Quick Birthday Cupcakes

The Art.
    The other day, I received a last-minute order for some birthday cupcakes. I'm never one to leave a friend in the lurch when it comes to desserts, since sweets are right up there with water and shelter on my list of Necessities for Survival. I didn't have much time to do anything fancy, so I threw together my usual yellow cake with buttercream icing. For the icing, I stuck to a monochromatic theme to save time, chose a tip for each icing color, and started piping. It actually turned out to be quite fun, because I could give each cupcake its own design, yet they all coordinated with one another. I would highly encourage everyone to try this at least once, it is a great way to come up with new decorating ideas and think outside the box.

The Science.
    Another advantage of having variation in your decorating technique is that it will cause people eat more cupcakes. This phenomenon was discovered in a study investigating the effect of visual stimuli on feeding behaviors. In the study, human subjects were given chocolates of different colors, that all tasted the same. They found that people lost appetite for the color of chocolates they had already consumed, but would continue to eat more chocolates if they were another color [1]. Thus, if someone has already eaten one of your cupcakes, they may not want another that's exactly the same, but they will probably eat an additional one if it looks different. I must admit that I look forward to using this finding to increase my bake sales.

The Recipe.

The recipes for the yellow cake and buttercream icing can be found here and here. I tinted my icing with a mixture of Wilton Icing Colors Violet and Pink.

Decorating:
    For these cupcakes, I used Wilton tips #1M (dark purple), #21 (lavender), and #12 (white). You can of course use any tips you wish, bearing in mind that the smaller the tip, the longer it will take for you to cover your cupcake with icing. I really like the effect of having a combination of large and small decorations that is provided by this tip selection. I used very simple decorating techniques for these cupcakes because of the time crunch, but they still turned out beautifully.


    As you can see in the picture below, I did a classic 1M swirl on a couple of the cupcakes, then added accents with the star tip or the round tip (center, top). Another variation is to make several small swirls on top with the #21 tip (upper left, lower right). You can also use the two star tips to make drop flowers (right). One of my favorites is the one where I made a grid with the round tip, and filled it in with little stars (lower left).

     Once I was done piping the icing, I tossed a few edible pearls on top for a finishing touch. I highly recommend keeping a stock of sprinkles, edible glitter and pearls, colored sugar, etc. in your pantry. They are great for when you want to dress your icing up in a flash. These particular cupcakes were delivered immediately to their recipient, but they can also be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for three days. So, there you have it: beautiful birthday cupcakes in an hour flat!

1. Rolls, Barbara et al. "How sensory properties of foods affect feeding behavior." Physiology and Behavior, 1982, 29:3 (September).

Apple Spice Cupcakes

The Art.
   Every fall, Handsome and I go apple picking at a nearby fruit farm. It's one of my favorite traditions, partly because we get to enjoy the crisp fall weather in a beautiful orchard, and partly because it involves things I can eat. While we both love apple picking, the two of us certainly have very disparate approaches to it. Handsome will pick as many apples as he can fit in his paper bag regardless of whether we can eat them all, because he thinks it's a great deal. I, on the other hand, always have a recipe in mind before we go, and I will pick the exact number of apples I need for said recipe, no more, no less. I like to pick Granny Smith apples for baked goods because of their crisp texture and tart flavor. This year, I made apple-filled spice cupcakes, topped with a tangy buttermilk icing. I decorated the cupcakes like little apples themselves, with pretzel stick stems and mint leaves on top.

The Science.
    While I used food coloring to make my apple cupcakes red, the skin of real apples contains a pigment called anthocyanin that gives them their bright red color. The Sangrado apple variant produces anthocyanin in the flesh of its fruit as well, causing it to be red throughout. Researches have recently found that this color pattern is due to a whole genome duplication that occurred in the apples long ago, and created a second copy of the gene that regulates anthocyanin pigmentation [1]. In Sangrados, the extra gene has a slightly different sequence from the original, and this change causes it to be expressed in the apple flesh, and make it a beautiful red. On the other hand, Granny Smith apples have green skin and white flesh, because they do not contain any anthocyanin [2]. I guess you could say that they are the albinos of the apple world.




