A Swiftly Tilting Cupcake

Biscoff is a type of cinnamon graham cookie that is apparently served on Delta Airlines. It also happens to be the name of a spread made from those very cookies. The spread is like cinnamon and graham flavored peanut butter: similar in texture but with a warm sweetness. The cinnamon in the cake is subtle, but the flavor becomes more pronounced because of the delicious frosting. I contemplated how to use the cookies as a garnish, and the result is cookies inside and out: crush the cookies and roll the cupcakes in them.

I named these cupcakes after a favorite book of mine, A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle because cookies and cupcakes and warmth like this take me back to my childhood, sitting in my room and getting swept up in a good story on a cold, rainy day.

A Swiftly Tilting Cupcake

Act I: Cinnamon Cupcake

yield: about 20 - 24 cupcakes

    3 cups flour

    1 tbsp cinnamon

    1 tsp baking powder

  1/2 tsp baking soda

  1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

    2 cups sugar

    5 extra-large eggs

    1 tbsp vanilla

    1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 muffin tins with 20 - 24 liners. In a large bowl sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium to medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Add in the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tin and fill 3/4 full. Bake at 325 for 25 - 30 minutes or until the tops are light brown, set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Act II: Biscoff Cookie Frosting

  1 cup crunchy Biscoff spread

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 tsp salt

  1 tsp vanilla

  2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

    extra Biscoff cookies, about 10-12, crushed

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and biscoff until combined and smooth. Add in the salt and vanilla. Add the confectioner's sugar alternately with the cream until the frosting is light and fluffy.

You may need to add another tablespoon of cream to reach the desired consistency, but start with 1/4 cup. If you used the crunchy Biscoff, the frosting will not pipe well, so spread on top of the cupcakes and smooth into a dome shape. Roll in crushed Biscoff cookies.

Notes:

• The next time I make these, I will use the smooth Biscoff just to see how the frosting differs. Certainly, it would be easier to pipe into a pleasing shape on top of the cupcake. The confectioner's sugar and/or cream may need to be adjusted to accommodate for the creamy Biscoff.
• "Swiftly tilting" is probably not the best phrase to use in the name of a cupcake, but I just loved that book so much, not to mention A Wrinkle in Time.

Yellow Cake, Chocolate Frosting

Since this blog is new, it seems appropriate to begin at the beginning, my inaugural carrot cake post notwithstanding. Nothing could be more basic than yellow cake with chocolate frosting, yet nothing could be crying out more for something a little special. 

Continuing my philosophy that decorations should be delicious in their own right, a quick batch of chocolate truffles are placed  on top for an extra special touch. I rolled them only in cocoa powder so that they don't seem completely incongruous from the cake itself. And the truffles are quite delicious; I'd highly recommend making them on their own if you need a simple yet elegant dessert.

Yellow Cake, Chocolate Frosting

Act I: Chocolate Truffles

  4 oz semisweet chocolate
  4 oz bittersweet chocolate
0.5 cup heavy cream
0.5 tbsp vanilla
0.5 tbsp prepared coffee

Chop the chocolates finely with a sharp knife. Chopping at a corner of the chocolate is the best way to make quick work of it. Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just boils. Let it sit for 20 seconds before pouring over the chocolate (just to avoid overheating it). Slowly whisk the chocolate and cream until the mixture is melted and smooth. Add in the vanilla and coffee.

Leave this mixture to set at room temperature for at least an hour, allowing the chocolate to cool and firm up. Using two spoons, scoop out the chocolate and roll it in your hands to make it nearly round. Toss in cocoa powder to coat.

Act II: Yellow Cake

  3 cups all-purpose flour
  1 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp baking soda
0.5 tsp salt

1.5 cups butter (3 sticks), softened
  2 cups sugar
  5 eggs
  1 tbsp vanilla

  1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter two 9-inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter and flour the sides of the pans and the parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together, beating at medium speed for 3-5 minutes until pale yellow and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla.

Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Divide into the cake pans and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in their pans for 30 minutes before turning out to cool completely. Frost with the Chocolate Frosting recipe that follows.

Act III: Chocolate Frosting

4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup cocoa

1.5 tsp vanilla

0.5 cups heavy cream

10 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
0.25 tsp salt

In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder to blend. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the vanilla and 0.5 cup of cream.


In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and salt until pale yellow and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes on medium speed. Add powdered sugar mixture alternately with the cream mixture, beginning and ending with the powdered sugar, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat until desired spreading consistency is reached, adding the remaining 0.25 cup of cream as necessary. 

