The Professor Cupcake

Only one cupcake is savory yet ever so subtlely sweet enough for consumption by the Professor.  The cupcake starts with a yellow cake base, filled with peach rosemary preserves and topped with goat cheese frosting.  Any savory preserve can be substituted in this recipe.  This recipe makes 30 cupcakes.

 Subsequently, the cupcake is appropriately titled "The Professor".  The only way to raise the Professor factor would be decorations using fondant, like a goatee, a wad of cash or a change dispensor belt.

 

YELLOW CUPCAKE INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, room temperature
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

GOAT CHEESE ITALIAN MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM INGREDIENTS

Meringue

• 5 egg whites
• pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (if not using a copper bowl)
• 2 ounces (1/4 cup) castor sugar

Syrup

• 8 ounces (1 cup) castor sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Other

• 4oz cream cheese
• 1-2 oz goat cheese
• Butter, 1 lb., unsalted, and soft
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Filling - Peach Rosemary Preserves

DIRECTIONS

1. Frosting
   1. Follow directions for Jameson Italian Meringue Butter cream, substituting 2 tsp Vanilla extract for Jameson
   2. Slowly add the cream cheese to the frosting about 2tbsp at at time
   3. Add goat cheese 1 tablespoon at a time
      1. Taste frosting after 1 oz.  My ratio of cream cheese to goat cheese was 4:1, however the original recipe recommended 2:1.
   4. Keep frosting refrigerated!
2. Yellow Cupcakes
   1. Preheat oven to 325°. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.
   2. Sift flours together.
   3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sifted flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
      1. mix on low speed until combined. 
      2. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.
   4. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. 
   5. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition
      1. Beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat.
   6. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about two-thirds full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.
   7. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter
3. Assembly
   1. Using an apple corer or butter knife, cut a nickel sized cylinder in the cupcake and discard  
   2. Fill the cylinder with preserves
   3. Pipe the goat cheese cheese frosting on top
   4. Store cupcakes in the refrigerator after assembly if not consumed right away
      1. Refrigerated cupcakes need to sit out for about 2 hours prior to consumption, or the icing will be as hard as a rock.  :)