Emerald City Artichoke Olive Oil Cake With Kiwi Filling And Whipped Cream Frosting Recipes

EMERALD CITY ARTICHOKE OLIVE OIL CAKE WITH KIWI FILLING AND WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with cupcake liners (for a total of 28 cupcakes).
• For the artichoke cake batter: In a food processor, puree the artichokes. Measure out the artichoke puree--you should have about 1 1/3 cups; if not, process more artichokes until you have 1 1/3 cups total. Put the artichokes back in the food processor, add the eggs and process until smooth.
• Add the artichoke mixture, sugar, olive oil, lemon zest and lemon emulsion to a large bowl and mix for 1 minute until well blended. Mix in the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda until well blended and smooth.
• Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full with the batter. Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 16 to 19 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
• For the kiwi filling: Put the kiwis in a food processor and pulse until there are still small chunks and the mixture is not completely smooth. Transfer to a bowl, mix in the sugar and instant pectin with a whisk and continue mixing for 3 minutes. Refrigerate until thickened, about 30 minutes.
• For the frosting: Whisk the sugar and egg whites in a double boiler until the mixture is slippery. In an electric mixer, beat the sugar mixture on high until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Mix in the butter one tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated. Mix in the vanilla bean paste.
• Use a cupcake corer to remove the centers of the cupcakes. Using a spoon or piping bag, fill the center of each cupcake with some kiwi filling. Using a piping bag, pipe some frosting onto each cupcake.

WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Place a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer in the freezer until cold, about 5 minutes. Alternatively, fill the bowl with ice water and let stand for 5 minutes. Pour out the ice water and quickly wipe the bowl dry.
• Sift the sugar and powdered milk into the chilled bowl, then add the cold cream and vanilla. Whip the mixture on high speed until stiff, but smooth peaks form, about 2 minutes. If you accidentally overwhip, the peaks will look like they are cracking. Add about a tablespoon more heavy cream and hand whip the frosting until it smooths out.
• The recipe makes enough frosting to generously top 24 cupcakes or to cover two 8-inch-round cakes, plus extra to pipe decorations. Unrefrigerated, the frosting will hold its shape for up to 6 hours.

CREAM OF ARTICHOKE SOUP

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cream of celery soup and chicken broth; stir until smooth. Add the artichoke hearts and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Pour soup into a blender and mix until consistency is smooth. Return to pot and slowly stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve hot.