The Recipe.

Apple filling:
3 tablespoons salted butter
5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

    Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining ingredients. Stir occasionally until apples are soft and juices are concentrated and syrupy, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly in pan while making cake batter.


Spice Cake:
Recipe can be found here. Makes approximately 28 cupcakes.

    Preheat oven to 350^oF. With a 1/4 cup measure, spoon batter into cupcake tins with liners. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons apple filling on top of the batter, in the center of each cupcake. Bake for 20 minutes or until tester inserted into cake comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

Buttermilk Icing:
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
6 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk

    In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add sugar while beating, then beat in buttermilk. Tint half the icing red and the other half green. I used Wilton Icing Colors Red and Burgundy for the red, and Kelly Green and Lemon Yellow for the green.

Decorating:
1 cup sugar, divided
Red and green food color
14 pretzel sticks
28 mint leaves

    To make the red and green sugar, place 1/2 cup sugar in each of two plastic sandwich bags. Add a few drops of either red or green food color and seal the bags shut. Massage the bags of sugar until the food color is distributed evenly. If needed, add more food color to get the desired color. Pour sugar into two saucers.
    Spread a dollop of icing onto each cupcake, making a high dome in the center and only a thin layer on the edges. Roll the cupcake in the corresponding colored sugar. If the icing has an uneven shape, you can reshape it on the saucer while you roll it. To make an indentation for the top of the apple, coat your finger in sugar and press the center of the icing down.

     For the apple stems and leaves, break the pretzel sticks in half and insert one half into the top of each cupcake. Gently press a mint leaf into the icing next to the pretzel. Store cupcakes in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days.

  

1. Chagne, D. et al. "An ancient duplication of apple MYB transcription factors is responsible for novel red fruit-flesh phenotypes." Plant Physiology, 2012, 160:2 (October 24).
2. Takos, A. et al. "Light-Induced Expression of a MYB Gene Regulates Anthocyanin Biosynthesis in Red Apples." Plant Physiology, 2006, 142:3 (November).

Almond Nutella Cake

The Art.
    The time has come for me to admit that I have a Nutella addiction. Nutella's entire "part of a healthy breakfast" ad campaign is completely lost on me. If there is a jar of Nutella in my pantry, I'm not going to scrape it over some whole wheat toast and wolf it down with a glass of orange juice as they suggest. I will eat it by the spoonful until I fall into a diabetic coma on the couch like a respectable human being. I am very good at coming up with excuses to eat it, and it was upon one such occasion that Almond Nutella Cake was born. This cake features my staple yellow cake layered with a light Nutella mousse and frosted with rich almond buttercream. The cute flower decorations are a technique developed by my youngest sister, who is nothing less than inspiring with her cake decorating. I love these almond flowers because they are so simple to make and the colors remind me of autumn chrysanthemums.

The Science.
     Unfortunately, some individuals suffer from hazelnut allergy and can't enjoy sitting on the couch with a jar of Nutella. How these people go through life I'll never know, but they are certainly braver than the rest of us. There are two culprits to blame in regards to this allergenic condition. First, there is the IgE antibody. This antibody flows through your bloodstream and generally does a lot of good things, like recognizing parasites. However, in some individuals IgE goes rogue and recognizes certain foods, such as hazelnuts, as allergens and causes severe reactions [1]. The other culprit is the Cor-a family of proteins, which can be bound by IgE and recognized as allergens. A scientific group has recently found that heating hazelnut flour to high temperatures (called autoclaving) denatures the Cor-a proteins. This changes their conformation in such a way that they cannot be recognized by IgE, thus diminishing their allergenic effects [2]. With such a technique in hand, people that are usually allergic to hazelnuts can consume autoclaved hazelnut products. In the future, everyone could enjoy autoclaved Nutella's sugary spell and only have to worry about a diabetes-related death, not anaphylactic shock.

The Recipe.

Moist Yellow Cake:
    Recipe here. Follow the directions, except use three 8-in round cake pans, coated with baking spray and lined with waxed paper. To make a perfect lining, trace around the bottom of the pan onto the waxed paper, and cut the circle out (see photo below).
    Divide batter evenly into the three pans, lift and drop onto the counter a few times to release bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick tester comes out clean. If your cake layers have high crowns, you can press them down as I described here. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks. Peel off waxed paper, cool until room temperature.

