I was home alone the other evening, and I felt like baking (this can be no surprise). I wanted to bake something pretty and new. Pretty because I wanted to try out my new camera at cake-photographing, and new because I wanted to put it on the blog. After spending 1½ hours or so browsing through 12 cookbooks I decided on Burnt-Butter Cupcakes. I made the cupcakes (delicious!!) and decided to make them pretty by adding frosting. After spending another 30 minutes with the cookbooks and the internet, I set my mind on caramel frosting, because I thought it would go nice with the burnt-butter flavour.
I have never worked with burnt butter before, and I was intrigued. Would it taste good? Would I burn it too much? I actually didn’t taste the burnt butter before adding it to the batter, but it gave a nice taste to the cupcakes and it smelled amazing! Sort of caramel-like with some nuttiness and something undefinably delicious. I’ll recommend it anytime, and it was really easy to make.
Now for the recipe!!
Cupcakes (12):
150 g butter
125 g flour
60 g golden muscovado sugar
65 g sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. milk
First, burn the butter! Place the butter in a small saucepan, melt on medium heat and cook, while stirring, until dark golden in colour. Strain over in a glass or cup, and leave to cool and solidify (if this goes slowly, place in the fridge or freezer).
Place the butter in a food processor (if you don’t own a food processor, see below) with the rest of the ingredients, except the milk, and process until smooth. Add the milk, and process again, creating a smooth, soft, dropping batter. Transfer the dough to a muffin tin with paper liners, and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes, til a skewer comes out clean.
Look how pretty :)
Hey, where did that cupcake go?
You know what would make these even prettier? Yes, frosting. And not just any old frosting, but homemade caramel frosting (prepare to lick fingers. and bowl. and spoon. and evething else that has been in contact with the frosting).
Caramel Frosting (enough for 12 cupcakes):
55 g sugar
2 tbsp. water
0,6 dl double cream
170 g butter
255 g confectionarys sugar
Combine the sugar and water in a little saucepan, and cook over low to medium heat (no stirring!) until the sugar takes on a dark amber colour (6-7 minutes). Remove from the heat and slooowly add the cream, while stirring, until a smooth caramel forms.
Pretty, yes? I took this picture just for you
Anyway, let the caramel cool for 20 minutes or so, letting the butter soften in the meantime. Beat the butter until creamy and add the confectionarys sugar, and beat until combined. Now beat in the cooled caramel, and beat until you have a light, creamy frosting. Now, try not to eat all the frosting before applying it to the cupcakes.
Now, this is pretty!