Chinese five-spice boosts classic cupcake
| • | 'Confection-ate' |
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor
When California baker Patti Murray was invited to a gathering of baking enthusiasts around Chinese New Year time, she decided to try a new take on an old and beloved recipe: flavoring a Southern-style red velvet cake and a basic frosting with Chinese five-spice, a sweetish mixture of cinnamon, clove, anise, fennel and Szechuan peppercorn. It worked well.
For truly vibrant color, the preference of professional bakers is to use food coloring paste, available at kitchen supply shops, at the Y. Hata retail outlet or online from such places as Sur La Table. However, you can use the more widely available liquid red food coloring.
RED VELVET CUPCAKES
For the cream-cheese frosting:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees; place the rack in the center of the oven. Line cupcake pans (to hold 24 to 36 cupcakes) with paper cupcake liners, or spray cupcake pan well with oil-flour spray if you prefer not to use liners. Waxed paper or kitchen parchment can be cut to fit the bottom of the cupcake tins and sprayed with with oil-flour cooking spray (fussy, but guarantees an easy release without liners; the paper peels easily off the bottom once the cupcakes are half-cooled).
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour and salt. In another medium bowl, stir together the vanilla and buttermilk. In a small bowl, combine the cocoa and red food coloring and stir to combine (if using paste, you'll need to whisk or mash). In a large bowl using an electric mixer or in the bowl of a standing mixer, cream butter with sugar, beating well for 3 to 4 minutes (not longer), stopping to scrape the bowl down once or twice. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, until the mixture is creamy, fluffy and smooth. Add the cocoa-food coloring mixture to the batter and beat to mix evenly. Add the flour and milk alternately in thirds, beating at low speed between each addition. In a small bowl, combine the baking soda and vinegar and fold this in quickly by hand. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes until the cupcakes spring back at your touch and have just begun to pull away from the sides of the pan; a toothpick test is also helpful. Place on rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter and beat well with a mixer at medium speed until soft and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the confectioner's sugar and thin as needed with milk.
* If you wish to use Patti Murray's innovation of giving the cupcakes a Chinese New Year's boost, add 1 teaspoon of five-spice to the batter just before the baking soda and vinegar step and add the second teaspoon of five-spice to the cream-cheese frosting.
The following popular Island cake will appear in "The Island Plate II," the sequel to The Advertiser's 150th anniversary cookbook expected to be released by Island Heritage in the fall. With cupcakes so popular, we decided to photograph them in miniature with the aid of Sugar Rush by Frances, a Honolulu catering firm that specializes in miniature desserts. This recipe, very roughly based on one invented in Hungaria, first appeared in The Advertiser, at a reader's request, on Oct. 30, 1996. It's for a full-size cake, but you can make cupcakes if you prefer; cut cooking time by about one-third and keep a close eye on them. Frost as desired with one of the three frostings suggested below.
CHOCOLATE DOBASH CAKE
For the chocolate chiffon:
For the chocolate filling and icing:
In large bowl, sift together 1 1/4 cups sugar, cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and baking powder. In another large bowl, blend together oil, eggs and water. Using hand-held electric mixer and large bowl, or in bowl of stand-ing mixer, combine dry ingredients with wet and mix on medium 5 minutes. In another bowl, scrupulously free of any oil, beat egg whites until triple in volume. Add 1 cup sugar and cream of tartar and continue beating on high until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes; this is the meringue. Gently fold meringue into chocolate batter. Measure and pour 3 1/2 cups of batter each into 2 (8-inch) ungreased cake pans. Allow 1 inch of space from the top of the pan. (Do not overfill; make cupcakes with any extra batter.) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 33 minutes or until done. Remove pans from oven and carefully turn pans over onto cooling rack, leaving cakes in the pans to cool. Cool completely. Run knife around outside edge of each pan to loosen cakes. Flip pans over and tap pans to remove cake. Wrap in foil and freeze until firm.
Make dobash filling/frosting: Put water, sugar, salt, vanilla, butter and cocoa into saucepan. Stir; bring to a boil over medium to low heat, being careful not to allow mixture to scorch or burn. Remove from heat, momentarily. Whisk together 1/2 cup water and cornstarch. Add to cocoa mixture, whisking continuously. Return to stove and cook until mixture is thick and translucent. Pour into clean bowl, cool, cover and refrigerate. Use as filling between layers of cake and to ice cake. Garnish with a maraschino cherry, if desired.
Serves 8.
Variations:
Reach Wanda A. Adams at wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.
