Malva Pudding Cupcakes

Literally translated as mallow pudding, this [malva pudding] is a well-loved traditional South-African pudding. It is seriously sweet and seriously rich but oh-so-mouth-meltingly-delicious. I think every South-African has fond memories of malva pudding, either lovingly made by their ouma (grandmother), or on the poedingtafel (pudding table) alongside jelly and custard at the annual kerkbasaar (church fete). I can't remember my own granny ever making this but I do have fond memories of eating it at church fetes, visiting my aunts and yes even at the university residences.

The description of malva pudding above was written by my Taste & Create partner, Marisa, from the South African cooking blog, The Creative Pot. Most of us here in the United States (myself included, before this week) have never heard of malva pudding - but it's worth learning about!

Wikipedia explains that "Malva Pudding is a sweet pudding of Dutch origin, usually served hot with custard and/or ice-cream. It is made with apricot jam and has a spongy caramelized texture... The pudding's name is derived from Malvacea wine from Madeira. The dessert and dessert wine used to be served together after main course at Cape tables."

That last sentence was the key to my Name That Dessert quiz. A big congrats goes out to GiGi who guessed it correctly and even used the South African name, malvapoeding! Gigi, please email me with your address so we can send you your prize!

I decided (no shock to anyone) to make my malva pudding in cupcake form. Like bread pudding, the malva pudding cupcakes were definitely best when fresh out of the oven. However, the same effect can be achieved by microwaving the cupcake for around twenty seconds prior to eating (be sure not to use foil wrappers).

The malva pudding cupcakes' apricot flavor was practically non-existent (which could be good or bad, depending on your thoughts on apricots). The flavor was simply warm and sweet. Even though I'd never tried malva pudding before, it evoked happy homey memories. Sometimes the simplest flavors can provide the most pleasure.

Malva Pudding Cupcake Recipe

Here is the malva pudding recipe from The Creative Pot (adapted from Boerekos.com), converted to cupcake form.

Makes 16 cupcakes

• 2 C sugar
• 2 T unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 2 t lemon juice
• 2 T apricot jam
• 2 t baking powder
• 2 t baking soda
• 2 C milk
• 1 C cake flour

For the sauce:

• 1 C lowfat evaporated milk
• 1 C sugar
• 1/2 C unsalted butter
• 1/2 C boiling water

1. Combine butter, sugar and egg
2. Add lemon juice, apricot jam, baking soda and baking powder.
3. Add milk and flour bit by bit, stirring to ensure no lumps form.
4. Fill cupcake liners almost to the top.
   
5. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until nicely risen and browned on top. The top should feel spongy.
6. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and heat for 2 minutes in the microwave, stirring to ensure all the sugar has dissolved.
7. Prick the cupcakes with a toothpick. Then, drizzle the sauce over them. It should be absorbed very quickly.
   
8. Return to the oven for another three minutes to caramelize.
   

I served the malva cupcakes with Ciao Bella Tahitian Vanilla Gelato. Because of the neutral taste of the cupcake, however, any ice cream flavor would work. Pick your favorite! Oh - and don't forget to serve the cupcake with some Malvasia wine from Madeira. It really was a perfect pairing. FYI - The bottle may not say Malvasia. Look for something labeled Malmsey. You can read all about Malvasia wine over at Wikipedia, my best friend.

Read the rest of this post...

---

Name the Dessert

THIRD UPDATE: We have a winner! Thanks to everyone for playing! You guys had some great guesses!

SECOND UPDATE: We still do not have a winner. Now, I'm going to give you a huge hint and the first person to correctly guess the dessert will win. Once someone gets it correct, I will close the comments and post about the cupcake. Ready??

Here we go: The dessert recipe is found somewhere on Marisa's blog, The Creative Pot. (Sorry Marisa, you are not eligible to win.)

UPDATE: I still have not received a correct guess. Here's a hint: The cupcake contains a small amount of jam. If I don't receive a correct answer by the noon deadline, I'll give a second hint. Be sure to check back!

My next cupcake is a based on a dessert which is traditionally served with wine made from the same grapes as the bottle of wine in the photo above.

Name that dessert.

All correct guesses by noon central time tomorrow (Thursday, Nov. 19) will be entered to win an OXO prize pack which includes a medium silicone spatula, 11” whisk, and a silicone pastry brush. I personally own the whisk and the pastry brush as well as a slew of other OXO products (my favorite is the jar opener) and can attest to their quality.



