Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Ispahan Cupcakes

The cupcake papers slid easily off the butter soft surface - the first sign of sweet success. Mmm, the scent of lychees and roses. I bit into it. The buttercream was soft and light, like velvet in my mouth. Then came the buttery goodness lying underneath. As I reached the centre, creamy raspberry came out to greet my taste buds. Perfect. It is comparable to eating a fragrant flower, only more butter and sweet.



Yes, in case you are wondering, I have eaten a flower before. A whole bowl of them, in Korea.



Hmm... I know I made this for a friend's birthday but I don't know how four of them ended up in my tummy. This is why I'm not thin =P



I have a rule where I will not bake the same thing twice until I have done 100 recipes, but would gladly bend the rule for this baby!


Did not put in food colouring because I don't have the best luck with buttercream. For some reason it just hates me and I didn't want to piss it off.

Found the recipe here!



Lychee Rosewater Butter Cake


Yields: 12 - 14 cupcakes


1 14 oz. can of lychees, reserve the liquid

2 cups of cake flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

5 tbsn. rose water

2 tbsn. reserved lychee water


Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a cupcake pan with liners, set aside. Drain the lychees and cut into small pieces, set aside.


Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl, set aside. In a mixer cream the butter and sugar until well blended and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure to scape the sides of the bowl as you move along. Next add the vanilla, rose water, and lychee water. Mix to combine. Lastly, toss the diced lychees into the flour mixture and mix with the wet mixture, mix to combine.


Pour into cupcake pans and bake about 15 - 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.


Stabilized Raspberry Whipped Cream Filling


Yields: enough for 12 cupcakes


1 tbsn. water

1/4 envelope of unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup of heavy cream, cold

2 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/8 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup of mashed raspberries


In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Let the gelatin bloom/ absorb the water for a couple of minutes. Add a dash of the heavy cream and microwave for a minute to allow the gelatin to dissolve, set aside.


In the bowl of an electric mixer, on low, beat the cream cheese until nice and fluffy. Add the whipped cream, sugar, and salt. Whip everything till soft peaks form, then add the gelatin mixture and the vanilla. Whip until stiff peaks form, then fold in the mashed raspberries.


Refrigerate for 15 - 20 minutes.


You can use the cone method or simply pipe these into the cooled cupcakes.


Swiss Meringue Buttercream


Yields: enough for 12 cupcakes


2 large egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 sticks of butter (12 tbsn.), cut into 12 pieces

1- 2 drops of food coloring (optional)


Put the egg whites and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water making sure the bottom does not actually touch the water. Stir the egg whites until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and place into the mixer stand.


Beat until it becomes white and doubles in size. Add the vanilla on low speed, then add the butter, one piece at a time, making sure it is well mixed after each addition. Do not worry if it looks curdled, it will take some time for it to come together.


Continue beating for 5 - 10 minutes until everything comes together.


Spread/ pipe/ smother onto your cupcakes and enjoy


Yea, it's quite a lot of work, but definitely worth it! =)

3 comments:

  1. Hi Sharin, Cheryl (Xiang xiang) here! um dunno if u you remember me..I'm John's friend from Intec. You asked me about the Brisbane floods but I was already back in Penang at that time. Just wanted to tell you that I love your blog!!!! food porn nomnomnom. You're so talented =D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Cheryl, Yea I do =) Thank you so much! I am still experimenting tho =) So much room for improvement!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Haha.. Woman! I dont even have an interest in baking or cooking (tho I do have a huge interest in eating.. Hmm..), but you always make your posts interesting/funny enough for even a lazy bum like me to read through! You make me wish I could cook / bake!! =D

    ReplyDelete