11 December 2010

Lemon and Ricotta Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

My baking journey continues, maybe it is just that time of year with Christmas around the corner and the desire for bountiful quantities of delicious home baked goodies.  I came across these delights on Matt Bites and just couldn't resist them as my first foray in to cupcakes.  Loved the idea of the tartness of the lemon and the sweetness of the chocolate and was curious to see how the ricotta would work.
Given this is baking I followed the recipe to the letter, the only exception, lemon extract which I couldn't find and didn't want to use fake.  I was so excited and proud to see these little babies rising wonderfully!  The sweet smell of success and for a first attempt I think they were pretty darn good. 

Meyer Lemon and Ricotta Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting 

Ingredients:
makes 12
 
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups sugar
2 egg whites lightly beaten
½ cup part-skim ricotta
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 Meyer lemon, zested and juiced

Frosting:
3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
4 ounces (112 gr) white chocolate, melted. I used Whittaker's.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Garnish:
1 ounce (28 gr) white chocolate, shaved

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F (180C)
In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside and in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer beat together the sugar and egg until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  I even timed myself!  With the motor or speed on medium-low add the ricotta, melted butter and buttermilk to the sugar mixture and begin adding the flour mixture to the sugar mixture in thirds, scraping the bowl down after each addition until fully incorporated.  Gently fold in the lemon extract, zest and juice and stir gently together.
Line each cup with paper liners and fill each about 2/3 of the way with batter, to allow them space to rise. Place cupcakes in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cupcake.
For the frosting, place the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and begin beating on low speed until just combined. About 2 minutes.  Add the cream and turn the speed to medium-high and continue beating the mixture, until smooth.  Reduce the speed to medium and slowly drizzle in the melted chocolate and fold old in the vanilla until fully incorporated.

Once the cupcakes have cooled, place the frosting into a piping bag with a star tip and pipe a small amount of frosting onto each cupcake or a lot!  I put on what I would consider quite a lot and I still had some left over. Top each cupcake with a sprinkle of white chocolate shavings and serve.
They rose beautifully, even in my old and somewhat decrepit oven, so I would highly recommend this to any cupcake novices like myself.  I love the texture, light but with an almost doughnut like texture.  The lemon really comes through and plays off against the sweet and rich frosting.  And the frosting, goodness I don't think decadent even begins to do it justice. I am looking forward to perfecting my frosting technique, there is something strangely satisfying about using a piping bag full of frosting.

These went down an absolute treat in the office, so if you haven't made cupcakes before, go on and give them a go.  Everyone deserves a little cupcake of lemony, chocolaty decadence.

Enjoy!

9 comments:

  1. They were delicious and the lemon butter icing was DIVINE! From one baker to another - NICE! - Kerry

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  2. Liked your cup cakes - not bad for a first attempt

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