AMakes 24 cupcakes
1 cup chardonnay 3/4 cup whole milk, room temperature 5 egg whites, room temperature 1 whole egg, room temperature 3 cups (345 g) cake flour 2 cups (400 g) sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 tsp salt 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened slightly
Place chardonnay in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a rapid simmer. Simmer uncovered until reduced to 1/4 cup. Pour into a glass liquid measuring cup and let cool to room temperature. Add milk, egg whites and whole egg, set aside.
Heat oven to 350. Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
Combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat on low to combine, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces over the dry ingredients and beat on medium speed until butter pieces are no larger than peas. Whisk the liquid ingredients briefly with a fork to combine. Add all but 1/2 cup of the liquid ingredients to the mixer and beat on medium high just until it becomes smooth, 30-60 seconds. Reduce speed to low and add the remaining liquid. Increase speed to medium high and beat just until incorporated.
Divide batter among muffin cups, filling them 2/3 full. If you bake them right away, they will have flat tops. If you want them to be domed, let the batter sit in the cups on the counter 20 minutes before baking. Bake 15-20 minutes until cupcakes will spring back and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
AI have used this recipe also with 1 cup seeded raspberry puree, 1 cup seeded strawberry puree, 1 cup champagne, all reduced down and added to the milk. And if you want a really great basic white cake, use a full cup of milk plus a teaspoon of vanilla, and add the seeds of a vanilla bean to the dry ingredients.
AMy favorite variation that I ever made was 1 cup strawberry puree and 1 cup champagne reduced together to 1/2 cup. I used 1/4 cup in the cake batter and put the other 1/4 cup into French buttercream. The most delicious cake ever.
French buttercream 8 egg yolks 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla pinch salt 1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
Combine egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Set the bowl over a saucepan with an inch lf simmering water and whisk constantly until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is 150-160 F degrees. Transfer the bowl to your mixer and whip on high speed for 7 minutes. Mixture should be doubled in volume, somewhat thickend and pale, creamy yellow. Switch to the paddle attachment and turn to medium low. Add the butter 4 tablespoons at a time, 5 seconds between additions. Increase speed to medium high and beat until smooth.
Add reduced strawberry and champagne mixture at this point. Will frost 24 cupcakes or a 4-inch high 8-inch diameter cake.
AJust use 1 cup milk in place of the 1/4 cup reduced chardonnay and 3/4 cup milk, and add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract.
Sound about right, Sarah! Thanks for the tip!
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