Easter Cupcakes

It's Good Friday everyone! And Good Friday is a day I used to look forward to in the past (when I was schooling and then working) because it means a public holiday (at least it is in my home country)! But now that I'm neither schooling nor working, I'm kind of indifferent since every Friday (or rather every day) is a "public holiday". Haha!

Although I'm not a Christian, I have been quite overwhelmed with Easter, which is the Sunday following Good Friday since (almost) every places put out sales, decorations, food and themes associated with it. So this year I've long decided to execute a bake which I'd kept in my head for a year! How long is that, uh?! Despite having it "planned", I didn't think I would bake ahead of the weekend and I found myself lacking a couple of ingredients in my pantry based on the initial idea I had. >,<

But it may well be a "blessing in disguise" or a chance to think out of the box and come up with a creative combination. So to make do with all that's available, I decided on these lemon chiffon cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting! You may think the combination tastes weird, just as I had initially thought too. Surprisingly not! The soft and fluffy lemony cupcake so refreshing cuts the sweetness from the chocolate cream cheese frosting which makes it a heavenly pair! Lemon and chocolate, simply the best of both worlds! Now that I come to think about it again, my original intention of a vanilla-based cupcake (with the same chocolate cream cheese frosting since I needed that to build my cupcake design) would have been "boring"! Haha!

Easter Cupcakes 
(Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting)

Unlike most of my other blog posts, I've enlarged this photo of my cupcakes purposely. I mean, they are just too pretty not to be admired, right?! Haha! And this lemony cupcake recipe that yield such refreshing, soft and fluffy is definitely a keeper! The same goes for the chocolate cream cheese frosting, rich but not too heavy and sweet. Well, actually this whole recipe combination is a keeper! And since they were made for a purpose, I have named them Easter cupcakes! Yum~~

Easter Cupcakes 

(Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting)

Ingredients Required

Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes
Recipe referenced and modified from: Happy Home Baking
Makes 12

Group A
67 grams cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 teaspoon salt

2 egg yolks

26 grams castor sugar

33 ml vegetable oil

33 ml water

16 ml lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

Group B
2 egg whites
26 grams castor sugar

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe referenced and sourced from: Natasha's Kitchen

Yields approximately 2 cups

4 oz (113 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperture

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Bakeware Used

One standard 12-cavity cupcake pan

Preparation Steps

Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes

1. Pre-heat oven to 340 degrees F (or 170 degrees C).
2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt from Group A of ingredients. Set dry ingredients aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar and whisk using a balloon whisk until mixture becomes thick and pale yellow.
4. Drizzle in oil and continue whisking till mixture is becomes homogenous. Repeat the same with water, followed by lemon juice. 
5. Add the dry ingredients into the yolk mixture in three separate additions, and whisk until dry mixture is fully incorporated with no lumps. 
6. Add the lemon zest and mix well.
7. In a separate clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until frothy and foamy.
8. Add sugar gradually and continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form. Do not over-beat the egg whites.
9. Gently fold the meringue into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions using a spatula. Fold until just combined during the first two additions and fold until well combined at last. Do not over-mix.
10. Divide batter into each cavity of the cupcake pan lined with cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 full.
    
    
11. Gently drop the pan on the table top to get rid of any large trapped air bubbles.
12. Bake in pre-heated oven for approximately 12 to 14 minutes until the cupcake surface springs back when gently pressed, or until the toothpick inserted into the centre of the cupcake comes out clean. 
13. Remove from the oven and let cupcakes cool in the pan for one minute.
    
    
14. Then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
    
    

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1. In a clean mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese butter using an electric mixer on medium/high speed until creamy (about 3 minutes), scraping down the bowl as needed.
2. Sift in powdered sugar with cocoa powder (to ensure there are no lumps) and salt. Beat on low speed until mixture becomes well combined. Increase speed and continue beating until smooth.
3. Add vanilla extract and beat for another minute until mixture is smooth with no lumps.
4. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip and frost on the cooled cupcakes. (Note: It's best to pipe the frosting after it is made. The frosting will need a little time at room temperature to soften and become pipe-able if refrigerated.)

I used a Wilton Tip 13 to pipe the frosting in rounds, first covering the surface of the cupcake and extending up in spiral to form a nest-like with a hollow space in the centre.

Then, I placed three egg chocolate candies in the centre of hollow space created from the frosting.

Isn't this pretty?

According to Wikipedia, (decorated) eggs are often given to celebrate Easter or Springtime. Eggs, in general, were a traditional symbol of fertility, and rebirth. And that probably explains why eggs are associated with Easter. ^_^

The Dream Baker's Experiment

1. The lemon chiffon cupcakes recipe above is 2/3 portion of the original source recipe, which originally makes an 18cm whole cake.
2. I used two large eggs weighing approximately 57 grams (with shell on) in my above recipe, which came to approximately 32 grams of egg yolks and 66 grams of egg whites.
3. I baked the cupcakes in the middle rack of the oven for 13 minutes, baking time varies across different oven. 
4. For the chocolate cream cheese frosting, I used whole fat cream cheese and dark unsweetened cocoa powder. 
5. The frosting yield should be just enough to generously frost 12 standard size cupcakes. I had approximately 3/4 cup of frosting left from the above recipe.

The inside of the lemony cupcake - soft and fluffy! You definitely got to try it.

I am sharing this post with Treats Petite (April 2015 theme: Hello Spring!) hosted by Kat of The Baking Explorer and Stuart of Cakeyboi. This month's theme bake is meant for anything made with fresh spring produce, made for Easter or made to celebrate the arrival of Springtime.

I am also sharing this post with Tea Time Treats (April 2015: Chocolate!) hosted by Karen of Lavender and Lovage and Jane of The Hedgecombers. I hope this fits into this month's theme.

Last but not least, I am also sharing with two other events, CookBlogShare hosted by Lucy of Supergolden Bakes, sharing without boundaries; and monthly link up party, Our Growing Edge (April 2015) hosted by Nikki of Everyday Life Mother and Wife, an event that aims to connect food bloggers and inspire us to try new things.

  

With these pretty cupcakes, I wish all Christians a Happy Good Friday and Easter Sunday in advance! And to the rest, happy holidays!!

Dare to dream.

The Dream Baker