Recipe courtesy of Kevin VanDeraa
Anti-Bullying Dodge Ball Cupcakes, aka Peanut Butter and Jelly
- Level: Advanced
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
- Total: 1 hr 25 min
- Prep: 1 hr
- Cook: 25 min
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 drops burgundy food color
4 drops red food color
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
6 ounces powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
Seedless raspberry jam, for filling and glaze
Garnishes:
6 ounces rolled fondant
Black food color for stamping ink
Small cookie cutter 1 inch or smaller
Adjustable stamp that can spell out bullying
Red edible marker
Peanut Butter Cupcakes:
156 grams (about 5 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
177 grams (about 6 1/4 ounces) sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
100 grams (about 3 1/2 ounces) peanut butter
Nonstick baking spray
Directions
- For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk to fully incorporate and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the egg, sugar, oil, vanilla and almond extracts. Add the wet to the dry and fully incorporate. Mix in the buttermilk and peanut butter. Once all the lumps are out, mix in 1/4 cup water.
- Prepare a cupcake pan with nonstick spray and liners. Add batter to just over half full and bake until the cupcakes spring back when touched, 20 to 25 minutes.
- For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter until light and fluffy. While it's mixing, add bits of cream cheese, 2 to 3 ounces at a time until all the cream cheese is incorporated. Make sure to scrape down the bowl frequently. When you are satisfied that the butter and cream cheese are evenly mixed and there are no lumps, add the powdered sugar and mix to incorporate. When all the lumps are out, add the vanilla and food coloring and mix to incorporate.
- For the glaze: Combine equal parts seedless raspberry jam and water, heat in the microwave until liquid, stirring to make sure it's fully combined.
- For the garnish: Roll the fondant out about 1/8-to-1/4-inch thick. Cut out 12 circles, one for each cupcake. Allow the fondant to harden a bit, and then stamp the word bullying on all the circles. Use the red marker to make the circle and slash sign on top of the bullying word.
- To assemble: Core and fill the cupcakes with raspberry jam. Using a round tip, pipe small round balls of cream cheese frosting on the top of the cupcakes. Make a second layer of balls so the cupcake looks like it has a pile of dodge balls on top of it. Dip the top of the cupcakes in the raspberry glaze and place the garnish on top