King Cupcake by Alissa
Editors Note:: I am posting this for Alissa this time (Christopher's S.O) and I can attest to the fact that these cupcakes were worth spending 6 flex points on. I'm posting this as Alissa's Cupcake Hero entry for this month. Good luck Alissa!
When I think of February, I don’t think of Valentine’s Day – the day seemed too sappy and contrived for me. Instead, I looked forward to Mardi gras, and let’s face it; it’s not Mardi gras without etoufee and king cake. Fortunately for me, king cake is just as delicious, cute, and fun in cupcake form! Fat Tuesday was hella early this year, but better late than never when delicious cupcakes are concerned.
King Cupcakes!
Cake/Brioche
½ cup warm milk
1 pkt active dry yeast
½ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 ½ - 4 cups all purpose flour
1 stick butter, softened and cut into pieces
3 eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
1.2 tsp ground nutmeg (freshly ground is preferred)
1 tsp milk
1 egg
Berry and Lemon Filling
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 tbsp butter, softened
1 ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
½ shot Chambord or other raspberry liqueur
¼ shot lemon liqueur (I used Paula’s Texas Lemon)
1 splash berry juice (I just mashed some leftover blackberries through a strainer)
Lemon Glaze
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 ½ shots lemon liqueur
Juice of ½ lemon
1 plastic baby or sterilized coin
Colored sugars
Put the warm milk and dry yeast into a large mixing bowl, and let it dissolve, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and salt, stir together, and sit for a few minutes until bubbles form. Begin mixing the mixture, adding the zest, nutmeg, eggs, butter, and 2 cups of the flour. Beat on medium speed to mix everything, and then begin to gradually add the remaining flour until you have a soft dough. Switch to the dough hook attachment on your mixer if you have one, or knead the dough on a floured surface, until the dough has become smooth and elastic. Put it into a buttered bowl, cover with a moistened towel, and set it in a warm place to rise for about 1 ½ hours.
After watching your favorite Family Guys, punch the dough down. Roll the dough into 24 balls, about the size of a golf ball, and place into cupcake papers that have been sprayed with Pam. Cover them with the wet towel, and let them rise for another hour. Preheat the oven to 350. Mix the 1 egg and teaspoon of milk together, and brush it onto the dough balls before placing them into the oven. Bake for 20-27 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the cakes sound kind of hollow when you tap them.
While your cakes are baking, cream your butter and cream cheese together. Add your liqueurs and your berry juice to the mix. Once they have been mixed together, gradually add the confectioner’s sugar until it has reached the consistency you want. (I had made double the ingredients for the filling, and it made way too much; I’m saving it for something else because it’s delicious).
In a regular bowl, mix the confectioner’s sugar, lemon liqueur, and lemon juice together. Once the cakes have finished baking and cooled, get ready to fill them. I just cut a hole in the tops with a paring knife and scooped some of the dough out, and then piped the filling into the holes. During this time, I also snuck a baby into one of the cupcake holes, and covered him with filling. Once these have been filled, spoon the glaze onto the tops of the cakes and decorate with colored sugar. Give these to all of your friends at your Mardi gras party – the person who gets the baby is the king of the party! It is the king’s duty to host the next party and make the next king cake.
They look awesome! Thanks so much! xo
Posted by laurie Woodward at February 13, 2008 09:07 AM
I love the cream filling recipe! These look so tasty!