Recipe courtesy of Julia San Bartolome
Blue Cupcakes
- Level: Advanced
- Yield: 24 cupcakes
- Total: 2 hr 30 min (includes cooling time)
- Active: 1 hr 15 min
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups blue cornmeal
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup blueberry puree
1 cup buttermilk
9 ounces unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
5 egg yolks
Blueberry Caramel:
1 cup granulated sugar
5 ounces blueberry puree
1 ounce lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
Bleu Devonshire Cream:
3 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 pinch salt
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup bleu cheese crumbles
Blue Agave Icing:
8 ounces unsalted butter
8 ounces powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons blue agave nectar
Bleu Cheese Brulee:
Large bleu cheese crumbles
Sugar, as needed
Directions
- For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use a 24 socket cupcake pan and line with paper liners. Set the pan aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a liquid measure, mix together the blueberry puree and buttermilk.
- In a large bowl of an electric stand mixer using a paddle attachment, combine the butter and granulated sugar, mixing until blended. Add the eggs and egg yolks and beat on low speed until all the ingredients are smooth and blended.
- Decrease the speed of the mixer to slow and add one-fourth of the dry ingredients. Mix for 1 minute, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. In two separate additions, add the liquid mixture to the batter, beating for 30 seconds after each addition, alternating with the dry ingredients, ending with the dry ingredients. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared cupcake liners and bake on the center rack until a cake tester inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool the cakes completely on wire racks, about 30 minutes.
- For the blueberry caramel: Heat together the sugar and 1/4 cup water, cooking until a medium caramel stage. Slowly add the blueberry puree, lemon juice and salt. Continue to cook together until smooth.
- For the blue Devonshire cream: Mix together the cream cheese with the granulated sugar and salt with the paddle attachment in an electric mixer. Once thoroughly combined, slowly add the heavy cream. Continue to mix until evenly distributed and fluffy. Fold in the bleu cheese crumbles.
- For the blue agave icing: Mix together the butter, powdered sugar and salt with the paddle attachment in an electric mixer. Once thoroughly combined, slowly add the blue agave nectar. Continue to mix until evenly distributed and smooth.
- For the bleu cheese brulee: Place the bleu cheese crumbles into the freezer for about 10 minutes. Remove from the freezer, and, working on a metal surface, generously cover with sugar. Using a blow torch, quickly brulee the tops of each bleu cheese crumble. Allow to come to room temperature.
- To assemble: Core each cupcake and drizzle a teaspoon of the blueberry caramel into the core. Generously fill each cupcake with the bleu Devonshire cream. Using a round tip and pastry bag, ice each cupcake with blue agave icing, encasing the generous amount of Devonshire cream, creating a combination of shells on top. Use blueberry caramel as a drizzle on top of cupcakes and place a bleu cheese brulee as garnish on top.