
North Pole Cupcakes
Course:
Dessert, Cake, Cupcakes
Cuisine:
American
Seasonal Event:
Holiday , Christmas
INGREDIENTS:
CUPCAKES
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 whole vanilla bean pods, seeds scraped out
FROSTING
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- Pinch salt
ASSEMBLY:
- White crystal sugar, for sprinkling
- 12 Lindt chocolate truffles
- 12 rolled wafer cookies
YIELD: 12 cupcakes
DIRECTIONS:
CUPCAKES:
- Heat oven to 350˚. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together, set aside.
- In medium bowl, beat eggs with sugar until thick, pale yellow, and slightly frothy.
- Continue beating eggs with sugar and pour in vegetable oil, beat until combined. Add the sour cream, milk, and scraped seeds from vanilla pods, whisk to combine.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture in small batches, being careful not to overmix the batter.
- Pour batter evenly into 12 cups of muffin tin (about ¼ cup batter per muffin cup).
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out cleanly. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
FROSTING:
- Beat cream cheese and butter together in stand mixer until smooth and light. Turn off stand mixer.
- Add powdered sugar, turn mixer on low until incorporated, then beat on high for 1-2 minutes. Add vanilla bean paste and salt, and beat until combined.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
ASSEMBLY:
- Using an offset spatula, pile frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Scrape around the sides and flatten the top to create a straight-edged cylinder of frosting on top of each cupcake.
- Holding the cupcake over a bowl, sprinkle white crystal sugar onto frosting, letting excess fall into bowl.
- Cut bottom off chocolate truffle with paring knife and core it slightly so there is space for the wafer cookie. Insert the wafer tube into the cut end of the truffle.
- Press wafer tube cookie into the center of each cupcake, through the frosting, with the truffle-topped end sticking up.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready for use.