Nutella Mousse:
1 cup 40% heavy whipping cream
1 jar (370g) nutella, divided

    Whip cream over an ice bath with chilled beaters until stiff peaks form. Add Nutella, reserving 3 tablespoons for decorating. Beat until thoroughly combined and refrigerate until needed

Almond Buttercream:
1 1/2 cups salted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

    In a medium bowl, whip butter until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar, then beat in milk and almond extract.

Cake assembly:
    Place one cake layer on an 8 inch cardboard cake round. Spread half of the Nutella mousse over the cake, to within 1 inch of the edge. Place second cake layer on top, then cover with the other half of the mousse. Place third cake layer on top, and put cake in the freezer for at least 45 minutes.

    To make a perfectly smooth coat of icing on this cake, we will first put a crumb coat on it. Using an offset spatula, place a large dollop of icing on top of the cake. Scrape the icing over the cake, making a very thin, smooth layer.

    Use the excess icing to spread over the sides of the cake, sealing the edges of the cake layers and making the sides flat. The crumb coat should be thin and translucent, serving the function of providing a smooth surface on which to spread the decorative icing. Place the cake back in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, tint the remaining icing a buttery yellow. I used equal amounts of Wilton Icing Colors Golden Yellow and Brown.




    Take the cake out of the freezer and place on top of an inverted cake pan. This raises the cake off the countertop so you can spread the icing all the way to the bottom. Spread an even layer of tinted icing on top of the crumb coat with a large spatula.  Make the icing as smooth as possible. To get rid of any ridges, heat the spatula over a candle flame and use it to gently smooth the icing.



Almond flower decorations:
   Spoon the remaining Nutella into a plastic sandwich bag and snip off the bottom corner to create a piping bag. For each flower, press six slivered almonds into the icing in a ring. Fill the center of the flower with Nutella.

Cover and store finished cake in the refrigerator before serving, up to three days.


1. Flinterman, A. et al. "Hazelnut allergy: from pollen-associated mild allergy to severe anaphylactic reactions." Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2008, 8:3 (June 2008).
2. Lopez, E. et al. "Effects of autoclaving and high pressure on allergenicity of hazelnut proteins." Journal of Clinical Bioinformatics, 2012, 2:12 (22 May 2012).




 

Bacon and Apricot Gougères

The Art.
    Every summer I host a Bacon Explosion Party, and this year I smoked a whopping three Bacon Explosions for my dearest friends. This means that I rolled up 6lbs of sausage inside 6lbs of bacon, slathered it with two bottles of BBQ sauce, and smoked it for a day. As you can imagine, I had a substantial amount of bacon fat left over after frying up all this bacon. I strained the fat and tucked it away in the fridge, and I've been experimenting with adding it to different foods ever since. My most recent bacon fat adventure was when I tried my hand at making gougères.
    Gougères are a French puff made from choux pastry and cheese that are light and crisp, and are arguably the perfect party pastry. By replacing some of the butter in the pastry with bacon fat, I added a hint of bacon flavor. I then filled the airy puffs with a slightly sweet apricot gruyere mousse, to provide the perfect balance of sweet and salty. These pastries are wonderful to have as an appetizer or with an aperitif.

The Science.
    Needless to say, traditional French choux pastry recipes do not include bacon fat. Rather, the dough is made with butter that is melted into the liquid component, then mixed with the flour. Substituting fats in baking recipes can be a tricky business, and this goes double for pastry dough. Different fats used in baking are composed of different types of lipids, which have varying melting temperatures and reactivity with other ingredients. Butter is composed of milk fat, which is made up of mostly saturated fats and some cholesterol, and has a melting temperature of 90^oF [1]. Shortening, on the other hand, is solely composed of hydrogenated unsaturated vegetable oils, and has a melting temperature of 117^oF. The problem with shortening is that doesn't add any flavor. Lard is similar to butter in that it is made up of mostly saturated fat, has a low melting temperature of 86^oF, and provides scrumptious flavor [2]. The main difference between butter and lard is that lard does not have the small water component that butter does. However, equivalent amounts of lard can be substituted in most recipes without altering texture or flakiness [3]. I consider bacon fat to be lard's sexy cousin because it has a wonderful smokey salty flavor from the cured meat. Just be careful when using bacon fat in a recipe, it's strong stuff and can easily overpower your other flavors.

