« June 2013 | Main | November 2013 »

August 2013

August 03, 2013

Sangria Cupcakes

IMG_3334

Sangria is a portugese wine, and consists of wine, chopped fruit, a sweetener, and a small amount of liquor such as Brandy.  It is a perennial summertime favorite, and brings delight to any party.  The fruit tends to absorb a lot of alcohol, and makes for a fun surprise.

I modified the original recipe because the cupcakes tasted good, but the sangria flavor wasn't recognizable.  I gradually reduced the sugar and removed the fruit from the wine to produce a cupcake that has actual wine flavor.   Also, it is important to use Merlot, as any other wine's flavor will get lost in translation.  I made this recipe 5 times before producing a cupcake that tasted like wine, using Pino Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Neither produced the intensity, or blueness, of Merlot.

In order to make this "wine" cupcake taste like sangria, a Strawberry Pineapple compote was used for filling and Hennessey and Grand Marnier were used in the frosting.  The result is magic for your taste buds: Sangria in a foil wrapper.

 

CUPCAKE INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 bottle Merlot
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Follow recipe for Jameson Italian Meringue Buttercream
    1. Substitute Hennesey and Grand Marnier for the Jameson and 1/4 cup water used to make the syrup
  2. Follow recipe for Spiked Strawberry Pineapple Compote
  3. In medium sauce pan, simmer the Merlot.  
    1. Add the 1/3 cup sugar once the Merlot is simmering, and let cook on medium low heat for about 15 minutes.
    2. Allow merlot to cool to room temperature
  4. Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
    in a medium bowl.  
    1. Sift together at least one
  5. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and
    sugar until fluffy and light
    1. about 3 minutes.  
    2. Add sour cream and eggs until combined.  
    3. Add the flour mixture and 2/3 cup of cooked Merlot, alternating between the two, but beginning and ending with the flour.
  6. Fill the cupcakes approximately 2/3 full and bake for 18 minutes.
    1. Remove from oven when tester comes out clean.
  7. While cupcakes are hot, brush extra Merlot over the tops of
    each cupcake.  
  8. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
    1. Remove a core from the center
    2. Fill with Strawberry Pineapple compote
    3. Pipe the Grand Marnier Henessey buttercream on top
    4. Garnish with fluer de sel or sea salt

IMG_3337

Spiked Strawberry Pineapple Compote

This filling pairs great with the Sangria cupcake recipe, or as a delicious jam.

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups strawberries (diced)
  • 1 cup pineapple (diced)
  • 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. butter
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Pour strawberries and pineapple into a deep pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. 
  2. Once the strawberries are boiling, add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved. 
    1. Stir constantly so the sugar doesn’t burn. 
  3. Bring to a boil and then add the butter. 
    1. The addition of butter keeps the foam volume down.
  4. Turn the heat down to medium-low and boil the jam for about 30 minutes, until thickened to jam like consistency. 
  5. Stir in the Grand Marnier.
  6. Store in the refrigerator and serve within 1 week.

LINKAGE

  1. http://thesassyapron.wordpress.com/tag/sangria-cupcakes/