Note: If you are a friend of mine and have tasted the cupcakes or simply heard me talking about them, you are ineligible. Sorry.

Second Note: If you want to enter to win an even bigger prize, check out the Challenge Butter Taste of the West Sweepstakes. The connection between OXO and Challenge Butter is what got me these prizes to give to you. More about that later. And, no, this isn't a hint.

Read the rest of this post...

---

Turkey Dinner Cupcake on Paula Deen

Remember my honey baked ham cupcakes? This week on Paula Deen, you'll find my recipe for the Thanksgiving version. It's a cranberry cupcake with maple frosting baked in turkey! The flavors that work so well during the main course will also impress (or shock) your guests at dessert time.

While I've got your attention (hopefully you're not in a blog induced turkey coma), I'd like to humbly ask you to vote for my PAMA Mojito Cupcakes in PAMA's contest to help me win a trip to The Food and Wine Classic in Aspen. You can vote once per day for the entire month. I'm sure many of you are Facebook junkies like I am, so while you're on there, just think about popping over to PAMA's page and placing a vote. THANKS!!! You guys are the best!

Read the rest of this post...

---

Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Cupcake Video Review

Check out Bride and Groom 3.0 (and everyone's favorite co-star, Roommate Davin) as they review this week's Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Cupcake!



Note 1: The taste that they identify as oatmeal is actually crumb topping that was baked into the cupcake.

Note 2: Cousin Nancy who got the shout out is referred to around these parts by her new name, Grandma Nancy! Without her watching baby Myles, I wouldn't have had time to bake these cupcakes! Thanks!

Read the rest of this post...

---

Thanksgiving Cupcakes - Sweet Potato Casserole in Cupcake Form

Thanksgiving cupcakes can feature little turkeys or Thanksgiving cupcakes can feature pilgrims. But, what I like my Thanksgiving cupcakes to feature is TASTE! These sweet potato casserole cupcakes will be the star of any Thanksgiving meal. If you are a doubter, come back tomorrow to see the video review of these cupcakes.

"Wait," says the astute long term Cupcake Project reader, "I've seen Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole cupcakes featured here before!"

You are correct! I made the Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole cupcakes above in 2007 and while they were good (they had an awesome maple mascarpone filling), my cupcake skills have gotten better over the past two years and this year's version is far superior. They are moist, super sweet potatoey, have a brown sugar frosting, and a buttery crumb topping (they've got some crumb topping hidden inside, too!). You may not want to wait until Thanksgiving to try them, and I wouldn't blame you.

The Thanksgiving Cupcake Recipe

Note that these cupcakes have uncooked crumb topping baked into them. The crumbs won't be noticeable if you don't know they are there. However, they will make the cupcakes extra sweet, moist, and buttery and give the cake an ever so slight grainy texture - which led Bride and Groom 3.0 to incorrectly think that the cupcakes contained oatmeal.

Because you'll need to use unbaked crumb topping in the cupcakes themselves and baked crumb topping to garnish the cupcakes, I suggest that you prepare all of the unbaked topping you'll need at once and I have written the instructions below accordingly.

Makes 24 cupcakes

• 3 C flour
• 2 t cinnamon
• 2 t baking soda
• 3 C sugar
• 1 1/2 C pureed sweet potatoes (I used the kind from the can. Try to get the kind without corn syrup if you can. They have a really good one at Trader Joe's.)
  
• 4 large eggs
• 1 C vegetable oil
• 1 C apple cider
• Unbaked crumb topping (1/2 C butter, 1 C flour, and 1 C brown sugar mixed by hand until crumbly)
  

1. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, and baking soda.
2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, sweet potatoes, and eggs. Beat until smooth.
3. Mix in the oil and apple cider.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
5. Fill cupcake liners halfway.
   
6. Add a thin layer of the unbaked crumb topping on top of the batter. Bake the remainder of the crumb topping according to the directions in the crumb topping post.
   
7. Top off each cupcake with batter until 3/4 full.
8. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes.

Frosting and Topping

Top each cupcake with brown sugar frosting and sprinkle with baked crumb topping.

Read the rest of this post...