The Recipe.

Bacon Gougères: (makes 48)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons bacon fat*
6 eggs
3/4 cup finely grated gruyere, divided
1 egg yolk

    Preheat oven to 415^oF and place racks in middle and lowest position. Sift together flour and salt. In a saucepan, combine water, milk, butter, and bacon fat and place over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture reaches a boil, remove from heat and immediately add the flour/salt, stirring rapidly with a spoon.

    Put saucepan over heat again, and stir dough until it begins to pull away from the sides and form a ball. Turn dough out into a large bowl, and lightly beat with bread hook attachment for 30 seconds to cool. While the dough is cooling, beat eggs in a medium bowl. Gradually add eggs to dough while beating on medium speed, then continue to beat until a wooden spoon or spatula stands in the bowl, about 4 minutes. Fold in 1/2 cup cheese.
    Line two baking sheets with waxed paper. Spoon or pipe dough in 1 tablespoon rounds aprroximately 2 inches apart onto baking sheet. Lightly beat egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water and use to brush tops of dough. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup gruyere over tops. Sprinkle a few drops of water on the baking sheet with your fingertips, being careful not to dampen the dough.

    Place baking sheets in oven, and pour 1/4 cup water onto the bottom on the oven right before closing the door. The water will create steam in the oven which helps the gougères rise. Bake for 15 minutes, then very very gently switch the baking sheets, so the top one is now on bottom and vice versa. Switching the rack position halfway through ensures that all the puffs with bake evenly. Try not to knock them too hard while moving the trays so the gougères keep air inside them. Pour another 1/4 cup water onto the bottom of the oven, and bake 15 more minutes.  If your gougères start to deflate while you're moving them, don't worry. The second steam burst will help them puff right back up.
    When the gougères are done baking, they should be deep golden brown and sound hollow when you tap the bottom. Turn the oven off, leave the door ajar, and let the gougères dry in the oven 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Gougères can be stored in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. (Recipe modified from [4])
*To make bacon fat, fry up 6-8 slices of thick-cut bacon in a pan to your desired crispness. Eat that delicious bacon. Once the fat in the pan has cooled, strain it through a coffee filter into a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Apricot gruyere mousse:
4 egg whites
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon brandy
1 1/4 cup 40% heavy cream
1/2 cup apricot preserves
3/4 cup finely grated gruyere

    In a large bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and brandy. Set bowl over a saucepan with 1 inch simmering water. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and beat for an additional 2 minutes, set aside. In another large bowl, beat cream on high speed over an ice bath until stiff peaks form. Fold into egg whites. Fold in apricot preserves and gruyere. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before filling gougères.

Assembly:
    If gougères have been frozen, warm in a 300^oF oven until crisp, then cool to room temperature on wire racks. Open the gougères halfway by gently prying at the side with fingertips. Spoon in approximately two tablespoons of mousse. Serve immediately.

1. American Baking Essentials Course 201. "Butter, Shortening, and Oils: The Fats We Bake With." The Prepared Pantry, 2005.
2. O Chef, "Turning the Heat up on Crisco (and Lard)." Available here.
3.  All Recipes, "Common Ingredient Substitutions." Available here.
4. Rogers, Juliet. The Essential Baking Cookbook. Millers Point, Australia: Murdoch Books, 2010.
    

Fall Spice Cake with Bavarian Cream

The Art.
    I once believed this dessert was born out of serendipity, in that I had 6 egg yolks left over from the Blooming Rose Cupcakes the other day, which just so happens to be the number of egg yolks required to make Bavarian Cream. But just when I thought Fate was smiling down upon me, I had to go and make an entire post about troubleshooting the Bavarian cream and thus bought another dozen eggs. C'est la vie I suppose. Since autumn is upon us, I decided to pair the cream with a moist spice cake. Flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and clove, this cake combines all of my favorite fall spices. I didn't want to interfere with the harmony between the cake and the cream, so I refrained from making an icing for the cake. Instead, I dusted it with powdered sugar in a leaf pattern to celebrate the season.

