Martha Stewart's Maple Cupcakes with Maple Frosting (#14)

Martha says: "Here the crimson autumn leaves are cast in marzipan and placed atop maple-flavored cupcakes and frosting."

Layla says: "I will have one of those, please, with milk!"

Who can resist a maple cupcake the the early fall? Not me and not Layla! These cupcakes have 2 cups of pure maple syrup in them...very maple-ee...Then there's there's the maple frosting with another two cups in that...my Martha Stewart Cupcakes book smells like maple as I sit here writing this!

I did have one minor glitch while making the buttercream frosting: I used a pan that was too small for the maple syrup and it by the time I realized that it was too small, it had started to boil over....trust me, it was extreme stress! So, better to use a pot that may seem too big!

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Maple Cupcakes Recipe (page 240 in book)
Ingredients for Cupcakes
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.
2 cups pure maple syrup,, preferably Grade B
3 large eggs, room temp
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard or mini muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. With an electric mixer on medum-high speed, cream butter until smooth. Add the maple syrup, and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add flour mixture, and beat well to combine. Beat in milk and vanilla until combined.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until glden and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes for standard, 10 to 13 minutes for minis. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

4. To finish, use an offset spatula to spread each cupcake with maple buttercream. top with marzipan leaves. Decorated cupcakes can be strored up to 1 day at room temperature in airtight containers.

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Ingredients for Maple Buttercream Frosting (page 309 in book)

Martha says: "Before adding the maple syrup to the beaten eggs, it should be heated to 240 degrees F. If you don't have a candy thermometer, you can test by adding a drop of syrup to cold water; it should immediately form a soft ball. Be sure to buy only pure maple syrup, not a brand labeled "pancake" or "maple-flavored syrup," which is actually corn syrup flavored with maple extract. Pure maple syrup is graded according to color and flavor; grade B has a robust flavor that works well in baking and other recipes."

6 large egg yolks
2 cups pure maple syrup, preferably grade B
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into tablespoons

1. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix egg yolks on high speed until pale and thick, about 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring maple syrup to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Cook until syrup registers 240 degrees F, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. with mixer on medium speed, carefully pour syrup in a slow, steady stream down the side of the bowl until it is completely combined, about 1-1/2 minutes. continue mixing until the bottom of the bowl is only slightly warm to the touch, 5-6 minutes.

4. Add the butter, a few tablespoons at a time, mixing until completely incorporated after each addition. Once all the butter has been added, scrape down the sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until buttercream is fluffy, about 4 minutes more. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and whisk on low speed until fluffy again, about 5 minutes.

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Marzipan Maple Leaves

Divide 5 ounces of marzipan into thirds, and tint with red, orange, and brown gel-paste food colors. Knead all pieces together briefly until colors are streaky. Using a rolling pin, roll out marzipan to 1/8 inch thick on a work surface lightly dusted with cornstarch. Cut out 24 leaves using a 2-1/4-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutter (I found mine at Michaels) for standard cupcakes or 66 leaving using a 1-3/4-inch cutter for minis. Marzipan leaves can be stored up to 1 day at room temperature in an airtight container, between layers of parchment paper.

Have a great week...CQ