I have been trying to keep my mind off of the really long exam I mentioned a month ago. It is rare for me to mention something personal like that in fear of jinxing myself (I can't help being superstitious, I think it's some weird anxiety-driven thing I have had my whole life. I will make up crazy "tests" in my head and if I beat the clock or something, good luck will ensue. Bet you didn't know I was that nuts, sorry!). Anyway, as some may know, I have been struggling with post-college life and it's been tough for my formerly Type-A self to be without direction and motivation. Fortunately, I got the results for that test and lo, I passed. One step closer to figuring this life of mine out (at least for now). Phew. Would any of you entrust your children to me? Anyone? Anyone? So far my foray into education has provided the children and faculty of a Worcester elementary school with an entertaining sartorial outlook and I have been told by the students that I "still know what it is like to be a kid," after I demonstrated a cartwheel on the playground. Math, on the other hand, has apparently changed since I was in third grade. I will draw you a pretty cupcake to make up for it.
With that out of the way, let's celebrate with the Easter treat I mentioned earlier. I thought these fluffy cupcakes resembled bunny tails and even made little cut-out bunnies that looked like each member of my family (down to my brother Nick's gauged ears). I propped the bunny cut out in front of the giant cupcake and distributed them. I wasn't expecting the 90 degree weather (not that I was disappointed, trust me) and quickly had to shove the little goodies into the fridge. No matter, the frosting made the four-hour trip to the 'Cuse and no one died from food poisoning. Another test passed!
Bunny Cottontails
(or Lemon Coconut Snowballs from Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans)Yield: 12 cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
lemon filling
1/4 C (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 C fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 C sugar
2 T cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 C water
1 tsp grated lemon zest
seven-minute frosting
1 1/4 C sugar
1/3 C water
3 large egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
3 C shredded coconut
cupcakes
1 1/3 C cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
6 T whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
6 T (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 C sugar
6 large egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 C lemon filling
DIRECTIONS
lemon filling
1. Heat butter and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts and mixture is hot.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar. Whisk in dissolved cornstarch. While whisking continuously, slowly pour hot butter and lemon juice into yolk mixture.
3. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat until mixture comes to boil and thickens, about 6 minutes.
4. Once the mixture looks more translucent than cloudy, remove from heat, pour into small bowl and stir in the lemon zest.
5. Let the mixture sit out until it stops steaming. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, frozen for 3 months.
seven-minute frosting
1. Put sugar, water, egg whites, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler with at least a 2-qt capacity and beat with a handheld electric mixer on high speed until opaque, white and foamy.
2. Put the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (or the bottom of the double boiler). Top container should sit firmly over the pan of hot water.
3. Beat on high speed until the frosting forms a soft peak that stands straight up if you stop the beaters and lift them up, about 7 minutes, should register about 160 degrees on candy thermometer.
4. Remove the container of frosting from the water. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, and continue beating for 2 minutes to further thicken the frosting.
cupcake making and assembly
Preheat to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin tin cups with paper cupcake liners.
1. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, stir the milk and vanilla and almond extracts together.
2. In large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smoothly blended and lightened in color, about two minutes. On low speed, alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures until fully incorporated.
3. In another large bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed until the whites are foamy and the cream of tartar dissolves, about a minute. Beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Use a spatula to fold one-third of the whipped egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining whites until no white streaks remain.
4. Distribute batter evenly among the 12 liners. Bake just until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 23 minutes. Tops should remain pale and barely brown on the edges. Cool the cupcakes for ten minutes in the pan or on a wire rack.
5. To fill the cupcakes with the lemon filling, cut a cone-shaped piece, about one inch across and one inch deep, out of the middle of the top of each cupcake; set the pieces aside. Spoon one tablespoon of lemon filling into each hole. Replace the cone-shaped pieces of cupcake. Immediately frost afterwards.
Nutrition: 414 cal, 13g fat, 108mg sod, 70g carb, 55g sugar, 1g fiber, 7g protein
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