The Science.
    This Bavarian cream is made by combining a rich custard with light whipped cream. I previously did some troubleshooting on the custard component, so today I'll talk about cream. Whipping up a fluffy, stable whipped cream can be challenging for many bakers, but if you understand the chemistry of whipping cream it can be a cinch. First, you must select the correct type of cream. Heavy whipping cream with 40% fat is ideal, since higher fat content results in stiffer whipped cream. Some manufacturers go the cheaper route, and instead supplement 30% fat with additives such as carageenan and polysorbate to make stiffer peaks [1]. However, additives just can't replace good old milk fat, and these don't perform as well as the 40% heavy cream. Also, be sure that your cream is pasturized, not ultrapasturized. Ultrapasturization degrades the milk proteins, making the whipped cream less stable [1].
    Second, cold temperature is your friend while making whipped cream. Milk fat consists of mostly saturated fatty acids, which have lipid tails that pack tightly together at cold temperatures [2]. Keeping cream as cold as possible while it's whipped causes the fat to have a thicker consistency, and thus the ability to hold more air than if it is warm. This results in a fluffier, more stable whipped cream. To make the best whipped cream, chill your beater blades and bowl in the freezer before you begin. Place your bowl inside an ice bath while you whip your cream, and make sure you are in a cool area of the kitchen, away from the oven.

The Recipe.

One batch of Bavarian cream, recipe found here. You'll have to plan ahead, because the custard needs to set overnight.

Spice Cake:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup powdered sugar (for dusting)

    Preheat oven to 350^oF. Coat a 9"x13" pan with baking spray. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a medim bowl, beat together vegetable oil, sugars, and eggs on medium speed. Beat in buttermilk. Add to dry mixture, and beat just until smooth. Pour batter into pan and bake on center rack 45 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Cool in pan.
    For this project, we want a nice, flat surface on top of our cake to dust our powdered sugar on. If your cake turns out "crowned," meaning it has risen more in the center than on the edges, it is simple to fix.

    Right when you take your cake out of the oven, lay a damp paper towel over the hot cake and gently press all over until the center is the same height as the edges. In the future, you can prevent crowning by wrapping strips of wet towel around the edges of your cake pan before you put it in the oven.

Leaf decorations:
    On a piece of cardstock, draw a leaf stencil approximately 3 inches square. Here is the pattern I used, it's a maple leaf that I drew. Of course, you can draw a much simpler leaf shape to make your life easier. Cut this leaf out and use it to trace 12 leaves.

     Cut your leaf patterns out and place them in a 4x3 grid pattern on top of the spice cake. Generously sift powdered sugar over the cake, until you can't see the surface of the cake. Very carefully lift leaves off of the cake, making sure not to drop powdered sugar back onto the surface.

    You now have 12 cake servings, each with a powdered sugar leaf on top. Do not cover the cake before serving, otherwise the collecting moisture will dissolve the powdered sugar decoration. Cut into squares and serve with a dollop of Bavarian cream. Enjoy by the fire with a hot cup of tea.

1. Galvin, Lori et al. Test Kitchen Favorites. Brookline, MA: America's Test Kitchen, 2006.
2. Larsen, M.K. et al. "Short communication: Within-day variation in fatty acid composition of milk from cows in an automatic milking system." Journal of Dairy Science, Available online 15 August 2012, ISSN 0022-0302, 10.3168/jds.2012-5815.

Lab Bench: Silky Bavarian Cream

The Art.
    Best Friend Hanako has been my steadfast companion on many wonderful baking adventures, but the one I love best is the time we made Bavarian cream. We had just thrown together some spice cake cupcakes, and I had found a new Bavarian Cream recipe for us to use as a filling. As usual, we were focused more on gossiping and giggling rather than baking, and I didn't have high hopes for our end product. We didn't even follow the recipe entirely. However, the resulting Bavarian cream was one of those happy accidents you experience in life that you reminisce about for years to come. It was silky, rich and wonderful. I have attempted to recreate this cream several times with limited success, and each time it falls short of my expectations and I fall into a deep Baking Depression. After my most recent attempt, I decided enough was enough. Today, I will share with you what ensues when a scientist has trouble with a recipe.

