Saturday, May 30, 2009

White Mountain Chocolate Cupcakes

It just seemed so wrong. It was time for spinning class, I was at the gym, but I was carrying a box full of cupcakes. This was an oxymoron in action, and I wasn’t sure the greeters at the front counter would let me enter the facility toting that quantity of simple carbs. I had to do it though because it was my instructor’s birthday. I’ve been attending his spinning classes for almost three years, and he always reminds the class when his birthday is drawing near. And, well, I’ll use any excuse to bake. These fluffy treats are from Cupcakes by Elinor Klivans which is a delightful, little book. I’ve made her cinnamon sugar puff cupcakes which are like doughnut muffins and her caramel-covered tea cakes, and both were fantastic. The book includes cupcakes with all sorts of different toppings and fillings for all sorts of occasions. The white mountain chocolate cupcake is made with chocolate sour cream cupcake batter and seven-minute frosting.

The batter is made rich and delicious with the addition of sour cream, but the important thing here is the frosting. If you have never made a seven-minute frosting, or if it has been awhile as it had been for me, go now to start separating some egg whites. I don’t know how I let so much time pass since I’d last made this kind of frosting, but it is a simply wonderful thing. Egg whites are beaten in a bowl with water, sugar, and cream of tartar. The bowl is set over a pot of barely simmering water, and you continue to beat for seven minutes. A glossy, thick, luscious frosting develops before your eyes. After seven minutes, the bowl is removed from the pan of simmering water, vanilla is added, and you mix for another couple of minutes. What you get is the best possible incarnation of marshmallow fluff.

Next, you get to apply this fluffery to the cupcakes, and that is almost as much fun as eating it. You swoop and swirl and let the frosting take whatever crazy shape it can. Because of the lightness of the frosting, this is one that is best applied liberally. My spinning instructor was surprised and delighted by the cupcakes, and he offered to share with everyone—after class of course. Luckily, everyone felt like they deserved a cupcake or two after that class.


46 comments:

  1. oh my god...that's not white mountain chocolate cupcakes..it's white HEAVEN! oooooh, the bliss!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Look at the gloss on that fluff. That must have been really fun putting them onto the muffins.

    Funny you'd be carrying a box full of muffins into a gym. It's like kryptonite for anyone there. LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Those are awesome. I love them. I can't believe you actually entered a gym with these in your possession :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's gorgeous! So light and fluffy, I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love the crazy topping! From someone who skis the White Mountains ( as in the White Mountains, NH) I think you captured it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. OMG! this is beautiful awesome, i am totally specchless, I just love the snow white glossy chic topping, just stunning . . . simple and clssy!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your cupcakes look amazing! It almost looks as though they should be torched on the ends!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I had to google what's spinning class =P not a big fan of the gym as you can tell.

    The cupcakes look so chaotically pretty =P yum yum!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have that book and have eyed that recipe so many times. I didn't imagine they would actually turn out so wonderfully. It's like a mini-party! I've never made 7-minute frosting but I think it's time to try.

    ReplyDelete
  10. 'fluffery' I want it! I want more fluffery in my life in general - these rock!

    ReplyDelete
  11. These look amazing! Beautiful job! The icing couldn't be prettier!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Beautiful cupcakes and lovely icing. I have made marshmallows before but never knew of this frosting until now. I have bookmarked your recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The white 'mountain' looks sooo perfect. Wow. And I love how perfectly flat your cupcakes turned out. The commenter above mentioned a recipe, but I can't seem to fin it :$ Can anyone please point it out

    ReplyDelete
  14. Those are gorgeous!! And your story is funny, your sweet for making them for him.

    ReplyDelete
  15. those look SO delicious!! i love that you took them to your gym :) i'll bet everyone who isn't in the class was super jealous ;)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your gym instructor has to offer you all an extra free hour of lesson because of your cupcakes, haha! Your awesome white cupcakes makes me wanting to check out that book you are referring to, and I am not even a big cupcake fan!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Heaven..!! thats one of the best cupcakes I've ever seen Lisa..!! hi to u ..its ma first time here..what a lovely space u have..:)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Aww that was so nice of you! The frosting looks so perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh my this looks better than a bakery cupcakes. Beautiful frosting.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Love the little spikes, those look great!

    ReplyDelete
  21. It would be hard to eat them because they're so gorgeous with that frosting! That's so nice of you!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Those cupcakes are just heavenly and what a cool frosting topping! Love these!

    ReplyDelete
  23. wait a tick, isn't every frosting meant to be applied liberally? :)
    fabulous cupcakes, lisa. justification to eat things like this is the very reason i even enter the gym. :)

    ReplyDelete
  24. That frosting is just awesome! Love the way they look.. kinda crazy cool:-D

    ReplyDelete
  25. so beautiful. and you know that it's all about balance. a little cupcake, a little spin class. you'll make it up in the overall scheme of things!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hi Lisa... I can't let my daughter to see your cupcake ;p she will screaming and pushing me to make it. Your cupcake icing look so awesome..

    btw, thanks for mango salsa idea, I will make kabab and mango salsa for dinner tonight.

    ReplyDelete
  27. The frosting does look lovely! almost like an Italian meringue, so glossy! I love it!
    Hahaha I can just picture the scene with the cupcakes and the spinning!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Wow, love the way those cupcakes look. What good taste (ha, unintended) you have in cookbooks.

    ReplyDelete
  29. That marshmallow frosting is the best! It's great on chocolate cake.

    ReplyDelete
  30. WOW, these cupcakes look great...with the marshmallow on it look like a little piece of heaven...great pictures. By the way, thank you for visiting my site.

    ReplyDelete
  31. sound addictive!! excellent frosting!! yummyy!!

    ReplyDelete
  32. I love seven-minute frosting. The spikey cupcakes are very cute. :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Gahhhhh! No recipe! I'm in love with the sour cream cupcakes and the seven minute icing, but......no recipe! Gorgeous. Please post or direct me soonest to these beautiful cakes!

    ReplyDelete
  34. What beautiful cupcakes! I love this type of fluffy light frosting too.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I LOVE frostings with those peaks and curls! It is always so impressive! Those are gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  36. These cupcakes look delicious, but I have to say I'm most taken by the photo -- how beautiful you were able to make them look. I am most impressed. Cupcakes just don't look good when I'm behind the lens - maybe they just don't look good for me, period. I don't think I bake pretty things -- just tasty things. So I am totally in awe of your ability to make them look so lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  37. You let the cat out of the bag with this one. We all secretly exercise ONLY so we can eat 10,000-calorie baked goods like these lovelies. Seriously. I mean, who would WANT to exercise if we weren't able to indulge in things like this. I sure wouldn't. Hah!

    ReplyDelete
  38. oh wow! these look A*M*A*Z*I*N*G!!!
    The icing is so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Black and white...a classic combination. Love the meringue top...

    ReplyDelete
  40. I love 7 minute frosting - it's like a magic trick! And so good with chocoltae cupcakes.
    This is the reason I go to Spin, for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  41. It looks so artistic, you wouldn't dare touching the frosting. uuhhh no, I would still eat it all. it looks so delicious

    ReplyDelete
  42. Those are beautiful. So appetizing.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Interesting marshmallow fluff process = ridiculously enchanting topping for these cupcakes.

    How many extra miles do you have to ride to make eating one of these a net equal in fat and calories?

    If I was a spinning instructor, I'd eat the whole box, no questions asked.

    ReplyDelete

Blogging tips