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I've been thinking for a while now that my last cupcake article was not so visually impressive. I feel like the blog has come a ways since then, so at the very least I could make a better looking (and hopefully better tasting!) cupcake than before. Also, I thought it would be fun to decorate cupcakes with my girlfriend on Valentine's, so I focused on preparing components that would definitely have an impressive visual factor and incorporate some of her favorite things.
In the previous cupcake article, I had tried to make a white chocolate cherry mousse, but have to admit it didn't really have the appearance, texture, or flavor I wanted. With a bit more know-how, I wanted to give it another try. I was also tempted to buy a whippet/whipped cream dispenser
, but couldn't really justify the expense - while they make mousse-making extremely fast and easy, most interesting things that can be done with a whipped cream dispenser can be done without one with just more time and effort. Maybe in another article.
The construction:
Devil's food cake again for the base.
White chocolate mousse made like before, but I've learned now that to avoid lumps in the mousse, just lightly heat the chocolate/butter or chocolate/egg mixture after mixing
Black cherry moscato syrup made by taking ~3 cups fresh cherries and heating on high heat with 1/2 cup sugar, 1-1/4 cup moscato. After the cherries had all softened (~20 minutes), the mixture was pressed through a strainer and reduced further, with 1 tbsp moscato mixed with 2 tsp cornstarch added at the end for more thickness and more flavor. The finished syrup was kept separate from the mousse to preserve its color - mixing it in too thoroughly can result in an unappetizing very pale pink color.
Spun sugar made by heating 6/10 cup sugar with 1 tbsp water and 1 tsp moscato until an amber color was reached (probably corresponding to the "hard crack" stage or beyond, given that some caramelization has occured). Once the syrup flowed off a fork/chopsticks in thin ribbons, it would be quickly crisscrossed over an egg brushed with oil - an egg for a nice ellipsoid shape, and oil to help remove the hardened sugar cage. If you decide to try this out on your own, be careful of burns!
, but couldn't really justify the expense - while they make mousse-making extremely fast and easy, most interesting things that can be done with a whipped cream dispenser can be done without one with just more time and effort. Maybe in another article..JPG) |
| White chocolate mousse |
The construction:
Devil's food cake again for the base.
White chocolate mousse made like before, but I've learned now that to avoid lumps in the mousse, just lightly heat the chocolate/butter or chocolate/egg mixture after mixing
Black cherry moscato syrup made by taking ~3 cups fresh cherries and heating on high heat with 1/2 cup sugar, 1-1/4 cup moscato. After the cherries had all softened (~20 minutes), the mixture was pressed through a strainer and reduced further, with 1 tbsp moscato mixed with 2 tsp cornstarch added at the end for more thickness and more flavor. The finished syrup was kept separate from the mousse to preserve its color - mixing it in too thoroughly can result in an unappetizing very pale pink color.
Spun sugar made by heating 6/10 cup sugar with 1 tbsp water and 1 tsp moscato until an amber color was reached (probably corresponding to the "hard crack" stage or beyond, given that some caramelization has occured). Once the syrup flowed off a fork/chopsticks in thin ribbons, it would be quickly crisscrossed over an egg brushed with oil - an egg for a nice ellipsoid shape, and oil to help remove the hardened sugar cage. If you decide to try this out on your own, be careful of burns!
 |
| Left: an especially fine sugar cage. Center: crisscrossing syrup over an egg on parchment paper. Right: a collection o spun cages, thicker ones transported a bit better |