The Science.
   This Bavarian Cream is made up of two components: a whipped cream and a vanilla custard. To be honest, the root of all my problems lies within the custard component. I hypothesized that there were a few variables that had changed between the first Bavarian cream and the subsequent batches. First, I know for a fact that I didn't use anywhere near as much gelatin as the recipe calls for. Second, I didn't use a thermometer while cooking the custard, nor record how long I cooked it. (That part really infuriates me.) Third, I'm not sure if I used whole milk or 1%. And fourth, Best Friend Hanako reminded me that I had originally chilled it overnight, because I knew she would have no patience for stirring over a double boiler when she came over.
     Custards can be very sensitive to heat, and according to those who know, they should only be cooked to 170-175^oF [1]. Any higher, and the eggs will begin to "break," and you'll end up with a lumpy custard. Straining through a sieve will only take out large clumps caused by under-stirring, so there's no going back after your eggs have curdled. For this recipe, I needed to figure out the perfect cook time, thickening agent, and chill time to create a custard that is thick enough to be stable once blended with the whipped cream, yet gently cooked so it maintains a rich, silky texture. 
    After several days of painstakingly altering the custard recipe, I finally got fed up with the whole thing, and decided to take a step back. I remembered when my Aunt first taught me to make custard, and threw all the custard ingredients together in a pan and stirred constantly with a spatula. When the mixture just started to bubble (which I admit was way above 175^oF), I strained it and allowed it to set overnight. Voila! Perfect custard, and no thermometers needed.


The Recipe. (Adapted from [2])

6 egg yolks
1 cup  plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (1/4oz) envelope gelatin
1/4 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups 40% heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon cornstarch

    In a large bowl, beat together egg yolks and powdered sugar until light yellow and fluffy. Bring milk and vanilla to a scald in a saucepan. Slowly add ladles of milk to the egg yolks, constantly stirring until all the milk is combined. Tempering the eggs like this prevents them from cooking up in lumps, and produces a silky texture. Stir the custard constantly over low heat with a spatula, carefully scraping the entire bottom of the saucepan to prevent it overcooking on the bottom. When the custard begins to coat the spatula and just begins to bubble, remove from heat.
    In a small bowl, stir gelatin into 1/4 cup boiling water until dissolved. Slowly add to warm custard while stirring. Strain custard through a wire mesh sieve into a bowl, cover surface with waxed paper, and chill overnight.
    The next day, make the stabilized whipped cream. Chill a large metal bowl and beater blades in the freezer for 10 minutes. Add some ice and water to a slightly larger bowl to create an ice bath, and set the chilled metal bowl inside it. Whip the cream on medium-high until soft peaks stand in the bowl. Add the cornstarch, and continue to beat on high until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over-whip, as the cream will curdle.
    Before combining the custard and the cream, the custard must be whipped to make the texture more pliable so the whipped cream can be folded in. This can be done by either stirring with a whisk or beating it on low for a couple minutes. Fold the whipped cream into the custard, and stir until smooth. Store Bavarian cream in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.


1. Sawicki, Laura. "Cooking Basics-- How to Make Custard." Edible Austin. Available here.

2. Recipe by Nadia Hassani, in Spoonfuls of Germany. Available here.

Blooming Rose Cupcakes

The Art.
     So many cupcake toppers include rose decorations, but they usually require advanced skills with buttercream or fondant. I love this decorating technique because it is so stunning, yet doesn't require much decorating skill or special tools. In addition, covering a cupcake in real rose petals gives it an ethereal and romantic quality that simply can't be matched. While newbies can use this decorating technique, making the sugared rose petals will take some time and patience. In the end, you'll find it's worth it.
    I completed the rose theme with rose-flavored angelfood cake, topped with a billowy meringue icing.  The delicate texture and airiness of these cupcakes perfectly compliments the rose flavor. For presentation, I made a bouquet from the leftover flowers and wove ribbons around the plates.

