Well it is June and the theme for this month is summer berries.
Raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries...you get the idea. And I have a crush on all of them.
Basically I love fruit, period. Berries conjure up memories of us kids sneaking blackberries off the vine and when questioned, denying we ever snatched any, although the berry stains were all over our faces, hands and clothing...or the time we went strawberry "pick your own" and I had to convince the little ones that the berries go in the tub not straight in the mouth. And the day that Toks discovered that going into the raspberry patch down the street actually WAS a good thing--licking her chops all the way back.
For my strawberry creation I transformed a simple s'more into a strawberry cupcake s'more and the secret weapon was an aged Balsalmic vinegar. The cake, made with graham crackers was rich yet light, and laced with Balsamic vinegar to pair nicely with the strawberry Ricemellow filling. A dapple of chocolate frosting on the top with another sweeeeet strawberry begs you to try this s'more. Very delightful.
Strawberry S'more Cupcake
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable margarine, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
Egg Replacer for 3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup soymilk
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar
Filling:
¼ cup strawberry preserves
1/2 cup Ricemellow creme
Frosting:
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable margarine, softened
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup soy cream
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
Strawberries for garnish
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins.
Combine the crumbs, flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, cream the margarine and the light brown sugar until fluffy. Slowly beat in the egg replacer. Stir in the vanilla. Alternately add the milk and the crumb mixture while beating on low. Whisk the sugar and balsamic vinegar together- add it to the batter and then pour into tins.
Bake for 25 minutes. Cool.
Cut out wedge in each cupcake and place a teaspoon of preserves, following with a tablespoon of Ricemellow- recap.
To Make Frosting: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 4 tablespoon sugar until it turns golden. Remove from heat, and add 4 tablespoons of the margarine, swirl. Whisk in the dark brown sugar, and place back on the heat. Bring to a boil, stirring all the time. Add the cream, and bring back to a boil. Boil 1 minute, and remove from heat.
Place the confectioners' sugar in a large bowl, and mixing on medium speed, slowly drizzle in the cocoa mixture. Beat until the bottom of the bowl is just barely warm, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups margarine, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until smooth, and chill frosting until ready to ice.
Scoop frosting on top of cuppies and garnish with a berry. Makes 12+