---

Brown Sugar Frosting Recipe

I've made brown sugar frosting (penuche) many times, but have never devoted a whole post to it. Brown sugar frosting is one of my most favorite frostings. If you use light brown sugar, as shown above, the brown sugar frosting tastes like a thicker version of the glaze on a glazed doughnut. If you use dark brown sugar, as shown below, the flavor is a bit richer and the frosting is somewhat more creamy. This makes sense since dark brown sugar is really just light brown sugar plus additional molasses.


You can't go wrong either way.

Brown Sugar Frosting Recipe

I got the delectable brown sugar frosting recipe from Southern Food on About.Com.

• 1/2 C butter
• 1 C brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 C milk
• 2 C sifted confectioners' sugar
  

1. In a saucepan, melt butter.
2. Add the brown sugar.
3. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium low, and continue to boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add the milk and return to a boil, stirring constantly.
5. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
   
6. Gradually add sifted confectioners' sugar. (I would highly recommend sifting this confectioners' sugar. It's such a pain to sift, but it ensures that the frosting will be extra smooth.)
7. Beat until thick enough to spread. If too thick, add a little hot water.

FYI: The top photo is of my sweet potato casserole cupcake. The bottom photo is from my gluten-free quinoa cupcake.

Read the rest of this post...

---

Crumb Topping for Pies, Muffins, Casseroles, Oatmeal, or Cupcakes!

Crumb topping makes everything better. Crumb topping is the star of apple crumb pie and coffee cake. Crumb topping also makes many, many muffin recipes shine. But, you rarely find crumb topping on cupcakes. Perhaps this is because using a crumb topping leaves an uneven surface, which makes things difficult/ugly to frost. Never fear, cupcake fans, I have a solution!

Bake the crumb topping separately and put the crumb topping on top of the frosting!

The recipe (sourced from All Recipes) couldn't be easier:

1. Using your hands, mix equal parts brown sugar and flour with half as much unsalted butter (e.g. 1/2 C brown sugar, 1/2 C flour, 1/4 C butter). It should stick together and form crumbs.
   
2. Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes.
4. Crumble any pieces that stuck together and put the crumbs on everything in sight!
   

More on the cupcake in the photo coming soon!

Read the rest of this post...

---

Pomegranate Mojito Cupcakes

"It did a happy dance in my mouth!" said my mother-in-law after tasting my pomegranate mojito cupcakes. I couldn't have said it better myself. But what kind of dance? I'd say a Lindy Hop. The sweetness of PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur combined with the tangy sourness of mint*, rum, and lime reminds me of a high energy couple bouncing around the dance floor, occasionally doing flips and throws to the thrill of the crowd (perhaps I have an overactive imagination).

Cooking With PAMA

I made these pomegranate mojito cupcakes as an entry into the Cooking with PAMA Contest. If I win When I win, I get to go to the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen! I wanted to wait until I had a cupcake that I really thought could win before entering - this pomegranate mojito cupcake is it! Voting will begin on November 16th (don't worry, I'll remind you).

BTW - Isn't the PAMA bottle gorgeous! Jonathan couldn't resist taking its photo.

Pomegranate Mojito Cupcake Recipe

Makes 12 cupcakes

For the pomegranate mojito syrup

• 1/2 C light rum
• 1/2 C PAMA
• 1/4 C freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2/3 oz fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 C sugar

For the cupcakes

• 2/3 C sugar
• 2 C flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 T lime zest
• 1 T finely chopped mint leaves
  
• 3/4 C unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 C sour cream
  
• 2 T freshly squeezed lime juice
  

1. Bring all syrup ingredients to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pot.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for fifteen minutes until you have about 1/2 cup of syrup.
3. Strain mint leaves and set syrup aside.
4. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, lime zest, and mint in a bowl.
5. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl for 1 minute, until light and fluffy.
6. Beat eggs, sour cream, and lime juice into the butter/sugar mixture until blended.
7. Alternately fold in flour mixture and syrup.
   
8. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
   
9. Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the cupcake clean.

PAMA Frosting

• 1/4 C unsalted butter, melted
• 1 T sour cream
  
• 3 T freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 T PAMA
• 2 C powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 pomegranate (optional)
  

1. Mix all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl until smooth.
2. Spread on cupcakes.
3. Optionally, garnish with pomegranate seeds.
   

*I know that I said I would never make a cupcake with mint, but mint is growing on me and I really should never say never.

Read the rest of this post...

---