cupcake hero: mint

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Cupcake Hero: Mint Edition

when the theme was announced.. lets just say i didn't flinch a muscle.. hmph.. guess mint was never one of my favourite flavors unless you're talking about mentos the sweet. then peppermint would be it for me. Other than the occasional sweet treats, mint never really appeared much in my lists of to-do bakes... up till now at least.

Mint is to me much of a christmas flavor. During christmas, festive flavors in the most vibrant reds and greens pop out even in the commercial markets. Like coffees and lattes that suddenly see a surge of flavors such as mint and cranberry. Don't mean to be a wet blanket but i never acquired the art of appreciating these flavors. funnie thing is tt i knoe a fren who does! Chiang Lihui!! hehe.. therefore i', dedicating these cupcakes to her! i'll always remember the time we went out for coffee and she called for a mint frappe of some sort at Gloria Jeans.. i gave her a weird look. mint? in ur coffee? i rather eat colgate! Oops.

however, with the xmas season around, i thought that it would be an excellent opportunity to experiment with the forbidden flavor. and wala, immediately a recipe and a plausible ingredient hopped into mind.. i decided to make a twist on one of my favourite recipes to create something totally different.
So here it is! ta-da! Mint Bailey Chocolate Cupcakes with stuffed strawberries topped with whipped Mint mascarpone cream. hehe. and trust me.. these were good! i cld so leak the entire bowl of cream had i not have a photoshoot to conduct. haha.. tsk tsk..
well, i kinda played it safe this time round and attempted the classic pairing of chocolate and mint. well, safe is good sometimes orite? and this lovely delicious beauty is here to testify it.
Made using the new Baileys chocolate mint flavor, this gave the whole cake a very rich and luscious texture which served complimentary to the mint infused mascarpone cream on top. and of course.. wat goes better together then chocolate and strawberries? another classic combination at work here... If attempting this recipe, pls make preparations at least the day before for the best results!

Recipe

Ingredients
80g Butter
1 cup sugar (i used 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white granulated sugar)
1 1/2 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/8 cup cocoa powder (i used valrhona!)
1 tbsp espresso powder
120ml bailey's mint chocolate
60ml milk
1 tsp vanilla powder
2 tbsp sour cream

1 cup whipping cream
2 cups mascarpone cheese
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar


Steps
  1. On the night before baking, toss an leave the strawberries in a bowl with plain sugar syrup and a dash of cointreau to infuse the flavor. Also, heat the 1 cup of cream and throw in a bunch of mint leaves. Stir till mixture bubbles and leave to cool before refrigerating, allow to steep for the night, till time for use.
  2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius and line the muffin trays with paper cups
  3. Beat Butter with sugar till smooth
  4. Add in vanilla essence and sour cream
  5. Add in eggs and beat till light and fluffy
  6. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl
  7. Stir Baileys and milk together
  8. Stir in the baileys mixture and dry ingredients into the butter mixture alternatively by hand
  9. Drain the strawberries and pat dry
  10. Scoop the batter into the individual cups and stuff a strawberry in the centre of the cup
  11. Bake for 18mins in the oven
  12. Allow the ready cupcakes to sit and cool in the pan for 5 mins before removing them and placing them on the rack to cool completely
  13. Whip the cream till soft peaks, add in the mascarpone cheese and vanilla extract and sugar and whip till stiff and frosting is able to hold its shape.
  14. Frost the top of the cooled cupcakes and garnish with mint leaves and chocolate coated coffee beans (as i did!)
  15. ENJOY!

oh, trust me, i would be making these again soon! these were fabulous! the mascarpone was such an excellent match to the moist chocolate cupcake and the mint flavor was just about right in bringing out the festive mood in me! hehe.

since there was left over batter, i also made this in my mini crown cake pans.. and they turned out gorgeous! Filled in the little gap with cream and it was good to go!

orite.. now tt i'm finally done with the cupcake hero post.. its time to retire! gotta get myself for Spain and Portugal! here i come! its gonna be a rather long time till u enxt hear from me. hope u guys will miss me.. *wink*..

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