Texas Grapefruit Cupcakes

By popular demand, here is the recipe for my chocolate show submission. Right now they are called Texas Grapefruit Cupcakes, but that will likely change as soon as I think up something better (suggestions are welcome!).


Dark Chocolate Grapefruit Cupcakes

This is a modified version of the Dark Chocolate Sheet Cake recipe in The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book published by America's Test Kitchen.

2 sticks...........unsalted butter
4 ounces.........bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup...............Dutch-processed cocoa
1 1/2 cups.......all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp..........baking powder
1 tsp................baking soda
1 tsp................non-iodized table salt
4......................large eggs at room temperature
2 tsp................vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups........sugar
1 cup................sour cream
1/4 cup.............Ruby Red grapefruit zest

1. Combine butter, cocoa powder and chocolate in a bowl. Melt either in the microwave or a double boiler and set aside and let cool slightly.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and whisk together.
3. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a large bowl until uniform. Slowly whisk in sugar until combined. Slowly whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture until combined.
4. Sift one third of the flour mixture over the batter and whisk in. Whisk in sour cream and zest. Sift the remaining two thirds of the flour into the batter and whisk to combine. Stir the batter one last time with a spatula to ensure everything is thoroughly combined.
5. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray (or use paper liners) and dish in the batter with a greased 1/4 cup measure (or #16 disher).
6. Bake on the middle rack of a 350 degree oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached (about 15-20 minutes) rotating the pan halfway through.
7. Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes then remove and set on wire racks to cool completely .

Recipe yields approximately 24 cupcakes. The cupcakes can be kept covered at room temperature for up to two days or refrigerated for up to five.


White Chocolate Grapefruit Buttercream

8 ounces.............granulated sugar
2 ounces.............water
3 ounces.............egg yolks
10 ounces............butter, slightly softened
3/4 tsp................vanilla extract
4 ounces..............high quality white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
Grapefruit oil to taste

1. Combine sugar and water in a pot. Stir to evenly coat the sugar with the water. Bring the mixture to a boil.
2. Continue to boil until the sugar reaches 240 degrees.
3. While the sugar is boiling, whip the yolks in a standing mixer on high.
4. As soon as the sugar reaches 240 degrees, pour into the yolks very slowly taking care not to hit the whip with the syrup.
5. Continue to whip on high until bowl is no longer warm.
6. Add the butter in one ounce chunks, waiting until the previous addition is fully absorbed before making the next addition.
7. Once the butter has been incorporated add the vanilla and the white chocolate. Whip until incorporated.
8. With mixer on medium, add the grapefruit oil to taste one drop at a time.

Once finished, the frosting can be used immediately (if it's too warm, refrigerate it until it is stiff enough to use) or it can be kept refigerated in an air tight container for up to 3 days. If refrigerated, let the frosting warm for a few minutes before using.

Frosting can be spread or piped onto cupcakes.

So....

It's been a month. Well, practically a month. I started this blog so that the vast, undefinable "others" that exist out there somewhere could follow my progress through school. That hasn't exactly gone as planned for two very clear reasons:

1) I suck at posting. I'm fortunate in that I live with my best friend and that I see my two other best friends so often that our mutual friends joke about us having a "group marriage." The only quasi-downside is that most of the ranting and/or storytelling gets done in person. Which isn't really a downside at all (I guess the "quasi" made that clear).

2) I have told exactly 3 people that this blog even exists. I don't really know why. My reluctance is due, at least in part, to the implosion of a friendship (and serious damage to two other relationships) that I watched happen as a result of a comment on a blog. I don't really think that I'm in danger of that happening to me (people would actually have to read the damn thing in order to comment on it (I know, I know)).

So....

Is it dumb to make posting on your own blog a Lenten resolution? Eh, maybe, but I think I'm gonna do it anyway. Why not? I'm goin' to hell for other stuff.

-School-
I love school. It's weird. The Wife and I went on "vacation" last weekend to San Francisco to see some old friends get married. It was great, but since the wedding was on Sunday (weird, right?) it was impossible logistically for me to get back in time for class on Monday. I was pissed. I spent the entire week a day behind and, even though I worked extra almost everyday, I never really caught up. This is the first time in my life that I can remember being upset that I missed school (not counting field trip days in elementary school). I guess that's a good sign, but I better not get sick for the next six months.


-Rant-
How many ounces are in a pound? Where is Canada on a map? These are questions to which I assumed everyone knew the answers. Yes, yes, of course I've read the articles about how 20% of Americans can't find Canada, or their home state or some such thing, but I guess I thought these pollsters were just getting the same 4 or 5 people over and over. How wrong I was. It's seven weeks into baking school and there are people in my class who ask literally everyday how many ounces there are in a pound (16, by the way) or how many teaspoons in a Tablespoon (3) or something similar. Seriously? And you want some one to pay you to bake for them? Did you not think this would be requisite knowledge? How have you not learned this by now? I realize that I hang out with nerdy people (it's often a race to see who can find the answer to a question on their iPhone the fastest) and I am, by nature, a very curious person. I guess I just find it very difficult to remember that not everyone works like that. *sigh*

With that, and a promise to post more often (I will post my Texas Grapefruit Cupcake recipe tomorrow), I will sign off.