Negroni Cupcakes Recipes

NEGRONI BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and line a 9x13-inch baking pan.
• Combine crushed pretzels, brown sugar, and milk powder in a medium mixing bowl. Add butter to the bowl and toss to combine. Press the pretzel mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk sugar, eggs, flour, and grapefruit zest together in a large bowl. Whisk in orange juice, grapefruit juice, orange aperitif, gin, and vermouth. Pour over the pretzel crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven until filling is set, 30 to 35 minutes. Cover with foil if filling starts browning too quickly. Cool completely on a wire rack, 20 to 30 minutes. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Pulse freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor until finely ground. Use a fine-mesh strainer to dust strawberry powder over the filling. Cut into 24 bars and serve.

LEMONY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line one 12-cup standard muffin tin with cupcake liners.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt.
• Beat together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg, yolk, zest and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until a tester inserted in the middle of the cakes come out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cakes for 10 minutes in the tin, and then remove and cool completely on a rack.
• Put the lemon curd in a piping bag fitted with a 1/8-inch-round pastry tip. Insert the tip into the center of each cupcake and pipe in equal amounts of curd.
• Combine the egg whites, corn syrup, the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and the remaining pinch of salt in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Beat with an electric mixer until thick and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and beat until the frosting is slightly cooled, about 2 minutes longer.
• Mound the frosting on top of the cupcakes. If desired, use a kitchen torch to brown the frosting and garnish with a lemon candy.

BLACK BOTTOM CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners. Beat together the cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla extract in a medium bowl on medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth and no lumps remain, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and remaining 2/3 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl. Add the oil, the remaining teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 cup water and mix until combined. Let the batter rest 10 minutes at room temperature, then stir in the vinegar.
• Divide the chocolate batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Drop about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling in the center of each cupcake.
• Bake until the cream cheese filling has set and a toothpick inserted into the chocolate cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
• Cool in the tin 5 minutes and then use a butter knife or small offset spatula to carefully remove the cupcakes to a wire rack. Cool the cupcakes completely before serving, about 30 minutes.