Place one layer of cake on your cake stand, cake plate, or whatever you may be using. Spread about one cup of frosting over the cake, spreading to the sides. Top with the other cake layer, and frost the tops and sides of the cake. Decorate with the chocolate truffles however you see fit.

Notes:

• If you do make the truffles on their own, you can add liqueur to the recipe for another layer of flavor: reduce the vanilla to 1 tsp and add in 1 tbsp of a liqueur of your choice (Frangelico and Kahlua are two that work beautifully).
• Additionally, you can toss the truffles in ingredients other than cocoa powder. Coconut, chopped and toasted hazelnuts, and chopped chocolate are some classic options.
• Fun Fact: I keep referring to this as "yellow" cake. This is because of the egg yolks present in the cake. Alternatively, "white cake" uses only egg whites (typically beaten until stiff peaks and folded into the cake just before dividing the batter amongst the pans and baking).

Down the Rabbit Hole Carrot Cake

This cake is a classic with a slight twist, and it's named after the first chapter of one of my favorite novels: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Frosted with a basic, go-to cream cheese frosting, the cake is adorned with pecans that are roasted with the same warm spices found in the cake. Personally, my philosophy on decorations is that they should be simple, understated, and delicious in their own right.

Down the Rabbit Hole Carrot Cake

Act I: Spiced Pecans

   1 egg white
 0.5 tbsp water
 0.5 tsp salt
   2 cups pecan
   6 tbsp sugar
   1 tsp ground cinnamon
 0.5 tsp ground ginger
 0.5 tsp ground cardamom

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Whisk egg white, water, and salt in a large bowl. Add pecans and toss to coat. Let drain in a sieve for 5 minutes.

In another large bowl, mix sugar and spices together. Add drained pecans and toss to coat. Spread pecans evenly on prepared baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking to ensure the pecans bake evenly. Let pecans cool completely, break them apart, and use to decorate the cake. You should have some leftovers to enjoy on their own.

Act II: Carrot Cake

2.75 cups all-purpose flour

 1.5 tsp baking powder

 1.5 tsp baking soda 

   1 tsp salt

   3 tsp ground cinnamon

 1.5 tsp ground ginger*

 .75 tsp ground cardamom*

   1 cup vanilla yogurt

 0.5 cups vegetable oil

   2 cups sugar

   4 large eggs

  

   3 cups grated carrot, from about 5-6 medium carrots*

 1.5 cups finely chopped pecans, toasted

   1 recipe spiced pecans for decoration

Butter and flour three 9x2 inch cake pans and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a large bowl. Add the grated carrots, and mix to coat them in the flour. Add in the chopped pecans.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yogurt, oil, sugar, and eggs. Beat on medium speed until combined and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Be careful not to over-mix. Divide the batter between the three cake pans. Bake the cakes at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and cool them on a wire rack completely, about 40 minutes, before frosting.

Act III: Cream Cheese Frosting

   1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened 0.5 cup butter, room temperature
0.25 tsp salt
   1 tsp vanilla
   4 cups confectioner's sugar
 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, cream cheese, and salt for 3 to 5 minutes, until thoroughly combined, light, and fluffy. Add two cups of the confectioner's sugar along with the vanilla and beat to combine. Finally, add the remaining two cups of confectioner's sugar and beat until smooth. If the frosting is a little loose, you may need to add as much as 0.5 cups more of confectioner's sugar, but 4 cups usually gets it to a spreadable consistency.

To frost the cake, place a small amount of frosting on a cake plate or in the middle of a cake carrier. This will help keep the bottom layer from moving too much. Invert one layer of carrot cake and center it on the plate or carrier. Spread about 1 cup of frosting over this layer, spreading almost to the edge and ensuring that the layer is even. Top with the second layer, inverted to have a flatter surface to work with. Spread with 1 cup of frosting. Top with the final layer.

Frost the top and sides of the cake. For a smoother look, clean off your offset spatula, place under hot running water, wipe off, and run it lightly over the frosted cake. The residual heat will smooth the frosting. Decorate with the spiced pecans.

Notes:

• Ginger and cardamom combine well with cinnamon to give this cake a light, yet warm, spicyness. Being mildly exotic, cardamom adds an, "ooh this is tasty but I can't quite tell what this flavor is," quality to the cake. For a more straightforward approach to carrot cake, simply omit them and you will still be left with a very tasty cake.
• The carrots I used this most recent time were incredibly large, organic carrots. It took only 3 to make three cups.

Up Next Week:

• Cinnamon Cupcakes with Biscoff frosting