The Science.

Structure of beta-Damascenone

    Rose scent is the most highly coveted floral scent in the perfume industry. The fragrance is exceedingly complex, varying from plant to plant and from season to season. Rose petals produce scent by releasing volatile compounds, which are made up of various terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and fatty acid derivatives [1,2]. These compounds evaporate into the air and insects are drawn to the blooms, thus increasing the plant's pollination. Beta-Damascenone is an aromatic compound named after Rosa Damascena, and is the most common additive for rose flavor and fragrance. Through genetic manipulation, scientists have discovered several genes expressed in rose petals that are responsible for producing fragrance, exposing a link between bloom pigmentation and increased scent [2]. Sadly, most roses sold for floral arrangements have been bred for bloom color and size, and usually have little fragrance.

The Recipe.

Sugared Rose Petals:
One dozen organic roses in desired color
1 egg white
1 cup sugar

     Make sure your roses are grown organically and are not coated with anti-fungals after harvest. Gently pluck petals from 6 roses, discarding any browned or disfigured petals.  Rinse with water and pat dry. 

    Using a paintbrush, paint a thin layer of egg white on each petal, then dust with sugar, knocking off the excess.  Place on paper towels and allow to dry 1-2 hours. Store in the refrigerator in a single layer, and use petals within 24 hours.

Rose-flavored Angelfood Cupcakes:
1/3 cup cake flour
1/2 cup sugar
5 large egg whites*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1-2 teaspoons rosewater




    Preheat oven to 300^oF. Line a cupcake tin with paper liners. Sift flour twice, then sift together with 1/4 cup sugar. Sifting several times aerates the flour so the cake will be lighter. In a large bowl, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until frothy. Add salt and cream of tartar and beat until peaks barely form. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and rosewater, mixing until soft peaks form. Gently fold in a third of the flour/sugar at a time, stirring until incorporated after each addition. Fill cupcake tin to the top with batter. Lift and drop the pans onto the counter a couple times to release air bubbles. Bake on center rack until tops are springy and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25  minutes.** Cool 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack until room temperature. Can be stored in an air-tight container in the freezer for two weeks. Yields 12 cupcakes.
*Save all of your egg yolks for the Bavarian cream recipe I'll give you later.
**If you have raucous children, pets, or significant others, tie them to a tree outside while the angelfood bakes.  The air in the beaten egg whites is what makes angelfood rise, so loud clatters will cause the cake to fall. Also, don't slam the oven door or bang pans around. Then you'll have no one to blame but yourself when your cupcakes fall, and you will have tied your loved ones to a tree for nothing (an act that is much easier to explain to social services while they're eating a fluffy cupcake).

Seven-Minute Meringue Icing:
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 large egg white
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon rosewater

    Bring one inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan.  Combine all ingredients in a large metal bowl, then set over saucepan to create a makeshift double-boiler.  Blend on high speed until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Wear an oven mitt on your hand that is stabilizing the bowl, to protect it from the steam. Remove from heat, add rosewater. Beat until icing is cool and billowy with stiff peaks, about 2 minutes.

Assembly:
    Frost cupcakes with a generous dollop of meringue icing and spread with spatula. Begin inserting rose petals into the icing around the edge of the cupcake. Work inward in a spiral until you reach the center.

I found that inserting 5 large petals on the periphery and 3-4 smaller ones in the center looked nice. Altering the angle at which you insert the petals will determine whether the cupcake looks more like a rosebud or a fully bloomed rose. Cupcakes can be stored in the refrigerator one day.

1. Flament, I. et al. "Volatile constituents of roses: characterization of cultivars based on the headspace analysis of living flower emissions. In: Teranishi R, Buttery RG, Sugisawa H (eds) Bioactive volatile compounds from plants." American Chemical Society (1993): 269-281.
2. Yan, Huijun et al. "Isolation and identification of a putative scent-related gene RhMYB1 from rose." Molecular Biology Reports 38.7 (2011): 4475-82.