Cupcake Cravings…
So, if you follow my recent tweets, I have been seriously craving some cupcakes. In New York City, within the last few years, there have been these awesome cupcake shops opening up everywhere. Magnolia Bakery, Buttercup Bakeshop, Sugar Sweet Sunshine, Baked By Melissa, and the list goes on…
I’m pretty sure that they made the infamous Red Velvet Cupcake famous, but I could be wrong. All I know is that those little cupcakes are dangerously delicious - “A moment on your lips, a lifetime on the hips!”
The best cupcakes are fluffy and have light and airy icing. I’m not really a baker, more of a cook (I love savory, can you tell?) but I do have a bit of a sweet tooth.
I had been exchanging tweets with Rebecca Treherne of Alice in Cakeland and we talked about a cupcake workshop! So Rebecca put together a Valentine’s Cupcake decorating workshop. For 22Euros, you get a dozen cupcakes and you get to decorate them - with of course some drinks and good company! I’m super excited to try our very own American style cupcakes baked by an American in the Netherlands!
However, our workshop isn’t until February 11th and I was craving cupcakes bad! So I made some of Giada de Laurentiis’ Mascarpone Cupcakes with a Strawberry Glaze. The recipe includes egg whites and mascarpone cheese so the cupcakes are super light and airy. I saw Giada make these on her Food Network show Everyday Italian a couple of years ago, I think the episode originally aired in 2007. I tried the recipe and now I make them all the time and always get compliments - I owe it all to Giada (I’d really like to be her friend, she seems to throw the best dinner parties!).
Here’s the recipe - taken from the FN site:
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese (about 1 cup), softened
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and drained
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Special equipment: 4 mini muffin tins and 48 mini muffin paper cupcake liners (I actually used 15 regular sized silicone cupcake liners).
Preheat the oven to 350F or 200C. Line the mini tins with paper liners.
In a large bowl combine the mascarpone cheese, egg whites and vegetable oil. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients until combined and creamy. Add the cake mix and water and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Fill the mini cups to just below the rim and bake until puffed and golden, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly in the tin then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack.
Meanwhile, puree the strawberries in a blender or small food processor. Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Pour in the strawberry puree and whisk until smooth. Top the cooled cupcakes with the strawberry glaze. Let the cupcakes sit for a few minutes for the glaze to firm up, then serve.
Its a super quick recipe, only takes about 35 minutes in total. Love these! Jarno and I had them for our dessert with milk!
What’s your favorite cupcake?
