We were invited over to my friend (boss and neighbour) Sunday for dinner and an unveiling of her newly renovated bathroom. It’s quite exciting, she has been wanting to renovate since she bought the house! I must admit, I am a bit jealous as our bathroom needs renovating too (dark green tiles on the WALLS? WHY? WHY? WHY? I could have lived with white, but why dark green?), but we just did all the windows and the landscaping so it will have to wait. Or if I win the lotto.
It’s Easter Sunday and although we usually spend it with my brother’s family they have opted to head up to their cottage on Lake Rosseau in the Muskokas (you may have heard of it, Goldie Hawn had a place on this lake and Martin Short’s cottage is just down the road from him), Kim kindly invited us for dinner. Since it is Easter, I thought I would make lemony cupcakes. Now I am fully aware of my limitations; I surely do not have the patients for extravagantly decorated desserts as Lorraine, Sawsan and Charlie do (to name a few) so I selected a cupcake which was quite manageable and not overly fussy. I did have a bit of a time with the marshmallows, but that is another story. The cupcake recipe is quite spongy, so if you are looking for a dense cupcake, your in the wrong place. JT liked it well enough that he asked I hold back two (you would think it’s one for me and one for him, but sadly it isn’t, they are both for him!)
The Peeps turned out OK, but my favourite are the little nests!
Lemon Almond Cupcakes
Aren't the little nest adorable?
Original Recipe from Five Roses Flour Cookbook
Should make 12 regular muffin tin cupcake
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1-2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (depends on how lemony you would like them)
- 1 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 3 egg yolks, beaten lightly
- 3 egg whites
Directions:
- Pre heat oven to 350°F
- Sift flour, baking soda and salt together, set aside
- Cream butter gradually adding sugar until light and fluffy; add lemon juice, rind and beaten egg yolks and almond extract.
- Add dry ingredients and beat well.
- With a clean beater, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry.
- Add about two tablespoons of the beaten egg whites into the batter and beat well (this is to loosen it up a bit).
- Fold in the remaining egg whites.
- Line your muffin tins with adorable muffin cups; fill cups about 2/3 full (I filled mine too much and only got 10 cupcakes that overflowed the cup a bit).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Martha Stewart Marshmallow Frosting
This frosting is really just like Marshmallows, it even toasts up like real marshmallows. I halved the recipe because I didn’t want a lot left over and I still had a tonne left over. I’m not sure how long it will last, but I filled a zip lock baggy with it and put it in the fridge; I’m hoping to use it for the cupcakes for my family next weekend. I’ll update as soon I as I see how well it lasted.
Ingredients:
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
Directions:
- Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer, set over a saucepan with simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add almond extract, and mix until combined. Use immediately (or cover with plastic wrap).
Me to JT: Hey look, I branded the chargers with the logo. JT to me: Of course you did.
Oh wait, what’s that you ask? Why yes, it is the place card for the upcoming Titanic Centenary Party next weekend. Angela has gorgeous china that will make us all feel we are dining right on that elegant vessel. We’ll have to remember our manners at the dinner table!
To decorate the cupcakes, you will need:
- 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1 small package of Cadbury Chocolate Easter Egg Mini’s
To decorate the cupcakes was quite easy and not at all time consuming. Note: I did one test where I frosted the cupcake and then dipped the icing into the plain coconut, then I torched it with my little crème brulé torch, but the coconut caught fire before I successfully toasted the marshmallow frosting.
Test #2 was more successful I roasted the coconut in the oven (watch carefully), then I frosted the cupcake and torched the frosting a bit to get that nice golden colour (like fire roasted marshmallows). Then, I dotted a bit more of the frosting on the roasted frosting so that the coconut will stick (it doesn’t stick to the roasted bits), then I dipped them into the oven toasted coconut. I dipped the Peeps bottoms and the eggs into a bit of the frosting so they stick to the nests.
Kitcheninspirations 