing. Make it smooth by dipping a butter or frosting/palette knife in a bowl of hot waVanilla Butter Cream Frosting ter and smoothing it over the top. With a 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened pastry bag or a knife, use the red and blue 4 cups powdered sugar frosting to make veins on the hearts. 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup whole milk Eyeball Cupcakes 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Makes 14 to 18 cupcakes In a large bowl, cream the butter until White paper cupcake liners smooth. Add the powdered sugar, salt, 1 batch white cupcakes (below) milk, and vanilla and mix until smooth 1 batch buttercream frosting (below) and creamy.
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The Practical Gourmet