"MILKSHAKE CUPCAKES" FOR ALZHEIMER'S IDAHO

If you follow this blog you will know that I volunteer for Alzheimer's Idaho - a local grassroots organization. One of the things I do is to make dessert for their monthly support meeting.  Last night's dessert was a tray of "Milkshake" cupcakes.  As these are strawberry-sour cream cupcakes topped with chocolate ganache and then with fiori di sicilia buttercream no ice cream was necessary.

Gather together all ingredients...

One of the things I think gives a boxed cake mix a better result is to sift the box ingredients - in this case this was a strawberry cake mix so once the flour ingredients were sifted into the bowl what was remaining were little bits of the red strawberry flavoring - just dump them into the mix as they will not go through the sieve.

After adding the other ingredients you have a nice, thick batter to divide evenly between the cups....

Set the cupcake cups into the muffin tins and bake and then let them cool completely....

The hot cream and butter poured over the chocolate chips...

Lots of whisking and you have a beautiful, shiny chocolate ganache....

Divide the ganache evenly over the cooled cupcakes...

Once the ganache has completely cooled assemble the jimmies, the Sixlets, cut straws and your frosting.  Because the frosting will harden once applied to the cupcake I choose to do one cupcake at a time to be sure the Jimmies would stick to the frosting.

A nice little rich cup of goodness!

Cupcake Recipe:

1 Box Duncan Hines strawberry cake mix
3 eggs, room temp
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup of strawberry jelly or jam, NOT PRESERVES

Sift the cake mix and then add the milk, sour cream, oil and , mix to combine, add the eggs one at a time mixing between each addition, finally add the strawberry jelly/jam and mix again.  Batter will be a little thicker than normal.

Divide equally into cupcake cups or papers and bake in a 350° oven for 18-21 minutes

Chocolate Ganache Recipe:

12oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
6 Tablespoons butter

In a small saucepan melt the butter then add the cream and stirring constantly bring the mixture to ALMOST a boil, do not boil.  Pour the liquid over the chocolate chips and let it sit for about 30 seconds and then using a small wire whip whip the chips and the liquid until you have a smooth, glossy ganache.

Fiori di Sicilia Buttercream Frosting Recipe:

2 cubes butter, softened
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp fiori di sicilia extract (citrus-vanilla flavor)*
4-5 cups sifted powdered sugar
drizzle of cream or milk as needed if too thick

*may replace this extract with another tsp of vanilla

Place the butter in the bowl of mixer and let it whip for a couple of minutes until it is light and fluffy, gradually add about half of the sugar, then the extract, the remainder of the sugar and the cream/milk as needed. Adjust the mixer to medium and let it mix for a few minutes - it will be beautifully creamy and fluffy.

To assemble the cupcakes, bake the cupcakes, let them cool, equally distribute the ganache on the cupcakes, let it cool completely then using a wilton 2D tip frost the cupcake, sprinkle on some jimmies and then top with a red Sixlet and add the piece of cut straw.

The yield in the cupcake cups is 20, if you use regular cupcake papers your yield will be 24.

Resource:

Fiori di sicilia extract, Link 
Red & White Straws, Bella Cupcake Couture Paper Party Striped Straws, Red/White
Red Sixlets, Red Sixlets Candy 1LB Bag
Mixed Jimmies, CK Products 16 Ounce Jimmies/Sprinkles Bag, Mixed
Simply Baked Baking Cups, Simply Baked MA-002 RED 25-Pack Paper Cupcake Baking Cups, Small, Red Dot
 


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