The Cupcake Addict's Cupcake Collection

So, today I baked….

Mr Shuck sent me an email last week with Martha Stewart’s recipe for Ginger Molasses cupcakes.  Original recipe is here and  suggested whipped cream as a topping.  I got a can of RediWhip (actually Mr Shuck bought the RediWhip for me) in case the icing didn’t work out.  I didn’t want an overly sweet icing, so I hoped the flour/milk recipe icing I had been given recently would work out.  Not the most beautiful cupcake I’ve made, but very tasty!

Ginger Molasses with Lemon Icing- Click to enlarge

My version (slightly altered)

• 3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon(s) salt
• 8 ounce(s) (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted (I actually just softened it in the microwave, but not all the way to melted)
• 1 1/2 cup(s) sugar
• 1/3 cup(s) unsulfured molasses (I used Jack Rabbit, full flavored.  The original called for 2/3 cup, but batter smelled very molasses-y after 1/3 cup, so I stopped and added more hot water instead: 2/3 cup instead of 1/3 cup)
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup(s) hot ginger water  (see note in instructions)
• 2 piece(s) (6-inch, 4 1/2-ounces each) fresh ginger, peeled and pureed

To prep the ginger: the original recipe called for minced ginger, but I was not about to mince 9 ounces of fresh ginger, so I put it all in the blender with some water and made a ginger puree.  After it was pureed, I strained the pulp out and used the water for the hot water.  A problem I experienced is that most of my ginger was of the “older” variety and fibrous, so my cupcakes turned out a bit “hairy”.  See photo

"Hairy" ginger- Click to enlarge

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add molasses. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition.
2. Reduce speed to low. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with hot water and ending with dry ingredients. (I didn’t end up with dry ingredients.  Oops!)  Stir minced ginger into batter. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.
3. Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks.

Icing:  (Thanks to Cathy P for sending me her grandmother’s red velvet cake icing recipe and to my aunt for suggesting citrus)

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 pound butter (softened)
• 1 cup sugar (granulated)
• Lemonade flavor Crystal Light® to taste (this is the only “citrus” I had in the house, next time I will use lemon zest/juice)

Directions:

1. In a sauce pan, add enough milk to the flour to make a smooth paste.  Slowly heat and gradually add the rest of the milk, whisking constantly, until all the milk is added and mixture is smooth.  Heat over medium heat until mixture is thickened (like gravy).  Let cool completely.  (This will lump up a bit as it cools, I re-whisked it before adding it in the next steps.)
2. Whip butter until creamy.  Add sugar and beat at medium speed for 6 minutes, until fluffy.
3. Add cooled flour/milk mixture and beat until fluffy.  (Original recipe warned to not overbeat.  I don’t know what happens or how you know if you’ve over beaten.)
4. Add lemonade mix a bit at a time until lemony enough and not too lemony.
5. Put on cupcakes and munch away!

Rating:  ♥♥♥, but I think it could be ♥♥♥♥ if I find a way to have less hairy ginger.