Recipe: Cassis Cupcakes

I Love Desserts

Cassis Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

This cupcake is a fun flavor twist on the whole cupcake theme. The subtle taste of Crème de Cassis, the French black currant liqueur, is divine. Not only does it taste great, but your kitchen will be filled with the wafting aroma of heavenly baking.

Muffin pan, lined with paper liners

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 375 mL
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 7 mL
1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 mL
1 cup granulated sugar, 250 mL
1/2 cup vegetable oil, 125 mL
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk, 50 mL
1/2 cup Crème de Cassis, 125 mL
Easy Buttercream Frosting, (see recipe further below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, and eggs until smooth. Alternately whisk in flour mixture and milk and Crème de Cassis, making three additions of flour mixture and one each of milk and liqueur, beating until smooth.

Scoop batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack. Top cooled cupcakes with Easy Buttercream Frosting.

Tip:
You can find crème de cassis at liquor stores.

Variation:
Add a drop of red food coloring to the batter to give it a light pink hue.

Easy Buttercream Frosting

This sweet, creamy white icing works well on almost any cupcake. When kids scream for white frosting, this is your ticket. When the mood strikes, you can add a drop of food coloring to tint it almost any color of the rainbow.

Makes about 2 cups (500 mL), enough to frost 16 or more cupcakes

3 cups confectioner's (icing) sugar, 750 mL
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, 250 mL
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla, 5 mL

In a small bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat together sugar, butter and salt until creamy. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, beating until frosting is smooth.

Spread icing on cooled cupcakes with a knife or transfer to a pastry bag and pipe decoratively over cupcakes.

Tip:
This frosting is best made just before you're ready to use it.

Variation:
Use vanilla paste instead of the vanilla extract.

Buy the Book!

from:
125 Best Cupcake Recipes
by Julie Hasson
Robert Rose
Photographs by Mark T. Shapiro
16 pages of colour photographs
Paperback, $19.95 CAN/$18.95 U.S
ISBN: 0-7788-0112-8
Recipe reprinted by permission.